Fiction

Neon Gods by Katee Robert

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Rating: 4/5

“If we were different people in different circumstances, I would get down on my knees and beg you to stay at the end of the winter. I would move heaven and earth and the Underworld itself to keep you with me.” 

A retelling of a very old tale between Persephone and Hades and one that will leave you begging for more. Society darling, Persephone Dimitriou is ready to leave the ultra modern city of Olympus and start over from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses but when her mother throws her into an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind the city’s dark facade, she is desperate for a way out. She flees to the forbidden city, where she makes a devil bargain and is thrust into a world that she never knew existed along with a man she believed to be a myth.

This book was super steamy and I loved every minute of it. This book wasn’t originally on my tbr at all until I started hearing the buzz about it and decided to check it out and I am so glad that I did. Not only did I love the smut but I loved everything about the retelling of Persephone and Hades. I am fickle on retellings of this tale because it’s been done so many times so I was a little skeptical but the characters, the world-buidling, the writing, and of course the smut drew me in. I liked how the author was still able to weave in the gods aspect because the way it was done in this retelling added to the story in my perspective. I could actually see this world existing in my head and wondered what it would be like to experience it.

I can’t wait for more!!

Witchshadow by Susan Dennard

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Rating: 4/5

“One man’s loneliness is another man’s freedom.”

Witchshadow follows the journey of Iseult, a threadwitch who has the ability to see the ties that bind the lives of the people around her has found her heartsister Safi but their reunion is short lived. Iseult has formed an unlikely bond with Safi, a truthwitch who has ability to discern truth from a lie and in order to save her friend, she will be taken on a journey that is more dangerous than any journey she’s ever been on. Meanwhile, the bloodwitch Audean is beset by forces that he doesn’t understand and Vivia, the rightful queen of Nubreva is without a crown or home. Iseult is faced with a dilemma of being able to embrace her power and heal the land but she must make a choice for which of the shadows of her destiny lie.

I was so excited to finally get this book in my hands as I have been waiting on it since bloodwitch. This series is so underrated and I have been telling so many people about the series. I actually forgot the book came out this month until I found it while looking for other books for my July TBR. I first found the series last year when I was asking for book recommendations and Truthwitch kept coming up so I decided to check it out. I am so glad that I did because it’s such a good story with two great protagonists, Safi and Iseult and their friendship is my favorite thing of the series. They are so different yet care for each other so much and would do anything to help each other out. Seeing Iseult’s growth throughout the series has been wonderful especially in her own book. There was so much character and plot development that really helped with telling Iseult’s story and I nearly finished the book in the one night. So, I don’t really have any complaints except for more Audean and Iseult but hopefully there will be more of them in the future.

If you’re looking for a medium paced fantasy with two great protagonists, a well-written and engaging plot, and interesting characters, then I would check this series out. It’s so good and it needs more love!

Tiny Tales by Various Authors

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Rating: 3.5/5

This is my first book that I’ve read by Alexander McCall Smith and I don’t know if I’ll be reading anymore of their work soon. Not because I don’t want to but short stories aren’t really my thing but I found this while looking for recommendations and thought it looked cute and interesting to read. I do love stories that involve kindness and happiness because I think we all need that. For me, I couldn’t really get invested because the stories were so short and that might be why short stories just aren’t for me. This is very cute, fun, and easy read that will lift your spirits so if that’s what you’re looking for then you’ll find it here.


June Wrap Up

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So June was quite the busy month for me but I sttil managed to get in a lot of reading so it all worked out in the end!

Between Perfect & Real by Ray Stoeve
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, YA
Full Review – Here

Rating: 4/5

Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 4/5

Cinderella Is Dead by Kaylnn Bayron
Genre: LGBT, Fantasy, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 3/5

Cool For The Summer by Dahlia Adler
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 3/5

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Genre: LGBT, Contemporary, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 4/5

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 3/5

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 5/5

Late To The Party by Kelly Quindlen
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 4/5

Loveless by Alice Oseman
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 5/5

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Fiction
Full Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA
Full Review – Here

Rating: 4/5

The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch
Genre – Contemporary, LGBT, YA, Romance
Full Review – Here

Rating: 3.5/5

Sistersong by Lucy Holland
Genre: Fantasy, Historical-Fiction, LGBT
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Tomorrow Will Be Different by Sarah McBride
Genre: LGBT, Non-Fiction, Memoir
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan
Genre – LGBT, Contemporary, Romance, YA
Full Review – Here

Rating: 5/5



Sistersong by Lucy Holland

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Rating: 4/5

“Someone once told me that the only names that matter are the ones we take for ourselves.”

Sistersong tells the story of three sisters, Riva who was scarred in a terrible fire and fears that she will never heal, Keyne who battles to be seen as the King’s son, who was born a woman and Sinne, the youngest of the group who years for romance.

Historical Fiction and I don’t really get along so this was a nice surprise as I found it interesting and enjoyable. Seeing the different perspectives from the sisters is one of the pluses of the book as I got to see life through their eyes and how it was different. In addition, their contrasting personalities are what made them interesting and well written characters as the more I read, the more I wanted to know about them.

