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March 28, 2024

Novel Lives

Book Publicity, Book Reviews, And Author Interviews

Weekly Round Up… My Favorite Blog Posts of the Week and What's To Come…"The Aftermath is Secondary"

When life well, lifes... sometimes it becomes hard to even lean on the things that get you through, like reading, writing and my little corner of the internet. So instead of relying strictly on deadlines and what I planned, once I was passed September 4th, I went to what I wanted to read, which changed things up. That isn't to say I didn't want to read what I planned. Not at all. I just had a couple ARCs calling to me (one I am not planning to review till *ahem* November* and one not coming out till the end of the month) but it was the right choice! They really helped me connect with things I had to deal with and the other helped me laugh, and just get of my own head. If I end up reviewing it sooner than expected? So be it.

This week was slow on the posts and on the growth of the site- cause and affect. However, life is going to life and things were rough on that side BUT there was some amazing books to review that got a lot of attention and some amazing books to review that should have gotten more attention. Hopefully this round-up helps.
Plus when life well, lifes… sometimes it becomes hard to even lean on the things that get you through, like reading, writing and my little corner of the internet. So instead of relying strictly on deadlines and what I planned, once I was passed September 4th, I went to what I wanted to read, which changed things up.
That isn’t to say I didn’t want to read what I planned. Not at all. I just had a couple ARCs calling to me (one I am not planning to review till *ahem* November* and one not coming out till the end of the month) but it was the right choice! They really helped me connect with things I had to deal with and the other helped me laugh, and just get of my own head. If I end up reviewing it sooner than expected? So be it.
So here is what actually happened this week (light as it might have been and that is OK). Truthfully isn’t the wrap-up supposed to happen on Sunday???! Right. 😛

Sunday: ARC Review: Debut Novel of Echo Room by Parker Peevyhouse
Tuesday: ARC 4.5 Star Review: A Room Away From the Wolves by Nova Ren Suma
Thursday: "Tag/Discussion": Thursday's Thoughts... Currently Reading Tag
Saturday: ARC Five Star Review: For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig

A guide for the highest reviews this week:
A Room Away From the Wolves and For a Muse of Fire are two completely different books but both are incredible and deserve the full attention of two different types of reader (unless you are a reader who enjoys both types of books).
Here’s  a little guide:

A Room Away From the Wolves

  • Think atmospheric
  • Mystical Madness
  • Thriller, Frightening
  • Prose bordering poetry
  • Almost trippy in a way that you have to really think about it to understand or go with the flow of it
  • It is a book that will send you into the fetal position and look for a support group
  • Haunting
  • It isn’t tangible- you’ll be grasping at air

For a Muse of Fire

  • Fantasy grounded in parts of colonialism
  • #ownvoice bipolar female heroism
  • Necromancy in the form of vivid and beautiful spirits capable of much more
  • Family bonds that are capable of sacrificing for life and causing great harm
  • Large cast of characters integral to every part of the plot
  • Plethora of ephemera literary structures that give voice to different point of views
  • Hidden agendas, character reveals
    • connections to each other, different end games and back stories
  • Cliffhanger: Book 1 of an announced trilogy
  • Tangible
  • Reader is left to do a lot of critical thinking that may sometimes be correct but sometimes make you want to throw the book across the room

 

*The boys were not harmed in the reading of either book*

Yes two intense books left a lot to marinate before I could write the reviews for each! Signs of amazing reads and without spoilers in each. This was especially difficult with A Room Away From the Wolves but I managed. It was just shorter than I would have liked.
Truthfully looking at what I did this week, although it wasn’t as post dense as I might have liked, I did get to two of the three reviews I said were coming… but I needed to read For a Muse of Fire sooner for my soul… and the one I just finished really was a cool drink of water (that review may come this week but I’m not announcing it… just in case because it isn’t released till December).  Here is what I’m SURE is coming this week.  Two of which I had no clue about last week…
Friday at 6:30 PM NetGalley, Imprint Publishing and,  Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) dropped two highly anticipated September 25th releases in my lap… Yes, I said September had become a blood bath of ARCS but there is nothing to do but a happy dance over this kind of unexpected ARC drop! Both reviews are coming this week…

DRUM ROLL PLEASE…

A Blade So Black

Black Wings Beating

There is at least one, if not two other reviews coming this week. However, there is also a hard copy arc being delivered to me on Thursday and depending on what that is will depend on what that review is going to be. So, I need to wait before I am definite on choosing. I may do a third before I get that, in which case there may be four! It just depends on what happens with that delivery. I didn’t get notice from a publisher and I don’t recognize the delivery address, so it is kind of a mystery… exciting! I have one of two guesses but I’m not sure!!! I am also hoping for one more big ARC to drop on me this week but it isn’t being published until January… (breathing room) but it is one a lot of people are after but I got a heads-up that I’m on the list to receive… so fingers crossed… wolves may be on the doorstep…thankfully we have a slayer lurking about!!!
With that up in the air I am going to leave the October break down… yes Red October looms in the horizon for the next week or maybe my first September wrap-up, October look ahead!
With that exciting news for the week ahead I give you my favorite blogs for the week, one of which I reblogged (there were some heavy topics covered this week and covered well)!

Let’s go a blog jumping!

  1. AvalinahsBooks – Not only is she just a sweetheart who tries to support everyone, but this is a relevant, important and well covered topic!
  2. Ayundabhuwan– Great topic, especially for those new to covering ARCs- I have this issue more with Edelweiss than NetGalley but it applies either way, especially in the beginning. It is so easy to get carried away!
  3. Sleepy Sam Reads– This post is one of the reasons I jumped to a book that I just needed to read because of the distraction and the laughs… and it helped. Thanks chickadee! And p.s. she’s been a great friend whenever I needed it.

Ok that is it for this week! God willing, see you next week! Until then…

Keep calm and carry on, even if I can’t! 🙂

 
 

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