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:
November 21: End-of-Year Reading Goals?
Prompts:What books do you want to read before the end of the year? Are there any new releases you’re still looking forward to? What goals did you set at the beginning of the year? Have you changed or added to those goals?
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What books do you want to read before the end of the year?
I, Medusa by. Ayana Gray
Brimstone by. Callie Hart
Never Ever After by. Sue Lynn Tan
Every Spiral of Fate by. Tahereh Mafi
Are there any new releases you’re still looking forward to?
I think all my anticipated books for this year have already been published.
What goals did you set at the beginning of the year? Have you changed or added to those goals?
I don’t think a did a list of goals for this year, and if I did, I can’t find it. 😅 I did start a reading journal and I did keep up with it! YAY. I did start a book youtube channel – and I gave up making content lol, it’s too much work! I did meet my reading goals which is always nice. And I did start posting more on instagram. I started also posting on tiktok which was a goal I added mid-year.
November Topics:
November 7: Reading Non-Fiction
Prompts: Happy Non-Fiction November! Do you read non-fiction? If you do read it, what do you love about it? What are your favourite categories to read about (i.e. true crime, historical, memoirs, self-help), and what are some of your favourite non-fiction books? Do you have any tips for those who want to get into reading more non-fiction? If you don’t read non-fiction, what don’t you like about it? Do you think that will change (or has it already changed) over the years?
November 14: Are “Special Editions” still special?
Prompts: With the amount of ‘special’, ‘limited’, or ‘collectors’ editions that have saturated the market (including special limited ARCs), do you still consider special editions to be special? Do you buy special editions? If so, what makes you want to buy one (i.e. sprayed edges, foiling, character art, etc.)? Give us the tea— what books do you think have too many special editions, and what books do you wish had more (or even one!) special editions?
November 21: End-of-Year Reading Goals?
Prompts:What books do you want to read before the end of the year? Are there any new releases you’re still looking forward to? What goals did you set at the beginning of the year? Have you changed or added to those goals?
Prompts:There’s always a lot of bookish discourse ongoing on social media. People talk about selling ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies), tagging authors and publishers in reviews, only posting positive reviews— we’ve seen it all! Do you think there’s something such as “bookish etiquette”? Why or why not? What do you think are some dos and don’ts as readers and/or reviewers? Do you agree with all the discourse, or do you stay far away from all the drama?
Title: A Kiss of Hammer and Flame (Fated for Hael, #1)
Author: Amy De La Force
Format: eBook (NetGalley)
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 12/2/25 (first published 7/3/25)
Publisher: Canelo Romance
Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Canelo Romance for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
An immortal bound in darkness. A shattered empire at war. And a blacksmith whose heart could tip the scales of fate.
When young blacksmith Cahra is commissioned to forge a sword, she uses her imagination to design a symbol. But this symbol invokes an age-old prophecy and awakens Hael – an immortal with the power to shape or shatter worlds – sealed away in a chamber deep in Hael’stromia, the lost capital at the heart of a civil war between three kingdoms.
Now hunted for the sword, Cahra must flee with the very stranger who commissioned it. But what does she truly know about the handsome and charming noble, Terryl?
On the run through the darkly magical Wilds, she is drawn ever closer to Hael, who visits and beguiles her in dreams. With tyrant kings vying to capture Hael and wield him as a weapon, she alone stands between Hael and their deadly ambitions. Will Cahra risk everything to free him in time to save the empire?
Content Warning: violence
+ I got this arc but it’s a book that is being republished with a super pretty sprayed edge. I have a soft spot for female blacksmiths in fantasy stories and in this one we have Cahra who has made a special sword for a lord. But that sword is tied to a prophecy and now her world has changed. Cahra is an orphan, who had a hard life, and everything seemed to be going sort of well until she makes this sword. I think Cahra was a strong character even though sometimes naive, but I feel like she handled some of the challenges, the prophecy and everything being revealed fairly well.
+ The story was interesting even if it’s filled with the usual romantasy tropes. But there was something about Cahra’s story that made me keep reading. Hael, the being inside the sword was very interesting. He reminded me of a jinn trapped in a bottle (but he is not), and the prophecy all ties into him being released and being a weapon that can help rule the three kingdoms. Plus he is tied to Cahra because of the prophecy and their relationship grows into something unexpected. I liked the action in the story which I feel kept the story moving. There are lots of secrets and also political intrigue that I enjoyed a lot – three kingdoms are trying to find this weapon, in order to rule over all, but there is even reveals that have to do with the Oracles.
