She Drinks the Light by. Yasmin Angoe | ALC and ARC Review | Audiobook and Ebook

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating:

Title: She Drinks the Light

Author: Yasmin Angoe

Narrator(s): Ashley J. Hobbs

Format: audiobook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336 Listening Time: Approximately 7 hours 50 min

Publication Date: 3/3/26

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Audio Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy, Paranormal, LGBT+

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

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and Macmillan Young Listeners for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

For fans of Sinners and Immortal Dark, a teen girl must uncover her family’s deadly secrets in order to save her best friend and her island in this heart-pounding YA debut.

Addae has spent her whole life on the Golden Isle, a private island off the coast of South Carolina that has been in her family for centuries. Island residents don’t really fraternize with mainlanders, and for good reason. Golden Isle was founded by the Kinfolk, descendants—including Addae and her Nana Ama, the island matriarch—of escaped enslaved Black people.

But the Isle and the Kinfolk have secrets that must be protected from the outside world. Secrets of spirituality, mythology that are deeply rooted in their West African culture, beliefs, and traditions. The Kin are bound to protect the Golden Isle and, in turn, it protects them.

When Addae’s best friend Naria goes missing and one of the Kin turns up drained of blood, Addae’s way of life is threatened. It looks like the work of the Adze, West African supernatural beings that drink human blood in order to survive—also known as vampires.

Believing Naira is alive, Addae travels to the mainland. But as Addae gets closer to finding Naria, she uncovers deep secrets about Nana Ama’s past, and about her own… secrets that could change how she feels about the Golden Isle and her lineage.

Torn between two worlds, Addae will have to decide how far she is willing to go—and who she is willing to cross—to save her best friend, and even herself.

Content Warning: violence, death, slavery history, cursing

** I listened to this as an ALC but I also had the ebook arc, and I’m glad I had the ebook because the audiobook had issues and I don’t know if it’s on my end, but many chapters would cut out or skip. Parts of the audio would go silent and come back again. I did mostly listen to it though because I love how the narrator brought the story to life. But for me, this ALC copy wasn’t the best and it was helpful that I had the ebook. **

+ Addae lives on Golden Isle, off the coast of South Carolina and her family’s West African roots are preserved on this island. Her grandmother, her only guardian used to be a slave so she has come a long way to owning her own island. So there is a lot of anger, resentment and a need to protect themselves and the island from mainlanders. But when Addae’s best-friend Naira goes missing, she has to find help on the mainland where she discovers her cousin was involved with a boy, Luke, who’s family was all about collecting artifacts and maybe wanted something from Golden Isle. I think there is a lot of growth for Addae. She didn’t like that Naira wanted to leave the island because she didn’t see any reason to want to be anywhere else, or that she was dating a white boy. But her search for Naira opens her eyes to a lot of things. Also, her relationship with her grandmother is one of respect, but there is a lot of secrets between them that gets revealed in the end.

+ I don’t know much about West African culture, but I did hear some familiar mythological names like Anansi (I used to read my kids the story about Anansi the spider) and Nyame. I kind of got excited that those names were familiar to me and it made me more interested in the story to see what more I could learn about them. Also I didn’t expect the paranormal elements in the story, the vampires and zombies.

~ The first half off the book is slower than the second half. We meet Addae, and see her life on the island with her grandmother and other families. But Naira goes missing, and she goes missing for awhile. It seems people are quick to say she is gone except Addae. So Addae is basically trying to find Naira on her own until she runs into Luke’s sister, Hailey. Still, there doesn’t seem much urgency in finding Naira and except for some stories of strange sighting or going-ons, there are no leads. I found that part slow. But things pick up in the second half because it’s like the story turns in another direction.

~ The ending feels rushed because so many things are revealed and happening at once. I do wish more hints about vampires were dropped earlier in the book.

