Life Update, Currently Reading, & September TBR

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Hi everyone! It’s been a while! Just out here enjoying life and still figuring out this new life schedule of mine. I read nothing but The Diviners in the month of August, therefore no August Wrap-Up will be posted. Instead of reading, I watched all the seasons of La Casa De Papel and How To Get Away With Murder. I was also having fun and going out. Sometimes I think of doing blog posts of places I’ve visited. However, I’m the type of person who likes to enjoy the moment rather than take pictures of every single thing so I guess that’s a wrap lol.

giphy-55ALSO!!!!!!!!! It’s September!!! Which means it’s my birthday month!!! I turn 30 on the 20th. I’ll be going to Vegas and the Grand Canyon (team virgo all day every day!! earth sign gang!!!). I have a lot going on, many of my loved ones also celebrate their birthday this month. Therefore, I know that audiobooks will be my best friend cause I won’t be getting much reading done. It’s alright though! I refuse to be hard on myself because life is worth living and I love being a happy bitch.

Okay but now that I’ve given you a little life update, let’s get to the books because that’s what y’all are here for!

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Currently Reading

21853621In love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are.

France, 1939
In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When France is overrun, Vianne is forced to take an enemy into her house, and suddenly her every move is watched; her life and her child’s life is at constant risk. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates around her, she must make one terrible choice after another.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets the compelling and mysterious Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. When he betrays her, Isabelle races headlong into danger and joins the Resistance, never looking back or giving a thought to the real–and deadly–consequences.

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Currently listening via audiobook and reading along with paperback. I’m close to the 200 page mark and loving it! I can definitely see why this is a favorite. It’s gripping! Every time I put it down, I look forward to picking it back up.

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September TBR

So many books, so little time! I have a little TBR pile that’s sitting on my bedside. However, it’ll be getting side eyed this month. Therefore I chose three books that I’m sure I can get too; one hardcover book, one audiobook, and one ebook (two of them mostly for my plane rides to and from vegas/nyc).

Hardcover Book (Historical Fiction):

25813942For fans of Before We Were Yours and Where the Crawdads Sing, a magnificent novel about four orphans on a life-changing odyssey during the Great Depression, from the New York Timesbestselling author of Ordinary Grace.

1932, Minnesota—the Lincoln School is a pitiless place where hundreds of Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. It is also home to an orphan named Odie O’Banion, a lively boy whose exploits earn him the superintendent’s wrath. Forced to flee, he and his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.

Over the course of one unforgettable summer, these four orphans will journey into the unknown and cross paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds. With the feel of a modern classic, This Tender Land is an en­thralling, big-hearted epic that shows how the magnificent American landscape connects us all, haunts our dreams, and makes us whole.

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Audiobook/Hardcover (Thriller):

36626748._SY475_Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she—or anyone—saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.

Now a rising star in the New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings—massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. The paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale. When Francesca implores her to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor, Emma sees an opportunity to try to find out what really happened to her friends.

Yet it’s immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by memories from fifteen years ago, Emma discovers a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian left behind about the camp’s twisted origins. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing threats from both man and nature in the present.

And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale, the more she realizes it may come at a deadly price.

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Ebook (Suspenseful Romance):

36602208._SY475_“Must be slim, able to stand for long periods of time, and be impervious to the cold.”
The headline caught my attention.
“Hours are negotiable, pay is minimal, clothing absolutely forbidden.”
The second line piqued my curiosity.
“Able to hold your bladder and tongue, refrain from opinions or suggestions, and be the perfect living canvas.”
The third made me scowl.
“Other attributes required: non-ticklish, contortionist, and obedient. Must also enjoy being studied while naked in a crowd.”
The fourth made me shudder.
“Call or email ‘YOUR SKIN, HIS CANVAS’ if interested in applying.”
The final made my heart race.
I should’ve kept scrolling past the advertisement.
I should’ve applied for the boring receptionist job at minimum wage.
I should’ve clicked on any other job where I got to keep my clothes on.
But I didn’t.
I applied.
My interview is tomorrow…

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That’s all for today! Any fun things you got going on in September? What books do you plan on reading? Let me know in the comments xo

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

The Reading Rush Readathon TBR (very last minute)

GUESS WHO THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO TAKE PART OF HER FIRST READATHON EVER AT THE LAST MINUTE?! THAT’S RIGHT. THIS WOMAN RIGHT HERE….i’m probably going to regret this tomorrow lol but…

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As stated, this is my first ever readathon. The only reason why I’m even participating is because I have a few days off of work this week and I have the weekend to myself. I’m also in the mood to read all the books that are mentioned. If you’re participating in The Reading Rush, you can also add me as a friend on the website by clicking here. Before getting into the challenges, please note that I’m doubling up for two of them.


