Christmas Trees on the Book Cover | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 12/3/24

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

This week’s topic is: Freebie

Christmas Trees on the Book Cover

It’s December so Happy Holidays! Here are some book covers with Christmas trees on them.

A Winter Wish by. Emily Stone

Christmas is All Around by. Martha Waters

Wreck My Plans by. Jillian Meadows

Frosted by the Girl Next Door by. Aurora Rey & Jaime Celvenger

Christmas Sweater Weather by. Jaqueline Snowe

Most Wonderful by. Georgia Clark

Holiday Star by. Dr. Melissa Dymond

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by. Meghan Quinn

A Very Merry Bromance by. Lyssa Kay Adams

Wreck the Halls by. Tessa Bailey

What’s on your TTT?

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Twitter (X) | Etsy (shop)

Top Ten Tuesday Topics:

November 5: Covers with [Item] on the Cover (You choose the item! It can be anything at all.)
November 12: Destination Titles (titles with name of places in them. These places can be real or fiction!) (this was a topic Rachel @ Sunny Side came up with for a freebie week last year and has let me steal it!)
November 19: Oldest (aka Earliest Published) Books On My TBR (submitted by Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits)
November 26: Thankful/Thanksgiving Freebie
December 3: Freebie
December 10: Books to Read During a Storm (these can be cozy/comfy reads, books with storms in them, atmospheric reads for dark and stormy nights, light reads to combat the heavy weather, etc.) (Submitted by Astilbe.)
December 17: Books on My Winter 2024-2025 to-Read List
December 24: Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes (List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to your wishlist so that people can grant your wishes. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address or include the email address associated with your e-reader in the list description so people know how to get the book to you. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like. Please don’t feel obligated to send anything to anyone!)
December 31: Best Books I Read in 2024

Goodreads Monday: To Shatter the Night by. Katherine Quinn

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: To Shatter the Night (Mistlands, #2)

Author: Katherine Quinn

Pages: 448

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Publication Date: 12/3/24

Synopsis:


Welcome back into the Mist…in the astonishing sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller To Kill a Shadow…Some fear the darkness. It’s the place where horror hides, concealing its rank, sharp teeth and insatiable hunger. But there is no darkness more feared than that of the mist that’s overtaken the kingdom…and its brave―and ultimately doomed― soldiers.Except for Kiara Frey.She has nothing to fear from the night. Not anymore.Driven by the fury of her splintered heart, Kiara knows that the answers―and the only possible way to a future with Jude Maddox―begin with the realm’s most notorious thief, the Fox. Together, they hunt down the path to breaking Asidia’s dark curse, but in the shadows, something more horrifying than the mist lies in wait. Watching. Willing Kiara to find the game pieces set in place long ago.As Jude and Kiara are lured to a sacred temple―a shrine that is the home to both exquisite dreams and chilling nightmares―Kiara’s newfound powers flourish but her shadows threaten to consume her.Because here in these cursed lands, it’s not the darkness that destroys the soul…it’s love.

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

Weekly Wrap Up | 12/1/24

Aloha friends!

Well we got through it! Thanksgiving lunch at my mom’s was nice. I made green bean casserole, corn bread, and pistachio cake. I also bought pumpkin crunch and custard pie. There’s only three of us that really eat turkey so since my hubby isn’t here and he was one of the three, we opted for Popeyes fried chicken instead. And since I’m Filipino my mom made lumpia, pancit and pinakbet (a veggie dish). My dad cooked some steak so my tummy was happy! We (me, my bro in law, and son) had an intense game of Monopoly because my son is so competitive. I think it lasted 2 hours before I had to call it done because my daughter wanted to go home lol. On “Black Friday” we just hung out at home because I’m not doing all that anymore lol…and we don’t have any piano lessons or Sunday school this weekend so it was a real break from everything which is so nice.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week!

Blog Posts:

Books I Read:

  • What the Woods Took by. Courtney Gould
  • Bloodguard by. Cecy Robson

Currently Reading:

  • The Darkness Within Us by. Tricia Levenseller

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

  • Watched NFL – football
  • Watched Our Little Secret on Netflix – the one with Lindsay Lohan. I thought it was over a fun movie, but I felt like it lacked in the romance department. It’s a second-chance romance but I felt no chemistry between the two characters.
  • Watched Dash & Lily on Netflix – I watch this once a year it seems. I love it! I just love how it’s set in New York City and starts at a bookstore.
  • Listened to Wicked Soundtrack – love it! I really need to go watch this movie. Just don’t know if I should wait until my hubby comes back so we can watch it together.
  • Listened to Number One Girl by Rosé

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!

