5 More Indie Books You Should Read {+5 More On My TBR} - #IndieAugust20

 Last year, I hosted a readathon on my bookstagram called the Indie August Readathon, dedicated to celebrating the best of independent publishing.  I had so much fun hosting it, and I knew I wanted to do it again!  And since last year I also shared 5 of my favorite indie books here on the blog, I'm back again with 5 more recommendations! 

I'm a firm believer that independently published books can be just as great (if not better!) than traditionally published ones, and these books are a testament to that.  All of these were among my favorites from either 2019 or 2020!  I tried to pick from a variety of genres, too, so there's something for everyone!  For even more recommendations, make sure you check out my post from last year!

Let's jump on in!


1. Prince of Shadow and Ash - Selina R. Gonzalez 



Add on Goodreads ~ Purchase on Amazon ~ My review

First off, that cover though!!  This was absolutely everything I wanted - a mix of high fantasy and fluffy romance that was perfection.  Sassy main characters, kick-butt action, epic magic, and an adorably shippable couple to boot.  Regulus and Adelaide's story sucked me in and didn't let go, and I can't recommend it highly enough!

2. Rook Di Goo - Jenni Sauer



Add on Goodreads ~ Purchase on Amazon

A sci-fi Cinderella retelling following a runaway soldier, full of adventure, friendship, and hope despite hard times.  Featuring the found family trope and a lot of tea, this is one of my favorite reads of the year, and I can't wait to see what Jenni has in store next.  (also if you don't come out of this one wishing you had standard issue Liosi military boots and you aren't a little in love with Captain Leiv Benham, I'll be surprised xD)

3. The Old River Road - Hailey Rose



Add on Goodreads ~ Purchase on Amazon ~ My review

Based on the real story of Hailey's great-great-grandparents, this is one of the most wholesome and heart-warming historical fiction stories I know.  I adored Clara and William so much, the whole book just felt so comfortable and cozy, and I never wanted it to end.  It's got all the feels, and I love it for that.

4. The Divided Nation - Angela R. Watts



Add on Goodreads ~ Purchase on Amazon

One of the most unique and heart-pounding dystopians I've read in awhile, this is a story that's hard to look at at times, but one that's so important.  Set during the future second American civil war, we follow a fairly large cast of characters who are doing their best just to survive.  There's a lot of found family/"your family stinks so I'm your family now" tropes going on, plus a really stinking Soft romance, and I'm here for it. 

5. Never Say Goodbye - Sarah Grace Grzy



Add on Goodreads ~ Purchase on Amazon ~ My review

Speaking of Soft romance... xD  Tyler and Alyvia's story made me so ridiculously happy, tbh.  Everything about it was just about perfect.  Friends-to-lovers romance, a single dad with an adorable child, a female lead who wants to run a book store, everything you could ask for and then some amazing faith content throughout.  

And now, here are five indie books that are on my list to read as soon as is humanly possible:

1. One Bad Apple - Rachel Kovaciny



snow white retelling + wagon train setting + found family trope (i think... lol)

2. Poison's Dance - Tricia Mingerink



twelve dancing princesses retelling + high fantasy + book 3 in one of my favorite series

3. Thief - Savanna Roberts



robin hood retelling + kick-butt heroine + squad goals

4. As Easy As Cherry Pie - Bell Renshaw

 

fluffy romance + baker + handyman + return to justin harbor (yaaasss)

5. The Anamnesis - Adelaide Thorne



epic story + slowburn romance + cross my heart the only reason i haven't finished this yet is because i don't want this series to end ;-; 


So there you have it!  If you'd like to participate in the readathon, we'd love to have you! 

What's an indie book that you would recommend?  Are you adding any of these to your TBR?  Let me know in a comment below! 

