Book Pub with Madilyn Smart

I, being the lucky person I am, had a beautiful reader reach out to me this week suggesting a few reads for me and any of you engaging with this lovely newsletter! So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce Reader Recs. A new segment we will do anytime one of you would like to make recommendations on the books and series that we MUST try.

This week’s recs come from my friend Caitlyn and are the Caraval series by Stephanie Garber and the Shepherd King Duology by Rachel Gillig! Each with their own unique magic systems that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

I haven’t dived into the Caraval trilogy yet, but I did read the Once Upon a Broken Heart sequel series (I didn’t realize it was at the time). Luckily it doesn’t really spoil the Caraval world, and I am very excited to dive into it because I ADORED reading about Evangeline Fox and our Prince of Hearts. Stephanie has a way of making you feel immersed into a world full of whimsical adventures that take on dark undertones in such a fun way. I haven’t read anything like her style before and I have thoroughly enjoyed the books of hers that I have read.

I have read the first book in the Shepherd King Duology and YOU HAVE TO READ THIS. I am about to do a reread of the One Dark Window, the first book in the duology, before I read Two Twisted Crowns. Read along with me! The magic system in this book will be unlike anything you have read before. It has a dark setting with all the tropes that you will love. It was unique and kept me hooked from the beginning. I have only heard great things about the sequel so this will be well worth your time. One Dark Window was a definite five star read for me!

Caraval (Caraval #1) Book Summary:

Welcome, welcome to Caraval - Stephanie Garber's sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game. 

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful - and cruel - father. Now Scarlett's father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the faraway once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over. 

But this year Scarlett's long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval's mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season's Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner. 

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever. 

One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, #1) Book Summary:

Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.

Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom she calls home—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King’s own nephew, Captain of the Destriers…and guilty of high treason.

He and Elspeth have until Solstice to gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

Yours truly,

Madilyn