Genre: High Fantasy

#Blogmas | A Fantasy Christmas celebration feat. authors of fantastical realms | The Ravenwood Saga by Morgan L. Busse

Posted Monday, 3 December, 2018 by jorielov , , , , , 2 Comments

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Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I continue to surprise myself – finding my second featured Fantasy series this December is a Christian Fantasy world – between the cover art of the first series I was featuring yesterday and this one today – goodness! I am LOVING the art direction of today’s Fantasy market! I love artwork which pulls you into the world-building – gives you something to chew and contemplate and before you realise it, you already want to be living in that world – isn’t this the case for you? I oft wonder what allures readers to read Fantasy & Science Fiction – strictly the artwork or the synopsis or a mixture of both? For me, every story starts with a keen interest in the premise & what I shall find inside the pages,.. the artwork for me is the icing on the cupcake if I love reading the novel!

Ever since I started co-hosting #WyrdAndWonder (an annual Fantasy event with mini-events throughout the year) I’ve become more mindful of Fantasy as a niche I dearly want to explore further, as I only had a fleeting sense of what was available in the past. This month I’ll be reading one of my favourite Science Fiction novelists whose written an epic Fantasy series – a series I’ve been trying to read for the past few years and felt life constantly was pulling me out of its pages. As I knew #FantasyForChristmas was nearing – I felt by celebrating new worlds of Fantasy would be the best anchour towards reading more Fantasy this December!

I was also inspired when I first started reading A Mortal Song during last month’s #Mythothon – wherein I was happily charmed by what I discovered when Japanese Mythos and Fantasy are entwined!

This particular series I am showcasing today is about redemptive conscience – as there is an heir to a legacy not of the choosing of the heir but of the family she’s been bourne. There is a moral and ethical dilemma to her inheritance and as you read the synopsis from book one to book two you can sort of start to see where the lines are drawn for her and her family. Stories of individual quests in worlds of Fantasy are amongst my favourites but what is interesting of course, is this a second selection under the umbrella of Christian Fantasy. It would be interesting how this ties into the theme but also, how it reflects the crisis within the lead character for not wanting to make a choice that goes against her own beliefs.

Curious – which other stories in Fantasy reflect this kind of quest and what did you appreciate about those narratives the most?!

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Mark of the Raven by Morgan BusseFlight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse

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Published by: Bethany House Publishers (@bethany_house)

an imprint of Baker Publishing Group

The Ravenwood Saga:

Mark of the Raven (book one) | add to LibraryThing

Published: 6th November, 2018 | ISBN: 978-0764232220

Lady Selene is the heir to the Great House of Ravenwood and the secret family gift of dreamwalking. As a dreamwalker, she can enter a person’s dreams and manipulate their greatest fears or desires. For the last hundred years, the Ravenwood women have used their gift of dreaming for hire to gather information or to assassinate.

As she discovers her family’s dark secret, Selene is torn between upholding her family’s legacy–a legacy that supports her people–or seeking the true reason behind her family’s gift.

Her dilemma comes to a head when she is tasked with assassinating the one man who can bring peace to the nations, but who will also bring about the downfall of her own house.

One path holds glory and power, and will solidify her position as Lady of Ravenwood. The other path holds shame and execution. Which will she choose? And is she willing to pay the price for the path chosen?

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Flight of the Raven (book two) | add to LibraryThing

→ Forthcoming: 30th April, 2019 | ISBN: 978-0764232237

Selene Ravenwood, once the heir to House Ravenwood, is now an exile. On the run and free of her family’s destiny, Selene hopes to find the real reason her family was given the gift of dreamwalking. But first she must adapt to her new life as wife to Lord Damien Maris, the man she was originally assigned to kill.

While adjusting to her marriage and her home in the north, her power over dreams begins to grow. As the strongest dreamwalker to exist in ages, her expanding power attracts not only nightmares but the attention of the Dark Lady herself.

With a war looming on the horizon and a wicked being after her gift, Selene is faced with a choice: embrace the Dark Lady’s offer, or search out the one who gave her the gift of dreamwalking. One path offers power, the other offers freedom. But time is running out, and soon her choice will be made for her.

