We Fell Apart by. E. Lockhart | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating:

Title: We Fell Apart (We Were Liars, #3)

Author: E. Lockhart

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 11/4/25

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Series

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!

The invitation arrives out of the blue.

In it, Matilda discovers a father she’s never met. Kingsley Cello is a visionary, a reclusive artist. And when he asks her to spend the summer at his seaside home, Hidden Beach, Matilda expects to find a part of herself she’s never fully understood.

Instead, she finds Meer, her long-lost, openhearted brother; Brock, a former child star battling demons; and brooding, wild Tatum, who just wants her to leave their crumbling sanctuary.

With Kingsley nowhere to be seen, Matilda must delve into the twisted heart of Hidden Beach to uncover the answers she’s desperately craving. But secrets run thicker than blood, and blood runs like seawater.

And everyone here is lying.

Content Warning: dementia, death, parental neglect

I read We Were Liars when it first published in 2014 and the tv series just came out on Amazon Prime so I did watch that and it refreshed my memory! I’m glad that show aired because jumping into We Fell Apart was easy as the Sinclair family and Beechwood was fresh in my mind.

We Fell Apart takes us back to Beechwood, just as the event of We Were Liars have concluded. Matilda gets an email from the dad she never knew and he asks her to come meet him at Hidden Beach, where he lives. Matilda has had quite a life with a mom who has basically chosen boyfriends over her – to the point after her mom decides to move away again with another guy, Matilda chooses to stay with her last boyfriend, a really nice guy who doesn’t mind having Matilda around.

Matilda goes to Hidden Beach and learns about this accident that happened with the Sinclairs. She meets her half-brother, his mom, and two other guys living at the run-down house. The summer is going by great but Matilda knows something isn’t right. Where is her dad? Why is the house so run-down? Why is June (Meer, her half-brother’s mom), not taking care of the boys and the house? What is going on at Hidden Beach.

I was sucked into this world again, and honestly love the family secrets in this world the Sinclairs built. The story moves quickly and the reveal in the end is shocking. It makes you question everyone’s motives and choices they’ve made to keep the secret they have been holding. I like Matilda and how she questions what is going on at the house. Also, there is a little romance but that’s not the focus. I thought it was also interesting how June thought she was this carefree, nonconforming wife because she didn’t want to be the Tipper Sinclair kind of housewife but in the end, was trapped in her own partnership with Kingsley. I felt like there were a lot of full circles with this book.

I did think the story moved too quickly though, it felt rushed and some moments – like when Holland (a Sinclair who befriends Matilda at the start of the book) takes her in and explains all about the Sinclairs. It was a lot of telling, and info-dumping.

Final Thoughts:

I actually enjoyed this one a lot because I had just watched the show and I was brought back to this place of summer, sun, family and most of all the secrets. Matilda knows something isn’t right at Hidden Beach and the reveal is devastating for her. I did like that there was a happy ending instead of another tragic one, though there is tragedy. Overall, a good addition to the series.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From this Author:

We Were Liars by. E. Lockhart ⭐️⭐️⭐️

WWW Wednesday | 10/22/25

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?

My kiddo caught a cold, and I had to catch up on sleep because for 2 nights in a row I read past midnight lol. I don’t even know why, I just couldn’t sleep? 🤷🏻‍♀️. At least I got a lot of reading done – hopefully I don’t catch my daughter’s cold. She was home with me the past two days but she went to school today.

What are you currently reading?

Fallen City by. Adrienne Young – 31%

The Last Vampire by. Romina Garber – 5%

The Rebel and the Rose by. Catherine Doyle – 9%

Alchemised by. SenLinYu – just got this on Libby and I’m a bit intimidated by the length of the book, not because I can’t read a long book. But there is a lot of hype with this book and I hope I like it.

Vesselless by. Cortney L. Winn – 2%, actually saw this book on Allurial (a book box subscription), and was curious about it. I didn’t buy it but it’s on Kindle Unlimited so I’m trying it out. – 2%

What have you just finished reading?