+ Along Cahra’s journey she meets a few people but I really liked when she meets the Seers and Oracle. I felt like she was all alone, even if Lord Terryl was nice to her, so having these women take her in, kind of guide her and befriend was really nice to see.
~ The romance didn’t really have time to build in my opinion. Cahra and Terryl make a connection when they meet but things change later on. Cahra falls for Terryl because he’s nice and he touches her hand! I didn’t think that alone could do it but it did for her which was kind of frustrating. She was agonizing over her feelings about him and then things take a different turn so I would have liked to see more build up with the romance.
Final Thoughts:
Surprisingly, I was really into Cahra’s story and journey, when usually in a romantasy – I’m there for the romance. The romance was not my favorite in this story but the political intrigue between three kingdoms and some Oracles really kept me engaged. Overall, I found this one entertaining but wish there was more build-up in the romance storyline. It’s a good start to a series and it will be interesting to see what happens in book two.
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 Brimstone week! And that’s all I’ve been reading since it released. 🤭
I think everyone is counting down to Thanksgiving Break – or is that me? I don’t know why but lately it’s just so hard waking up when it’s still dark out. Yet I’ve been doing that like clockwork for awhile now. I don’t know why this year it feels harder to wake up – I just wanna sleep in. 😅
In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy—and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.
“What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.”
Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.
In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.
According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?
To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.
~~ This book is 1000 pages long, has lots of hype around it and I’m not going to read the physical book because it’s a chonker. I’m waiting for the ebook on Libby but I don’t think I’ll be getting to this this year. We’ll see!~~
In the cursed Kingdom of Aragoa, the punishment for magic is death.
Even the students at Vandenberghe Academy aren’t spared. When Viola Sinclair’s deadly shadow magic is discovered, the queen gives her assassin a new assignment and a new cursed tattoo: seven-thorned rose on his arm for the seven days he has to hunt Viola down and kill her. If he doesn’t, he will be the one to die.
The assassin is Roze Roquelart–entitled prince, arrogant fellow student, and the one person Viola hates more than anyone. Roze should revel in the chance to end her life, but he desperately needs something from Viola and her magic. And he’s willing to spare her life–and fake their engagement–to get it.
Forced to work together, Viola and Roze must contend with deadly threats, dangerous secrets, and an impossible attraction. Will they give in to their deepest desires, even if it means destroying Aragoa–and risking both their lives?
HER WORST ENEMY. HIS ONLY CHANCE.
Be swept away by the sizzling, irresistible enemies-to-lovers romantasy with magic more destructive than your darkest nightmares.
~~I have this one coming as a Fairyloot book for November but I probably won’t read it until early 2026.~~
The interwoven destinies of the people of Meridian will finally be determined in this stunning conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky trilogy.
Even the sea cannot stay calm before the storm. —Teek saying
Serapio, avatar of the Crow God Reborn and the newly crowned Carrion King, rules Tova. But his enemies gather both on distant shores and within his own city as the matrons of the clans scheme to destroy him. And deep in the alleys of the Maw, a new prophecy is whispered, this one from the Coyote God. It promises Serapio certain doom if its terrible dictates are not fulfilled.
Meanwhile, Xiala is thrust back amongst her people as war comes first to the island of Teek. With their way of life and their magic under threat, she is their last best hope. But the sea won’t talk to her the way it used to, and doubts riddle her mind. She will have to sacrifice the things that matter most to unleash her powers and become the queen they were promised.
And in the far northern wastelands, Naranpa, avatar of the Sun God, seeks a way to save Tova from the visions of fire that engulf her dreams. But another presence has begun stalking her nightmares, and the Jaguar God is on the hunt.
~~ I finished book two this year and wanted to jump into book three but arcs got in the way. So hopefully I can knock this out in early 2026.~~
The highly anticipated fourth novel in the Woven Kingdom romantasy series, brimming with fiery romance, spectacular magic, and breathtaking secrets, from Tahereh Mafi, the award-winning and bestselling author of the Shatter Me series. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, and Sabaa Tahir.
At long last, the wedding day has arrived.
The Jinn queen and the enigmatic ruler of Tulan are to be married in a magical, enchanted ceremony—but Cyrus, tethered by a blood oath to his bride-to-be, can find nothing to celebrate in this union. He’s falling ever more deeply in love with the one person oathbound to kill him.
Sworn to an ancient, unbreakable magic, Alizeh can only fulfill the prophecy to free her people by ensuring Cyrus dies by her own hand. And Cyrus is forced to await his end all while Prince Kamran inches closer, ready to take his place by Alizeh’s side.