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Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas, #FantasyNerd and #EpicFantasy

About Morgan L. Busse

Morgan Busse

Morgan L. Busse is a writer by day and a mother by night. She is the author of the Follower of the Word series, the Carol Award-winning steampunk series, Soul Chronicles, and the Ravenwood Saga, a new fantasy series from Bethany House coming November 2018. During her spare time she enjoys playing games, taking long walks, and dreaming about her next novel.

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Posted Monday, 3 December, 2018 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Fantasy Fiction, High Fantasy, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours

#Blogmas | A Fantasy Christmas celebration feat. authors of fantastical realms | The Songkeeper Chronicles by Gillian Bronte Adams

Posted Sunday, 2 December, 2018 by jorielov , , , , , , , 6 Comments

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Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

A wee short bit of time ago – there came into my Inbox a curious little invitation about celebrating #FantasyReads for a properly lit #FantasyForChristmas celebration headlining authors through Prism Book Tours. As [2018] became the year I reclaimed my inner #fantasynerd whilst co-hosting the first annual #WyrdAndWonder event – I decided to participate – sorting through the authors and sorting out which days I wanted to host their introductions to their fantastical worlds – however, this particular novelist (Ms Adams) snuck past me and when I saw a chance to listen to the first chapter of “Orphan’s Song” if you joined her author’s newsletter – wells, let’s just say, I didn’t hesitate to sign-on!

I’ve been keen on sourcing more audiobooks to fetch throughout the New Year [2019] as I continue to try to offset my readings in print with listening to worlds in audiobook! What happened was rather magical – as I personally *adore!* how the author is narrating her own story! So much so, I dared to hope she’s recorded the full audiobook adaptation and perhaps, one day I can listen to it in full!

I have the tendency to forget about ‘Christian Fantasy’ as its own unique niche of literature, as I generally look at Fantasy from a wider angle and lens – I’m more Tolkien than I could ever be a follower of CS Lewis – (for instance) and the novelist who cut my teeth into High Fantasy / Epic Fantasy worlds was Kate Elliott with her Crown of Stars Saga; a series I need to re-visit one year whenever I am able to sort out which book contains the books as I never did read it in full after having *loved!* the beginnings! A quirk I am sure most booklovers can attest as being something that happens whilst we’re reading & discovering new stories. We don’t always get to finish the series we’ve begun – which in of itself is one of the reasons I’m joining the Backlist Challenge in [2019].

I don’t limit myself to INSPY Reads even though I have been a hybrid reader of both INSPY and mainstream fiction since I first started sorting out my reading life as a nine year old fourth grader as that was the year I started to :love: reading despite feeling up til then reading was a bit of a thorn in my side. Most dyslexics I am sure share a similar affinity for reading until they sort out their own path into these incredibly layered worlds of imagination! I love moving between both sections of literature – there is something for me in both branches *but!* as said, I tend to overlook the Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Speculative realms as sometimes I feel they go a bit overboard for what I’m seeking – hence, why today, I was thankful to read the approach of Ms Adams publisher! They write #SpecFic both ways – for those who want ‘more’ centreing on INSPY narratives and those of us who like narratives which are influenced by Christianity but are not overly intensive to where the world building itself suffers. In essence, its the best of both worlds for me – as I love cleaner reads, non-explicit worlds and a layering of epic quests which Fantasy is renown to have inclusive!

Whenever I get the JOY of finding a new publisher whose writing the kind of stories I’m keen on reading, I love *celebrating!* that find with my readers! Therefore, as I was originally meant to kick-off my #FantasyForChristmas spotlights on the 2nd, before our schedule was moved forward by a day – I decided to treat myself to see what this series was about and found something rather extraordinary when I listened to the audiobook sampler!

Plus, I spied a gryphon – which brought back why I have been itching to start reading Jess Owen’s The Summer King series! It isn’t often I find myself intrigued by a Fantasy series such as this one and I am thankful to be part of the Prism blogger team to take part in this lovely showcase as December starts to arrive bringing with it a lovely respite of #awesomereads!

