sai has led a quiet life by keeping the family teahouse up and running and taking care of his mother. he also has a side hustle of matchmaking, as he’s been given the special gift of seeing the red threads of fate that run between soulmates. so far, he’s been content to not follow his own thread, the only one he’s ever seen that’s grey and fraying. but soon, his life is turned upside down, leading to him running from the ruthless emperor and into the arms of a mysterious dragon.
i LOVE books with a fated soulmates aspect and with inspirations from east asian mythology, so i was very excited to dive into this one! i ended up really enjoying this book. i thought it was interesting that the lead was a male, because i honestly don’t read that many male-led books. i really loved this because sai was so down-bad for jyn and we got to witness that firsthand.
overall, this was a lovely book that i’d recommend to fantasy romance fans. i will be adding katrina kwan’s other books to my tbr!...more
in this novella, we follow elisabeth, nathaniel, and silas as they figure out how to unravel the magical trap keeping them from lea2024 reads: 131/250
in this novella, we follow elisabeth, nathaniel, and silas as they figure out how to unravel the magical trap keeping them from leaving thorn manor for the midwinter ball.
i’m so glad i jumped on the sorcery of thorns train late so that i could read this almost immediately after! i really liked seeing all these characters again. (especially silas, my fav<3) the plot was also interesting and fast-paced, which i loved. sad to see these characters go, but i’m very happy we got this novella!!...more
i received an advanced listening copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my 4.5
2024 reads: 218/250
i received an advanced listening copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
in jazz age harlem, reapers, once-human vampires, are on the rise. luckily for the saint family, this helps their reaper-hunting business, giving them even more power. elise saint is returning home after five years in paris as the business’s reluctant heir. layla quinn is a young reaper haunted by her past. the night she was turned five years ago is also the night she lost her parents and the saints’ protection. when layla is framed for a reaper attack, she works with elise to investigate the murders and how they might be linked to a reaper cure.
i have been waiting to read this book for soooo long, and it was well worth the wait! i always love the “monster x monster hunter” trope, and i thought it played out well in this book. there was the perfect amount of angst and tension between these two! the plot was also interesting, and i like how hayley dennings put her own spin on vampires.
narration: the narrator, tamika katon-donegal, did a wonderful job of bringing this story to life through her narration! i highly recommend the audiobook....more
content warnings: child abuse, bullying, death of parent, adult/minor relationship
for as long as anna can remember,2024 reads: 233/250
2024 tbr: 82/100
content warnings: child abuse, bullying, death of parent, adult/minor relationship
for as long as anna can remember, her aunt has warned her against two things: magic and love. after all, magic and love caused her father to murder her mother. now, she’s one year away from becoming one of the binders, a group who believes magic is a sin and needs to be denied. she’s sure nothing can change her mind on becoming one of them, but new friends open her eyes to other possibilities.
first, i want to thank my friend emily for putting this book on my radar and buddy reading it with me! i really enjoyed this rec<3
i thought the magic system in this book was pretty cool, even anna’s aunt’s binding magic. there are lots of different ways to produce magic, and i enjoyed how these were explained.
i also liked the interpersonal relationships. there are a lot of different dynamics going on, from familial to friendly to romantic to antagonistic (or even some mixtures within). i think these were all portrayed well!
overall, this was an interesting book, and i’m looking forward to reading book two!...more
this is the third and final book of the gemma doyle trilogy.
most girls gemma’s age are busy with debuting, but in addition to this,2023 reads: 380/350
this is the third and final book of the gemma doyle trilogy.
most girls gemma’s age are busy with debuting, but in addition to this, gemma must deal with the dark magic she has bound herself to and with the order.
i was so daunted by this book’s length, but i’d say the read was worth it! i loved seeing what gemma and co. were up to and how they faced each challenge thrown their way. i think this book did their story justice and is a must-read for those who enjoyed the previous two installments....more
win has always been independent, including with relationships. so when a one-night stand with a stranger named bo leads to a pregna2023 reads: 381/350
win has always been independent, including with relationships. so when a one-night stand with a stranger named bo leads to a pregnancy, she’s a bit nervous. they decide to raise the baby as friends, but with being in such close proximity, it’s hard to deny their attraction for one another.
