August was a long month that went by quickly because my kids went back to school. So we are back in the school routine again! I did read a lot, apparently I had a lot of arcs for September to get through. I have 3 more arcs for September to finish!
I read 26 books and posted 20 book reviews in August.
Books I Read – 26 books:
Endless Anger by. Sav R. Miller
What Fury Brings by. Tricial Llevenseller
The Robin on the Oak Throne by. K.A. Linde
Witch of the Wolves by. Kaylee Archer
Blood Moon by. Britney S. Lewis (audiobook)
The Dragon and the Sun Lotus by. Amelie Wen Zhao
The Dating Prohibition by. Taj McCoy
The Dead of Summer by. Ryan La Sala
Heir of Storms by. Lauryn Hamilton Murray
Dream of the Shadows by. Logan Karlie (audiobook)
Well Fell Apart by. E. Lockhart
The Nightblood Prince by. Molly X. Chang
Witch You Would by. Lia Amador
Girl, Goddess, Queen by. Bea Fitzgerald
Broken Souls and Bones by. LJ Andrews
Sweet Heat by. Bolu Babaloa
The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk by. Carissa Broadbent
A Scar in the Bone by. Sophie Jordan
Coffin Moon by. Keith Rosson
Wild Reverence by. Rebecca Ross
A Forbidden Alchemy by. Stacey McEwan
A Steeping of Blood by. Hafsah Faizal
The Executioners Three by. Susan Dennard
Charlie Quinn Lets Go by. Jamie Varon
The Weaver Bride by. Lydia Gregovic
While the Dark Remains by. Joanna Ruth Meyer (audiobook)
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?
It’s September! We are officially in the “ber” months. Can you believe it? I can’t. I think I’ll have more room to read books that aren’t arcs very soon.
What are you currently reading?
Hekate by. Nikita Gil – 8% – I did NOT realize this book would be poetry, so imagine my surprise when I started reading it! 😅
Categories: New Adult, Dark Romance, Dark Academia, Childhood Friends to Lovers
Sometimes the pomegranate doesn’t fall far from the tree…
Asher Anderson is angry―at the world, at himself, at the way his best friend Lucy Wolfe seems determined to tune out this buzzing connection between them. He doesn’t mean to solve all his problems with violence, but maybe he has too much of his father in him. That’s why the faculty at Avernia College hates him, right? Because of the “evil” blood in his veins?
He should know better than to darken the old, ivy-covered university’s door, but it’s practically a law of the universe: wherever Lucy goes, Asher follows. Even if that means entering a twisting labyrinth of secret societies, human sacrifices, and a very personal history soaked in blood.
Lucy is used to being an outcast. She’s even used to Asher being her dark, brooding shadow. What she isn’t used to is him shattering her resolve by taking her up against library bookshelves as she desperately pretends her heart hasn’t always been his. She should know better than to play with fire, but with unexplained deaths and pointed threats ripping apart the university’s fabric, Asher and Lucy soon find themselves at the center of the turmoil…where they’ll have to confront their feelings or die trying.
Content Warning: violence, death, sexual assault, torture
+ I think the book started off strong and intriguing. Asher is in love with Lucy and I love how they knew each other since kids. He’s protective of her and they know the best and worst of each other. There’s a lot of no communication between them which was a bit frustrating, lots of angst but everyone knows they want each other and basically waiting for them to get together.
+ Their parents all know each other and I also liked the other characters in their friend/family group like Foxe and Aurora. Overall, I could tell this was a tight knit group.
+ If you want smut, it’s there but it comes in the second half of this book. So it’s a bit of a slow burn until then, but it is spicy! There is a lot of pent up longing and desire between these two.
+~ The premise of this one caught my eye and I saw it on booktok. I do wish I knew that this was a spinoff because I could tell while reading this I was missing something that regarded the parents of these kids in the book.