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Published by: Enclave Publishing (@EnclaveBooks)

an imprint of Gilead Publishing

(owned by Steve Laube of The Steve Laube Agency)

Songkeepers Chronicles:

Orphan’s Song (book one) | add to LibraryThing

Published: 14th October, 2016 | ISBN: 978-1683700289

HER SOLO IS A DEATH SENTENCE

Deep within the world of Leira flows a melody that was sung at the beginning of time by Emhran, the Master Singer. Now it is broken, buried, forgotten. But in each generation, a Songkeeper arises to uphold the memory of the Song against those who want it silenced forever.

When Birdie first hears the Song coming from her own mouth, her world shatters. She is no longer simply an orphan but the last of a hunted people. Forced to flee for her life, she must decide whom to trust—a traveling peddler, a streetwise thief, or a mysterious creature who claims to know her past.

With enemies at her heels and war threatening to tear her homeland apart, Birdie soon discovers an overwhelming truth: the fate of Leira may hinge on one orphan’s Song.

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Songkeeper (book two) | add to LibraryThing

Published: 15th April, 2016 | ISBN: 978-1621840695

WAR RAVAGES LEIRA AND THE SONG HAS FALLEN SILENT.

Freed from the hold of a slave ship, Birdie, the young Songkeeper, and Ky, a street-wise thief, emerge to a world at war. Hordes of dark soldiers march across Leira, shadowed by whispers of plague and massacres, prompting Ky to return to his besieged home city in hopes of leading his fellow runners to safety.

Desperate to end the fighting, Birdie embarks on a dangerous mission into the heart of the Takhran’s fortress. Legend speaks of a mythical spring buried within and the Songkeeper who will one day unleash it to achieve victory. Everyone believes Birdie is the one, but the elusive nature of the Song and rumors of other gifted individuals lead her to doubt her role. Unleashing the spring could defeat the Takhran once and for all, but can she truly be the Songkeeper when the Song no longer answers her call?

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Song of Leira (book three) | add to LibraryThing

Published: 5th June, 2018 | ISBN: 978-1683700869

THE SONG BIDS HER RISE TO BATTLE.

Reeling from her disastrous foray into the Pit, Birdie, the young Songkeeper, retreats into the mountains. But in the war-torn north, kneeling on bloodstained battlefields to sing the souls of the dying to rest, her resolve to accept her calling is strengthened. Such evil cannot go unchallenged.

Torn between oaths to protect the Underground runners and to rescue his friend from the slave camps, Ky Huntyr enlists Birdie’s aid. Their mission to free the captives unravels the horrifying thread connecting the legendary spring, Artair’s sword, and the slave camps. But the Takhran’s schemes are already in motion. Powerful singers have arisen to lead his army—singers who can shake the earth and master the sea—and monsters rampage across the land.

As Leira falters on the verge of defeat, the Song bids her rise to battle, and the Songkeeper must answer.

Converse via: #FantasyForChristmas, #FantasyNerd and #EpicFantasy

About Gillian Bronte Adams

Gillian Bronte Adams

Gillian Bronte Adams is a sword-wielding, horse-riding, wander-loving fantasy author, rarely found without a coffee in hand and rumored to pack books before clothes when she hits the road. Working in youth ministry left her with a passion for journeying alongside children and teens. (It also enhanced her love of coffee.) Now, she writes novels that follow outcast characters down broken roads, through epic battles, and onward to adventure. And at the end of a long day of typing, she can be found saddling her wild thing and riding off into the sunset, seeking adventures of her own (and more coffee).

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Posted Sunday, 2 December, 2018 by jorielov in #blogmas, Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Fantasy Fiction, High Fantasy, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours

#AudiobookMonth | #iLOVEaudiobooks – June is the perfect time for me to resume my #AudioReads and dig into more #audiobooks!

Posted Saturday, 2 June, 2018 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comments

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You know I’m going to be stalking #audiobookmonth’s tag ALL of JUNE!

Along with the following: #iLOVEaudiobooks + #loveaudiobooks

+ #JUNEisAudiobookMonth | which tags are your favourites!?

