Tag: romance

Shadow Trials by. Evelyn Hart | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Shadow Trials (Heartless Gods, #1)

Author: Evelyn Hart

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 437

Publication Date: 4/14/26

Publisher: Evelyn Hart

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series, 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 Evelyn Hart for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!


She’s trained her whole life to kill monsters like him and the dragon he rides. Now, he may be the only one who can save her…

Humans are treated like cattle by the Godforged, the terrible creatures created by the gods to wage a never-ending war with each other. Fiona’s spent her life learning to wield magic stolen from the divine, to protect her people from the violence. Now she’s given the chance to become the thing she’s sworn to kill.

The God of Darkness’s champion is dead, and he’s holding a series of trials to decide who will be his next, open to anyone, including humans. If Fiona wins, she’d control his army… and how it treats innocent humans. And none of them know of the powers she wields…

These trials are filled with the strongest and most ruthless of the Godforged. But if they discover the secrets she hides, it will doom all her people.

In this world of magic and violence, there’s one person who truly understands secrets. Azric Cyrus, Death’s champion and first dragon rider, is the most brutal of all the Godforged. And the most beautiful. With wings of bone, shadows, and seduction as his deadliest weapons, even the gods listen when he speaks. Even more reason for Fiona to be wary when he takes an interest in her.

Destiny is not a fixed thing, and as its strings are pulled from behind the shadows, these two broken souls must learn to trust each other. Their lives are the least that hang in the balance.

Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Crowns of Nyaxia, and The Games Gods Play, Shadow Trials is the first in a long, epic romantasy series that will follow multiple couples. It does not end an HEA, but the series will.

Content Warning: torture, death, violence, dark themes

+~ Shadow Trials is book one in a fantasy series that follows a human, Fiona, and her quest to complete deadly trials in order to become the Champion of Nixthos – who is the God of Darkness and Secrets. The world building is heavy, there are many gods, many champions of the gods, different species, different lands, prophecy, lore, dragons and it is a lot to process, which makes the beginning slow going because of all the information and names to know. But I settled into the story after 20% into the book and then I was addicted to the story. There are some dark themes in this book, especially with Fiona and Azric’s pasts. Also mentions of how some species are created is pretty gruesome.

+ There is a huge cast but our main characters are Fiona (the human with a Priest for a father) and Azric, the Prince of Bones. We get her POV for 90% of the book and then Azric for 10% at the end. I really like Fiona because she’s human and knows her limitations but she’s so brave because she wants purpose in her life even if it means her death. She questions everything, even her choices, but I like that she never takes anything at face value. Azric, is a complicated man, he is Fae, he is blessed by the Gods, but he is broken. Learning more about what happens to him is dark, but my heart broke for him because he had a good childhood, he had a good life until the god he is promised to comes calling. Then there are secondary characters that are very interesting, like Fiona’s father, Azric’s parents, the Fae like Darian, and so many more.

+~ There is romance but it is a very slow burn, barely there spice, though there is a some steam. I love that it is a slow burn because there are so many things happening in this story. It feels like the deadly trials were the most important thing in this story and it was appropriate that the romance take a back seat. I liked seeing Fiona and Azric get to know each other instead, especially with what happened to Azric in the past. I think a slow burn is good for them.

+~ It took me two days to read this book because I was so invested in Fiona’s story. I actually love the length of this book, it wasn’t too long and not too short. But because the world-building is dense, I felt like I missed a prequel or something. Sure enough I checked on Goodreads and I missed a whole series before this book – which now makes total sense why I felt the way I did. I think I got through this book pretty good though without even reading the previous series, but when I have time, I will pick it up because I’m sure it will explain so many things.

+~ The pacing was a little up and down, definitely slow in the beginning, but it was steady throughout, which I appreciated – personally I like a little more romance in my romantasy so I might have been searching it out and got impatient when I realized how slow of a burn this story is. But I love the build up to the ending, and I’m looking forward to book two!