accidental pregnancy is a trope that so many people are vehemently against, but i’ve never minded it. this book is based around win’s accidental pregnancy rather than it being a surprise to the reader, so i think even those who don’t like this trope should give this a try! i loved win and bo’s relationship, from when they first met to when they became friends to when they got together. i also loved the discussions on disability, as both win and bo have limb differences. this topic was handled very well....more
in this sequel to wings of ebony, rue sets out to reclaim the magic stolen from her father’s people. while book one didn’t blow 3.5
2023 reads: 382/350
in this sequel to wings of ebony, rue sets out to reclaim the magic stolen from her father’s people. while book one didn’t blow me away, i still enjoyed it and was interested in knowing how the story concluded. while i’m glad i read this, i did like it a little less than book one. however, i liked the overarching theme of the story, which is reclaiming one’s heritage from colonizers. i would be interested in reading more from this author....more
elisabeth hopes to become a warden, to protect the kingdom from the power of the grimoires that turn into monsters 2024 reads: 128/250
2024 tbr: 58/120
elisabeth hopes to become a warden, to protect the kingdom from the power of the grimoires that turn into monsters if provoked. but then the library’s most dangerous grimoire is released, and elisabeth is implicated in the crime. she’s forced to turn to her enemy, the sorcerer nathaniel thorn, and his demonic servant, silas. as she gets to know him, she starts to question everything she’s been taught about sorcerers, libraries, and even herself.
ever since reading an enchantment of ravens, i’ve wanted to read more from margaret rogerson. well, it’s been three years at this point, but better late than never, right?
anyway, i really enjoyed this! elisabeth and nathaniel’s dynamic was so cute, and as i mentioned above, taught elisabeth a lot about the world around her and herself. i also adored nathaniel’s servant, silas. he was such a funny character and i’m really hoping we get to see him again in the novella.
i would recommend this to anyone looking for a standalone (kind of, since there is a novella as well) fantasy read!...more
charity may have the role of final girl in her summer camp job, but that doesn’t mean she’s actually expecting to become one. but w2023 reads: 287/350
charity may have the role of final girl in her summer camp job, but that doesn’t mean she’s actually expecting to become one. but when her coworkers go missing, and one finally turns up dead, charity and her friends must put their job training to good use to survive the night.
what first attracted me to this book was its author, kalynn bayron. i’ve enjoyed so many others of bayron’s works, and combined with the premise, i thought this would be the perfect end-of-summer/beginning-of-fall read. even though this camp went downhill, the idea of such a summer camp was so intriguing to me and i kind of want to go to one now...more
Disclaimer: I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating.
Gemm2023 reads: 164/350
Disclaimer: I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating.
Gemma is from a wealthy and magical family. Though the rest of her family has magic, her body repels it. She meets Talan and decides to strike a deal with him: she’ll help him navigate high society if he helps her take down the Basks, a rival family. But everything quickly spirals out of control…
Something that caught me off-guard was the amount of sex in this book. Not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, but I just wasn’t expecting this aspect.
As I have only read one other Claire Legrand book, and that book was a YA horror whereas this one is an adult fantasy, I had no idea what to expect going into this. However, I did end up enjoying this and I’m interested in reading more from this author!...more
this is the second book in the locked tomb series.
harrow, the last necromancer of her house, has been drafted by the emperor to figh2023 reads: 63/350
this is the second book in the locked tomb series.
harrow, the last necromancer of her house, has been drafted by the emperor to fight an unwinnable war. she must perfect her skills, but many obstacles block her way, especially when she starts to realize someone might be out to kill her…
going into this, i did expect it to be confusing, as a friend told me it would be. but i think i still managed to underestimate just how confusing it could be. i can’t pinpoint exactly what made it so confusing, but most of it being in second person pov didn’t help. anyway, i still did enjoy this and will definitely be reading the next books!...more
bradley and celine used to be best friends, but now they can’t stand each other. but before they know it, the4.5
2023 reads: 59/350
buddy read with lou!
bradley and celine used to be best friends, but now they can’t stand each other. but before they know it, they’re both participating in a competition that requires spending a week together in the woods.
i’m so glad i gave this book a chance! i’ve read the brown sisters trilogy and while i enjoyed it, i didn’t really love it. luckily, this book was a lot better, in my opinion, and i absolutely adored both characters. i thought each one was interesting and i like how we got both of their povs. the plot was also interesting and i liked the competition aspect!...more
bird’s short life has been heavily governed by the unfair laws set in place to “preserve american culture,” which are laws very dangerous for asian people. his mother, a chinese american poet, left a few years ago, but who she is still follows him. when bird receives a mysterious letter, he decides to break out of the norm and take the path to find his mother.