~ Abby

Ivy Introspective {blog tour + book review}

Hello my friends!  Today's the day!  It's officially time for my post for the Ivy Introspective blog tour!! *cue the fanfare*

I've loved this series so much since what feels like forever, but somehow I never managed to read this book?? Idk what happened?? But now it's finally made its way into my life and I couldn't be more thrilled.  It's also available right now so you can go and read it yourself!  Yay!! But before you do that, here's my review:

Ivy Introspective



Author: Kellyn Roth
Genre: Historical fiction
Content: None
Main characters: Ivy Knight and Nora Chattoway

Synopsis:
Ivy Knight lives her life in a blur of confusion as the world passes her by in a tumultuous melody. She isn’t the perfect daughter or student, but as long as she can be with her family, she doesn’t mind watching rather than living.
Mrs. Chattoway treasures both of her granddaughters now that they’re reunited. When Ivy’s parents enroll her in a Scottish school for unique children, she’s happy to chaperone.
In a new place with a new guardian, Ivy discovers a special talent that helps her see the blurred world in a new way. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and Ivy becomes determined to find it—and help others do the same.

Add on Goodreads ~ Purchase on Amazon

What I Thought:

I'm not crying, you're crying.  (that's a lie, I'm totally crying)

This was so WHOLESOME.  my HEART.  I'm EMOTIONAL.

Okay hold on let's get a hold of ourselves here.

So this was pretty much perfect.  A couple of years ago, I read At Her Fingertips and Beyond Her Calling and fell in love with both of them.  (And yes, I read The Dressmaker's Secret too)  But somehow this one got missed in the shuffle, and in a lot of ways, that just made reading it now so much sweeter.

Ivy is one of my favorite female protagonists, okay?  She's just such a pure little bean, I want to protect her from everything.  She's also an introvert through and through, and I related to her so much.  As much as I love Alice, she can be a lot, but Ivy is just out here doing her best and I'm proud of her for it.  (Also, I thought I'd gotten over being in love with Jordy MacAllen, but noooope.  what a precious baby boy. my face lit up when he walked onto the scene and I have no shame.) ((although let's clarify, I'm in love with grown-up Jordy, not 16-year-old Jordy.  that would be weird.))

I also loved Nora's storyline so much?  It made me so emotional?  The way she was so desperate to be loved by her family, how much she and Ivy were alike and didn't know it, the way God used those around her to heal her, it was all beautiful and such a pleasant surprise. 

Oh, and Violet!  I didn't care much for Violet in Beyond Her Calling, but now I can't wait to re-read that one, just to see if my opinions of her have changed.  I understand her so much better now.  I'm so sad. 

The faith content was beautiful.  It wove perfectly through the story, the message of God's grace and love becoming apparent as the characters discovered it. 

I just kind of loved everything about this?  The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy is seriously one of my favorite historical fiction series ever, and I've missed it, tbh.  It's nice to be back with these characters. <3

Overall Rating: 5 piano playing prodigies out of 5

About the Author:
Kellyn Roth lives on an Eastern Oregon ranch with her parents, little brothers, border collies, cats, and a few dozen cows and chickens.  Always a lover of a good story, and especially of telling one, she's been writing since she was seven and published her first novel at fourteen.  Now a homeschool grad, she divides her time between penning her next Christian historical fiction novel, creating professionally silly articles for her blog, and her actual life.  Actual life plays second fiddle sometimes, though.

Connect with Kellyn: Her website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Amazon ~ her personal blog


A huge thank you to Kellyn for sending me a copy of this book for review!  Have you read any of Kellyn's books?  Let me know in the comments below!

~ Abby

The Best of the Last Four Years - A Blogiversary Celebration

I can't believe this blog has been here for four whole years. FOUR. I was practically a baby when I started it.  I didn't know what I was doing, and I still don't, tbh.  But gosh, this has been fun.

Let's just all be proud for a moment about the fact that I actually remembered this blogiversary was coming. xD  I didn't remember in time to do a Q&A like I'd thought I might, but if I'm still blogging next year (here's hoping), I'll do one for the 5-year celebration.  Or I can do one before that, if y'all want to see that.

I've been thinking lately about what my favorite posts have been over the last four years, which ones I'm proudest of and such.  So I thought this might be a fun and fitting tribute to four years of Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors.  Happy birthday, little blog.  I'm glad you're part of my life. <3

Grab a cupcake and let's party, shall we?