Final Thoughts:

There is a series before this one I think you should read called Shadowed Debts, and I didn’t know it existed until I finished Shadow Trials. But I think if you read Shadowed Debts you will not feel like you are thrown into the world, like how I felt while reading this book. It’s not a bad thing, but it made me feel like I was missing a big chunk of history, despite that I still found this story addictive. Fiona’s character is new to this world also, so through her, I learn some of what took place before Shadow Trials. I love the world-building, but it is heavy. I love the slow burn romance and am invested in Fiona and Azric’s story, I’m totally rooting for them. I’m going to read the previous series while waiting on book two!

Read if you like:

  • heavy world-building
  • more fantasy than romance
  • deadly trials
  • dark themes

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Right Book, Right Time? Reading for the Season You’re In | 3/27/26

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:

March 27: Right Book, Right Time? Reading for the Season You’re In (suggested by Alli @ Alli the Book Giraffe)

Prompts: Do you prefer reading about characters who are in a similar life stage as you (age, career, relationships, etc.)? Has your preference changed as you’ve gotten older? Have you ever re-read a book and experienced it completely differently because you were in a different stage of life? Do you think books come into our lives at the ‘right time’ and are there any books you think you’d feel differently about if you were younger or older?

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Do you prefer reading about characters who are in a similar life stage as you (age, career, relationships, etc.)? Has your preference changed as you’ve gotten older?

When I was younger (teens), I loved reading books with adults in it – to imagine what my life could be. When I was in my twenties, I started reading young adult again maybe because college was such an impactful time of my life and I wanted to recapture all those feelings! Then in my 30’s, I wanted to read about older characters (older meaning 25 and up lol…but have you noticed a lot of books in fantasy have 20 year old heroines?). Now in my late-40’s…I read young adult, new adult, adult…whatever…but I now sometimes I’m craving more older FMCs 30+ but it’s hard to find in fantasy. It’s easier to find them in contemporary romance. So I don’t necessarily want them to be in the same stage of career or relationship as me.

Have you ever re-read a book and experienced it completely differently because you were in a different stage of life?

Last year I re-read a Sarah Dessen book (she writes young adult books), and I definitely was experiencing it differently. Maybe because I have kids and in a few years (at least my son) he will be a young adult! So…I see it through a mom’s perspective now. But when I read it in my 20’s, I related so hard to these young adult feelings. I kind of want to go back and re-read some books just to see how it makes me feel now so we’ll see if I do.

Do you think books come into our lives at the ‘right time’ and are there any books you think you’d feel differently about if you were younger or older?

I do think it does sometimes…one example since she just did her podcast is Sarah J. Maas books. Throne of Glass came out when dystopian was big but I did read it…and I thought it was okay. And I read the next book and next book, but when A Court of Thorns and Roses dropped I was in my mid 30’s – I was hooked right away I think because Feyre just felt older (even though she wasn’t). And I liked her complicated family dynamics, and eventually Nesta’s story will be the one that impacts me the most personally. I don’t know if I would have appreciated ACOTAR if I read it when I was younger.

March 2026 Topics:

March 6: Women Who’ve Shaped Your Reading Life

Prompts: March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is also International Women’s Day.  In honour of this month celebrating women, let’s talk about the women who’ve shaped our reading lives. Was there (or is there)  a woman in your life who sparked your love for reading? Who was the first woman author you remember loving? Do you tend to read more books by women authors and do you think that’s for a reason?

March 13: Immersive Reading (suggested by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black)

Prompts: Immersive reading is when you simultaneously listen to an audiobook while reading the physical or digital book. Do you do any immersive reading? Do you prefer it or is it not for you? Do you think it’s a good way to get everything from a book? Is there a genre that is better to do this with? What are your recommendations for immersive reading?

March 20: Portrayals of Women in Books

Prompts: We’ve previously talked about underrepresented women and women in STEM in books, but let’s take a look at portrayals of women in books. Do you think portrayals of women have changed over time? Are ambitious women portrayed differently than ambitious men? Are “unlikable” female characters judged more harshly? Are girls and women written more complexly in books today? Share some of your favourite books featuring complex empowered women being unapologetically themselves!

