This book is a queer, gothic, witchy, and little bit of fairy-tale mixed in. If that doesn't make you interested i honestly don't know what will?? Mina, daughter of the duke, is grieving and lonely. She has lost all hope of any future for herself in Blumwald. So when the Witch demands her next companion, Mina offers herself up – though she has no idea what fate awaits her. Stranded with her darkly alluring captor, the mystery of what happened to the previous companions draws Mina into the heart of a terrifying secret that could save her life, or end it. The Top 25 Christmas Cookbooks for 2023: A Smorgasbord of Inspiration for a Happy Foodie This Christmas

Bitterthorn | Walker Books Australia Bitterthorn | Walker Books Australia

On a lighter moment, there's also heaps of sapphic yearning, grumpy x sunshine, a strange and sinister castle, terrible flirting, cottage core vibes, slowburn enemies to loves and a secret that threatens to destroy everything Mina and the Witch have found in each other. Besides, a Dryad notices her sword and offers Elora her life's dream: an adventure. Rescue a prince from his binding with the Queen by poisoning her. Elora is not trained in espionage, spying, or murder. She is totally out of her depth, but the goal is heroic. While I thought the actual act of poisoning was abrupt and too pat, it worked for a short story as a preview for the main attraction. And I love one-offs. Girl meets house. Girl meets witch. And oh, does it ever get deliciously interesting from there! Dunn has created a delicately spun cobweb of a fairytale that slowly unwinds a pattern of secrets, curses, love and betrayal - and finally settles around your heart and leaves you glad to have been captured -- Freya Marske - Sunday Times bestselling author of A Marvellous Light Another woman crossed herself. ‘Set all the cows lowing up at Rottenstedt. And when I set about breakfast, all the boiled eggs peeled blood red.’

There is so much I loved — stony Wolf and her resilience, the quiet small acts of kindness between Mina and the Witch as they try and find a way to be, the mystery of the castle. And so much rattled my bones, dragged tears from me. I truly mean it when I say this is automatically one of my favourite books. A queer haunting of a story about loneliness, loss, and love that has lodged itself firmly in my head and my heart. Klara and my stepmother had turned to us, all eyes on my embroidery. Johanna’s expression wavered between confusion and concern. ‘But what use is it? What is it for?’ I was wondering why the dryad would need a human, but the humans in the fae realm really are enspelled and have no control over their actions, no thoughts. It really emphasizes that small amount of control that Elora experienced over her life. She has freedom to make those decisions. Her fight with the trolls later shows why naive humans were required: she doesn't have any agreements or knowledge of the politics to interfere with the mission. I don’t think a husband will solve my unhappiness,’ I said. ‘I don’t want to make someone else responsible for that.’

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Growing Threat (Phyrexian Tribal) Growing Threat (Phyrexian Tribal) Growing Threat (Phyrexian Tribal) In the far edge of our land was the family chapel. My mother wasn’t in the crypt with my father’s parents; she had a grave of her own, a chest tomb in white limestone, watched over by an angel, head bowed holding a never-wilting bouquet of flowers. It was extravagant and sometimes I wonder if my father did it as penance for what had come next. I was too afraid of my stepmother to ignore her admonishment. I was all too aware that as my stepsisters left, there would be less and less of a bulwark between us. My future lay in her hands and she was little motivated to treat it with care. Overall, I really liked it as a respite after finishing Empire Ascendant which completely crushed my heart and soul. But... you know, not to have too high expectations. I hear someone use a term "popcorn book" lately which I kind of like and think might fit this book as well. It was really entertaining but it isn't a full course meal. I would recommend it though if you like overly dramatic yet slow gothic books, with a sapphic love story. There is a much less witching than the blurb would let you believe though... Mina, daughter of the duke, is grieving and lonely. She has lost all hope of any future for herself in Blumwald. So when the Witch demands her next companion, Mina offers herself up – though she has no idea what fate awaits her. Stranded with her darkly alluring captor, the mystery of what happened to the previous companions draws Mina into the heart of a terrifying secret that could save her life, or end it. EXTRACTThe writing was so beautiful and i was just fully invested in the story... the parts of how Mina is so lonely even surrounded by people was just so understanding and how she felt invisible within her family. I enjoyed the gothic vibes especially with the witch being so secretive it just made your mind go wild with ideas what could she possibly be doing. I apologise if I have offended you,’ I said. ‘I did not mean to.’ She folded her hands, lips pursed. ‘I have tried very hard to accommodate you, Mina, but you throw that in my face when you refuse to participate in this family. I suggest you think a little less highly of yourself. If you mean to spend the rest of your life unmarried and under my roof, then you need to change your ideas. Do you understand me?’ But my words dried up. I remembered, instead, my mother’s face peering under tables and behind curtains, looking for me. We had been playing a game, but I had hidden too well. I was hungry and ached from folding myself tightly into the gap between a settle and an armoire and the light had turned cold with dusk. I wanted the game to be over, but my mother had not found me yet. I wanted her to find me more.

Bitterthorn: A sapphic Gothic romance inspired by classic

Mina offers herself up as the Witch’s latest companion – yet the fate that awaits her is stranger and more wondrous than she can imagine… When several minutes had passed without him looking up, I said, ‘Perhaps I could help you with your papers? I’ve said you need a secretary.’ I thought about this. I had never considered that the Witch could take people from some hamlet near her castle, but of course she wouldn’t. She would have no legend if she didn’t come as she did, to strike where we should feel safest. When she and her daughters arrived into our house, in all meaningful ways I ceased to exist. I slipped into my adult woman body in the same way I had been born into the world: cloistered apart from the rest of humanity, shuddering from one skin into a new one, my beating heart a problem to be dealt with.

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Who should look after me? Where should I be put? How could things be arranged so neither of them had to change their lives in any real way? Please note that market-specific promotional fares may be available for selected dates and destinations, and may not be eligible for the discounts under this offer. All available options, together with the applicable terms & conditions for each fare will be displayed at time of booking for you to make your selection My stepmother and stepsisters were in the drawing room, conversation racing along some thread I couldn’t catch. New Sports Biographies and Autobiographies: Gift a Book for the Sports Fan In Your Life this Christmas

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This darkly romantic fairytale is a stunning rumination on loneliness, grief, and the aching human desire to love and be loved. Sapphic, Gothic and deeply cathartic - I feel profoundly moved -- Laura Steven - author of The Society for Soulless Girls Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide. I know it's a bit cringe when authors review their own books, but I can live with being a bit cringe. I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you a little bit about Bitterthorn and why I wrote it. I think it's the best thing I've written so far, and I know it's a bit cringe when authors review their own books, but I can live with being a bit cringe. I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you a little bit about Bitterthorn and why I wrote it. I think it's the best thing I've written so far, and I hope you like it too.

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Please refer to the fare rules at the time of booking for changes, cancellations and no-show conditions I had the acute sensation of walking past the mouth of a cave, smelling the hot, rotting breath of the monster within. I pulled my arm away and inspected the scalded red flesh. If no one wanted me, then I would make myself disappear. I turned my father’s words over like a newly acquired geological specimen, some shiny square of pyrite or rough wedge of schist, looking for the grain, the structure, the signs of its origin and nature. Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating Christmas with the Best Drinks Books On The Shelves