ARC Review: Queen of Gods by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr

I was so excited for the final book in this duology, and I was so glad when I got approved to read it early on Netgalley! I have loved all of Katharine & Elizabeth Corr's books since I read The Witch's Kiss, and I'm sure I'll love them going forward too. However, I do have a weakness for Greek inspired books, which this is - throw in some Gods and Goddesses and I'm hooked!

This is the finale to a duology (you can see my review of the first book, Daughter of Darkness HERE), and wow what a finale it was! Now I just need to wait for the pretty Forbidden Plant exclusive cover to get into my hands and I'll be even happier! Here's the book:

Return to the Underworld...

Deina has finally found what matters most to her in all the world. And lost it. To save the one she loves, she's bound herself to the Underworld and an endless future of darkness.

But not even her sacrifice is enough to secure Theron or her friends' safety in the mortal realm. Aristaeus has seized power in Thebes and his tyrannical reign is a constant, looming threat to their lives.

So when Deina is offered the chance to destroy him and the gods altogether, she sets out on a new quest. But to succeed, she must turn away from everything she holds true.

In a game with the gods, the rewards are infinite... but the punishments are eternal.

Be prepared for a nail-biting race for survival in the breathtaking sequel to Daughter of Darkness.

The blurb says nail-biting, and wow was that true. I breezed through this book in less than a day and can definitely say this was a stunning conclusion to this duology! In fact, I'll go as far as to say this is one of my favourite reads of this year so far, I'll definitely be picking it up as a re-read in the future. I thought the last book was a ride, but this had so many twists that you didn't see coming and it really kept you on your toes guessing what was going to happen next.

One of the most interesting parts of this book for me was that we got to explore some more places - in the last book it mainly focused on the Underworld, but in this you also get to see the House of Zeus and the House of Poseidon as well as some other parts of the Underworld, and you also get to explore some of the other Theodesmioi houses which was interesting. I always like exploring new places in series because it really helps with the world building, and it was explored so well in this book, threaded in perfectly to the main plot line.

Characters wise, I have to say I liked seeing more of Thanatos in this book, and I will have to admit that I was routing for him throughout, but considering I love when Death is a character in books I tend to always end up routing for him despite the weirdness. Did anyone else end up loving Thanatos as a character? The triangle between Deina, Thanatos and Theron was such fun to read, and I loved the dynamic that Deina had with both of them throughout. (I know who I would have chosen if I was Deina, but unfortunately I can't transport myself to the universe, so it's up to Deina what she wants to do *sigh*)

Overall, I really think this is my favourite series from Katharine & Elizabeth Corr yet, and I really can't wait to see what they come up with next! I couldn't give this less than 5 cats, and I would give it so many more if I could.

Queen of Gods is out on the 20th July, and I highly recommend you go get your copy (especially the pretty Forbidden Planet editions with the different colours!)

ARC Review: Daughter of Darkness by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr

 I have been looking forward to this book for so long, as Kat & Liz are great authors and I love all of their books so far. I did try to get my hands on a physical ARC, but with no luck I zoomed to Netgalley instead to request it! I may not know much about Greek mythology other than the odd bit, but I knew I wanted to read this as soon as I saw the description, and well the cover is absolutely beautiful so that made me want it even more!

Here it is:

Enter the Underworld in an epic new fantasy, where the Gods of ancient Greece rule everything but fate.

Deina is trapped. As one of the Soul Severers serving the god Hades on earth, her future is tied to the task of shepherding the dying on from the mortal world - unless she can earn or steal enough to buy her way out.

Then the tyrant ruler Orpheus offers both fortune and freedom to whoever can retrieve his dead wife, Eurydice, from the Underworld. Deina jumps at the chance. But to win, she must enter an uneasy alliance with a group of fellow Severers she neither likes nor trusts.

So begins their perilous journey into the realm of Hades. . . The prize of freedom is before her - but what will it take to reach it?

Is it weird that I absolutely adore reading greek mythology books despite knowing barely anything about it? I think that for me it ups the fun as you get to see each author's interpretation of the myths and you can really get into them. I loved this version because it was just such an interesting read, and the idea of Theodesmioi, the name they give those chosen to serve the difference Gods by infusing some of their power into them at a young age, was absolutely fascinating to me.

The main characters were amazing, and I really love the narrator Deina, she's such a fierce lead and she really draws you into the book to join the journey that she's taking in the underworld.

And that ending guys, I mean, you'll definitely be itching to find out what happens because I was shocked by how it ended - but I have found that Katharine and Elizabeth Corr do like to write books that pull you in and get you invested, my favourite type of books! 