Terror of the Gates by. Scarlett St. Clair ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Ship of Spells by. H. Leighton Dickson ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Possession of Alba Díaz by. Isabel Cañas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The House Saphir by. Marissa Meyer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What are you going to read next?

Never Ever After by. Sue Lynn Tan

I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by. Kylie Lee Baker

Something Wicked by. Falon Ballard

Trail Rides & Starry Eyes by. Katrina Emmel

A Kiss of Hammer and Flame by. Amy De La Force

What are YOU reading right now?

Terror at the Gates by. Scarlett St. Clair | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Terror at the Gates (Blood of Lilith, #1)

Author: Scarlett St. Clair

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 495

Publication Date: 7/8/25

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Romance

She is the beginning and the end.

She is peace and chaos.

She is terror knocking at the gates.

Estranged from her powerful family, Lilith Leviathan finds refuge in Nineveh, a district in the city of Eden devoted to sin. There, she uses her magic to steal for a living, attracting the attention of the five governing families as well as the church, which expects women to remain pious and silent. When Lilith comes into possession of a beautiful blade, she thinks all her worries are over…until her usual buyer dies while inspecting it.

Frantic, Lilith turns to the only man who can help her: Zahariev, head of the Zareth family and ruler of Nineveh. His currency is information, and his power is extortion, though he’s always had a soft spot for Lilith. But when the dagger appears, he isn’t sure he can protect her from what’s to come.

Together, they embark on a mission to discover the true power running their world. As their lives intertwine, Lilith realizes Zahariev is more than just a friend, but their devotion to each other is a threat—to the truth, to the church, and to those who want to tear it all down.

Content Warning: violence, grief, death, mention of sexual assault and rape

+ I found the world-building in this story to be very interesting. Eden is separated into different district and each district has a head of family – kind of like organized crime but these families have are Elohim and have the blood of God in them. I thought the biblical fantasy was pretty unique! Especially since this Eden is full of sin. There of course is a ruling church in this story that of course, abuses woman, as we learn through our FMC, Lilith.

+ Lilith is from a ruling family but escaped her fate (marriage) for a little while and is struggling to get by in Nineveh which is run by Zahariev. But he’s keeping an eye out for her and helping her when he can despite her protests and calls for independence. She grew up pampered and rich, so this life is different for her but from what I gathered she’s made her own family with new friends, people that genuinely care about her. Lilith is stubborn, but also very loving, as expressed to her closest friends.

+ The romance is a very slow burn between Lilith and Zahariev but things eventually get spicy for them. It’s a forbidden romance, since they are from different ruling families, but it seems they have a friendship or understanding between one another. And clearly Zahariev is down bad for her – I love him! She’s stubborn and fights him but he is so patient with her. He takes care of her and keeps boundaries with her even if she wants him to break them. She has a good man and I’m glad realizes it by the end.

+~ Now part of this story is a mystery. There is a dagger that Lilith has found but she’s learned that wherever someone without Elohim blood sees is, they die. So Lilith is trying to figure out what the dagger is and realizes there is something big happening that involves the church, a secret order, and maybe Gods.

~ Lilith is a good person but a flawed one because there was a part of the story where she should have been there for a friend but because of her own grief and feelings of guilt, she couldn’t show up. I thought in my head, damn, she’s not a good friend but grief affects everyone in different ways. Still…that kind of stuck with me because she was not shy with telling her friends “I love you” constantly throughout the book! But when she had to show up and be there for one of them? Sigh…that was kind of frustrating.

~ Needed more world-building. What we got was a good start, it’s interesting – Eden? Organized crime? Blood of the Gods? But I don’t feel like I got a good sense of these head families that rule Eden. They are at peace right now, but Zahariev wants Lilith and that could start a war…why? Is Zahariev’s family the lowest rank? I had a lot of questions about a few things.

