Goodreads Monday: Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White

Happy Monday!

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme where you chose a random book from your Goodreads TBR and show it off. This meme is hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog.

Title: Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White

Author: Amélie Wen Zhao

Pages: 464

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Publication Date: 10/17/23

Synopsis:

 

The epic sequel to the book Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, is a fast-paced, riveting YA fantasy inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.

Years ago, the Elantian colonizers invaded Lan’s homeland and killed her mother in their search to uncover the Last Kingdom’s greatest the location of its legendary four Demon Gods. Lan’s mother devoted her life to destroying the Demon Gods, and Lan is determined to finish her mission. Yet, there are others searching for the gods, too.

Zen knew his soul was forfeit the moment he made a deal with the Demon God known as the Black Tortoise, but he’s willing to lose himself if it means saving the Kingdom–and the girl–he loves. But to crush the colonizers who have invaded his land he needs more power than even a single Demon God can provide. He needs an army. And he knows exactly where he can find it–in the undead army his great grandfather lead decades ago. 

The Elantians may have stolen their throne, but the battle for the Last Kingdom has only begun.

Do you have plans to read this book? Let me know in the comments below!

Flower and Thorn by. Rati Mehrotra | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Flower and Thorn

Author: Rati Mehrotra

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 10/17/23

Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Historical Fiction

One girl. One boy.
A promise broken.
A magic stolen.

Irinya has wanted to be a flower hunter ever since her mother disappeared into the mysterious mist of the Rann salt flats one night. Now seventeen, Irinya uses her knowledge of magical flowers to help her caravan survive in the harsh desert. When her handsome hunting partner and childhood friend finds a priceless silver spider lily–said to be able to tear down kingdoms and defeat an entire army–Irinya knows this is their chance for a better life.

Until Irinya is tricked by an attractive imposter.

Irinya’s fight to recover the priceless flower and to fix what she’s done takes her on a dangerous journey, one she’s not sure she’ll survive. She has no choice but to endure it if she hopes to return home and mend the broken heart of the boy she’s left behind.

Content Warning: violence

I was definitely intrigued about this title because it’s cover – it’s so beautiful!

+ I thought the world-building was very unique with the magical flowers! I love that Irinya is from a nomad group and I enjoyed seeing the community between her kul. There is a tiny bit of romance, it’s not the center of the story. It didn’t even need to be in the story but it did make me question some of the men in Irinya’s life.

+ There is some historical fiction in this story which was another interesting and eye opening. It brings up how the Portuguese was on India’s coasts and trying to take over the country. Something I didn’t realize because usually I think about how the British colonized India, and didn’t realize that the Portuguese did as well.

+ The story moves quickly and is a stand alone book. The story has themes about power, and familly/community.

~ I did find Irinya’s penchant for falling for a guy a bit quick. I don’t blame her for feeling all these new feelings for guys she’s just met but it really sets off a series of events that harms the people she care about! For the most part she was a strong character which I loved, except when it came to the guys that came into her life.

My Final Thoughts:

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but after reading two of this author’s books I have to say I like how her characters engage with one another and I like the action in her stories. I thought it was a nice treat to have some historical information about India and I came away learning something new along with being intrigued about the magical flowers. If only flowers had that much power! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove by. Rati Mehrotra ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Holiday Romance Books I’ve Read This Year

I think it’s funny how holiday romance books get published in October! I really wish they would publish in November since in October I am mostly in my spooky vibes season. Here are the very few holiday romance books I’ve read this year.

The Holiday Mix-Up by. Ginny Baird –

Lonely-hearted waitress Katie Smith has nowhere to go for Christmas, and a huge crush on her gorgeous diner patron Juan Martinez. So when Juan asks Katie to pose as his girlfriend for holiday festivities at his family’s winery, Katie leaps at the chance… that is, until an accident lands Juan in a coma right after giving his folks the “news.”

Katie knows she should tell the Martinezes the truth, but when they immediately embrace her, Katie is reluctant to let her fantasy of a family holiday go. And then there’s Juan’s brother, Mateo, whose smile tugs at her heartstrings just right—and who tells her perfect Juan might not be everything he seems.