Overall, this book definitely had me want to research more about Greek Mythology again - the authors note explaining a few things about what they based their book on was so interesting, and it really made me happy to get some context as to what they decided to base the book on. That and the vivid descriptions of the Underworld really show you that they did their research, whilst not making you feel like you don't know enough to read.

So, I give this book: 5 cats! And I can't wait to see the rest of Deina's story and how she gets on in the next book (can I have it already pleaaaase?!?!?!)

Daughter of Darkness is out this week (4th August 2022) and I'd definitely get your pre-orders in, this isn't one to miss!

Review: Throne of Swans by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr

Oh guys, I am going to try my best to give this book the review it needs, but I doubt I'll be able to put into words how amazing the book was. I got the proof at YALC 2019, and decided to read it around the time it was going to be published - and I'm now kicking myself for waiting so long it was so good!

Here's the book for those wondering:

In a world where the flightless are ruled by those who can fly...

When her father dies just before her birthday, seventeen-year-old Aderyn inherits the role of Protector of Atratys, a dominion in a kingdom where nobles are able to transform at will into the bird that represents their family bloodline. Aderyn's ancestral bird is a swan. But she has not transformed for years, not since witnessing the death of her mother - ripped apart by hawks that have supposedly been extinct since the long-ago War of the Raptors. 

With the benevolent shelter of her mother and her father now lost, Aderyn is at the mercy of her brutal uncle, the King, and his royal court. Driven by revenge and love, she must venture into the malevolent heart of the Citadel in order to seek the truth about the attack that so nearly destroyed her, to fight for the only home she has ever known and for the land she has vowed to protect.

Written in rich detail and evocative language, this is the start of an irresistible, soaring duology about courage, broken loyalties and fighting for your place in the world.

Okay, first things first: how beautiful is this cover? I went to a Hotkey brunch to do with this book, and we got to see a clip of how it was made by the artist, and wow what an eye-opener that was. Plus, as you all probably know, I'm a bit obsessed with gold foil on covers, and this has it, so yaknow, I'm like Gollum again with the shiny things.

Okay, to the actual content now. I managed to read this book in one sitting - it is a book that you just fly through (no pun intended) and that lets you jump into the world so easily. It's such a fantastical book, and you really connect with the MC Aderyn so easily - I was routing for her throughout the book and you really got to see her evolve after being raised solely in Atratys after her mothers death. You see her adapt to court and learn how to navigate the complexities of court life with the help of Lucien (and oh my I do love a bit of Lucien - but this is not the time to talk about him).

The world building in this series is what I love most, you really get a sense of what is going on in the world, and how the world is run, and that's not always the case in some books. It really helps you to immerse yourself into the book and feel like you are part of it. I think that the underlying issue of the flightless vs. the flighted is such a complex issue, and I can't wait to see where Kat and Liz take this in the second book.

One of the things Kat and Liz told us at the brunch was that the book was inspired by The Swan Lake - so if you like that, then you will love this series all the more. I've never really known the story of Swan Lake, but after reading this and hearing how it inspired the book I think I may have to take a look at it and see what it's all about.

Overall, this is just such a beautifully written book and I think it's going to be an amazing duology, I can easily see this becoming one of my favourite series - I don't know how I'll be able to wait for the next book!

I give this book: 5 cats!

Throne of Swans is out now, and I highly suggest you go and buy a copy - I know I'll be going out soon to buy a finished copy to go with my ARC as soon as I can!

Blog Tour: The Witch's Blood by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr

 I was so excited to be asked if I wanted to be a part of the blog tour for The Witch's Blood that I jumped at the chance! The last of the trilogy, The Witch's Blood came out on the 8th March, and you should definitely go and buy it.

My review of The Witch's Blood can be found HERE, and I asked Katharine and Elizabeth to write about what books inspired them to write The Witch's Kiss trilogy! But first, an excerpt of the book:

        Denise flung an arm out, pointing at Merry. ‘Ignoring orders, and going after that no-good brother of hers.’ She spat on the ground. ‘You’re no true witch. You never have been: you’re a freak, you and your brother both. How much dark magic did you have to use to break open the point of intersection like this? What did Ronan promise you?’
        ‘Promise me?’ Out of the corner of her eye, Merry could see Mrs Knox creeping closer to Denise. ‘He nearly destroyed my entire family!’
        ‘I wish he had.’ Denise muttered a spell, forcing a second witch who had been trying to approach her to fall back. ‘The whole lot of you together are worth nothing compared to my Flo...’
        ‘Flo was my friend. I miss her too.’
        Denise screamed with rage. ‘I’m going to make sure the Stewards destroy you, Meredith Cooper. I’m going to watch as they chain you up and strip out your power!’ She raised her hands. ‘And as for your brother –’
        Enough.
        It was like someone had switched off the volume: the witch’s mouth was still moving, but no sound was coming out. The fury and hatred on her face were replaced by shock, then realisation, then fear. Denise put one hand to her neck, her eyes wide.
        Merry walked forward until she was standing in front of Denise. ‘Nobody threatens my brother’. Some corner of Merry’s brain was amazed at how quiet, how steady her own voice was. ‘Nobody is going to hurt him ever again. Do you understand’