March 27: Right Book, Right Time? Reading for the Season You’re In (suggested by Alli @ Alli the Book Giraffe)

Prompts: Do you prefer reading about characters who are in a similar life stage as you (age, career, relationships, etc.)? Has your preference changed as you’ve gotten older? Have you ever re-read a book and experienced it completely differently because you were in a different stage of life? Do you think books come into our lives at the ‘right time’ and are there any books you think you’d feel differently about if you were younger or older?

Web of Vows and Vengeance by. Aria Ashbrook | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Web of Vows and Vengeance (The Hirathean Path, #1)

Author: Aria Ashbrook

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 542

Publication Date: 1/23/26

Categories: Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Series


Stripped of power. Fuelled by vengeance.

She lost everything because of his lie. Now the only way to save her sister is to win a deadly competition that could cost her the only thing she has left: her life.

When Prince Kyor twisted the truth about his mother’s death, Rose paid the price. Her family was stripped of their magic, cast into the slums, and abandoned by the kingdom they once served. Now her parents are gone, and her younger sister’s future hangs in the balance.

Rose’s only hope is the Tournament of the Gifting, a brutal competition held once a century, where the victor earns a blessing from the Goddess of Life. The catch? Every other contender wields the very power she was robbed of.

And Prince Kyor is among them. Commander of the armies. Rider of a bonded dire wolf. Wielder of lightning. He doesn’t just want to win for vanity – he wants the gift for himself. But what could a man who has it all possibly want?

Thrown into a world of magic, monsters, and merciless trials, Rose must fight not only for survival but for the chance to reclaim her future. Along the way, she’ll find unlikely allies, ruthless rivals, and a dangerous connection with her greatest enemy – one that could ruin or remake her.

Web of Vows and Vengeance is a dark, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy, set in a Nordic-inspired world, featuring deadly trials, found family, gods and goddesses, political intrigue, and an underdog heroine who refuses to stay broken.

This is a story of heartbreak, vengeance, and the kind of power that can never be taken.

Content Warning: violence, death

+~ This is romantasy with many of the common tropes: enemies to lovers, found family, slow burn romance. The story focuses on deadly trials called the Rettenheld, where the winner gets to ask a gift from the Goddess Etta. Rose desperately wants to win so she can restore her family name, magic, and wealth (for her sister’s sake). I didn’t feel like the “Nordic” part of the story came through except for it being cold where they lived. Some of them have dire wolves. I thought it was interesting how this story was about a deadly trial (there are a few), and then right after the trials, a ball. So it does become repetitive in that sense. Now there is a tiny mention, fleeting really, about rebels, but nothing detailed and left kind of open, I think.

+ I did like the found family trope happening in this story since Rose is basically alone. She makes some really good connections and friends during the trials. There are some tragic moments in this story though, which I wish didn’t happen. There is also the issue of trusting people in the trial and waiting to see who would betray who in the end.

+ Rose has been training all her life ever since her family was shunned by high society for a lie told by a young prince who claimed Rose’s mom (a healer), let his mom die during childbirth. The consequences of that lie led to the death of Rose’s baby brother (life for a life), plus her mother and dad fell apart – which led to their deaths. So Rose is angry and she wants everything the way it was before for her younger sister’s sake. But when she hears the Prince has entered the trials, she also wants to kill him to get her reserve. Rose is full of heart but as an FMC, she doesn’t have very good fighting skills, no matter how much training she gets – she just comes off kind of mediocre. Also she has no magic so she’s at a disadvantage. She’s very brave, standing up to bullies, and she makes friends easily which helps her throughout the trials. Also, the attention of the prince also helps her.

+ The romance is a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance between Rose and Prince Kyor. There at first seems to be other options, but once Rose and Kyor get over their hate and anger over with one another and addresses what happened in the past – it accelerates their desire to want to explore their attraction. I thought their flirtation was fun. And I did like the journey of their growing feelings, until the ending twist. Looks like it’s not going to be easy for them if they want to be together.