The countdown to murder coils tensions ever tighter, but the historic wedding has already drawn deadly attention. To prepare for war and protect her people, Alizeh must finally discover her magic—and outrun the enemies trying to stop her.
Alizeh and Cyrus, along with Kamran and their friends from Ardunia, must flee on dragon-back to begin the perilous journey into the legendary mountains of Arya, where a firestorm of revelations, magical discoveries, and fresh allies awaits them. Every allegiance will be tested, every darkness uncovered, and when the shattering secrets of the Tulanian king are finally revealed . . .
Nothing, and no one, will be the same.
~~ Why is this series so long?! I loved book 3 and really wanted to pick this up right away but I saw a review saying that this is the slowest of slow burns and the characters don’t even kiss. UGH. So I think I’ll try and wait to see if this book goes to Book Outlet before I buy it. Or I’ll borrow the ebook if available.~~
Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.
Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easygoing even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.
As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.
Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, it all changes in an instant.
Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, creating complex protagonists, and telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love—this time among the stars.
~~ I’m still waiting on Libby for the ebook. 😞. ~~
Saeris Fane doesn’t want power. The very last thing she needs is her name whispered on an entire court’s lips, but now that she’s been crowned queen of the Blood Court, she’s discovering that a queen’s life is not her own. A heavy weight rests upon her shoulders.
Her ward – and her brother – need her back in her homeland . . . but the changes that have strengthened Saeris have also made her weak. Born under blazing suns, Saeris will surely die if she makes her way home through the Quicksilver. Which means that, once again, she must send someone else in her stead . . .
‘Keep your mouth shut. Stick to the shadows. And for the love of all seven Gods, do NOT crack any jokes.’
Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate has defeated armies and survived all manner of horrors, but traveling back to Zilvaren with Carrion Swift might just be the death of him. The male just will not shut up. Hidden dangers await them down the narrow alleyways of the Silver City. Unfolding secrets pose impossible threats. Fisher must wrangle the smuggler and accomplish his goals quickly if he wants to see his mate again.
A darkness falls across Yvelia. The realm and their friends are in danger. Together, Saeris and Fisher will pass through fire and brimstone to save them.
From New York Times bestselling author Ayana Gray comes a new kind of villain origin story, reimagining one of the most iconic monsters in Greek mythology as a provocative and powerful young heroine.
Meddy has spent her whole life as a footnote in someone else’s story. Out of place next to her beautiful, immortal sisters and her parents—both gods, albeit minor ones—she dreams of leaving her family’s island for a life of adventure. So when she catches the eye of the goddess Athena, who invites her to train as an esteemed priestess in her temple, Meddy leaps at the chance to see the world beyond her home.
In Athens’ colorful market streets and the clandestine chambers of the temple, Meddy flourishes in her role as Athena’s favored acolyte, getting her first tastes of purpose and power. But when she is noticed by another Olympian, Poseidon, a drunken night between girl and god ends in violence, and the course of Meddy’s promising future is suddenly and irrevocably altered.
Her locs transformed into snakes as punishment for a crime she did not commit, Medusa must embrace a new identity—not as a victim, but as a vigilante—and with it, the chance to write her own story as mortal, martyr, and myth.
Exploding with rage, heartbreak, and love, I, Medusa portrays a young woman caught in the cross currents between her heart’s deepest desires and the cruel, careless games the Olympian gods play.
A teen descendant of a Japanese dragon god must team up with a cute rogue agent to subvert a corrupt time travel organization and find out the truth of what happened to her missing sister in acclaimed author Kylie Lee Baker’s magical new YA romance, I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends.
When you’re ready, come find me. I will keep you safe. -Hana
Descended from a Japanese dragon god, Yang Mina was born with the power to travel through time, and has spent her life training to take her place in the Descendants, a secret organization whose purpose is to protect the timeline. Then Mina’s world is uprooted when she moves to Seoul and finds a note from her sister–a sister who no one remembers, as if she had been erased. The only people who could have made her sister vanish so completely are part of the very agency that she’s been working so hard to join. So now Mina has a new mission, infiltrate the agency as quickly as possible to find her lost sister.
And, as if things weren’t complicated enough, a strikingly handsome rogue agent has determined that Mina is the only person who can help him put an end to the Descendants’ corruption. Placed in an impossible situation, Mina must decide how much she’s willing to risk to find the truth.
Categories: Young Adult, Magical Realism, Romance, Mythology, Speculative Fiction
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Are the four Farthing sisters really descended from Persephone? This is what their aunt has always told that the women in their family can trace their lineage right back to the Goddess of the Dead. And maybe she’s right, because the Farthing girls do have a ghost in the attic of their Manhattan brownstone —a kind and gentle ghost named Henry, who only they can see.
When one of the sisters falls in love with the ghost, and another banishes him to the Underworld, the sisters are faced with even bigger questions about who they are. If they really are related to Persephone, and they really are a bit magic, then perhaps it’s up to them to save Henry, to save the world, and to save each other.
Content Warning: mental health
+ The Farthing sisters are descended from Persephone or so their aunt likes to tell them. But they do have some kind of magic because Winnie can talk to ghosts, Clara is an artist that dreams of her paintings, Evelyn is musical and Bernadette experiences lots of emotions. I loved these sisters and their relationship was giving Little Women! Their sisterly bond was what kept me invested in the story, it’s a beautiful bond.
+ I like how the story of Persephone and her children were incorporated into the story. I think it’s fun how the girls are tied to her and may have a little something of magic because they are descended from her. I love the paranormal aspects of the story: the ghosts and witchcraft.
~ The story does start off a bit slow. We follow these girls and see how their family works, which I love. Sisters fight, even when they love one another and I loved seeing their relationships. But getting to the conflict takes awhile. It happens when Winnie gets rid of a ghost at their house, a ghost who is basically their brother – so that wasn’t really nice of Winnie even though she meant well and was trying to protect her sister. But from there the story picks up.
~ I felt like I needed more from some of the characters like Henry. I love that he’s this ghost boy and basically like a brother to them, but I wanted more from his character.
Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this story about the Farthing sisters and them having some powers because of their connection to Persephone. There are ghosts, magic, tight sister and family bonds, and romance. The beginning started off a bit slowly, and I wanted more from some of the characters but overall I enjoyed this one.
Publication Date: 10/28/25 (first published 3/15/22)
Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Beauty and the Beast Retelling
From BookTok sensation and USA Today bestselling author Catharina Maura comes a spicy and enchanting Beauty and the Beast retelling featuring a cursed emperor, a princess who possesses forbidden magic, and a marriage that could save them all.
Princess Arabella of Althea is left no choice when Felix Osiris, the Shadow Emperor, threatens to overthrow her country unless she agrees to marry him.
When she learns his empire is cursed and she’s destined to set them free, they come to an help him minimize the curse’s effect on his people, and he’ll let her go.
As Felix teaches Arabella how to control her forbidden and volatile magic, her feelings for him turn from hatred to passion … and she realizes that she must break the curse, or she’ll lose him forever.
Content Warning: violence, dubious consent
I’ve been seeing this one on Kindle Unlimited, thought the cover was really pretty and finally had some time to read it. And here’s what I think:
+ This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling and it follows the story pretty well. It did make the story a little bit predictable but it made the story easy to read. It’s also a quick read at barely over 300 pages.
+~ I did like the world-building. Arabella is forced to marry Felix who is this mysterious Shadow Emperor with a dark reputation. Felix is cursed, his lands are cursed and they need Arabella to help them break the curse. This is light fantasy though, and I wanted a little more depth, but for people who like an easy fantasy read, you would enjoy this.
~ As for the romance, there is a lot of spice in this one and it starts fairly early…and with dubious consent. Arabella actually is in love with another at the beginning of the story so, the fact that she’s hot for Felix early was fast. But I just went with it. There are a few tropes that people will like: forced marriage, shadow daddy, and forced proximity. For some reason though I wasn’t invested in them as much as I wanted to be.
Final Thoughts:
I think this one was just okay and maybe not for me. It’s an easy read and I liked the Beauty and the Beast retelling aspects but I just wasn’t invested in the story.
+ I’ve read all my arcs for December so I actually have time to read books on the backlist or books that’s I’ve been eyeing on Kindle Unlimited, or books on my bookshelf that I haven’t touched yet! Whoohoo! Maybe I can even re-read some books. Imagine that! 😅🤭
+ My mom brought up maybe taking a trip to the Philippines in June 2026. Her mom, my one last grandparent still living, just made 103 years old. We had wanted to go this winter, but with everything happening and her getting her infusions for her cancer treatment, she wasn’t sure. But her last scan was so good, she has another tomorrow and hoping it’s good news and we can plan this trip so she can see her mom. I haven’t visited the Philippines since 2001!!!! So it’s long overdue and I want my kids to see where their grandparents are from.
Nobody Wants This (Season 2) – Netflix – it’s such a funny and cute show!
LUX by Rosalia is on repeat!!
