teatimelit

Let’s Talk: Five books I wish I could read again for the First Time

Hi, hello everyone! Welcome back to another post from me! Before we get into today’s post, I wish to inform you all that this will be my last post on teatimelit. I have adored my time creating content for the past two years, but it’s time for me to hang up my creator cap. Admittedly I’ve learned that creating blog content isn’t what I’m passionate about anymore, and that’s ok! I’ll still be hanging around in the book community, so if you want to see what I get up to and what I read feel free to follow me on Instagram @bookswithmary (revival pending) and Goodreads @maryreading. Thank you all for the most wonderful two years; I have loved engaging with you all and bonding over a shared love of books. But without further adieu, let’s get into this week’s post. 

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Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

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Review: The Haunting Season by Bridget Collins, Natasha Pulley, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Elizabeth Macneal and Laura Purcell

Winter, with its unsettling blend of the cosy and the sinister, has long been a popular time for gathering by the bright flame of a candle, or the warm crackling of a fire, and swapping stories of ghosts and strange happenings.

Now eight bestselling, award-winning authors – master storytellers of the sinister and the macabre – bring this time-honoured tradition to vivid life in a spellbinding collection of new and original haunted tales.

From a bustling Covent Garden Christmas market to the frosty moors of Yorkshire, from a country estate with a dreadful secret, to a London mansion where a beautiful girl lies frozen in death, these are stories to make your hair stand on end, send shivers down your spine and to serve as your indispensable companion to the long nights of winter.

So curl up, light a candle, and fall under the spell of The Haunting Season . . .

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Review: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

High Fantasy with a double-shot of self-reinvention

Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.

However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.

A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.

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Mini Reviews: Mary’s Hiatus Reading List

Hi, hello friends – long time no see! I’ve taken a good amount of time off of the blog due to various reasons, but I am so excited to be back talking to you all again. During my time off, my reading slump finally came to an end and I started reading frequently again. I read some really great books during hiatus, so I thought it would be fun to talk about some of them today! Without anything further, let’s get into the post! 

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Review: Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

There is a Wild Man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.

When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intensely curious new owner in Henry Silver, everything changes. Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias is forced to reckon with his troubled past—both the green magic of the woods, and the dark things that rest in its heart.

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Review: The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman

Magic, a prized resource, is the only thing between peace and war. When magic runs out, four estranged royal siblings must find a new source before their country is swallowed by invading forces. The first in an Indian-inspired duology.

Vira is desperate to get out of her mother’s shadow and establish her legacy as a revered queen of Ashoka. But with the country’s only quarry running out of magic–a precious resource that has kept Ashoka safe from conflict–she can barely protect her citizens from the looming threat of war. And if her enemies discover this, they’ll stop at nothing to seize the last of the magic.

Vira’s only hope is to find a mysterious object of legend: the Ivory Key, rumored to unlock a new source of magic. But in order to infiltrate enemy territory and retrieve it, she must reunite with her siblings, torn apart by the different paths their lives have taken. Each of them has something to gain from finding the Ivory Key–and even more to lose if they fail. Ronak plans to sell it to the highest bidder in exchange for escape from his impending political marriage. Kaleb, falsely accused of assassinating the former maharani needs it to clear his name. And Riya, a runaway who cut all family ties, wants the Key to prove her loyalty to the rebels who want to strip the nobility of its power.

They must work together to survive the treacherous journey. But with each sibling harboring secrets and their own agendas, the very thing that brought them together could tear apart their family–and their world–for good.

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Let’s Talk: Star Wars Novels I can’t Wait to Read

Hello there! After taking a (much needed) two week hiatus, and truly succumbing to Obi-Wan Kenobi brain rot, I am back to posting regularly on the blog! I’m super excited to be back, and I’m looking forward to sharing content with everyone again. This week, I thought it would be fun to combine two of my favourite things in the world: books and Star Wars! There are so many novels and novelisations in the Star Wars franchise out there in the world, so let’s talk about a few I’m looking forward to reading soon. 

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Let’s Talk: Upcoming Special Editions

Hi, hello everyone! I hope you’re all keeping well, and the month of May is delightful! As special editions of books become increasingly popular, the likes of Illumicrate and Fairyloot are releasing more and more, it’s often hard to keep track. So, I thought it would be fun to go through five of my favourite announcements as of late, and get everyone excited for some amazing book releases coming soon. 

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