CHALLENGES

BOOK WITH PURPLE ON THE COVER
BOOK WITH A NON-HUMAN MAIN CHARACTER

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Muse of Nightmares (Stranger the Dreamer #2) by Laini Taylor
Because purple and because gods aren’t human lol.

 

READ A BOOK IN THE SAME SPOT THE ENTIRE TIME

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Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
This book is super short and I always read in bed anyways so this will be a piece of cake!

 

READ A BOOK YOU MEANT TO READ LAST YEAR

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Crown of Lies (Truth and Lies Duet #1) by Pepper Winters
I’ve been wanting to read a dark romance and Pepper Winters knows how to write them.  Plus I’ll be able to read this one quickly due to her writing style.

 

READ AN AUTHOR’S FIRST BOOK

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Wilder Girls by Rory Power
I keep hearing such amazing things about this book and I’m so happy that I got to fit it in within the readathon!

 

PICK A BOOK THAT HAS FIVE OR MORE WORDS IN THE TITLE

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Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center
This is another book that I’ve been wanting to read and I’m glad I got to incorporate it!

 

READ AND WATCH A BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION

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The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
For this challenge, I wanted to pick something out of my comfort zone and also a non-famous book to movie. Therefore here we are. I listened to the sample of the audio and it peaked my interest. Let’s see how this goes!


And that’s all for this very last minute readathon/blog post! I’ll be updating my reads on twitter. If you want to check that out, please click the link below!

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Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Friday Reads

Hey there!! HAPPY FRIDAY!! I wanted to share with you what I’m currently reading and just kinda be present somehow on my blog lol. I have other blog ideas that have been sitting on the sidelines because I want to read, workout, and not sit in front of my computer again after doing that all day. But hopefully, I get to those soon. Now let’s get to the books!


39339146._SY475_When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.

Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren’s ideas about monogamy and marriage. She starts to question: When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for?


img_0004Sarai has lived and breathed nightmares since she was six years old.
She believed she knew every horror and was beyond surprise.
She was wrong.

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.
Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice—save the woman he loves, or everyone else?—while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the Muse of Nightmares, has not yet discovered what she’s capable of.
As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel’s near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: Must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?
Love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash in this astonishing and heart-stopping sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Strange the Dreamer.


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I am reading After I Do via ebook on Scribd and loving it. I am halfway through the book and it is everything I need at the moment. It is personally hitting home and my emotions keep bursting while reading it. Hopefully I get to finish it sometime this weekend. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a genius and she’s so quotable too. There are many highlighted passages already that I want to jot down and return too. I’m happy that I got into this author this year because she definitely knows how to capture a reader with her writing.

I decided to read Muse of Nightmares via audiobook. Side note: this is the sequel to Strange the Dreamer. I have tried reading Muse of Nightmares about three times and cannot get into it. I truly believe that it’s a me problem and not the book due to the fact that I no longer read YA Fantasy. However, I don’t want to easily give up on this book because I loved Strange the Dreamer and I want to know what happens with these characters in Muse of Nightmares. Therefore, I think the audiobook will suit me a lot better. Here’s hoping!

That’s all for today! What are you currently reading or plan on reading? I hope you all have a lovely weekend!!


Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Friday Reads and other things

It’s a super weird Friday for me. However, that’s not going to stop me from posting a Friday Reads. I really love this meme because it gives me a chance to catch up with you all and talk about what’s been going on.

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I finished A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab and I loved all of it! I should’ve had my review out for today but I had decided to blog hop instead on Wednesday night and yesterday came out of nowhere. Chester Bennington’s death has hit me really hard and therefore the plans to finish the review were off the table. I’m not sure when I will have my review up but I am really aiming for this weekend or latest, Monday.

 

 

 


35558311I also finished Maroon Daydreams by Cheyenne Raine. It’s a poetry collection and this is another review that I will be tackling sometime in the next coming week. This collection was great and I cannot wait to read more by this author in the future.