Monthly Wrap Up | November 2024

Oh November! It was filled with some ups, some major downs, and then everything else just came upon me in a rush and here we are at the last day of November. It was a chaotic month and I can say I’m glad we are putting it behind us but I’m also not ready for this year to be almost over. Anyway it was so chaotic, I didn’t have the motivation to read in the beginning of the month. The bulk of my reading came at the end of the month.

Here is how my book ratings went in November:

What I Posted: 10 Books

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

Book Tags:

Birthstone Book Covers: November – Citrine | Topaz

How was your month?

Black Friday – Black Book Covers

I forgot to make a post for Thanksgiving yesterday – whoops! I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a very nice one. I spent time with family and we had good, filling food. Today is Black Friday, where supposedly there are good deals at the stores — does anyone feel like the days of the “good deals” are gone? Hardly anything is 50% off anymore, it’s usually 15-25%, which is a bummer so am I shopping this weekend? Nope. But in the spirit of Black Friday…here are some black book covers!

  • Onyx Storm by. Rebecca Yarros
  • The Floating World by. Axie Oh
  • Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by. Kylie Lee Baker
  • Ninth House by. Leigh Bardugo
  • Quicksilver by. Callie Hart
  • The Whispering Night by. Susan Dennard
  • The House at Watch Hill by. Karen Marie Moning
  • The Thirteenth Child by. Erin A. Craig
  • An Academy for Liars by. Alexis Henderson
  • Immortal Dark by. Tigest Girma
  • The Familiar by. Leigh Bardugo
  • Unhallowed Halls by. Lili Wilkinson

If you are doing some shopping today I hope you get some good deals and get your Christmas shopping done!

Darkly by. Marisha Pessl | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Darkly

Author: Marisha Pessl

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 11/26/24

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Game

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!


What would you kill for?

When an ad for an internship with the Louisiana Veda Foundation poses this question, seemingly every high school student in the country rushes to apply. Arcadia “Dia” Gannon has been obsessed with Louisiana Veda, the late game designer whose obsessive creations have attained a cultlike status, ever since she and her mom played Disappearing Act—but Dia has never won anything in her life. So she’s shocked when she’s chosen as an intern, along with six other teenagers from around the world.

Little is known about Louisiana Veda. Her game-making empire, Darkly, was renowned for its ingenious, terrifying toys and games, rife with hidden symbols and secrets. But after Veda’s mysterious death, Darkly went bankrupt, and production was discontinued. The remaining games are priced like highly sought-after works of art, with the rarest and most notorious items commanding tens of millions of dollars at auction.

Now the interns are thrust into the enigmatic heart of Louisiana Veda’s operation, and Dia immediately questions everything: Who are these other kids? Why do they all seem to have something to hide? And why was she really chosen? It soon becomes clear that this summer will be the most twisted Darkly game of all.

Content Warning: violence

I saved this arc to read for Fall and honestly after reading it, it was the perfect book for spooky season:

Likes:

+ There is a famous, mysterious game maker named Louisiana Veda. Her board games are rare and highly coveted. So when a chance to win one of these games presents itself to Arcadia Gannon, she takes it. The whole history and mystery about Louisiana Veda is very fascinating and interesting! It kept me hooked to the story because of the lore about her life and the unique games she created. It made me want to see one of these games in real life! The story is dark, and thrilling with some good twists.

+ There is a group of kids who are chosen for this internship but they realize their internship is actually an investigation! One person will win the grand prize if they can help the company who manages Louisiana’s empire with their quest – so who will win? Can these kids trust one another? There are many instances where I didn’t trust any of the kids and I liked that it kept me guessing.

+ I love the atmosphere and how spooky the island is where the kids have to stay during their quest. It’s the island where Louisiana Veda lived and her game factory which is all boarded up now. It’s dark, creepy and these kids are always trying to go in there in the dead of night. And speaking of creepy – the game itself where the kids have to participate – is straight out scary (if I ever had to encounter that in real life).

Dislikes:

~ There is a love triangle that wasn’t needed but since it’s there, I wish was more developed.

Final Thoughts:

This book was really entertaining especially because of the game-come-to-life concept and how dark the lore and history is about Louisiana Veda. I was intrigued from start to finish loved all the chills and thrills I had while reading this! You won’t find me playing Valkyrie haha, but I would definitely want to see these board games because they sound amazing. I hope there is a sequel to this book because I feel like there’s more to be explored in this fascinating world of Darkly!

