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Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Conquering Reality & Other Misconduct by Annette Marie & Rob Jacobsen

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read.

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Conquering Reality & Other Misconduct by Annette Marie & Rob Jacobsen

Expected publication: May 29, 2026 by Dark Owl Fantasy

Conman, jailbird, rookie, agent, fugitive…I’ve worn a whole lot of labels over the past year. But the Consilium, AKA the heinous secret league of power-hungry psychos that has been covertly pulling the world’s strings for decades, has slapped a few more on abnormality, keystone of evil, and my personal favorite, “annoying pest that keeps escaping our clutches.”

I’ve battled empaths, mages, demons, rogues, and an astonishing quantity of bureaucratic nonsense, but the Consilium is by far the biggest and most dangerous enemy I’ve ever had the pleasure of clashing with. On my own, I won’t be able to stop the nefarious tide of influence and control they’re spreading across the mythic world.

But with the help of Lienna Shen and my other allies, I’m hoping to earn a few new titles from my ultra-ornery foe, starting with “giant pain in their collective ass” and finishing with “nightmare they never should have messed with.”

I just need to make sure I don’t add “unintentional bringer of the apocalypse” to my resume in the process.

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Kit's journey from conman to international man of mystery rushes to its epic conclusion in the final book of The Guild Warped. Warped can be read as a standalone series or as part of the larger Guild Codex saga.

The Guild Warped
Warping Minds & Other Misdemeanors (#1)
Hellbound Guilds & Other Misdirections (#2)
Rogue Ghosts & Other Miscreants (#3)
More Than A Little Warped (#3.5)
Stolen Sorcery & Other Misadventures (#4)
Mage Assassins & Other Misfits (#5)
Conquering Reality & Other Misconduct (#6)

More series in the Guild Codex
The Guild Spellbound
The Guild Demonized
The Guild Unveiled

It's almost time for the 6th and final book in the The Guild Codex: Warped series. I'm both excited to read it and sad to see it coming to an end. I missed Kit and can't wait to see where his story will end up.

What book are you awaiting today?

Monday, May 4, 2026

Review: Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi

Title: Cleopatra
Author: Saara El-Arifi
Publication: March 3, 2026 by Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Find it on: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Waterstones | Libro.fm
Rating: 4/5★

Cleopatra tells her own story in this evocative and sensuous historical epic from the bestselling and award-winning author of Faebound and The Final Strife.

“Enchanting, smart, and subversive—this is El-Arifi’s masterpiece.”—R.F. Kuang, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasis

This stunning edition includes designed endpapers and a custom case stamp.

YOU KNOW MY NAME, BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME.

Your historians call me seductress, but I was ever in love's thrall.

Your playwrights speak of witchcraft, but my talents came from the gods themselves.

Your poets sing of my bloodlust, but I was always protecting my children.

How wilfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful, strategic, and divinely blessed to rule.

Death will silence me no longer.

This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived.

"This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived."

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi took me by surprise in the best way possible. When I started the book I didn't realize how in love I would fall with this novel. Not only was it one of the best retelling of Cleopatra's life, it also ended up as one of my favorite books of the year. I can't recommend it enough!

Cleopatra is one of my favorite figures from history and I've read my fair share of both nonfiction and fiction books about her life so not every fictionalized story about her has been a hit for me in the past. With Saara El-Arifi’s Cleopatra, it felt as though she revitalized the queen who has been portrayed countless times. The story was told in a way that felt refreshingly new and original. Another thing I loved about Cleopatra was how El-Arifi portrays her with deeply human emotions. She had her flaws, she made mistakes, she was ruthless at times but also had the capacity for love as is shown in her relationships with her children and her lifelong trusted companion Charmion.

The one minor point was the ending. Anyone knowing how the life of Cleopatra ended knows how tragic it was. I was fully prepared to cry my eyes out and I nearly did. However, the story ended with some fantasy elements. The author's choice (which is her full right of course!) to end the story in this way wasn't my favorite ever. It took me a little out of the story and I was a little confused, to be honest. This is just my personal preference and in the end this was only minor compared to my love for the entire book.

The audiobook was narrated by the incredible Adjoa Andoh and she did an amazing job at voicing pharaoh Cleopatra as well as the other characters.

About the author:

SAARA EL-ARIFI is a No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy and historical fiction. El-Arifi knew she was a storyteller from the moment she told her first lie.

After a decade of working in marketing and communications, she returned to academia to complete a master's degree in African studies specialising in Cleopatra's myth and her impact on Black women.

She currently resides in London as a full-time procrastinator.

Website | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2026

Monthly Wrap-Up is my once-a-month post recapping all the books I’ve read.

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I'm back on track after I had a less positive month in March but April was quite the hit. And I even ended the month with a well-deserved 5 star read!