September 2019 TBR

September 4, 2019September 15, 201912 Comments

Happy September Witches! So it’s only September 4 and my TBR has already been slightly changed. The books mentioned are my main priority but Scribd just added so many September 3rd releases and I want to listen to them all right now. I’ve already started The Raven Boys and Nevernight, and I really want to pick up Pumpkin Heads this weekend. So we’ll see maybe I can squeeze in a few more. I am horrible at following TBR’s but I really want to read all of these.

September, has a Friday the 13th, so of course I’m going to read something spooky that day and marathon a bunch of horror movies because I’m off that day ✌️I am honestly so excited for this month.

September TBR

Pumpkin Heads- Rainbow Rowell

Nevernight- Jay Kristoff

Eclipse – Stephanie Meyer

The Raven Boys – Maggie Stievfater

The Turn of the Key- Ruth Ware

The Darkest part of the Forest -Holly Black

What are some books on your September TBR? Have you read any of these books?

September Anticipated Releases 2019

September 1, 2019September 2, 20197 Comments

Hello Bookworms! It is officially September and in my mind it is also Fall ! Which if you didn’t know is my absolute favorite time of the year. Plus there are so many amazing book releases that I’m really excited for.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Publication Date : September 10,2019

Synopsis:
Gideon the Ninth is the most fun you’ll ever have with a skeleton.

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as necromantic skeletons. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.

There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool
Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Synopsis:
For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity. Using their visions of the future, they ended wars and united nations―until the day, one hundred years ago, when the Prophets disappeared.

All they left behind was one final, secret prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation . . . or the cause of its destruction. As chaos takes hold, five souls are set on a collision course:

A prince exiled from his kingdom.
A ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand.
A once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart.
A reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone.
And a dying girl on the verge of giving up.

One of them―or all of them―could break the world. Will they be savior or destroyer? Perfect for fans of Throne of Glass, Children of Blood and Bone, and An Ember in the Ashes.

Well Met by Jenn Deluca
Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Synopsis:
All’s faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon’s family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn’t have time for Emily’s lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she’s in her revealing wench’s costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they’re portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can’t seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

August 15, 2019August 15, 2019Leave a comment

The Wedding Date is Jasmine Guillory’s debut novel. I actually read her second book The Proposal last summer, its a companion book not a direct sequel. But it featured some of the same characters,however this did not take away from my enjoyment of this book. I have no idea why I put off reading this for so long, but am glad that I finally picked it up. This was an adorable romance, with a fake dating trope.

From the beginning this book was so much fun. It starts out with our main characters being stuck in an elevator. After some quick banter, and flirting, Drew asks Alexis to be his date to his ex-girlfriends wedding. You all know this is a romance book, so you all know where this is going. Fake dating to real relationship, and it was so adorable. This is told is dual perspectives, so we get to see things from Alexis and Drew.

Alexis – She is a lawyer, and now Berkley’s mayor’s chief of staff, black, she’s working hard on a project that will help at-risk teens, and is doing everything it can for the project to get the green light.

Drew – He is a Pediatric Doctor from Los Angeles, and from the mentions of it he is a pretty good one, he is one of the groomsmen is his ex-girlfriends weeding who is marrying his friend.

Charlos – He is Drew’s best friend, he is so sweet and immediately accepting of Alexis, the companion book The Proposal actually follows his story.

“White men hated it when you reminded them of their privilege”

Of course like any romance novel, they encounter some bumps in the road. Both characters are scared to take the leap to actual be in a real relationship with each other. Having been hurt in the past, they don’t want to risk there hearts again. This is where I lowered my rating a little. This plot point is really over used in the romance genre, I understand wanting to protect yourself, but not every character has to be afraid to jump in. They are both adults, and yet there lack of communication was frustrating. I mean not every adult has everything figured out but they could have at least talked openly about there past relationships, and there feelings for each other.

