Tag Archives: fantasy books

Sep 2 2014
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Coming Soon: The Dagger’s Path by Glenda Larke

The Dagger's PathTitle: The Dagger’s Path

Author: Glenda Larke

Series: The Forsaken Lands #2

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: January 13, 2015

The Overview: It should have been easy — return the stolen feather and restore Ardhi back to his rightful place. But when Saker, Ardhi, Sorrel, and Piper arrive to find the island in chaos, returning just the one feather will not help — not when the other three have mysteriously disappeared as well. As Saker and Ardhi work to mend the distrust caused by Ardhi’s betrayal and attempt to retrieve the other feathers, they slowly find a sort of peace with the islanders. That is, until Saker realizes they unintentionally led the Spice traders straight to the sacred island they were hoping to protect. Now Saker must fight with both the Va witchery and Chenderawasi magic to defend everything that Ardhi holds dear. But Saker’s powers are very new, and their enemies have them surrounded.

The Dagger's Path 2

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

 Glenda Larke is easily one of my all-time favorite fantasy authors. I’ve read every book she has published so far (including the Mirage trilogy which I had to pay big bucks to have shipped over from Australia), and have absolutely loved every last one. She always dazzles me with epic world-building, amazing characters, and well-woven plots, and her work in this latest trilogy is no exception – in fact, it has the potential to be my favorite yet. The Lascar’s Dagger (Book 1 in this series) was phenomenal and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves epic fantasy. I am so excited for this second book I can hardly stand it. And it gets even better – the release day also happens to be my birthday! :)

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 1 2014
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Top Ten Books I’m Taking on My Cruise!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This topic is in no way, shape, or form even close to what it was supposed to be (Top Ten Characters I’d Have Lunch With) because my Top Ten Favorite Character Names and Top Ten Female Characters Who Inspire Me lists pretty much covered everything I wanted to say on the subject. Therefore, I am taking a personal angle this week by naming the:

Top Ten Books I’m Taking on My Cruise!

All of these titles are on my Nook, which is why this post is significantly different than my Top Ten Books on My Fall 2014 list coming up in a couple of weeks. I have been beating myself up for months for not having read some of these titles, so the fact that I am limited to just what’s on my Nook while on vacation actually has me excited that I stalled on reading them for so long. Our Alaskan cruise is going to be amazing (pictures to come), and I’ve somehow managed to save some of the best books to take along!

Have you read any of these? Which one should I start?

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 31 2014
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August 2014: Review Recap!

Review Recap

 While putting together this recap I had a revelation: although I wrote a ton of reviews this month I didn’t actually post that many of them. You see, I’m going on vacation for two weeks and decided to try my hand at scheduling posts… And now I have figured out why that method doesn’t work for me – I end up neglecting what I’m supposed to be publishing now in favor of what’s going to happen later. Oh well. At least I don’t have to worry about anything while I’m on my cruise. :-)

Books Reviewed:

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
The 100 by Cass Morgan
The Inventor’s Secret by Chad Morris

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman – 3.5/5 stars

The Hundred by Kass Morgan – 3/5 stars

Inventor’s Secret by Chad Morris – 4/5 stars

 And since I couldn’t possibly decide which of these two I liked better, I have two favorites this month:

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson – 5/5 stars!

Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb – 5/5 stars!

  So, even though my review rate was pathetic, at least that included two of the best books I’ve read. Ever.

Top Ten Tuesday Features:

Top Ten Books I Want to Own!

Niki’s Top Twelve Must-Read Books!

Top Ten YA Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic Books!

 Waiting on Wednesday Features:

 Even though I am definitely interested in all of these books, I’m not really dying to read any of them… But I am excited to pick up Ignite.