~ I think pacing was okay until the middle. There is the mystery about the dagger, murders and strange globs of slime that could be demons (that felt so random), which slows down the story until it ramps up in the end again. But what is up with the demon blobs? Maybe we will find out more in book two.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I thought this was an interesting and entertaining read even though at times it felt like it was going all over the place. I love Zahariev and how he showed he cared for Lilith by trying to keep her safe and staying patient with her, even though she had no clue. I would love more details in the world-building and maybe some growth with Lilith so I’m looking forward to book two.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Cozy/Atmospheric Reads | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 10/21/25

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:

Cozy/Atmospheric Reads

I don’t read a lot of cozy books but here are some I have read, and some I want to read.

Tusk Love by. Thea Guazon
Witch You Would by. Lia Amador
Deja Brew by. Celestine Martin

Legends & Lattes by. Travis Baldree
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by. Megan Bannen
Spindleheart by. T.I. Avens

What’s on your TTT?

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New Book Releases This Week | 10/21/25

Happy book birthday to these new releases this week!

A Curious Kind of Magic by. Mara Rutherford

Howl’s Moving Castle meets Little Thieves in this cozy fantasy about the teenage owner of a (mostly fake) magical curiosity shop and a girl cursed to turn everything she touches into magic.

Everyone in Ardmuir knows that Willow Stokes is a charlatan, including Willow herself. Her father’s shoppe hasn’t sold anything magical in decades, and it’s only hanging on by the skin of the fake dragon’s teeth Willow sells as charms, along with “enchanted” ostrich eggs, taxidermied chimeras, and talismans made of fools’ gold.

Until outlander Brianna Hargrave appears and turns Willow’s fakes into exactly what they’re purported to be. But try as Willow might to enlist Bri’s help, she wants nothing to do with Willow and her curiosities.

Because Brianna is harboring a secret of her own: everything she touches turns to magic, and the consequences have chased her all the way to Ardmuir. All she wants to do is find a particular missing grimoire, which contains a spell that can finally put an end to her curse.

Desperate to keep her father’s shoppe, Willow proposes a bargain that could save them both. Together with the frustratingly handsome printer’s assistant, the girls will uncover a plot that goes far deeper than either could have imagined. But when Willow is forced to participate in an ambitious collector’s quest for the rarest magical object in the world-a quest that risks almost-certain death-she learns that not all treasure is for sale, and that true magic is closer than she ever could have imagined.

Good Spirits by. B.K. Borison

The New York Times bestselling author of First-Time Caller, B.K. Borison is back with a whimsical new holiday romance—this time with a magical twist—that will have everyone falling in love with the Ghost of Christmas Past.

He’s the Ghost of Christmas Past. She’s not exactly Scrooge.

Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday haunting like every other—get in, get out, return to his otherwise aimless existence as a ghost awaiting the afterlife. But when he’s faced with Harriet York, the sweetest assignment he’s ever had, he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future.

Harriet York has no idea why she’s being haunted. She’s a good person—or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her. But as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together— and realize there might be more to moving on than expected.

With the deadline of Christmas Eve fast approaching, will they find the key to their futures in each other’s pasts? Or will they stay firmly in the present, indulging in their unexpected, spirited connection?

Filled with magic, mayhem, and cozy holiday charm, this swoony romance is B.K. Borison’s best yet!

The Demon and the Light by. Axie Oh

Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in The Demon and the Light, the hotly anticipated follow-up to Axie Oh’s The Floating World.

The battle is over, but the war is just beginning…

With the help of her friends and allies, Ren managed to topple the General’s insurrection, but the Floating World and its territories are still under threat of attack from the rival Volmaran Empire. And far worse, she was powerless to save Sunho from being overcome by the monstrous power in his blood. Now he’s gone, transformed into a feral, deadly creature that doesn’t even recognize her anymore, and her heart aches for the sweet boy she’s grown to love.

But the escalating war will not pause for her grief. Seen by some as a heavenly savior and others merely a figurehead to be manipulated, Ren must use all her courage and cunning to survive the royal court’s game long enough to find Sunho and bring him home before he loses himself to the Demon forever.

The Things Gods Break by. Abigail Owen

The gods want her dead…Hades will bury them.

You’d think I’d have learned by now:
Don’t mouth off to deities.
Don’t fall for the King of the Underworld.
And definitely don’t get dragged into a divine death match where I’m the cursed mortal prize.