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I attempted to participate in #AudiobookMonth last year, though due to the detriment of the weather and a nauseatingly brutal allergy season (ie. Spring!) – I don’t remember progressing very far along with my efforts! This year, I’m doubling down – mostly as I have more reliable connectivity this year to keep blogging and listening to digital audiobooks even whilst mother nature chooses to wreck havoc in our lives!! I’ll thankfully not find it nearly as jarring to be *bounced!* off as long as I would have been had we not resolved this one particular issue *ahead!* of Summer! (a girl has to love her Mum!) (ie. Mums are seriously resourceful!)

Whilst most of my focus is going to be the audiobooks I’ve either accepted for review consideration by publishers and/or authors OR adopted audiobooks I’ve accepted for review – I am also going to be focusing on the audiobooks I’ve personally purchased, audiobooks I’ve borrowed through my local library or audiobooks I’ve had the pleasure of winning in a bookaway! This has definitely become my year of re-queuing the audiobooks I’ve been wanting to listen and discover whilst celebrating how much audiobooks have meant to be as a migraineur! (you might have noticed this term on my Twitter profile)

I have a few audiobooks on CD – most of the audiobooks I’ve been listening to since [2016] have been digitally available – either for review purposes or borrowing through my libray’s OverDrive network. I appreciate both options, as despite having a penchant for collecting audiobooks on CD – I realise the digital side of the ledger is what is helping most readers discover the joy of listening to the stories as they become insanely portable! The irony there is – I actually listen to audiobooks the old fashioned way, but then, you must know by now, I am rather an old fashioned kind of gal!

My main goal for JUNE is to simply enjoy my arrivals and departures within these audiobooks – taking long gaps of absence from reading #printbooks and remembering not to overly stress about the distances between receiving a few of these selections for review and today. Sometimes we all strive to do the best we can and if we fall short, we’re eventually given a second chance at redemption.

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The audiobooks I am focusing on first & foremost are the audiobooks I’ve received for review consideration. Including three I had trouble getting into last year – two of them are by one of my favourite audiobook publishers:

Post Hypnotic Press | @Post_Hypnotic | Site

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Greenwillow by B.J. Chute, narrated by Ann M. Richardson

→ with a length of 6 hours & 44 minutes

I have an affinity for poetic story-lines and small towne fiction stories – this title was recommended to me by the publisher, as I had quite literally finished my listenings of their adaptation of a beloved series of mine: Anne of Green Gables! (see also Review)

This was right ahead of Autumn [2017] which would become a rather adverse and arduous season for my family to shift out of and come through the other side. In fact, the year ended on a hard note whilst the New Year began on rocky footing. It wasn’t until the end of February where the adversities first sprung in Autumn would start to recede – if my health hadn’t taken a turn in early Spring [2018] the first thing I had wanted to focus on were these audiobooks – as I missed my time spent with their narrators and of feeling rather enlightened for the journey they encourage me to take whilst enfolded in their narrations!

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The Curve of Time by M. Wylie Blanchet, narrated by Heather Henderson

→ with a length of 7 hours & 24 minutes

I happen to love introspective, literary and philosophical stimulating stories which is why I think I was recommended to listen to this particular audiobook. I had previously had the joy of discovering the incredible versatile talent of Ms Henderson whilst listening to her adaptations of the quirky and lovable memoirs of Betty MacDonald (see also Review).

You could say, I had a rather banner year in [2017] listening to the collective works by this publisher – which is why it saddened me I couldn’t close the year listening to their stories – however, sometimes you have to be honest with where you are and the burdens your facing. For me personally, I was in the wrong frame of mind to even contemplate the themes within ‘The Curve of Time’ & ‘Greenwillow’ respectively – ergo, I pushed my listenings forward, hoping the Autumn & Winter would lead me to a better Spring. Ironically or not, it was Summer I had to wait for to feel as if I could take a full breathe of relief from the woes of my heart and mind, to where listening to thought-provoking stories such as these could be a wonderful respite of joy intermixed into my regular wanderings!

To be able to listen, tweet and celebrate Post Hypnotic Press during #AudiobookMonth is a true joy for me, as I am always hopeful other audiobook listeners will start to discovery the wicked awesome quality they are producing & the dedication they have to both the stories and the production behind bringing them to life!

They truly are an inspiring publisher for those of us who are properly addicted to ‘listening’ to the stories which excite us to be heard!

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Secondly, I can finally soak my ears inside the first chapter of Bonnie & Clyde as told through the literary lens of Ms Jenni L. Walsh! I have been sitting on my audiobook copy of ‘Becoming Bonnie’ for as long as I have the lovely audiobooks from Post Hypnotic Press! Time to bring all three out for a listening feast of bookish joy!

Becoming Bonnie by Jenni L. Walsh, narrated by Susan Bennett

→ coming in at exactly 12 hours!

This is the first half of a duology, as ‘Side by Side’ unfortunately released before I could listen to the first half – the sequel has the same narrator (*claps hands*) and comes in at 11 hours and 39 minutes! This releases on the 5th of June, 2018!

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I had the joyful pleasure of featuring the author on Jorie Loves A Story blog ahead of receiving the audiobook – not just once, but twice! You can read both posts: Pub Day Q&A and extracts from the text of ‘Becoming Bonnie’ in case you want to gleam more about why Ms Walsh approached this particular woman of history and why it became a passion project of hers to tell an authentic story on behalf of ‘Bonn’.

I grew up realising the bare bone facts about ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ – how could any GenX girl not? Including the fact, my Mum had seen the rather horrific biopic of theirs which led to more than one interesting discussion in our home over the years! Through my conversations with Ms Walsh whilst putting together the showcases on my blog, I learnt more about the ‘real history’ between Bonnie & Clyde – not all the pertinent bits, mind, as the author wanted me to have enough ‘flavour of curiosity’ ahead of listening to the story itself – but to the extent, I re-broached the convo with my Mum and we found that sometimes, even the people in History you feel you know enough about still have a few surprises to share!

This is one reason I am thankful our paths crossed – as Ms Walsh found me, not the other way round – she is one of the #HistFic authors I am happy to know who is giving me stimulating entreaties into the historic past through the eyes & lives of strong women who have extraordinary tales still left for us to read and feel as if we’ve drawn closer to their ‘living truth’ than we ever could have whilst they were alive!

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Rounding out the lovely audios for review consideration, is a selection narrated by Jake Urry – this time in the genre of Paranormal Ghost Story with a Science Fiction Adventure on the side!

The Tesla Gate (Book No.1 of the Tesla Gate series) by John D. Mimms

→ coming in at 8 hours and 15 minutes

The only sad bit to relay here is the author went in a different direction with the rest of the series in audio – therefore, as much as I might eventually come to love this selection, I won’t be able to continue listening to a) the series and b) the lovely Mr Urry narrating it! The reason I’ll treat this as a ‘one-off’ rather than series is I’ve sampled the next narrator and I’ve determined it was a mistake to switch-out Mr Urry – not because he’s a top favourite, (although one could argue bias, yes!) but because I firmly believe there are some narrators who are well-fitted to a role and there are others, I fear are ill-suited.

Everyone hears stories differently – similar to how we read them – what appeals to me, might not appeal to someone else and vice versa. Such is the way – the reason I was most keen on listening to this particular story is because I was craving some Sci-Fi & who doesn’t want to see a threading of Ghosts & the Paranormal?! I mean, is that even a choice you have to ruminate over before *accepting*!?Okay, maybe a slight bit in case it becomes too intensive to get through – but everything I read about this particular title tracked well, from listeners to the sampler – I was happily diving straight-in dear hearts!

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Don’t be surprised to see me listening to more Mysteries of Suspense whilst I also read the same thematic in the stories I have in print! I have a lot of lovelies this JUNE to appreciate which will give me a wicked thrill to be locked inside!

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #AudiobookMonth
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Posted Saturday, 2 June, 2018 by jorielov in #AudiobookMonth, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, JLAS Update Post, Jorie Loves A Story, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event

#WyrdAndWonder Book Review | “Frozen Fairy Tales” (anthology) edited by Kate Wolford (by World Weaver Press)

Posted Wednesday, 30 May, 2018 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comments

Book Review badge created by Jorie in Canva using Unsplash.com photography (Creative Commons Zero).

Acquired Book by: Did you ever grow curious about a new publisher who produces science fiction, fantasy, and horror genre selections in both novel length and short stories? Did you ever decide to enquire with the publisher you’ve found to see if they were open to book blogger requests to read and review their selections!? This is the situation I found myself in as I was quite mystified by the offerings of World Weaver Press! Such a delightful discovery on my behalf [in 2015] with a website full of inspiring reads across SFF!

Since I started reviewing with World Weaver Press [three years ago in August, 2015] there has been a changing of the guard behind-the-scenes where there is a new owner & publicity team. I am wicked happy to see the legacy and tradition of WWP has been carried forward by this lovely new team! I am honoured to work with them continuing to showcase World Weaver Press through reviewing their titles and hosting future guest features by their authors!

I received a complimentary copy of “Frozen Fairy Tales” direct from the publisher World Weaver Press in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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Why I have been excited to re-focus my readings on titles by this publisher for #WyrdAndWonder:

Immediately after receiving my first anthology from *World Weaver Press*, I knew I had found a SpecLit publisher I could happily tuck inside for ‘life’ without feeling as if I needed to seek elsewhere for the kind of fictionally fantastical stories I was hoping to find peppering through anthologies! The ways in which the editors of this publisher curate their stories within their selected anthologies are bang-on brilliant, as they not only thread together to such a degree of clarity but they honestly speak to the elemental reasons why we *love!* reading Speculative Literature!

The past few years, were especially harder hitting on my family to where my reading life suffered greatly – I had trouble re-aligning within SpecFic for the most part, as despite being one of my favourite genres of interest, I couldn’t get my head and heart to re-align within the worlds being created. Slowly but surely, I’ve re-entered these stories – finding my footing during #RRSciFiMonth within the novella Murder in the Generative Kitchen whilst finding during #WyrdAndWonder, I want to re-shift into their Fantasy releases such as this lovely anthology by an editor I haven’t yet had the pleasure of becoming introduced: Kate Wolford!

There is something appealing about the ‘frozen’ aspect of this anthological thematic – of when the world is bent inside Winter and everything has this altered state of being – Winter itself is daunting and hauntingly ripe for fantastical stories due to the nature of the Season but also, how quirkily this Season attracts Fantasy plots and creatures! It is oft the setting for stories within the genre and happily, I have found a lot of writers have a deep well of creative spirit to get us to reside within their visions!

I keep a ready eye on the anthology releases by this lovely publisher, as the previous serial anthology releases by Rhonda Parrish (mentioned below) are my *absolute favourites* by far, but they have new frontiers of interest which are equally percolating my eye of notice, such as their incredible undertaking of translating the anthology Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World by writers hailing from Brazil and Portugal. Solarpunk itself is a sub-genre interest of my own – I have a healthy appetite for SpecLit which focuses on environmental concerns with a prime focus of renewing energy, green lifestyle practices and a way ‘forward’ rather than ‘backwards’ where we do less harm to our biosphere than we have in the past.

This is what is said on behalf of this anthology:

Imagine a sustainable world, run on clean and renewable energies that are less aggressive to the environment. Now imagine humanity under the impact of these changes. This is the premise Brazilian editor Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro proposed, and these authors took the challenge to envision hopeful futures and alternate histories. The stories in this anthology explore terrorism against green corporations, large space ships propelled by the pressure of solar radiation, the advent of photosynthetic humans, and how different society might be if we had switched to renewable energies much earlier in history. Originally published in Brazil and translated for the first time from the Portuguese by Fábio Fernandes, this anthology of optimistic science fiction features nine authors from Brazil and Portugal including Carlos Orsi, Telmo Marçal, Romeu Martins, Antonio Luiz M. Costa, Gabriel Cantareira, Daniel I. Dutra, André S. Silva, Roberta Spindler, and Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro.

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Likewise, World Weaver Press has also put together their own release: Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers which has me equally excited!

If you feel equally tempted by a pro-positive approach to the ‘future’ here is what is being expressed on behalf of this riveting new anthology which could serve as a lovely companion to the Solarpunk in-translation which released prior to this title:

The seventeen stories in this volume are not boring utopias—they grapple with real issues such as the future and ethics of our food sources, the connection or disconnection between technology and nature, and the interpersonal conflicts that arise no matter how peaceful the world is. In these pages you’ll find a guerilla art installation in Milan, a murder mystery set in a weather manipulation facility, and a world where you are judged by the glow of your solar nanite implants. From an opal mine in Australia to the seed vault at Svalbard, from a wheat farm in Kansas to a crocodile ranch in Malaysia, these are stories of adaptation, ingenuity, and optimism for the future of our world and others. For readers who are tired of dystopias and apocalypses, these visions of a brighter future will be a breath of fresh air.

In a nutshell – the stories being curated by World Weaver Press literally do leave me feeling more appreciative for the positive undertones they are seeking to etch into their anthologies – as even across the board within the Rhonda Parrish anthologies, I am finding the same to be true of her curated stories! This is why during #WyrdAndWonder, I wanted to take a proper moment to highlight their efforts for continuing to seek out and publish the fantastical stories we all adore discovering whilst giving us a heady read to contemplate harder thematics and the underscored realities of our contemporary world!

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#WyrdAndWonder Book Review | “Frozen Fairy Tales” (anthology) edited by Kate Wolford (by World Weaver Press)Frozen Fairy Tales

Winter is not coming. Winter is here. As unique and beautifully formed as a snowflake, each of these fifteen stories spins a brand new tale or offers a fresh take on an old favorite like Jack Frost, The Snow Queen, or The Frog King. From a drafty castle to a blustery Japanese village, from a snow-packed road to the cozy hearth of a farmhouse, from an empty coffee house in Buffalo, New York, to a cold night outside a university library, these stories fully explore the perils and possibilities of the snow, wind, ice, and bone-chilling cold that traditional fairy tale characters seldom encounter.

In the bleak midwinter, heed the irresistible call of fairy tales. Just open these pages, snuggle down, and wait for an icy blast of fantasy to carry you away. With all new stories of love, adventure, sorrow, and triumph by Tina Anton, Amanda Bergloff, Gavin Bradley, L.A. Christensen, Steven Grimm, Christina Ruth Johnson, Rowan Lindstrom, Alison McBain, Aimee Ogden, J. Patrick Pazdziora, Lissa Marie Redmond, Anna Salonen, Lissa Sloan, Charity Tahmaseb, and David Turnbull to help you dream through the cold days and nights of this most dreaded season.

Published by World Weaver Press in association with Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine.


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Find on Book Browse

ISBN: 978-0692576076

on 10th November, 2015

Pages: 243

Published By: World Weaver Press (@WorldWeaver_wwp)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Ebook

Genre(s): Speculative | Fantasy | Folklore

Fairy Tale | Mythology | Cosy and not so Cosy Horror

Anthologies I’ve happily read by World Weaver Press:

FAE edited by Rhonda ParrishCORVIDAE anthology edited by Rhonda ParrishScarecrow Anthology edited by Rhonda Parrish

FAE (see also Review)

CORVIDAE (see also Review)

SCARECROW (see also Review)

→ (forthcoming review) Far Orbit: Apogee | Synopsis

→ Rhonda Parrish anthologies I am itching to read next: SIRENS (Synopsis) + EQUUS (Synopsis)

→ For audiobook lovers who appreciate the art of colouring as they are listening to their audiobooks, I was happily surprised to learn there is a companion *colouring!* book for this series!