Final Thoughts:

I love the West African history and heritage that was represented in this story and it also doesn’t shy away from slavery that was part of South Carolina’s past. I do think pacing was an issue, first half went a little too slow but it switches up and picks up but then the ending feels rushed. I really liked the family and vampire elements of the story. I thought Addae had a lot of character growth throughout the book. Definitely check this one out if you are into vampire stories.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Still Fighting by. Syianne Horne | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Still Fighting

Author: Syianne Horne

Format: eBook

Pages: 111

Publication Date: 1/15/26

Publisher: indie author

Categories: Fiction, Novella

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

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

Trouble has always followed Torres, and by eighth grade, his reputation feels impossible to escape. Beneath the tough exterior, he struggles with low self-esteem and doubts his ability to be anything more than his past mistakes. He leans on his friends Carlos and Arlin, but even their bond may not be enough when the pressure starts to build.

When a new teacher, Ms. Jenkins, refuses to give up on him, Torres is pushed to see himself differently. Now he must decide if he has the courage to believe in his own worth and choose a better future.

Content Warning: violence, drug dealing, grief

The author reached out to ask if I would read and review her book and I’m so glad I agreed to do it because this book is powerful, impactful and relevant to today’s political and social climate.

Told in multiple POVs from four people: Carlos, Arlin and Torres and their teacher, Ms. Jenkins, we get insight into the children’s lives. And yes they are children – middle school kids who still need guidance and support and Ms. Jenkins is there to give it the best she can even with opposition with school admin.

I have a child in the 7th grade and this hits home – especially with the personal narrative assignment, because givings kids a way to express themselves and tell their stories is so important. Arlin’s story brought tears to my eyes, and I felt Torres and Carlos’ frustrations and fears about what they went through and going through.

This story is heartbreaking, but also so very hopeful.

Final Thoughts:

This story is powerful and everyone should read it. It tells an important story about struggle, and yet left me hopeful for the future. I hope to read more books from this author!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Author Website

We’re A Bad Idea, Right? by. K.L. Walther | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating:

Title: We’re a Bad Idea, Right?

Author: K.L. Walther

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 3/3/26

Publisher: Delacorte Romance

Categories: Young Adult, Romance

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

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

The business of love gets messy when two best friends decide to fake a romantic relationship in this uproarious and swoony novel by the bestselling author of The Summer of Broken Rules.

Audrey Barbour has had enough of following the rules. Eighteen years of being the perfect daughter—exceptional grades, enviable college acceptances, tame dating history—and still, her parents don’t trust her enough to let her study her passion, glassblowing, on a prestigious fellowship.

So when her best friend Henry proposes an outrageous fake-dating scheme to win back his ex-girlfriend, it feels like the first step to shaking up her perfect life. And the second? That comes when Audrey’s parents go out of town, sparking a high-risk, high-reward solution to pay for her fellowship—renting out her family’s Connecticut mansion online. With the help of her new fake-boyfriend, it shouldn’t be hard to pull off… right?

But when her best intentions start to unravel, Audrey will have to reckon with who she is, what she wants, and what it really means to play life by her rules—all with her heart on the line.

Content Warning: alcohol use

+ This is a wild ride of a young adult romance! Audrey is a glass blower and sells her creation on her own Etsy shop. Henry is her best-friend and he helps her run her shop, but he’s also dating her good friend, Ellie…until recently. Henry wants to get Ellie back so he proposes they fake date to make Ellie jealous, and then maybe Audrey’s crush, Griff, will also look at her in a different way.

+ The fake dating is fun because they are best friends and have their own way of interacting with one another using movie lines or calling each other by character names. It’s very silly, very cute, and I loved Audrey and Henry together. When they do feel something more, which comes really easily and without any real drama – all it takes is a few talks between them when they do have a challenge before they get their happy ever after. I liked how the topic of a long distance relationship was Henry’s hang-up about continuing a relationship, but there was Audrey’s parents in a long-distance marriage that worked!

