Weekly Wrap Up | 4/26/26

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ We have been back in the school routine. I thought I was going to do a jury summons on Monday, but the case was settled so yay, I didn’t have to drive into morning traffic for that.

+ It is back to being HOT in Hawaii, we are hovering in the high 80’s so it feels like summer again.

+ My sister, my daughter and I are going to Stanford, California for the BTS concert in 3 weeks, and then a week after that I’m going to the Philippines with my parents and my kids…so I am traveling in the next few weeks. It’s going to be…a lot! I’m excited but also like…a little overwhelmed? Most of the Philippines trip my parents are planning and they have their way of traveling and I have my way…SO…I am giving up control to them I suppose? 😅 I’m kinda scared BUT…I have learned in my travels the past 3 years…just have to go with the flow.

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox by. Katrina Kwan
Change of Plans by. Sarah Dessen
Weavingshaw by. Heba Al-Wasity
Double Happiness by. Heather Eng
The Last Page by. Katie Holt

Currently Reading:

Heir of Twisted Lies by. L.J. Andrews
Verity Guild by. Mai Corland
Soon By You by. Dahlia Adler
Rites of the Starling by. Devney Perry

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

MUSIC:

+ Drop Dead by Olivia Rodrigo – obsessed with it, love the regular and acoustic version!

+ BTS Arirang album so I can know the lyrics for the concert.

+ Still rocking Bruno Mars The Romantic because I am still on the concert high from his show.

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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Crown Me Dead & Crown Me Yours by. Liz Zander | Mini Book Reviews

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Crown Me Dead (#1)

Author: Liv Zander

Format: ebook

Pages: 270

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Publication Date: 4/10/26

Categories: Dark Romance, Dark Fantasy, Series

Wed me. Bed me. Slit my throat.

Born in dirt, raised in rot, I dig graves for the dead, while the living decay around me.

When my brother coughs blood, he appears.

A man too polished for the graveyard, with a bargain too cruel for the Seduce the King. Become the Queen. Die. And my brother lives.

Kael is a nightmare of living ruin, the rotting ruler of a festering realm. And Vale is his shadow, the cold architect of my demise.

One man needs my heart to beat. The other plans to stop it forever.

They think I’m a pawn. But I’m the gravedigger’s daughter. And I know exactly where to bury them.

Welcome to the funeral.

Content Warning: violence, death, body horror, maggots

World Building: This is a dark fantasy where a whole kingdom is rotting, and I don’t only mean the crops and buildings, but the people too. There is a curse that the current King Kael is trying to starve out, he’s supposed to take a wife he loves and slice her throat to feed his crown blood, but he refuses to do it but it means people will rot and die. There is body horror and…maggots. So if you are totally grossed out about both those things, this might not be for you.

Characters: I love Elara. She is always around death because she is a gravedigger along with her mom and brother. She’s not afraid of it and has seen so much of it that it doesn’t phase which makes her perfect to be King Kael’s bride since he is rotting. King Kael is someone who wants to end the curse, he’s rotting, he’s angry, lashes out but he softens towards Elara’s brash attitude and I was enjoying their growing friendship. Vale is a mystery – he’s handsome, and claims he is a steward for the king. His plan, to get Elara to make the king fall in love with her, so he can sacrifice her and feed the crown – which would remove the rot killing everything in the land.

Romance: For a moment in this book I thought there would be a love triangle. Elara is getting to know Kael, but her body wants Vale. And I was all for her attraction to the dark, mysterious man, even though I thought Kael was the nicer one of the two. There is a lot of mystery around both men, and you can never tell who is good or bad, who to trust. There is spice but nothing too overboard.

Story: I could not put this book down and I didn’t realize it was under 300 pages until I finished it so quick! I love Elara and how strong and brave she is. She loves her family and will do whatever it takes, even give up her life to save them from rotting. She gets under Vale’s skin and she befriends the Kael. There are secrets and lies and everything comes to a head in a cliffhanger. But thank goodness book two is out – because I had to read it right away. There were decisions that Elara made that I was frustrated about, but I understand she was trying to play her own game too and survive the situation she was in.