~ I was lost. Probably because I didn’t read the previous series that came before this book. I was missing the connection between the parents who all know one another. I didn’t know what was up with this college and what was so bad about it, even though everyone kept saying it was bad. It took so long for the story about the “bad things” at the college to develop. Like what was this curse? While the relationship between Lucy and Asher kept me invested, the plot was lacking and made me lose interest.
~ Book was too long for a story where not a lot was explained or happening.
Final Thoughts:
Read the series, Monsters & Muses before reading this book or else you might be as lost as I was. My favorite thing about this story was the childhood romance between Lucy and Asher – it’s full of longing and desire but also my least favorite trope -no communication, which was their only downfall really but still frustrating. There’s a lot of spice between them once they cave into their feelings for one another. The rest of the story has potential but I just needed more. Overall, just an okay read for me.
+ My son turned 13 on Wednesday! He had presents and cake, but today we are going over to his grandparent house to have more food, cake and presents with them and they rest of the family.
+ It’s a 3 day weekend, it’s always nice to have one more day to sleep in!
The Summer I Turned Pretty (Amazon Prime Video)– Season 3 – what an episode – Conrad was not having huh? lol
Chief of War (Apple +) – episodes 5 and 6, war is coming!
The Life of the Walter Boys (Netflix) – season 2
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!
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Pantheon for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
From the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Roots and Ruin, comes an irresistible blend of dark fairytale and romantic fantasy set in the beautiful but brutal Canadian wilderness.
Like everyone else in the settlement of Mistaken, Greer Mackenzie is trapped. Founded by an ambitious Scottish lumber merchant, the tiny town on the edge of the American continent is blessed with rich natural resources that have made its people prosperous—but at a cost. The same woods that have lined the townsfolks’ pockets harbor dangerous beasts: wolves, bears, and the Bright-Eyeds—monsters beyond description who have rained utter destruction down on nearby settlements. But Mistaken’s founders made a deal with the mysterious Benevolence: the Warding Stones that surround the town will keep the Bright-Eyeds out—and the town’s citizens in. Anyone who spends a night within Mistaken’s borders belongs to it forever.
Greer, a mapmaker and eccentric dreamer, has always ached to explore the world outside, even though she knows she and her longtime love, Ellis Beaufort, will never see it. Until, on the day she and Ellis are meant to finally begin their lives together, Greer watches in horror as her beloved disappears beyond the Warding Stones, pursued by a monstrous creature. Swiftly realizing that the stories she was raised on might be more myth than fact, Greer figures out a way to escape Mistaken for the very first time. Determined to rescue Ellis, she begins a trek through the cold and pitiless wilderness. But Greer is being hunted, not only by the ruthless Bright-Eyeds but by the secret truths behind Mistaken’s founding, as well as her own origins.
Playfully drawing from Scottish folklore, Erin A. Craig’s adult debut is both a deeply atmospheric and profoundly romantic exploration of freedom versus security: a stunning celebration of one woman’s relentless bravery on a quest to reclaim her lost love—and claim her own future.
Content Warning: violence, death
+ This was an interesting story that starts off with settlers in a land that wasn’t what they expected. They come to find out that there are creatures and animals out there that could kill them so they build their town of Mistaken but create a protection barrier. The atmosphere is eerie, mysterious and gave me M. Night Shyamalan (the movie, The Village, except without the crazy ending 😅) vibes – not sure why, I just kept thinking there was some twist in the story that was gonna jump out at me.
+ Greer is woman with an adventurous spirit – she loves making maps but she is stuck in Mistaken. It’s too dangerous to venture out of town with the Bright-Eyeds (monsters) lurking in the woods. Her dad is overprotective but a powerful man in their town so he’s trying to marry her off to someone to inherit their business. But she’s in love with Ellis, a boy her father doesn’t approve of. I thought Greer was a strong character, who did everything to fight for the guy she loved.
+ I found the lore of the monsters very mysterious and really got invested the more we learned about them, but that mostly comes in the second half of the story. The world-building of Mistaken was interesting. There are flashbacks to the founders of the town, and I like how things were revealed little by little until the whole picture of what happened in Mistaken and Greer’s past tied everything together.
+ The author does such a good job at story telling – I always feel like I’m reading a dark fairytale when it comes to her books. And her stories are always so unique, just like this one is.
~ This one did start off slow but once some scary events happen and the horror kicks in, that’s when it really caught my attention. I couldn’t quite envision these Bright-Eyeds and so I was left trying to figure that part out.
~ Once everything starts being explained about the Bright-Eyed, the story goes in a new direction, more fantastical. Greer has to cope with her new knowledge about them, but it’s challenging as she tries to find Ellis. There is also a love triangle situation that I wasn’t into.
Final Thoughts:
I think this one felt like Small Favors with that small-town feel, except here in A Land So Wide, in this town, people are trapped. The people have a false sense of safety – in their boundary of protection, they should be okay, but once that boundary is broken, bad things happen. The setting is great, and the atmosphere is creepy and mysterious. I think the beginning was a little slow, but it does pick up and goes into more fantasy. I found this world and the lore around the monsters very fascinating. Greer goes through a journey when she finds out the truth about some things, and I definitely was invested to see what happened to her. This author is an auto-read author for me, and her writing will always suck me in! This will make a great read for spooky season.
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?
Today’s is my son’s 13th birthday! Which means he is doing his Bar Mitzvah in July 2026 😬 I’m already stressed after the information session we got about the whole process. But my heart is so full today – he’s such an amazing young man and still gives me his cheek to kiss (he’s taller than me 😩) when he tells me goodnight every night. 😭 Time flies…but anyways, how is your week going? 😊
+ My son is going to have his Bar Mitzvah next year so we have to attend “bootcamp” today to get all the information about the process, what he will need to do, what we need to do as parents, etc…
+ My daughter is almost done with swim classes but I’m signing her up for another six weeks, starting in mid-September. I love seeing her go from being scared in the first two classes to really building up her confidence each week!
+ We’re also going to the theater to watch K-Pop Demon Hunters today. Me and the kids have watched it about 5 times on Netflix, my daughter’s school plays the music during recess and lunch recess, and my son has been trying to make his hair like Jinu’s. My husband has walked in on us watching it twice but he always caught the ending – so he bought tickets claiming now he has a chance to see the full thing on screen.
The Summer I Turned Pretty (Amazon Prime Video)– Season 3 – what an episode, what a mess! But I’m there for the drama.
Love Next Door (Netflix) – my son and I watched 3 episodes.
Listened to:
Conan Gray – Wishbone
Soulidified – One and Only
Doja Cat – Jealous Type
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!
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?
Are we really almost at the end of August? Will I really have a teenager next week Wednesday? 😭 I can’t believe my son will be a TEEN. Sigh…where has the time gone? I’m trying to finish up September arcs and then I think I will feel freer for the rest of the year because my arc load will be much less! Just in time for the busy holidays right? Hope you are having a great week!
Brynn has spent the better part of her life waiting for the chance to attend the annual market hosted by the Kenta, the very same people who exiled the Alaha to live a life over the sea. A rite of passage for all young guards, she’s not sure what to expect from it, but breaking a century- long peace treaty certainly isn’t on her map.
Neither is the encounter with an enemy soldier.
Returning home to Alaha, she’s confronted with the aftermath of the day’s events. The future is uncertain as the threat of hunger looms over the people. With rumors of a growing rebellion, Brynn and her closest friends promise to stick together.
When an unexpected visitor arrives, Brynn’s loyalty will be tested as she learns of a world of magic and treachery. Once her enemy, always her enemy, right? But the dark, knowing eyes of a stranger make her question everything…
…including her heart.
My Thoughts: I saw the hype on BookTok about the plot twist and yes I was shocked but for me it didn’t make sense. So I wish I loved it as much as other people do.
In this addictive new fantasy series set in a world where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain, an obsessive detective infiltrates a brutal gang of dark mages—knowing that one wrong move will get her killed. . . .
Two decades ago, the Bloodmoons ruthlessly murdered Saffron Killoran’s parents, destroying her idyllic childhood. Hell-bent on revenge, she lies her way into Silvercloak Academy—the training ground for her city’s elite order of detectives—with a single goal: to bring the Bloodmoons to justice.
But when Saff’s deception is exposed, rather than being cast out, she’s given a rare opportunity: to go undercover and tear the Bloodmoons down from the inside.
Descending into a world where pleasure and pain are the most powerful currencies, Saff must commit some truly heinous deeds to keep her cover—and her life. Not only are there rival gangs and sinister smuggling rings to contend with, but there’s also her growing feelings for the kingpin’s tortured son, with his vicious pet fallowwolf, his dark past, and the curious prophecy foretelling his death at Saffron’s hand.
With each day testing her loyalties further, Saff finds her web of lies becoming harder to spin. And when one false step could destroy everything and everyone she’s ever loved . . . the detective who’s dedicated her life to vengeance just might die for it.
My Thoughts: Love this one, but I did give it 3.5 stars because of some issues. But it’s actually a book I can’t stop thinking about and can’t wait for book two. Hopefully I love book two more!
Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them…
Meryn Cooper has never dreamed of being one of the Bonded, the King’s elite warriors who form mental links with massive, vicious direwolves. She’s made peace with her life scraping by in poverty in the shadows of the castle. But then her younger sister Saela is kidnapped, stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting.
And Meryn’s world falls apart.
Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army—only to discover that there are Bonding Trials this year, where all soldiers are forced to risk their lives in an attempt to connect with a direwolf. It’s too late to turn back; Meryn is thrown into the deadly competition against her will.
Now, she’ll need to survive the next four months of training at the castle if she wants a chance of finding Saela. Everything here is a test, from the brutal classes where one mistake means death, to the glittering court parties where every smile hides a knife.
To make things worse, Meryn is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her gorgeous instructor, Stark Therion, is as malicious as the wolves himself.
Everyone is out to get her—everyone but the dangerously handsome crown prince, Killian Valtiere. But if she loses her heart to him, she may also lose her life.
What do you get if you mix Harry Potter with Fourth Wing, Zodiac Academy, a dash of Arthurian legend, and lots and lots of vampires? Bloodwing Academy.
I didn’t sign up for this.
A half-fae in a school of highblood vampires? That’s a recipe for torment.
I’m Medra Pendragon—last of the dragon riders, or so they tell me. Funny thing is, there are no dragons left. Not a single one. But somehow, that hasn’t stopped the vampires from deciding I’m worth capturing. Now I’m stuck at Bloodwing Academy, where the highbloods run everything and blightborn like me? We’re just blood in their veins, pawns in their games.
But that’s not even the worst part. Enter Blake Drakharrow. Cold, arrogant, and way too gorgeous for his own good. He’s been tormenting me since the moment we met, and now, thanks to some ancient ritual, we’re betrothed. He acts like he owns me, but I’m not going down without a fight.
Bloodwing isn’t just a school—it’s a battlefield. Highbloods fight for power, and if you’re weak? You’re dead.
Between deadly competitions, lies that could get me executed, and a dragon-shaped secret looming over my head, all I have to do is survive. Easy, right? Except I’m starting to think the real danger isn’t the academy—it’s what I’m becoming in this twisted game of power.
And Blake? He might just be the one who pushes me over the edge.
They think they can control me. They think they can use me.
But they have no idea what they’ve awakened.