+ Outside of the fake-dating though is the crazy things happening in Audrey’s life. Her parents are on a trip, and she accidentally pays ten thousand dollars for tuition to a school her parents haven’t agreed to. So…the rest of the story is her trying to come up with a way to make the 10K back before her parents get back home. The plan involves all her friends, but what Audrey learns about herself is that she really is good under-pressure and can actually run a business! It’s kind of crazy but it works, and I thought it made this story pretty fun to read.

+ I found all the characters to be good people, which was kind of nice! Audrey is a chill girl, and nothing seems to get her totally down. And her group of friends, even her parents, seem like really relaxed people – I cannot relate! haha…but it’s nice. I like that everyone was trying to help her out in some way.

~ If you don’t like pop culture references then you won’t enjoy this book because there is mention of Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and even Gracie Abrams. 😅. Even the title takes from Olivia’s song Bad Idea, Right?

~ There is a moment where Audrey and Henry take their relationship to the next level but it’s closed door, with barely any details except him pulling out a condom. I found it pretty realistic but I did kind of want more of a hint that they were headed that way in their relationship.

Final Thoughts:

I enjoyed this one! I thought it was fun and funny. The characters were all likable and I kind of wish my parents were as chill as Audrey’s. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Summer of Broken Rules by. K.L. Walther | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

In Time With You by. Kristin Dwyer | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: In Time With You

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Author: Kristin Dwyer

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 3/3/26

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Magical Realism, Grief, Time Travel

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!

Can she get it right the second time(line) around?

You’ve Reached Sam meets Before I Fall in this gripping speculative romance about one girl saving her first love’s life by falling for the last person she ever should – his best friend.

Nieve Monroe is devastated after her boyfriend Carter dies saving her from drowning. Even worse she blames herself for his death… and so does his best friend, Max. He was there with them on that fateful day, and he’s never liked Nieve.

Unable to pull herself from her grief and wanting to hide from the accusation in his eyes, Nieve goes to stay with her grandmother, who has always had strange stories to tell of uncanny happenings, of magic and make believe. The next morning, Nieve wakes up on the first day of college, the year before.

This time she plans to make sure Carter never follows her into that river. She’ll do everything in her power to keep him safe, even if it means losing him in other ways. But the more distance she puts between her and Carter, the closer she gets to Max, drawn to him in ways she never expected. But is she betraying Carter if the only way she can save him is to move on? And can she ever forget her past to embrace her future?

Kristin Dwyer’s In Time with You is a heartbreaking story of first love, loss, and one chance to change everything.

Content Warning: grief, death, drowning, PTSD, anxiety, underage drinking, family estrangement

+ I don’t know what I was expecting from this story but what an emotional rollercoaster. I have lost someone in the past, in an accident, so a lot of the questions Nieve has in this book – hit a little too close to home. So if you lost someone, just know this story can be triggering.

+ Nieve’s boyfriend Carter dies in an accident that involves her. She is lost in the darkness of grief and can’t quite move on. She blames herself. She tries to go back to college but she can barely get out of bed and then her grandmother rips the yarn threads from her blanket. Now Nieve’s grandmother and their ancestors before them are very superstitious and they are artists who founded this college that Nieve and her cousin goes too. But yarn is magical in their family, each color represents emotions, and certain colors can help do things like ward off nightmares – Nieve and her cousin Linden have been working on their own blankets all their lives, and the yarn being stitched a little at a time represented a time of their life or something special too them. This blanket is their timeline and when Nieve’s grandmother rips out the threads that was Nieve’s memories of Carter – Nieve travels back in time to the moment she meets Carter. Her goal? Not to date him so she can change his future – but will it work?

+ I was hooked on this story because I needed to see how this would work out. I don’t particularly love time travel stories and there were times while reading this my mind said no, Nieve can’t do this, or else she will mess everything up. But it’s because I was afraid for her, I was afraid what her actions may mean, and what outcome would be or what if she tries to change his future but he dies again anyway. Because yes, she lost Carter in the first timeline, but isn’t she also losing him again in this second timeline? She’s losing him as a boyfriend, but keeping him alive. It’s emotional devastating and bittersweet.

