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To Bargain with Mortals
R.A. Basu
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An outcast heiress. A notorious gang leader. A country on the brink of revolution.
In the colonized nation of Viryana, Poppy Sutherland lives between cultures. As the brown-skinned adopted daughter of the Viceroy, she is both rejected by white high society and alienated from the people of her native island. When she discovers her opportunistic fiancé’s plot to exile her, Poppy flees—straight into the clutches of the Jackal.
Hasan Devar, the ruthless criminal known as the Jackal, has long been targeted for his family’s divine magic, a gift the colonizers have tried to stamp out. When his brother is arrested, he seizes Poppy as leverage. But Poppy has powerful secrets—and political ambitions—of her own. As allies, they could do more than just free Hasan’s brother and keep Poppy safe. They could topple the very power structures that hold them all back.
The first book in the Reckoning Storm duology, To Bargain with Mortals is a stunning reflection on politics and purpose, blood and allegiance—and what we do with the histories we inherit.
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Books Right Now\ \ Rashi Dembi\ \ • Jun 4
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This is your reminder to read South Asian books all year long!
If you’re looking for book recs, I’ve got you! Here are two pages of my favorite South Asian books as well as two pages of the South Asian books on my TBR.
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Stardust Books\ \ Joy\ \ • Jun 4
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Books Right Now\ \ Rashi Dembi\ \ • May 15
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[I absolutely love reading Indian fantasy books, particularly when they’re written by Indian authors who portray our culture with the love and care it deserves.\ \ Here are five of my favorite Indian fantasy books of all time and their synopses!\ \
- Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari\ \ \ \ Abbakka Chowta never expected to be queen. The youngest of Ullal’s two rajkumaris, Abbakka has spent years in rigorous combat training to become her sister’s blade. But when the monstrous Porcugi attempt to lay claim to Ullal, Abbakka’s world―and fate―are upended.\ \ The Porcugi―giant half-men, half-snakes who attack from the sea―haven’t been seen in Ullal since their failed invasion more than fifty years ago. But now, they’re back with vengeance and a choice: pay their tithes or suffer total devastation. Soon, Abbakka’s definitions of strength, subterfuge, and statecraft are put to the test. Will marriage to a neighboring king give her the resources she needs to protect her people . . . or will she watch her homeland be crushed beneath the waves of would-be colonizers?\ \ A lush historical fantasy that reimagines the Portuguese attacks on South India in the 1500s and the fierce real-life queen’s story, Burn the Sea is an electrifying exaltation of female power and the value of freedom.\ \
- To Bargain with Mortals by R.A. Basu\ \ \ \ In the colonized nation of Viryana, Poppy Sutherland lives between cultures. As the brown-skinned adopted daughter of the Viceroy, she is both rejected by white high society and alienated from the people of her native island. When she discovers her opportunistic fiancé’s plot to exile her, Poppy flees—straight into the clutches of the Jackal. \ \ Hasan Devar, the ruthless criminal known as the Jackal, has long been targeted for his family’s divine magic, a gift the colonizers have tried to stamp out. When his brother is arrested, he seizes Poppy as leverage. But Poppy has powerful secrets—and political ambitions—of her own. As allies, they could do more than just free Hasan’s brother and keep Poppy safe. They could topple the very power structures that hold them all back. \ \ The first book in the Reckoning Storm duology, To Bargain with Mortals is a stunning reflection on politics and purpose, blood and allegiance—and what we do with the histories we inherit. \ \
- The Phoenix King by Aparna Verma\ \ \ \ The Ravani kingdom was born of a prophecy, carved from unforgiving desert sands and ruled by the Ravence bloodline: those with the power to command the Eternal Fire.\ \ Elena Aadya is the heir to the throne—and the only Ravence who cannot wield her family’s legendary magic. As her coronation approaches, she will do whatever it takes to prove herself a worthy successor to her revered father. But she doesn’t anticipate the arrival of Yassen Knight, the notorious assassin who now claims fealty to the throne. Elena’s father might trust Yassen to be a member of her royal guard, but she is certain he is hiding something.\ \
- Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel\ \ \ \ A mother and a son. A goddess and a prince. A curse and an oath. A river whose course will change the fate of the world.\ \ Ganga, joyful goddess of the river, serves as caretaker to the mischievous godlings who roam her banks. But when their antics incur the wrath of a powerful sage, Ganga is cursed to become mortal, bound to her human form until she fulfills the obligations of the curse.\ \ Though she knows nothing of mortal life, Ganga weds King Shantanu and becomes a queen, determined to regain her freedom no matter the cost. But in a cruel turn of fate, just as she is freed of her binding, she is forced to leave her infant son behind.\ \ Her son, prince Devavrata, unwittingly carries the legacy of Ganga’s curse. And when he makes an oath that he will never claim his father’s throne, he sets in motion a chain of events that will end in a terrible and tragic war.\ \ As the years unfold, Ganga and Devavrata are drawn together again and again, each confluence another step on a path that has been written in the stars, in this deeply moving and masterful tale of duty, destiny, and the unwavering bond between mother and son.\ \
- The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao\ \ \ \ Across the mortal and immortal realms, celestial dancers known as apsaras are revered for their beauty, allure, and enchanting magic. But Meneka knows that is not all they are. Trained as a weapon—a warrior—Meneka despises leaving each of her marks in thrall to her potent illusions. With every seduction Lord Indra, king of heaven, demands of her for his political gain, she craves her freedom more and more.\ \ When a mortal sage’s growing powers threaten Indra’s supremacy in his own realm, Meneka seizes a rare opportunity. She strikes a deal—if she can seduce this dangerous man, Indra will allow her to forgo future missions. But upon meeting the sage, Kaushika, Meneka finds herself captivated by his energy, ignited by his empathy and passion, even though he threatens everything she’s ever known. Can she overthrow the man who is—little by little—stealing her heart, or is Kaushika seducing her instead? As war looms in the skies, Meneka must choose between her duty to protect her home, and the sage who is showing her what true love can mean.\ \ Romantic, spellbinding, and empowering, The Legend of Meneka breathes new life into Hindu mythology to weave a lustrous tale of a woman discovering the cosmic power within herself. This first book in the Divine Dancers duology is a completely unputdownable adventure for lovers of romantasy and myth retellings.](https://booksrightnow.binderybooks.com/item/7x7r46ffqBBdkLFMRRHA/)
5 Indian Fantasy Books by Indian Authors!
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Books Right Now\ \ Rashi Dembi\ \ • Apr 30
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Review of my last two 5⭐️ reads: So Let Them Burn and This Ends in Embers by Kamilah Cole + 4 more anti-colonizer books to add to your TBR!
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chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Mar 24
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an overly ambitious last-week-of-March TBR
Me: read 0 books last week Also me: yes I can definitely read 7 books this week #booktok #tbr #toberead #fantasybooktok
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Mar 10
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WINNERS of our 2025 Best of Books
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Left Unread Books\ \ Michael LaBorn\ \ • Feb 19
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The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • Jan 28
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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jan 7
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my last reading wrapup of 2025 📚 books i read in october, november, & december
watch for my reviews of the last 15 or so books i read toward the end of 2025!
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Dec 9 2025
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To Bargain With Mortals e-book sale!!! (+ Best of Book nominations)
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Dec 8 2025
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Fantasy & Frens\ \ Zoranne\ \ • Dec 8 2025
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Fantasy & Frens\ \ Zoranne\ \ • Dec 2 2025
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GIVEAWAY! Win a set of all Fall Bindery Titles!
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Dec 1 2025
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Happy TBWM celebration day! A giveaway, a new podcast episode, and I have some favors to ask...
I may have made this day up, but I'm gonna have fun with it
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Dec 1 2025
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A Complete Timeline of To Bargain With Mortals: from text message prompt to published novel
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Nov 24 2025
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[International To Bargain With Mortals Day! is a thing I have just made up, but we’re going with it. \ \ Bargain has been out for almost a MONTH, which feels crazy. It’s out in the world. I’m seeing the pictures you guys send me of it from all over the place and people are reading it! It’s such a fun process to see this book that went from a tiny circle of people to a small publishing team to a little pool of early readers now be out in the world to everyone, but the work is not done! My work, anyway, but I’m gonna ask for your help on this one.\ \ I’d love to ask for your help and support in making next Monday, December 1st, a big day for Bargain by doing any (or all!) of the following…\ \
- Buy the book! For yourself if you haven’t picked it up yet, or if you’re planning on gifting it to a reader friend, it’s the perfect time\
\
- And there may or may not be an e-book sale coming up this week ;)\
- If you’ve finished the book, post your review!\
\
- On review sites like Goodreads (where we’re inching closer to 500 ratings!) or Storygraph, but even if you already have, it’s a great day to cross-share that review to retail sites like Amazon (this is extremely helpful), Barnes & Noble, Indigo, etc. wherever it is that you buy!\
- Post about it on social media!\
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- Whether you have 10 followers or 10,000, visibility is so incredibly important for a book. Post about Bargain to your feeds and/or in your stories, share it on your personal pages to let friends and family know what you’re reading, I’d love to see my mentions flooded with people sharing Bargain!\ \ The holidays are both an extremely important and extremely difficult promotional time for books, and I want to close out 2025 with as strong a finish as possible by giving Bargain as much of a leg up as we possibly can in its first months. \ \ And on my end of our little celebration, I’ll be doing a giveaway of (possibly the last?) one of our VIP ARC boxes that we sent out to influencers to promote the book ^_^ So keep an eye out for that on Monday as well as whatever else I'm cooking up over here.\ \ More to come, but I wanted to get this out of my brain and into your hands <3 Thank you all for being here. More than ever, I'm feeling so dedicated and motivated to create a space in publishing that is equitable and supportive of our authors and the work that we love so much, that refuses to overlook stories and writers based on the choices of executive boards and social media trends, and the way that we can continue to do that is by giving as much love and support to our books as possible. \ - Emma](https://skiesreads.binderybooks.com/item/ybeskvCRllzssVqyM7JB/)
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Nov 15 2025
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Ladybug Books\ \ Samantha\ \ • Nov 9 2025
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[Hello friends, and welcome back to my weekly newsletter! This week has been a very good reading week! I finished an exciting new release and discovered a new audiobook obsession. Read to the end to see what other books I think are even better to read via audiobook. \ \
- *\ \ Reading Updates Paperback | Finished: To Bargain with Mortals \ \ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨\ \ Thoughts: To Bargain with Mortals is an excellent start to a new fantasy series! Basu delivers a compelling twist on familiar fantasy story elements. I really loved the depth and complexity given to each of the characters. Poppy, in particular, was really forced to confront her biases and privilege. This book has so much to say about identity, family, culture, and community. I am incredibly excited to see where the story goes in the sequel. The characters are in a very precarious position and I am sure the next book will be filled with tension, betrayal, and scheming. \ \ Audiobook | Finished: Ancillary Justice \ \ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨\ \ Thoughts: I absolutely see why this is such a beloved SciFi series. Ancillary Justice captures a lot of the things that I love to read about in SciFi. Interesting depth to unique characters, large scale politics, scheming, and fascinating world building. There is definitely a lot of setup in this first book, but I found myself so interested in all of the details. I particularly loved the attention to linguistic features. This is a surprisingly excellent audiobook read as well! The narrators performance is exceptional and I think it really helped compensate for some of the slower moments in the book. \ \ Audiobook | Finished: Ancillary Sword \ \ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\ \ Thoughts: Look at me actually reading a series back to back! I haven't been this obsessed with an audiobook series since Murderbot. This second book features a shift to a seemingly random station that serves as a marked example of flaws and weaknesses that have been plaguing the Radch empire. I really enjoyed watching Breq manuever through the complex politics of this situation. You can really feel both her grief and her simmering rage in her narration and actions. I am obsessed with both Breq and Seivardan. I also loved the occasional moments of humor and banter in this one. I cannot wait to finish up the trilogy and then explore the other books in the Imperial Radch world. \ \ Ebook | Currently Reading: The Sacred Space Between \ \ Progress: 10%\ \ Thoughts: I got a little distracted by the Imperial Radch trilogy this week so I'm still at the very beginning of The Sacred Space Between. I am incredibly intrigued by the mysterious magic that has been hinted at so far as well as the dark truths of the church. I have heard nothing but glowing praise for the romance in this book and I cannot wait to continue!\ \
- *\ \ Future Reading Plans \ \ To be honest, nothing has really changed with my future reading plans. The Everlasting, Kill The Beast, and The Isle in the Silver Sea remain at the top of my TBR. Of course Ancillary Mercy will be the next book I pick up. \ \
- *\ \ Book Recommendations \ \ I read a lot of audiobooks and there are definitely some types of books that I prefer to read via audio. Sometimes the audiobook performance really enhances the reading experience. Here a few books that I think are even better to read via aubio. \ \ \ \ The Murderbot Diaries: This is absolutely the shining example of a series that is even better via aubiobook. This series follows Murderbot, a SecUnit that has hacked itself into sentience and now has anxiety. It just wants to be left alone, but when one of the groups of humans it is in charge of protecting finds themselves in unexpected danger, Murderbot gets wrapped up in galactic plots and conspiracies. Kevin R Free's performance adds so much to the reading experience. His voices for both Murderbot and ART are absolutely perfect. The Network Effect audiobook has become a comfort read for me. I started the series reading it on my Kindle but once I experienced the audiobook I couldn't go back. \ \ \ \ A Letter to the Luminous Deep: A Letter to the Luminous Deep is an epistolary story told through letters between missing scholars, recovered documents, and messages between the scholars' siblings. This is an enchanting epistolary story that slowly reveals its secrets. More than just a romantic tale between scholars, this story explores a range of emotional character relationships. I was particularly moved by the siblings journey bonding over the grief and the mysterious, sudden loss of their siblings. The full cast audiobook adds vivid personality to the various characters whose letters make up the book.\ \ \ \ Book Lovers: Romance is one of those genres that I love to read via audiobook and Julia Whelan is one of my favorite audiobook narrators. Big city literary agent, Nora, travels to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for a girls trip with her younger sister. While there she keeps running into Charlie Lasta, a cuthroat book editor that she has had quite a few unpleasant interactions with in the past. But sparks fly in this small town, dislike-to-like romance. As someone who cannot stand when high-powered, badass city women in Hallmark movies give it all up to move to a small town to be someone's wife, this book spoke to my soul. I literally listened to this audiobook in one sitting. The banter was incredible and some of Charlie's one-liners had me squealing! I highly recommend any of Emily Henry's books via audiobook\ \ Join for free or login](https://ladybug-books.binderybooks.com/item/r4EKvZmReJoCQUg998tg/)
Ladybug.books Newsletter (11/2/25 - 11/8/25)
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Cozy Quill\ \ Meg\ \ • Nov 7 2025
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\ \ Hi friends! We recently had our monthly "Reading Recap" hang with our Cozy Quill paid members and, boy, did they come through with recs!\ \ I wanted to share all these book recommendations with you asap because they just kept coming and they kept getting better. Thank you to everyone who popped into the virtual recap this month and shared the stories you're loving! Your contributions were very generous and I'm excited to offer the list to everyone in our cozy crew.\ \ Scroll down and you'll see all 38 books our Cozy Quillers recommend this season! You can purchase them right from the Bindery site (I do earn a commission on that, I think? I haven't yet so I'm not sure ha!) or just add them to your TBR. Love you all! Until the next reading recap...\ \ x, Meg\ \ Join for free or login](https://cozyquill.binderybooks.com/item/9c4JMh80PlKFSM7uicW9/)
38 Reads We're All Obsessing Over 📚
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Nov 4 2025
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Happy One Week to To Bargain With Mortals!
She's officially one week old. They grow up so fast.
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Nov 2 2025
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To Bargain With Mortals: The Cover Graveyard
The long road from our first design meeting to our final cover, all in here!
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Ladybug Books\ \ Samantha\ \ • Nov 1 2025
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[Hello friends, and welcome back to my weekly newsletter! I had a new five-star read this week that I absolutely loved! And in honor of daylight savings and the sun now setting at 4:30 pm, I thought I would recommend some books where "darkness" is part of the magic system.\ \
- *\ \ Reading Updates Audiobook | DNF: What the River Knows \ \ DNFed at: 41%\ \ Thoughts: There were parts of this story that interested me. I really liked the setting and I was intrigued by the mystery, magic, and banter between Inez and Whit. Unfortunately, the main character was so insufferable that I couldn't enjoy the story and had to stop reading. The audiobook narrator definitely made it worse, but I would have struggled regardless.\ \ Paperback | Currently Reading: To Bargain with Mortals \ \ Progress: 61%\ \ Thoughts: I'm really enjoying To Bargain with Mortals! I really love the way this book is challenging Poppy's character and forcing her to confront her bias and privalege. I am excited (and STRESSED) to see how the characters face the impossible tasks in their future.\ \ Ebook (ARC) | Finished: The Fake Divination Offense \ \ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐\ \ Release Date: May 19, 2026\ \ Thoughts: Apparently I only read my ARCs really early or really late lol. Bramble blessed me with very early access to The Fake Divination Offense, the follow-up to An Entanglement of Rival Wizards. This was exactly what I wanted it to be: a fun, sweet, sexy fantasy rom-com. I really love the way that Sara Raasch balances spicy romance plots with emotional character arcs and relationships. I do feel like the story started to feel a little bit too over the top towards the end. The severity and scale of the plot along with the realtionship dynamic became a bit hard to take seriously. I do prefer the first installment simply because the relationship dynamic and setup interested me more in The Entanglement of Rival Wizards. But I would eagerly pick up even more romance stories set in this world, and I am excited to read more from Sara Raasch. \ \ Audiobook + Ebook | Finished: The White Octopus Hotel \ \ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\ \ Thoughts: I absolutely loved The White Octopus Hotel. I was immediately captivated by this time-bending spiral of a story. The White Octopus Hotel is a quiet, almost melancholy, story about grief, love, hope, and healing. It is about forgiving yourself and finding a hand in the dark. There is a subtle sense of surrealism and magic woven throughout this story that keeps you guessing. I loved uncovering each new layer of the story. It always felt like there was something dark lurking in the background of the hotel, lending the story a slightly gothic feel. Bell really captures the haunting nature of grief and guilt. There is a quiet emotional weight to the character relationships in this story. I loved how raw and real Max and Eve's relationship felt and the unflinching way they handled each other's darkest truths. I cannot recommend this enough to fans of The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden.\ \
- *\ \ Future Reading Plans \ \ This past reading week was filled with a lot of unexpected reads so my future reading plans remain very similar to last week including: The Everlasting, The Sacred Space Between, and Kill The Beast.\ \ \ \ One new addition to my immediate TBR is my most recent Illumicrate book: The Isle in the Silver Sea. I admit I'm not as confident that this will be a win for me, but my friends have been giving this glowing reviews so I remain optimistic.\ \ I also have Ancillary Justice and City of Dragons in my library on Libby as possible audiobook reads. Not sure if either of these will make for good audiobook reads but I need to focus on my physical TBR in these last two months.\ \
- *\ \ Book Recommendations \ \ As promised I bring you dark/shadow magic recommendations! Light and dark as some of my favorite themes to explore in fantasy books and I love seeing the unique ways they are incorporated into worlds and magic systems.\ \ \ \ Dark Rise: I am not so patiently waiting for news of the third book in this series. In this historical fantasy world the ancient magic has long been lost after the destructive war between the Dark and the Light. Our main character Will discovers that he may actually be deeply connected to this magical world and he has an important role to play in the oncoming battle against the Dark. I love a story about the manifestation of darkness and light and the way that history can be retold and warped. This book also plays with reincarnation and fate. The character relationships are so emotional and the sequel is even better!\ \ \ \ Book of Night: The second book in this duology recently came out so I found myself rereading the first book to prepare for the sequel's release. Book of Night follows ex-con artist and thief Charlie who is trying (not that hard) to live a normal life. One night she finds herself forced into a deal with the man who haunts her nightmares. He wants her to track down his missing book of shadow magic. In this urban fantasy world certain people have the ability to manipulate their shadows, using these "quickened" shadows to performs magical feats. But there is always the deadly risk of a shadow absorbing too much from their host and gaining sentience as a blight. Though the world building is a tad undeverdeloped, I found myself so invested in these characters and the romance subplot.\ \ \ \ The Serpent and the Wolf: Though I haven't talked about this book much, The Serpent and the Wolf is a romantic fantasy that I really enjoyed! Vaasa is forced into an arranged marriage and tasked by her brother to use her marriage to infiltrate the rival kingdom. Vaasa chooses to take her fate into her own hands and escapes on her wedding night. But her new husband, Reid, tracks her down and makes a deal with her, one that could change the fate of both kingdoms. One of the things I loved most about this book was the emotional story of healing and the way that Vaasa's relationship with her shadowy magic represented her trauma and her journey of recovery.\ \
- *\ \ If you have any specific book recommendations that you've been looking for let me know and I'd be happy to include them in the next newsletter. See you next week with more reading updates and book recommendations.\ \ Happy reading!\ \ Samantha (ladybug.books)\ \ Join for free or login](https://ladybug-books.binderybooks.com/item/kU0tdhz23kOzDSggZvrT/)
Ladybug.books newsletter (10/26/25 - 11/1/25)
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Oct 29 2025
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BARGAIN RELEASE NIGHT - a chatty video update [BINDERY EXCLUSIVE]
To Bargain With Mortals came out tonight! A quick little check-in on how the day went
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Oct 28 2025
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IT'S THE NIGHT BEFORE BARGAIN! A video update and a request <3
It's the night before To Bargain With Mortals releases out into the world and I'm feeling a lot of feelings about it
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Alyssa’s Library\ \ alyssa\ \ • Oct 27 2025
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[Poll:\ \ november read\ \ i can’t believe it’s already almost november y'all, time is genuinely flyingggg. here are four options for our november bookclub read! \ \ options:\ \
- cursebound by saara el-arifi (sequel to faebound)\ \
- the isle in the silver sea by tasha suri\ \
- eternal ruin by tigest girma (sequel to immortal dark)\ \
- to bargain with mortals by r. a. basu\ \ \ as always if you want to read along with everyone, join my discord <3](https://alyssaslibrary.binderybooks.com/item/Jll6VXprmnkOdw0YvDAg/)
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Oct 26 2025
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2 Bargain 2 Mortals...Here we go [SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE]
BOOK 2 LET'S GOOOOOOO
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Ladybug Books\ \ Samantha\ \ • Oct 26 2025
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[Hello friends, and welcome back to my weekly newsletter! This week, I finished two more books on my priority TBR and started a highly anticipated release. I also have some recommendations for fantasy books perfect for the spooky season\ \
- *\ \ Reading Updates: Audiobook | Finished: Goddess of the River \ \ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐\ \ Thoughts: Goddess of the River is a beautiful and emotional story. This is my first book by Vaishnavi Patel, and I was absolutely swept away by her writing. Ganga's journey of godhood was incredibly interesting. I loved seeing her growth as she learned to accept and care for the humans that depended on her waters. I really struggled with Bhisma's chapters at times. There were a lot of interesting ideas about responsibility, goodness, and justice. But it was really difficult to follow all of the different characters and plot lines, especially with the timeline jumping around. I will definitely need to check out Kaikeyi soon. \ \ Hardcover | Finished: Moonbound \ \ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐\ \ Thoughts: Moonbound is a charmingly strange story that pulls together elements of far future SciFi with some classic fantasy vibes to create a truly unique and intriguing story. I LOVE a story that plays with perspective and unique narrators. This story is told from the perspective of a sentient AI that is woken when a young boy stumbles across the remnants of a civilization that has been dead for 11,000 years. I was immediately intrigued by the narrator and its role as a chronicler and witness to the young boys great destiny. Humanity has fallen and come back as something both completely new and oddly familiar. The world is this really interesting blend of quirky classical fantasy elements—wizards, talking animals, dragons on the moon—and extremely advanced technologies. I will say that it lost me