But here I am―trapped in Tartarus, humanity’s worst pit stop, squaring off against monsters who make the gods look merciful. Titans, twisted by centuries of rage and ruin, are sealed behind seven ancient locks.

And guess what?

I’m the key.

To escape, I’ll have to survive every horrifying trial they throw at me.

To win, I might have to become something the gods never saw coming.

Oh, and Hades?

He’s about to break every rule the gods ever wrote.

Because to save me…the god of death will burn the world.

But if I break free? So do the Titans.

And the world won’t just suffer―it’ll beg for the end.

Girl Dinner by. Olivia Blake

Good girls deserve a treat.

Every member of The House, the most exclusive sorority on campus, and all its alumni, are beautiful, high-achieving, and universally respected.

After a freshman year she would rather forget, sophomore Nina Kaur knows being one of the chosen few accepted into The House is the first step in her path to the brightest possible future. Once she’s taken into their fold, the House will surely ease her fears of failure and protect her from those who see a young woman on her own as easy prey.

Meanwhile, adjunct professor Dr. Sloane Hartley is struggling to return to work after accepting a demotion to support her partner’s new position at the cutthroat University. After 18 months at home with her newborn daughter, Sloane’s clothes don’t fit right, her girl-dad husband isn’t as present as he thinks he is, and even the few hours a day she’s apart from her child fill her psyche with paralyzing ennui. When invited to be The House’s academic liaison, Sloane enviously drinks in the way the alumnae seem to have it all, achieving a level of collective perfection that Sloane so desperately craves.

As Nina and Sloane each get drawn deeper into the arcane rituals of the sisterhood, they learn that living well comes with bloody costs. And when they are finally invited to the table, they will have to decide just how much they can stomach in the name of solidarity and power.

The Death-Made Prince by. Lisette Marshall

A runewitch on the run has only one option join forces with the sarcastic, unpleasantly gorgeous necromancer she loathes

The man Thraga loved is dead, and her future is in shambles. When she’s sentenced to the gallows for killing her lover’s murderers, it’s a relief more than anything… until, the night before her execution, a necromancer is thrown into her cell.

Escaping with him is her only chance to bring Lark back to life – and also the start of all her troubles.

Because her new almost-ally is not just any man returned from death. Fire mage, rogue prince, and son of the man who killed her mother, sharp-tongued Durlain Averre is everything Thraga hates. Worse, he won’t revive her lover unless she joins him on a mission of his own first, using her forbidden rune magic to free his sister from the dungeons of an enemy king.

But their quest turns into a deadly chase when Thraga’s violent past catches up with her. And as the net of court intrigue and old fears closes around them, she begins to find out Lark was not at all the man she thought he was…

And neither is Durlain.

The Death-Made Prince is the first book of the Runewitch Saga, an epic enemies to lovers fantasy romance featuring two morally grey leads, OCD rep, and a Norse mythology-inspired world. While it is a slow burn romance, the first book does contain spicy content intended for 18+ readers.

Are you getting any new books this week?

Happy Reading!

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Starchaser by. R. M. Gray | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:

Title: Starchaser (Nightweaver, #2)

Author: R.M. Gray

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 11/4/25

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Series, Romance, Pirates

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

Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am vengeance. Fury. Power.

Seventeen-year-old pirate Aster Oberon faces a stunning new reality, gifted with magical ability that she’s struggling to master. Worse, both she and Will—the Nightweaver who has captured her heart—have been cursed. In mere weeks, they will become ferocious Underlings, creatures forced to serve the evil Queen Morana. The only way to break the curse is by procuring Morana’s blood.

To track down the cure, Aster teams up with both Will and Titus, the infuriatingly handsome prince of the Eerie who secretly aims to overthrow his royal family’s tyrannical reign. The trio’s journey takes them to Castle Grim where danger is around every corner, and no one is who they seem.

Between deadly dinners, extravagant balls, and shifting desires toward Will and Titus, Aster will have to keep her daggers at the ready and determine who she can trust before the ticking clock of her curse runs out.