I appreciated the way that the author inserted different conversations regarding race. Alexis shines on spotlight on what its like to be black how how white people need to check there privilege. Drew soon realizes how he is sometimes given on free pass, and different opportunities based on the color of his skin. This book has so much good in it.

Overall, this was a really fun sweet wedding romance. Is it my new favorite? no, but I do enjoy Jasmine’s writing and will continue to read her work. I recommend if your looking for a cute, diverse story.

Trigger and content warnings sexual content, for racist comments

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabba Tahir

August 12, 2019August 13, 20197 Comments

“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after.”

There is something incredibly hard about going into books that are massively loved, and I’m happy to say I now fall into this category. AN EMBER IN THE ASHES is set in a fictional world, and follows the dual perspective of Elias and Laia. Even though this book is pretty big, it flew by. Its such a faced paced book that sucks you in from the beginning. I never wanted to put it down and had to know what would happen next. This definitely did not read as a debut novel, it was incredible! I expected this to be like every other YA Fantasy that came out around the same time, but oh boy was I wrong.

I am in love with Sabaa Tahir’s writing, her prose is freaking beautiful! There is so many quotes in this book, and as you know I’m a sucker for beautiful prose. The story starts when Laia’s parents are murdered by a mask and her brother is arrested. She is left on her own with nothing, she seeks out a group called the resistance. They are skeptical of her at first until Laia explains who her parents were, in the end they agree to help her rescue her brother. But one one condition, she must enter the academy and pose as a slave to the commandant to gain inside insight on what the empire is planning.

Laia – is one of the Scholars – now ruled over by the Martial Empire, when her brother is arrested, she seeks out Resistance for help. They make a deal with her, in order for Laia to earn there trust she must enter Blackcliff Military Academy as a slave in order to spy on the Commandant. She starts off as weak, and sacred but as the book progresses she becomes stronger. Her character development was so well done.

Elias – He is the son of the Commandant, and a mask in training. He is another really complex character, he wants to live up to his destiny and please his family while on the other hand he wants to escape. He does not believe is all the methods of the empire, he was never afraid to show his feelings.

The Commandant – Is a ruthless and scary ruler, She treats everyone around her like there disposable.

Helena – She is a mask in training, she is also Elias best friend. She is strong, independent and full of fire. She’s a really complex character, truly loyal and devoted to what she believes in.

“There are two kinds of guilt: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.”

What I wasn’t expecting was how violent this book is, some scenes get pretty gory, it really doesn’t hold anything back. There is trigger warning for rape and sexual assault which I was not aware of going into this book. Even though these topics are very horrible, it showed how desperate hopeless these characters are. Laia’s treatment was awful. I was appalled over and over again by the way the slaves were treated. I loved the trials, there were done so well, and I never knew what to expect.

There is also a hint of a love triangle but it really wasn’t the focus of the novel, maybe it was have a bigger importance in the second book. Overall I really enjoyed this book and will be picking up the sequel really soon.

Trigger warnings for violence, rape and sexual assault.

Love from A to Z by S K Ali

August 5, 2019August 5, 20192 Comments

“Maybe that’s what living is–recognizing the marvels and oddities around you.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, I thought it was just a cute teen love story. What I got was so much more. This book was filled with so much good and heartfelt moments, about family and friendship. Also about loving yourself, and standing up for your beliefs. I cried a couple of times during the book, I loved it so so much! The writing is absolutely gorgeous, and the characters are beautiful. SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS BOOK!

Love from A to Z is written in dual perspective, as diary entries in the form of “Marvels” and “Oddities” from both of the main characters’ journals. I really loved this format, as we got to see inside the minds of each character and experience what they were feeling. Our story really starts when Zayneb goes head to head with her extremely Islamophobic social studies teacher and is suspended from school. Her mother thinks it’s best that she leaves for spring break early and is sent to Doha to visit her aunt.

Zayneb – is a Muslim girl of Pakistani and Caribbean descent,who lives in Indiana. She is headstrong and brave, stands up for herself and her beliefs. I loved Zayneb and how unapologetically Muslim and unapologetically angry she was.