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Instagram (crafts🎨) | Twitter (X) | Etsy (Shop)

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 11/27/24

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

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

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

I lost track of the days and only realized this is the last week of November. 🤯. So I’ll have to be doing a monthly wrap-up soon and I’m trying to make sure I just get all the arcs I have left for this year – done! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we will be going to my parents house as usual. My kids have a 4 day weekend from school, piano and Sunday school so it will be nice to just chill at home, sleep in, etc…I already put up the tree and am done with 90% of my Christmas shopping so I hope this means I will have time to just chill in December. We shall see…anyway, I did get some reading done!

What are you currently reading?

What the Woods Took by. Courtney Gould (arc) – 45%

The Lotus Shoes by. Jane Yang (arc) – 1% just started this one

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

I’m sure I’ll throw in some Kindle Unlimited books during the week – I’m trying to get my money’s worth haha. So maybe there will be one or two I can find to read next.

What are you reading right now?

Bloodguard by. Cecy Robson | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Bloodguard (Old Erth, #1)

Author: Cecy Robson

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 10/22/24

Categories: Romance, Fantasy, New Adult, Elves, Gladiators

One hundred years. Tens of thousands of gladiators. And today, only one will rise…

Everything in the Kingdom of Arrow is a lie.

Leith of Grey thought coming to this new land and volunteering to fight in the gladiator arena—vicious, bloodthirsty tournaments where only the strongest survive—would earn him enough gold to save his dying sister. He thought there was nothing left to lose.

He was wrong—and they took everything. His hope. His freedom. His very humanity.

All Leith has left is his battle-scarred body, fueled by rage and hardened from years of fighting for the right to live another day.

Then Leith meets Maeve, an elven royal who is everything he despises. Everything he should hate. Until the alluring princess offers him the one thing he needs most: a chance to win the coveted title of Bloodguard—and his freedom.

But in a kingdom built on secrets and lies, hope doesn’t come cheap.

Nor will his ultimate revenge…


Content Warning: violence, death

This story is set in an interesting world of gladiators, elves, trolls, ogres and other fantastical creatures. The fights in the arena are brutal but Leith is close to winning the title of Bloodguard. He’s doing it for his family back home. Maeve is a princess who wants the throne but there are many people in her life blocking her path, like her uncle and cousin. There is a lot of politics going on and Maeve is trying to get back the throne but she barely has any power. I mean she was getting physically hit a few times by these despicable men around her. I was so angry for her. Also this story doesn’t hold back on death – there is a lot of it.

Leith is a gladiator, violent but honorable. He and Maeve fall for one another and I thought their love and relationship was very sweet. I love how he is this big protector of a guy. Maeve has her moments of fighting also but she’s a sweetheart and cares for the people in the kingdom. The two of them made a great couple.

I had some issues with the pacing of the story. There were fight scenes which were somewhat exciting in the beginning but I did skip the ones in the end. Then Maeve’s political battles would take over with her uncle and she just came off weak at times and naive. She has a good heart yes, but I was hoping she would be smarter when judging her uncle and his character. I expected more from the political intrigue but it fell flat. Soro, her cousin is the worst human being, and I was satisfied with what happened to him.

I also needed more from the world-building. There are so many different types of creatures in this world, but I never felt like I was immersed in this world.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this one had promise but I found myself skipping a bunch of the gladiator fighting parts by the end even though it’s supposed to make me more emotional towards the plight of Maeve and Leith’s situation. The fighting is brutal – actually many things in this book is brutal, but for some reason, I didn’t feel immersed in it emotionally. I also wanted more from the world-building. I did love the romance between Leith and Maeve though. I like how they are opposites and find something beautiful in their feelings for one another. Overall, it was mostly entertaining and we’ll see if I pick up book two. I did like how it ended and I’m not sure what will happen in the next book.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Thankful For These Arcs | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 11/26/24

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

This week’s topic is: Thankful/Thanksgiving Freebie

Thankful For Theses ARCS

I am sp very grateful for all the arcs I get approved for on NetGalley! So here are some upcoming arcs that I just got for 2025:

Get Lost With You by. Sophie Sullivan – release date 2/11/25

The Rival by. Emma Lord – release date 1/21/25

The Girl Most Likely To by. Julie Tieu – release date 2/18/25

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things by. Breanne Randall – release 3/4/25

Holy Terrors by. Margaret Owen – release 4/1/25

Tenderly, I Am Devoured by. Lyndall Clipstone – release 7/1/25

Of Earthly Delights by. Goldy Moldavsky – release 5/13/25

Den of Liars by. Jessica S. Olson – release 7/1/25

A Fate Forged in Fire by. Hazel McBride – release 5/27/25

Breath of the Dragon by. Shannon Lee & Fonda Lee – release 1/7/25

What’s on your TTT?

