Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Series: The Cosmere (#28), Secret Projects (#1)

Format: 384 pages, Paperback

Published: April 2, 2024 by Tor Books

From: Own

Genre: Fantasy

A fairytale esque book set in the Cosmere.

Tress grows up on a boring little dangerous island. Everything in this world is dangerous and can kill you. She has a best friend, but one day he is taken away. And she says, nope, not on my watch. And she goes to find him!

A pirate adventure. A tale of friendship, danger and going for what you want.

A sweet adventure. Where everything goes well just as in a fairytale.

The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?

Yours, eventually by Nura Maznavi

 

Format: 400 pages, Paperback

Published: February 18, 2025 by Dutton

From: Received from Dutton via Netgalley

Genre. Persuasion re-telling. Fiction. 

I do like my Austen re-tellings, and this one is a Persuasion re-telling. It is set in a Pakistani American community, and it is not even my first Desi re-telling.

Asma is a young Doctor, and years ago her family pressured her to break up with Farooq. He was not from the right family, or rich enough. But he is back in her life and he is rich. So very rich. But that was years ago, and there can not be anything between them anymore, or can there?

I liked how the story went. We have the annoying younger sister who married first. Then the oldest sister who spends money and is all about image. And the clueless dad who does not want to admit they are in need of money.

The marriage mart is big here, and just as it was in the book. 

Asma was nice, and she does want more. But there is a road there to be taken. Some courage to be had, and realisations acquired. And then everyone will live happily ever after.

A mesmerizing debut novel set in a tightly knit Pakistani American community where a young doctor gets an unexpected second chance with the first love she never got over when he becomes one of the most eligible bachelors in town.

The Ibrahim family is facing a crucial moment: Their patriarch just lost his fortune as the result of a Ponzi scheme, and the family is picking up the pieces. At the family’s core is Asma—successful doctor and the long-suffering middle daughter who stepped into the family center after the death of her beloved mother years ago. Despite what the prying aunties think, Asma is living the life she has always wanted, fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a doctor . . . or so she thinks.

In walks Farooq Waheed, Asma’s college sweetheart whose proposal was cruelly rejected by Asma’s aunt and father. Now, eight years later, Farooq has made his fortune by selling his Silicon Valley startup and is widely considered one of the most eligible bachelors in California. As he enters Asma’s social orbit, she finds herself navigating a tricky landscape—her pushy sisters, gossiping aunties, and her father’s expectations—on her path to reconciling the past and winning Farooq back in the present. If there is still time.

Yours, Eventually is a story about a young woman finding the courage to follow her heart and coming to the realization that living your life according to what other people think is no life at all.

TMST

 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

3/4/2025 What are three things you'll never get tired of doing?

Hugging my family

Exploring the woods

Thinking about books

3/11/2025 Have you ever ventured out of your comfort zone and ended up having a nice experience?

3/18/2025 Have you met any bookish/blogging friends in person?

3/25/2025 Are you satisfied with your blog?

4/1/2025 What is your current genre of choice? Has it changed recently?

4/8/2025 Which author do you wish you could meet? And what would you say to them?

4/15/2025 It's been a while... tell us more about you!

4/22/2025 What types of music do you enjoy?

4/29/2025 What is your favorite thing about spring?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

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Carole´s Monday: King of Flesh and Bone

Author: Liv Zander

Narrator: Auri Alden, Gregory Salinas

Title: King of Flesh and Bone

Series: The Pale Court Duet #1

Genre: Fantasy, Dark Romance, Paranormal

Format: Audiobook

Published:  April 21, 2022

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Worse than a ruthless king... is a king obsessed.

Isolation, darkness, and rotting flesh,

Surrounds me, suffocates me,

But I am the vile ruler who controls it all.

I long for warmth,

Yet, all that I touch,

Is cold.

Then, she stumbles in to my domain,

Lost and frightened,

Alone and confused.

And I terrify her even more.

