On McPig's Wishlist - Her Soul for a Crown

 

Her Soul for a Crown

by Alysha Rameera

For readers of Sarah J Maas, Scarlett St. Clair, and Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne, this epic, slow-burn romantasy inspired by Sri Lankan mythology follows a fierce orphaned young woman with an affinity for poisons and revenge who would do anything to end the reign of heartless rajas—even sell her soul to the most dangerous cursed god of all—the Blood Yakka, Reeri.

Anula Ramanayake of Anuradhapura calculated her ascent the moment she was orphaned—when her village burned in an endless war and the gods forsook her prayers. First, she would marry the raja. Then, she would poison him and take the throne for herself and her people. But when an unexpected coup thwarts her careful plans, Anula is left with one desperate option. She offers her soul to the cursed gods she renounced in exchange for the crown.

In the Second Heavens, Reeri the Blood Yakka, the most dangerous and powerful of his clan, hears her prayer. For eons, he's waited for such a valuable offering—one that could finally give him the chance to kill his divine tormentor and return his fellow Yakkas to their former glory on earth. Reeri accepts Anula's bargain, tethering them until their goals are achieved, or until they die.

As the war presses on, Anula must move quickly or lose her chance to become the first raejina. But while she is skilled at many things, especially in stopping hearts, the closer she grows to Reeri, the more she finds her own heart at risk. And when the time comes to fight enemies both human and divine, Anuradhapura and the Heavens will never be the same.

Expected publication August 12, 2025

Phantasma - Book Review

 

Phantasma (Wicked Games #1)

by Kaylie Smith

What is it about:

When Ophelia and her sister discovers their mother brutally murdered, there is no time to grieve: Ophelia has inherited both her powerful death-driven magic and enormous debt on their home. Circumstances go from dire to deadly, however, when Ophelia’s sister decides to pay off the loan by entering Phantasma—a competition where most contestants don’t make it out alive and the winner is granted a single wish.

The only way to save her sister is to compete. But Phantasma is a cursed manor, with twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, and filled with enticing demons and fatal temptations. Ophelia will need to face nine floors of challenges to win... if her fears don’t overtake her first.

When a charming, arrogant stranger claims he can protect and guide Ophelia, she knows she shouldn’t trust him. While Blackwell may not seem dangerous, appearances can be deceptive. But with her sister’s life on the line, Ophelia can’t afford to turn him away. She just needs to ignore the overwhelming, dark attraction drawing them closer and closer together.

Because in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.

What did I think of it:

Ever since Battle Royale (Yes, long before The Hunger Games) I've had a soft spot for stories where people have to take part in dangerous/deadly games. It's almost as good as some decent zombie mayhem. So even though I suspected it might be more romance than action I got my trotters on this book. When I finally picked it up to read for an online book club, Voodoo Bride decided to read along.

And we both had a great time with this book!

I will say I really liked Ophelia, which surprised me as she's (once again) an older sister thinking she needs to save her younger sister. But where I usually dislike those meddling older siblings who think they know better Ophelia surprised me. She doesn't think she's better. Far from it in fact, she feels like a failure, has her inner demons, and feels like she is at fault for her younger sister disappearing, hence why she enters Phantasma to find her sister.

Then there's the whole game element which was really cool and exciting. There are scheming contestants, thrilling tests, death, creepy and icky stuff, hauntings, you name it. The whole of Phantasma was really well thought out, and had me engrossed, eager to find out what would be thrown at Ophelia next.

The romance was also excellent (and super delicious according to Voodoo Bride) and we rooted for Ophelia to win both Phantasma and at love. Blackwell was a very cool character (and dreamy and yummy) who clearly has his own agenda, still we rooted for him as well.

(We could easily guess what his deal was, but if a story is as well written as this was, that doesn't really matter.)

Overall a really awesome read. We will most definitely get book two as well.

Why should you read it:

It has it all: action, romance, thrills, & mayhem.

Teaser Tuesdays - The Twisted Ones

 

So I put my dog in the truck and packed up a suitcase full of clothes, asked my aunt Kate to keep an eye on the house, and drove down to North Carolina.

it's a long drive.

(page 7, The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their  TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Junkyard Cats - Book Review

 

Junkyard Cats (Junkyard Cats #1)

by Faith Hunter

What is it about:

After the Final War, after the appearance of the Bug aliens and their enforced peace, Shining Smith is still alive, still doing business from the old scrapyard bequeathed to her by her father. But Shining is now something more than human. And the scrapyard is no longer just a scrapyard, but a place full of secrets that she has guarded for years.

