Recently, I’ve been getting ARCs from NetGalley for book tours. This has given me the perfect excuse to resuscitate my NetGalley account and raise my Feedback Ratio from its current 20%. I don’t usually give frequent updates on what I’m reading or planning for the blog, but I’ll try to keep to quarterly updates with a recap of the last months, and upcoming plans and reads.

Netgalley

I just said my Feedback Ratio is at 20%. It was actually at 0% until recently as books I requested were declined and I picked a couple from their Read Now section. One of these was a multi-author anthology that I actually started, but I have a hard time with those and lost interest when some of the stories weren’t to my liking. The second one sounded promising, but before I could start I saw its Goodreads rating tanking and I wasn’t so keen on reading it anymore; it actually got a second edition when it was bought by a traditional publisher and if I someday get to read it it will probably be that second version since the author said it was very different than the original.

I’ve requested a couple more and I was pleasantly surprised when I was approved for one of my most anticipated releases of the year: Christopher Buehlman’s The Daughters’ War, prequel for The Blacktongue Thief. Galva was my favorite character in Buehlman’s fantasy debut and this novel centers on her during one of the infamous goblins’ wars.

Cover for The Daughters' War by Christopher Buehlman

Soon I’ll have the opportunity to get my Feedback Ratio to 40% when I post my review on April 10 for Clytemnestra’s Bind, my second book tour participation for Neem Tree Press with The WriteReads.

Cover of Clytemnestra's Bind by Susan C. Wilson

Contests

I had to pause my reads for the Indie Ink Awards to keep up with ARCs and book tours. I can’t wait to go back to The Wings of Ashtaroth. I’m at 15% (that’s over 200 pages) and I’m submerged in this rich world, but us mortals are bound by time (which is to say, there are more pressing matters right now).

Cover of The Wings of Ashtaroth by Steve Hugh Westenra

In the near future I’ll be publishing my review of Legacy of the Brightwash, 4th place in BBNYA 2023 (Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award) and one of the finalists I got to read last year. I even included one of its characters in my Character Awards 2023.

Cover of Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar

ARCs and future plans

I’m currently reading a YA fantasy adventure novel called Savage Seas that will be published in May because I love overcommitting. You should expect the review for this one in the second half of April.

These are not my only pending ARCs, mind you, but another I want to tackle as soon as possible is Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang. This one has already been published for months and I haven’t gotten to it, but I want to review it before its re-release later this year by Del Rey.

Cover of Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

April

I’d love to repeat what I did for Haiku Poetry Day last year with haikus made by indie authors about their books. I hadn’t been feeling great lately and I might be a little late to organize it but let’s see if I can gather some authors to participate, so keep your eyes open this month.

May

I want to participate this year in Wyrd & Wonder (I tried and failed last year), an online event taking place every May centered around fantasy books (and other types of media) with daily prompts and readalongs, among other fun activities.

June

Let’s make another TEA Party! This blog’s Anniversary is June 1st and this year I want to make it a month-long celebration again full of guest posts.

Q1 Reviews recap

Between January and March I’ve shared reviews for 9 books in Tiny Elf Arcanist:

The Fall Is All There Is, by C.M. Caplan. SPFBO 9 (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) finalist for which I got an audiobook ARC and which got me into audiobooks. I had previously tried them but I struggled with my attention.
Journeyman, by C.F. Welburn. Second novella in the Ashen Levels series. I listened to this one as well.
Journeys, by Jeanne Roland. I loved this one that had been on my TBR for a while. I praised it so much during my reading that my husband is already up to date with the series; he’s a faster reader than I am.
Sorrow’s Forest, by Kaitlin Corvus. 15th place BBNYA 2023 finalist I read. I believe fans of PNR (paranormal romance) would be more into it.
Squires, by Jeanne Roland. I had to read the sequel as soon as I finished Journeys to try to keep up with my husband and keep having fun with the characters. Roland knows how to keep her readers invested.
The Lord of Stariel, by A.J. Lancaster. Another audiobook. It was fun and absorbing but I felt a bit let down by the ending.
Askefise, by Rebecca Schmid. My favorite read for BBNYA 2023. Excellent dialogues and fun characters. It left me on a high.
The Djinn’s Apple, by Djamila Morani. Historical fantasy with no djinn and no apples, translated from Arabic. I read this for a book tour and it’s the one that brought a second life to my NetGalley account.
Renia, by Karl Forshaw. Honestly, I wouldn’t have finished this one if it hadn’t been for a book tour. I had seen so much praise about it and FOMO got the best of me.