Layered with devastating revelations and twisty romance, this heart-pounding sequel to Nightweaver will leave readers racing toward the truth about Aster and her destiny.

Content Warning: violence, death, torture

+ I don’t know why I thought this was a duology but I was wrong, and I didn’t realize this until 50% into the book. But, despite my own misunderstanding of which book in the series this is, I actually enjoyed this sequel.

+ Aster, Titus and Will have a plan. But it involves sussing out who Morana’s spirit has possessed. Titus has a clue, but Aster’s power to see Sylks’s is what is supposed to help him confirm it. But Aster doesn’t see it, so who could it be? Time is running out before Will turns into a beast, and Titus marries Leo, so they have to figure this out quick. I did like the mystery and trying to figure out who it could be. I had my suspects but even I was thrown off. And that’s not the only thing Aster is trying to figure out because someone is after her, and she doesn’t know who it is.

+ There is also the bigger picture of taking down the kingdom but again, plans are changed with the not knowing of who Morana has been embodying. But there is a lot revealed at the end of the story, lots of twists. I also like that we learn more about Titus in this story!

+ The ending is wild. There are reveals, betrayals, and I need book three to know what will happen to Will and Titus!

+~ The love triangle. I don’t totally love it because I’m leaning a certain way and it’s between two best friends. Why does have to be between two best friends? I don’t like it. None of these people are perfect, Titus, turns into a killer, but Will is about to turn into one too. So…I’m gonna chose the guy who remembered her favorite color. 😅. But yikes…Aster doesn’t know what she feels. I guess we’ll see what happens in book three.

~ Aster is supposedly coming into her power but I actually didn’t see much of it in this sequel. Titus even says he’ll train her but we got only one or two scenes of that and that was it. I hope her power comes through in book three.

Final Thoughts:

There is a lot that happens in this sequel. We get a lot of twists, reveals, betrayal, and time ticking down on executing the plan Aster has with her friends. But I did want more out of Aster’s character in aspects to her power, which was pretty non-existent. If you like a love-triangle, you might enjoy this one, but because I’m leaning towards one guy in particularly and still don’t know how Aster feels about both of them, I’m not really enjoying this love triangle. Overall, this is a solid sequel and can’t wait to see what happens in book three!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From this Author:

Nightweaver by. R.M. Gray | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Weekly Wrap Up | 10/19/25

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ Back to school and it went quick except it’s been harder to wake up in the morning because it’s dark still.

+ Nothing else new this week – government is still shut down so I guess my hubby isn’t getting a paycheck on Friday. It sucks!

Blog Posts:

Sounds Like Love by. Ashley Poston | Audiobook ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Scar in the Bone by. Sophie Jordan | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️
New Book Releases This Week | 10/14/25
Books with Vampires and/or Werewolves in 2025 | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 10/14/25
Burning Daylight by. Emily McIntire | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
WWW Wednesday | 10/15/25
With Thoughts of Jason by. Caleb A. Mertz | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
A Curious Kind of Magic by. Mara Rutherford | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Let’s Talk Bookish: Oh, the Horror | 10/17/25
The Possession of Alba Díaz by. Isabel Cañas | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Immortal Consequences by. I.V. Marie | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Books I Finished

Currently Reading:

Fallen City by. Adrienne Young

The Rebel and the Rose by. Catherine Doyle

The Last Vampire by. Romina Garber

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

Football

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!

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Immortal Consequences by. I.V. Marie | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️

Title: Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy, #2)

Author: I.V. Marie

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 512

Publication Date: 7/29/25

Categories: Dark Academia, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, LGBT+

Six students at Blackwood Academy, an enigmatic boarding school located at the edge of the afterlife, must compete for the once-in-eternity chance to change their fate—or risk remaining stuck in purgatory forever. An unputdownable debut full of hairpin twists, shock betrayals and world-defying love, for fans of The Atlas Six.

