Month: January 2024

The Invocations by. Krystal Sutherland | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Invocations

Author: Krystal Sutherland

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 1/30/24

Publisher: Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Horror, Thriller, Sapphic, Feminism, Demons, Witches, Paranormal, Contemporary

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

From the author of New York Times bestseller House of Hollow comes a darkly seductive witchy thriller where, though both men and demons lurk in shadows, girls refuse to go quietly into the night.

Zara Jones believes in magic because the alternative is too painful to bear—that her sister was murdered by a serial killer and there is precisely nothing she can do to change it. If there’s anything Zara cannot stand it’s feeling powerless, so she decides she will do whatever it takes—even if that means partaking in the occult—to bring her sister back from the dead.

Jude Wolf might be the daughter of a billionaire, but she is also undeniably cursed. After a deal with a demon went horribly wrong, her soul is now slowly turning necrotic. Flowers and insects die in her wake and monstrous things come to taunt her at night. If Jude can’t find the right someone to fix her mistake, she fears she’ll die very soon.

Enter Emer Bryne: the solution to both Zara’s and Jude’s predicaments. The daughter of a witch, Emer sells spells to women in desperate situations willing to sacrifice a part of their soul in exchange for a bit of power, a bit of magic to change their lives. But Emer has a dark past all her own—and as her former clients are murdered one-by-one, she knows it’s followed her all the way to London.

As Zara and Jude enter Emer’s orbit, they’ll have to team up to stop the killer—before they each end up next on his list.

Content Warning: death, violence, self harm, gore

+ If you want demons and witches and females trying to fight the men who are killing them – you will want to read this book. I actually had to process this book in my mind for a bit before writing what I thought about it. The Invocations is outright, in your face, blood, gore, dark, not some glamorous wholesome kind of witchcraft. No, this one has witchcraft that comes with lots of blood and old languages. It is gritty, it is scary but shows how desperate these women seeking these invocations are to have power against the men hunting them. I thought the themes of feminism was great – loved that only women can have magic. 

+ There are three characters: Emer, Jude, and Zara and I thought they were pretty cool trio with very different personalities. Jude brings the humor which I loved since this book is so dark in themes and gory in some scenes. Zara is someone grieving her sister and wants to bring her back to life so she can apologize. Emer is a witch who has had quite a life – she’s so fascinating and scary with her power. I love how the three of them meet and start to bond over finding this killer. They are all tied to the murders in some way. There is also a little romance brewing but it’s not something that is the focus of the story.

+ This is a murder mystery or serial killer mystery and I did like the twist at the end. And what an ending it was – my eyes were wide open for most of the climatic ending! It was disgusting and gory but I couldn’t look away, so to speak!

+ I did find the second half of the book more exciting than the first, maybe because that’s when Tabatha is getting close to figuring things out and a bunch of wild things happen that I did not expect! I liked the twist.

~ The beginning was slower than the second half but it was introducing three characters and tying them together. But once they meet the story really gets rolling! 

~ It is dark, there is self harm, lots of blood, cutting skin. Lots of gruesome deaths. 

My Thoughts:

This book was like, “you want demons and witches? I’ll give you demons and witches.” This is a dark story about women, men, demons, witches and power. There is a lot of blood and gore but also a sort of happy ending. I loved that the story didn’t shy away from the gore – even though I don’t usually read gory books in general. I wish this was released near Halloween because this is the perfect dark, witchy read for Fall! I look forward to reading more from this author, she’s becoming one of my must-read authors!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

House of Hollow by. Krystal Sutherland | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First Lines Fridays | 1/12/24

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

“There was never any doubt in her mind, even after all these dust-streaked mortal years, that Dacre would one day come for her.”

⬇️

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⬇️

⬇️

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⬇️

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Can you guess what book it is?

Did you guess it? Have you read this one?

📖 ~ Yolanda

The Getaway List by. Emma Lord | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Getaway List

Author: Emma Lord

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 1/23/24

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Coming of Age, Best Friends to Lovers

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The day of her high school graduation, Riley realizes two things: One, that she has spent the last four years trying so hard to be a Good Kid for her mom that she has no idea who she really is anymore, and two, she has no idea what she wants because of it. The solution? Pack her bags and move to New York for the summer, where her childhood best friend Tom and co-creator of The Getaway List ― a list of all the adventures they’ve wanted to do together since he moved away ― will hopefully help her get in touch with her old adventurous self, and pave the road to a new future.