+ And because Nieve is pushing Carter away, someone else (who she thought hated her in the first timeline) becomes the person she wants and it’s confusing feelings all around. I was rooting for her with this other guy but also gutted about it because things change drastically and in unexpected ways. There is romance but not with who I thought it would be with – which was a bittersweet feeling. But I did love him for her, come on, Max reads Pablo Neruda poems – I fell in love with him for that alone! There is a little spice, but it was just enough. But it was just really interesting to see how Nieve could see Carter with a different perspective in this second timeline.

+ I love Nieve’s family and their traditions. There’s a rumor her grandmother is a witch and I could definitely see the witchy and magical elements of the story. I love how close she is to her grandma and cousin, because she clearly wasn’t close to her mom but it was…expected. It just seemed like in Nieve’s family, it is what it is. I’m just glad she had her grandma and cousin. I also love how this story revolves around art – the college they go to is a small college focusing on art whether it’s writing, dancing, or creating with paint and pencil.

~ Like I said above, time travel is not my favorite trope, and there were times when I thought how could Nieve even function when she changed one thing, a ripple would happen and altogether things would change. I felt like I was going crazy with her because it was out of her control! That part got a little frustrating for me because she could kiss someone and the next day it didn’t happen because the timeline would change a little. Her grandma’s advice was to make only ripples of changes not big changes and I felt like Nieve followed the instructions as best she could but still something huge would change. So I felt her madness and anxiety as she neared the day Carter would die. I just wish she had more guidance and explanation about the yarn and the ripples and the timeline. But grandma just trusted Nieve whole-heartedly, she was kind of bad-ass.

~ Things change a lot in the new timeline and when Nieve pushes Carter away, he ends up with someone else and yikes, I would have hated to be in Nieve’s shoes. You can tell she really loved him enough to keep him alive and look past him dating other people.

Final Thoughts:

I found this story emotional, engrossing, heartbreaking, and complicated. I was hooked on this story from the start and I found myself feeling everything Nieve was feeling. I may not have understood some of the timeline changes but I went with it and found myself invested until the very end. It’s definitely the kind of story that will stick with me for awhile. I’ve read three books now from this author and each time, it grabs me by the heartstrings. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Some Mistakes Were Made by. Kristin Dwyer | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Atlas of Us by. Kristin Dwyer | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Wicked and the Damned by. Rebecca Robinson | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: The Wicked and the Damned (Dark Inheritance Trilogy, #2)

Author: Rebecca Robinson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 2/24/26

Publisher: S&S/Saga Press

Categories: Romantasy, Fantasy, Romance

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

Thank you to S&S/Saga Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In the exhilarating second romantasy novel in Rebecca Robinson’s Dark Inheritance Trilogy, a fiery couple forced apart must navigate a deadly maze of politics and power to reunite across a continent at war.
Torn from her husband Reid’s arms and dragged back to her homeland in chains, Vaasa is no longer a ruler, but a political pawn. Now under the control of Ozik—a cunning Zetyr witch with a stranglehold on her magic—she faces annulment, forced betrothal, and a kingdom that no longer feels like her own. As Ozik’s machinations aim to install himself as the true power behind the Asteryan throne, Vaasa is forced to take part in his game.

Meanwhile, across the continent, Reid is done playing politics. But waging war is never simple, and a soldier’s fury cannot stand up against Icruria’s bureaucracy. With allies fading and time slipping away, Reid may have no choice but to infiltrate Asterya on his own to find the woman he loves and bring her home.

As Vaasa’s magic begins to flare, she desperately seeks control, even if Ozik is the only one who can offer it. She then finds a cryptic final message from her mother about a precious missing necklace that might just be the answer to finally freeing her magic from Ozik. Yet when a ghost from Vaasa’s past reemerges among the suitors vying for her hand, escape might be within reach—but will it demand a betrayal that real love may not survive?

