Month: December 2019

announcement

It’s here! 🥳

A Morrow

So I have a confession to make…I’ve been working on something secret for a while now.

And now…it’s here!

My gift to you.

What to Read in 2020 is a comprehensive guide of the most anticipated releases from upcoming 2020. Month by month, I’ll be taking you through what the hot new releases will be, what they’re about, and helping you to get organized for your reading year ahead! I’ll be updating this list as the year goes on, and also sending a once monthly newsletter containing more new release announcements and other goodies too! If you’re tired of trying to keep up with what’s new and what to read, then I made this guide for you.

Get your download here!

I made this for you, my readers, because…well, because it’s been an amazing year here with you all. I am so grateful for all the support (and follows and likes and shares) that I’ve been given from this community, and also the friends I’ve made along the way. So I wanted to give something back. This list is the start of that new mission here at Story-eyed in 2020.

I never could have guessed, less than a year ago, that this community and so many of the people in it would be such a huge part of my life. Blogging has given me as much as I hope I’ve been able to give you, if not more.

Thank you all for joining me on this journey and thank you for your continued support.

I hope you enjoy this guide and that it’s a small piece of your amazing year ahead.

All of my love. x

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Book Tour, Reviews

The Weight of a Soul (+ Giveaway!)

A Morrow

When Lena’s younger sister Fressa is found dead, their whole Viking clan mourns—but it is Lena alone who never recovers. Fressa is the sister that should’ve lived, and Lena cannot rest until she knows exactly what killed Fressa and why—and how to bring her back. She strikes a dark deal with Hela, the Norse goddess of death, and begins a new double life to save her sister.

But as Lena gets closer to bringing Fressa back, she dredges up dangerous discoveries about her own family, and finds herself in the middle of a devastating plan to spur Ragnarök –a deadly chain of events leading to total world destruction.

Still, with her sister’s life in the balance, Lena is willing to risk it all. She’s willing to kill. How far will she go before the darkness consumes her?

Check out the Book Trailer here!

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

The Weight of a Soul by Elizabeth Tammi was insightful, descriptive, fun, and showcases one of my favorite things: the love between two sisters. There were a lot of things to like about this book.

Probably my favorite aspect of this story was the emphasis of Nordic Mythology. Tammi does a great job of interweaving the mythos with the rest of the world and the story and I loved that she took a spin on the topic that most don’t. The Nordic angle still feels fresh and new and original and it was fascinating to me to be introduced to myths I wasn’t already so familiar with. The viking characters care deeply about these myths and gods and I loved that the author took the time to connect that to the characters’ culture. It really was well done.

Another thing I loved is that this book starts off fast right out of the gate. Before we even get to know anyone too well, things are turned on their head and we have to reorient ourselves all over again. Usually this would be jarring, but for some reason here it worked well. I liked having to relearn the new rules of the story. The pace does lag in the middle and I struggled to get through some bits, but it picks back up near the end and ties off nicely.

The sister relationship between Lena and Fressa was another high point for this story. Their closeness felt real and relatable instead of too sweet or too formal, and the lengths they would go for each other are vast. I have a sister and reading this made me think of all the things I would do for her. I was really touched.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit overall, even though I struggled in the middle. The mythology is rich and the world is immersive, the relationships are touching and intuitive and the story was pretty interesting. If you’re a lover of myths, this might just be the next book for you.

Elizabeth Tammi was born in California and grew up in Florida, but is currently double-majoring in Creative Writing and Journalism as an undergraduate at Mercer University in Georgia. When she’s not writing, you can probably find Elizabeth at work for her university’s newspaper and literary magazine. Her other interests include traveling, caffeinated beverages, and mythology.

You can find Elizabeth online on Tumblr at (annabethisterrified), Twitter at (@ElizabethTammi), Instagram at (elizabeth_tammi), and at elizabethtammi.com.

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Enter to win 1 of 5 copies of The Weight of a Soul by Elizabeth Tammi!

Giveaway is open to US residents and ends 12/17/2019.

Enter through this Rafflecopter form and may the odds be ever in your favor!

December 3rd

December 4th

December 5th

December 6th

December 7th

December 8th

December 9th

See you tomorrow, bookies! x

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WWW

It’s “What are you reading?” Wednesday!

A Morrow

I’ve seen a lot of bookish memes and list ideas here on the book-blogging circuit, and I wish I could do all of them! One of my favorites has been a trend of bloggers posting their current reads on Wednesdays.

This week I’ll be taking inspiration from Taking On a World of Words, and trying out their “WWW Wednesday!”

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What I’m currently reading:

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

How am I only just reading this?? Historically, Holly Black and I haven’t connected as well as others, but this series has been so popular that I had to give it a try. So far so good! I’m enjoying it a lot, even though I’m only about a third of the way through it. I love Jude’s determination and anger and I even love how hard both she and Cardan are. It’s a very interesting character dynamic.