Riley isn’t sure what to expect from Tom, who has been distant since his famous mom’s scriptwriting career pulled him away. But when Riley arrives in the city, their reconnection is as effortless as it was when they were young―except with one, unexpected complication that will pull Riley’s feelings in a direction she didn’t know they could take. As she, Tom, and their newfound friends work their way through the delightfully chaotic items on The Getaway List, Riley learns that sometimes the biggest adventure is not one you take, but one you feel in your heart.

Inescapably romantic and brimming with Emma Lord’s signature cheer, The Getaway List is an uplifting and romantic read that will settle into your heart and never leave.

Content Warning: neglectful parent, challenging parent relationships

+ There is a lot I like about this book. I could relate to Riley’s confusion about what to do with her life now that she graduated high school and how she and her mom don’t see eye to eye on her future. I loved seeing New York City through her eyes and trying to find herself after being what her mom wanted for years in high school.

+ New York City is the perfect city for this story. It’s a place of endless possibilities as Riley finds out, but I did also like Riley’s mom’s backstory about why NYC wasn’t the best place for Riley. In the end it’s a good fit for Riley and she makes a bunch of new friends and even helps her best friend, Tom, fall in love with the city. The secondary characters really bring this story to life.

+ Riley isn’t the only one dealing with parental issues. Tom’s mom is neglectful and spends most of her time on work -which really sucks for Tom. Both Riley and Tom doesn’t have any ties to their fathers or at least they’re not in the picture while this story is unfolding. But where Riley can actually argue with her mom and talk things out, Tom and his mom barely have any communication which is sad. 

+ This is a best-friends to lovers romance and it’s a slow burn. There are so many other issues Riley and Tom need to take care of to really talk about their relationship. It builds and I love their friendship so much, it almost felt natural for them to take it a step further – but they do so while keeping in mind they both have some issues to work on with their mothers and their plans going forward.

My Thoughts:

I enjoy this book a lot – there is just something about books set in New York City that is so much fun. I love Riley and Tom and the group of friends they have together. They are all in the same age group and trying to basically find their way but having fun at it! It’s a really enjoyable coming of age story. If you like a best friends to lovers romance and you love stories set in New York City – you will definitely enjoy this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

ARC Review | Tweet Cute ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You Have a Match | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When You Get the Chance by. Emma Lord | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Begin Again by. Emma Lord | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If I Promise You Wings by. A.K.Small | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: If I Promise You Wings

Author: A.K. Small

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 1/16/24

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Coming of Age, Grief

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hold Still  meets  You’ve Reached Sam  in this lyrical novel about one young woman’s journey through the Paris fashion scene as she chases promises, overcomes grief, and falls in love. Seventeen-year-old Alix Leclaire dreams of becoming a renowned feather artist, creating statement pieces that define glamour and high fashion. As an intern at Paris’s premier feather boutique, trained by the alluring Raven, she works with the staff to construct wings for the dancers at the Moulin Rouge.
 
But with every feather she sews, the grief Alix has been evading looms. Her best friend, Jeanne, died months ago and ever since, Alix has felt compelled to live as Jeanne did, taking risks she never would have before. Alix begins stealing feathers for her own use—a serious offense at the boutique—and loses herself in a passionate affair with Raven, who makes her his muse. Even when Blaise, an old schoolmate, offers solace and healing, she pushes him away.
 
Echoing the chaos and division in her heart, the wings that Alix creates take on a frightening and wild beauty. Living like Jeanne has given her everything she ever wanted—but at the risk of losing it all.

Content Warning: neglectful parent and abandonment, death, grief,

+ I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book because it is very lyrical, and we are in Alix’s head a lot. Alix’s mother left her and her dad, her dad is a neglectful parent and her best friend just died. Alix finds herself being brave enough to ask to apprentice at a feather artist shop. I thought her growth in the story was inspiring. I loved Alix’s connection to feathers and how working at the shop helped her open up to people, and to her own art.