Second son Mateo Martinez loves his brother, but Juan’s plan to “rebrand and expand” Los Cielos Cellars has cost their family too much and put its entire tradition in jeopardy. Katie seems to understand, but she’s still committed to Juan… even when Mateo starts to wish her gentle heart and beautiful smile were committed to him instead.

With the winery at stake, secrets on all sides, and Juan due to wake up any day, can Katie and Mateo follow their hearts to a Christmas miracle, or will this mix-up ruin their chances?

Love in Winter Wonderland by. Abiola Bello –

‘The Sun Is Also a Star’ meets ‘You’ve Got Mail’ in this YA Christmas love story set in a London Black-owned bookshop.

Charming, handsome Trey Anderson balances the pressures of school popularity with a job at his family’s beloved local bookshop, Wonderland.

Quirky, creative Ariel Spencer needs tuition for the prestigious art program of her dreams, and an opening at Wonderland is the answer. When Trey and Ariel learn that Wonderland is on the brink of being shut down by a neighborhood gentrifier, they team up to stop the doors from closing before the Christmas Eve deadline—and embark on a hate-to-love journey that will change them forever.

Heartwarming and romantic, this read is the gift that keeps on giving, no matter the season.

Wreck the Halls by. Tessa Bailey –

A sexy, hilarious standalone holiday rom-com about the adult children of two former rock stars who team up to convince their estranged mothers to play a Christmas Eve concert…

Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.

Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.

While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love. 

This Cursed Light by. Emily Thiede | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: This Cursed Light (The Last Finestra, #2)

Author: Emily Thiede

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 12/5/23

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy

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 highly-anticipated sequel to the epic romance hailed as one of the best fantasies of the year!

When the gods make the rules, the players must choose: Sacrifice their love to save the world, or choose love and let it burn?

Six months after saving their island from destruction and almost losing Dante, Alessa is ready to live happily ever after with her former bodyguard. But Dante can’t rest, haunted by a conviction that the gods aren’t finished with them yet. And without his powers, the next kiss from Alessa could kill him.

Desperate for answers, Dante enlists Alessa and their friends to find the exiled ghiotte in hopes of restoring his powers and combining forces with them to create the only army powerful enough to save them all. But Alessa is hiding a deadly consequence of their last fight–a growing darkness that’s consuming her mind–and their destination holds more dangers than anyone bargained for. In the mysterious city of the banished, Dante will uncover secrets, lies, and ghosts from his past that force him to ask himself: Which side is he on?

When the gods reveal their final test, Dante and Alessa will be the world’s last defense. But if they are the keys to saving the world, will their love be the price of victory?

In This Cursed Light, Dante and Alessa face their most daunting challenge yet when the Gods demand they prove their worth by choosing the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity, once and for all.

Content Warning: violence

I enjoyed the first book in this series, This Vicious Grace a lot and was very interested to see where the story would go.

+ Alessa and Dante are back together with their banter but there are many challenges between them. Dante has lost his powers and Alessa’s powers hurt when they touch so they can’t be together physically which makes the tension between them rise. But I like how they can also focus on the matter at hand and that is trying to defeat Crollo. There is a few steamy scenes between them but it lacks the details to make it spicy so I’d say it’s pretty PG-13.

+ We get to learn more about Dante’s past and present and people who used to be in his life. He takes on a leadership role as he tries to make the ghiotte into an army that can help them in their fight. It takes a lot of trust and revisiting his feelings about his past though but Dante really overcomes and rises to the challenge.

+ The found family with Alessa and the side characters are one of the things I liked about book one. They are here again supporting Alessa and the fight against Crollo.

~ So this happened with me in the first book where the whole story is a lead up until the battle that lasts only a few chapters at the end of the book. It happens in this book as well where all we hear is Crollo is coming, the chapters even tick off the days leading up to the battle but I feel like nothing much is happening during those days except relationships being fixed. Yes they are building an army but there is so much going on like: Alessa and Dante’s relationship and not being able to touch, and the secrets they are both are keeping from one another. Also Dante’s past and being with his people again conjuring up all kinds of feelings that he has to work through. I felt like the battle again was anti-climatic after the whole book being so much about the build up to it.