In 2016, I started a blog.  The idea for the name had been in my head for several years, but it was only then that I decided it was time.  I didn't have a clue what I was doing, and fumbled my way through 22 posts.  I went by a fake name (because I was a teenager and was scared of the internet), attempted NaNoWriMo updates, started a series of posts I never finished, and fangirled about Leverage a lot.  So while the posts from then are kinda cringy (girlfriend, pick a theme and stick with it okay oof), it's kinda fun to look back at that younger, excitable me.  She was a lot.  But I admire her utter bravery in putting together some of the reviews she did, pfft.

 But two of my favorite classic NDWD posts have to be:

 

- what we can learn from the Olympics -

I had so much fun writing this one for Rio 2016, and it's still pretty true, tbh.

 

 - writers (and star wars) -

a classic. an icon. a legend.

In 2017, I started to get a handle on the whole "aesthetic" thing as I posted 50 posts.  I posted two of four "seasonal favorites" posts (I never got around to the other two... I should do that).  I started going by my real first name (because while I still have a healthy fear of the internet, I settled on a pen name that I still use).  Some of my all-time favorite posts I've written are from 2017, when I was learning a lot about God and His goodness.  I posted wrap-ups consistently and I don't know what happened to that girl because I wish she'd come back, lol.  I'm actually pretty happy with most of my 2017 posts?  Go figure.

My faves:

- the instant life -

I'm still proud of this post, and it's still accurate.

 

- 5 ways I princess and 5 ways I don't -

this one was just so darn fun

 

- top ten fictional friendships -

I keep meaning to do a part 2 to this, I need to get on that.

 

- the faith of the carpenter -

I started the "greatest story" series in 2017, and they're some of my favorites that I look forward to writing every year.  I didn't end up putting one up in 2019, but they'll definitely be making a return this year

2018 was definitely the year my blogging thrived the most.  I really got into a groove, posting 53 posts total.  11 of those were in December alone, as I participated in the 12 Days of Christmas and had a grand time doing it.  I changed the blog to look like it does now (and yes, I still love the gold/black aesthetic).  A buuunch of reviews were posted in 2018, including some of my favorites, and the whole "using psych gifs in every post" trend was born.

My faves:

- favorite quotes - classics edition -

this post is still just lovely

 

- beyond her calling review -

still one of my favorite reviews I've written

the psych gifs are everything xD

 

- still too many -

one of the most powerful lessons I've learned from God,

and I think the post turned out really good

2019 was a big old hot mess of a year for me, and it shows in the blog.  I wrote a grand total of 28 posts for the whole year, and most of the months had only 1 post.  But I solidified the look I wanted my posts to have, and there are still quite a few posts that I'm still quite proud of, even though it took me a bajillion years to write and post them. 

My faves:

- the tbr jar experiment -

an experiment that I haven't touched in months but shhhh

 

- freedom book review -

I still low-key love everything about this post

 

- farewell, august -

idk why I love this wrap-up post so much, but I just do

And thus, we arrive at the present.  Welcome to 2020, the fourth year of the blog.  I took the first two months off from posting at all as life kinda exploded in my face.  But I think, maybe, I've finally found my blogging groove again.  I'm really happy with how my posts have been turning out lately, and hopefully y'all are enjoying them too!

My faves:

- 10 books that need adaptations -

making aesthetic collages is something I've loved doing for a long time,

but only now do I decide to put it to use here, lol

 

- the narnia writing tag -

because who doesn't love talking about their narnia and their wip?

 

- never say goodbye book review -

idk I just like how this review turned out

And there you have it!  I hope you've all had fun at the party, I know I have.  It's fun to visit your past self for a little while.  Here's to many more years full of novels, dragons, and wardrobe doors <3

~ Abby

Prince of Shadow and Ash {book review}

You know, I think I originally made this blog for reviewing books.  And then, over the past four years (four years!!) it's turned into whatever it is now.  As much as I enjoy reviewing books (and I do), for some reason my brain tells me I don't have enough brain power to write them.  But when I read this book, I knew I was going to need to let y'all know about how epic it is.

Selina R. Gonzalez is one of my favorite people to follow on bookstagram, so when she announced her debut fantasy novel, I knew I was going to have to read it.  And I was not disappointed.


