Welcome to my first WWW Wednesday!
The meme is very straightforward. I’m answering three questions – the three Ws- which are:
- What I’m currently reading?
- What did I recently finish reading?
- What do I think I’ll read next
This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and brought back by Taking on a World of Words.
What I’m currently reading
The Midnight Bargain by CL Polk. I enjoyed her debut novel, Witchmark so much that I was excited to receive an ARC of her newest book, a standalone fantasy of manners. I appreciate when authors blend current events into their work in such a deft way instead of bludgeoning you over the head with the message. Women from aristocratic and wealthy families have a Bargaining Season where those with magical abilities are expected to capture a marriage offer. For which they’re put in a warding collar that cuts off their magic. The main character, Beatrice is determined to find a way to explore her magical abilities. But at what cost?
Gorgeous cover and I’m loving the world-building. Goodreads doesn’t list this as a series but I hope she plans other books set in this world.
What I recently finished reading
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. This is a gorgeous gem of a fantasy book. No spoilers but I wept while reading it. Magical children are confined to orphanages and Linus is a caseworker cog in the large government agency that oversees these orphanages. He leads a bland, repetitive gray life. Until he’s given a month-long assignment on an orphanage situated on a remote island. He packs his belongings and his cat Calliope, not knowing what he’s in for.
This was such a well-written fantasy about bigotry and oppression. How they’re made to seem logical and they’re created by preying on people’s fear of The Other.
TJ Klune gets bonus points for creating a 6 year old Antichrist, nicknamed Lucy who i could totally imagine growing up to be Tom Ellis’ Lucifer of the Netflix series.
What do I think I’ll read next
Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim. I enjoyed her first book, Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune, so I was excited to receive an ARC of her new book.
From Goodreads, “Ever since she can remember, Vanessa Yu has been able to see people’s fortunes at the bottom of their teacups. To avoid blurting out their fortunes, she converts to coffee, but somehow fortunes escape and find a way to complicate her life and the ones of those around her. To add to this plight, her romance life is so nonexistent that her parents enlist the services of a matchmaking expert from Shanghai.
The day before her matchmaking appointment, Vanessa accidentally sees her own fate: death by traffic accident. She decides that she can’t truly live until she can find a way to get rid of her uncanny abilities. When her eccentric aunt, Evelyn, shows up with a tempting offer to whisk her away, Vanessa says au revoir to America and bonjour to Paris. While working at Evelyn’s tea stall at a Parisian antique market, Vanessa performs some matchmaking of her own, attempting to help reconnect her aunt with a lost love. As she learns more about herself and the root of her gifts, she realizes one thing to be true: knowing one’s destiny isn’t a curse, but being unable to change it is.”
Your thoughts
Have you read any of these books or are they on your TBR list? Let me know in the comments below.
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