My Final Thoughts:

I didn’t feel like this one was as good as the first one but I did enjoy Alessa and Dante’s romance – they are cute together. I do think it’s a solid conclusion to the duology.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

This Vicious Grace by. Emily Thiede | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m in Osaka, Japan for Thanksgiving so I am definitely grateful for the chance to have a family vacation with my husband and with my parents after what my mom has been going through this whole year with her health.

I am so thankful to all of you who stop by on this little of blog and read my reviews! I hope all of you you celebrate Thanksgiving have a wonderful day and for those who don’t celebrate, have a wonderful day as well.

Didn’t See That Coming by. Jesse Q. Sutanto | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Didn’t See That Coming

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 11/28/23

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Gaming

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 Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A hilariously fresh and romantic send-up to You’ve Got Mail about a gamer girl with a secret identity and the online bestie she’s never met IRL until she unwittingly transfers to his school, from the bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties, The Obsession, and Well, That Was Unexpected.

Seventeen-year-old Kiki Siregar is a fabulous gamer girl with confidence to boot. She can’t help but be totally herself… except when she’s online.

Her secret? She plays anonymously as a guy to avoid harassment from other male players. Even her online best friend—a cinnamon roll of a teen boy who plays under the username Sourdawg—doesn’t know her true identity. Which is fine, because Kiki doesn’t know his real name either, and it’s not like they’re ever going to cross paths IRL.

Until she transfers to an elite private school for her senior year and discovers that Sourdawg goes there, too.

But who is he? How will he react when he finds out Kiki’s secret? And what happens when Kiki realizes she’s falling for her online BFF?

Content Warning: bullying

I’ve read a few books from this author, two adult books, and one young adult thriller so I wanted to check out a young adult romance from her.

+ This is very young adult and will definitely appeal to teens. Kiki Siregar has changed schools and now she attends a very prestigious private school Indonesia but it hasn’t been an easy transition for her. She caught the eye of the biggest bully on campus Jonas. To relax she’s a gamer and she uses a handle that suggests she’s a boy because she experienced bullying when she played as a girl. She has a friend online Sourdawg, who she’s crushing on a bit but he doesn’t know he’s a girl on the other side of the screen.

+ Kiki is a very strong character. She’s confident and says what she likes even when it gets her in trouble with Jonas, her teachers and the principal! She feels that her mom put her in that new school to help her climb the social ladder but Kiki hates her new school a lot and misses her old friends and old school. I do like how she tries to stand up for herself against Jonas and his bullying. I thought the scenes when she was with her new old friends were very fun, she’s very supportive girlfriends.

+ The romance between Kiki and Liam is really sweet because he’s pretty much the only who is nice to her at the school in the beginning and he mades an effort to be brave and stand up to Jonas too once he realizes it’s wrong to just stand on the side watching the bullying happens.

+ I love that this story takes place in Indonesia and we get to learn cultural things like how student have to behave at a prestigious school. Also I love all the food references because it’s so similar to filipino foods especially when they talk about desserts like ube and pandan.

~ Jonas is such a punk and such a villain. I hated how he had the upper-hand with Kiki and I’m glad that this didn’t turn into an enemies to lover romance because – NO. I didn’t love that this plot twist came so late in the book also! I think Kiki had enough drama with Jonas that she didn’t need to be forced to date him.

~ Kiki does come off as a brat at times with her parents but I felt it was realistic. The kids at these schools have mostly have money and Kiki’s family did have some, not on the level as Jonas though.

Tropes: online crush

My Thoughts:

I actually thought this was a fun read because I like how we get to see Kiki try to fit in at a new school when she used to be so popular at her old school. It’s a tough transition and she’s being bullied, which is awful but she learns to stand up for herself even when it’s not the thing to do. I liked her moments just being a teen and goofing off with her girlfriends, talking about their drama. She did have some bratty moments though but that was her personality – kind of hot tempered. The romance was sweet too – I love a good online crush romance, that ends in a happily ever after.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Dial A for Aunties by. Jesse Q. Sutanto ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Four Aunties and a Wedding by. Jesse Q. Sutanto ⭐️⭐️

The New Girl by. Jesse Q. Sutanto ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thankful For These Books I Read This Year | TTT | 11/21/23

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: Reasons Why I’m Thankful for Books 

I do this topic every year and my reasons never change so I’m going to do another topic.

