Well-Read Wyvern (2024)

08/11/2024

☕️COZY DRINK CHALLENGE☕️

This month is focusing on all the cozy things! Step one is to prepare a hot beverage.

I brewed my morning tea in my Girls of Paper and Fire mug from Illumicrate. Which was a great opportunity to feature my special edition set of the trilogy (also from Illumicrate), along with the book jacket.

This is one of the very first special edition sets I ever purchased. Have I read these? No. Not yet.

I have amassed a huge collection of special editions from various book box subscriptions that I really need to prioritize on my TBR. Do you have the same problem?

❓I’m considering co-hosting a “Read Your Subscriptions” Challenge next year. Would you be interested in participating?

❓What’s a book that’s been unread too long on your bookshelf?

05/11/2024

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🌟FAVORITE SFF TITLES🌟

I need to put GOOD out into the world today. And few things bring me more joy than The Well-Read Wyvern Social Club - a chaotic little community of Fantasy and Sci-fi readers that’s formed over the last few months.

A number of us collaborated to share our favorite Science Fiction and Fantasy reads of October. My recommendation is CASCADE FAILURE by L.M. Sagas. [ ] I can’t recommend this story of found family and adventure enough. 5⭐️!

➡️Scroll through for more recommendations from my friends!

: The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door
: Two Twisted Crowns
: Blood Over Bright Haven bookclub : The Gods Below
: A Monsoon Rising
: Shoestring Theory
: The Sunset Sovereign
: The Shadow of the Gods
: Sorcery and Small Magics
: Foul Days
: Storm of Ink and Blood dogmom : The Dividing Sky
: The Book of Witching diaries : Oathbringer
: Two Twisted Crownsis.completely.booked : Fang Fiction
: Cascade Failure

🐉🚀⚔️🐉🚀⚔️🐉🚀⚔️🐉🚀⚔️

THE WELL-READ WYVERN SOCIAL CLUB is a fun, supportive community of SFF readers. We host posting challenges, buddy reads, and collaborations. All that’s required to join is an interest in Fantasy and/or Science Fiction and the desire to connect with other readers.

Interested? Join us at

🐉🚀⚔️🐉🚀⚔️🐉🚀⚔️🐉🚀⚔️

04/11/2024

⚔️THE BLOODSWORN TRILOGY⚔️

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to for sending me a finished copy of John Gwynne’s THE FURY OF THE GODS!

The Bloodsworn Trilogy wasn’t even on my radar when I started 😂 But The Shadow of the Gods was nominated and won the vote for our very first title. And everyone loved it - most going on to read The Hunger of the Gods immediately.

We have been waiting impatiently ever since that brutal cliffhanger (how dare you do that to such a fan favorite!). So having book three in hand is terribly exciting.

I was lucky to receive an eARC prior to publication, but I’ve been waiting to read with my book club friends. Finally settled into the first pages last night and was instantly transported back to Vigrið.

Today, celebrates and while I wish the map of Vigrið was bigger, I had to feature this land and celebrate its people as I dive into The Bloodsworn finale.

❓Do you feel more excited or apprehensive when starting the final book of a series?

🐉⚔️🐉⚔️🐉⚔️🐉⚔️

The Well-Read Wyvern Book Club will be discussing The Fury of the Gods at the end of November. Chats take place on Discord. DM to join us!

04/11/2024

🍁NOVEMBER TBR🍁

Hi! I’m Amanda, and I overcommit to buddy reads. I’m hosting FIVE this month:

🌙The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew
⚔️The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne
👹Monstrous Nights by Genoveva Dimova
✨How to Summon a Fairy Godmother by Laura J. Mayo
🎟️Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

DM if you’re interested in joining any. All discussions are in IG chat except Fury of the Gods (Discord).

I’m also committed to reading Legendborn, Iron Widow, The Last Hour Between Worlds, Catch and Keep, Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store with other bookclubs and assorted friends.

This is all quite ambitious. 😬😅

Fortunately, I finished my first book, Streetlight People by Charlene Thomas, over the weekend. I’ll be sharing my review as part of an upcoming book tour post soon!

❓Do you enjoy reading and discussing books with other readers? Or do you prefer to read on your own, write your review, and move on?

26/10/2024

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🏚️HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE CHALLENGE

Continuing our theme of classic horror books to scream…I mean…screen. This week’s inspiration for was The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

I’ve been wanting to try my hand at creating a haunted house out of books. Unfortunately I kind of threw this one together while packing and heading out of town. I think it turned out ok considering the minimal effort invested.