Prince of Shadow and Ash



(this cover though *heart eyes*)

Author: Selina R. Gonzalez
Genre: Fantasy romance
Content: Some violence, and a lot of magic
Main characters: Regulus Hargreaves and Adelaide Belanger

Synopsis:
Bastard and former mercenary Lord Regulus Hargreaves just wants to earn his freedom from the sorcerer who enslaved him. When Lady Adelaide sees past his scar and his shadowed past, Regulus’ dying hope rekindles. But will loving Adelaide while serving the Prince of Shadow and Ash put her in danger?
Adelaide Belanger longs to use the magical energy within her, but revealing her power could get her killed. When she meets kind and rugged Regulus, she wonders if she has finally found someone to trust with her secret—and her heart.
Regulus and Adelaide struggle to build a relationship and keep their secrets from those who would harm them. By the time Regulus’ and Adelaide’s secrets are revealed, it may be too late for them both...

Add on Goodreads ~ Purchase on Amazon

What I Thought:

This was everything I wanted it to be and more.  It's the perfect blend of epic fantasy and fluffy romance.  The story sucks you in and doesn't let go, with a fascinating plot and such a cool magic system.

The characters were far and away my favorite thing.  Adelaide is so cool, Regulus is a sweetheart, Dresden and the rest of Reg's squad are my faaaves, Minerva and Gaius are SO cute, I just love everybody.  Adelaide and Regulus' relationship was everything, they're so stinking cute!!  They actually communicate from each other, and listen to each other, and they're just precious I love them so much. <3

When the villains drive me as crazy as these did, I know they're well-written.  When the magic system makes me as intrigued as this one did, I know it's well-done.  Just... everything about this was so perfect I'm obsessed.  I wanted to make sure I wrote this review out before I dive into the second one, but basically all I can say is read it. 

If you love fantasy, or supportive couples, or unique magic systems, read this book.  Go forth and read on, my friends.

Overall rating: 5 magic daggers out of 5

About the Author:
Selina R. Gonzalez is a Colorado native with mountains in her blood and dreams that top 14,000 feet. She loves chocolate, fantasy, costumes, bread, history, superheroes, faux leather, things that sparkle, medieval Britain, snark, dogs, and Jesus—not in that order.
She loves to travel, and has driven coast-to-coast in the US, visited Britain three times (once for a semester at Oxford), and moved to Maine for four and half months. She has a list of places to go as long as Pikes Peak is tall, but always comes back home to Colorado.

Connect with the Selina: her website ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads

Have you read this book? Do you want to? (the answer should be yes xD) What's your favorite romance trope?  Let me know all the things in the comments down below!

~ Abby

Behind the Act {cover reveal + book spotlight!}

It's a very exciting day today, because I get to bring you ALL the information on Abigayle Claire's new book - Behind the Act!

I've absolutely loved every book of Abigayle's so far, and I can't wait for this one! It's sure to have all the feels and a wonderful story!

The release date isn't until September 2021, but for now we can all get excited over the synopsis and the gorgeous cover!!

Here's the blurb:


The predictable lull of Tiffany Burch’s small-town existence is making her stir-crazy. At the news that her town is going to be a filming location—and local acting talent is needed—she works toward taking the leap to follow in her dead mother’s footsteps as an actress.
.
Tragedies from Tiffany’s past and present seem to indicate the timing is right, and so she leaves everything from her boyfriend to her shelter dog all for the dream of stardom. Yet as her success grows, so do her anxiety and disillusionment.
.
As her rise to fame is jeopardized by yet another tragedy, Tiffany returns home. There she must unravel who she really is: the girl her town remembers, the face on the posters, or the still-distraught woman behind the act.


Are you excited? Because I'm excited.

You can add Behind the Act to your Goodreads shelf here!


And now,

ladies and gentlemen,

the moment you've been waiting for,

It's time

to see

the cover!

Isn't it so cute??

I can't wait to dive into this book.  *sighs about having to wait until September of next year* that's so far awaaaayyyy.  But it's okay.  I can be patient.

Connect with Abigayle!
Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram


So what do you think?  Are you as excited as I am?  Let me know in a comment below!

The Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag 2020

Hi, I'm Abby, and I really can't believe that 2020 is halfway over.

