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Morgan Sheppard (1030 KP) created a post

Dec 22, 2025  
❄️ As December draws in and the world turns quiet, Sealed with a Curse invites you into a kingdom shaped by loss, grief, and the dangerous touch of divine magic.

Once, Selene walked the halls of Melthkior as a companion to its Princes. Now, she endures their cruelty as a swan herder—alone but for her beloved swans and the kindness of the kitchen folk. When the gods intervene and a terrible curse strikes the six Princes, Selene faces an impossible choice: help those who hurt her… or leave them to their fate.

A haunting, emotional fairytale retelling woven with Welsh mythology, perfect for reflective winter reading. 🦢✨

https://books2read.com/SealedwithaCurse

#DecemberReading #WinterFantasy #SealedWithACurse #FairytaleRetelling #MythicFantasy #BookishWinter
     
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Morgan Sheppard (1030 KP) created a post

Jan 24, 2026  
The Story Hearth is open. 💙

A cosy corner for readers who love fantasy, mythology, and romance that’s all heart and connection. This is where ARC readers and backlist explorers can gather to get early access to new releases, chat about characters and stories, and settle in with a little bit of magic.

Joining is easy:
✨ Fill out the form: https://forms.gle/jwdFDqs77LD4D2Tu5
✨ Or join directly on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestoryhearth

Not your cup of tea? That’s absolutely fair enough. But if you know someone who might love this kind of story, sharing the link would be truly appreciated.

Here’s to new chapters, ancient legends, and the stories that connect us all. 💙
     
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Morgan Sheppard (1030 KP) created a post

May 18, 2026  
Some stories begin long before the characters know they've started 🌊

Ariandwyn, the ancient goddess who waits between hill and sea, has been keeping her promises for longer than anyone remembers, and when Talise arrives at Llyn Du looking for answers she can measure, she finds something she can't.

STILL WATERS, DEEP is a standalone Welsh folklore romance about a love that feels fated without ever feeling forced. Tender and unhurried, with old magic sitting quietly underneath everything.

Do you find yourself drawn to romances where destiny plays a hand, or do you prefer love that's entirely chosen? 💙

#FantasyRomance #WelshFolklore #MythicFiction #MagicalRealism #StandaloneRomance #BetweenHillAndSea

➡️ payhip.com/b/ORVhN
➡️ books2read.com/Still-Waters-Deep
     
Children of Blood and Bone: Book 1
Children of Blood and Bone: Book 1
Tomi Adeyemi | 2018 | Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)
9
8.1 (28 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ends on a massive cliffhanger (0 more)
Fantastic debut novel
Have you ever reached the end of a book and yelled "NOOOOO!!!"? Because I just did. Children of Blood and Bone ends on a HUGE cliffhanger, and I'm even more upset about that than I would be normally - I got this book as an advanced reader's copy through Goodreads. So not only do I have to wait for the sequel to come out, THIS BOOK ISN'T EVEN OUT YET. *screams internally*

That massive frustration aside, I LOVED THIS BOOK. African-inspired fantasy novels are starting to crop up, along with other non-European based fantasy, and I'm loving it. (You can find Russian inspired fantasy that I've read previously here and here, and Jewish/Arab fantasy here.) Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American author, and this is her debut novel. It definitely shows some hallmarks of a debut novel - the dialogue is a bit stilted in places, and it's a little bit formulaic - but the world building is excellent.

Children of Blood and Bone is a story of oppression, and the sparks of a rebellion. I assume the rest of the trilogy will deal with the actual rebellion, but given the cliffhanger it ends on, I'm not actually sure of that. When Zélie, the main character, was very young, magic failed, and the king, who was afraid of maji, took the opportunity to kill every maji in his kingdom before they could find a way to regain their powers. Since then, every person who could have become a maji as they grew (they're marked by their white hair) has been treated as a second-class citizen. They're forced into slums, used as slave labor, kicked around by nobility and guards, made to pay higher taxes, and forbidden to breed with the other classes. They don't have magic - and they have no way to get it - but they're treated as trash by the king that hates them, and accordingly by the rest of his subjects.

At the beginning of the book, a magical artifact resurfaces that restores magic to any diviner (potential maji) that touches it. This, of course, is not okay with the king, and most of the book is about the race to use the magical artifact while being chased by the king's son and his guards who are trying to destroy it. The conflicted prince has secrets of his own, though, and as the book weaves through jungles, mountains, and seas, he wavers in his mission.

It's always difficult to review books without giving too much away about the plot, so I won't say much more about the events. I really enjoyed that they rode giant cats - leopanaires. Zélie and her allies ride a lion leopanaire, which is apparently somewhat unusual. Most of the guards ride leopards or cheetahs, while the royal family rides snow leopanaires. The magic is unique, the gods and religion are beautifully fleshed out, and overall I just really loved this world, and I'm very sad it will be so long before I can dive back into it.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com