Tarot-themed magic and a deal with a ‘monster’.
October’s ‘Sell Your Soul’ themed book is One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.
But nothing comes for free, especially magic.
When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.
Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.
Via Goodreads
This book was SO GOOD. I love the tarot-themed magic cards (kind of a Cardcaptor Sakura-vibe) which imbues the holder with powers. But I absolutely love Nightmare and Elspeth’s relationship. I read one review on Goodreads and liken it to a Venom-but-make-it-fantasy trope and if that doesn’t describe it completely!!! Such a good description. I didn’t know I needed that but it didn’t disappoint. The ending is such a cliffhanger and I can’t wait for the sequel. I definitely recommend picking this one up!
This box was a double-book month! We also received a copy of Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo.
From the author of To Kill a Kingdom comes Princess of Souls, a Rapunzel-inspired YA fantasy romance about a teen witch groomed to steal souls for an immortal king and the reckless, rebellious boy to whom her fate is tied.
For sixteen years, Selestra Somniatis has been trapped in a castle on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother’s place as King Seryth’s right hand. Tied by blood to steal souls for the immortal King of the Six Isles, the Somniatis Witch foretells the deaths of participants in the Festival of Predictions. To outrun your fate is to save your soul and steal the King’s immortality. But if you die, your soul is forfeit. And though thousands have tried, nobody has ever beaten death.
As a soldier in King Seryth’s army, Nox Laederic is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but he has no plans to die at the hands of the King or his witches. His plan is more akin to violent revenge: steal the King’s immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra herself.
But when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, she sees her own death alongside his–their fates are unmistakably intertwined, and Selestra is no longer safe in the only home she’s ever known. Nox and Selestra will have to enter a turbulent alliance in order to survive long enough to free the Six Isles from King Seryth’s clutches and escape the new fate that hunts them.
Via Goodreads
I quite enjoyed this one as well. I definitely read this one before One Dark Window because reading paperbacks is infinitely easier than hardbacks. Even if hardbacks look much prettier on a shelf. I liked this one. I enjoyed the characters and it definitely was good enough to try Alexandra Christo’s other works. I keep hovering over them at Costco but not quite making the plunge to add them to the shelf yet.
A smaller selection since we got two books this month, but the goodies!
I know I’ve said this before but I really like the canvas baskets, even if I don’t quite enjoy the books they have quotes from! This one has a quote from Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber and that was a DNF for me. Just don’t know what it is about Garber’s writing but it doesn’t click for me.
Another series that I didn’t really ever finish was the Raven Cycle, but these socks are comfy so I’m not complaining!
I love a good art print and Howl’s Moving Castle. Yes, please. Still one of my favourite books-turned-anime going. Literally can do no wrong.
The tarot cards this month are Judgement and Temperance featuring Rowan and Citra from the Arc of the Scythe series.
Absolutely LOVED the books in this box. I feel like I read them both insanely quickly and couldn’t put them down. I cannot wait for the sequel to One Dark Window.
Have you read this one yet?
Jx
