MOst anticipated books FOR FEBRUARY

Didn’t plan on doing this originally but I thought it would be fun to share my most anticipated books for each month of the year! I was going to do it all in one but that would go on forever!

Lockdown on London Lane by Beth Reekles
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: 2/1/2022

Hunt The Stars by Jessie Mihalik
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Release Date: 2/1/22

Theses Deadly Games by Diane Urban
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers
Release Date: 2/1/2022

Not The Witch You Wed by April Asher
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: 2/8/2022

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: 2/8/2022

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: 2/15/2022

Second Star To The Left by Megan Van Dyke
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Retelling
Release Date: 2/15/2022

League Of Liars by Astrid Scholte
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery
Release Date: 2/22/2022

Deliah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: 2/22/2022

Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist
Genre: Adult, LGBT, Horror
Release Date: 2/22/2022

Fake by Erica Katz
Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Release Date: 2/22/2022

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Release Date: 2/22/2022

Sisters of The Forsaken Stars by Lina Rather
Genre: Adult, LGBT, Sci-Fi
Release Date: 2/22/2022

KIng of Battle and Blood

“All of the stars in the sky are not as bright as my love for you.”

While many brides find their wedding day to be their happiest day but not Isolde De Lara, she expected to wed the vampire king Adrian Alexksandr Vasiliev in order to end a decades long war. She is planning to kill him on their wedding night but things don’t go as planned as he catches her in the act and threatens to raise her as the undead, which is the thing that she hates the most. Isolde isn’t going to go down without a fight as she finds other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court. But, the court isn’t what she fears most. It’s Adrian himself and despite their obvious electrifying chemistry, she wants to know why he would chose her as his consort.

Well, here have another predictable enemies to lovers vampire story that I found myself engrossed in even if the writing was choppy in some parts. From the reviews on this book, people either loved it or hated and I’m one of those people who is in the middle. I didn’t exactly love it as much as I wanted to love it but it was entertaining and I did like the smut. The second book isn’t coming out for awhile and I don’t even know if I’m gonna read it but let’s get started on the good with this book. As I mentioned, the smut was pretty good and I did enjoy that because sometimes either the smut is written poorly or there’s not enough. While I did find Isolde annoying, I did buy the chemistry between herself and Adrian so that’s one of the pluses. One reason why I didn’t completely like Isolde is because I got I’m not like most girls vibe and I hate that type of character because it’s over done so it made me enjoy the book even less.

But, overall I enjoyed it and maybe I’ll check out the second book when it comes out!

OCtober WRap up

Wow! I can’t believe October is almost over!! I had a lot of fun this month and was able to get in more reading than I anticipated. Can’t wait for y’all to see what I read this for month!

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and The Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
Genre: Non-Fiction, LGBT, Sexuality
Review: Here

Rating: 5/5

Dead Voices by Katherine Arden
Genre: Middle Grade, Fiction, Horror
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Dagger Hill by Devon Taylor
Genre: Horror, Mystery, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 3.5/5

Haunted Castles by Ray Russel
Genre: Horror, Fiction, Mystery
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Halloween Fiend by C.V. Hunt
Genre: Horror, Fiction, Novellas
Review: Here

Rating: 3.5/5

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Genre: Horror, Fiction, Mystery
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Hollow Heathens: Tales of Weeping Willow by Nicole Fiorina
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Goosebumps: One Day In Horrorland by R.L. Stine
Gerne: Horror, Fiction, Middle Grade
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Nightbooks by J.A. White
Genre: Middle School, Horror, Fiction
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
Genre: LGBT, Romance, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsey Currie
Genre: Middle Grade, Fiction, Mystery
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson
Genre: Horror, Fiction, Fantasy
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Scritch Scratch by Lindsey Currie
Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Middle Grade
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
Genre: Middle Grade, Fiction, Horror
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Steelstriker by Marie Lu
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

The Witch of Halloween House by Jeff Degordick
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Mystery
Review: Here

Rating: 3.5

The Ex Hex

I like how my job is the only one with any real threat of danger,” Gwyn said, but off Vivi’s look, she lifted her hands in defeat. “Okay, okay, Operation Soothe the Muggles, I’m on it.”