My Thoughts: Another hyped book on BookTok that I was curious about. Tried it out and didn’t love how long it was, don’t love the main love interest…I did read book two but hated the MMC even more. 😅
Like everyone else in the settlement of Mistaken, Greer Mackenzie is trapped. Founded by an ambitious Scottish lumber merchant, the tiny town on the edge of the American continent is blessed with rich natural resources that have made its people prosperous—but at a cost. The same woods that have lined the townsfolks’ pockets harbor dangerous beasts: wolves, bears, and the Bright-Eyeds—monsters beyond description who have rained utter destruction down on nearby settlements. But Mistaken’s founders made a deal with the mysterious Benevolence: the Warding Stones that surround the town will keep the Bright-Eyeds out—and the town’s citizens in. Anyone who spends a night within Mistaken’s borders belongs to it forever.
Greer, a mapmaker and eccentric dreamer, has always ached to explore the world outside, even though she knows she and her longtime love, Ellis Beaufort, will never see it. Until, on the day she and Ellis are meant to finally begin their lives together, Greer watches in horror as her beloved disappears beyond the Warding Stones, pursued by a monstrous creature. Swiftly realizing that the stories she was raised on might be more myth than fact, Greer figures out a way to escape Mistaken for the very first time. Determined to rescue Ellis, she begins a trek through the cold and pitiless wilderness. But Greer is being hunted, not only by the ruthless Bright-Eyeds but by the secret truths behind Mistaken’s founding, as well as her own origins.
Playfully drawing from Scottish folklore, Erin A. Craig’s adult debut is both a deeply atmospheric and profoundly romantic exploration of freedom versus security: a stunning celebration of one woman’s relentless bravery on a quest to reclaim her lost love—and claim her own future.
My Thoughts: I love this author, she’s a must read. I enjoyed the atmosphere of this book but the story goes in a different direction and it feels like 2 books. I still enjoyed it but wish I enjoyed it more.
The very day Blaze came into the world, she almost drowned it. A Rain Singer born into one of the most powerful fire-wielding families in the empire, Blaze’s birth summoned a devastating storm that left thousands dead. She’s been hidden away ever since with a dark secret: the same torrential power that branded her an outcast disappeared that fateful day. And she’s not sure she wants it back.
When an unexpected invitation arrives for Blaze and her twin brother, Flint, to compete as future rulers of the empire, she’s suddenly thrust into the limelight again — and into battle. Threats abound at the Golden Palace, where intrigue and romance await with not one but two handsome suitors: the enchanting Crown Prince and a dangerously alluring newcomer at court.
As Blaze explores her untapped power, she discovers the throne may be within her grasp. But in order to take it, she’ll have to leave behind the stories that others have told about her, and find the courage to write her own.
Content Warning: violence, grief, death
+ I finally read my gorgeous Fairyloot edition of this book. It’s the prettiest book on my shelf!
+ This book has a lot going on in it like court intrigue, trials, balls, elemental magic, family and friendship bonds. I loved how the story flowed and it had great pacing. Once I got into the world-building I couldn’t put the book down.
+ Blaze is from a family with fire magic, but she doesn’t have that. Her power actually flooded the kingdom when she was younger which actually caused many deaths. So people who don’t know her only know of her devastating power and how it devastated families – they hate her, or are afraid of her but she has no choice now since the Gods have branded her as an Heir. So she has to take part in trials, while undergoing people’s perceptions of her. I like that she has an awesome family, and for someone who had no friends before the trials, she starts to make friends with the help of her twin brother, Flint. There is a lot of growth for Blake who starts off wanting to hide from people and in the end claiming her power.
+ There is a love triangle romance but I don’t want to spoil it so I’ll say it’s done pretty well. It’s young adult so there are only kisses in this story. Hal is the Crown Prince and takes an interest in Blaze. But then his half-brother, Fox, shows up and he’s got quite a reputation of his own. I liked the interactions between Fox and Blaze because he gets under her skin. We’ll see what happens in the next book.
~ There isn’t nothing new in this story, it’s the usual young adult fantasy story but I really did enjoy it a lot.
Final Thoughts:
I thought this was a fun young adult fantasy which had a lot of the things I enjoy in this genre: elemental magic, court intrigue, romance, fun side characters, and family themes. I look forward to reading book two.
