I saw this tag on One Book More, which is a wonderful blog I highly recommend checking out if you are not already familiar with. Julie has themed blogs at least 4 days of the week which are always good!

This tag was originally created by Sean & Alyce, back in December but it’s so much fun, after seeing a few other bloggers also do this, I thought I’d give it a crack. This was way more challenging than I thought it would be. As you may be able to tell with some of my answers 😅

1. First book in a series

The Power of Hades is a modern urban fantasy retelling of Hades and Persephone, with a twist. It’s the first book I have read by either of these authors and I really enjoyed it. Sassy strong female characters, arrogant Gods, and plenty of sexual tension this is exactly the kind of PNR I love!

Synopsis

I’ve been kidnapped by Zeus. Plucked from the streets of Manhattan and frightened half to death by a freaking Olympian god.
And now I’m trapped in the Underworld, being forced to compete in a series of deadly trials for the position of Queen of the Underworld. Which would mean marrying Hades, the utterly terrifying Lord of the Dead. Who the hell wants a husband at all, let alone one made of smoke and riddled with death?

I have to get back home, to New York and my brother. But I can’t leave without completing the trials and they’ve been designed for a godly Queen, not Persephone – barista and botanical garden enthusiast.
I’m surrounded by lethal, all-powerful maniacs. Sexy-as-hell maniacs, sure, but as dangerous as they come. And I’m going to have to prove to all of them that there’s a goddess of hell inside me. It’s the only way I’ll survive the Hades Trials. But then what? And why, why, why am I so desperate to see under Hades smoky exterior and find out what he’s hiding from me?

If I win the trials, I have to marry the devil himself. But losing might mean losing my life

2. Two or more copies of the same book

This is not usually something I can claim. However, I have recently enjoyed listening to audiobooks when I can’t read them. Does this count? I have ebook and audiobook of Amari and The Night Brothers. I adored this middle grade fantasy and was an easy 5 star read. I will be doing a full review shortly and will link it here.

Synopsis

An epic middle grade supernatural adventure series, soon to be a major movie starring Marsai Martin. Perfect for readers aged 8+ and fans of Percy Jackson, Nevermoor and Men in Black!

Amari Peters knows three things.

Her big brother Quinton has gone missing.
No one will talk about it.
His mysterious job holds the secret . . .

So when Amari gets an invitation to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain this is her chance to find Quinton. But first she has to get her head around the new world of the Bureau, where mermaids, aliens and magicians are real, and her roommate is a weredragon.

Amari must compete against kids who’ve known about the supernatural world their whole lives, and when each trainee is awarded a special supernatural talent, Amari is given an illegal talent – one that the Bureau views as dangerous.

With an evil magician threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is the enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton . . 

3. Three colours on the cover

You never think these kind of prompts will be hard until you actually try and find one. This is a recent buy from me. I saw the cover and had to get it. It’s so beautiful. I had no idea what it was about when I picked it up and… not a lot has changed. I briefly skimmed the synopsis and liked it enough to purchase. It was on special so I figured, I’ve gone over 3 months without buying a book. I can buy one or two on sale today. Bookish fam I know I’m not alone here.

Synopsis

Damsel meets A Heart in a Body in the World in this incisive and lyrical feminist fairy tale about a princess determined to save her sisters from a curse, even if it means allying herself with the very witch who cast it.

The Princesses of Ever are beloved by the kingdom and their father, the King. They are cherished, admired.

Cursed.

Jane, Alice, Nora, Grace, and Eden carry the burden of being punished for a crime they did not commit, or even know about. They are each cursed to be Without one essential thing—the ability to eat, sleep, love, remember, or hope. And their mother, the Queen, is imprisoned, frozen in time in an unbreakable glass box.

But when Eden’s curse sets in on her thirteenth birthday, the princesses are given the opportunity to break the curse, preventing it from becoming a True Spell and dooming the princesses for life. To do this, they must confront the one who cast the spell—Reagan, a young witch who might not be the villain they thought—as well as the wickedness plaguing their own kingdom…and family.

Told through the eyes of Reagan and Jane—the witch and the bewitched—this insightful twist of a fairy tale explores power in a patriarchal kingdom not unlike our own.

4. Four or more perspectives

I am currently reading Priory of the Orange Tree where we follow four characters. Ead, Niclays, Tane and Loth. It is a chunker but so far has all the makings of a great read.

Synopsis

A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

5. A five star read

For this prompt I just can’t go past Recursion. It was brilliant! I wish I could go back and read it for the first time again. A Sci-fi thriller with a romantic sub plot and plenty of suspense. I could not put it down. Gush review will be posted here within the next week

Synopsis

Memory makes reality.

That’s what NYC cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

That’s what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.

As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date

6. Six (or more) short stories

This picture really doesn’t do justice to how beautiful these editions are. These gothic styled collections, published by Flame Tree Publishing have become my favourite to collect. I currently have the Norse Heroes and Heroines and Poe collections.

Synopsis

The author Hans Christian Andersen is regarded as a national treasure by his homeland Denmark, but his popularity extends far beyond his native shores. As one of the most translated authors in the world, there are hundreds of editions of his books in many languages. He is known predominantly for his remarkable series of fairy tales, many of which remain classics today, providing both inspiration for many film versions of his famous tales, as well as new collections of his stories. Evocative and poignant, their rich narratives are hugely compelling and tend to explore morality in an accessible and thought-provoking way. He was a great admirer of Dickens, and they conducted a literary friendship for many years.