Thankful For These Books I Read This Year

What books am I grateful for reading this year so far? These are some of the books that made this reading year really amazing!

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

Goodreads Monday: Flower and Thorn

Happy Monday!

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme where you chose a random book from your Goodreads TBR and show it off. This meme is hosted by Budget Tales Book Blog.

Title: Flower and Thorn

Author: Rati Mehrotra

Pages: 352

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Publication Date: 10/17/23

Synopsis:

 

One girl. One boy.
A promise broken.
A magic stolen.

Irinya has wanted to be a flower hunter ever since her mother disappeared into the mysterious mist of the Rann salt flats one night. Now seventeen, Irinya uses her knowledge of magical flowers to help her caravan survive in the harsh desert. When her handsome hunting partner and childhood friend finds a priceless silver spider lily–said to be able to tear down kingdoms and defeat an entire army–Irinya knows this is their chance for a better life.

Until Irinya is tricked by an attractive imposter.

Irinya’s fight to recover the priceless flower and to fix what she’s done takes her on a dangerous journey, one she’s not sure she’ll survive. She has no choice but to endure it if she hopes to return home and mend the broken heart of the boy she’s left behind.

Do you have plans to read this book? Let me know in the comments below!

Weekly Wrap Up | 11/19/23

Aloha friends!

I am finally 99% better! I say 99% because I still sound stuffy but that could just be allergies. I’ve been doing last minute shopping for our trip and making sure I have everything set before we leave on Tuesday. I’m excited but also already exhausted lol…why is going on vacation always so exhausting? Especially when you are the one planning the trip!

I’ve been so busy thinking about the trip that I forgot that Thanksgiving is next week and Black Friday! I guess I’m going to do my Christmas shopping late this year. But I’ll worry about that when I come back. There is just so much to do plus my mom has surgery a week after we come back from our trip.

I hope all of you have a good week and thanks for reading!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

Iron Flame by. Rebecca Yarros

The Atlas of Us by. Kristin Dwyer

Currently Reading:

Her Dark Wings by. Melinda Salisbury

A Curse for True Love by. Stephanie Garber

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

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!

Stacking the Shelves | 11/18/23

I’ve seen Stacking the Shelves on a few blogs and I decided to do it to replace my book haul posts because, why not? It is hosted by Reading Reality and this is how the meme is described: “Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! And audiobooks. Don’t forget audiobooks!so go check out her blog!”

Book Purchases – (ebook or physical)

Iron Flame by. Rebecca Yarros – I cancelled my pre-order because it was taking so long to get to me and so I bought the ebook instead and I finished this book earlier this week! Not as good as the first book but still entertaining!

A Curse for True Love by. Stephanie Garber – I purchased the ebook. I have to see how this series ends. I’m 10% into this book and hope I can finish it before my trip.

Library Haul – (physical and online library):

Flower and Thorn by. Rati Mehrotra – has a stunning book cover and that’s why I was intrigued to read it but I also listened to her book, Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove earlier this year and enjoyed the banter between the characters. So we’ll see if we get more of that in this book.

The Atlas Paradox by. Olivie Blake – this is the sequel to The Atlas Six which I read last year. I found it a super interesting read even though have the characters are unlikable but I do want to see what happens next in the series.

NetGalley Haul

One Last Breath by. Ginny Myers Sain – I liked Dark and Shallow lies from this author and I’m still on a YA thriller kick so we’ll see how this one goes.

The Summer She Went Missing by. Chelsea Ichaso – continuing on my thriller kick – I requested this one so I hope it’s good!

Dragonfruit by. Makiia Lucier – I hardly get to read any Pacific Island fantasy and I was so excited to get approved to read this one!

That’s all I got for this month. Have you read any of these or are planning to?