 Escape Reality Book Club:

TBD next week

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 26 2014
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Top Ten Books I Want to Own!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I love buying books. And lucky for all of you, I also love talking about buying books. Being a bookseller for eleven years can really take a toll on your bank account (and shelves), and I’m sure all of you book lovers can imagine how difficult it was to show restraint (I’ve heard it compared to allowing an alcoholic to work in a bar). Because I’ve been collecting for so long, my library is pretty extensive and there are not many books I want to read that I don’t already own. That is why everything on my list are either new or upcoming releases (with the sole exception of Independent Study – I absolutely loved it, but didn’t like books 1 or 3 nearly as much… to buy, or not to buy?).

Top Ten Books I Want to Own!

 As I’ve been working really hard towards becoming a conservative book buyer (it has been really painful), I started a Read 4, Buy 1 system and it has actually been working! Not only do I feel like I get a reward every fourth book, but it keeps a steady stream of books arriving at my doorstep (happies!!!). It has also turned me into a much more careful book buyer. Before, I would buy anything and everything I thought I might want to read one day. And not just book 1, but the entire series! As you can imagine, I found myself in a lot of trouble when I figured out I didn’t like the first book as much as I thought I would. Now, unless it’s a new book from an author I already love, I make a point to read new authors before I buy them. My collection has grown so much more special now that I’m bringing home only the “best” books. To make a long story short, five of the books above are from authors I love while the other five books are ones I’ve already read… awesome! lol

What books would you like to own? Any from my list?

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 18 2014
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Niki’s Top Twelve Must-Read Books!

top ten tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

 This weeks Post was supposed to be along the lines of must-read titles that other people have told me about. Because I haven’t yet read many of the titles that made that list (and therefore can’t personally vouch for their awesomeness) I decided to take a spin on the topic and present my own list of must-reads. I realize this must look similar to many of my other lists, but I just can’t can’t seem to stop raving about my all-time favorite titles. Now, of course, this list is only helpful if you’re a speculative fiction fanatic like me. ;)

Niki’s Top Twelve Must-Read Books:

Fantasy:

The Name the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

 Science Fiction (specifically Space Opera):

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey
Survival by Julie E. Czerneda

Young Adult:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Partials by Dan Wells
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

 Urban Fantasy:

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

These titles have all earned their spots in my favorites list and are usually the first books I recommend to new readers of their given genre.

What books would make your list?

by Niki Hawkes

Aug 18 2014
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Bout of Books Read-a-thon!

bout of books

 This will be the first time I’ve ever participated in a read-a-thon, and I am super pumped to get started. I almost didn’t realize it was happening, so thank you Emily and Danie over at Oh, Magic Hour! for bringing it to my attention. As I’ve just finished up work for one job and have a two week break until my next one starts, this read-a-thon couldn’t have come at a better time!

Here’s a little more about the event:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Niki’s Goals:

– Finish at least 5 books

– Read at least 1000 pages

– Finish at least 2 ARCs

– Finish at least 2 library books

Here’s a look at the books on my immediate radar:
(subject to change if I see something shiny)

I doubt I’ll make it through all of them, but at least I’ve got a lot of great books to choose from. I’ve also included quite a few YA books because, let’s face it, they’re fast reads. 

 Daily Updates:

 Monday:

Pages: 166 / Books: 0

 Tuesday:

Pages: 158 / Books: 1 (The 100 – ARC)

 Wednesday:

Pages: 139 / Books: 0

 Thursday:

Pages: 54 / Books: 0 (Yikes!)

 Friday:

Pages: 93 / Books: 0

I spent the entire day wanting to read, but got wrangled in to a bunch of obligations… sigh.

 Saturday:

Pages: 161 (Booya!) / Books: 0

I’m trying to read too many at once.

 Sunday:

Pages: 85 / Books: 0

Total:

Pages: 856 / Books: 1

Well, I didn’t quite make my goals, but I did have a lot of fun, so I guess that’s a win, haha. I should have realized that 1000 pages would not equal 5 books, then I made it worse by starting about 8 books in that timeframe. All rookie mistakes. For the record, I am really close to finishing 2 of them. :)

by Niki Hawkes