+ My favorite part of the story I think had to be about the feathers! Mademoiselle Salomé is a premier feather artist in Paris. I went to the Moulin Rouge during my honeymoon so I was actually fascinated about the setting and theme of this book. I could really envision these feather works of arts that Mademoiselle Salomé and her team would create and loved the drama behind the scenes with the other staff at Mille et Une Plume. I liked the secondary characters in the book also, they had so much character.

+ The romance is a bit of a love triangle. Alix is caught between two boys. She starts hooking up with one boy, Raven and then starts befriending the other boy, Blaise, as they both grieve over Alix’s best friend. You could kind of tell how it would play out and honestly, I didn’t mind it because Alix is a broken soul. And if she’s looking for love because she doesn’t even have parents around to be there for her, then I was there rooting for her on this journey – even if it meant her trying to fix some relationships.

~ This is all part of Alix’s growth but she is very timid at times especially in the beginning and I just wanted her to do the right thing, when she did the wrong thing.  She doesn’t know how to communicate how she feels and that was frustrating at times. Like I said, she learns eventually to come clean, so there is growth in her character.

~ There is a lot of French words and I didn’t know what they meant but it didn’t make it hard reading. I just hoped I was saying them correctly in my head – but I’m pretty sure I was wrong!

My Thoughts:

I thought this was a beautiful story about personal growth and how an obsession with feathers helped keep Alix afloat during her grief of losing her best friend and even losing her dad, who leaves her in a time when she really needs someone to stay with her. I love how Alix finds a family with the staff at Mille et Une Plume and she learns a lot about fashion, and actually expressing herself. The secondary characters really bring the story to life and the romance, though a love triangle, I thought had a beautiful ending. By the end of the book I was as obsessed with the feathers as Alix was.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 1/10/24

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

What are you currently reading?

ASAP by. Axie Oh – no progress on this one

A Place for Vanishing by. Ann Fraistat – I’m at 21% on this one

Chasm by. Stacey McEwan – 25% progress

What have you just finished reading?

If I Promise You Wings by. A. K. Small ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ruthless Vows by. Rebecca Ross ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Dance of Stars and Ashes by. Nisha J. Tuli ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are you going to read next?

These Deadly Prophecies by. Andrea Tang

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen

The Invocations by. Krystal Sutherland

What are you reading right now?

Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 1/9/24

Happy book birthday to these new releases! Check out this list today:

Somewhere in the Deep by. Tanvi Berwah

Seventeen-year-old Krescent Dune is buried under the weight of her dead parents’ debt and the ruinous legacy they left behind. The only way she can earn enough money to escape her unforgiving island is by battling monstrous creatures in an underground fighting pit. After a fight goes terribly wrong, she’s banned from the pits. Now hopeless, she is offered a deal: in exchange for the erasure of her debts, she must join and protect a hunting party for a rescue mission deep within the mining caves beneath the island.

Krescent is determined to keep her head down and fulfill her role as the dutiful bodyguard, even though she is trapped underground with her childhood enemy and a company of people who would gladly kill her if they knew who her parents were. As they come across creatures she believed only existed in legends, it becomes clear they are in far more danger than she could have imagined. But someone doesn’t want her to make it out alive. And she’ll have to figure out who before she’s left alone… in the dark.

From the author of Monsters Born and Made comes an action-packed South Asian inspired fantasy that will have your heart racing at every turn.

Goodreads | Amazon

The Atlas of Us by. Kristin Dwyer

Atlas James has lost her way.

In a last-ditch effort to pull her life together, she’s working on a community service program rehabbing trails in the Western Sierras. The only plus is that the days are so exhausting that Atlas might just be tired enough to forget that this was one of her dad’s favorite places in the world. Before cancer stole him from her life, that is.

Using real names is forbidden on the trail. So Atlas becomes Maps, and with her team—Books, Sugar, Junior, and King—she heads into the wilderness. As she sheds the lies she’s built up as walls to protect herself, she realizes that four strangers might know her better than anyone has before. And with the end of the trail racing to meet them, Maps is left counting down the days until she returns to her old life—without her new family, and without King, who’s become more than just a friend.

Goodreads | Amazon

The Atlas Complex by. Olivie Blake

In this romantic fantasy of manners from New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft, a magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.

But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible.

Transporting readers to a Regency England-inspired fantasy world, A Fragile Enchantment is a sweeping romance threaded with intrigue, unforgettable characters, and a love story for the ages.