Chains of Love – Charli XCX – love it and can’t wait for the Wuthering Heights soundtrack
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!
Title: The Courting of Bristol Keats (The Courting of Bristol Keats, #1)
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Format: audiobook & hardcover (libby & owned)
Pages: 547
Publication Date: 11/12/24
Categories: Fantasy, Romance
From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Mary E. Pearson comes a thrilling romantic fantasy full of dangerous fae, dark secrets, and addictive romance– the first book in a duology.
After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an “aunt” she’s never heard of who promises she can help, she reluctantly agrees to meet—and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Even her father might still be alive, not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures to a whole other realm—the one he is from.
Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods and fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae king, Tyghan. But what she doesn’t know is that he’s the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father—dead or alive.
Content Warning: violence
I borrowed the audiobook for this earlier in the year but – I was not connecting to it. So when I saw it on sale on Book Outlet, I bought the hardcover but it sat on my shelf. Now with book two just out, I wanted to finally finish this book. I borrowed the audiobook again, hoping the second try would be better but at the 23rd chapter I switched to the hardcover and glad I did.
+ The world-building is interesting. It follows Bristol Keats, who has two sisters, and their parents are gone. She’s trying to make things meet in the town they live in but it’s challenging. Now this is a portal fantasy – because on the other side of this world, is the Fae world and we learn that they need Bristol to close a door. Elphame is the world of Faerie and it has all kinds of mystical creatures. While there Bristol learns that her father could be alive and asks Tyghan, for help to find him in exchange for her helping them close this door.
+ So while Bristol is in Elphame, she goes to school and trains with other girls. The girls become a found family for her which is nice since she was missing her sisters. There is a big cast of characters in this story which is what made it hard for me to follow on audiobook.
+~ I did enjoy the romance for the most part. Tyghan is drawn to Bristol even though he knows he shouldn’t get involved with her. But spending lots of time together makes their feelings grow and they give into their desires. Their relationship is a challenge though when Bristol finds out the truth about everything – Tyghan, her dad, her mom, and that she’s half fae. I did enjoy the romance drama. But there is one thing that I couldn’t get over, and that is Tyghan and her father were friends. I get that time goes slower in Elphame than in the mortal world, but STILL…I couldn’t get over that Bristol is basically together with her dad’s ex best-friend. And there were some things Tyghan said about her to him that made me not like Tyghan.
~ Bristol is trying to find her dad, but she doesn’t know the whole story about her parents, or Tyghan – she’s being kept in the dark. And because of that, when the secrets are revealed I was kind of irritated with Tyghan’s response and his court as well. It’s understandable that they don’t trust her, but none of them could understand why she would want to save her dad? I was irritated that Tyghan felt justified in lying to her.
~ I felt like too many things were going on in this story at times. I didn’t feel like it flowed well at times because there were so many characters and at times I forgot who’s perspective we were on. Pacing was off also, sometimes it was too slow, but it does pick up in the end. There were times where I felt like it was just thrown in, like Bristol going to classes and training. I wanted more of that, but this isn’t an academia story so I felt like it was just there for her to make friends. But I would have liked to see her learning something about magic and powers because she needs it to close this door. Also wanted more of scenes with her and her sisters. There were also some parts that was more telling than showing.
Final Thoughts:
I was expecting a lot because I loved Dance of Thieves and Vow of Thieves so much, and this fell flat for me. I did like some parts, and I’m curious to see how Bristol balances her love for Tyghan and her father. But there are a lot of things that didn’t work for me. Hopefully the sequel is better, but I’ll be going in with lower expectations.
“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…
Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.
I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.
But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.
They don’t know what I’m capable of…
An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!
Content Warning: gaslighting, torture, body horror
+ The narrator did amazing doing the voices for this story! I like how she had an accent for Millie and a different voice for Nina – it helped me distinguish the main characters.
+ I like how this story was a quick read and it is engaging too! The story starts off with Millie’s perspective. She’s the new live-in housemaid for the Winchester’s but she has a mysterious past – all we know is that she used to be in prison. Throughout the story she’s grateful to have a job and a place to live but Nina, her employer is always gaslighting her! The only person nice to her in the house is Nina’s husband Andy.
+ The second half of the story we get Nina’s perspective and I thought it was a fun twist in this mysterious and suspenseful story. The ending is unexpected but I enjoyed this story a lot.
Final Thoughts:
I wanted to read this before the movie comes out and I’m glad I listened to it as an audiobook because it was really entertaining. I like the build up, the mystery and all the suspense at the end, plus the twist!
Past Midnight Book Reviews & More 