Astrology Readathon

I saw this readathon on Mauve Mumblings and found that it’s hosted by Clo @ Cuppa Clo (check out both these amazing blogs!) and I thought finally a readathon that I think I want to try out. I haven’t done a readathon in all the years I’ve been blogging. I haven’t done one EVER, I think. But I love astrology and planets and thought this would be super cute and fun to do. I also like that it just started on March 20, 2023 and I have until March 20, 2024 to finish. I hope I can do it! Go to Clo @ Cuppa Clo to read the rules of the readathon if you are interested in doing it!

Let me just say though I do NOT like to follow any TBR lists. I’m bad at it because I am such a mood reader, so I tried to pick books on here that I already have and will have to read because they are arcs or they are collecting dust on my book shelf. And I feel like listing them here will give me more motivation to finish them.

Zodiac Prompts

This one looks amazing and I’m excited to read it when it comes out in July!

*****

Every year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin will flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches.

Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty…and she was the one who did it. Before King Kasa’s forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring down the monarchy. Her reclusive uncle always greets the victor of the games, so if she wins, she gets her opportunity at last to kill him.

Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he’s deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Thankfully, he’s one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning.

Calla finds both an unexpected alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa’s adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin’s ills. But the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton’s partnership spirals into something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for—her lover or her kingdom.

Every time I see this book cover I’m in the mood to read and I finally got a hardcover copy for my bookshelf so I will be reading this one very soon. I know I’ll definitely complete this prompt for this readathon.

Another book on my shelf that I’m eager to knock off my TBR list. This one is dual POV.

*****

The Handmaid’s Tale meets Wilder Girls in this unique, voice-driven novel from Kelly McWilliams.

Agnes loves her home of Red Creek–its quiet, sunny mornings, its dusty roads, and its God. There, she cares tirelessly for her younger siblings and follows the town’s strict laws. What she doesn’t know is that Red Creek is a cult, controlled by a madman who calls himself a prophet.

Then Agnes meets Danny, an Outsider boy, and begins to question what is and isn’t a sin. Her younger brother, Ezekiel, will die without the insulin she barters for once a month, even though medicine is considered outlawed. Is she a sinner for saving him? Is her sister, Beth, a sinner for dreaming of the world beyond Red Creek?

As the Prophet grows more dangerous, Agnes realizes she must escape with Ezekiel and leave everyone else, including Beth, behind. But it isn’t safe Outside, either: A viral pandemic is burning through the population at a terrifying rate. As Agnes ventures forth, a mysterious connection grows between her and the Virus. But in a world where faith, miracles, and cruelty have long been indistinguishable, will Agnes be able to choose between saving her family and saving the world?

Because House of Roots & Ruin is coming out in July, I need to reread House of Salt and Sorrows since it’s been awhile! It came out in 2019! So I’m glad I have a copy of it on my bookshelf. I’ll start rereading this one soon!

I’m in love with this book cover! But this feels like it’s a chosen one vibes kinda book – I have an arc for it which I’m excited to read!

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Sailor Moon meets Cinder in Guardians of Dawn: Zhara, the start of a new, richly imagined fantasy series from S. Jae-Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong.

Magic flickers.
Love flames.
Chaos reigns.

Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms. Magicians are called abomination, and blamed for the plague of monsters that razed the land twenty years before.

Jin Zhara already had enough to worry about—appease her stepmother’s cruel whims, looking after her blind younger sister, and keeping her own magical gifts under control—without having to deal with rumors of monsters re-emerging in the marsh. But when a chance encounter with an easily flustered young man named Han brings her into contact with a secret magical liberation organization called the Guardians of Dawn, Zhara realizes there may be more to these rumors than she thought. A mysterious plague is corrupting the magicians of Zanhei and transforming them into monsters, and the Guardians of Dawn believe a demon is responsible.

In order to restore harmony and bring peace to the world, Zhara must discover the elemental warrior within, lest the balance between order and chaos is lost forever.

I’ve been wanting to read this one for a very long while now but I don’t know why I haven’t picked it up even though I read Circe which is written by the same author. I think it’s because Greek mythology has been hit or miss for me lately and I’m kind of trying to steer away from it. But this is one book I’ve always wanted to read so I hope this is the year I will finally knock it off my TBR list!

I’m actually listening to the audiobook for this one right now but from the synopsis it sounds like this is going to have an opposite attracts kind of romance!

All the characters in this series are morally grey! But I only read book one, so I do want to see what happens next in the series. A lot of the characters in the book are not exactly likable but I find them very interesting because they are morally grey. So hopefully I get to knock this one off my list this year!

This one takes place in Ireland! It sounds like a cute read.

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On the road to love, you don’t need a GPS…

Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home.

Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally.

Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love – if only they choose it.

I read one book from this author and I loved how family and friendship was woven into the story even though some of the family situations were challenging. So I think this would be a book that will be about family also.

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Danna Mendoza Villarreal’s grandfather is slowly losing himself as his memories fade, and Danna’s not sure her plan to help him remember through the foods he once reviewed will be enough to bring him back. Especially when her own love of food makes her complicated relationship with her mother even more difficult.