Watch my stories this weekend - I’ll be sharing from the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN!

❓Have you ever visited a haunted house? Either staged and costumed venue for Halloween or a real house/hotel rumored to have resident ghosts?

24/10/2024

📚BOOK MAIL📚

Time for a little book mail round-up! Thank you so much to the publishers tagged below!

NEEDY LITTLE THINGS // Channelle Desamours
(on sale 2/4/25)

TOGETHER WE BURN // Isabel Ibañez
(now available in paperback!)

WORK IN PROGRESS // Kat Mackenzie
(on sale 1/14/25)

BLOOD TEST // Charles Baxter
(available now!)

STREETLIGHT PEOPLE // Charlene Thomas
(on sale 11/5/24)

THE SWARM // Andy Marino
(on sale 11/5/24)

📚✉️📚✉️📚✉️📚✉️

I’m so excited to read these! I’ll have a review of Streetlight People in early November for my tour stop with TBR and Beyond Tours.

❓Two of these books don’t publish until 2025. Are you looking ahead to next year? Or are you staying focused on 2024 releases?

24/10/2024

🐉NOW IN PAPERBACK🐉

TOGETHER WE BURN by Isabel Ibañez released in paperback this week! Thank you so much for gifting me a copy!

Of course I LOVE the dragon illustrated on the cover!

🐉🔥🐉🔥🐉🔥🐉🔥

Here’s a bit about the book:

Zarela Zalvidar is the heir to one of the most infamous dragon arenas in all of Hispalia. Her mother is a renowned flamenco dancer, while her father has become the most well-known dragonfighter in the region. Zarela has trained under her mother all her life and is proud to take part in her family’s legacy. But at a celebratory show, dragons attack the sold-out arena, and Zarela’s entire life seems to go up in flames.

As the Dragon Guild tries to wrest control of her inheritance, Zarela has no choice but to become a Dragonador. She recruits the most talented dragon hunter left in Hispalia - the handsome but aloof Arturo Díaz de Montserrat - who can’t stand her or her family. With Arturo’s help, she must find a new way forward.

🐉🔥🐉🔥🐉🔥🐉🔥

I’m looking forward to seeing Ibañez when she stops in Atlanta on tour for Where the Library Hides. Maybe I’ll get my new paperback signed!

❓Do you wait for a book’s paperback release before purchasing?

23/10/2024

🔎CLUE CHALLENGE🔍

Today .friends is hosting the Clue Challenge!

I was a little indecisive about which books I wanted to use…so I did two photos. Since playing Clue requires multiple guesses, I decided two layouts was true to the challenge.

First guess: The Alchemist’s Daughter in The Forgotten Room with The Poison Thread

This is the historical fiction version and wasn’t my first choice. But these books work best with my Downton Abbey Clue set. Did you notice the different weapons? I love Lady Edith’s little typewriter!

Second guess: The Girl with No Reflection in The Hazel Wod with Chaos & Flame

These fantasy books were the first I pulled off my shelves. They better reflect my current reading habits, but don’t work as well with the Downton Abbey theme. Although Downton with dragons could be awesome!

❓If you had to choose one of these two sets of books to read, which woul you prefer? Who do you think is the killer - The Alchemist’s Daughter or The Girl with No Reflection? [My money is always on Lady Mary]

21/10/2024

🪄MAGIC MONDAY REVIEW

is celebrating Magic Monday, so it’s the perfect time to share my review of SPELL BOUND by FT Lukens.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Want a delightful, magical romance to read this fall? Be sure to add Spell Bound to your TBR!

I just loved this book! As soon as Rook entered the curse breaking office and met Herb the grumpy coatrack, I was a fan of this magical world.

But what made this story really enjoyable - and had me smiling page after page - was the adorable banter between main characters Rook and Sun. The boys were just so cute together, and I was cheering them on as they fought the Magical Consortium.

I’d love a second story about their continued work with sorceresses Antonia Hex and Fable.

I read this on audiobook via Everand and enjoyed both narrators - Nero Cihi and Kevin R. Free. I think having two narrators can be tricky since even though each one is responsible for one character POV, they still both need to do all the dialogue voices. Sometimes I’ll prefer one over the other, but in this case, I felt both were strong.

Note: The fact that Rook can’t see magical ley lines is a key point in the story. I always picture them like lasers shooting through the air, hence the cheesy 80’s laser graphic. 😂

Thank you to for gifting me this eARC on NetGalley.

❓Tell me something magical about your life… or… recommend a magical book.