She calls me the devil,

So I show her pleasure,

Like only the devil can.

I am the heat that stirs her flesh,

The longing that trembles her bone.

She begs her body to refuse,

To escape my embrace,

But I am her master,

The puppeteer of passion.

I am the King of Flesh and Bone.

Welcome to my court, little one.

King of Flesh and Bone is a full-length dark fantasy novel, and book one in The Pale Court duet. The two-part story features a ruthless man, the woman who can't escape his love, and a HEA. This world contains dark themes, violence, loss, and elements of horror some may find disturbing. What this book doesn't contain is a hero - because villains do it better.

Review:

A friend of mine recommended this to me. She said it was messed up but something I should read. So why not?

The story follows the Enosh and Ada.  Ada is a mortal. She is nothing special by all accounts. She is a midwife who is now a widow and childless in a terrible world. People think she is cursed since she could never have a baby. Enosh is not just a King, but a god. His life was destroyed by the mortals he swore to protect. His job, as god, is to help the bodies of those who passed rot and become one with the Earth again. After what the mortals did to him, he won't do it anymore. Those dead are now still roaming the Earth as soulless beasts.

This was certainly dark. Lots of triggers for people so for sure be aware before reading this book.

I.....actually didn't mind this book. I'm not one for overly dark romances or Eroticas but.......I ended up liking it and put book 2 on my TBR list. Yes, some scenes bugged me a bit but...I kept on reading.

Enosh is an asshat for sure. Yes, what the mortals did to him and his family was terrible (grrr dumb humans), but man what a terrible punishment. The world is littered with (essentially) zombies. Super, duper dark for sure. 

Poor, sweet Ada. I felt so bad for her especially at the end. Now I HAVE to read book two SIGHS. I need to know how things are going to get fixed. I won't spoil anything but I will say again....................................dumb humans. 

The plot was limited but I feel the world was crazy detailed. I want to understand more about the other gods. We got to meet two others, I hope we learn more about the "balance" and the role of more gods in the next book. 

One big issue I had was the use of modern phrases. A slip up or two doesn't bug me normally, but there were a LOT of modern phrases especially during the smex scenes. Mmm. It annoyed me. This is supposed to be a fantasy medieval world so it just didn't fit with the vibe.

The narrators did fine. I liked the girls voice. I felt like the male voice had little to do. Why even bother having him? I think he read only a few pages overall. I would've liked to hear the male voice do the male voices or something. Maybe a back and forth narration. Or more Enosh internal monologues would've been nice. 

All-in-all, I'm shocked I liked this as much as I did. I couldn't stop reading! LOTS of triggers so be aware of that. Very dark, lots of smex, lots of zombies, lots of dumb humans, lots of trauma. I'll give this 3 stars. 

- Favorite Character(s): Ada?

- Least Favorite Character(s): Too many to list. Humans are dumb.  

 Challenge(s):

- Audiobook #11

- Library love #6

- Reading Romance #9 (Fantasy/SciFi)

Best of February

 

Here are our bests from February!!!! 

Best Book of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop

"I have to chose this one as the best book of the month because ALL the feels."

Carole - Sugar Shack Witch Mysteries #1-2 series

"I'm loving these! Book 1, book 1.5, and 2 are sooooo good."

Best Movie of the Month:

Carole -  Downton Abbey (2019)

"Such a great continuation of the show. Weeeee!"

Blodeuedd - Nadda

"Best movie, as always I do not remember. I did watch one with a man and his daughter renovating a villa. And sure you could watch it, but I do not even remember the title so..."

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd - Ghosts (s1) & Love is Blind

"I watched s1 of Ghosts, finally! And also lots of Love is Blind. I just need that drama."

Carole - Downton Abbey (S 6)

"Wah. What am I going to do now that I am done? SOOO good."

Best Cover of the Month:

Carole's pick: Can't stop looking at it. 

Blodeuedd's pick: "Much prettier in RL."