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Twitter (X) | Etsy (shop)

Top Ten Tuesday Topics:

November 5: Covers with [Item] on the Cover (You choose the item! It can be anything at all.)
November 12: Destination Titles (titles with name of places in them. These places can be real or fiction!) (this was a topic Rachel @ Sunny Side came up with for a freebie week last year and has let me steal it!)
November 19: Oldest (aka Earliest Published) Books On My TBR (submitted by Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits)
November 26: Thankful/Thanksgiving Freebie
December 3: Freebie
December 10: Books to Read During a Storm (these can be cozy/comfy reads, books with storms in them, atmospheric reads for dark and stormy nights, light reads to combat the heavy weather, etc.) (Submitted by Astilbe.)
December 17: Books on My Winter 2024-2025 to-Read List
December 24: Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes (List the top 10 books you’d love to own and include a link to your wishlist so that people can grant your wishes. Make sure you link your wishlist to your mailing address or include the email address associated with your e-reader in the list description so people know how to get the book to you. After you post, jump around the Linky and grant a wish or two if you’d like. Please don’t feel obligated to send anything to anyone!)
December 31: Best Books I Read in 2024

A Monsoon Rising by. Thea Guazon | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A Monsoon Rising (The Hurricane Wars, #2)

Author: Thea Guanzon

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 12/10/24

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Categories: New Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, 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 Harper Voyager for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!


Two hearts circle each other in the eye of the storm in this highly-anticipated follow-up to The Hurricane Wars—prepare for more enemies-to-lovers romance, magical adventures, and political schemes in this Southeast Asian-inspired world.

After a lifetime of war, Alaric and Talasyn were thrust into an alliance between their homelands that was supposed to end the fighting; however, being married to their sworn foe feels far from peaceful. Now Talasyn must play the part of Alaric’s willing empress while her allies secretly plot to overthrow his reign. But the longer the couple are forced together, the harder it becomes to deny the feelings crackling like lightning between them. When the time comes to act, can she trust him, or must she ignore her heart for the sake of so many others?

As the master of the Shadowforged Legion, Alaric has trained for battle all his life, but marrying a Lightweaver might be his most dangerous challenge yet. With tensions between nations churning, he needs to focus on the greater threat—the Moonless Dark, a cataclysmic magical event that could devour everything. Only he and Talasyn can stop it, with a powerful merging of light and shadow that they alone can create together. But saving their world from this disaster is a mere preface to his father’s more sinister schemes, and his wife is a burning flame in the darkness, tempting both his loyalties and his desires.

The Hurricane Wars aren’t over. It’s time to choose what—and who—to fight for. The world holds its breath amidst a whirlwind of new magic and old secrets that could change everything.

Content Warning: death, violence, war

I enjoyed the first book in this series called The Hurricane Wars. I wasn’t sure what would happen in book two but here are my thoughts:

Likes:

  • All my stars for this book is for the romance. Oh my, their marriage of convenience has them bickering, and then the slow burn turns into an actual inferno that ignites between them. It’s my favorite part of the whole book, Talasyn and Alaric and their spicy scenes! I think I love them so much because even when their in the throes of passion, Talasyn tries to still take the upper-hand and I think it’s so funny to see how Alaric reacts. They are definitely falling for one another but fighting it so hard.
  • As for the story around the romance, it is such a tricky situation for both. It’s truly an enemies to lovers romance because they both are in it for their own country but they will have to make a choice – they can’t always be enemies, can they? This fighting can’t keep going on especially since what’s happening to Talasyn and Alaric is going to complicate things.
  • It’s such a mix of fantasy and sci-fi but so far I think it works to make it a very unique world.
  • We get to see more of Alaric’s relationship with his evil father. His father is a horrible man so it will be interesting to see how Alaric breaks free of him.

Dislikes:

  • Honestly, I was so invested in Talasyn and Alaric’s romance that I felt like everything else took a back seat, which I didn’t mind but I can’t tell you much about what’s happening plot-wise to the story. I was always rushing a chapter to see if Talasyn and Alaric were in it. But there is a choice the both of them have to make.

My Thoughts:

I didn’t expect all the spice in this book but I loved it! Talasyn and Alaric together are so fun because she’s a spitfire and he calls her on it but adores that about her. They are such opposites. Now we just have to see them accept that they are falling for one another. As for the story, it will be interesting to see how Alaric deals with his father’s influence on his life. I’m so looking forward to book three!

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | Instagram (crafts🎨) | Twitter (X) | Etsy (Shop)

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Hurricane Wars by. Thea Guanzon | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