Celeste, Author at A Literary Escape

Silver and Blood by Jessie Mihalik

Published on January 19, 2026January 11, 2026 by Celeste5 Comments

Today’s review is about SILVER AND BLOOD by Jessie Mihalik. It’s the first book in a new romantasy series. After the villagers force Riela to enter the mysterious woods and kill a magical beast, she awakes to find herself in a magical castle with a powerful mage. There she tries to learn how to use her newly awakened magic, but also learns there might be more to her own history.

Author: Jessie Mihalik
Series: Silver & Blood, #1
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Avon
Publish Date: January 27, 2026
Print Length: 448

Want to support local bookstores? Buy a copy of Silver and Blood on Bookshop.org!*

*These are not affiliate links and I do not make a commission from any purchase made using these links.

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WWW Wednesday: January 14, 2026

Published on January 14, 2026January 11, 2026 by Celeste8 Comments

Since I’ve been writing a lot of 2025 recap posts, I haven’t really had time to do a WWW Wednesday yet. I try not to let blogging steal too much of my time, so unfortunately this fun, easy meme went to the wayside for a couple of weeks. That said, here’s my first one of 2026.

WWW Wednesday was revived and hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. The idea is to answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses.

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

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Bookish Goals in 2026

Published on January 13, 2026January 11, 2026 by Celeste20 Comments

Bookish goals for 2025 are out and now it’s time for my bookish goals in 2026. Although, to be perfectly honest, my bookish goals for 2026 are very similar with some goal posts just moved up a bit. I removed a couple, though, mainly because I don’t feel like doing them regularly, which is a good enough reason for me!

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How To Lose A Goblin In Ten Days by Jessie Sylva

Published on January 12, 2026January 11, 2026 by Celeste6 Comments

Today’s review is about HOW TO LOSE A GOBLIN IN TEN DAYS by Jessie Sylva. This cozy, cottage core fantasy is a debut by the author. It features a halfling and a goblin fighting for the right to live in the same cottage. Each recognizes the prejudice they have toward the other and over time they work to break down those barriers.

Author: Jessie Sylva
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Orbit
Publish Date: January 20, 2026
Print Length: 352

Want to support local bookstores? Buy a copy of How To Lose A Goblin In Ten Days on Bookshop.org!*

*These are not affiliate links and I do not make a commission from any purchase made using these links.

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Favorite Backlist Books of 2025

Published on January 9, 2026January 2, 2026 by Celeste18 Comments

Earlier this week I posted a list of my favorite books published in 2025 that I read last year. To continue on that topic, today I have a list of my favorite backlist books of 2025. These are books I read last year that were published prior to 2025. Only one of these received a 5-star rating from me. But all of them are books I really enjoyed, obviously, since they’re on this list. The titles link to my review if I reviewed it. If I didn’t review it, then the title links to the Bookshop.org synopsis webpage.

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