About Kate Wolford

Kate Wolford is a university lecturer and anthologist living in the Midwest. Fairy tales are her specialty. Previous books include Beyond the Glass Slipper: Ten Neglected Fairy Tales to Fall in Love With and Krampusnacht: Twelve Nights of Krampus, both published by World Weaver Press. She maintains a blogazine, Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine, at fairytalemagazine.com.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #WyrdAndWonder
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Posted Wednesday, 30 May, 2018 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, After the Canon, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cosy Horror, Earthen Magic, Fairy Tale Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore, Folklore and Mythology, Futuristic Fantasy, Greek Mythology, High Fantasy, Indie Author, Inspired by Stories, Re-Told Tales, Speculative Fiction, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event, World Weaver Press

#WyrdAndWonder Audiobook Spotlight | “Woven” by Bree Moore, narrated by Rebecca McKernan

Posted Friday, 25 May, 2018 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

Book Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva

Acquired Audiobook By: I started to listen to audiobooks in [2016] as a way to offset my readings of print books whilst noting there was a rumour about how audiobooks could help curb chronic migraines as you are switching up how your reading rather than allowing only one format to be your bookish choice. As I found colouring and knitting agreeable companions to listening to audiobooks, I have embarked on a new chapter of my reading life where I spend time outside of print editions of the stories I love reading and exchange them for audio versions. Through hosting for the Audiobookworm I’ve expanded my knowledge of authors who are producing audio versions of their stories whilst finding podcasters who are sharing their bookish lives through pods (ie. AudioShelf and Talking Audiobooks; see my sidebar). Meanwhile, I am also curating my own wanderings in audio via my local library who uses Overdrive for their digital audiobook catalogue whilst making purchase requests for audio CDs. It is a wonderful new journey and one I enjoy sharing – I am hoping to expand the percentage of how many audios I listen to per year starting in 2018.

I received a complimentary audiobook copy of “Woven” via Audiobookworm Promotion in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I wanted to listen to this story: during #WyrdAndWonder

I was looking for titles in Fantasy to listen to ahead of participating in the Fantasy event Wyrd and Wonder, which I am co-hosting with Imyril and Lisa. When I first read the premise behind ‘Woven’, I thought it might be a good fit for me, as it had the allure of an Epic Fantasy story-line set within a timeliness of awareness I had previously made within the canon of Camelot. I even liked how this felt like an intriguing Fantasy story set apart from what was previously known about where this world is placed, however, as I started getting into the story itself, I found my interest falling short of my expectations for it.

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#WyrdAndWonder Audiobook Spotlight | “Woven” by Bree Moore, narrated by Rebecca McKernanWoven

For 30 years, Elaina has sat in her tower, fingers caught in an eternal dance, cursed to weave the tapestry of life on her loom. Bound by an enchanted mirror whose magic shows her the distant lives of the people of Camelot, she must forever watch a land which remains ever beyond her reach. Elaina despairs that she will ever experience more than just the shadows of life, until one day, a face appears in the mirror that will change her life, and possibly her fate, forever.

Guinevere is losing her mind. When a severe injury to her head nearly kills her and awakens alternate personalities suppressed from her past, Guinevere learns that one of them is plotting with a knight of the round table to murder King Arthur and take control of Camelot. In the midst of war, Guinevere fights to save both her own life and the man she loves, each day coming closer to succumbing to the violent personalities within her.

Inspired by Arthurian legend and Lord Alfred Tennyson’s ballad, "The Lady of Shalott", Woven spins a tale of two women who must risk everything to save those they love most into an epic of enchantment, love, and madness.


Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

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ASIN: B07BK9T9NT

on 28th March, 2018

Length: 13 hours and 49 minutes (unabridged)

Published by: Books by Bree, LLC (self-published)

Formats Available: Hardback, Trade Paperback, Ebook and Audiobook

Converse via: #WyrdAndWonder, #Woven + #BreeMoore

About Bree Moore

Bree Moore

Bree Moore has been writing fantasy since the fourth grade. She lives in Ogden, is wife to an amazing husband, and the mother of four children. She writes fantasy novels between doling out cheerios and folding laundry. In real-life, Bree works as a birth doula, attending women in pregnancy and labor, which is huge inspiration for her writing. Bree loves shopping for groceries like other women like shopping for shoes (no, seriously), movies that make her cry, and Celtic music. She likes both her chocolate and her novels dark.

"Woven" is Bree's first published novel, the start of what she intends to be an epic writing career.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #WyrdAndWonder
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Posted Friday, 25 May, 2018 by jorielov in #WyrdAndWonder, Arthurian Legend, Audiobookworm Promotions, Blog Tour Host, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Twitterland & Twitterverse Event