teatimelit

Review: Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies by Hayley Nolan

A bold new analysis of one of history’s most misrepresented women.

History has lied.

Anne Boleyn has been sold to us as a dark figure, a scheming seductress who bewitched Henry VIII into divorcing his queen and his church in an unprecedented display of passion. Quite the tragic love story, right?

Wrong.

In this electrifying exposé Hayley Nolan explores for the first time the full, uncensored evidence of Anne Boleyn’s life and relationship with Henry VIII, revealing the shocking suppression of a powerful woman.

So leave all notions of outdated and romanticised folklore at the door and forget what you think you know about one of the Tudors’ most notorious queens. She may have been silenced for centuries, but this urgent book ensures Anne Boleyn’s voice is being heard now.

#TheTruthWillOut

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ARC Review: Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

A fantasy inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e , in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm and sets her on a dangerous path—where choices come with deadly consequences, and she risks losing more than her heart.

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the powerful Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, untrained, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the Crown Prince, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the emperor’s son.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. When treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, however, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

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Let’s Talk: 2022 Debuts I’m Looking Forward To

Can y’all believe it’s almost 2022? Absolutely wild! This is the time of year where I usually start making my preliminary list of reading goals for the next year, as well as a list of my most anticipated releases. As I started looking through my anticipated reads, I noticed a bunch of debuts on the list, and I thought it would be nice to give those authors and their books a little shoutout!

Narrowing it down is a bit difficult, but I decided to go with 6 books that I’m especially excited for. So, without further ado, here are 6 novels from debut authors that I’m looking forward to in 2022!

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Let’s Talk: Disappointing Books of 2021

Hi, hello friends! Since I recently did a post on my favourite reads of 2021, I thought it would be fun to do the opposite and talk about some disappointing reads of the year. If you loved any of these books, fear not, I don’t necessarily think they’re bad! I’m thrilled you loved them, they just weren’t for me – and that’s ok! I can’t like everything. Without further adieu, let’s get into the list.

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Let’s Talk: What I’m Hoping to Read Before 2021 Ends

I can’t believe 2021 is already almost over! Due to my November reading slump, I’ve accumulated many ARCs in the meantime, and am now paying the price for it. While I don’t think I’ll be able to read all of these books in December, I’m hoping to get through a large chunk of them — and I figured I’d share my TBR with you all. If you follow me on Twitter, you might’ve seen this Bingo Card I posted of my TBR too. Maybe all this accountability will help me get through my TBR! 

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ARC Review: No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado

You should know, right now, that I’m a liar.

They’re usually little lies. Tiny lies. Baby lies. Not so much lies as lie adjacent.

But they’re still lies.

Twenty one-year-old Max Monroe has it all: beauty, friends, and a glittering life filled with adventure. With tons of followers on Instagram, her picture-perfect existence seems eminently enviable.

Except it’s all fake.

Max is actually 16-year-old Kat Sanchez, a quiet and sarcastic teenager living in drab Bakersfield, California. Nothing glamorous in her existence–just sprawl, bad house parties, a crap school year, and the awkwardness of dealing with her best friend Hari’s unrequited love. But while Kat’s life is far from perfect, she thrives as Max: doling out advice, sharing beautiful photos, networking with famous influencers, even making a real friend in a follower named Elena. The closer Elena and “Max” get–texting, Snapping, and even calling–the more Kat feels she has to keep up the facade.

But when one of Max’s posts goes ultra-viral and gets back to the very person she’s been stealing photos from, her entire world – real and fake — comes crashing down around her. She has to figure out a way to get herself out of the huge web of lies she’s created without hurting the people she loves.

But it might already be too late.

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Wrap Up: November 2021

Hi friends and happy holidays to those who celebrate! Yet another month has passed and we are so excited to share with you what we read this month. Overall, it was a very successful reading month for the entire team of teatimelit, and we cannot wait to see where December takes us.

This month Caitlyn read 19 books, Cossette read 10 books, and Mary read 6 books. 

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Let’s Talk: End of Year Book Tag

Hi, hello friends! I cannot believe time is moving so quickly – I feel like I blinked in June and now we’re at the end of the year already! It’s getting to that time again where I’m thinking ahead to my 2022 reading goals, and organising my life to make my reading journey as fun and engaging as I can. However, before doing that, I thought it would be fun to participate in this book tag! Admittedly nobody tagged me in it, but I saw Kristin Kraves Books post about it, and it seemed like a lot of fun, so here we go! 

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Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death.

When Laia’s grandparents are brutally murdered and her brother arrested for treason by the empire, the only people she has left to turn to are the rebels.

But in exchange for their help in saving her brother, they demand that Laia spy on the ruthless Commandant of Blackcliff, the Empire’s greatest military academy. Should she fail it’s more than her brother’s freedom at risk . . . Laia’s very life is at stake.

There, she meets Elias, the academy’s finest soldier. But Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined – and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

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Teatimereads December Pick: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Hello friends! It’s hard to believe that we’re already near the end of November. As the month is coming to a close, it’s time for us to announce the December teatimereads pick, and we’re so excited to tell you all that we’ll be reading Tracy Deonn’s LEGENDBORN!

Here is the full summary for Legendborn:

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

Links for Legendborn: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | Indie Bound 

Content Warnings for Legendborn: Death of a parent and traumatic grief/flashbacks, alcohol consumption, mind control/memory manipulation, racist macro and microaggressions, emesis (vomiting), blood, mild gore, combat violence, mention(s) of: physical abuse, racist violence, sexual violence.

We’re so excited to read this magical story with everyone and are so excited to hear your thoughts on Legenborn! Have a wonderful rest of November, and we can’t wait to start reading with you all!