Goodreads | Amazon

The Heiress by. Rachel Hawkins

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.

But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will––and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

Goodreads | Amazon

Dungeons and Drama by. Kristy Boyce

When it comes to romance, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to play games. A fun YA romcom full of fake dating hijinks!

Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high school’s spring musical, but when Riley takes her mom’s car without permission, she’s grounded and stuck with the worst punishment: spending her after-school hours working at her dad’s game shop.

Riley can’t waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathan—a nerdy teen employee—to cover her shifts and, in exchange, she’ll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous.

But Riley didn’t realize that meant joining Nathan’s Dungeons & Dragons game…or that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn’t require as much acting as she would’ve thought…

Goodreads | Amazon

Are you getting any new books this week?

Happy Reading!

Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2024  | TTT | 1/9/24

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!

This week’s topic is:

Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2024

We’re already looking at the books we are excited for in the FIRST HALF of 2024! It’s scary to look at a year in “half” because I feel like it makes the year fo faster but here’s what I’m looking forward to this year – at least in the first half.

The Wren in the Holly Library by. K.A. Linde

Have you read any of these books? Are any of these on your TBR? What’s on your TTT?

#5OnMyTBR: 2024 Releases

#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook and you can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. It occurs every Monday when we post about 5 books on our TBR.

This week’s theme is: 2024 Releases

Title: House of Flame and Shadow

Author: Sarah J. Maas

The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed Crescent City series, following the global bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath.

Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she’s going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that’s no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he’s in the Asteri’s dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce’s fate. He’s desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri’s leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt’s world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.

Title: Destroy the Day

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Left for dead, but desperate to survive . . . they have one last chance to save their kingdom.

Prince Corrick is out of options. Held captive by the vicious Oren Crane, he’s desperate to reunite with Tessa, but will need to ally with the rebel leader Lochlan, who until now wished him dead. An unlikely but deadly pair, Corrick and Lochlan must plot their next moves carefully.

An island away, Tessa Cade is heartbroken and angry. Grieving Corrick, and unsure how to find a way back to Kandala, she doesn’t know who to trust. Until Rian—the man she trusts least—makes an offer: aid in a plot to finally oust Oren Crane and see what the future holds . . .

Meanwhile in Kandala, Harristan is dethroned and on the run. He’s struggling to unite the rebels in his fractured kingdom, but he finds support—and maybe more—in unexpected places.

Can Harristan be the king his people need? Can Corrick and Tessa find their way back to each other? As outside threats loom and the fires of revolution burn from within, time is running out to save their kingdom.

In the thrilling conclusion to the Defy the Night series, Brigid Kemmerer crafts heartrending twists and devastating turns that will keep readers breathless to the very end.

Title: The Prisoner’s Throne

Author: Holly Black

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame.

Prince Oak is paying for his betrayal. Imprisoned in the icy north and bound to the will of a monstrous new queen, he must rely on charm and calculation to survive. With High King Cardan and High Queen Jude ready to use any means necessary to retrieve their stolen heir, should Oak attempt to regain the trust of the girl he’s always loved, or remain loyal to Elfhame and hand over the means to end her reign-even if it means ending Wren, too…

With war looming and treachery lurking in every corner, neither Oak’s guile nor his wit will be enough to keep everyone he loves alive. He will have some terrible choices to make.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes the stunning blood-soaked conclusion to the Stolen Heir duology.

Title: The Invocations

Author: Krystal Sutherland

From the author of New York Times bestseller House of Hollow comes a darkly seductive witchy thriller where, though both men and demons lurk in shadows, girls refuse to go quietly into the night.

Zara Jones believes in magic because the alternative is too painful to bear—that her sister was murdered by a serial killer and there is precisely nothing she can do to change it. If there’s anything Zara cannot stand it’s feeling powerless, so she decides she will do whatever it takes—even if that means partaking in the occult—to bring her sister back from the dead.

Jude Wolf might be the daughter of a billionaire, but she is also undeniably cursed. After a deal with a demon went horribly wrong, her soul is now slowly turning necrotic. Flowers and insects die in her wake and monstrous things come to taunt her at night. If Jude can’t find the right someone to fix her mistake, she fears she’ll die very soon.