 

 

 

 

 


Let’s talk about my new blog feature coming in August! In June I ran a poll asking about doing this new feature and 90% voted YES!! I am excited to announce that coming the second or third Thursday of August, Conspiracy Theory Thursday will be the name of my new blog feature. Conspiracy Theory Thursday will only happen once a month and if you have not guessed it, it’s all about conspiracy theory’s…yes I love conspiracy theories, I am a firm believer that there is more than what media/gov’t tells us. I am going to dedicate a post to one topic and the different theories surrounding that topic. So far I’ve thought of posting on aliens, mermaids, deja vu, area 51, the bermuda triangle, the lost world of atlantis..among other ones.


the actual purpose of friday reads:

I am reading Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel who I met during BookCon and she was a super sweetheart! I obtained an ARC of this beautiful book and it releases September 5th. Once I read the synopsis with my twin Lilly@LairOfBooks I knew I was going to like it. And let me tell you, I am loving this book! It definitely has some LUX vibes going on (without the aliens) but it’s set in a small town during winter and there are a bunch of crows everywhere. This is the perfect read for me since I despise summer and would love Autumn and Winter to get here.

33509076synopsis:
A simple but forgotten truth: Where harbingers of death appear, the morgues will soon be full.

Angie Dovage can tell there’s more to Reece Fernandez than just the tall, brooding athlete who has her classmates swooning, but she can’t imagine his presence signals a tragedy that will devastate her small town. When something supernatural tries to attack her, Angie is thrown into a battle between good and evil she never saw coming. Right in the center of it is Reece—and he’s not human.

What’s more, she knows something most don’t. That the secrets her town holds could kill them all. But that’s only half as dangerous as falling in love with a harbinger of death.

 

 


that is all for today’s post! have you heard of the books mentioned above? i would love to know your thoughts on my conspiracy theory thursday blog feature. any specific theory request you have? i would love to know! let’s chat in the comments!


Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Friday Reads & Event Reminder in NYC

Hello everyone!! Happy Friday! It is a rainy gloomy day here in New York City and I am living for it. I just wish I was at home with my dog snuggling with my current read instead of being here at work managing an office lol. But the bills aren’t going to pay themselves so here I am!

I am currently reading A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab and let me tell you something…I AM LOVING EVERY BIT OF IT!!! Ugh I am so happy that I finally got into this series because it’s amazing! I am at the halfway point and I am hoping to maybe finishing it this weekend. I would say tonight but I have a hot date with Lilly@LairOfBooks via Facetime and that’s more important to me hehehe.

The world, the characters, the plot, EVERYTHING is dark and magical. Typical in Schwab fashion and I am absolutely fascinated!


22055262Goodreads Synopsis:

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.


Event Reminder!

I will be at Bluestockings Bookstore on Thursday July 27, located at:
172 Allen St.
New York, NY 10002

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This event is hosted by La Pluma y La Tinta. An organization that focuses on inspiring, elevating, and shining spotlight on people of color writers/poets. I will be reading some poetry pieces alongside with other writers.

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If you’ll be in the area, I would love to see you there! You can RSVP here.


let’s chat in the comments! i know i am completely new with reading ADSOM, have you read it? thoughts?


Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Friday Reads

Hey everyone! Happy friday!! I am so happy the weekend is here because this week has been just a little too long for me. I look forward to relaxing and doing absolutely nothing lol. I finished Our Dark Duet last night and my heart is still broken, I have so many feelings and thoughts but there will be a review up for it in the next comings days.

While on my long anxious way to work, I started reading Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia. I say anxious because there were two ladies talking, more like SCREAMING, on the bus ride. And to top it all off, two more ladies stepped on the bus and it was like a screaming match on who can have the loudest conversation. Music couldn’t even save me from silencing them. Ma’am I do not care about your baby daddy situation, can I just read my book? Please and thank you.

I only got to read 20 pages of Eliza and Her Monsters because I couldn’t really concentrate with the loud mouths on the bus. However!! what I did get to read got me really excited and I cannot wait to read more tonight and this weekend.


elizasynopsis from goodreads:

Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.


i hope you all have a great weekend! have you read Eliza and Her Monsters or plan on to? let’s chat in the comments! i would love to know your thoughts ❤


Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads

Leigh Bardugo Signing Event, Meeting the Book Bestie, and Currently Reading!