~ The story is a little long at over 500 pages, and for the most part I think the pace was steady. There were parts that did feel like it was dragging. Some things felt thrown in like I would have loved more insight into the rebels since there was a hint of it in the beginning but nothing more until near the end, but again, nothing that makes it relevant though there is a feeling that the King isn’t a loved ruler. Even the dire wolves are mentioned kind of once or twice and never again.

Final Thoughts:

This one is an easy read with the usual romantasy tropes so sometimes it feels like it brings nothing new to the genre, but sometimes, that can mean it’s a comforting read too if you aren’t looking for major twists and turns. I did find it a little too long though. I loved the secondary characters that made up the found family Rose finds herself with and I thought the trials were dangerous (though sometimes over with kind of quick). The romance is a slow burn and I did like the progress of it, but it does leave me questions about what will happen to them in book two. If I read book two I would like to see more world-building.

Read if you like:

  • enemies to lovers
  • found family
  • deadly trials
  • underdog FMC

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 3/22/26

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ The weather got better, it stopped raining but the sun barely came out all week. But at least it gave me a chance to do some activities with my daughter like take her to the arcade one day and then the movies the next. We watched GOAT and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would!

+ Then the weather got bad again, for round two of rain 2 days ago. I’m glad there were no high winds, but the rain was pounding and with the ground still so saturated (I haven’t turned on our sprinklers in 2 weeks!), the North Shore has lots of flooding in that area and other places around the island. It’s awful to see the damage of the homes. ☹️ People have lost their homes but from what I know – no lives lost, which is good. But recovery is going to be awhile – for one, we need the rain to stop – we need that sun to come out and dry up all this moisture in the ground.

+ Spring break is over today, it’s been mostly a rainy and boring one for me and my daughter. My hubby and son have been enjoying Osaka and Kyoto – lots of walking! But they come home today, yay, we’ve missed them!

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

  • Never Ever After by. Sue Lynn Tan
  • The Thorn Queen by. Sasha Peyton Smith
  • Web of Vows and Vengeance by. Aria Ashbrook
  • The Lies that Summon the Night by. Tessonja Odette

Currently Reading:

  • The Summer of Second Chances by. K.L. Walther
  • Japanese Gothic by. Kylie Lee Baker
  • Storm Breaker by. Nisha J. Tuli

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

+ Bruno Mars, The Romantic, is on repeat!

+ BTS, Arirang – I have to learn these songs before the concert! I also watched the Netflix concert, but not at 1am in the morning when it aired in Hawaii. I was too tired to wake up but glad the replay was there, so I watched it when I woke up.

My daughter and I were bored and indoors because of the rain so we watched Spirited Away on my laptop when we had the power outage last week. And it was kind of the perfect thing to watch in the dark. ❤️ The following night my daughter wanted to watch another Ghibli movie but I only had Spirited Away on my laptop so I caved and signed up for HBO MAX (again – I don’t remember how many times I’ve cancelled already LOL). And we watched My Neighbor Totoro (we love that movie also), and then we had more time so we watched a My Little Pony movie. Then the next night we watched Ponyo. Ghibli films are really amazing! I’m glad my kids love them as much as I do. 🥹

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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The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by. Takuya Asakura | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop

Author: Takuya Asakura

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 224

Publication Date: 3/24/26 (first published: 3/28/25)

Publisher: HarperCollins

Categories: Magical Realism, Cozy, Japanese Literature

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

Thank you to HarperCollins for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!


For fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, What You Are Looking for Is In the Library, and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop comes an enchanting novel that will linger in your heart long after the last page is turned.

As the last petal falls, the final page is turned…

Welcome to The Cherry Blossom Bookshop, a haven for book lovers that only appears during the fleeting cherry blossom season. Nestled amidst the bloom of delicate petals, you’ll find a sanctuary for those burdened by regrets and past sorrows. Here, Sakura, the mysterious young owner, and her wise calico cat, Kobako, patiently await the arrival of souls in need of solace and healing.

Told over four seasons, each visitor to the bookshop holds a book that bridges their past and present, guiding them towards understanding and acceptance. Within the antique charm of the shop and the soothing aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Sakura and Kobako help their guests confront their lingering sadness through the power of stories, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope.

