By Tessa Pulyer Posted on

#WWWWednesday: What Are You Reading This Week – October 6, 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.

I’m just starting Within These Wicked Walls today but if you read the blurb, you will see why I find this book so incredibly fascinating – “a magical, Ethiopian-inspired remix of Jane Eyre.”

  • Genre: YA Fantasy
  • Pages: 330 pgs.
  • Publisher: Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press)
  • Publication Date: October 19, 2021
“Lauren Blackwood’s can’t-miss debut is a magical, Ethiopian-inspired remix of Jane Eyre.” – Harper’s Bazaar What the heart desires, the house destroys… Andromeda is a debtera—an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. She would be hired, that is, if her mentor hadn’t thrown her out before she could earn her license. Now her only hope of steady work is to find a Patron—a rich, well-connected individual who will vouch for her abilities. When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, she takes the job without question. Never mind that he’s rude and demanding and eccentric, that the contract comes with a number of outlandish rules… and that almost a dozen debtera had quit before her. If Andromeda wants to earn a living, she has no choice. But she quickly realizes this is a job like no other, with horrifying manifestations at every turn, and that Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the most likely outcome if she stays, the reason every debtera before her quit. But leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone isn’t an option because—heaven help her—she’s fallen for him. Stunningly romantic, Lauren Blackwood’s heartstopping debut, Within These Wicked Walls, ushers in an exciting new fantasy voice. “An intricate magic system, a grimly humorous Black heroine, AND a heart-thumping romance? This book leaves nothing wanting.” – Jordan Ifueko, New York Times bestselling author of Raybearer

I loved The Post Box at the North Pole AND The Keeper of the Night. They are very different. lol. but both are excellent representations of their genre. Post Box brings Christmas magic to readers in a way like I have never read before and The Keeper of the Night mesmerized me from page 1.

  • Genre: Holiday Fiction
  • Pages: 347 pgs
  • Publisher: HQ Digital
  • Publication Date: October 18, 2021
Dear Santa, I wish I could believe in magic again. From, Sasha Hansley. Sasha Hansley hates Christmas. As a child, it was her favorite time of year, but ever since the tragic death of her mother, it has completely lost its magic. But when she gets an unexpected phone call from her eccentric estranged father, she’s forced to dust off her snow boots. He has been running a Lapland style Christmas village in Norway and after suffering a heart attack, he is on strict doctor’s orders to slow down. Eager to reconnect with her dad, Sasha books the next flight out there. Only she has never actually been on a plane before, let alone to the Arctic Circle. Met at the runway by drop-dead-gorgeous Taavi Salvesen, they sleigh ride through the snow with the Northern Lights guiding their way. When Sasha uncovers sacks of unopened Santa mail – letters that children and adults from all over the world write to Santa every year – she realizes that she can send a little bit of magic out into the world by replying to some of them. With Taavi on hand to help, will Sasha rediscover her own excitement for Christmas and find love among the letters? The Post Box at the North Pole is like one big romantic mug of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and a splash of Christmas magic! Fans of Holly Martin, Sarah Morgan and Heidi Swain will love this novel!
  • Genre: YA Fantasy
  • Pages: 274 pgs
  • Publisher: Inkyard Press
  • Publication Date: October 12, 2021
“Sharp and seductive…a fantasy with teeth.” —Julie C. Dao, author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns A girl of two worlds, accepted by none… A half Reaper, half Shinigami soul collector seeks her destiny in this haunting and compulsively readable dark fantasy duology set in 1890s Japan. Death is her destiny. Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough has been collecting souls in the London streets for centuries. Expected to obey the harsh hierarchy of the Reapers who despise her, Ren conceals her emotions and avoids her tormentors as best she can. When her failure to control her Shinigami abilities drives Ren out of London, she flees to Japan to seek the acceptance she’s never gotten from her fellow Reapers. Accompanied by her younger brother, the only being on earth to care for her, Ren enters the Japanese underworld to serve the Goddess of Death…only to learn that here, too, she must prove herself worthy. Determined to earn respect, Ren accepts an impossible task—find and eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons—and learns how far she’ll go to claim her place at Death’s side. Don’t miss the must-read sequel coming in 2022!

A new fantasy series from Terry Brooks – sign me up. I’m looking forward to exploring this world by a master in the genre.

  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Pages: 372 pgs
  • Publisher: Del Rey
  • Publication Date: October 19, 2021
The electrifying first novel of an all-new fantasy series from the legendary author behind the Shannara saga, about a human girl struggling to find her place in a magical world she’s never known “Enticing . . . Brooks’s fans will be thrilled to have a new series to savor.”—Publishers Weekly At nineteen, Auris Afton Grieg has led an . . . unusual life. Since the age of fifteen, she has been trapped in a sinister prison. Why? She does not know. She has no memories of her past beyond the vaguest of impressions. All she knows is that she is about to age out of the children’s prison, and rumors say that the adult version is far, far worse. So she and some friends stage a desperate escape into the surrounding wastelands. And it is here that Auris’s journey of discovery begins, for she is rescued by an unusual stranger who claims to be Fae—a member of a magical race that Auris had thought to be no more than legend. Odder still, he seems to think that she is one as well, although the two look nothing alike. But strangest of all, when he brings her to his wondrous homeland, she begins to suspect that he is right. Yet how could a woman who looks entirely human be a magical being herself? Told with a fresh, energetic voice, this fantasy puzzle box is perfect for fans of Terry Brooks and new readers alike, as one young woman slowly unlocks truths about herself and her world—and, in doing so, begins to heal both.

20 Replies to “#WWWWednesday: What Are You Reading This Week – October 6, 2021?”

  2. Renee Nash says:

    I am sticking to my NetGalley list, but I once again jumped to next year! The Accomplice is a very character-driven mystery and I am flying through it!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      That title sounds familiar. And I totally know what you mean. Sometimes books just demand to jump the line ❤️

      Like

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      I’m sure something fantastic will come up. You need to read The House on Needless Street. I’d be curious what you think. I think it was extremely well-written and edited, even though it’s not a book I would say that I enjoyed reading – that just doesn’t seem like the correct word choice, but I wonder if your more critical eye agrees. Like I said before, I’m sure the right book will come along sooner rather than later ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Mae Clair says:

    Terry Brooks is staring a new fantasy series? Wow, that’s pretty amazing news!
    I really liked the sound of The Post Box at the North Pole. I’m a sucker for a good Christmas story. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  5. WendyW says:

    Nice list of books Tessa. The Post Box at the North Pole looks good. I do enjoy Christmas stories!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. stargazer says:

    An Ethiopian-inspired Jane Eyre? Sounds intriguing. I recognise some of Jane Eyre in the blurb, but I suspect it will be a completely different reading experience.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lady Tessa says:

      It’s very interesting so far. I’m a third of the way in and simply glued to the page except when I have to break away for necessities like food and such. Lol.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Carla says:

    The Post Box at the North Pole is in my upcoming Christmas reads and I am really looking forward to it now. Enjoy your upcoming books, Tessa. I am glad these are authors you enjoy.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Teri Polen says:

    I’m getting ready to start Keeper of the Night – glad to hear you enjoyed it. I loved how atmospheric Within These Wicked Walls was – felt like I was wandering those halls.

    Liked by 1 person

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