April is one of my favorite months, due in part to being my birthday month as well, which makes ordering my Book of the Month club box all the more special.
To that end, my main selection was a deluxe edition of Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter(a writing duo who combined their last names here), that is as beautiful looking as any gift wrapped gem.
Our story is set in a mythical realm where in order to save her people from a deadly plague, Astrid must take up her mantle as heiress to the throne as well as the last witch of her order and journey to the Kingdom of Vatra to duel with Prince Zryan for control over all magic.
This duel requires them both to ride dragons, which is challenging in more ways than one. Astrid winds up also having to deal with Skylar, whose mother was killed by the king’s guard and has since become part of a traveling band of entertainers.
When she fears her best friend has been forcibly recruited into the royal army, Skylar seeks her out among the regals that she despises, only to be thrust into this battle to the death that decides the fates of the many. Can both of these women find a way to save themselves from being destroyed by such manipulative forces or is victory truly theirs for the taking?
This is a debut novel that is meant to be the first in a series and I hope that BOTM keeps up with these books as this initial outing is quite the pop culture package. Not only does this book have sprayed edges and gorgeous endpaper artwork (check my Instagram for a better look!) the cover jacket is reversible to boot. The couple of extra dollars that I paid this time around was definitely worth it.
Plus, a plot line where a witch and a wicked prince have to duel while riding dragons? Such a “Yes, Please “ and a please pass the popcorn while you’re at it there:
One of the fun bonuses of Book of the Month Club is that longtime members can get a free book for their birthday month and one that I chose was rather fitting for a lifelong reader indeed.
Meg Shaffer’s The Book Witch has the enchantress of the title seeking out a literary character to aid her in a real life quest.
Rainy March enjoys following in the magical footsteps of her family’s ability to hop in and out of the pages of books as a means of protecting those fictitious worlds from enemies both without and within. One major rule of her profession, however, is not to cross the line between reality and the written word for the good of all concerned.
However, when her beloved grandfather goes missing right around the time a rare volume is stolen, Rainy’s best chance to solve both mysteries is by enlisting the aid of her favorite British book bound detective known as The Duke of Chicago.
This team up could get Rainy expelled from her literary coven(not to mention surrendering her powers) yet the risks may be well worth the reward in more ways than one.
I did enjoy Shaffer’s The Wishing Game(and will soon catch up with her other novel The Lost Story) very much and this latest work sounds like a real page turning treat with perhaps a touch of noir, we shall see!:
To round this set of new reads off nicely, my final selection here was This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews(another writing duo, this time a wife and husband; twice in one box no less!).
Our leading lady is Maggie, who has been reading and rereading her favorite fantasy book series for years while waiting for the final entry to be released. She knows it so well, she’s practically living in that world far more than the real life she has in Texas.
Well, imagine her surprise when Maggie wakes up one morning to find herself in the kingdom of Keir Toren, only to die before the first chapter ends!
That death is brief but her time as a resident of Keir Toren is not(think Enchanted meets Groundhog’s Day) soon she is known as Maggie the Undying, whose near immortal status and through knowledge of the plot makes her a formidable force to be reckoned with.
Hoping to avert the gruesome event that the books bring the characters (some of whom have become her new found friends), Maggie creates a motley crew of unlikely companions to aid in her mission. Even with the likes of a former swordsman, crafty crooks and cranky servants, Maggie soon realizes that even an unfinished tale can be hard to complete and perhaps not easy to lead towards a happy ever after.
This is my first time reading an Ilona Andrews novel ( which is also the first in a trilogy) and I am looking forward to this twisty time loop of a book that promises a fun mix of humor, pathos and magic for quite the reality bending ride:
You may have noticed that all of my picks have been from the fantasy genre and it’s not a complete coincidence there.
Given the ever growing horror that our daily news headlines have morphed into, is it any wonder that a fantasy realm filled with otherworldly dangers sounds ideal right now?
I’m not the first person wanting some sort of escape from a reality that’s truly getting out of control yet what little I can do about this includes still holding on to hope. Yes, greater things are happening that are in dire need of serious attention and those with the power to affect the possible outcome of such actions ought to be doing so as we speak.
That doesn’t mean that I or anyone else stuck here on the sidelines have to put our lives on hold while this is going on. Give voice to your concerns to those in charge but don’t let this disaster in waiting overrun your whole life.
We’re not the first generation to go through incredibly challenging times yet I do wish that once this crisis is resolved, that it’s a good long while until another arises that we’re better prepared for.
So I am still finding good things to focus on as we move forward and so can you.
Whether it’s a good book, an upcoming TV show or the Supergirl movie due out this summer, there’s nothing wrong in lighting that spark of inspiration for better things to come. Sorrow is strong but so is joy, even during our darkest hour:
