It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? August 22, 2022

Good Morning,

It’s the start of another week. It’s Monday! What are you Reading is hosted by Kathryn from Book Date, this is a weekly event to share what we’ve read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind.

It has been a while since I have done one of these posts. I just hope that I will be able to keep doing them.

Recent Books

Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 8 by Ryōsuke Takeuchi | Moriarty the Patriot #8 | Manga, Sherlockian, Mystery | Add to Goodreads

The untold story of Sherlock Holmes’ greatest rival, Moriarty!

Before he was Sherlock’s rival, Moriarty fought against the unfair class caste system in London by making sure corrupt nobility got their comeuppance. But even the most well-intentioned plans can spin out of control—will Moriarty’s dream of a more just and equal world turn him into a hero…or a monster?

Judgment is about to be served when William Moriarty finally comes face-to-face with the fake Jack the Ripper, who is actually not one, but two men who are tarnishing his childhood mentor’s good name for the sake of sowing fear and discord in London. Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes begins to unravel the mystery of Jack the Ripper and the Lord of Crime’s involvement in the case. This leads to the arrest of the original Jack the Ripper—William’s mentor, who is innocent! Albert Moriarty sends in MI6’s newest recruit to go undercover and infiltrate Scotland Yard to get to the bottom of this sham of an arrest.

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The King’s Beast, Vol. 7 by Rei Toma | The King’s Beast #7 | Manga, Fantasy, Romance | Add to Goodreads

Ajin boys who show signs of special abilities are conscripted to serve in the imperial palace as beast-servants—status symbols and shields for their royal masters, to be kept or discarded on a whim. When they were children, Rangetsu’s twin brother Sogetsu was ripped from her arms and sent to the palace to attend Prince Tenyou as a beast-servant, where he quickly fell victim to bloody dynastic intrigues. Now in a world that promises only bitterness, Rangetsu’s one hope at avenging her brother is to disguise herself as a man and find a way into the palace!

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Knight’s Shadow by Sebastien de Castell | Greatcoats #2 | Fantasy | Add to Goodreads

Following his beloved debut, Traitor’s Blade (a “swashbuckling romp packed with charisma, camaraderie, quick wit and even quicker swordplay”-NPR), Sebastien de Castell returns with volume two of his fast-paced fantasy adventure series, inspired by the swashbuckling action and witty banter of The Three Musketeers. Knight’s Shadow continues the series with a thrilling and dark tale of heroism and betrayal in a country crushed under the weight of its rulers’ corruption.

A few days after the horrifying murder of a duke and his family, Falcio val Mond, swordsman and First Cantor of the Greatcoats, begins a deadly pursuit to capture the killer. But Falcio soon discovers his own life is in mortal danger from a poison administered as a final act of revenge by one of his deadliest enemies. As chaos and civil war begin to overtake the country, Falcio has precious little time left to stop those determined to destroy his homeland.

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Currently Reading

The Commoner’s Destiny by Fred Yu | The Red Crest Series #2 | Epic Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Asian Fantasy | Add to Goodreads

His past is dark. His intentions are cloudy. When lies pull him out of hiding, can he fight off imminent destruction?

Ancient China. For Chen Han, honor sits above all. So when his name is unjustly slandered and his former brothers-in-arms rise against him, he doesn’t hesitate to counter the falsehoods. But his heart burns for vengeance after he learns his beloved father figure has been murdered by a hidden villain…

Joining forces with a beautiful archer, Han treks to a dangerous island only to spring a deadly trap. And as he discovers a plot that could drive the entire Middle Kingdom into civil war, he must become the very traitor he swore to destroy in order to save his people from slaughter.

Will he submit to disgrace to stop countless deaths?

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Mao, Vol. 6 by Rumiko Takahashi | Mao #6 | Manga, Fantasy | Add to Goodreads

Exorcise your destiny in an era-spanning supernatural adventure from manga legend Rumiko Takahashi!

When Nanoka is transported back in time to a supernatural early 20th century, she gets recruited by aloof exorcist Mao. What thread of fate connects them? Together, they seek answers…and kick some demon butt along the way!

The reason for Shiranui’s bitter grudge against Mao is revealed. And now he demands that Mao give him the Taizanfukun spell, which has the power to control lifespans. But Shiranui isn’t the only one who wants it! Then, when the gang floats theories about the origin of Byoki and his powers, Nanoka recruits Shiraha again to help with her research in the present day. Will Shiraha’s crush on Nanoka ever be requited, or does she only have cat eyes for Mao? Plus, the attack that left the scar under Mao’s eye!

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Master of Sorrows by Justin Call | The Silent Gods #1 | Fantasy | Add to Goodreads

You’ve heard the story before: an orphaned boy, raised by a wise old man, comes to a fuller knowledge of his magic and uses it to fight the great evil threatening his world.

But what if that hero were destined to become the new dark lord?

The Academy of Chaenbalu has stood against magic for centuries. Hidden from the world, acting from the shadows, it trains its students to detect and retrieve magic artifacts, which it jealously guards from the misuse of others. Because magic is dangerous: something that heals can also harm, and a power that aids one person may destroy another.

Of the academy’s many students, only the most skilled can become avatars—warrior thieves, capable of infiltrating the most heavily guarded vaults—and only the most determined can be trusted to resist the lure of magic. More than anything, Annev de Breth wants to become one of them.

But Annev carries a secret. Unlike his classmates who were stolen as infants from the capital city, Annev was born in the village of Chaenbalu, was believed to be executed, and then unknowingly raised by his parents’ killers. Seventeen years later, he struggles with the burdens of a forbidden magic, a forgotten heritage, and a secret deformity. When Annev is subsequently caught between the warring ideologies of his priestly mentor and the Academy’s masters, he must finally decide whether to accept the truth of who he really is … or embrace the darker truth of what he may one day become.

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What are you hoping to get to read this week?