Content Warning: death, grief

+ This gave me Ghibli movie vibes not only because it is set in Japan, during cherry blossom season but there is a magical book shop with a cat and it’s all so very cozy, heartfelt and poignant.

+ There are four different stories told in this book. People going through some hard emotional times and when this bookshop appears to them, it makes them remember a book that is special to them and helps them remember special memories. I thought it was a beautiful way to help them repair relationships, or get closure and move on.

~ I do wish we got to spend more time in the bookshop and learn more about it.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was cozy and magical, yet also emotional as the story tackles topics like family, loss, and love.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Wings That Bind by. Briar Boleyn | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: The Wings That Bind (Bloodwing Academy, #3)

Author: Briar Boleyn

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 3/10/26

Publisher: MIRA

Categories: Dark Academia, Romance, Fantasy, 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 MIRA for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!


The night’s chaos left us breathless. Now the real nightmare begins.

In the wake of last winter’s tragedies, through loss and heartbreak, we somehow made it to a new year. But our fight is far from over.

A second dragon has awoken–her heart tainted, and her power commandeered by two ruthless highbloods who will stop at nothing to uncover the dangerous, bloody secrets at the borders of Sangratha. Their cruelty knows no bounds.

Florence, my dearest friend, teetered on the brink of death. A dragon saved her, but now she’s tied to him in a way I can scarcely understand. What will this new bond do to the woman I’ve come to love as a sister?

And then there’s Blake. Once my relentless tormentor, then the keeper of my heart… he betrayed me again, nearly condemning Nyxaris to a cursed, stone-cold fate. But something has shifted in him. His gray eyes hide a secret he’s desperate to protect. I saved Blake’s life, despite everything. Yet with every heartbeat, I have to question where we go from here.

With Bloodwing Academy in turmoil and a new headmaster no one saw coming, only one thing is certain: This is going to be one hell of a year.

This dark fantasy series tackles mature themes. Readers are advised to consult the trigger warnings before embarking on this intense, morally gray/black journey through the realm of Sangratha!

Content Warning: violence, death

+ I don’t have a great love for this series, but I did binge the first two books because there is so much going on and wanted to know what happens next. So I was going to wait to borrow book three, but got a chance to read the arc instead. I still enjoy the elements of this dark academia campus which has vampires, and dragons, but also secret shifters.

+~ If you love Medra and Blake’s story, I think you might not love this book as much because there are two side characters who kind of become the main characters. But for me, I liked seeing other characters grow besides Medra and Blake, because I felt like we had too much about their romance drama in book two. So this kinds of gives us a break from that and I appreciated it. Regan has a redemption arc in this one – is it deserved? I think some people might say no, because she chose power – but we also get to see she cares about her brother too and that maybe this was the only path she saw to finding him. Florence, is Medra’s friend and the studious one who now gets a dragon. So she goes from the studious to trying to believe in herself that she can be a dragon rider.

+~ Because we get a little break from Medra and Blake’s relationship drama, I actually liked the moments we get with them in this book. They have some spicy scenes but we can see their bond turn into something different, something more meaningful as Medra sees the beast in him, literally. But theirs is not the only romance happening here, there are a few new ones, very surprising ones I’d say and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet.

+~ I think the writing in this one flowed better than the first two books, but the story is still just okay for me and it could be the stye of writing that I don’t gel with. I can’t say much happens in the beginning of the book and most of the action comes at the end of this book, so pacing wise, the beginning is slow as we see Regan run the academy and Florence trying to figure out her relationship with her dragon.

Final Thoughts:

If you are a fan of the series, I think you won’t be too disappointed in this book, but Medra and Blake do take a backseat to the other characters that get more page time. I do think the first half moves a little slow, with all the action and new trouble coming at the end of the book. It will be interesting to see how Blake’s character will grow in the next book because that guy has been going through it! Talk about a transformation, and I didn’t love him in book two but I think I like him better in this one. It will be nice to see everyone united on one side trying to fight the villain now, hopefully we get to see more growth in book four and since we got to know more about Regan and Florence, maybe we will get to know more about Kage.

