Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

About Malin

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She/her. Constantly overworked teacher of Norwegian and English. Geek and reading enthusiast. Married. Mother of a growing boy, born February 2018. Two cats. The Cannonball-veteran (the only participant - as far as I know - who has participated every year since CBRII). Loves fantasy, kissing books and YA. Strongly opinionated about many things. Perpetually behind on reviews. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: Malin's Quick Questions interview.)

Malin's Reviews:

“You are the most fascinating thing in this beautiful house. I’d like to introduce my fists to whoever taught you to stop talking about the things that interest you.”

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

May 27, 2026 by Malin Leave a Comment

4.5 stars Sir Robert “Robin” Blyth ends up in a civil service position he is vastly unprepared for, as it turns out, he is supposed to be a liaison between the secret magical world and the more mundane regular world. Usually, the post is held by an individual from a magical family just unlucky enough not to have any magic of their own (seems like there are quite a few such “duds” in the magic-wielding families of society). Robin, on the other hand, is both […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance Tagged With: alternate history, Buzzwords 26, Buzzwords cover 26, cbr18, curse, edwardian, Freya Marske, historical fantasy, keyword 26, LGBTQIA, magic, Malin, Nowhere Bingo 26, paranormal romance

Malin's CBR18 Review No:33 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance · Tags: alternate history, Buzzwords 26, Buzzwords cover 26, cbr18, curse, edwardian, Freya Marske, historical fantasy, keyword 26, LGBTQIA, magic, Malin, Nowhere Bingo 26, paranormal romance ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

“Men will literally go on a quest to find a dragon than talk about their feelings”

Bromantasy by Máire Roche

May 26, 2026 by Malin Leave a Comment

Thanks to G.B Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for this ARC. My opinions are my own. This book is out on May 26th. Juniper O’Reilly shares a house with his totally platonic best friend, Mo Elthorn, and they run a farm together. Juniper has a tendency to get into bar brawls, while Mo holds him back and takes him home afterwards. One memorable evening, however, Juniper gets into a fight with the wrong guy and incapacitates a henchman enough that he is forced to take said […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, History, Romance Tagged With: adventure, ARC, Bromantasy, cbr18, cozy, dragons, historical fantasy, LGBTQIA, magic, Máire Roche, Malin, NetGalley, quest, royalty

Malin's CBR18 Review No:32 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, History, Romance · Tags: adventure, ARC, Bromantasy, cbr18, cozy, dragons, historical fantasy, LGBTQIA, magic, Máire Roche, Malin, NetGalley, quest, royalty ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

“Maybe I just thought I was a nonviolent person because in my old life, nobody had ever backed me into a corner with a knife to my throat.”

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

May 25, 2026 by Malin 3 Comments

Maggie wakes up one day, cold, naked and soaked to the skin in the gutter of Kair Toren, the sprawling capital city of Rellas, where her favourite fantasy novels are set. For the past decade, Maggie has read and re-read the two books in the unfinished series enough times that she knows the setting, prominent characters and the plot intimately. It’s what makes it possible for her to lie in wait, trying to rob a shady minor character just so she’ll have enough money to […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance Tagged With: #fantasy, adventure, audiobook, cbr18, epic, found family, ilona andrews, isekai, Kristen Sieh, Maggie the Undying, magic, Malin, political intrgiue, romantic, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me

Malin's CBR18 Review No:31 · Genres: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance · Tags: #fantasy, adventure, audiobook, cbr18, epic, found family, ilona andrews, isekai, Kristen Sieh, Maggie the Undying, magic, Malin, political intrgiue, romantic, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments

“It figured that she’d avoided getting nagged to go to law school, only to get nagged to become a vessel for the dead.”

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

May 24, 2026 by Malin Leave a Comment

3.5 stars Jessamyn “Jess” Teoh is feeling aimless and adrift. Born and raised in the USA, she has just moved to Malaysia with her parents, and they’re staying with one of Jess’ aunts while her parents are looking for their own place to stay. Jess is unemployed, broke and hiding the fact that she has a girlfriend in Singapore. Her girlfriend wants her to get a job in Singapore, so they can be together, but Jess keeps lying to her about her job searches. So […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery Tagged With: BIPOC, Black Water Sister, cbr18, family, ghosts, gods, keyword 26, LGBTQIA, malaysia, Malin, paranormal fantasy, Zen Cho

Malin's CBR18 Review No:30 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery · Tags: BIPOC, Black Water Sister, cbr18, family, ghosts, gods, keyword 26, LGBTQIA, malaysia, Malin, paranormal fantasy, Zen Cho ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Pretty Woman, if the woman is a penniless single mother rather than a leggy L.A call girl

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

May 24, 2026 by Malin Leave a Comment

4.5 stars Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for this ARC. My opinions are my own. This book will be out on May 26th. Dolly Brick is a problem solver and has spent most of her life taking care of her family. When her mother left Dolly, her father and her siblings when Dolly was far too young to have to deal with it, she nevertheless ended up basically mothering her younger sister and mentally disabled younger brother. Now she’s a 39-year-old single […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Romance Tagged With: Annabel Monaghan, Anxiety, ARC, cbr18, class divide, Contemporary Romance, Dolly All the Time, family, Malin, Motherhood, NetGalley, Pretty Woman, small town life

Malin's CBR18 Review No:29 · Genres: Fiction, Romance · Tags: Annabel Monaghan, Anxiety, ARC, cbr18, class divide, Contemporary Romance, Dolly All the Time, family, Malin, Motherhood, NetGalley, Pretty Woman, small town life ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

“Writing gives you the power to shape your own world when the real one hurts too much”

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

May 14, 2026 by Malin Leave a Comment

Dark Corner Selection: March 2026 In a different version of 16th-century Spain, young Luzia Cortado works grudgingly as a scullery maid for the miserable and petty Doña Valentina. Luzia can use what she calls “small magics” to make her life easier. She can mend seams, multiply the groceries, unburn bread or reassemble broken things. She performs these little spells, learned from generations of her Jewish ancestors, by singing quietly. Luzia is a convert; she dutifully goes to Mass and hides any traces of her Jewish […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Fantasy, History, Mystery Tagged With: 16th Century Spain, alternate history, audiobook, cbr18, feminism, historical fantasy, Lauren Fortgang, Leigh Bardugo, LGBTQIA, magic, Malin, religious persecution, the Dark Corner, The Familiar, The Inquisition

Malin's CBR18 Review No:28 · Genres: Audiobooks, Fantasy, History, Mystery · Tags: 16th Century Spain, alternate history, audiobook, cbr18, feminism, historical fantasy, Lauren Fortgang, Leigh Bardugo, LGBTQIA, magic, Malin, religious persecution, the Dark Corner, The Familiar, The Inquisition ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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