In this issue:
MY LORD: new prologue & early access
Free bookplates
Looking for reviewers
Book review: Tall White Tenement, by Anna Kirchner
MY LORD: new prologue & early access
I’ve been working hard on the edits for MY LORD’s rerelease and the second edition is going to be so much better 🙌 If you wish to get early access, I’ll be posting a chapter to my wattpad every week 👀
The rerelease will happen on the 17th of May 🎉 and the official book will contain content that won’t be on wattpad 😏
For now, you can read the brand new prologue here on wattpad, and I’ll also add it to the end of this newsletter ♥
Free bookplates
If you got a physical copy of the first edition, post a photo of it to social media and tag me. I’ll be sending people free signed bookplates as long as I got bookplates to send 😄
Oh, and should you fancy the old cover, you can contact me as I still got several copies and I can sell you one directly—autograph included of course 😉)
Looking for reviewers
For the rerelease I’d love to get some ARCs of the new edition out to reviewers. So if you’re one—or know one—let me know and I’ll arrange a copy ♥
Book review:
Tall White Tenement, by Anna Kirchner
With Anna’s books having found a new home with Fractured Mirror Publishing, and book 1 (Little Black Bird) now back out into the world, book 2 (Tall White Tenement) is soon to follow!
So, to get you excited for the sequel, here’s my review of Tall White Tenement:
A wild ride with magic and demons, all while still finding time to discuss ace and aro feels 💜🖤💚
TL;DR review:
The sequel to LITTLE BLACK BIRD is filled to the brim with magic, Slavic demons (and even some non-Slavic 😏), and as said: all the ace, aro, and questioning rep. It was amazing and has plenty of little Easter eggs for people in those communities, making it extra special when reading and feeling seen.
The story itself is fast-paced and you can feel the time-pressure Wiki and her friends are under all too well as they run from one thing to the next as they try to save the world (even if they are still in doubt what saving it would actually entail).
Longer, more in-depth review:
On LGBTQ+:
Where Little Black Bird started with the questioning and ace rep, Tall White Tenement continues. There's more ace rep, aro rep, and all the commentary on amatonormativity, heteronormativity, and allonormativity. Of course, there's also more questioning rep as labels are vast and it's okay to not know what describes you best. There's more queer rep too, and a little content warning as not everyone is as accepting as our main characters are.
On magic and demons:
I really love the magic system in these books and how tangible it feels. The way it also describes how different kinds of magic work, and how other cultures/religions have basically made their own is really on point with how things went down here in Europe. The demons mentioned are also a real treat, featuring some more well-known ones and some you may know with a completely different look. (I'll admit: I looked one up because I had such a different image in mind and was happily surprised to learn otherwise.)
On style:
The book is written in first person and is fast-paced. There are a lot of Polish names/terms, but the front has a very handy list of all these and how to pronounce them, for anyone who wishes to know. There are also a few Polish treats/dishes mentioned and you might look those up as some sound really tasty. Overal, the addition of all these things add to the vibe of the book and really make it stand out ♥
Final notes:
If you enjoyed the first book, you're going to love this one even more. The aspec-rep, the demons, and dare I say... dragon 😏 Get yourself a nice cup of tea or coffee, maybe a nice jagodzianka to go with it, get comfy under a blanket, and dive back into the magical world and find out if Wiki and her friends will break the curse or save magic...
MY LORD: new prologue
Empty eye sockets stared back at Meya, the stench of decay wafting towards her on a warm breeze. Bile rose in the back of her throat, and she looked away whilst covering her mouth and nose with her sleeve. Flies buzzed around the decapitated head, their maggots feasting on the remaining flesh.
Oh Gods, she thought, they weren’t lying back in town.
With trepidation, she hurried along the road lined with rotting heads and incomplete bodies of—what she’d been told—were raiders and enemy soldiers.
She shuddered, suppressing memories that threatened to resurface, and her stomach roiled as the foul odour intensified. Gaze turned to the ground, she tried to focus on the path.
Soon it’ll stop and all will be well, Meya told herself.
She swallowed and her eyes shot up for a moment. There were four more bodies before the macabre deterrent came to an end. She was about to avert her gaze again when she noticed the last corpse was rather fresh. A morbid fascination took hold of her, and she scrutinised the impaled head as she passed, slowing down a little, only to quickly regret it as her meagre breakfast threatened to come up.
If the stench alone wasn’t abhorrent enough, the sight was. Meya gagged and sprinted away. She shook her head in an attempt to rid the memory, but she couldn’t unsee the many bugs crawling in and out of the festering orifices. The skin was a rotting mess, but despite that and the fact that the birds had already made off with the eyes, she could still tell that the eyelids had been cut off.
I wonder if they did that before or after killing them…
Her upset stomach not appreciating the exertion, she slowed down. She swallowed and took a deep breath, thankful the wind was coming from the east—away from the dead. For a moment, she contemplated if she should continue down the road or head back to the last town she’d spent a good month at.
No. I need to get further away. I should be able to go one or two more towns before I must settle again for the winter. She straightened, gritted her teeth, and repositioned her knapsack. Fuelled with renewed determination, she continued her journey east.
If after reading this you want to know more about MY LORD, you can do so here.
You can pre-order the eBook here (paperback will be available after release (May 17)).
You can also add the new edition to your Goodreads here.
And if you wish to have early access and read a chapter for free every week, you can do so via my wattpad here.
~*~
Well, that's it for this issue. If you have any feedback (things I can improve, things you like, anything really) please let me know 💜
Hi Shane, I would definitely be interested in reviewing My Lord. You can find my reviews at https://wastanley.com/reviews/ for an idea of what to expect.
Super excited for My Lord's new look ♥ And yay for more ace rep in books!