Welcome to Blackwood Academy: the legendary school located at the fringes of the afterlife, where students are fated to spend the rest of eternity shepherding lost souls. Once a pupil enters the school’s arched gates, there is no way out…except for the Decennial, a once-in-a-decade celebration that rewards nominees who pass its trials with a choice: formally graduate and join Blackwood’s magical elite, or venture into the unknown and cross over to the mysterious Other Side.

Wren Loughty is certain that this Decennial, she has what it takes to earn the nomination—unless, that is, her academic archrival Augustine Hughes steals her spot.

Irene Manette Bamford has never cared about playing by the rules. She’s willing to break whatever (and whoever) stands between her and getting the hell out of Blackwood, including her best and only friend, Masika Sallow.

Olivier Dupont gave up on securing the nomination ages ago. But after he meets Blackwood’s newest student, Emilio Córdova, he’ll do anything to keep Emilio from leaving him and crossing over to the Other Side—even if it means claiming the victory for himself.

All of them are determined to be Blackwood’s chosen candidate–and all of them would do anything to win. But none of them are prepared for what’s to come. Because this Decennial will be different. This time, the Decennial isn’t a celebration…it’s a competition. And there can only be one victor.

Six nominees. Four trials. Untold danger. Wren, August, Irene, Masika, Olivier and Emilio are about to learn: there are some fates worse than death.

Content Warning: violence, grief, death, trauma

+ I thought the world-building was very interesting. It’s an academy in the afterlife! So all these characters are deceased, which I thought was unique.

+ There are 6 POVs and the chapters for each are short, which moved the story quickly. These students are all competing in a Decennial trial where the rules have changed. So there is a lot of action in the middle of the book which was nice, and we see these character who aren’t friends in the beginning start to form some bonds with one another.

+~ There is romance! One is a rivals to lovers romance between Wren and August – I thought I would be into this one but I didn’t feel like I connected to either of them, not sure why. There is a closed door scene between them. Then there is Emilio and Olivier and I thought their romance was sweet. But it is young adult so there is teen drama, and angst.

~ Although I enjoyed the short chapters and the action helped moved the story, I think there were too many things going on because there are so many POVs to follow. And not only those POVs, there were other kids in the trial, not main characters, but sometimes a name was mentioned and I would be like…wait who is that? Some characters got on my nerves like Irene and Wren.

~ As unique as I thought the setting and the world-building was, I had questions – like how did these students get their unique set of powers in the afterlife? I also thought it was kind of crazy that these dead people could still die (even more? lol).

Final Thoughts:

I thought this story had interesting world-building but would love to know more about it. I don’t feel like I had a good grasp of some of it. There are a few characters to follow but the chapters are short and the story moves quickly. I think because there is a lot going on I couldn’t connect to the characters fully. But I did like the action that came during the trials. It’s a maybe for me on if I’ll end up continuing this series, definitely will be dependent on my mood.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Possession of Alba Díaz by. Isabel Cañas | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice:

Title: The Possession of Alba Díaz

Author: Isabel Cañas

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 369

Publication Date: 8/19/25

Categories: Gothic Horror, Historical Fiction, Paranormal

When a demonic presence awakens deep in a Mexican silver mine, the young woman it seizes must turn to the one man she shouldn’t trust… from bestselling author Isabel Cañas.

In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas. Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fiancé, Carlos, to his family’s isolated mine for refuge. But safety proves fleeting as other dangers soon bare their teeth: Alba begins suffering from strange hallucinations, sleepwalking, and violent convulsions. She senses something cold lurking beneath her skin. Something angry. Something wrong.

Elías, haunted by a troubled past, came to the New World to make his fortune and escape his family’s legacy of greed. Alba, as his cousin’s betrothed, is none of his business. Which is of course why he can’t help but notice her every time she enters a room or the growing tension between them… and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon’s thirst for blood grows stronger.

Content Warning: demon possession, exorcism, murder

+ Isabel Cañas is a must read author for me! I love her historical fiction horror writing style and once again I was sucked into this story she created. How does she write horror in such a beautiful manner?! I love it. The lyrical prose always has a way of seducing me into the horror stories that she writes.