I've posted this same tag for the past two years, and I love doing it, so when I was tagged by two friends over on bookstagram to do it, I figured it was about time I properly wrote up this blog post.  So far this year, I've managed to read 58 books, and gave most of them 4 stars or above, which is awesome.

Anyway, let's jump on in. (Click on any of the covers to see their Goodreads page and learn more about the book!)

1) The best book you've read so far this year.

As usual, this question is too hard.  Here are some of them.

2) The best sequel you've read so far this year.

Last year, Sand Castle Dreams was the sequel I picked, and this year, it's Barefoot Memories.  I love this trilogy so much, and even more so now with the news that we're getting another book!!

3) A new release you haven't read yet but want to. 

I've thoroughly enjoyed every book by Savanna Roberts that I've read so far, but I still haven't managed to pick up Thief!  But I do have an Amazon giftcard that's sitting around waiting to be used, so... it may be in my not-too-distant future, haha!

4) The most disappointing book you've read this year.

Okay, don't @ me if this is your favorite book.  That's valid, you can do what you want.  But in that vein, I... didn't like this.  But I didn't really expect to, so... I dunno, Wonderland is just too weird for my taste.  (also Alice is a little jerk?  why is she so rude to everyone?  anyway I'm moving on I don't want to think about it anymore xD)

5) The most surprising book of the year so far.

 

That has to be Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.  Hands down.  I didn't expect to like this, much less love it as much as I did.  But yeah, I adored it.

6) A new author you've discovered this year.

Tara Grace Ericson is a new-to-me author that I absolutely love!  I've only read Hoping for Hawthorne, but an ARC of Poppy's Proposal just showed up in my email and I'm hyped!! Clean, cute romance is some of my favorite stuff to read right now, and Tara's is wonderful.

7) Your newest fictional crush.

I've loved all of Susan L. Tuttle's leading men, but Tobias from Met Her Match miiiight be my favorite.  His faith, his steadiness, his patience with Pem, I just love him so much, okay.

8) Your newest favorite character.

I'm doubling this and saying that both Mo and Dale are my favorites.  I adore these kids so much, their friendship is everything.  I haven't had a chance yet to pick up the other books in this series, but I can't wait to.

9) A book that made you cry.

Like, full-on, snotty sobbing.  In the car.  While my mom was driving.  So I was trying not to cry too hard.  But Tae Keller has succeeded twice now with making me cry at the end of her books, and I fully anticipate that out of any future books she writes, lol.

10) A book that made you happy.

Both of Sarah Grace's books are a rollercoaster of emotions, but Never Say Goodbye made me so ridiculously happy for so much of it.  Just Tyler's interactions with Murrae alone had me grinning my face off.

11) Your favorite book-to-movie adaptation you've seen this year.

Technically this was a taping of a live stage show adaptation, but you know what I'm gonna count it.  Daddy Long Legs the musical has filled me with so much joy this year, and even more now that I've read the book.  It's so pure and happy, and the score is gorgeous.

12) Your favorite review you've written this year.

I've only written 2 reviews here on the blog so far this year (yiiikes, Abby), but I'm pretty proud of both of them, so here they are:
- never say goodbye -
- barefoot memories -

13) The prettiest book you've bought this year so far.

Technically, this isn't here yet when I'm typing this.  But it should be here in the next couple of days, and I'm SO excited.  I think this is the only physical book I've bought this year, and it's also one of my favorite reads of the year!  I know it's going to be gorgeous!

14) The books you want to read for the rest of the year.

There are quite a few books that I can't wait to read that are coming out the rest of this year, but here are some of my most anticipated:

- staff of nightfall -

- poison's dance -

- one bad apple -

And there we have it! What are some of your favorite books of the year so far?

- Abby

Farewell, May and June

June just flew by and I don't know where it went.  I meant to post a full May wrap-up, and got part of the way into writing it, and then just... didn't... oops...