20/10/2024

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🧛REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE DANGEROUS ONES by Lauren Blackwood is an alternate history YA set during the civil war with vampires as plantation owners. While this set-up provides an interesting angle for exploring racial history in the U.S., what I enjoyed most was the relationship between Jerusalem and Alexei.

Jerusalem is a Saint - human but with superhuman strength and speed. After escaping the plantation where she and her family were enslaved, she trains to serve the Union army as a vampire hunter.

Alexei might appear eighteen, but he’s lived hundreds of years as a vampire. He has traveled to the U.S. with the Russian Navy to aid the effort to abolish slavery.

Alexei is clearly smitten for the diminutive but fierce Jerusalem. While Jerusalem can’t even admit to the close bond of friendship the two clearly share. She stubbornly holds tight to her well-earned hatred of vampires, despite knowing that Alexei will always have her back.

Rounding out this found family are Odessa and Gael, two more Saints who fight alongside Jerusalem and Alexei. All four are driven by their own past traumas, with secrets that put them all at risk on the battlefield.

I’m always a fan of first person, dual POV. It was especially effective in this story, as both Jerusalem’s and Alexei’s histories were told in detailed flashbacks. And knowing their real thoughts as they would taunt and bicker with each other was a treat.

I’m looking forward to reading the other books by Blackwood on my shelf - Wildblood and Within These Wicked Walls.

❓Have you read any alternative history stories? What are you reading this weekend?

Thank you to for gifting this eARC on NetGalley.

I was inspired by this week’s Interview with the Vampire Challenge to finally write my long overdue review for this book. If you enjoy SFF books and posting challenges, check out

18/10/2024

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🌙BUDDY READ: The Dividing Sky

It’s officially cozy season, and I have the perfect book for your fall TBR. THE DIVIDING SKY by Jill Tew is a YA dystopian romance that will make you feel all warm inside.

Join as we read The Dividing Sky together in the first half of November. Exact date is TBD, but plan on sometime the week of 11/10-11/16.

As a special treat, after we discuss, we will have a virtual AUTHOR CHAT WITH JILL TEW!

📣Drop a comment if you’d like to join us! I’ll be creating a group chat shortly where we can decide a discussion date together. The chat is also where I’ll share date/time/link for the author chat when finalized.

17/10/2024

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⚔️NOVEMBER EPIC FANTASY PICK⚔️

The very first book read by The Well-Read Wyvern Book Club was The Shadow of the Gods, and many of us went on to read The Hunger of the Gods immediately after. We have also read John Gwynne’s Malice together. Our group clearly has a lot of Gwynne fans!

Reading THE FURY OF THE GODS (US pub date 10/22/24) as soon as possible feels like a necessity. If you have read and enjoyed the first two volumes of The Bloodsworn Trilogy, I hope you will join us!

discusses on Discord. Please comment below or message for a link to our server.

Discussion channels for The Shadow of the Gods and The Hunger of the Gods are still open. So if you are catching up on books one and/or two, feel free to add your comments!

Let me know in the comments if you plan to join us!

17/10/2024

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🎡NOVEMBER CLASSIC SFF🎡

We are kicking off the new Classic SFF Book Club in November with SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury.

The Well-Read Wyvern Book Club typically discusses titles on Discord. But we can try an IG group chat for this one if there’s enough demand.

📣Comment below if you’d like to join us. Also, please note if you prefer Discord or IG for discussion.

📣Share and invite your friends!

14/10/2024

🐉MENAGERIE MONDAY🐉

is celebrating fantastical creatures today with our Menagerie Monday Challenge.

The illustration shown is taken from Tale of the Flying Forest, written by R.M. Romero and illustrated by E.K. Belsher. When I saw these tabby Tatzenwürmer, I knew I had to feature them for Menagerie Monday.

For more about Tale of the Flying Forest, check out the feature I posted earlier today for

I plan to host some middle grade buddy reads in March, and I think this book with its cat-snakes would be a fun one!

❓Is a cat-snake more or less scary than a snake-snake? What’s the strangest creature you’ve encountered in a story?

14/10/2024

🐦‍⬛TALE OF THE FLYING FOREST🐦‍⬛

I absolutely loved R.M. Romero’s The Ghosts of Rose Hill, so I jumped at the chance to host a tour stop for her latest book TALE OF THE FLYING FOREST.

I’m so grateful to and for gifting me a finished copy of this gorgeous book! The black and white illustrations throughout by E.K. Belsher are a lovely addition to the reading experience.

