Lia 🌺

Defiant by Michael R. Miller

A summons from the Life Elder sets them on a perilous mission, leading to steaming jungles and blistering islands where ancient secrets will challenge everything they know of magic and dragons. Talia, the Red Queen, is beset on all sides by pirate raiders and marauding mercenaries. Empress Skadi has abandoned her, battling uprisings in her own lands. As the noose tightens on Feorlen, Talia faces a difficult choice: let her people suffer or turn her powers against mortal foes? Osric Agravain has found hope with his newly bonded black dragon, but some wounds run deeper than flesh and bone. Along the Fallow Frontier, he seeks the inner peace that has long eluded him. And within the sanctum at Falcaer, Paragon Adaskar is struggling to unite the fracturing riders. If he fails, ruinous chaos will break across the world. For when Elders and Paragons quarrel, kingdoms will fall.

So many things happen here and I devoured all of them. Also tears were cried at certain points.

Eben habe ich gelesen, dass Heidi Klum eine kulturelle Ikone ist.

Ich wusste zwar, dass der Westen im kulturellen Niedergang ist, aber ich hatte keine Ahnung, wie dramatisch die Lage ist.

💔

I am deeply flattered to be in this Venn diagram.

A venn diagram titled "The Truth about Speculative Fiction" The three circles are: * Science Fiction * Fantasy * Horror The overlap of all three is "Yelling at Ursula Vernon".

Due to the way my brain works, I came up with this at 3:00am.

Ping @tkingfisher.com and @ksonney.redwombat.social.ap.brid.gy :)

❤️

lol... Seitdem ich mein Bookjournal verwende, bleiben die posts auf allen Social Media Plattformen aus, wenn ich mein Buch beendet habe. Ich schreib einfach nur da rein und feddich 😂 sorry?

Schatten des roten Throns von Magali Volkmann. Physische Ausgabe.

Inhalt: Ein einsamer Adliger, zerrissen von Hass. Ein Trickbetrüger, der zu hoch gegriffen hat. Der Flächenbrand, dem ihre Welt zum Opfer fällt. Nima und Tiatan sind beste Freunde, dabei könnten sie verschiedener nicht sein: Einer ist der Sohn des Königs, der andere ein Dieb. Doch eines Tages verrät Nima Tiatan – und bringt ihn damit ins Gefängnis. Erst Jahre später gelingt Tiatan die Flucht, doch die Welt ist eine andere. Denn aus Nima ist Amarion geworden, ein Rebellenführer, der seinen verhassten Vater stürzen will. Wütend und verletzt beschließt Tiatan, Amarion aufzuhalten. Aber seine Rebellion ist mächtig – und zwischen den beiden brodelt deutlich mehr als der vergangene Verrat … Schatten des roten Throns ist ein Prequel zu Das schwarze Uhrwerk. Beide können unabhängig voneinander gelesen werden, liefern aber. Jeweils spannendes Hintergrundwissen zum anderen Buch.

Ich wusste, dass es ein Pre-/Sequel zum Debut ist und es hatte auch die Elemente, die ich persönlich daran nicht mag, aber alles in 1293 war Balsam für mich. Ich mag auch die grundsätzliche Lore der Welt und wie am Ende alles zusammen passt. Das mag ich sehr an der Autor*in.

I really enjoy listening to the Songs of Chaos books (I'm in the beginning of book 3 now), but I'm a bit say that I have no map of the lands in the ebook version. 💔

I don't want to redo the two posts but: WHY ONLY 3 SHOTS?!

Sometimes the world needs a little chaos. Holt and Ash saved the kingdom of Feorlen against all odds. Now they are outcasts, alone on an impossible quest to unite the Elder Dragons. But they are children playing in a game of Dragon Lords. Trapped between the riders, servants of Sovereign, and the scourge, even their luck cannot last forever. Their only hope is to advance their bond by any means necessary. In Feorlen, Talia faces a world unaccepting of a rider queen. Her councilors will not heed her warnings of Sovereign. Foreign powers threaten war and bloodshed. Pleas sent to rider headquarters fall on deaf ears. All the while, Sovereign regathers his strength in an ancient fortress. Enthralled cultists swell his ranks. Disillusioned riders flock to his cause. And his unwilling servant Osric Agravain scours the land for dragon eggs. There are new types of magic to be discovered, and Sovereign intends to control them all. Only the mysterious half-dragon Rake has a plan to stop Sovereign. To pull it off, he’s going to need a team.

I liked everything about this, how it unfolds, and I had great fun listening to it.

The Everlasting by Alice E. Harrow. Physical Copy.

Summary: A Legend Sir Una Everlasting was history's greatest hero: a lost girl who would draw a sword from the heartwood and become a legend. The knight's epic feats were rivaled only by her tragic fate — a sacrifice that saved a queen and built an empire. A Lie Centuries later, Owen Mallory has dedicated his life to Una Everlasting, abandoning his scholarly career to defend his country. He comes home from the war broken and weary — until he finds a reason to life in the pages fo a mysterious book. A Love Story Sent back through time, the historian's task is to ensure that Sir Una meets her tragic fate, but instead he falls in love with the complex woman behind the legend. he doesn't know how to watch her die... or how many times he's done it before.