Content Warning: violence, death

This is book two in the Dark Inheritance Trilogy, the first book being The Serpent and the Wolf. I really enjoyed Vaasa and Reid’s story in book one, but this time around they are apart for half the book.

I did feel like the first half moved slower for me, maybe because I was trying to remember all the characters and what happened in book one. By 50% into the book, I was hooked and it was a action filled second half filled with political intrigue, and Vaasa and Reid’s reunion.

I felt like a lot of this book focused on Ozik and we learn a lot about him and by the third book I think we’ll see if Vaasa can keep her promise to him. There was another character introduced in this book, Roman, who is from Vaasa’s past and I did not like him at all.

I enjoyed the twists and turns and hope book three starts off a bit faster.

Final Thoughts:

I do feel like this book moved the story forward though I did find the first of it slow. The second half was filled with a little spice, lots of political intrigue, twists, turns and action. I’ll definitely be looking forward to see how this series concludes in book three.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Serpent and the Wolf by. Rebecca Robinson | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Cure by. Pedro Urvi | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Cure

Author: Pedro Urvi

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 2/24/26

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, Inc.

Categories: Young Adult, Dystopia, Sci-Fi, Post Apocalyptic

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

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, Inc. for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

From internationally bestselling author Pedro Urvi comes a gripping new adventure that follows one young woman’s perilous journey to defy a divine curse and unearth a lost cure that could save humanity.

Ava’s people are cursed.

Long after an ancient and mysterious Apocalypse reduced what remained of humanity to a primitive tribe living in the shadows of sphinx and pyramid, a horrific transformation eventually overtakes each member of the community, turning them into vicious and terrifying monsters.

Every year, the capricious god Siaais selects three champions from the tribe to undertake a perilous quest for the Cure, the key to the salvation of Ava’s people. And every year, those champions fail, never to return.

But this year, something extraordinary happens. Instead of three warriors, Siaais chooses only one—Amos—along with a scholar and a healer: Ava’s cousin Amelia, and Ava herself. So begins an adventure in which past, present, and future collide. As Ava and her companions race against time to reach the Cure, they face dangers and mysteries beyond their imagining in a world where nothing at all is as it seems.

Content Warning: violence, death

I was asked to read and review this arc – though it’s out of my comfort zone, I liked the book cover and the synopsis, so I thought, why not? I usually read dystopian romance, and though this didn’t have a romance as a focal point, it was still an interesting read.

The first half of the story did go slowly for me. Ava, Amelia and Amos are the chosen ones from their tribe to find a cure for the disease that is making people transform into zombielike creatures. On their journey through ruins they meet new people from other tribes with the same goal. So it is a race to find this cure for everyone.

From what we gather as Ava and crew meet other tribes, each tribe has different levels of knowledge. It felt like Ava’s tribe was the most primitive, whereas Emma was someone who knew a lot of tech, and Logan had magic. So it made me curious about what else was in this world.

The story picks up at the halfway point and then ends in a flurry of a tiny bit of romance , unexpected deaths, action, violence, and a big twist I was definitely not expecting!

I’m not sure if this will be a series, since it’s not stated in the synopsis – but hopefully it is a series, because that ending was a cliffhanger.

Final Thoughts:

This story has a slow build in the beginning but it really caught my interest in the second half where so many things happen. It also ends in a really unexpected cliffhanger. I enjoyed the twist in the story! Definitely check this one out if you like Young Adult Dystopia/Sci-Fi books.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Fall of Iris Henley by. Jennifer Graham | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Fall of Iris Henley

Spice Rating:

Author: Jennifer Graham

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 2/24/26

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller

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!

For fans of Megan Lally and Kara Thomas, a twisty thriller about a Texas teen accused of murder who’s desperate to clear her name.

All it takes to ruin someone’s life is the stroke of a key. Just ask Iris Henley. Her life is destroyed when someone posts an anonymous message on her high school’s subreddit thread: “Iris Henley is a killer. I’ve been too scared to come forward until now, but I saw her murder Rocky and Lynette last summer.”

