WWW Wednesday | What Am I Reading This Week- 2/17/2021?

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

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My Reading Week

I started out the week with Down Comes the Night. I have to admit, I wasn’t real sure if it was a good pick for me but, as always, I took it on anyway and I am so glad. It’s a very cool gothic fantasy story that has many aspects that remind me of Rebecca. I can see why it has overwhelmingly good ratings from other ARC readers.

Today, I will be reading Small Magic by Terry Brooks in his soon-to-be-released collection of short fantasy stories that he has been collecting since the 70’s. Some of them are set in Shannara and others are not. I have not reviewed a collection of short stories yet, so this is going to be a new kind of challenge for me.

Next I will be reading the duology back-to-back of Spellbreaker and Spellmaker. Spellbreaker came out last November, and I picked it up as a Prime First Read selection. Then, a month or so ago, I picked up the ARC of the second book. I’ve heard excellent things about these books so I am looking forward to reading them.

What are you reading this week? Anything that you’re particularly excited about?

Small Magic by Terry Brooks

• Genre: Epic Fantasy – Short Stories
• Publication Date : March 2, 2021
• Print Length: 464 pgs
• Publisher : Del Rey

Book Description

Escape to worlds full of adventure and magic in the first-ever Terry Brooks short-story collection, featuring both new and fan-favorite stories from all three of his major literary worlds: Shannara, Magic Kingdom, and The Word and the Void.

Here are heroes fighting new battles and struggling to conquer the ghosts of the past. Here are quests both small and far reaching; heroism both intimate and vast. Here we learn of Garet Jax’s childhood, see how Allanon first located Shea Ohmsford, and follow an old wing-rider at the end of his life. Here we see Knights of the Word fighting demons within and without, and witness Ben Holiday and his daughter each trying to overcome the unique challenges that Landover offers.

This collection of eleven tales is a must-have addition to the Terry Brooks canon—a delightful way to spend time with favorite characters, and a wonderful reminder of what makes a Brooks story such a timeless classic.

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Print Length: 390 pgs
• Publisher: St. Martins Press / Wednesday Books
• Publication Date: 3/2/2021

Book Description:

He saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the magic in his darkness. 

Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend—the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself. 

The mansion is crumbling, icy winds haunt the caved-in halls, and her eccentric host forbids her from leaving her room after dark. Worse, Wren’s patient isn’t a servant at all but Hal Cavendish, the infamous Reaper of Vesria and her kingdom’s sworn enemy. Hal also came to Colwick Hall for redemption, but the secrets in the estate may lead to both of their deaths. 

With sinister forces at work, Wren and Hal realize they’ll have to join together if they have any hope of saving their kingdoms. But as Wren circles closer to the nefarious truth behind Hal’s illness, they realize they have no escape from the monsters within the mansion. All they have is each other, and a startling desire that could be their downfall. 

Love makes monsters of us all

Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg

• Genre: Fantasy
• Print Length: 300 pgs
• Publisher: 47 North
• Publication Date: November 1, 2020

Book Description

The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells and those, like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. She always did love the tale of Robin Hood.

Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain. She’ll help Bacchus fix unruly spells around his estate if he doesn’t turn her in. Working together, Elsie’s trust in—and fondness for—the handsome stranger grows. So does her trepidation about the rise in the murders of wizards and the theft of the spellbooks their bodies leave behind.

For a rogue spellbreaker like Elsie, there’s so much to learn about her powers, her family, the intriguing Bacchus, and the untold dangers shadowing every step of a journey she’s destined to complete. But will she uncover the mystery before it’s too late to save everything she loves?

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Don’t forget to tell to me about the book(s) you are reading this week (in the comments). ✨ I love hearing about them. ❤️