The lines above are from about halfway through The Witch’s Blood, the final instalment in The Witch’s Kiss Trilogy. After everything that’s happened in the previous two and a half books, particularly to big brother Leo, Merry is determined to protect her family –whatever the cost. This brings her into conflict with members of her coven; some have started to resent her abilities, others are simply frightened by them. And Merry doesn’t see why she should play by the coven’s rules, especially since they told her she couldn’t rescue Leo from the clutches of an insane male witch. But when Tillingham – Merry and Leo’s home town – is once again threatened by an ancient evil, both the coven and Merry realise they need to work together to save the people they love...

We had a lot of fun writing The Witch’s Kiss trilogy. Although the story develops dramatically across the three books, it started out as a gender-bent retelling of Sleeping Beauty. We have a sleeping prince instead of a sleeping princess, and a teenage witch instead of Prince Charming. And, unlike the Disney cartoon, there’s not a diminutive fairy in sight: our focus is for the most part on twenty-first century witches. Here are some of the books we read growing up that have inspired our own particular brand of magic...

 The Dark Is Rising Series – Susan Cooper. 

Anyone who follows us will know just how much we love Susan Cooper’s five book series, in particular the second book (also called The Dark is Rising). In this book our hero, Will (the seventh son of a seventh son), finds out that he is an Old One, a magical and immortal being destined to serve the Light in its fight against the Dark. Neither of us will ever forget the moment of Will’s magical awakening, on a cold midwinter’s morning. Cooper’s writing and world-building is rich and evocative. We love how she blends Arthurian legend, Celtic and Norse mythology with life in 1960s/70s rural England. In our own books, we weave together modern day living in a quiet Surrey town with the history and mythology of the Anglo-Saxons. Although The Dark is Rising doesn’t deal specifically with witchcraft, Cooper’s writing has greatly influenced our own.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum. 

The Wicked Witch of the West had a huge impact on us as children. We loved Dorothy, together with her loyal band of companions (Scarecrow, Tin Woodman Man and Cowardly Lion) but our imaginations were really struck by the Wicked Witch, or at least by her 1939 film incarnation. In the book, the Wicked Witch is portrayed as a decrepit old woman with three pigtails and an eye patch. In the film, she is not only gloriously green, but also has all the paraphernalia that we now associate with the archetypal witch: pointy black hat, black dress, black boots and a broomstick. Either way, in both versions she’s extremely unpleasant and, fortunately for Dorothy, water-soluble. The scene where she melts after Dorothy throws a bucket of water at her is unforgettable. There are a couple of witches in The Witch’s Kiss trilogy who are just as mean: thankfully they also come to suitably horrible endings...

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis. 

We were enthralled by the entire Chronicles of Narnia growing up, but in particular by this book. Everything about it is pure magic, from when the Pevensie children find their way into Narnia through the back of a wardrobe, to the moment they are crowned kings and queens at Cair Paravel. Narnia itself is wondrous: a land of talking animals and mythical creatures, Aslan the King (who just happens to be a lion) and, best part for us, the self-proclaimed Queen of Narnia – Jadis (aka, The White Witch). Jadis’s rule over Narnia is tyrannical; not only has she plunged the country into perpetual winter, she squashes any potential uprising by turning her opponents to stone. For a ten-year-old child, it doesn’t get much darker/better than that. Sure, we were glad when Jadis finally got her comeuppance, but we were also totally transfixed by her. And a tiny bit of her has found its way into The Witch’s Kiss trilogy. More than one of our characters has the ability to turn people into things they really shouldn’t be turned into...


The Discworld Novels – Terry Pratchett.


