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diaryofthereader

🌙 Book Blogger | Dark Romance & Fantasy Books
Through words, I share the kind of stories that stay
For readers who love fiction that lingers

POISON AMIDST BLOOMS BOOK TOUR Some loves are for POISON AMIDST BLOOMS BOOK TOUR

Some loves are forbidden for a reason.
And some are worth breaking worlds for.

She’s a centuries-old fae who knows exactly what loving a human costs.

He’s the human son of her enemy… and he would burn everything just to reach her.

Welcome to my stop on the promo tour for Poison Amidst Blooms by @cassandra.aston.author 🌑✨

YOU SHOULD READ THE DEADLY FAE DUOLOGY IF YOU LIKE:
Dark politics.
Dangerous magic.
Open-door spice.
And yearning. lots and lots of yearning. 

Here's some things you need to know:
⚔ Reverse age gap (300-year-old fae / 25-year-old human son of her enemy)
⚔ Bigger, badder enemies
⚔ Multi-POV
💙 romances you will get attached to
⚔ Less shirts on men
⚔ He's on-his-knees-for-her

…this one belongs on your TBR.

There’s only one weapon her enemy truly wants.
Her true name.
Surrender it, and die.

The final book in the Deadly Fae Duology has arrived, and it needs to be on your TBR!!!

swipe ➡️
And don’t forget to enter the epic giveaway below.

✨ Tell me: do you love a forbidden love that actually hurts a little… or a lot?

INTL TOUR-WIDE GIVEAWAY:
One lucky reader will win a paperback copy of Poison Amidst Blooms!

HOW TO ENTER:
- Like & leave a comment
- Follow me, @cassandra.aston.author & @mtmctours

EXTRA ENTRIES:
- Tag up to 5 friends in different comments
- Share this post to your stories tagging @cassandra.aston.author & @mtmctours so they can see your entry
- And visit #PoisonAmidstBloomsMTMC from January 12th - January 18th for more beautiful tour posts & chances to enter!

Ends January 21st. Must be 18+ or have parental permission to enter. Results announced on MTMC Tours' account only. (Not affiliated/endorsed by Instagram)

#PoisonAmidstBlooms #CassandraAston  #darkfantasy  #fantasyromancebooks 

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fantasy romance book • dark fae romance • forbidden love • fantasy •  reverse age gap romance •spicy fae romance • fated mates • found family • fantasy portal fantasy • romance books like Crescent City •books like The Cruel Prince
Let's check out what I've received in this week's Let's check out what I've received in this week's book haul. 

Here's what's featured:
🕸 Web of Silence special edition by Leigh Rivers
🩸 Oxford Blood by Rachel Davis Featherstone 
🐉 The Rage of Dragon's Kickstarter by Evan Winter
❤️‍🔥 Tragically Yours by Jamie Appllegate Hunter 
💀 Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead by KJ Parker
💚 A Heart So Green by Lyra Selene
✨️ The Subtle Art of Folding Space by John Chu
🔱 The Trident and the Pearl by Sarah K.L Wilson
🔫 Psycho Mafia Kickstarter by JE Cluney
🚫 First Sign of Danger by Kelley Armstrong
🗡 Aisha by Soraya Bouazzaoui
😴 The Insomniacs by Allison Winn Scotch
⛽️ Sick Fux by Tillie Cole
🔮 To Bleed a Crystal Bloom by Sarah A. Parker

Thank you to all the publishers for sending me copies to read and enjoy.

#bookmail #fantasyreads #romancereads #bookishcommunity #booksbooksbooks
What's your most anticipated book/series of 2026? What's your most anticipated book/series of 2026?

Mine is NO DOUBT The Knave and The Moon!!! After the ending of The Knight and The Moth, I will be stalking the postman until there is an advanced reading copy in my mailbox.

*cough* *sideye* @orbitbooks_us you will forevermore be my favorite publishing house, and I will scream from the rooftops how wonderful you are 😉🤭

And nothing better happen to my baby Bartholomew @rmgillig 😂

#TheKnightandTheMoth #TheKnaveandTheMoon #FantasyBooks #CoverReveal #RachelGillig

the knight and the moth • the Knave and the Moon • most anticipated reads • fantasy books • slow burn fantasy
Have you ever kept reading a book because you knew Have you ever kept reading a book because you knew there was something there... even when it wasn't giving it to you yet?

That was my experience with The Orichalcum Crown. 

Gor a good chunk of the book, I felt a little lost. Fragmented memories, sparse worldbuilding, long stretch where I kept thinking, okay... but where is this going or screaming nothing is happening into the void. I wanted the story to let me in sooner. 

And then the final stretch hit.

The themes sharpened. Makoto's quiet strenfinally made sense. The story leaned into identity, loyalty,  and the cost of protection in a way that actually stayed with me after I closed the book.

It's not a perfect read. It asks for patience.  But if you're someone who doesn't mind a slow build and likes when an epic fantasy trusts you to sit with discomfort, it might be worth the journey.

Thank you to the author, J.J.N. Whitley for sending me a copy to read and review. 

SWIPE >>>>> to read the synopsis. 

I'm curious:
Do you usually push through slow starts... or do you trust your DNF radar? 📚💭

#EpicFantasy #FantasyBookReview #BookstagramFantasy #FantasyReaders #TheOrichalcumCrowm 

epic fantasy book• fantasy book review • slow burn fantasy • fantasy series starter • high fantasy novel • first book in a fantasy series • fantasy fiction • epic fantasy series • bookish discussion • fantasy readers
Do you read fantasy🪄 to escape 🏃‍♀️ or to feel som Do you read fantasy🪄 to escape 🏃‍♀️
or to feel something sharper?