Read if you like:

  • the first two books
  • dragons, vampires, shifters
  • dark academia
  • romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Bond That Burns by. Briar Boleyn| Book Review ⭐️⭐️💫

On Wings of Blood by. Briar Boleyn| Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Portrayals of Women in Books | 3/20/26

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:

March 20: Portrayals of Women in Books

Prompts: We’ve previously talked about underrepresented women and women in STEM in books, but let’s take a look at portrayals of women in books. Do you think portrayals of women have changed over time? Are ambitious women portrayed differently than ambitious men? Are “unlikable” female characters judged more harshly? Are girls and women written more complexly in books today? Share some of your favourite books featuring complex empowered women being unapologetically themselves!

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Do you think portrayals of women have changed over time?

Definitely YES. A lot of the historical romances I read back in the 90’s was all about a woman needing to find a husband (which is true of the time period they were writing in), but I noticed after decades of reading, the women have just become stronger, more independent – they still want love which is fine but now the women can love women in books (that was hard to find for years in books).

Are ambitious women portrayed differently than ambitious men?

I still think in the books I’ve read, ambitious women are portrayed as cut-throat but evil? 😅

Are “unlikable” female characters judged more harshly?

Yes…still! Maybe we are conditioned to think of them as bad because they are unlikable? I don’t know! I just read a book where the FMC started off funny but then her actions throughout the book drove me crazy because it was immature though she’s an adult. 😅 But that’s how the character is – I guess we can’t like them all. I will say though I love an unlikable character who has a good backstory, something that shaped her character into what is unlikable.

Are girls and women written more complexly in books today?

I think they are written more complex, which is refreshing! Because women are complex.

Share some of your favourite books featuring complex empowered women being unapologetically themselves!

Here are some of the latest books I read featuring complex, empowered women:

  • The Library of Amorlin by. Kalyn Josephson – Kasira is a con-artist who has to make hard choices but she’s motivated by self-preservation. She’s very morally grey to the point I didn’t trust her. But she uses her new powerful role to eventually do the right thing.
  • The Poet Empress by. Shen Tao – Wei is a peasant who becomes Empress by enduring abuse.
  • Keeper of Lost Children by. Sadeqa Johnson – Ethel, a Black woman who helps mixed-raced children find homes; and Sophia who endures a lot at a young age, but is determined to figure out who she is.
  • Wicked Onyx – Anamaya’s family is exiled from the magic community and she wants to clear her family name.
  • The Sun and the Starmaker by. Rachel Griffin – a young lady is chosen to be the next Starmaker but she learns that she has to sacrifice a lot.

March 2026 Topics:

March 6: Women Who’ve Shaped Your Reading Life

Prompts: March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is also International Women’s Day.  In honour of this month celebrating women, let’s talk about the women who’ve shaped our reading lives. Was there (or is there)  a woman in your life who sparked your love for reading? Who was the first woman author you remember loving? Do you tend to read more books by women authors and do you think that’s for a reason?

March 13: Immersive Reading (suggested by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black)

Prompts: Immersive reading is when you simultaneously listen to an audiobook while reading the physical or digital book. Do you do any immersive reading? Do you prefer it or is it not for you? Do you think it’s a good way to get everything from a book? Is there a genre that is better to do this with? What are your recommendations for immersive reading?

March 20: Portrayals of Women in Books

Prompts: We’ve previously talked about underrepresented women and women in STEM in books, but let’s take a look at portrayals of women in books. Do you think portrayals of women have changed over time? Are ambitious women portrayed differently than ambitious men? Are “unlikable” female characters judged more harshly? Are girls and women written more complexly in books today? Share some of your favourite books featuring complex empowered women being unapologetically themselves!

March 27: Right Book, Right Time? Reading for the Season You’re In (suggested by Alli @ Alli the Book Giraffe)

Prompts: Do you prefer reading about characters who are in a similar life stage as you (age, career, relationships, etc.)? Has your preference changed as you’ve gotten older? Have you ever re-read a book and experienced it completely differently because you were in a different stage of life? Do you think books come into our lives at the ‘right time’ and are there any books you think you’d feel differently about if you were younger or older?