Just like that, Iris loses everything. Her reputation. Her friends. Her hope of getting into college on scholarship. Even, possibly, her freedom, once the police start to investigate. After all, she’s the perfect suspect: Rocky was her boyfriend, and Lynette was her ex-best friend—and the girl he was cheating on her with. But Iris didn’t do it, and now it’s up to her to clear her name by finding out who did—before it’s too late.

Propulsive, sharp, and absolutely twisty from the New York Times bestselling author who brought readers the Veronica Mars duology, Jennifer Graham’s YA thriller is unputdownable.

Content Warning: alcohol use, drug use, violence

Iris Henley is trying to move on after her boyfriend Rocky was found killed, along with her ex-best friend, Lynette. But someone has started a rumor that is was Iris who killed them. Now Iris is trying to find out who is spreading the rumors and who can trust around her.

Iris is a cheerleader, part of the in crowd, but she has her flaws. She was part of the reason her ex-bestie lost her spot on the cheer team, putting Iris in the top spot. But when everyone starts to turn on her, she kind of gets a taste of what Lynette went through.

I really like how twisty this got, and I didn’t predict some of the reveals at the end. There is betrayal, and sometimes Iris feels like an unreliable narrator because the night of the killings were fuzzy due to her being out of it, but eventually the truth is revealed and I was nicely surprised!

Final Thoughts:

This was a quick, twisty mystery thriller where one girl has to find out the truth about who killed her boyfriend and ex-bestie, and also find out who she can really trust around her.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Goodbye and Everything After by. Mae Coyiuto | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Goodbye and Everything After

Spice Rating:

Author: Mae Coyiuto

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 2/17/26

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Magical Realism, Filipino Representation

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

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A teen girl comes face to face with her dad’s spirit when she ignores a strict Filipino superstition in this contemporary young adult novel that tackles grief, family tension, and first love.

It’s been five years since Nika’s beloved father passed away, but her family has never fully grieved. They don’t speak of him much at all, except on the anniversary of his death.

Whenever they visit her father’s grave, Nika’s superstitious mother still insists on practicing pagpag, a Filipino belief that you can never go directly home after attending a funeral—or risk the spirit of the departed following you back home.

But when her mom’s new fiancé suddenly shows up at the cemetery for this year’s memorial for her dad, she furiously walks out, breaking the pagpag superstition. The next day, she finds herself face-to-face with the ghost of her dead father. . . and Nika’s the only one who can see him.

As she spends time reconnecting with her dad’s ghost, Nika learns about her parents’ past and how they started dating back in high school. And when she starts to fall for her neighbor Seph and accidentally re-creates memories of her parents’ love story with him, her dad’s spirit slowly becomes more solid and alive. Fearing that she’ll lose her dad again, Nika makes it her mission to find a way to make her dad stay permanently, no matter what the cost.

With a perfect blend of humor and heart, Mae Coyiuto artfully brings past to present in a way that explores grief head-on.

Content Warning: grief, cursing

Nika is a teenager and dealing with a lot of emotions. Her mom is engaged to be married to their dentist, and Nika feels like she is the only one grieving her dad’s death. She is a teenager, so she has some very strong feelings and thoughts about everything, and she curses.

What drew me to this story was the Filipino representation, more interestingly the Chinese-Filipino representation that I’m not to familiar with. I love seeing my people represented in books, so this was a great way for me to learn more about one of the many different cultures that thrive in the Philippines. Even though I’m not Chinese-Filipino I still recognized some of the foods they talked about, which I love. I related to the family expectations Nika is dealing with and family drama.

When her dad appears to her, I thought it was fitting, because it gave her a sense of closure at the end and helped the family come together to not only honor his memory, but deal with the grief each of them have been handling, almost alone, but not really alone.

There is even a little teenage romance, which I thought was cute.