I've noticed I reach for fantasy read when I want to get out of my own head and when I want to sit inside something that hums a little louder than real life.

Some book s📚 always feel like doors for me.
Some feel like mirrors (romance usually feels like a mirror)
And some manage to be both, and those are the ones that stick in my mind, never wanting to let go.

I'm curious.
Which genre are you craving right now?

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#fantasyreader #bookstagramfantasy #bookishmind #fantasybooks #tbrproblems

fantasy books • wolves of Crescent creek • fantasy romance • paranormal romance • tbr pile • bookish mood
This started as 2026 goals and evolved into things This started as 2026 goals and evolved into things I need to work on 🤣

Be honest.
At least one of these applies to you.

I won't ask...
I'm lying...

Swipe through >>>>>>>

Tell me which one, and we can cackle about it in the comments. 
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#readinggoals #readerlife #bookishhumor #booklover #tbrproblems
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2026 reading goals • bookish goals • reader humor • book lover content • reading habits • bookstagram carousel • relatable book content • TBR struggles • mood reading
Before you read AN ARCANE INHERITANCE, here's what Before you read AN ARCANE INHERITANCE, here's what you should know...

An Arcane Inheritance delivers a moody, gothic spin on dark academia,  filled with eerie rituals, secret societies, and an atmosphere thick enough to wade through.

The story follows Ellory Morgan, a Black girl navigating Warren University's pressure, prejudice, and power. Her exhaustion, her scrutiny, and the weight of her ambition are written with an emotional clarity that lingers.

The magic system, based on sacrificing memories, is gorgeous in theory but is underdeveloped in execution.  For a book titled An Arcane Inheritance, we never truly see the inheritance, nor do we learn where Ellory's magic comes from or why she has it.

This could be due to execution or what I like to think is because Ellory herself doesn't understand it fully, and neither does the reader.

She is suppsed to be the most powerful ever, but why? This leaves the magic system feeling unrooted, functioning more as a tool to push the plot forward than a fully realized element of the world. 

My biggest struggle was the pacing. It is slow (like really slow). The first half is dense and, at times, repetitive.  It takes nearly 400 pages of buildup before the story begins to move with intention. That said, the atmosphere is stunning, the commentary on race and class is compelling, and the ending beautifully closes, leaving the reader longing for more.

So would I recommend it? Yes, with some caveats. 
If you are new to dark academia or read for the atmosphere first and plot second, you'll find a lot of love here. If you prefer tight pacing, fully fleshed out magic systems, you may find it lacking.

By the end, I was invested. I just wish it hadn't taken so long to get there.

Have you read this one yet? Or is it sitting on your dark academia stack?

Thank you to @sourcebooks for providing me with an eARC to read and review.

Full review up on my blog 🔗 in bio

#AnArcaneInheritance #DarkAcademiaBooks #FantasyReview #GothicFantasy #BlackGirlsWhoRead
MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2025! I read 208+ books (the MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2025!

I read 208+ books (the plus is because I lost some along the way 🤣). Here are my favorites from each month.

Jan: God of War
Feb: The Knight and the Moth
Mar: Devour the Dark 
Apr: Crescent Kingdom & Ascension 
May: The Perfect Fit
Jun: Eclipsed Empire
Jul:Midnight of Ashes
Aug: Learn My Lesson
Sep: The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre 
Oct: Bitter Burn
Nov: An Arcane Inheritance 
Dec: Good Spirits

It was so hard to narrow it down to twelve (so some months have two 🫶). And if I had to choose a top 5, they would be:

🔥 Bitter Burn by Sierra Simone
🧩 The Perfect Fit by Sadie Kincaid
🗡 The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig @orbitbooks here's my plea for The Knave and the Moon 🤞🫰
🌙  Crescent Kingdom by Tessa Hale
🐊  Devour the Dark by Nikki St. Crowe (ROC 🥰🥵😍)

What were your top 3 reads from 2026?

#favoritereads #topreadsof2025 #readinglove
#booksworthreading #favoritereadsof2025
HAPPY NEW YEAR 🥳🍾🥂 How did you ring in the new ye HAPPY NEW YEAR 🥳🍾🥂

How did you ring in the new year?

I spent it reading Ryan Redemption by Sadie Kincaid. I was so deep in it that my son came in to say Hapoy New Year, and I was like, "Oh 😯"

May 2026 bring you new favorite books, new authors you adore, and not a single book to DNF

What would you like 2026 to bring for your bookish New Year?

#ReadingIsFeeling #happynewyear❤️ #ReadingReset #ReadMore #newfavoritebooks
Are you buying any books on this final day of 2025 Are you buying any books on this final day of 2025? Where do you normally puck up your reads?

I'm holding myself to one book today.
A signing exclusive of The Perfect Fit from off Sadie Kincaid's website. 

That's it. 
No stacks. No spirals. No, "just one more." 

Mostly because I am running out of space....
and partly because I'm trying to end the year with intention instead of impulse.

Happy New Year's Eve, readers!
My your 2026 is prosperous and full of amazing reads. 

💢 Are you grabbing one last book today or just saving it for January?

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#Bookstagram #ReadersOfInstagram #BookishLife
#EndOfYearReads #ReadingCommunity

book shopping • end of year reads • book buying habits • reading life • bookstagram • physical books • reader lifestyle • books in 2026
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