This latest collection celebrates Andersen’s unique literary output and gathers together a large selection of much-loved tales such as ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’, ‘The Princess and the Pea’ and ‘The Snow Queen’.

7. A seven on the cover or spine

I am currently staying with my parents for a couple of weeks. I took pics of my bookshelves before I left in order to complie my April TBR for Mythothon (it’s not weird). I had nearly admited defeat in this case as I couldn’t see any. Upon remembering this series after an intricate web of bookish thoughts of series, I remember the title which I just happen to have in hardback a row back on my bookshelf. That reminds me. I need another bookshelf.

I have read the first three books in this series and absolutely love them. Sure they may be a bit far fetched at times but I’m not reading them for reality. They are action packed, full of espionage, historical and mythical destinations I could only dream of visiting, and even with all of that, the main characters are loveable and wholesome. Writing this has made me want to complete this series this year. Funny how a simple tag can bring back memories of how much you enjoyed a book/ series.

Synopsis

In ancient times, a Golden Capstone was placed atop the Great Pyramid at Giza during a rare solar event called the Tartarus Rotation. Once every 4,500 years, a superhot sunspot — the Tartarus Sunspot — aligned itself with Earth and caused immense worldwide flooding and sun-scorching. It is said that when the Capstone sat atop the Great Pyramid, no such flooding or solar damage occurred. And, according to legend, whosoever places the Capstone on the pyramid at the next Tartarus Rotation will gain absolute power over Earth for the next 1,000 years.

In 2006, the Tartarus Rotation will come again, but the Capstone is nowhere to be found.

With the fate of global dominance hanging in the balance, nearly every world power sends forth its troops to locate the Capstone. Among them are the United States, the European Union, Israel, ruthless terrorists, and one other unusual force: a coalition of seven smaller nations that have decided that the Capstone is too powerful for any one country to hold.

So they band together against all odds and send an eight-man team to take on all the great forces in the chase. Led by an Australian super-soldier named Jack West Jr., the team includes a Canadian professor, two crack Irish commandos (one of whom is female), a Spanish paratrooper, a Jamaican soldier, an Arab commando, and a daredevil New Zealand pilot. And with them always is a little girl named Lily, the ten-year-old daughter of the Oracle of Siwa– one of only two people in the world who can decode an ancient text that leads to the Capstone.

This stalwart group embarks on a global journey filled with booby-trapped mines, stupendous ancient wonders, gigantic evil forces, and adventure beyond imagination.

From the Colossus of Rhodes to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, from the Lighthouse at Alexandria to the Great Pyramid itself, fasten your seatbelts and hang on as the author of Ice Station and Scarecrow takes you on the adventure of your life!

8. Eight letters in the title

Queen Fae is the third instalment of the NYC Mecca series by self published authors Jaymin Eve (one of the creators of the Books & Ballgowns Event) and Leia Stone. I loved this series so much. Shifters, Fae, Action and Steam. I bought this at a book convention in Brisbane a fair few years ago (got it signed) but it was the only book on my shelf that had 8 letters! How is that possible?

Synopsis

When the fae kidnapped Violet they underestimated Arianna, Queen of the wolf shifters. There was literally nothing she wouldn’t do to save her best friend. Which is why she sets out with her mate and pack of dominants to rescue the magic born from the fae lands.

As she expected the Otherworld is fraught with danger, but there is one thing which takes her completely by surprise. A dark secret which could rock her world to its very foundation.

Arianna must now save her friend and herself. Because the fae have been waiting for her, and she’s just walked right into their trap

9. Book ends on a page ending in a nine

After 40 minutes and an annoyingly large amount of 0’s and 7’s I finally did it. With the ending on page 349 The Only Good Indians saves me and allows me to complete this entire book tag 🙂

This is another current read. I started it at the start of March as two of my favourite booktubers Lezlie and Evie go on about this book. I have struggled to get into it so far (I keep putting it down and picking it up again rinse and repeat) This is the first novel of Stephen Graham Jones so am not familiar with his style of writng. Once I get the hang of it, I’m sure I will love it.

Synopsis

A tale of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition.

The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

10. Ten books in the series

The Guild Codex: Spellbound by Annette Marie. Another Indie author. This series has 8 main works and 2 prequel novellas (0.25 and 0.5) so if my math is correct…This has been on my TBR for an embarrassingly long time but it’s in my reading journal to complete this year. There are a few things to love about this. Each of the books contains an alcoholic beverage in the title, urban paranormal fantasy with a baddass heroine, humour, and I’ve heard they are a fun easy read. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this universe.

Synopsis

Broke, almost homeless, and recently fired. Those are my official reasons for answering a wanted ad for a skeevy-looking bartender gig.

It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview—to see if I’d mesh with their “special” clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an ***hole right back. That’s the definition of fitting in, right?

I expected to get thrown out on my ***. Instead, they… offered me the job?

It turns out this place isn’t a bar. It’s a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I’m exactly the kind of takes-no-*** bartender this guild needs, or there’s a good reason no one else wants to work here.

So what’s a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course—with a pay raise

I really enjoyed doing this tag. So much fun. Will definitely be participating in more in the future.