Tag: magical realism

Categories
Book Club Books

What I #read in April. ’23 & what I #amreading!

Today the IWSG Book Club launches our May discussion about what we are reading. It doesn’t have to be a book club selection just something you are excited about. Let’s all share what we are reading, and perhaps, we’ll find something to add to our own TBR lists. Click this link to go straight to the discussion. I’m currently reading Brides of Maracoor. I plan to start others but want to finish this first.

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In April 2023, I completed 1 and ½ titles. My goal was 2-3. I had to DNF one title and decided to hold off on a picture book for a while. I am still on track with my Goodreads Challenge.

2023 Reading Challenge

2023 Reading Challenge
Toi has
read 2 books toward
her goal of
36 books.
hide

 Below you’ll find my star ratings and review tags for each title I completed in the indicated month. You can also click the images to see the thorough reviews. There may even be a video for you to watch below, but I make no promises.

Rating: 5.0 – Review | Amazon | Bookshop

Rating: 2.0 – Review | Amazon

Check out my Goodreads Wrap-Up video or watch my Book Review video below (I elaborate on the public reviews I’ve posted).

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IWSG BOOK CLUB THEME CHALLENGE

#iwsgbookclub

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So tell me, what are you currently reading?
Did you read anything interesting in April?
Are you going to try the May theme challenge?

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
Promotion

#Newrelease trilogy by Erika M Szabo @MultiGenreBooks #fantsy

When a young doctor, Ilona, starts to develop unusual powers, her life and her beliefs change. Thrown into a world of clan mysteries, traditions and secrets, she begins remembering her mother’s instructions concealed as rhymes.

Punished by the ancestors long ago, Mora has waited centuries for the chance to reunite with her beloved Joland. Now, she seeks to gain the power to rule the ancient clan with a strict hierarchy and deadly laws that still exist hidden among us.

Ilona has been chosen by the ancestors to stop Mora and save the future of the clan.

Her birthright as a Healer runs alongside her desires as a woman. She has been in love with her best friend but is also drawn to the stranger who appears in her peculiar dream.

Ilona must save herself and her family from Mora’s evil plans, uncover ancient tribal secrets, and find her Destiny Box… the box that contains the message of the Ancestors.

Does she have the strength to fight evil?

After her twenty-ninth birthday, Ilona’s life was turned upside down. She learned more about her ancestry and herself in three days than in her entire life.

Mora sends a man to destroy Ilona. His hateful, cold stare sends icy chills down the spines of all who see him. Ilona is no different. She feels a foreboding of evil and senses a dark force commanding him to destroy her.

Ilona loves both her best friend and the stranger in her dreams, but which one is her true love?

In her quest to protect her family and the future of the clan, Ilona must activate her Chameleon side to obtain unimaginable powers. She can use her powers for absolute good or absolute evil; the choice is up to her.

Does she have the strength to fight evil?

Can she keep her sanity when discovering her magical abilities?

Ilona is a doctor and heals people, but the healing powers she inherited and the magical abilities she obtains are exciting as well as frightening.

Mora desperately fights to stop Ilona from fulfilling her destiny and saving the clan’s future. But the evil Mora won’t give up her plan of changing the future and to gain power.

In the final book of The Ancestors’ Secrets Trilogy, Ilona travels through time from the early years when her people were nomads, to the castles of the 14th century, to present day as she struggles to overcome the obstacles placed in her path. She finds the Destiny Box that contains the messages of the ancestors.

Will Ilona accept her destiny?

Can she find true love?

Will she use her unimaginable powers for good or evil?

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“This is so different from the usual fare churned out by ordinary writers.” -Valerie Byron

“The characters felt real, and the secrets are alluring. You will get hooked in right away.” -Brenda Barry

“Szabo introduces readers to a fascinating world of ancient rights conducted by a secret order.” -J.E. Rogers

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Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Books FlashbackFriday

#FlashbackFriday: #Fantasy #Book Review: Night Circus


Brought to you by, Michael G D’Agostino at A Life Examined, this is a time of the month (the last Friday) where you can republish an old post of yours that maybe didn’t get enough attention, you’re really proud of, or you think is still relevant, etc. I’ve chosen to share old book and movie reviews because those are always relevant.

Originally posted Friday, October 12, 2012.

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I give this story a solid 5.

LoveIt

This is the story of an unconventional game played to the death, only the participants don’t really understand that they are just pawns in a rivalry that has gone on far too long. It is the Night Circus that is their playing field and the weapon of choice is magic, though there won’t be any waving of wands or chanting of spells here. In many ways, that aren’t so oblivious, mystery and intrigue are the catalysts to changes in the player’s favor whether they are actively playing or not.

When posting my typical To the Point review of the audio book I said, “Think Cirque du Soleil meets Harry Potter with youthful imagination and mature sophistication. Listening to this story is like hearing a secret that no one else can handle, except you.”

Maybe I was being a bit deep, but that’s how the story made me feel. This is not a story for children, but only because I don’t think they’d get most of it. Teens with a fever for magic would probably eat this up, but still, the story is mature. I like that the story is for and about adults, but it’s clear the that Erin was definitely in touch with her inner child when she imagined this quirky Circus and all the people in it.

The story is filled with youthful imagination and has a mature appeal, but most of all, it has that ‘love conquers all’ or that ‘good triumphs over evil’ feel to it. The best thing about the story to me is the fact that the reader never really gets to pick sides in the game. Every time you think you’re going to pick one player over the other, something happens and the story takes you in a whole new direction. Like every story that inspired and shaped my imagination as a child, Night Circus left me wanting to leave the world of reality and take a trip through the lines of the story. I can just see myself now staring into the white flames of the bonfire just as the festivities are about to begin. I wish there was more of it to read.

Get a copy of this Kindle book here.

Get a print copy with free international shipping here.

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Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords