Tag: Books

Book Review: A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson

Book Review: A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson

This book was on my list of most anticipated 2022 releases, I got it as a birthday present last August, and I finally got around to reading it last month when my fiancé said I needed to read something for fun to break up my for-work reading. (He was right.) A Forgery of Roses was a good choice for the purpose!

What is A Forgery of Roses about?

Myra Whitlock has a gift. One many would kill for.

She’s an artist whose portraits alter people’s real-life bodies, a talent she must hide from those who would kidnap, blackmail, and worse in order to control it. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone.

But one frigid night, the governor’s wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor’s dead son. Desperate, Myra ventures to his legendary stone mansion.

Once she arrives, however, it becomes clear the boy’s death was no accident. Someone dangerous lurks within these glittering halls. Someone harboring a disturbing obsession with portrait magic.

Myra cannot do the painting until she knows what really happened, so she turns to the governor’s older son, a captivating redheaded poet. Together, they delve into the family’s most shadowed affairs, racing to uncover the truth before the secret Myra spent her life concealing makes her the killer’s next victim.

Review

Rating: 4.5 stars

A Forgery of Roses was a pleasant surprise. While it was on my “most anticipated releases of 2022” list, I’d been disappointed by enough mainstream books (and enough Continue reading “Book Review: A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson”

5 Types of Dragons (with Examples)

5 Types of Dragons (with Examples)

A reader recently asked me where to start with books featuring dragons, and I ended up giving a handful of recommendations featuring different types of dragon portrayals. I thought it would be interesting to write a blog post about these different portrayals, plus provide some dragon book recommendations for other readers, so here we are!

*Marked links are affiliate links, which means purchases made through them earn a small commission for me at no extra cost to you. These are BookShop affiliate links, which means you also support local U.S. bookstores while you shop!

1. Villainous Dragons

In western literature, anyway, dragons were originally Continue reading “5 Types of Dragons (with Examples)”

5 Books that Give Me “Calligraphy Guild” Vibes

One of the things I wanted to do with Calligraphy Guild was find similar books to promote alongside it. Asian-inspired fantasy isn’t a sub-genre I’ve read or seen a whole lot–nor are slow-paced or story-themed fantasy–so I wanted to dive into it and see what I found. I came out with a pretty mixed bag, but there were a few highlights. (Though the first item on the list is not one I read as a comp title, but rather one that was an encouragement to me as I was writing Calligraphy Guild.) Continue reading “5 Books that Give Me “Calligraphy Guild” Vibes”

Calligraphy Guild Blog Tour Schedule

Calligraphy Guild Blog Tour Schedule

I can’t believe we’ve already reached blog tour season for Calligraphy Guild, and yet at the same time it feels like it’s been a long time coming. Regardless, I’m super excited to announce the stops for the Calligraphy Guild blog tour! I’m so grateful to all of these authors/bloggers for participating, and I hope you’ll enjoy their posts and consider following their blogs! (I’ll add direct posts to specific posts as they go live.) Continue reading “Calligraphy Guild Blog Tour Schedule”