Final Thoughts:

I loved the Filipino representation in this book with the cultural practices, the food, and the family dynamics. I thought this was a heart felt story that dealt with grief and moving on, which can be really strong feeling to manage when you are a teenager. But I thought this story did a great job of showing how closure, forgiveness, and moving on can be healing for everyone.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Masquerade of Mirrors by. Samantha Hartwood | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Masquerade of Mirrors (Halls of Glass)

Author: Samantha Hartwood

Format: eBook

Pages: 592

Publication Date: 2/17/26

Publisher: indepdent

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Dark Academia, LGBT+

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

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

The only thing more dangerous than falling for a lie
is falling for the liar.

Don’t look at the desert. Don’t think about the desert. Never step onto the sand. Taera has followed these rules her entire life—until he arrives.

Impossibly gorgeous, with a face masked in magic, Nikolai kidnaps Taera and drags her deep into the dunes. He says she’s powerful and needs to be trained…if she ever wants to see her family again.

Thrust into a deadly school of illusions and lies, Taera can’t trust anyone. Especially not her breathtaking, ruthless captor. Top student and notorious liar, his secrets run deeper than the sand. He’s her worst nightmare—and everything she craves.

The cutthroat Halls of Glass have a mind of their own. Trapped within their looping corridors, Taera is surrounded by hostile students and forced to rely on Nikolai.

Taera knows she shouldn’t fall for his illusions. But magic requires a partnership, and he’s the only mage who can handle her wild, untamed power.

And the only way he’ll help her is if she pretends to be his.

Masquerade of Mirrors is a fast-paced, slow-burn fantasy romance. Taera and Nikolai’s story is for readers who love crackling chemistry, daring escape plans, and as many lies as truths. This book is highly addictive and contains adult content.

Content Warning: violence

+ I found the world building very interesting! Set in a desert with mages and magicians, Taera is terrified of what the desert storm brings – a sickness with no cure. But also, she’s traumatized by an event where a mage came and did something to her mother, so she’s terrified of mages/magicians. These magic wielders often where an illusion so you never know their true face, and Taera was taught to fear them until one magician takes her to the Hall of Glass, a training school where magic wielders (Conduits) and Sources go to train their powers and learn about magic. Most of the story takes place in the school, but there are moments we get elements of the desert.

+~ I found Taera an interesting FMC who is naive because she hasn’t left her village. She has a lot to learn about people, and magic. I liked seeing her grow, but there were times her character frustrated me. As far as Nikolai, he’s handsome, desired, powerful, a liar and a thief. I did enjoy some of the other secondary characters like Omi, and Annie. There was just a lot of times Taera didn’t know what was going on and she’s being bullied, and Nikolai just lets it happen because he’s not a good guy. So there were times, I didn’t like that Taera clung to him even when he was being horrible. But we do learn more about his past, which is a bit tragic. He has done a lot in his young life to be drowning in regret and guilt, and he has to choose to lose himself completely in pursuit of power to change what he can’t.

+ The romance is very much a focus and it’s enemies to lovers, who are forced to one room, and one bed. It’s hard not to be charmed by Nikolai – everyone wants him, and Taera falls hard for him. Even when he’s not treating her good! But it’s her love that helps him and changes him so by the end I was rooting for their romance. There are some fun spicy scenes between them.

~ The story does turn into a dark academia school drama, which at points made me wonder if this was young adult – but it’s not. Taera is 24, but she’s never been in a setting where there are students who are cutthroat and all about drama. They bully her and sometimes Nikolai doesn’t care about it. Also, it was frustrating how Nikolai explained nothing to Taera about the school. He kidnaps her, and tells her to do this or that, but never explains anything. He hands her a book to study! Thank goodness for Omi who helped her.

~ I don’t think the story about the desert sickness ever gets addressed and I felt like the situation with Omi was easily pushed aside. I needed them to be face to face to discuss what happened so I hope if there are more books in this world, Omi’s story could be told?