I liked the story itself, how everything fit (some expected, some not), and what was done with the genders of Owen and Una. But it's not the easiest read language wise; similarly to Starling House I took very long to finish it.

Die Republik der Knochen von Magali Volkmann. Physische Ausgabe.

Inhalt: Eines Tages soll Riora über die Republik Anamoya regieren – zumindest, wenn es nach ihrem Onkel geht, der sie neben der Politik auch die geheime Kunst der Nekromantie lehrt. Doch als ihre Mutter ermordet wird, scheitert ihre Magie, und Rioras Welt bricht in sich zusammen. Warum musste ihre Mutter sterben? Welche Geheimnisse verbirgt die Republik, die von Intrigen und Korruption durchzogen ist? Riora schwört sich, den Schuldigen zu finden, wobei sie unerwartete Hilfe von dem Künstler Arias erhält. Obwohl sie sofort mit ihm aneinandergerät, muss sie ihm vertrauen. Denn ihre Familie ist nicht die einzige, die verbotene Magie beherrscht – und der Mörder hat weitaus mehr vor, als Blut in Anamoya zu vergießen …

Ich hab ja gesagt, dass ich gerne noch einmal was von der Autor*in lesen wollte und von der Inhaltsangabe hat mir das am besten gefallen. War auch ein super Buch, sogar besser als das erste, und ich hatte meinen Spaß beim Lesen. Extrem cooles Magiesystem, Nekrobotanik! Und mehr World Lore™.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Developers Knighted by French Government

The development team behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have been given the status of Knight under the French Order of Arts and Letters, in recognition of their significant contribution to the country's art and culture. https://bit.ly/4rzDnCC

Audiobook cover. Ascendant by Michael R. Miller. Shows a young man/boy in leather armor, holding a sword in one hand and a glowing orb in the other. Next to him is a white dragon with a leatherband covering his eyes.

Summary: Holt Cook was never meant to be a dragon rider. He has always served the Order Hall of the Crag dutifully, keeping their kitchen pots clean. Until he discovers a dark secret: dragons do not tolerate weakness among their kin, killing the young they deem flawed. Moved by pity, Holt defies the Order, rescues a doomed egg and vows to protect the blind dragon within. But the Scourge is rising. Undead hordes roam the land, spreading the blight and leaving destruction in their wake. The dragon riders are being slaughtered and betrayal lurks in the shadows. Holt has one chance to survive. He must cultivate the mysterious power of his dragon's magical core. A unique energy which may tip the balance in the battles to come and prove to the world that a servant is worthy after all.

It's a solid book but it took a bit for me personally to get into because it was the beginning of an epic hero journey of a teenage boy and I've had a lot of those before. (I want one with a teenage girl.) But it has dragons and monsters!

Die Magie des Abgrunds von Magali Volkmann. Physische Ausgabe.

Klappentext: Wer ein Verbrechen begeht, wird wiedergeboren: Dies ist eisernes Gesetz in Erydanne, der schwebenden Stadt im Abgrund. Elaria will mit Wiedergeborenen nichts zu tun haben, bis sie zufällig einen von ihnen rettet: Lorin, der gemeinsam mit seinem Freund Artana alles tut, um Erydanne für immer zu vernichten. Doch je tiefer sie sich in deren Welt verfängt, desto weniger scheint alles zusammenzupassen. Haben Lorin und Artana wirklich vor, die Stadt zu zerstören? Was hat die unsterbliche Königin Symea damit zu tun, die sie um jeden Preis tot sehen wollen? Während Elaria nach Antworten sucht, gerät sie jedoch selbst in Gefahr. Denn wer einem Wiedergeborenen beisteht, wird ebenfalls verflucht – und obendrein droht sie ihr Herz an einen von ihnen zu verlieren …

Der Schreibstil hat mir extrem gut gefallen, genau wie das World building, insbesondere das Magiesystem. Mir persönlich hat es zu lange gedauert, bis gewisse Motivationen aufgelöst wurden und ich habe noch ein paar kleinere Fragen, aber alles in allem mochte ich das Buch. Gerne wieder.

If you see this, show your dark/nighttime art 🌙

#digitalart #drawing #illustration #arttrain #moon

ぼくのママ

(die anderen Einträge waren schon fertig, bevor ich das tape hatte, also sehen die etwas... klinisch aus xD)

Aber...pretty!!!

Cover. A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark.

Egypt, 1912. In Cairo, the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities investigate disturbances between the mortal and the (possibly) divine. What starts off as an odd suicide case for Special Investigator Fatma el-Sha’arawi leads her through the city’s underbelly as she encounters rampaging ghouls, saucy assassins, clockwork angels, and a plot that could unravel time itself.

It's a short story but quite interesting. World building and plot are great, despite the brevity. I want to read A Master of Djinn this year and though I start with this first.