This life she has built, while empty, is predictable and safe. Until the only friend left from her previous life shows up, dead, in the back of a scrapped Tesla warplane, a note to her clutched in his fingers - a note warning her of a coming attack.

Someone knows who she is. Someone knows what she is guarding. Will she be able to protect the scrapyard? Will she even survive? Or will she have to destroy everything she loves to keep her secrets out of the wrong hands?

What did I think of it:

I was warned by a friend that this was a weird series, still I was curious enough to give it a try.

And I what she meant.

This is a futuristic world with lots of freaky stuff, so if you're not into freaky science SciFi skip this series.  

Still, I had a good time with this book.

There was a bit too much fighting at times. I would have liked it better if there was a better balance between the tense action and more relaxed moments.

But all in all this was an interesting and intriguing read. I really liked Shining and her employee/friend Matteo. And of course there are the junkyard cats!

There is a lot going on and explained in this book, and maybe Hunter chose to get in so much action to make all the explaining less boring (which it wasn't imo).

By the end it's clear what Shining's next step will be, and I will get my trotters on the next book to see where this whole series will lead to.

Why should you read it:

It's an intriguing Futuristic Read.

On McPig's Wishlist - Hallowed Games

 

Hallowed Games

by C.N. Crawford

If he’s death, I crave oblivion.

I'm cursed to kill with a brush of my fingertips. My worst fear is attracting the attention of the kingdom’s magic hunters. Maelor is their mysterious, gorgeous leader--and my world falls apart when he learns my secret.

When he arrests me, my only hope is to survive a deadly competition, to win the mercy of our god. Strangely, Maelor is immune to my touch. Turns out, that’s because he’s secretly a vampire—lethally sexy, and dangerous as hell.

He's as drawn to me as I am to him. Can this beautiful monster help me survive, or will our dark attraction lead me to ruin? 

Vexing the Grumpy Orc - Book Review by Voodoo Bride

 

Vexing the Grumpy Orc (Silvermist Mates #3)

by Chloe Graves

What is it about:

Territory lines weren't made to keep out fate.

Hannah

Saving my petrified familiar requires rare mountain mushrooms and sacred ritual grounds. Unfortunately, both sit squarely in one extremely hot and incredibly grumpy orc's territory. One defiant step across my ritual circle unleashes magic far more dangerous than any gorgon's curse—the kind that burns between bodies instead of bones.

But with Digby's stone form growing colder by the day, failure isn't an option—even if success means trusting the orc who ruins my spells with a single touch.

Galan

Witches destroy everything they touch. My father's exile taught me that lesson well.

But this witch stalks my woods with a sharp tongue and even sharper magic. Her fierce loyalty and forbidden rituals set my blood burning and instincts snarling for more.

My chief shatters my solitude and commands me to keep her safe while my father orders me to march her off a cliff. Blood should win over heart, but she makes me question every truth I thought I knew.

Fate branded Hannah into my soul, and I won't rest until I claim her as mine.

What did Voodoo Bride think of it:

I have a soft spot for grumpy men (well, others think they're grumpy, but they're not grumpy to me) so I decided to give this book a try.

Maybe I should have started with the first book, where this world gets set up. Because I was convinced this was Other World Fantasy Romance. It even read that way at first. Then suddenly there was a mention of American states, and then jeans, and other modern stuff.

Turns out this is what I would call an Urban Fantasy Romance.

That really threw me. 

I mean: Orcs in Fantasy or SciFi/Cyberpunk settings are one thing, but it seems I never thought of Orcs belonging in Urban Fantasy. The Orc village feeling very Other World Fantasy didn't help in getting used to the otherwise modern setting.

But that weird disconnect aside:

I really enjoyed the romance.

I didn't like Hannah at first. She really is annoying and a total jerk for someone caught trespassing, and I was just as grumpy about her as Galan (who I did like right away).

But things get hot and steamy fast between them, and she does get less annoying luckily enough. From then on I was totally invested in the two of them figuring things out and getting in some more loving. 

All in all a very enjoyable Romance and I might try other books in this series.

Why should you read it:

Hot Grumpy Orc!

Teaser Tuesdays - Under the Surface

 

Selena peers into the hole, then jerks back. "Whoa, that goes really far down."

Julien waves us closer. "We must hurry, yes?"

(page 33, Under the Surface by Diana Urban)

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, previously hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: - Grab your current read - Open to a random page - Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their  TBR Lists if they like your teasers!