As we grew up we embraced a more positive portrayal of witchcraft in Terry Pratchett’s humorous fantasy series. Formidable witch Granny Weatherwax has a recurring/starring role throughout the series (Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters, Lords and Ladies, etc). Certainly, on first acquaintance, Granny looks like your average witch – plain black dress, pointy black hat and so on – but she’s also wart-free, handsome and has piercing blue eyes. More significantly, with her fellow witches Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick, she forms a sisterhood of compassionate, powerful and thoroughly independent women: they bow to no-one, particularly not men, and definitely not wizards. Far from being a sinister figure, Granny is determined always to do the ‘right’ thing – not necessarily the same as the ‘nice’ thing. She’s also a leader in her community, a healer and a part-time mid-wife. Discovering Granny was a bit of a revelation for us. She is respectable and responsible, but underestimate her at your own cost: just because she doesn’t choose to turn people into frogs doesn’t mean she can’t. We’ve definitely channelled Granny and her coven in our own depiction of powerful, moral witches; Gran and Roshni in particular aren’t going to put up with any rubbish from the various modern-day wizards who show up in our books. Merry is quite similar to Granny too: although both have considerable power, they do ultimately choose to use their abilities for the good of others.


Thank you to Rachel for being part of our blog tour!

ARC Review: The Witch's Blood by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr

I got sent an advanced copy of this book by the lovely team at Harper Collins, for an honest review.

This is the third book in an amazing trilogy (see my reviews of book ONE and book TWO), and it comes out on March 8th! There will also be a blog tour post coming soon after, so keep your eyes out for that!

Here it is:

Just who can you trust when no one around you is who they seem?

Life as a teenage witch just got harder for Merry when her brother, Leo is captured and taken into an alternative reality by evil witch Ronan. Determined to get him back, Merry needs to use blood magic to outwit her arch-rival and get Leo back. Merry is more powerful than ever now, but she is also more dangerous and within the coven, loyalties are split on her use of the magic. In trying to save Leo, Merry will have to confront evil from her past and present and risk the lives of everyone she’s ever loved. Given the chaos she’s created, just what will she sacrifice to make things right?

I was so excited to be asked if I wanted to get an advanced copy of this book, as I'd been waiting for so long for it to come out, that I jumped at the chance. Even better I was asked to be a part of the blog tour - so you'll be seeing a tour post soon as well - keep your eyes out for that!

Anyways onto the actual review, I am glad to say that this didn't disappoint me at all - it was an amazing book with an ending that I think was absolutely perfect for the plotline. I couldn't have come up with a better ending had I tried (not that I would - I'm definitely not a writer, and if you read this book you'll surely agree that you wouldn't find a better ending!)

I'm even going to say that this was my favourite book of the three - it was darker, like the second book, but it also brought in some fantasy in the world that Merry was transported to - unicorns, dark elves, harpy's, etc. And of course, I love a good fantasy mix in - obviously there were always witches in this series, but the addition of fantasy creatures brought it to a whole new level for me.

Also, the black holly is shown on the cover (which I might say is absolutely beautiful - but all the covers in this series are) and I think it's a cute touch to the story.

One thing I adored about this book is the fact that it felt like there was a full circle from the first book to the last book - Jack comes back in, and the idea that the black holly will send you into a deep slumber has Sleeping Beauty vibes. This definitely leads back to the first book, which I loved because it was a twisted Sleeping Beauty story. So, overall I just  love the fact that it seemed like a full circle - something that I adore in films and TV shows, and which I now adore in books. (Got to admit that other book series I read now have a big expectation to live up to in that form)

I must say that I was always a Jack supporter in the first book, and I really did hope that something magical might happen during this book between him and Merry when I saw that he would somehow be a part of this book too. However, my heart was soon taken by Finn. I didn't expect it, but I loved him in this book - even despite the slight hiccup partway through, and I ended up changing my love of Jack to a love of Finn.

I am still proud to say though that I am a Leo lover. He is one of my favourite YA characters - mainly because he is always fighting despite the fact that he is the only one without magic in a family of witches. He constantly tries to help even though he may be put into danger, and even though he's had multiple heartbreaks, and this is something that I love - he's such a strong character for me - and I was so happy to see that he was included so much in this book.

As you can tell I could easily talk about my love of this book forever, but I just want to say one last thing, and that is thankyou to Katharine and Elizabeth Corr for writing such an amazing series, and for letting me be a part of the experience by sending me the second and third books. I'm definitely sad that this is the end of Merry and Leo's world, but I can't wait to see what other worlds they will be bringing me to in the future!

I give this book (and the whole series) 5 cats!

Have you read this series? Were you as excited for this last book as me? Comment below!

Review: The Witch's Tears by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr

Guys! The lovely Corr sisters sent me the second book in this series (and because they're so amazing it was even a signed copy!!), and so even though I had multiple other books to read I just knew I HAD to read this book as soon as I could. So, because I can always choose what I want to read, of course I read it.

One word: wow.

(If you haven't read the first book then my review can be found for that HERE)

Anyways, here's the book!