Also dieses Sticker einkleben und dabei n Hörbuch hören, ist schon entspannend. Aber damit ich mehr einkleben kann, muss ich mehr lesen 😂

Literally obsessed with this pic I got of one Cedar Waxwing getting very mad at another for drinking in the same spot as him despite there being a whole stream

Oha, du bist ja richtig drin gerade! ❤️

Indie Cover of This Gilded Abyss by Rebecca Thorne. Depicts two women in a domed building. The one facing the front is scarred and has long, flowing hair with side braids. She wears a tank top and loose trousers, like a soldier. She brandishes a weapon that's a mix between a spear and a sword, the metal of the blade is golden. The other woman facing the other direction, showing her back to us. She is dark skinned and has her hair in a neat bun. She's dressed in a white dress uniform and armed with a pistol.

Sergeant Nix Marr is a damn good soldier, but she's desperate to leave her haunted past in the bioluminescent ocean, buried alongside old friends...and old flames. Unfortunately, even the icy ocean can't extinguish some fires. When Kessandra, everyone's favorite princess—and Nix's loathed ex—requests Nix's help investigating a massacre in the abyssal city of Fall, Nix refuses. Vehemently. But Kessandra always gets what she wants. Consigned as Kessandra's bodyguard, Nix grudgingly boards a luxurious submersible that offers the only transportation to Fall. It's frustrating, irritating, how quickly Nix and Kess fall back in sync—much as she tries to fight, Nix can't deny their spark. But Kessandra wasn't truthful—surprise, surprise—and Nix quickly realizes their "investigation" isn't about the massacre, but rather what caused it: an illness that incites its victims into a violent craze. When another royal is brutally murdered, it becomes apparent the disease has spread—and no one on the submersible is safe. Suddenly, survival hinges on trusting each other, which would be a hell of a lot easier if Kessandra didn't keep lying. Injured, fighting for their lives, Nix has to decide if she can trust Kessandra again...and what she'll lose this time.

I've had this on my digital tbr for so long that the pretty indie cover isn't even around anymore, lol. I think it was the exes back together thing? But I finally did and had a great time! It went in an unexpected direction and could absolutely be my thing. Looking forward to the next book!

Mein Bookjournal ist einfach so halb Notizen, halb zusammengewürfelte Sticker 😂 ist ein bisschen gut, dass meine anderen Bestellungen erst Freitag kommen, weil ich ein paar von den covern falsch ausgedrückt hatte und die jetzt zu groß sind. Egal, war nicht meine Tinte 😂

This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman

They call it Faction Wars. The ninth floor. Nine armies, each led by rich and powerful aliens from across the galaxy. Each team has one objective: to capture and hold the castle at the very center of the battlefield. Strategy, alliances, pitched battles, and, of course, betrayal... It all makes for great fun and even greater television. After all, none of these powerful aliens really die when they’re playing war. Except this time. This time, winner takes all. Those who fall, stay in the ground. As the AI continues its rapid decline, Carl and company take advantage of the chaos. For the first time ever, the crawlers are fighting back. They are now one of the nine teams. And this season, there’s a tenth army on the playing field. The NPCs, who are normally used as nothing but cannon fodder, have become fully self-aware and formed a team of their own.

For Donut and Katia, the stakes are even higher. Only one of them will be allowed to leave this level. If they all want to survive, they’re going to need a little help from a veteran or two. This is it. This is what they’ve been fighting toward. This is war. This inevitable ruin.

I've listened to the 7 books back to back and now I'm so invested and don't know what to do with myself until the next book. A lot of things happen and I have theories for several things. I even marked the text and stuff.

Ich bin einfach so platt... Ich frag gleich mal, ob das ne Migräne ist, oder was anderes

I can draw in ink too!!

Cover: The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

Summary 1: A pantheon of forgotten gods. An old grudge between a talk show host, an heiress, and the man they shattered along the way. A rapidly deteriorating AI system. An inconvenient tiara upon the head of a friend. It is bedlam on the eighth floor. As management reels from the unexpected conclusion of the seventh level, the surviving crawlers stumble onto the eighth and find themselves scattered. It’s a map based on Earth’s final days before the collapse, where ethereal, intangible ghosts of humanity go about their lives, oblivious of the impending doom. Living amongst these ghosts are monsters based in Earth lore. “Legendary” creatures tied to the geographical location they inhabit. Each team of crawlers is given a task: find and capture six of these beasts. The captured monsters will be turned into cards. Cards that can be summoned into battle again and again. The stronger, the deadlier, the better. At the end of the floor, the bad guys will also have decks, and they will have some of the most powerful cards available. So it’s crucial to assemble the toughest squad possible.

Summary 2: But, like always, there is a catch. There’s always a catch. As Carl and Donut know all too well, just because someone is captured, it doesn’t mean they have been tamed. Her name is Shi Maria. She’s easily the most powerful monster in their area. If they want to survive, they must capture her. But she is no ordinary beast. She’s intelligent. She was once married to a god, a god who is now missing. Her special attack is known to drive one insane. They call her the Bedlam Bride. “Beware, beware. Beware the Eye of the Bedlam Bride”

Again, I mostly listened to the audio and I seriously wonder what the planning board for these books like. 😂
Had some strong emotions, might be my favourite so far. The epilogue was very exciting for theories and reveals but still left things open. Look forward to the next book!