The book’s audience is middle grade readers, but this is the kind of magical story that will appeal to all ages.

Here’s the publisher’s summary:

A spellbinding and lyrical Jewish Narnia for a new age, with lavish illustrations that bring the fairy tale magic to life.

After her mother passes away and her father retreats into his grief, 11-year-old Anne Applebaum is afraid the only happy endings she’ll ever have are in The World to Come, a collection of fairy tales about the flying forest of Bei Ilai. In its pages, children outsmart demons, girls train as knights, and songs come to life.

But even these stories can’t stop Anne from feeling alone. So when a raven tells her that she has a long-lost twin brother named Rainer, she sets out to find him.

Anne soon learns that Bei Ilai is a real place—and she must step through the door into this magical realm to seek her brother. But the dangers in the flying forest are just as real as its beauty.

To overcome the challenges and monsters she faces, Anne must lean into the magic contained within her and her Jewish faith—especially when she discovers Rainer is locked away by a being more frightening than any dragon.

Because the most terrifying villain of all is one who used to be a hero.

For a list of all hosts and future tour opportunities, visit https://tbrandbeyondtours.com/

❓Do you have a favorite book from your middle grade years?

12/10/2024

🕷️CURRENT READ🕷️

I’m currently reading THE CHANGE by Kirsten Miller. It’s one of the titles from my 24 in 2024 Backlist Challenge TBR. Thank you to for volunteering to read with me! I’m listening to the audio this weekend while dealing with some long overdue housework.

This one works well on audio because it is far from subtle. 😂

I’ve chosen to feature this book today because it fits this week’s theme challenge for - create a post inspired by Stephen King’s Carrie.

The Change talks a lot about menstruation and the damaging messages girls and women are given by society - in part through advertising - about their bodies. The shame and secrecy that surround monthly bleeding were especially damaging to Jo, who was bullied by classmates calling her “Carrie.”

➡️Scroll to the second photo for the Carrie passages in The Change.

❓If you listen to audiobooks, what do you do while listening? If you don’t listen, is there a reason why you avoid the format?

10/10/2024

🐦‍⬛THE WITCHES OF EL PASO🐦‍⬛

Happy release week to Luis Jaramillo and THE WITCHES OF EL PASO! I downloaded this eARC from NetGalley then was excited to win a print ARC from on GoodReads. Isn’t the cover fabulous?!

I’m really excited for this book and I’ve prioritized it on my Fall TBR. From the description, it doesn’t sound like anything I’ve read before:

“A lawyer and her elderly great-aunt use their supernatural gifts to find a lost child in this richly imagined and empowering story of motherhood, magic, and legacy.

If you call to the witches, they will come.

1943, El Paso, teenager Nena spends her days caring for the small children of her older sisters, while longing for a life of freedom and adventure. The premonitions and fainting spells she has endured since childhood are getting worse, and Nena worries she’ll end up like the scary old curandera down the street. Nena prays for help, and when the mysterious Sister Benedicta arrives late one night, Nena follows her across the borders of space and time. In colonial Mexico, Nena grows into her power, finding love and learning that magic always comes with a price.

In the present day, Nena’s grandniece, Marta, balances a struggling legal aid practice with motherhood and the care of the now ninety-three-year-old Nena. When Marta agrees to help search for a daughter Nena left in the past, the two forge a fierce connection. Marta’s own supernatural powers emerge, awakening her to new possibilities that threaten the life she has constructed.”

❓Do you have any witchy books on your fall TBR?

09/10/2024

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📕📗📘📙BOOK OF GEORGE

It’s pub week for THE BOOK OF GEORGE by Kate Greathead! Thank you to for gifting me this ARC.

Here’s a summary of the book from the publisher:

“If you haven’t had the misfortune of dating a George, you know someone who has. He’s a young man brimming with potential but incapable of following through; noncommittal to his long-suffering girlfriend, Jenny; distant from but still reliant on his mother; funny one minute, sullenly brooding the next.

Here, Kate Greathead paints one particular, unforgettable George in a series of droll and surprisingly poignant snapshots of his life over two decades.

And yet, it’s hard not to root for George at least a little. Beneath his cynicism is a reservoir of fondness for Jenny’s valiant willingness to put up with him. Each demonstration of his flaws is paired with a self-eviscerating comment. No one is more disappointed in him than himself (except maybe Jenny and his mother). As hilarious as it is astute and singular as it is universal, The Book of George is a deft, unexpectedly moving portrait of millennial masculinity.”

❓Is there a George in your life?

Well-Read Wyvern

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