Vibes: dark vibes, some gross moments, but death is all around

Final Thoughts:

I love this book and only lowered my rating because some of the body horror was gross. But I was horrified and couldn’t look away – and I love Elara. I had to see if they could break the curse! It’s why I had to read book two right away.

Read if you like:

dark romance
dark fantasy
secrets, betrayal

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Crown Me Yours (Heartstrings Duet, #2)

Author: Liv Zander

Format: ebook

Pages: 244

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Publication Date: 4/16/26

Categories: Dark Romance, Dark Fantasy, Series

Wed him. Bed him. Slit his throat.

I killed the king.
Crowned myself in his blood,
But the curse still festers.

To break it, I need Death,
On his knees,
A ring on his finger.
My blade at his throat.

The god fights me to the grave,
Evades my touch,
Mocks my wanting.

He would rather tear himself apart,
Than let me close enough to end this.
But I didn’t come this far to lose.
I came to crown him mine.

Welcome to your wedding, my love.

Content Warning: violence, death, body horror

Part two in this duet – this is a love story that makes me cry because what do you mean Elara makes Death fall in love with her? He tries his hardest to not succumb to her but he cannot resist. I love them together. There is spice and banter, it’s less dark than book one – less body horror and there is a battle of wills but Elara is a force.

And the ending chapters which is basically an epilogue? Ugh…my heart! For some reason it was reminding me of Jack and Sally in Nightmare Before Christmas 😅 maybe because of all the skeleton parts of Death when he is revealed as himself. But hello his heartstrings? I could not take it. 💔 What a beautiful ending to this story to show us that love is always worth it, even through loss and pain.

I will say this was shorter than book one and I feel like both books could have been combined since most romantasy books these days are long. I was totally engaged in this story and I really loved it.

Quote from the book:

“You can’t have love without embracing grief. Pain is the price we pay for participating in life.” – Liv Zander, Crown Me Yours

Final Thoughts:

I love this duology which I feel could have just been one book – but besides that, what a story. It’s dark, but so heartfelt at the end. It pulled at my heartstrings. I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author!

Read if you like:

dark romance
dark fantasy

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 4/22/26

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?

Back to my schedule, and trying to get my May and June arcs done as much as I can because I have 2 trips in May, one to the BTS concert and then a 2 week trip to the Philippines with my kids and my parents! So I’m working on that and my Libby holds, some I’ll have to just let go because arcs are taking priority.

What are you currently reading?

Rites of the Starling by. Devney Perry – 3%

Change of Plans by. Sarah Dessen – arc – 46%

Heir of Twisted Lies by. L.J. Andrews – 14%

The Last Page by. Katie Holt – arc – 5%

What have you just finished reading?

The Summer of Second Chances by. K.L. Walther – arc- ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Verdant Cage by. Jess Lourey – arc – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox by. Katrina Kwan – audiobook – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heart of the Wolf Queen by. Sarah Gallego – ⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️

Crown Me Dead by. Liv Zander – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️

Crown Me Yours by. Liv Zander – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️

The Shadows That Listen by. Louisa Carmody – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Weavingshaw by. Heba Al-Wasity – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

Soon By You by. Dahlia Adler

Double Happiness by. Heather Eng

Curses, Keys and Secret Societies by. Breanne Randal

When the Light Returns by. Joanna Ruth Meyer

Shadow Reaper by. Lynette Noni

What are YOU reading right now?

Weavingshaw by. Heba Al-Wasity | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating:

Title: Weavingshaw (#1)

Author: Heba Al-Wasity

Format: ebook

Pages: 464

Format: ebook (Libby)

Publication Date: 2/24/26

Categories: Fantasy, Gothic, Romance, Paranormal, Series

In this debut gothic fantasy, the first book of an enthralling fantasy romance trilogy, a young woman who can see the dead strikes a deal with a magnetic and dangerous purveyor of dark secrets to save her brother’s life.