Can true love's kiss break your heart...?

It's not easy being a teenage witch. Just ask Merry. She's drowning in textbooks and rules set by the coven, drowning in heartbreak after the loss of Jack. But Merry is not the only one whose fairytale is over.

Big brother Leo is falling apart and everything Merry does seems to push him further to the brink. And everything that happens to Leo makes her ache for revenge. So, when strangers offering friendship show them a different path, they'd be mad not to take it...

Some rules were made to be broken, right?

Oh guys, this book was just as good as the last one, if not better. It got a bit darker in this book, especially towards the end, and for some reason I love it when that happens in books (am I weird for saying that?). But, you may have guessed it would get a bit darker by the fact that both Merry and Leo were trying to deal with their heartbreaks that happened in the last book.

The main part of this book is centred around the fact that someone, or something, is killing witches across the UK, and Merry's coven is trying to find out why, and figure out how to stop it from happening again. We also learn slightly more about the coven's ways and also there's a slight insight into the lives of wizards in this book, which I found extremely interesting and I hope to see more tidbits into the lives of both witches and wizards in the next book.

Talking about wizards brings me to the two new characters we meet, Ronan (AKA Leo's love interest) and Finn (Merry's love interest). Both wizards, both hiding things, it really makes you wonder throughout the book if, like most of the Coven keeps telling Merry, all wizards are not to be trusted, or if some of them can be good. It also makes you wonder if one of these two wizards are in on the bad things happenings in Tillingham or not! It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book guessing just what was happening.

We got to see a bit less of Leo in this book, as he was all loved up with his new love interest, but I still love him! He is my favourite character, and I really did like that he was starting to get over his heartbreak and found another person, he deserves to be happy, and I really hope to see him happy again in the next book! It was a shame that he started to lose touch with Merry as he went through the book, but you do find out why nearer to the end (I won't spoil it by telling you why!).

And the ending of this book! The ending!!! Guys I cannot explain my love for the ending, even if it was a giant cliffhanger! It made me want the next book (but unfortunately it's not out until March!). All I know is that you will all be blown away by the ending of this book! Totally blown away!

So much to say about this book, but I can't keep going or this will be a book in itself instead of a review.

But, I give this book: 5 cats!

Have you read this book yet? Are you like me and itching for March to come around for the next book? Comment below!

Review: The Witch's Kiss by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr

So, this book has been on my TBR list for a while, after it was introduced to me by another book blogger. I love me some fairytale adaptations, and well, yet again, the cover of this book drew me in.

Yes, yes, I know, I have a problem with my obsession with pretty book covers, but I don't want to give up this particular obsession, it's gotten me some good books!

Anyways, onto the book:

Merry is an average teenager.

She's also a witch.

She is trying not to be, but she is.

Then Jack comes into her life and she can't help falling under his spell. One problem - he's part of an evil, centuries-old curse that Merry now has to break.

If Merry has lost her heart, will she lose her life too? Or can true love's kiss save the day?

Being a witch is dangerous - but being in love is even worse...

Okay, so, I admit, I haven't read many books that are actually set in the UK, in the current day, so it did take me a little while to get used it it, and connect with the characters like I usually do in a book. (I know, how weird is it that I can connect with other characters but not a modern-day UK character?).

However, as soon as I got to the 'Before' section of the book (the time where the curse in the book originated from) I was hooked. After that, I was fine with the whole modern day thing, in fact, I was more than fine, it made me remember the days when I used to read a lot more modern-day fiction while I was in school, and I loved that this book made me remember that.

As you all may know, I love fairy tale adaptations, and this had me guessing which fairy tale would be used from the very beginning! This book is a lovely little twisted version of Sleeping Beauty, in the fact that instead of the girl being the victim of the sleeping curse, it is the guy (and the weird creepy sorcerer too).

Well, what can I say about this book? It was amazing, and it had a very big twist at the end (I won't spoil it but I'll say I definitely didn't think it would end the way it did), and I know I probably won't even be able to begin to guess what will happen in the next book.

I loved all of the characters, and I loved the family dynamic in this book. Leo was one of my favourite characters, as the protective older brother that sticks with Merry no matter what happens, and it made me want a big brother like Leo in my life. I definitely hope to see more of him in the sequels.

All I can say is that although it took me a bit to get into the book, I am so glad I read it, it's taken me back to my younger years, and I just can't wait to read the next book (the prettiest cover for the second book has literally made me into the heart-eyed emoji). Definitely one I would recommend to younger readers, and people just branching out to the Fantasy YA genre.

I give this book: 4.5 cats!

Have you read this book? Do you agree with my opinions? Comment below!