Enter Emer Bryne: the solution to both Zara’s and Jude’s predicaments. The daughter of a witch, Emer sells spells to women in desperate situations willing to sacrifice a part of their soul in exchange for a bit of power, a bit of magic to change their lives. But Emer has a dark past all her own—and as her former clients are murdered one-by-one, she knows it’s followed her all the way to London.

As Zara and Jude enter Emer’s orbit, they’ll have to team up to stop the killer—before they each end up next on his list.

Title: The Hemlock Queen

Author: Hannah Whitten

In the second installment of New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten’s lush, romantic epic fantasy series, a young woman who can raise the dead must navigate the dangerous and glamorous world of the Sainted King’s royal court. 

The corrupt king August is dead. Prince Bastian has seized the throne and raised Lore—a necromancer and former smuggler—to his right hand side. Together they plan to cut out the rot from the heart of the sainted court and help the people of Dellaire. But not everyone is happy with the changes. The nobles are sowing dissent, the Kyrithean Empire is beating down their door, and Lore’s old allies are pulling away. Even Prince Bastian’s changed. No longer the hopeful, rakish, charismatic man Lore knows and loves, instead he’s reckless, domineering and cold. 

And something’s been whispering in her ear. A voice, dark and haunting, that’s telling her there’s more to the story than she knows and more to her power than she can even imagine. A truth buried deep that could change everything. 

With Bastian’s coronation fast approaching and enemies whispering on all sides, Lore must figure out how to protect herself, her prince, and her country before they all come crumbling down and whatever dark power has been creeping through the catacombs is unleashed.

Have you read any of these? Or plan to read any of these?

>>>>>

January

  • 01/01/2024 — New Year Freebie
  • 08/01/2024 — 2024 Releases
  • 15/01/2024 — The Longest on Your TBR
  • 22/01/2024 — Speculative
  • 29/01/2024 — Part of a Series

2023 | A Year in Review

It’s that time again in the year, the end of the year where I look back and see how much I’ve read during the year. The only place I track my reading is on Goodreads so this is what Goodreads says I’ve read:

What a coincidence that I read the same amount as last year?! Honestly I need to remove the children’s books from the count. It’s there because I use my kindle app to borrow books for my kids to read. So there are about maybe 15-20 titles in this log that are books my kids read – not me. So let’s say I actually read 160 books.

The hardcover for Iron Flame says actually 640 pages, but for some strange reason, the ebook came out to 884? I don’t get it but that’s what it says.

Wow, I’m pretty generous in my ratings I think! 

That sounds about right – Fourth Wing was THE book of 2023 I think.

I had a pretty good year of reading I think. Though I do feel like I had more of a burnout at the end of the year. I’m trying to go into 2024 slowly- even though I have to finish 3 arcs this month! I just really need to slow down this year and read less – just so I don’t get into a reading slump. 

This is how I rated books this year – but I will note that in the 5 stars category, some were 4.5 stars, and in the 4 stars category there are a lot of 3.5 stars in there too and so forth. In the 0 stars category there are 2 dnf’s in there and the rest aren’t rated because they are the children’s books my daughter read. 

How was your reading year?

Weekly Wrap Up | 1/7/24

Aloha friends!

Wow, is the first week of January 2024 really over?!

What a week! New Year’s Eve was loud and colorful as usual but my kids slept through it, but our dog did not. Poor thing. He survived, but it’s always so traumatizing for him. We celebrated my daughter’s 7th birthday and my nephew’s 16th birthday also. It was nice to see family so much over the holidays and I felt like each week I saw my mom she got stronger and stronger. It’s been a month since her operation and today she seemed almost back to normal! I’m happy about that!

My hubby left yesterday and me and the kids will miss him. He’ll be back in 11 months for good. How time flies! Anyway, it’s back to school this Tuesday – we are back on the grind again. Is it bad that I already feel exhausted? lol…

I hope all of you had a good week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

If I Promise You Wings by. A.K. Small

Ruthless Vows by. Rebecca Ross

Dance of Stars and Ashes by. Nisha J. Tuli

Currently Reading:

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen

A Place for Vanishing by. Ann Fraistat

The Invocations by. Krystal Sutherland

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • NFL Football – sometimes I just have it on as background noise while I do something else lol…but I was interested to see who made the playoffs
  • Kiki’s Delivery Service – cute movie!

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!