Nine years ago, Vivi Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would do. Bubble baths, crying, vodka, weepy music, and a curse on the terrible boyfriend and while Vivi knows she shouldn’t use her magic this way but with only an orchard hayride scented candle on hand, she isn’t too worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day. That is until Rhys Pennhallow, descendant of the town’s ancestors breaker of hearts, and just annoyingly gorgeous as he was always was returns to Groves Glen, Georgia. But when strange things begin happening whenever Rhys is around, Vivi realizes that her ex-hex may not have been so harmless at all.

This book was so much fun!!! I absolutely loved every minute of it. I had originally picked this for a readathon I’m in and wasn’t going to read until closer to the end of the month but changed my mind when another friend started reading it. It really reminds me of Bewitched and I think that’s part of the reason why I loved it so much. Bewitched was one of my favorite shows when I was little. But, Rhys and Vivi were my favorite part of the book. I really enjoyed the dynamics within their relationship and growth throughout the book. The aftermath of the break up was handled well with exploring the different emotions that both Rhys and Vivi were experiencing especially with being reunited with each other after nine years. Vivi and Rhys were very fun and interesting characters and I like how different yet similar they were.

Overall, this was a super fun and entertaining read with a strong plot and interesting characters so check it out!

Hollow Heathens

“I fell in love anyway, and they would all laugh. They could not see her beauty. No one would believe me if I said the moon breathed life into me, that it was here, inside her, where I found myself again.”

This is the story of a young girl named Fallon who was taken away from the home she knew shortly after she was born. A home that she barely knew and a home full of strange traditions and bizarre superstitions that she would return to twenty four years later. A town that she’d heard about during restless nights under a marble moon to take care of a last living relative. In that same town was a boy named Julian, who was born centuries ago and it was one of the four Hollow Heathens, very dark creatures who put fear in the town’s people and cause them to live in fear. Fallon and Julian were told to stay away from each other but there is a gravitational pull that can’t keep them apart.

Well this was quite the treat. As usual, I’m trash for fantasy and this has actually been a good month for me fantasy wise as last month wasn’t so great. But, this was pretty great and I’m excited for the next book as the premise is close to other books that I’ve read but I’m trash for fantasy so I loved all of it. The characters were interesting and complex and I did enjoy that the sex scenes very well written because sometimes with fantasy it’s either too much or not enough. Julian and Fallon had great chemistry and I did love their banter with each other and it felt like the relationship developed normally instead of being too rushed or not enough. But that writing is what I really loved as it was very beautifully written and there were times where I actually felt like I was in the story. I’m a sucker for world building so I can’t say I’m surprised with myself with choosing the writing as the best part of the book. But, it was beautifully written world-building and I feel as though it really helps drive the story because when it’s poor world-building, it can make it difficult to follow. But if you’re looking for an adult fantasy novel that brings in the paranormal, monsters, witches etc., then this is it for you.

The Bronzed Beasts

“If you think what we are doing is impossible, then let us rewrite what possibility means. Together.”

Still reeling over Severin’s betrayal, the crew is fractured and while they armed with only a handful of hints, they must find their way through the snarled and haunted waterways of Venice, Italy to locate Severin. Meanwhile, Severin is on his own journey and one that could see him facing dangerous consequences as he faces the deranged whims of the patriarch of the fallen house and discover the location of a temple between a plague island where the divine lyre can be played and all his desires will come to pass. With only ten days until Lalia expires, the crew will face plague pits and dangerous masquerades, unearthly songs, and the shining steps of a temple whose powers might offer divinity itself but at a price that they’re not willing to pay.

Well this was a bit of letdown as I was anticipating that this would be a four or five star review. I was delighted to see the characters especially Zofia and Hypnos as they’ve been my favorites from the first book. I felt like they were fleshed out even more with growth as well as the other characters. Chokshi’s writing has really improved over the course of the trilogy and it really shows in this last book. I admire how she’s able to bring you into the world of the characters and make you feel like you’re apart of it. Now that I’ve talked about what I loved, it’s time to get what didn’t work for me. First off, the pacing was a little off at times and also didn’t match up to the plot in some parts so I felt confused during some parts. I felt like I was missing something and had to go back and reread certain sections. Which is why the ending didn’t really make a lot of sense to me because it felt rushed and forced as there were quite a few things that weren’t explained. So I feel like this book could’ve been a little better if things were explained better and not so forced as it felt. But, I’m sure others will enjoy it and that’s all that matters.

Hana Khan Carries On

“My father says that trying to stop hate is like trying to stop the tides,” Rashid said. “The best thing you can do is take advantage of it. Don’t stop the tide from flowing. Build a hydroelectric dam and make electricity instead, enough to power ten thousand houses. That’s how you stop hate.”

Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighborhood in Toronto, Canada. Hana, works part time as a waitress while she dreams of making it big with owning her own radio show but for the time being she’s stuck being a waitress and trying outshine her fellow interns at the city radio station. Hana is confident that things will fall into place and she will be able to succeed but all that crumbles when a new Halal restaurant opens in Golden Crescent threatening to shut down Three Sisters for good. Hana finds herself thrown into different directions while trying to figure out who she is and how she can finally use her voice for what really matters.

First, I’m glad that romance wasn’t heavily focused as I was really immersed in Hana’s personal journey and the changes that she went through during the book. I thought she was a very well written main character who had flaws and struggles that many people can relate to especially with trying to find her own voice. I think that’s something that many people can relate to and trying to figure what really matters to them. While this is one of the main theme’s of the book, this book also touches on serious and heartbreaking issues especially dealing with racism that Hana and her family deal with as Brown/Muslims experience in the modern world. This is why I’m glad that romance wasn’t the main focus because I think the way the experiences and Hana’s personal journey was done was more interesting and compelling than the romance.

Even with the serious and heartbreaking issues that were covered, this is a light-hearted novel that was very compelling and interesting from beginning to end and I strongly recommend it others even if romance isn’t your thing.

A Court of Honey and Ash by Shannon Mayer

Rating: 3/5

Sometimes the world pushes us in a direction we think is wrong, because it is not of our choosing. That does not mean it is taking us to the wrong destination, just that the path is one we didn’t foresee.

Billed as a must read for fans of Sarah J. Mass and Holly Black, A Court of Honey and Ash follows Alli, a half human, half orphan fae who knows the secret behind the shattering of underhill, the ancestral home of the fae thus making it possible for any fae to enter. A secret that will be the end of Alli if anyone finds out that she knows especially the person who did it. With the shattering of underhill, a brutal madness takes place and Alli wants to be the one who can not only save her people but find meaning, belonging, and prove that she’s more than what she appears to be.

I had high hopes for this but it fell flat towards the end. I was enjoying it and I felt invested in the characters, the story, and how it flowed up until the later chapters and it just felt rushed to me. There were also parts where it felt very predictable and I was hoping for a little more but sadly, I didn’t get it. The characters especially Alli, are very interesting and complex as she pulled off tough and vulnerable very well. It wasn’t overdone and I did enjoy her moments of vulnerability. There was a lot that I liked but with other stuff I didn’t like, I feel like my feelings at the end of it weren’t as I fulfilling as I wanted them to be. I was kind of bummed with how the last half of the book went but that’s just how it goes. I’m sure many other people will enjoy this and that’s absolutely fine!

August TBR

OMG! How is it almost fall? This is so crazy but I am so ready fit!! I’m even more excited about my tbr for this month cause it’s going to b great! Reading more books this month or I’m gonna try for a fun readathon for the Goodreads discord server I’m in! So here are my picks!!

A Court of Honey & Ash by Shannon Meyer and Kelly St. Clare
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, YA

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, YA

Amelia Unbridged by Ashley Schumacher
Genre: Contemporary, YA, Fiction

Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, YA

Catch & Cradle by Katia Rose
Genre: Romance, LGBT, New Adult

The Dead And The Dark by Courtney Gould
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, YA

Deep Blue Eternity by Natasha Boyd
Genre: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary

How Hard Can Love Be? By Holly Bourne
Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary

Foretold by Violet Lumani
Genre: LGBT, Fantasy, Romance

Forget This Ever Happened by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Poetry

Into The Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, YA

Lyrics & Curses by Candace Robinson
Genre: Fantasy, YA

One Year Of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Genre: Contemporary, YA, Romance

Outrun The Wind by Elizabeth Tammi
Genre: Fantasy, LGBT, Romance

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
Genre: Fantasy, Retellings, Young Adult

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
Genre: LGBT, Contemporary, Romance

Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin
Genre: LGBT, YA, Romance

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Genre: Mystery, YA, Contemporary

What I Carry by Jennifer Longo
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Fiction

We Regret To Inform You by Ariel Kaplan
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mystery

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Genre: Fantasy, YA

What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson
Genre: YA, Thriller, Mystery

Who I Was With Her by Nita Tyndall
Genre: LGBT, YA, Romance