i loved celeste ng’s other books, so i immediately put in a library request when i heard she had a new one. our missing hearts was kinda different from her others as this book shows a world that hasn’t exactly happened (though, unfortunately, it’s possible it could). i loved how bird’s relationship with his mother, even before he went on this journey to find her, was explored. overall, this was a pretty good book, and while it’s not my favorite from this author, i still recommend it and will be reading more from her....more
this is the sequel to skin of the sea and follows simi and the repercussions of her trading away her freedom, fa2023 reads: 18/350
buddy read with lou!
this is the sequel to skin of the sea and follows simi and the repercussions of her trading away her freedom, family, and love in the last book. demons have found their way into the mortal realm and simi finds herself teaming up with a trickster god to put an end to it.
i honestly really enjoyed how this book played out. the plot was really interesting, as were the characters. there were some plot twists as well which kept things interesting!
i think this was a great conclusion to the first book and i loved the ending!...more
marcos’s life is a mess, to say the least. his wife left him following the death of their son, his dad is losing his mind to dementia, and to make a living, marcos has to butcher humans—though he tries not to think of them in that way. he’s gifted a live, high-quality specimen and, though he knows he shouldn’t, slowly begins treating her like a human.
i thought i’d be able to articulate my thoughts better if i gave it some time but i’m still at a loss. i’ve said this before, surely, but i love when books make you seriously think about society, especially dystopian books that question just how far humans will go. everything in this book was so disturbing, yet i can see governments telling people animal meat is no longer safe and we need to eat humans now and most people going along with it…which is super messed-up, but that’s the point.
my only complaint is that i wish we got more background information on exactly how everything came to fruition. however, the point was kinda that no common person knows how it happened, they just accepted it, so i can’t fault this aspect too much....more
lila macapagal is back in her small midwestern town after a bad breakup. up to this point, she’s experienced all the t2023 reads: 2/350
2023 tbr: 1/100
lila macapagal is back in her small midwestern town after a bad breakup. up to this point, she’s experienced all the typical rom-com tropes: small town girl moves to big city, returns to small town after a bad breakup, saving her tita rosie’s restaurant, and running into her high school sweetheart. but her life quickly takes a turn when said high school sweetheart dies in her tita rosie’s restaurant. now, she has to prove her and her family’s innocence and find the real killer before she’s next.
i don’t often read mysteries, but i’m so glad i decided to pick this one up!! this book kept me on my toes and i did not want to put it down. i love how food was incorporated into it as well, and hopefully i can try out one of the recipes included at the end!...more
zarela is a talented flamenco dancer and the most famous dragonador’s daughter. when her father is seriously injured and all the dragons are let loose during a show, though, her life turns upside down and she must find a way to hold onto her family’s legacy—quickly. enter arturo, a handsome, yet infuriating, dragon hunter. he eventually gives into zarela’s persistence and agrees to train her to take her father’s place as dragonador. but there’s still the problem of someone being out for zarela’s family. will she be able to keep her family’s legacy safe without this person bringing it all down?
it’s been a while since i read a book with dragons!! i really liked this aspect of it. i believe the dragon fighting was influenced by bullfighting as there seemed to be quite a few similarities and this is set in a spain-adjacent place.
also, THE ROMANCE. you all should know i love a good fantasy romance which this book delivered...more
mika moon has spent her life in near-solitude hiding her magic, as all witches know that being in one place together makes them more likely to be discovered, and discovery is dangerous. but then she gets a job offer to train three young witches, who all live together, and starts to realize that maybe a life of solitude isn’t the best, after all.
after so many heavy reads i definitely needed this cozy fantasy. while this book did have some heavier parts, overall it was so sweet to read about mika gaining a found family and a romance. i highly recommend this who wants an overall light read with magic and romance....more
ten years ago, four students were murdered at the elite carvell college of arts, forcing the school to shut. now, the school is reopening, and lott4.5
ten years ago, four students were murdered at the elite carvell college of arts, forcing the school to shut. now, the school is reopening, and lottie is determined to find out what really happened. when her roommate, alice, stumbles upon a ritual and the north tower claims another victim, lottie is sure she has her culprit. alice, though, desperately wants to reverse the effects of the ritual that gave her a monstrous alter ego.
these two reminded me so much of wednesday and enid! (except lottie and alice actually got together.) i loved their interactions and character growth.
also, the story itself was really interesting. it definitely kept me on my toes and i could not put it down! i recommend this to anyone wanting a spooky read with a good mystery....more
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