Hi everyone!!!! The blog post title is so long right? But it all weaves in together. On Monday September 26, Leigh Bardugo the author of The Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows Duology, started her Troublemakers tour for her new release Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2). If you haven’t read Six of Crows, then please stop what you’re doing and buy it now! Lol no no no it’s okay, continue reading the post.

A few months back Leigh Bardugo mentioned her tour dates and when Lilly from Lair of Books and I found out that she was coming home (NYC), we immediately bought our tickets. Plus, Bardugo was coming to one of our favorite bookstores, Strand!!!

Lilly and I both left early that day from our full time jobs to meet up and get on the line early in order to get good seats (btw, yes we got great seats). I am not going to lie, I was pretty nervous meeting Lilly because it was our first time meeting up and I’m a anxious driven perfectionist so I was crossing fingers that it all went well. Let me tell you, it went perfect!!! After all these months of texting one another, chatting via ghat whilst working, following one another on social media, and hearing her husband snore via voice notes; it was like meeting with an old friend. She understood my sarcasm and wits from the beginning. We had such a blast!

Everyone meet my book bestie and I:
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So while we were on the line waiting to go upstairs to our seats, someone brought up a Kaz poster and I couldn’t resist the selfie. I had everyone on that whole block laughing. No shame at all. Heeeeyyyyyyy dirty hannnddddssss, how you doing *Wendy Williams voice*
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Also while standing on the line, Leigh Bardugo and Jesse The Reader (he’s a booktuber) came out of their cars and SHE WALKED RIGHT BY US!!!!! I was a total fangirl and Lilly was super starstruck. I told Lilly that I want to be like her when I hit her age lol. I was obsessing over her dress!!!
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Once we arrived up the stairs, the first thing that was handed to us were the books. I wanted to cry of happiness but I didn’t lol. While everyone was situating themselves, I got to take photos of the Inej and Jesper:


Jesse The Reader asked Leigh Bardugo tons of questions, like what would the characters order from Starbucks, what would their youtube channels be about, what would their Hamilton songs be, etc. She also spoke about her writing process with each book and I learned so much from her as a writer myself. Bardugo is hilarious. She was also answering questions from the crowd. I would definitely go to another event from hers. She spoke about possibly writing more for the Grisha world and brushed up on the Wonder Woman book coming next year (which I cannot wait for). Us in the crowd wanted to know more about any future books but her publishers in the back were shaking their head no lol. Leigh Bardugo also talked about GEMS which is a charity for girls who have been victims of sexual slavery/exploitation. 10% of each book sale is going to the foundation. Now if you haven’t read Six of Crows and you’re wondering why this particular charity is the choice, it’s because of one of the characters in the book.
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After the Q&A and all the laughter, the event coordinator was calling us by numbers and Lilly and I were amongst the first 20 people. While waiting, we received a cookie and a bottle of water. We got into a line to meet Leigh Bardugo personally, have the book signed, and take a picture. I was clearly ecstatic when it was my turn cause:

IMG_5778.JPGShe also mentioned how much she loved my lipstick. (Bow and Arrow liquid lipstick by Kat Von D). We also got a Crooked Kingdom pin and a card. The card I got was:

After we left the event, Lilly and I stood around the area and got a bit to eat at Chipotle since we skipped lunch. We spoke about how fun the event was and what was going on. I got to meet her snoring husband lol. It was a blast and I cannot wait to see Lilly again at ComicCon/BookCon next week!!


After this whole post, guess what I’m reading?!?! I mean, isn’t it obvious? Crooked Kingdom!!!!
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“No mourners, no funerals”


Follow me on Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Currently Reading

Just a quick little update on what I’m reading and planning to review next =)

I am currently reading Nevernight by Jay Kristoff and wow so far so good. I am very happy that I picked this up after my last 3 books were oh so disappointing.

It’s pretty slow paced but the writing and the world building is very beautiful so I’m not complaining at all.

AND THE MAPS!!!!!! There are two maps!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very beautifully illustrated. This is definitely a dark read which is great because it’s preparing me for Autumn!

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

Currently Reading

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well today. Just want to update you on what I’m currently reading and wanted to let you know that so far I am loving it!!!! This is the authors first book and wow it’s great. Here it is:

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

It’s the Salem Witch Trials meets Mean Girls in a debut novel from one of the descendants of Cotton Mather, where the trials of high school start to feel like a modern day witch hunt for a teen with all the wrong connections to Salem’s past.

Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

If dealing with that weren’t enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real live (well technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with The Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it’s Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.