though he is a human, doctor jae davies has always felt drawn to vampires, both in his work and persothis is the third book in the lore & lust series.
though he is a human, doctor jae davies has always felt drawn to vampires, both in his work and personal life. first-gen junichi takayama, on the other hand, finds other ranked vampires too stuck-up for his liking, and sticks to humans. the two are drawn to each other and soon find out that jae might not be the human he was raised to be…
this had the perfect mix of plot and character development, in my opinion. i thought it was really cool how this is the third book in the series yet parts of their world were still being revealed. and i’m really glad jae and jun were so lovable since they were the only ship we got a lot of content for haha.
if you enjoyed the first two books, definitely check this one out!
Merged review:
this is the third book in the lore & lust series.
though he is a human, doctor jae davies has always felt drawn to vampires, both in his work and personal life. first-gen junichi takayama, on the other hand, finds other ranked vampires too stuck-up for his liking, and sticks to humans. the two are drawn to each other and soon find out that jae might not be the human he was raised to be…
this had the perfect mix of plot and character development, in my opinion. i thought it was really cool how this is the third book in the series yet parts of their world were still being revealed. and i’m really glad jae and jun were so lovable since they were the only ship we got a lot of content for haha.
if you enjoyed the first two books, definitely check this one out!...more
this book follows five friends trying to outrun and outmatch the underground world of sex work. when kalu makes a decision at his f2024 reads: 244/250
this book follows five friends trying to outrun and outmatch the underground world of sex work. when kalu makes a decision at his friend ahmed’s sex party that will plunge them all into chaos, the friends are brought into danger they’re not sure they can escape.
what i love about akwaeke emezi’s books is that every one of them is different. i went into this book not having much of an idea as to what it had in store for me, and honestly, i don’t really think it would have been possible to know what to expect anyway. still, i enjoyed how each imperfect character moved through this story. i can’t wait to read more from emezi.
while i did enjoy this, it’s not something i would recommend lightly. please be aware this book deals heavily with themes of sexual violence and homophobia....more
disclaimer: i received a finished copy of the book from the publisher as part of a book tour hosted by bibliolifestyle. this did no2024 reads: 234/250
disclaimer: i received a finished copy of the book from the publisher as part of a book tour hosted by bibliolifestyle. this did not affect my review/rating.
content warnings: genocide, racism, war
coa has been captured and subjected to public humiliation and potential execution as part of the great hunt, a gruesome spectacle held by the nationalist regime known as the allied force. if she doesn’t survive, neither will her family, so she has to find allies quickly.
while i haven’t seen this being compared to the hunger games, i do think this is one of the few books that deserve a comparison to it. a lot of hunger games comparisons have a deadly competition without the social commentary, but this had both. we get the perspectives of coa, a forced participant in the hunt, and princess ife, who comes from a conquered nation and is hoping to take the empire down from the inside following her marriage to a man who ranks high in the allied force. seeing these two different, yet similar, points of view helped put the whole story into perspective.
i highly recommend this book, and i can’t wait for the sequel!...more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 243/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
this is the conclusion to the ending fire trilogy.
as a vigilante known as the truthsayer raises an army against the wardens, sylah and hassa search for anoor…who’s currently being praised as the child of fire.
i still can’t believe this trilogy is over! i’ve been lucky enough to have received each book early, so i’ve been following this series since before book one came out. needless to say, i had high hopes for this book. i’m so glad that this exceeded my expectations! i really enjoyed how each character’s arc played out. the plot was also very interesting, and the author used the 500+ pages well.
i highly recommend this to anyone who’s enjoyed the previous books in this series, and i’m looking forward to more from saara el-arifi....more
this book explores state violence and oppression, and the struggles against them, around the world. this includes parallels between2024 reads: 176/250
this book explores state violence and oppression, and the struggles against them, around the world. this includes parallels between the black freedom movement, the south african anti-apartheid movement, and the current fight against the genocide and colonization in palestine. this was my first book by angela y. davis, but definitely not my last. i loved the insightfulness and learned a lot....more
trey is gutted to learn that his parents’ bookshop, wonderland, might be shut down due to a neighborhood gentrifier. he works with 2024 reads: 164/250
trey is gutted to learn that his parents’ bookshop, wonderland, might be shut down due to a neighborhood gentrifier. he works with ariel, classmate and coworker, to raise enough money to keep the shop from closing.
books about books/bookshops are so special to me, so i was very excited to read this, even though it’s set around christmas and i don’t want to think about cold weather right now. i really enjoyed how passionate trey and ariel were about the bookshop, especially ariel since she just works there. ariel also loves art, and it was lovely seeing how this was shown throughout the story. my only complaint (even though it’s not something that bothered me a lot) is that trey was with another girl for the majority of this book, which i wasn’t expecting since this is a romance between trey and ariel! still, i liked seeing their relationship develop, and i’d recommend this to any YA romance readers....more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 257/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
as lennon’s life begins to come apart, she receives an odd phone call from the mysterious drayton college, a school of magic hidden in savannah. at drayton, she learns how to wield her gift of persuasion like a weapon. she also becomes enamored with her advisor, dante, who both intimidates and enthralls her. as the school year progresses, though, she begins to learn more and more about this secret world she has stumbled upon.