a bit in the middle as the story became a bit too focused on exploring the quirky nature of the world. With a story like this, I want the story to lean into the strange narrator, the secrets, the technologies, and do something interesting with the concept. Though it kind of gets there at the end, the middle is less concerned with the parts of the story that I found most compelling which caused my interest to wane a bit. \ \ Currently reading | Paperback (ARC): To Bargain with Mortals \ \ Progress: 35%\ \ Thoughts: I am finally reading To Bargain with Mortals!!! I already know that I am going to eat this up. The writing is engaging, the world building is strong, and I am so invested in the characters' lives. One thing I'm really appreciating is how realistically complex the two main characters have been so far. Poppy in particular manages to walk the very fine line of being realistically naive for her situation without being insufferable to read about. She feels real and I can't help but root for her growth as a character. I am also really looking forward to seeing more of the magic. \ \
- *\ \ Future Reading Plans: \ \ Once I finish To Bargain with Mortals I need to start another highly anticipated release: The Sacred Space Between. This story is about an exiled saint and the devout iconographer sent to paint him. I just know the gothic atmosphere and romance are going to be perfect.\ \ \ \ I only recently found myself really excited to read The Everlasting. After being so disappointed by The Second Death of Locke, I think I have transferred all of my hopes onto The Everlasting instead. I will definitely be at the bookstore this week to pick up a copy!\ \ \ \ The most recent addition to my physical TBR is Kill the Beast by Serra Swift. A friend told me personally that she thought I would love it and that is all that I needed to know. A fairy-tale story of revenge, redemption, and friendship. \ \
- *\ \ Fantasy Books Perfect for the Spooky Season \ \ With Halloween quickly approaching I thought I would share some books with magic systems or atmospheres that are perfect for the spooky season. \ \ \ \ Asunder: You should know by now that I am going to take any opportunity to recommend Asunder. This dark, gritty fantasy has a world that I think is best described as "horror Studio Ghibli." With elements that could almost have been cozy, this broken world is creepy, unsettling, and sometimes magical. In this book we follow a girl who has made a bond with an eldritch god that left her with the ability to see the dead. While on a job she stumbles across a dying mysterious stranger. In order to save him she binds his soul to her shadow, accidentally creating a bond that threatens to destroy them both. The two of them go on a quest to break the bond and pick up a ragtag group of reluctatnt allies along the way. \ \ \ \ House of Salt and Sorrows: This YA gothic horror retelling of the twelve dancing princesses also contains some of the most unsettling scenes I have ever read. That is not to say that it is particulary scary, but the sense of atmosphere is so rich and consuming that I got swept away in the nightmare. I loved the cold, stormy seaside setting and I was so invested in the mysterious curse haunting the young girls. House of Salt and Sorrows makes for the perfect gloomy fall read.\ \ \ \ Silver Under Nightfall: Would it be a spooky season recommendation list if I didn't include my favorite vampire book? Silver Under Nightfall follows disgraced vampire hunter Remy who lives in the shadow of his mother's disgraceful death despite his talent as a hunter. When two mysterious vampires come to the kingdom, Remy is recruited to help them uncover the mystery between the dangerous monsters threatening the kingdom. The gothic vampire setting makes this the perfect spooky season read. There is also an incredible vampire x vampire hunter romance to add even more tension to the story. Might I also suggest treating this as a standalone and pretending that Court of Wanderers doesn't exist lol. \ \
- *\ \ Have you been saving any particular books for the spooky season? See you next week with more reading updates and book recommendations.\ \ Happy reading!\ \ Samantha (ladybug.books)\ \ Join for free or login](https://ladybug-books.binderybooks.com/item/06Dms0lsig9BfcE9Rm3P/)
Ladybug.books Newsletter (10/19/25 - 10/25/25)
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Skies Press\ \ Emma\ \ • Oct 25 2025
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REQUESTING YOUR HELP for a photo project with To Bargain With Mortals!
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Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Oct 21 2025
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new releases & upcoming books that sound cool (& that you should add to your TBR) 📚
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chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Oct 16 2025
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overly ambitious ghoulishly bookish readathon tbr
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