Final Thoughts:

I really thought the world building was unique. I loved learning about the magic system involving conduits and sources. Would love to learn more about the mysteries of the desert, the Labyrinth and the school. It does turn into an academic drama that at times felt like a young adult book. The romance definitely had me invested, and I’m glad there is growth in Taera and Nikolai. Overall, I enjoyed this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Author Website

Crown of War and Shadow by. J.R. Ward | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Crown of War and Shadow (Kingdoms of the Compass, #1)

Author: J.R. Ward

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: 2/17/26

Publisher: Bramble

Categories: Romantasy, Fantasy, Romance

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

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

An outcast burdened with a curse and a mercenary who’s out for himself collide in this star-crossed, slow-burn, high-stakes romantic fantasy from #1 New York Times bestseller J. R. Ward.

In the dead of night, passions rise and empires fall.

Welcome to Kingdoms of the Compass.

The Fulcrum is failing, and demons are slipping into the mortal world, stalking the night.

No one is safe.

Especially not Sorrel. An orphan and an outcast, she’s spent her whole life within the walls of her small village, ostracized for her mystical abilities. She wants to survive…and maybe find somewhere she can call her true home. But Fate has other plans.

Sorrel has been chosen. Cursed.

She must cross the Badlands to return the Queen’s crown and convince the fearsome female to save their world from destruction.

Well aware she’s no brave hero, Sorrel makes a dangerous deal with Merc, a brooding, commanding mercenary known only by his unscrupulous profession.

The deal? A night in his bed that she will never forget, in exchange for her safe passage.

But Merc has secrets of his own, and even though passion runs hot between them, enemies are around every corner, and danger and betrayal threaten at every turn.

Content Warning: violence, death, maternity death, animal death

I haven’t read a J.R. Ward book since the first few books of her Brotherhood Dagger series! So it’s been a decade maybe? So I was excited to be approved to read this book.

Sorrel hasn’t had an easy life, she’s an orphan and hiding behind a hooded shroud covering her face. She has some powers of healing, but also to look into the eyes of someone and determine how they will die. She also bring something back to life. When a mercenary comes into the tavern her fate and future is tied to him in good ways and bad.

I was actually surprised this didn’t have as much romance as I was expecting. I loved the bickering between Sorrel and Merc and right away there is a physical attraction – and though his request of payment for his protection is sex with her – it’s not something he pushes onto her and actually backs off. There is maybe 2 spicy scenes. Also, for all their bickering, and forced proximity whether it’s on one horse or one bed, the romance didn’t feel like the main focus at all.

The main focus was Sorrel’s journey from a young woman always hiding, to coming to terms of all that is revealed at the end of the story. She grows a lot. But there are times where she doesn’t know how to swim, and then swims like a fish. Or can’t ride a horse, and then ends up being exceptional on a horse. I wasn’t sure what was going but I went with! I actually loved all the moments when she connected to people, like her friend Mare, or a stranger like Lena. It was heartfelt because you knew Sorrel had a good heart. But she did test my patience at times because she didn’t Merc to even tell him about her powers, yet he’s almost dying on this quest with her.

And speaking about journey? This story has Merc and Sorrel traveling from town to kingdoms and back again. It’s a travel adventure story filled with a lot of action fighting off scary creatures. There are even dragons!

There is a twist at the end I wasn’t expecting but makes what comes next in book two very interesting.

Now because this was an arc copy, there were a lot of typos or missing words. Also there is a lot going on in the story, and I felt like it was a never ending things of what could happen to Sorrel next. At times it was too much that it felt comical.

Final Thoughts:

I read this one in two days because with everything going on in the story, it was hard to put down! But some things also felt off in this story because too many things were happening. I liked seeing Sorrel’s character grow so much. It was kind of nice not having the romance as a main focus, because that left more time for action and adventure. But I also wanted a tiny bit more romance. The ending had an unexpected twist and I’m wondering what will happen in book two.