Out of the sisters, I related to Keyne the most with their struggle to feel accepted not only with their true identity but by their father, the King and others. Their struggles of wanting to be seen as a man despite being born in a man’s body. I appreciated how Holland portrayed it as it felt very real even if it was a different time period. Kenye’s journey is relevant to what many people go through especially in our society right now. I hope that readers will treat them with the kindness, compassion and empathy they deserve.

The writing was another layer that helped make the characters feel very real and raw. Holland’s prose is captivating and painting the mood and headspace of the characters and helped readers understand them better. I felt like I understood what the characters were up against and it made the pacing of the book feel right. It wasn’t fast pacing or slow, right in the middle which is perfect. This book is more character-driven than plot driven which that sometimes be hit or miss and this is was a hit.

It did take some time to get used to different POV’s but this was an enthralling, emotional, raw and entertaining tale of love, betrayal, acceptance, following your destiny.

Written In The Stars

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Rating: 5/5

“Life would be a lot better if we all spent a little more time staring at the stars.”

Darcy is a nonsense, analytical, by the books and Elle is free-spirited, fun, and is one of the authors of a very popular astrology twitter page. But, when Darcy’s brother who also happens to be Elle’s new business partner spills his happiness about their first date being a success, Elle is sure he’s confused. Darcy begs Elle to go along with it and she agrees but on one condition: Darcy has to help Elle navigate the holidays with dealing with overbearing family. What happens a fake relationship starts to turn into something real?

Holy shit, this book was so good! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and it was done so well here. I loved everything about this book especially the relationship with Darcy and Elle. It really was believable and I loved seeing their feelings change for each other throughout the book and the smut was hot too. In addition to that, I really enjoy Darcy and Elle step out of their comfort zones and deal with issues that are relevant and it felt very real. They came over their own fears and insecurities and learn that not only do they need to love others but also themselves.

Overall, this was a really fun book so I definitely recommend it especially if you like sapphic novels. This was a real delight!

House of Hollow

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Rating: 4/5

Trigger Warnings: blood, gore, violence, murder, attempted murder, death, death of a loved one, self-harm, suicide, body horror, attempted sexual assault.

My sisters. My blood. My skin. What a gruesome bond we shared.

Well, at first glance I thought this was going to be a typical mystery-thriller and I couldn’t have been more wrong. The book was incredibly unsettling at times but I managed to pull through mostly due to Sutherland’s use of imagery in her writing. The story follows Iris Hollow who is trying to run from her past but when her oldest sister mysteriously disappears, Iris finds herself on a journey to uncover what truly happened that night with the clues her sister left her. Will she able to put the pieces together and will she never find peace?

So let’s unpack all of this cause this book was a rollercoaster ride of emotions that I didn’t expect. I didn’t expect this to be as dark as it was but like I mentioned, Sutherland’s writing and use of imagery made me glued to the book. One thing that I did struggle with throughout the book is that I felt like I wasn’t fully invested in the characters since it was more plot driven, but I do that think that was intentional and it worked for this story. But with that said, the Iris and her sisters all have unique and different characteristics and out of the three, I connected to Iris the most who was empathetic, kind, observant and quiet.

The plot is what really held this book together for me because I found it very well written with Sutherland’s prose and with connecting the character’s psychological backstory into had me turning the page with angst and fear. This plot was anything but predictable with so many twists and turns that had me in shock.

Even with the graphic descriptions and unsettling themes, this book did hold my attention and I found myself unwilling to put it down. This book may not be for everyone which is why I wanted to include the trigger warnings for those who plan or thinking about reading it. But, if you like dark fantasy or even if you like fantasy and you’re willing to give it a go, I do hope you enjoy it.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

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Rating: 4/5

TW: Depression, Suicide

“They say that a person’s personality is the sum of their experiences. But that isn’t true, at least not entirely, because if our past was all that defined us, we’d never be able to put up with ourselves. We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrow.”

Looking at the title of the book, you probably think it will an educational book how anxiety and how it packs people but this book is so much more than that. I literally couldn’t put it down once I started. If books where an unlikely group of characters come together and bond, then this book is right up your alley. The majority of the takes place in a bank robbery gone wrong and the underlying plot revolves around the hostage negotiation. I know that this plot sounds familiar but the way that Backman distracts you from what is really is incredibly good.

From the witty and blunt dialogue, well written and fleshed out characters, and a plot that seems overdone but the spin that he put it on made me laugh and cry at the same time. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone!

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

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Rating: 4/5

Not only do I love a good mystery, I love the surprises that come along the way and this book was definitely packed with them. I didn’t intend to read this book until I heard others talking about how good it was so I decided to check it out. I couldn’t put it down once I started! I was totally spooked by the island and wouldn’t want to be on a island like this anytime soon.

At first, I didn’t know if I was gonna finish it because of how many different characters came into play and not many of them were like-able. But, once I got deeper into the book, the more invested I became more invested. I believe a lot of that has to do with Foley’s writing as I actually felt like I knew the people even if they weren’t very like-able. Hannah and Olivia were my favorites because they were the most like-able out of everyone.

By the end of the book, I was so invested that I didn’t want it to end. This was one of the most satisfying mystery books that I’ve read and I understand why the Goodreads Award as it deserved that. So if you’re looking for a good mystery then I would definitely check this book out.