i’ve read alexis henderson’s other two books, so i had some expectations going into this, mainly that this would be a haunting story. i also knew this would have dark academia vibes. besides these two aspects, i really didn’t know what i had in store for me. while these expectations did come to fruition, this book was so much more than that. one of my favorite aspects was the depiction of grief, not only for what could have been, but also for those lost throughout the story. by the end of the story, i was tearing up (which is always a compliment from me).
overall, this story was hauntingly beautiful, and i’d recommend it to anyone looking for a dark academic book intended for adult audiences....more
this book discusses the criminalization of black girls in schools, leading to black girls’ education being disrupted and their live2024 reads: 158/250
this book discusses the criminalization of black girls in schools, leading to black girls’ education being disrupted and their lives being changed. what i loved about this book is that the author interviewed many black girls who have been wronged by the school system. this book also discusses how we can change things to allow for a better school experience. i’d recommend this to anyone who lives in the u.s., and the numerous statistics detailed throughout horrified me....more
content warnings: sexual assault (childhood & adult), biphobia, homophobia (including from a parent), suicidal thoughts, mentions o2024 reads: 147/250
content warnings: sexual assault (childhood & adult), biphobia, homophobia (including from a parent), suicidal thoughts, mentions of drug use and drinking
when hollywood’s bad boy logan gray and golden boy mattie cole are cast as leads in a new romance movie, they quickly have to devise a publicity plan after logan calls mattie talentless. they’re thrust into a fake dating scheme, which quickly brings about real romantic feelings for one another.
since i’ve read and enjoyed a couple other books by kacen callender, and was interested in this premise, i was expecting to like this book, but didn’t know i’d love it so much. i will say that i’d consider this more of a contemporary novel than a romance, as it focused more on the individual characters’ growth throughout the book. this was dual pov, which i really appreciated since it meant we got to see into both logan and mattie’s minds instead of relying on one narrative.
i’d recommend this to readers of adult contemporary novels, as long as you’re okay with the content warnings....more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating2024 reads: 142/250
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
this novel follows our beloved storm as a teenager, when she was ororo and lived in egypt. she does her best to blend in, both to help with her thievery and prevent people from gawking at her blue eyes and white hair. but when the powers she never learned how to use start getting out of control, and a man known as the shadow king wants to use them for evil, she’s forced to flee egypt and find her own way.
i was SUPER EXCITED when this book was first announced, because not only is storm one of my favorite x-men, but tiffany d. jackson is one of my favorite authors! i’ll admit, i’m not super far into my comic-reading journey, so all i know about storm comes from the cartoons and the movies. however, while i can’t answer to comic book accuracy, i feel like tiffany d. jackson did her story justice. ororo had a tough upbringing, but i loved seeing her grow throughout this origin story.
i highly recommend this to fellow x-men fans!...more
in this third installment of the mead mishaps series, we follow cherry, who’s lost the last five years of her life to being kidnapp2024 reads: 105/250
in this third installment of the mead mishaps series, we follow cherry, who’s lost the last five years of her life to being kidnapped by a dragon, and dante, another dragon who saves her…kind of. as dante works to earn the trust of his fated mate, cherry learns to fight for what she wants.
so, i was a bit skeptical of this at first, since it kind of seemed like cherry was switched from one captor to another. however, it became clear that dante cared for what cherry wanted and needed. i enjoyed their “road trip,” where they traveled around the world so that cherry could see different creatures. i also loved the inclusion of characters from previous books!
i highly recommend this to those who enjoyed the previous books in this series, and i can’t wait for more books in this universe!...more
this anthology follows black teens across new york as they experience a power outage and fall in love. each story had its own unique2024 reads: 98/250
this anthology follows black teens across new york as they experience a power outage and fall in love. each story had its own unique touch, which i always love to see in anthologies. i also enjoyed how the stories overlapped a bit, as they are set in the same city. overall, this was an enjoyable read perfect for a summer night....more
i received an advanced listening copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rat2024 reads: 246/250
i received an advanced listening copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
kidan grew up far away from the arcane society she was born into, where human bloodlines gain power through vampire companionship. she decides to infiltrate the elite uxlay academy when her sister, june, goes missing and she’s sure susenyos, the vampire bound to her family, had something to do with the disappearance. as she works on finding her sister, a murder mirroring june’s disappearance causes kidan to sink further into the ruthless underworld of vampires.
i really don’t know if i have the words to do this book justice, but i’m going to try.
immortal dark is such a unique vampire book, while still using some themes we all know and love. i loved how the world was built in an immersive way. i enjoyed learning about how uxlay academy came to be, including how vampires and humans are now friendly (or at least, they’re supposed to be). the companionship and house concepts were also very interesting.
