Celeste, Author at A Literary Escape

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July 2026 On My Radar

Published on July 30, 2026July 26, 2026 by Celeste3 Comments

I was in Asia for two weeks out of the month, so I didn’t do as much blog hopping as usual. But I managed to do a little bit this month, so this July 2026 On My Radar isn’t all for naught!

Reviews

Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies
The Farewitch of Foxe Holler by Ellen Pauley Goff by Tammy at Books, Bones & Buffy
Be Still My Unbeating Heart by Josh Winning by Tammy at Books, Bones & Buffy
The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood by H.G. Parry by Janette at Wicked Witch’s Blog
The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood by H.G. Parry by Chris at Biblio Nerd Reflections
Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe by Janette at Wicked Witch’s Blog
The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen by Chris at Biblio Nerd Reflections
Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher by Dini at Dini Panda Reads
These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer by Krysta at Pages Unbound

Discussion

Fantasy with Friends: Children’s Fantasy Concepts in Adult Fantasy by Dini at Dini Panda Reads
Participating in Discussion Posts (Let’s Talk Bookish: July) by Briana at Pages Unbound

Bookish Miscellany

The 2026 Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag by Tammy at Books, Bones & Buffy

WWW Wednesday: July 29, 2026

Published on July 29, 2026July 29, 2026 by Celeste9 Comments

I’m happy to report that I’ve basically read all but one of my priority reads from my July 2026 TBR. I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve done that well with my monthly TBR. Kudos to me!

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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Strange Familiars by Keshe Chow

Published on July 27, 2026July 26, 2026 by Celeste6 Comments

Today’s review is about STRANGE FAMILIARS by Keshe Chow. It’s the first book in The Seamere College Duology. It’s set in a magical veterinary school setting with two characters competing for top of their class. However, magical surges and explosions cause these two academic rivals to team up and investigate the source of the disturbance.

Author: Keshe Chow
Series: The Seamere College Duology, #1
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Ace
Publish Date: May 19, 2026
Print Length: 432

Want to support local bookstores? Buy a copy of Strange Familiars 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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The Feywild Job by C.L. Polk

Published on July 25, 2026July 26, 2026 by Celeste8 Comments

Today’s book review is about THE FEYWILD JOB by C.L. Polk. This is a shorter review, largely because I DNF this one pretty early on. Keep reading to find out why I DNF this Dungeons and Dragons heist fantasy romance.

Author: C.L. Polk
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Publish Date: June 30, 2026
Print Length: 352

Want to support local bookstores? Buy a copy of The Feywild Job on Bookshop.org!*

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

Continue reading →

Fantasy With Friends: What Common Trope in Children’s Books Should There Be More of in Adult Fantasy?

Published on July 20, 2026July 6, 2026 by Celeste12 Comments

Fantasy with Friends poses questions each Monday about fantasy, either as a genre as a whole or individual works. It was created and is run by Pages Unbound. Learn about the weekly prompts and how to participate by visiting their Fantasy with Friends blog post.

Fantasy With Friends Weekly Question

Is there a common trope or concept you see in children’s fantasy stories that you think would be fun to see more of in adult fantasy?

While I rarely read children’s fantasy stories, one trope comes to mind that I think I enjoy more than, perhaps, a lot of others in the blogisphere? (I don’t know, you tell me!) I happen to like the Chosen One trope. I think we see more of it in children’s/middle grade/YA stories because it’s a good mechanism for coming of age discovery. Percy Jackson comes to mind as does Harry Potter and Pahua and the Soul Stealer (if I’m remembering it correctly). It can come with a lot of angst and frustration.

Done right, though, I think it could work in adult fantasy books, too. I can do without the hormonal angst. But I think the Chosen One provides a lot of avenues for world, lore, and character building, whatever the age of the character(s). There are plenty of incidences in real life when adults find out things about themselves or their family’s past, so why not also be the Chosen One?