Hello and welcome back to Keep It or Cut It where I take a look at ten books on my Goodreads TBR pile and decide if I want to keep them or scrap them from the TBR. TBR piles are WAYY too big to keep books on them you won’t read! I don’t often remove more than half but even a few off of it makes the difference It is also really fun going back through books and finding ones I have forgotten about.
This is my second post today, I posted a Cover Reveal earlier of Dan Fitzgerald’s newest book but I didn’t want to get out f the routine of posting this on a Thursday. I’m an absolute terror if I forget to do something once, my whole routine crumbles. I have no self discipline at times! Thus, we have two posts!
Pssst…If you want to check out the cover reveal just head HERE.
AS USUAL, The Method…
In order to find out if I wish to KEEP IT OR CUT IT I will do the following:
- See if the blurb/synopsis still tickles my fancy
- Check out the reviews
- Maybe read the sample
THE BOOKS…
BOOK #1
The Axe and the Throne by M. D. IREMAN
Do I Already Own It? No
Reasons & Thoughts:
This book really doesn’t have that many reviews, it has under 2,000 rating and 172 written reviews though a lot of folks also have this as marked to be read!
Ok, so I’m looking at the sample for this book and its not funny, but still madam chuckle, and want to read it...
From what I read of the sample the writing seems quite nice, easy to read and has a few themes and elements I like to see; a grizzled hunter, northmen, wild forests and a fairly atmospheric world.
BOOK #2
His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik
Do I Already Own It? No
Reasons & Thoughts:
Oh wow at 356 pages this is a considerably smaller book than I thought it would be, not overly sure why I had it pegged as a chonky boy but…
I’m not going to lie to you this book sounds fairly decent…aerial combat, dragons, warriors and a precious unhatched dragon egg. I mean I’m pretty sold by that alone, never mind the plethora of sparking reviews this book has under its belt.
“Here be dragons. Read it now.“
Eon (Rated 4 Stars)
BOOK #3
Dying of the Light BY George R.R. Martin
Do I Already Own It? No
Reasons & Thoughts:
I actually remember adding this to my TBR and I’m pretty sure I just went ‘Ohh George R R Martin…ADD’. So, let us see if I actually want to read it.
Oh wow, 288 pages. Not to long at all, yes, apparently I’m eyeing up everyone page count today! Not sure why, but hey? Well, the blurb sounds interesting and all but I don’t know…I’m jut not feeling it.
BOOK #4
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire born in the ancient Syrian desert, trapped in an old copper flask, and released in New York City, though still not entirely free.
Ahmad and Chava become unlikely friends and soul mates with a mystical connection. Marvelous and compulsively readable, Helene Wecker’s debut novel The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of Yiddish and Middle Eastern literature, historical fiction and magical fable, into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.
Do I Already Own It? No
Reasons & Thoughts:
First thought; I really like the cover of this book, not are why as I wouldn’t say it is anything special. Ok, so I LOVE the lore around Golem’s. I just find them so interesting and really feel like writers can do a lot with them as a character, and it seems Wecker may just have done that. We have a Syrian fire born Jinni, a Golem, soul mates with historical and Middle Eastern influences.
And it is a debut, Lord knows I love a debut!
“I absolutely adored this. Magical realism at its finest! And even though it wasn’t exactly what I had expected, I can’t really say that I minded. Otherwise, as a character so deftly put it in this book, I would be like “a man who complains that someone stole the eggs from his henhouse and replaced them with rubies.”
Mogsy (Rated 5 Stars)
BOOK #5
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
Do I Already Own It? No
Reasons & Thoughts:
This book actually sounds fab! I have not, to my own disappointment, read much authurian tales despite my loving them and Merlin! Paired with invasions, fifth century Britain and a coming of age tale I’m pretty intrigued.
“Man, I am so mad that this entire trilogy isn’t available in electronic format anymore. Truly one of the great retellings of the Arthur legend that there ever was. Loved this book as a kid and love it even more now. Along with the Mists of Avalon, probably my next favorite Arthurian fantasy. A must-read.”
Nick Borrelli (Rated 5 Stars)
BOOK #6
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.
Do I Already Own It? Yes (Kindle and Audio)
Reasons & Thoughts:
I already have this, I was actually super excited when this first came to my attention to dive into some fantasy that was outside of its normal setting and yet I still haven’t read it. I will, but oddly I’m not in a huge rush to do so.
BOOK #7
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
In this richly developed fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now, the guards are back and this time it’s Lei they’re after — the girl with the golden eyes whose rumored beauty has piqued the king’s interest.
Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learns the skills and charm that befit a king’s consort. There, she does the unthinkable — she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world’s entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she’s willing to go for justice and revenge.
Do I Already Own It? No
Reasons & Thoughts:
Mmmm, I am neither here not there for this book. It sounds fairly cool, and is a cute little romance by the sounds of it. I think this is one of those books I will read on a whim and quite possible love! So, I shall keep it and see.
BOOK #8
The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye
And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.
Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?
For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip-smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.
And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love…or be killed himself.
As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear—the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.
Do I Already Own It? No
Audible | Kindle (Free on Kindle Unlimited) | Paperback
Reasons & Thoughts:
Reading the blurb for this book it kinda sounds cool, it has an intriguing historical setting but it is a trials books. Now, don’t get me wrong I have LOVED so many trials books and I have read a lot of them but I’m not sure this is going to reinvent that story trope. Most of the reviews say it is enjoyable but average, and so i’m not likely to read this any time soon. If I want rials i’m likely to reread some of my faves!
BOOK #9
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…
But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.
Do I Already Own It? No
Reasons & Thoughts:
There is always one books in these posts that I just judge straight up, and I know I shouldn’t but when the reviews don’t sway me and neither does the blurb its an easy judgment to make. It might be my loss in the end but I also have a whole host of incredible books I have to get to!
BOOK #10
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.
Break the curse, save the kingdom.
Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.
Do I Already Own It? No
Reasons & Thoughts:
This is a fairly easy one. You see, I go through these phases where all I want is some angsty and tension filled fantasy romance, I always fly through about three of them and then leave that genre for like a year’ish. I honestly don’t know why as the last few I have read have been bit pants and yet I still gobble them up like a woman starved. So, I’m keeping tis one and hoping it in that reserve for when that phases come calling!
THREE CUT AND SEVEN KEPT…
What do you think are there any books I really should have cut and didn’t or are you screaming at me internally because of the ones you cant believe I cut..
Thank you for reading, as always, I hope you enjoyed the post and feel free to comment or have a natter with me over on Twitter.
_ The Book in Hand _ 