Raúl Santos has been lost ever since his mother was wrongly incarcerated two years ago. Playing guitar for the elderly has been his only escape, to help them remember and him forget. But when his mom unexpectedly comes back into his life, what is he supposed to do when she isn’t the same person who left?

When Danna and Raúl meet, sparks fly immediately and they embark on a mission to heal her grandfather…and themselves. Because healing is something best done together—even if it doesn’t always look the way we want it to.

I know this one came out awhile ago and it was a very hyped book but I never got a copy until last year. And since then that copy has been on my book shelf gathering dust lol. No, but really, I was going to take it on my East coast trip last year but didn’t feel like packing more things so I brought my ipad instead. So this is still on my shelf and I should read it this year!

A romance writer is definitely creative and I have this arc!

*****

Broke up with, broke, and with a vicious case of writer’s block, romance writer Gracie Landing is a hot mess. She can hardly be blamed for drinking one (or a few) too many cocktails when out with her besties in an attempt to cheer herself up. Sometime in the foggy wee hours, she recklessly emails her unrequited high-school crush, Colin Yarmouth, who is now a successful attorney harboring regrets of his own. When she receives an intriguingly friendly (not to say flirty) response, her acute embarrassment is overcome only by her fervent curiosity―what would a hottie like Colin be like as a grown up? The two forge an unlikely friendship that’s unmistakably headed for more. Colin’s tales of his own woeful break-up become fodder for Gracie’s fertile imagination and her current work-in-progress takes off. With the deadline looming and her checking account dwindling, Gracie has no idea that borrowing Colin’s story could wreak havoc on her life, her career, and her own chance at happily-ever-after…

Planet Prompts

I love fantasy, especially romance fantasy so I’m excited to read the second book of this series which comes out very soon.

I think this will hit me in the feels because JACK. Also this is the conclusion and this can either hit me in the feels in a good or bad way but I am going to be hoping it will be GOOD feels. All the kinds of feels I expect Jack to always give me lol.

I honestly didn’t think the last book for this series would ever be written and yet here we are in 2023 and finally it’s here. The last book was written in 2018 and honestly…I don’t remember what happens. I just wanna know if Evie will end up with Jack or Aric and I think I’m team Aric? See – I don’t even fully remember. I read this series so long ago but I do remember it’s so filled with drama and the tarot cards which made it pretty cool. I think there will be tons of communication/miscommunication in this one.

If you’ve read a Rebecca Ross book you know that she is so good at writing about the relationships between characters. So this one I think will fill this requirement because I read book one and loved the relationships in that one. This being the continuation in the series makes me confident the relationships in this book will take center stage.

This series is full of major conflict and action. The Bond Shard Emperor is book two and I know book three is out this year so I really need to get this one read soon or sometime this year if I want to complete the series.

I’m always intrigued by dark academia books but it’s not my go-to, first reading pick. I really have to be in the mood for it so maybe I’ll be able to pick this up in the fall when I’m very moody when it comes to the books I read. This looks like it will be a good fit! Plus I’ve always wanted to read this one and just haven’t gotten a copy yet – so maybe this will push me to finally knock it off my TBR list.

I just got this book on Book Outlet and I’ve been wanting to read it since it came out last year. This is a great time to finally dig into it for this prompt!

This series is one of those collecting dust on my book shelf and it’s not because I didn’t love the first book, I did – it’s a 5 star read for me. But I hardly read sci-fi/dystopian books and so I have to really be in the mood to read this genre. And I guess I haven’t in the mood for a couple of years lol. But I hope because I have this on my list, I’ll finally read it this year.

This one revolves around art and love so I think this will be a cute read!

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In the tradition of Jenny Han and Emma Lord, Jennifer Chen’s Artifacts of an Ex is a story of love, art, and finding your way when everything you know has changed completely.

When Chloe Chang gets dumped via USPS after moving across the county from NYC to LA, her first instinct is to throw her box of memories in the garbage. Instead, she starts buying other teenagers’ break-up boxes to create an art exhibit, Heartifacts. Opening night is going great, until she spots Daniel Kwak illicitly filming his best friend’s reaction to his ex’s box. When she tries to stop him, an intense discussion ends up launching a creative partnership and friendship… and a major crush for Chloe.

There’s just one problem: Daniel is dead set on not being another rebound.

Five times he’s been the guy who makes the girls he’s dating realize they want to get back with their ex. And he refuses for there to be a sixth. She insists she’s over her ex, but when he shows up unexpectedly with his new girlfriend, it turns out Daniel was right. She isn’t ready for a new relationship.

She throws herself into making Heartifacts successful, but flashy influencers threaten her original vision of the exhibit. To create the exhibit she’s always wanted, Chloe needs to go back to basics, learn to work with artists in a more collaborative way, and discover what love can be. Only then will she convince Daniel she’s truly ready for everything they could be to one another.

This is a fantasy book I’m looking forward to and is coming out really soon! So I know for sure I’ll finish this prompt.