Welcome back to another WWW Wednesday! Dive into this week’s post to discover what I’m reading, and join the conversation with your own updates. Don’t miss out!
This format was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.
To participate, you just have to answer these questions:
- What are you currently reading?
- What did you recently finish reading?
- What do you think you’ll read next?
What are you currently reading
I am currently reading ‘The Familiar’ by Leigh Bardugo.
Synopsis
In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family’s social position.
What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England’s heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king’s favor.
Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition’s wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.
What did you recently finish reading
I recently finished ‘Charting Stars (The Nine Realms Tales #1)‘ by Micheline Ryckman.
Synopsis
A girl thrown between worlds. A prophecy untold. An unexpected romance. A quest for home.
Stargazer and artist Talia Benson never wanted an adventure. The titles of student, dutiful daughter, and crazy cat lady suited her just fine. But when she’s swept into an unknown world where sentient animals exist, monsters roam, and angelic beings sway fate, she’s forced to adjust to adventuring as she embarks on a quest to return to her quiet Canadian life.
Jarrett is the best runner in the Nine Realms. Well, maybe not the best––still, he’s proud of the reputation he’s built for himself. But with only a squirrel for company during his extensive travels, his social skills have grown rusty. At least, that’s what he tells himself when he impulsively delays an important mission to help a strange, vibrant girl find her way home.
Unbeknownst to most, turmoil brews in the otherworldly Nine Realms. The guardians have seen a shift in the heavens. Something has changed, a prophecy unleashed. A darkness is coming, throwing Talia, the runner she’s failing to suppress her feelings for, and their growing band of fantastical friends into the center of an oncoming war.
Charting Stars is the first book in a cozy, (though spirited), fantasy series. If you enjoy feel-good tales, magic and mayhem, cozy romance, he falls first, animal sidekicks, rag tag companions, witches and angels, and a lot of heart, then you will love this young adult adventure.
What do you think you’ll read next
I’ll be reading ‘The Pairing‘ by Casey McQuiston.
Synopsis
Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other’s lives once and for all.
Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It’s in the past.
All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.
It’s not until they board the tour bus that they discover they’ve both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they’re trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It’s fine. There’s nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?
But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can’t have.
What book are you currently enjoying? Share your favorite reads with me in the comments!
With love,
heavenlybookish 