now…let me say, as someone who generally prefers friends to lovers, this book had the best enemies to lovers romance i’ve probably ever read. there was soooo much tension between kidan and susenyos, and every time i thought they were about to give in, it was drawn out just a bit more. i really loved how their relationship played out.
narration: jordan cobb narrated the audiobook and did a wonderful job bringing the story to life. i felt immersed throughout the whole book.
immortal dark is one of my new favorite books, not only in the vampire category, but overall. i can’t wait for book two!...more
simone is starting over at a new school in her junior year. as the student director of the school play, rent, she’s making friends. 2024 reads: 92/250
simone is starting over at a new school in her junior year. as the student director of the school play, rent, she’s making friends. but what her classmates don’t know is how close to home rent is for her, as an HIV-positive teen. while keeping her viral load down has become easier, keeping her diagnosis a secret is becoming harder, especially when she receives a blackmail note telling her to stop talking to her crush, miles, or the note-sender will expose her.
honestly, going into this book, i didn’t know much about HIV. while i am not going to treat this book like a complete guide, and will do more research on my own, i appreciate how much i learned from it. i also liked the different perspectives on HIV, such as simone’s dads discussing the people they knew who died from AIDS versus simone herself who was born with HIV. there were also many moments in the book where simone had to educate others because, unfortunately, many people have a negative stigma when it comes to HIV.
overall, this was a lovely story and i can’t wait to read more from camryn garrett....more
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not a2024 reads: 61/250
2024 tbr: 32/120
i received an advanced review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
sade hussein is starting her third year of high school, and first year outside of homeschool, at the prestigious alfred nobel academy. she’s felt like a bad luck charm her whole life, so she shouldn’t be surprised when her roommate, elizabeth, goes missing after sade’s first night. sade now has to balance her course load with solving a potential murder.
i’ve been anticipating this book ever since the author began teasing it, so i’m really happy i finally got to read it! faridah àbíké-íyímídé is an amazing author. there were so many details throughout this book that built on each other. there were also several plot twists, an essential for a murder mystery. there were a lot of characters, but i never had trouble following along with this aspect.
i highly recommend this to ya mystery readers....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
iris never expected her life with caleb to end up like this. she wants to leave, but he’s a superstar NBA player whereas she’s a stay-at-home mom. when her path crosses with august’s, she knows he’s off limits, but she can’t help but fall for him.
first…let me reiterate that the content in this book is GRAPHIC. don’t go into this book without being aware of that fact.
this was my second book by kennedy ryan and i’m going to read a couple more before i make it official, but i can see her becoming a favorite author for me. this book was so incredibly heartbreaking, but i loved how kennedy ryan approached the subject with respect. i loved the ending and thought that everything worked out well. i can’t wait to read more of kennedy ryan’s books!...more
bethany greene has never had a boyfriend, and she wants that to change, but as of right now she’s “too inexperienced” for her crush.2024 reads: 23/250
bethany greene has never had a boyfriend, and she wants that to change, but as of right now she’s “too inexperienced” for her crush. jacob yeun has been dumped twice in two months, and wants to prove he can hold a longer relationship. they decide to start fake dating to help each other achieve their goals, but soon, the lines between real and fake begin to blur.
though i don’t miss high school at all, sometimes i just need a high school romance as a breather from the other books i read. so, this book came at the perfect time! this was a dual pov and i really enjoyed getting to know both characters through their own chapters. i really loved the discussions in bethany’s chapters about parental pressure (though not entirely intentional), sibling comparison, and feeling like a “late bloomer.” i can’t wait to read more from rebekah weatherspoon!...more
content warnings: sexual assault & harassment, fatphobia
josie wright is both excited and nervous when she wins a contest to write a 2024 reads: 22/250
content warnings: sexual assault & harassment, fatphobia
josie wright is both excited and nervous when she wins a contest to write a celebrity profile. while working on marius canet’s profile, she learns a terrible secret about someone he’s worked with, and she’s torn between writing this story and potentially ruining her career before it starts, or staying silent and having this eat at her.
this was my first camryn garrett book and i already can’t wait to read more! i loved how this story came together. josie is torn between her two projects (one of which she has to keep secret) and she feels like she doesn’t really have anyone to discuss this with. her sister took this trip with her, but their relationship is pretty rocky. (this does, thankfully, get better.) i loved josie and how her character growth was depicted throughout the novel. i highly recommend this book!...more
this is a novel in verse following a black teen who was wrongfully incarcerated. he finds some solace in his words and in his art, b2024 reads: 14/250
this is a novel in verse following a black teen who was wrongfully incarcerated. he finds some solace in his words and in his art, but begins to wonder if he can change his story. this was a beautifully-written book that i will not soon forget. additionally, one of the authors is part of the exonerated five and his own experiences with wrongful incarceration are shared at the end. i highly recommend this book!...more
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