Burn the Kingdom Down by. Addie Thorley | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating:

Title: Burn the Kingdom Down

Author: Addie Thorley

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 448

Publication Date: 4/7/26

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Categories: Young Adult, Murder Mystery, Romance, Fantasy

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

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!


An action-packed enemies-to-lovers romantasy filled with a romance that will leave you breathless, betrayals that will rip your heart out, and a princess who will stop at nothing for revenge.

One year ago, Rowenna Harrack, the crown princess of Tashir, left her homeland in a wedding dress of chains—sent away to the enemy nation of Vanzador as a captive bride.

Now, Rowenna is dead. Brought home in a coffin after an alleged fall from a cliff.

Second-born princess, Indira, knows her sister’s death was no accident. Desperate for truth and vengeance, Indira agrees to wed the prince so she can infiltrate Vanzador, find Rowenna’s murderer, and burn their kingdom to the ground.

Indira’s plan is simple, she will make nice until she can find out how to avenge her sister and free her country from the rival nation’s stranglehold. But when Indira arrives, nothing is as terrible as Rowenna described. As Indira grows closer to her new husband, Prince Alaric, and uncovers more about Vanzador, the source of its powers, and what happened during Rowenna’s final days, she’s no longer sure what—and who—to believe. Because everyone, even her sister, has secrets. Deadly ones.

Content Warning: illness, violence, murder, death, grief, sexual harassment

+ I thought this story had very interesting world-building. Vanzador offers Tashir protection from the Marauders who have terrorized Tashir in the past. Tashir pays giving them bagrava, a plant that helps Vanzador rulers harness their power. The king and his son, Alaric, has powers to move the earth. Indira has the power to make bagrava and any plants grow. Her older sister, Rowenna is married off to Alaric but then is dead a year later. So now Indira has to take her sister’s place – and while she’s there, she is determined to find out what happened to her sister.

+~ Indira is the second daughter and though she has the power to grow things, it’s her older sister who was the jewel of their family. Indira worked in the fields and gardens where she felt comfortable. So when she is the new wife to Alaric, she does all she can to find out what happened to her sister. I sympathized with Indira’s grief but this girl was so full of rage, she accused everyone of having something to do with her sister’s death. I didn’t love her character because she lead with her emotions so much and it was all over the place. Her sister’s voice was always in her head, so I did like seeing her grow and find her own voice by the end.

+ There are some secrets, suspicious characters, and betrayals that I really enjoyed. It made the mystery and the twists compelling to the point I read this book in one sitting because I was intrigued with the politics, and how everything was being revealed one by one.

+~ There is some romance, but it doesn’t feel like the main focus of the story though it plays a big part at the end. Everything is closed door when it comes to intimacy between Indira and Alaric. I did like how they started off as enemies to lovers because Indira is a hothead, but when they finally get to know one another, and Alaric opens up and is vulnerable, I thought their relationship was sweet. Until some other things happen in the story that I can’t spoil. But would have loved to see more playful interactions between them.

Final Thoughts:

I read this one pretty quick because I thought the murder mystery and politics was interesting. I also really enjoyed the twists and turns that come in the second half of the book. I didn’t love Indira but I felt for her because of her grief, but I question some of her actions. The romance wasn’t the focus but I did love when Indira and Alaric finally get close. The ending is kind of wild though, but overall I enjoyed this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 3/15/26

Aloha friends!

Another week is over and here’s what happened:

+ So we had warnings of severe weather, this week starting on Tuesday, and though it did rain hard during the night, the days were okay with scattered showers here and there, from Tuesday-Thursday. Then they called off school for Friday. Kids were excited for an early Spring Break…but Friday came and it was like a Category 1 Hurricane outside! but it wasn’t…it was just a storm with severe weather. The wind was whipping, the rain was going sideways, it was all day from evening to evening. We lost power at 11:30am and as I’m typing this on Saturday at 2:14pm, we still don’t have power so it has been now…27 hours. The food in my fridge is all bad by now. I’ve been throwing out things here and there. But I’m bummed because food is so expensive right now, not to mention gas…sigh…so it was QUITE a weekend. (Update on 3/15/26: power came back on at 11:30pm last night! Thank god!)