Three years ago, Leena Al-Sayer awoke with a terrible power.
She can see the dead.

Since then, she has hidden herself from the world, knowing that if she ever reveals her curse she will be locked away in an asylum.

When her beloved brother, Rami, falls fatally ill, Leena is faced with a terrible CHOICE: Let him die or buy the expensive medicine that will save his life by bartering the only valuable thing she has—her secret.

The Saint of Silence, a ruthless merchant who trades in confessions and is shrouded in unearthly rumors of cruelty and power, accepts her bargain, for a deadly price. Leena must find the ghost of Percival Avon, the last lord of Weavingshaw—or lose her freedom to the Saint forever.

As Leena’s search takes her and the Saint to Weavingshaw, she finds the estate and the surrounding moors to be living things—hungry for blood and sacrifice. Fighting against Weavingshaw’s might, Leena must also fight her growing pull toward the enigmatic Saint himself, whose connection to Percival Avon remains a mystery.

As the house begins to entomb them, time is running out on their desperate hunt for answers. For Leena has come to see that here in Weavingshaw, the dead are not hushed—and some secrets are better left buried with them.

Content Warning: violence, death, kidnapping, suicide

World Building: I was so immersed in this gothic atmosphere of Weavingshaw. There is political unrest, and powerful players like the aristos, plus demons and worshiping of saints. One man, St. Silas, the Saint of Silence is one of the most powerful men in this country and Leena needs to make a bargain with him so she can get medicine to save her brother. I really loved the intrigue and secrets that are all over this story, it lends to the dark, gothic atmosphere. And the paranormal elements are fantastic – Leena can see ghosts and her ability is what St. Silas needs. Loved it all!

Characters: Leena loves her brother and she’s a survivor, they both are. But I love how she doesn’t show her fear even though St. Silas is someone feared – he deals in secrets. He has the power to take anyone down. Leena is determined, brave, and gets under his skin. St. Silas has so many secrets and I love how as the story goes on, Leena tries to uncover them. Leena also has a few secrets of her own though. I also love Rami her brother, though he’s a hot-head, and Mrs. Van, St. Silas’ housekeeper who has a history of her own. I love some of the ghosts too.

Romance: This is the slowest burn or slow burns EVER. It kept me hook on the story, as I waited to see if St. Silas would just give in to his yearnings for her. There is just a steamy kiss…that’s it! I think if there was maybe something a little more my rating would have jumped to 5 haha. But I love how she didn’t feel anything for him but fear, until she learns more about him and his actions spoke louder than words. I am kind of relishing the slow burn but I hope in book two, there is a little more steam.

Story: I read this one in two days – I was hooked and could not put it down. I love the gothic romance, the ghosts and deals with demons (they thrive on delicious secrets), the atmospheric writing, the strong willed FMC and the powerful MMC trying to hold himself together. I cannot wait for book two – oh and it has a cliffhanger ending.

Vibes: it might just be me but it was giving me Jane Eyre vibes – the gothic vibes.

Final Thoughts:

I really couldn’t put this book down it had everything I want in a gothic romance, I just want a little more steam but the the yearning, the secrets, demons, ghosts, and atmosphere is just so good. I can’t wait for book two!

Read if you like:

gothic romance
paranomal
dark secrets

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Heart of the Wolf Queen by. Sarah Gallego | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Heart of the Wolf Queen (The Star-Crossed Gods, #1)

Author: Sarah Gallego

Format: ebook

Pages: 424

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Publication Date: 4/2/26

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Series

Love could be her greatest weakness… or her deadliest weapon.

Sorrow Villente is no princess waiting to be saved.

When a devastating accident partially blinded her, Sorrow was locked away at the top of a tower in the wilderness, offered up as a sacrifice to the gods.

But Sorrow refuses to die quietly. Only she knows a dark magic burns inside her. With her fiercely protective wolf, Pablo, she spends every moment plotting her escape.

And yet when she finally breaks free, Sorrow is captured immediately… by the one man she never expected to see again.

Long ago, Sorrow and Matthias were inseparable. Tall and devastatingly handsome, with sparkling green eyes, the sight of him still sends her heart racing. Then she remembers the truth. When she needed him most, Matthias walked away. He didn’t just abandon her. He betrayed her.

And he hasn’t come to rescue her. Matthias is the ruler of a distant land, where monsters lurk in mist-shrouded forests. To save his kingdom, he needs an alliance with Sorrow’s family – one that can be sealed only by marriage.

Sorrow must marry the man who broke her heart… or die.

🌶️ Spice on the page
❤️ Second chance romance
💍 Marriage of convenience
🔮 Fated love
🗡️ Touch her and die
💔 Yearning
🦇 Gothic setting and atmosphere

The first book in the steamy epic romantasy series, The Star-Crossed Gods. Fans of Hannah Whitten, Leigh Bardugo and Sabel Sorensen will love Heart of the Wolf Queen and its feisty heroine.

Content Warning: violence, death

World Building: Set in a fantasy world where people gain different powers like fire, healing or in Sorrow’s case – talking/controlling animals and necromancy, this is a typical romantasy world. There is political intrigue between Sorrow’s step-father and her husband, Matthias and Sorrow vows to help her husband against him.

Characters: Sorrow is losing her sight and she experiences nosebleeds and headaches but she’s hiding a secret. I love Sorrow’s pet wolf, Pablo. He’s her protector. King Matthias, Sorrow’s new husband used to be her best friend when they were children. Now she’s keeping him at a distance but Matthias is a good guy, gives her space, doesn’t flirt with her much and he just gives golden retriever energy but would have liked more depth to him. I liked the secondary characters.

Romance: Sorrow and Matthias used to be friends until one day she sees something that makes her think he’s into her step-sister, Enfys. After that Sorrow has been carrying a grudge against, add to the fact he didn’t come back to her after an accident she had. Basically all this could have been solved with some communication on both their parts. I would have loved for Sorrow and Matthias to have more scenes together in this book just to show their relationship growing and the attraction building. I feel like they are apart too much. They eventually work things out but the ending is interesting and makes me wonder what will happen to them in book two.

Story: I think this one started off strong, and then it loses me in the middle, because this felt like a young adult book, which lots of cursing from Rose. Even the romance felt YA until there is spice in the book, but I just wasn’t feeling the writing I think. It’s an easy romantasy to read though because the world building isn’t heavy.

Vibes: arranged marriage, second chance romance, MMC is a nice guy, and I love Pablo the wolf!

Final Thoughts:

This one was an okay read for me – I did love Pablo though! I might be reading book two just to see what happens to Matthias after that ending.

Read if you like:

easy to read romantasy, light world building
elemental powers
second chance romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 4/19/26

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ My kids and I went to Las Vegas to see Bruno Mars in concert on April 11, 2026. Let me just tell you what a crazy weekend it was. First, the weather called for HEAVY rain – thank you God it didn’t affect us. And I was worried about TSA lines, but that went smoothly and quick. 🙏🏽. Through security I run into someone I went to college with in California…and she’s my ex-high school boyfriend’s wife now. 😅. She’s a great girl, and we keep in touch – but it’s always kind of been awkward between my ex and me, if I saw him in public he never said hi to me. WELL…with me and my kids there and his wife calling out my name, he had no choice but to finally say hi to me. 😂 We even hugged! Anyway, they were going to the same Bruno Mars show as we were but they were on a different flight that was delayed.

Our flight was stopping over on Maui to switch planes, which we did on time…then the pilot comes on and says they need more fuel to make the trip to Vegas. SAY WHAT? And that they were trying to get clearance to fuel up in Maui…well they were denied, so we had to fly to the Big Island next door, to refuel there. So now we were delayed for 2 hours…kids were hungry. Good thing I loaded up on snacks but we reached Vegas at almost 9:30pm, checked into the Excalibur and got to our room by 10pm. They have a 24/7 food court, thank goodness…but yeah it was a LONG, tiring, day.

Since it was my kids’ first time in Vegas I did want them to see it in the day time, so we slept in, got breakfast, then decided to walk to Park Mgm and take the free tram to the Bellagio so I could show them the flower garden.

The hotels are so big you don’t know you’ve walked 8,000 steps until you’ve felt it! After checking out Caesar’s Palace my daughter said her feet hurt and it was time to rest before the concert. We spied the line for the Hello Kitty/Bruno Mars merch which I wanted so badly but my kids didn’t want to stand in line (I don’t blame them – it was a long line). We were supposed to check out the arcade at the hotel but I needed to nap and the kids wanted to go back to the room. So I napped, kids were on their ipads and we got at least 4 hours of resting our feet before taking the free tram from Excalibur to Mandalay Bay and walking it over the bridge to Allegiant Stadium. It wasn’t bad at all! The weather was nice too.

The stadium was nice, entry was easy – if you are ever going there for a concert, make sure you read the bag policy – clear bags only of a certain size!!! I’m glad I read it beforehand. Overall, we had such an amazing time! My daughter was a bit tired from all day walking (next time I’ll book one more day to rest), but once Bruno came on, both my kids were so hype. My son is a teen and always so self-conscious about singing…oh boy did he sing his heart out! Bruno was fantastic, such a showman, such a performer and that voice…I’m so glad my kids got to see him with me! ♥️. It’s my 4th time seeing him in concert and each time has been so amazing.

After the concert, we walked back with the massive crowd back over the bridge and to our hotel. When I looked at my steps counted it was 23,000 for the day! I felt it! We got back to our room at 11:45pm and I told the kids to go to sleep because we had to wake up in 4 hours to catch a 7am flight! UGH. I could do these quick trips when I was younger or just traveling with a friend but with kids, it’s a little hard, so next time I know to book one more day. Flight was on time, and who was on my flight? My ex and his wife again LOL….good times! What a weekend.

+ After our concert weekend it was back to our regular schedule but also I am planning my son’s bar mitzvah which is in July. He’s not having a major party because he said he didn’t want one. But I’m trying to at least make it a little special for people attending the ceremony. So now I’m stressed with that. 😅. At least I’ll be better at planning my daughter’s bat mitzvah in 4 years.

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

The Summer of Second Chances by. K.L. Walther
Us Dark Few by. Alexis Patton
A Merry Life by. Sarah Branson
Miracles in Mercy by. Briony J. Shutt
The Verdant Cage by. Jess Lourey
Heart of the Wolf Queen by. Sarah Gallego

Currently Reading:

For Whom the Belle Tolls by. Jaysea Lynn
The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox by. Katrina Kwan
Change of Plans by. Sarah Dessen
Heir of Twisted Lies by. L.J. Andrews
Weavingshaw by. Heba Al-Wasity

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

MUSIC:

+ I cannot wait for Olivia Rodrigo’s album and by the way I promised my kids I’d take them to her concert. 😩 Mama is broke! But I’m going…someway, somehow. I love her new single Drop Dead!

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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WWW Wednesday | 4/15/26

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?

Wow…last week leading up to my trip to Vegas was stressful as HELL. 3 friends cancelled on the trip, so it was my first time traveling with just me and my two kids to Vegas of all places haha. But it worked out, even when we had only 4 hours of sleep before catching our flight back home. The concert was amazing and my kids were such good sports about everything. ❤️ I did start some books on my kindle on the plane rides but didn’t finish anything. I am pretty much recovered now and now have to get ready for BTS in a few weeks. 😅. So hopefully I can get some reading done before then!

What are you currently reading?

The Summer of Second Chances by. K.L. Walther – arc – 25%

Rites of the Starling by. Devney Perry – 3%

The Verdant Cage by. Jess Lourey

The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox by. Katrina Kwan – audiobook – 5%

Heart of the Wolf Queen by. Sarah Gallego – 32%

Change of Plans by. Sarah Dessen – 7%

What have you just finished reading?

I Could Give You the Moon by. Ann Liang – alc- ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Malachite by. Ashley Anderson – arc – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/🌶️🌶️

A Merry Life by. Sarah Branson – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Starside by. Alex Aster – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️

What are you going to read next?

The Last Page by. Katie Holt

Soon By You by. Dahlia Adler

Double Happiness by. Heather Eng

What are YOU reading right now?

Miracles in Mercy by. Briony J. Shutt | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Miracles in Mercy

Author: Briony J. Shutt

Format: ebook

Pages: 104

Publication Date: 10/31/24

Categories: Romance, Cowboy Romance, Christian Romance

Delilah found herself unemployed, traveling alone, and trying to heal from her painful past. Little did she know that the solution to her problems would be sitting right beside her on the bus, sporting a cowboy hat. As they journeyed to the small town of her birth, Delilah’s life takes an unexpected turn, filled with uncertainty, stress and maybe even love…

Meanwhile, Max was on his way back to the quaint town of Mercy, Montana, desperately in need of a miracle. He knew he wouldn’t find it on the bus ride home. “Miracles don’t ride the bus,” he reassured himself. But then he laid eyes on her…

Could Delilah be the miracle that Max had been searching for all along? The excitement and anticipation filled the air as their paths crossed, sparking a newfound hope in both of their lives.

Thank you to the author, Briony J. Shutt for gifting me a copy of this ebook. She asked me to read and review this book and I said why not.

This isn’t the kind of romance I usually read. It is a cowboy romance, and a faith-based romance. It is a quick read though at only 104 pages. I thought the way Max and Delilah meet was kind of cute, but very insta-love. Would have loved this to be longer so we got to know Max and Delilah better and see the two of them get to know each other better too. But for a genre I don’t usually read, I think it has potential.

Final Thoughts:

This was short, innocent and sweet if you like cowboy and faith-based romance. It’s not the genres I usually read, but I thought this was a solid novella. Definitely check it out if you read this genre.

Read if you like:

cowboy romance
faith-based romance
novella

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 4/8/26

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 guess I forgot to do a post last week Wednesday but it’s been that kind of April so far – bad. 😅. I’m hoping to turn things around this weekend as my kids and I go to Bruno Mar’s concert in Vegas, but we are also going to have stormy weather in Hawaii when we fly out. I’m just hoping all goes well. 🙏🏽. Also it doesn’t help that world events are making me super anxious. Sigh….thank goodness for books that let me escape a tiny bit.

What are you currently reading?

The Summer of Second Chances by. K.L. Walther – arc – 10%

For Whom the Belle Tolls by. Jaysea Lynn – 5%

Rites of the Starling by. Devney Perry – 3%

I Could Give You the Moon by. Ann Liang – alc – 80%

The Verdant Cage by. Jess Lourey

Malachite by. Ashley Anderson – alc – 10%

What have you just finished reading?

The Bloody and the Damned by. Becca Coffindaffer – arc – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bloody Black by. Rhiannon Hargadon – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️

Your Soulmail is Attached by. Joan F. Smith – arc – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Blood & Roses by. Callie Hart – ⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

To Break Such a Bond by. Mallory White – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/🌶️🌶️

Runebreaker by. Mila Finch -⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/🌶️🌶️

Turncloak by. L.K. Steven – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️

What are you going to read next?

Change Plans by. Sarah Dessen

The Last Page by. Katie Holt

Soon By You by. Dahlia Adler

Double Happiness by. Heather Eng

What are YOU reading right now?

Starside by. Alex Aster| Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Starside (#1)

Author: Alex Aster

Format: ebook

Pages: 512

Format: ebook (Libby)

Publication Date: 3/31/26

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Series

Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals—the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic.

Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only vengeance. As a child, a goddess set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn’t after the gods’ magic—she’s going to kill them.

First, she must survive the Culling, the king’s deadly competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith’s apprentice, Aris doesn’t have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great Houses. But the greatest swords—ones that contain power—are not inherited or bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it makes her not just a real competitor—but a target.

Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and bloodthirsty immortals weren’t dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to claim, Aris can’t trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious king’s guard who betrayed her years ago—and who may now be the key to her survival.

But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family’s death. And when it’s revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what’s coming…

Content Warning: violence, death, mentions of torture

World Building: I read Lightlark by this author and never continued the series because I just couldn’t get into it. I don’t think the writing worked for me. I did read her contemporary romance and enjoyed it so I decided to try Starside because it’s an adult romantasy. The world building is very lush in this series – there are two sides Stormside (no magic and mortals) and Starside (immortals and magic, species, creatures, and monsters). Aris joins the Questral, first there are some deadly trials in Stormside, but if you pass that then you embark on a very deadly quest in Starside. I really loved how lush Starside is with different landscapes, horrors, and magical creatures. Also there is a big deal about swords in this story – there are different types of swords, and the sword can make or break your quest.

Characters: Aris is determined to complete the Questral and killed the Gods. But first she has to not die. And though she’s had some training, she knows she has a challenge when the other challengers are killers or from wealthy houses with lots of resources. I liked Aris’ determination not to give up, because there were many times she could have. And though she is willing to die for her revenge, she was still able to see beauty around her in Starside. There were times I thought she was so uninformed and naive but this story shows her growth, which I really enjoyed. Even with Harlan Raker, enemy and the king’s guard, always telling her she isn’t good enough. Now Harlan was interesting with his mask, hood and armor, grumpy attitude and killing skills that no one can match. There were some secondary characters along the journey but I was bummed the first two Aris meet in the beginning basically disappears throughout most of the book – I was hoping for some found family with them.

Romance: For 70% of the story I thought the romance read like a young adult novel. There was barely any steam, it’s a SLOW burn. Aris and Harlan hate one another – hate. But Aris wouldn’t have survived Starside without him, and he likes to remind her of that. He was not a nice guy, maybe to prove a point to her that being nice gets you killed but I can see why she hated him. So that’s why it was very surprising at what happens in the 90% mark of the book…yes, you have to wait until the end if you want some chili pepper spice. 😅. I was like whoa….that was unexpected! I was just hoping for a kiss but they are kind of unleashed at the end. But it’s an enemies to lovers to enemies kind of situation.

Story: The story is about a deadly quest and revenge but while in Starside, Aris learns a lot about the immortals and how they feel about the Gods. The pace is fast with fight after fight – it’s almost never ending with just a few breaks here and there. There is a lot of action and at times I wish there was more dialogue between Aris and Harlan but he’s a quiet one. A lot that goes on in this story. There are some plot twists at the end, one that I guessed, that make me very eager for book two. But I still feel like the writing felt like young adult, despite the profanity the characters used and the very vigorous spicy scene, but that just be a me problem not totally gelling with her writing style.

Vibes: it’s giving, Hunger Games but fantasy and lots of swords…and I’ve been kind of over deadly trials and quest not being dangerous enough in other stories but this one had so much danger and non-stop action, that I wanted to keep reading.

Final Thoughts:

This story is full of action, swords, monsters, creatures, immortals and a young woman who is determine to kill the Gods. I liked seeing Aris pick herself back up even when she was scared to go on, or finding beauty in the darkness. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers, even though it’s a very slow burn – romance. I liked this way better than Lightlark and I will definitely be continuing this series after that cliffhanger ending.

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