While April was a month of "there's not too much to do other than hunker down in quarantine", May and June both kind of changed that.  We're on to the next leg of this "moving in with Grandmother" mission, which means purging and packing up her whole house in addition to trying to find one for us all to move into together.  Which means going out and seeing houses with the realtor, which in today's world means masks and gloves and occasionally shoe covers.  I'm still confused by that last one, tbh.  (But seriously though wear a mask please and thank you)

In addition to that, I ended up in a weird creative slump where binging shows and listening to music were all I felt like doing.  And yet, I technically managed to read 31 books and pretty much completely binge two shows between the two months.  So... I really can't complain.

Anyway, let's jump into the wrap-up.

- reading -

Like I said, technically, I read 31 books in May and June. But at least half of those were under 200 pages.  A loooot of re-reading went on these past two months, which was great for my heart, and not quite so great for my TBR shelf.  But I'm still really happy with the results, so there's that.

I re-read the series of several American Girls, Kit and Samantha in May, and Kirsten in June.  And some History Mysteries too.  It was a grand time.  (Samantha's family are the lights of my freakin' life, okay?)  Going back to my childhood is always a good time for me, so the Childhood Favorites Readathon that I helped host over on bookstagram was maybe my favorite thing reading-wise to happen.  I managed to read 11 books in 4 days and felt just a little bit like my old self, haha! 

Two first-time favorite reads this month, though, were Conceal, Don't Feel by Jen Calonita, and A Grief Observed by my fave, C.S. Lewis.  For more info on the books I read over the past two months, here's my Goodreads shelf for May and for June!

- watching -

Yet more binge-watching went down this month.  The reading slump gave way to preferring to watch the stories I consumed rather than read them xD  But this did lead to watching some pretty fantastic stuff, so, I'll count it as a win, haha!

I watched the BBC mini-series adaptation of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (aka one of my newest favorite books) on Netflix in May, and had a grand time.  It's a fantastic adaptation of the story, and while the spooky parts were even spookier seeing them, the cast was perfect, the writing was on point, and I cried at the end even though I knew what was coming, lollll.  ((also I would die for Jonathan and Arabella Strange... that's all))

My mom and sister decided to re-watch all the Signed, Sealed, Delivered content they could in May, which meant the show and like... all of the movies.  And once I started watching with them I couldn't stop because genuinely these movies are 10x better at explaining Christianity than like... most of Christian media?  They're so good for the soul, the ships are SO cute, they're just great, okay?

Most of June for me was spent binge-watching both Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World. I'm planning on writing a whole post on my thoughts and kinda reviewing it, ish, so we'll see if that post ever sees the light of day, pfft.  But just know that I really loved BMW, and GMW continues to be one of my favorite sit-coms.  I already can't wait to re-watch them in the future.

((listen, Cory is the Most Relatable, okay?))

- listening -

A bunch of my faves have been releasing music lately, mostly to do with everything going on in the world right now, but it's all excellent.  So here's my May playlist, and here's June, if you want to see what I've been listening to obsessively.

- doing -

The quarantine brain is real, y'all.  What day is it?  Where am I?  I've only left the house maybe a dozen times since April, partially because I'm blessed to not have to, and partially because our state keeps spiking in positive cases?  And no one seems to care but us?  Which is really annoying??  Since my body already isn't great at fighting off infections and since we really don't want our grandmother to get the virus, it's been better for me to stay home as much as possible.  Which my introverted self is still perfectly fine with. 

But having nothing to do outside of the house means that every day runs together.  And the days when I do have to go outside can cause me a little anxiety.  I think part of why I've been consuming as much fiction as I can is because the reality is a lot to handle right now.  But really, I'm very blessed, and God is still good to us.  And I hope that you all are staying safe and sane with everything right now. <3

- blogging -

Blogging didn't really... uh... happen in June.  Most of my posts in May were pre-written, but the slump hit hard in June, and with everything that's been going on, it felt weird to just write the happy posts I wanted to.  But you know what, this is my blog, and I want to write whatever I want to write.  Whenever I actually get around to writing it.  But here's what I posted, anyway:

- readers (and star wars) -
- never say goodbye (blog tour + book review) -
- i won a short story contest! -
- recent reads - quarantine edition #2 -
- top 10 books of my childhood -


Okay, phew! The wrap-up is done! I missed this blogging thing, I really did.  How was your May/June, friends?  I hope it was more productive than mine, lol!

Also, considering what day this is going up, happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans!

~ Abby