+ But my hubby and my son got to escape our power outage yesterday because they hopped on a plane to Osaka, Japan for Spring Break. I’m hoping the sun comes back out sometime this week so we can salvage my daughter’s Spring Break.

+ The power outage left me with just one thing I could really do because scrolling on social media ate up my phone battery. So I read a lot at least! Ebooks and physical books!

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

  • The Serpent’s Bride by. Kathryn Ann Kingsley
  • The Serpent’s Sin by. Kathryn Ann Kingsley
  • While You Were Seething by. Charlotte Stein
  • Seek the Traitor’s Son by. Veronica Roth
  • Tethered by. Elayna R. Gallea

Currently Reading:

  • Never Ever After by. Sue Lynn Tan
  • The Thorn Queen by. Sasha Peyton Smith
  • The Summer of Second Chances by. K.L. Walther
  • Japanese Gothic by. Kylie Lee Baker

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

+ Bruno Mars, The Romantic, is on repeat!

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!

Instagram | Tiktok

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Immersive Reading | 3/13/26

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:

March 13: Immersive Reading (suggested by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black)

Prompts: Immersive reading is when you simultaneously listen to an audiobook while reading the physical or digital book. Do you do any immersive reading? Do you prefer it or is it not for you? Do you think it’s a good way to get everything from a book? Is there a genre that is better to do this with? What are your recommendations for immersive reading?

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Immersive reading is when you simultaneously listen to an audiobook while reading the physical or digital book. Do you do any immersive reading?

Yes, but not all the time and I feel like I stumbled on this accidentally! Sometimes I would have an e-arc and wouldn’t feel in the mood to read it, but I feel an audiobooks gets the the ball rolling, it “reads” for me, so I request it when it’s available on NetGalley. Sometimes, I start off with the audiobook, switch to the ebook, and so forth…sometimes I do immersive reading with both.

Do you prefer it or is it not for you?

I think it just depends on the mood and if I have time to have the ebook open along with my audiobook. Sometimes I’m doing stuff while listening to my audiobook so I can’t do it.

Do you think it’s a good way to get everything from a book?

Oh totally! And it helps with strange names I don’t know how to pronounce – hearing the narrator say it is like a light bulb moment. Also, with audiobooks, I don’t catch everything, so immersive reading helps with that.

Is there a genre that is better to do this with? What are your recommendations for immersive reading?

I think this helps with detailed fantasy stories!

March 2026 Topics:

March 6: Women Who’ve Shaped Your Reading Life

Prompts: March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is also International Women’s Day.  In honour of this month celebrating women, let’s talk about the women who’ve shaped our reading lives. Was there (or is there)  a woman in your life who sparked your love for reading? Who was the first woman author you remember loving? Do you tend to read more books by women authors and do you think that’s for a reason?

March 13: Immersive Reading (suggested by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black)

Prompts: Immersive reading is when you simultaneously listen to an audiobook while reading the physical or digital book. Do you do any immersive reading? Do you prefer it or is it not for you? Do you think it’s a good way to get everything from a book? Is there a genre that is better to do this with? What are your recommendations for immersive reading?

March 20: Portrayals of Women in Books

Prompts: We’ve previously talked about underrepresented women and women in STEM in books, but let’s take a look at portrayals of women in books. Do you think portrayals of women have changed over time? Are ambitious women portrayed differently than ambitious men? Are “unlikable” female characters judged more harshly? Are girls and women written more complexly in books today? Share some of your favourite books featuring complex empowered women being unapologetically themselves!

March 27: Right Book, Right Time? Reading for the Season You’re In (suggested by Alli @ Alli the Book Giraffe)

Prompts: Do you prefer reading about characters who are in a similar life stage as you (age, career, relationships, etc.)? Has your preference changed as you’ve gotten older? Have you ever re-read a book and experienced it completely differently because you were in a different stage of life? Do you think books come into our lives at the ‘right time’ and are there any books you think you’d feel differently about if you were younger or older?