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

Okay, so I’m almost done with this and I THINK I know what’s going on. Maybe. Probably. Mostly. But this book has been a crazy weird ride with a lot of twists. As its written in different timelines and perspectives per chapter, I enjoyed some timelines more than others, but overall this has been really compelling. I have to know the end. I have to. I’m hoping to finish this tonight. Have any of you read this??

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera

I just started this! I was lucky enough to get my hands on this one before its release date which was a big deal because everyone wants to read this one. I’ve been so excited. So far I am wildly interested in the characters and the world this takes place in and I love seeing some LGBT+ faces in Fantasy, all day every day. Can’t wait to review this one for you guys!

What I’ve recently finished:

Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey

This was great. Light, fun, heartwarming, sexy, emotional, and so much more. If you liked Tessa Bailey’s wildly popular first novel, Fix Her Up, you’ll love this one and you’ll recognize some of its characters. This book is full of so much vulnerability and honesty and I wish that I knew more people willing to brave those depths like these characters! This was a good one. Look for my review soon!

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

This one was an ildulgent reread and I don’t feel bad about it, haha. Mostly I’ve had this series on my mind because the next one is hopefully coming out in 2020! If you’re a Dresden Files fan, you know its been one hell of a wait. I’ve been thinking about trying to find a read-a-long for the series, or even hosting one myself! Would you be interested?? Let me know in the comments!

What I think I’ll read next:

Happy and You Know It by Laura Hankin

“A dark, witty page-turner set around a group of wealthy mothers and the young musician who takes a job singing to their babies and finds herself pulled into their glamorous lives and dangerous secrets…” Okay, who doesn’t think that sounds like a lot of fun? Not me! I’m so in and so excited to find out. This one drops in May!

Followers by Megan Angelo

I won a copy of this from BookishFirst and I am SO EXCITED to read it. This promises to be a thrilling, engaging tale of ambition, drive, and technology and how the three can combine to make disastrous results. I’m hoping this has like Girls meets Black Mirror vibes? Very eager to jump into this. This one comes to shelves in January and I’ll be reviewing it this month!

Thanks for coming to hang out with me for a few minutes!

See you soon. x

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Reviews

Nevernight

A Morrow

“The brighter the light, the deeper the shadows.”

I don’t even know exactly what to say about this book because there is so much I want to say about it! Mostly I just want to shove it into people’s hands and say “READ THIS.” I’ve found that isn’t usually received well, though. Oh, well. That’s what this review is for!

Nevernight is not for the faint of heart. This epic fantasy world follows Mia Corvere, a young girl who has vowed to avenge the brutal death of her family. To do that, she finds her way to The Red Church, an establishment that has been training the most deadly and dedicated servants to carry out assassinations. Sounds light and fluffy, right? This book is like…if Divergent and Assassin’s Creed had a baby and then that baby wanted to go to Murder Hogwarts; it’s fantastic!

Nevernight follows Mia all the way through her search for revenge, through her training with her peers in the Church, through some insane and tough decisions, and then…to what comes next. (I’m not just gonna tell you, obviously.) I loved that Nevernight took the time, and length, to follow Mia all the way through what turned out to be a physical, moral, and philosophical journey. It’s a book that’s meandering in the best way: dipping in and out of moments that are shocking, delicious, and deeply complex. It’s a long book that doesn’t feel long at all, which I consider to be a crowning achievement.

I loved so much about this world that it’s hard to list it all, but the most compelling aspect of it all has to be the characters. While I personally wish Mia had been somewhat older, she is a powerhouse of a character, fierce, feminine, and focused. I love how Kristoff makes it a point of showing how different Mia is from other girls her age but also how she’s similar too. She felt whole and real and I delighted in just about everything she did, including murder! Tric, who I would call the “love interest” of this book except that he’s much more than that as a character, gained a special place in my heart too.

This fantasy world is dark, beautiful, hypnotic, and wholly, wonderfully original. Kristoff embraces horror and beauty in the same breath and shows us exactly how fine of a line it is between the two. Nevernight is blood and sex and death and does not flinch or shy away from the brutality, ugliness, and elegance of each of its moments. I was drawn in immediately to this world and it never let me go, I just want more. Especially after that killer ending.

I wouldn’t recommend this to everybody. Is it fantastic? Yes. Do I want to recommend it to everyone? Absolutely. But it’s just- not for everyone. Nevernight is not a gentle or soft book in any way, nor is it a happy, relaxing story for you to slip into, its…an epic, bloody battle. If you haven’t seen the brilliant marketing campaign they’re using for Nevernight, which features angry letters from (mostly) parents, it’s very telling of what kind of audience this book seeks. It will not apologize if you try it out and don’t like it. Nevernight, and Mia for that matter, does not care if you don’t like it, and— that’s what I loved most.

I knew that I would love and continue this series within the first chapter of this book and I am so excited to have fallen so deeply in love. Kristoff has done it again. If this sounds like a fun challenge to you, I highly recommend signing up for the ride. Nevernight will snatch you into its dark corners so fast and never let you go. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Check out the guest review I hosted for this book right here!

See you tomorrow! x

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