+ This story is set in New Spain – Mexico, in a town with a silver mine. I love all the history I learned from this book from the silver mines to the power of the Catholic religion. It was a time during the Spanish Inquisition and though there is only one priest who is with this family, his authority had power – enough to demand a whole town to stop worshipping other idols from their culture.

+ Alba is trying to take ahold of her future. She knows as a young woman, she has no choice but to marry but she chooses a friend of hers, Carlos, to marry because she feels like it’s her only path to freedom. But when she goes with him to the silver mine his family owns, something possesses her – a demonic spirit and now she has to fight it for freedom of her body and mind! I liked the parallels and how it’s a story about a woman trying to fight for her freedom.

+ I grew up Catholic so exorcism and demonic possession always scared me. But it’s always fascinated me also. There are some creepy parts in this story especially when Alba is possessed, and a little body horror but this was not scary.

+~ There is even romance in this story which I loved. I like a man who isn’t afraid of a little possession! 😅 But I would have liked more build-up between them, even more time spent together and getting to know one another before falling for one another.

~ The beginning starts off a little slow, but once they travel to the mines the story picks up. I also wanted to know a little more about the alchemy and mercury. Elías is such a worldly character with such a tragic backstory, I wanted to know more of him.

Final Thoughts:

I’m so glad I saved this one for October, it’s the perfect gothic horror read for spooky season! It’s beautifully written and I was hooked. I look forward to reading what this author writes next.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Vampires of El Norte by. Isabel Cañas | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Hacienda by. Isabel Cañas | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let’s Talk Bookish: Oh, the Horror | 10/17/25

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme originally created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @ Book Nook Bits, where every Friday, bloggers write discussion posts based on a weekly prompt and Dini @ dinipandareads has cohosted since the beginning of 2025.

This week’s topic is:

October 17: Oh, the Horror (Snapdragon @ Snapdragon Alcove)

Prompts: Do you read horror? What do you think of when you hear the word horror? Are there any books you read that are not practically horror but have some horror element in them?

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Do you read horror?

Yes! I actually had a Stephen King phase in high school, until one of the books really scared me and I couldn’t sleep at night. 😂 As an adult I like to read horror here and there, mostly around spooky season!

What do you think of when you hear the word horror?

Blood, paranormal, murders….gore….creepy.

Are there any books you read that are not practically horror but have some horror element in them?

Yes a lot of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Isabel Cañas! Love their books!

October Topics:

October 3: Authors Branching Out (Melanie @ Melanie’s Book Blog)

~~Prompts~~: How do you feel when an author you love does something new and not at all like their previous work? Do you still read all their books, or do you stop after a point? If they write in a new genre that you don’t read, do you read it for the author, or stop following every title the author releases (in the new genre)? What are some of your favourite books where the author veered away from their previous work quite drastically?

October 10: TBR Roulette

~~Prompts:~~ What makes you keep a book on your TBR? Find a random number generator, put in the number of books on your TBR and roll 5 times! Note down the book each number corresponds to on your list (or just pick 5 books at random off your TBR) and tell us: what made you add the book to your shelf—was it a cover add? Does it have your favourite tropes? How long has it been on your TBR? If it has been on your TBR for a long time, do you still want to read it or have you lost interest?

October 17: Oh, the Horror (Snapdragon @ Snapdragon Alcove)

~~Prompts: Do you read horror? What do you think of when you hear the word horror? Are there any books you read that are not practically horror but have some horror element in them?~~

October 24: Recapping Anticipated Reads

Prompts: With two months left in the year following October, let’s recap your anticipated releases so far. How have you fared with your most anticipated releases in 2025—have they mostly met with your expectations or have you been let down? Were you surprised by 2025 releases you weren’t anticipating but ended up being more enjoyable than expected? Are there any 2025 releases you’re still waiting on? If you like, share your top 2025 releases so far!

October 31: Halloween Freebie! 👻

Prompts: Happy Halloween, folks! 🎃 To celebrate the spooky fest, we’re making today a Halloween freebie! You can check out our blogs for inspiration (Aria and Dini) or write about something else you’re interested in!