Adam – He is of Finnish and Chinese descent,who is also Muslim, he attends university in London while his family lives in Doha,he has recently been diagnosed with MS. He is so soft and gentle. He’s incredibly optimistic and likes to see the good in things.

Both characters had such complex personalities, and were very different from each other. We see over and over throughout the novel how Zayneb is treated because she is Muslim. The author dives deep into the daily struggles of Muslims in the US, as well as in Doha. It shows different ways people can be racist from the woman who sat next to Zayneb on the plane, to the staff at the pool and her teacher.

“I’m not a violent person. I’m not advocating violence. But I am an angry person. I’m advocating for more people to get angry. Get moved.”

The romance between Zayneb and Adam, was really adorable. That scene where they’re pretending to talk about water but actually referring to each other was the cutest thing Iv’e ever read.

I Highly recommend this to everyone,this is such an amazing book.

Trigger warnings for loss of a parent, illness, terrorist attacks, and racism in the form of both subtle and outright comments.

August TBR 2019

August 3, 2019August 3, 20199 Comments

Hello friends! Can you believe its August, it feels like summer just started and here we are with only 4 weeks left. I know the first day of fall isn’t officially until September 21 but to me fall starts when school is back.I don’t usually make TBR’s because I’m a mood reader and I never stick to the lists I make but this month I have a lot of book club picks, so here we are. I’m not saying I will read all of these books, the book club books, yes i will read. However the books i list from my TBR are a tentative selection but at the time of writing this post they are the book I’m excited to pick up.

Book Clubs and Readathon’s

Renegades by Marissa Meyer
Its a Hardback Life Book Club

New Moon by Stephanie Meyers
August 15- 31
#Twilightreadalong

I was Born for This by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper Vol 1 + 2 by Alice Oseman
#aliceosemanreadathon Hosted by Romie
August 10 (24 hour readathon)

Ironside by Holly Black
#faerieathon
August 12-16

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
Dragons and Tea Book Club
August 19-24

Books from my TBR

Get a Life Chloe Brown by Taliah Hibbert
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Naturally Tan by Tan France
The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

Well Met by Jenn DeLuca

July 26, 2019September 3, 20191 Comment

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying that this is Jen’s debut novel, and I was blown away. This was so such a sweet and charming story. I read Well Met as part of #Summerathon and I couldn’t be happier it was the perfect summer read. I finished this book in 48 hours because I just couldn’t put it down. I adore stories set in small towns. Willow Creek had all the small town glamour that I just eat up. This book gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings, I want to jump on a plane and fly to Michigan to attend a Faire so badly !!

After a recent breakup, Emily moves in with her sister, who was recently in a car accident and is on the mend and her niece Caitlin. Emily takes her niece, Caitlin, to sign up for the local Renaissance Faire that happens every summer, as a fundraiser for the high school. Upon arrival she is told that Caitlin needs a parent or guardian to be involved in order to participate. Emily soon becomes a tavern wench every weekend for the summer.

“I didn’t choose the wench life. The wench life chose me.”

Emily- I loved Emily and her journey to discovering that she is worthy of love. I loved her friendship with Stacey and how supportive they are of each other. I also really liked her love for literature and how much she cared about her family.

Simon – He is the English teacher at the high school, and runs the Faire. He plays the swoonworthy pirate Captain Blackthorne. One of my favorite things about this book is the banter between Emily and Simon. There shared loved for literature and quoting Shakespeare was just everything!

I loved everything about this book. The small-town setting, the summer Ren Faire, the wonderful cast of characters. If your looking for a fun summer romance I highly recomend this book, and I cannot wait to see what Jen writes next.

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

July 10, 2019July 10, 20192 Comments

“When you’re constantly treated as a pariah and labeled bad, you might begin living up to that expectation.”

When I first heard about this book I knew it was going to be one of my most anticipated releases of 2019. After being denied an arc from Edelweiss I impatiently awaited the release date. This book was so good! I struggled with the beginning, because the Korean words threw me off but once I got used to it the book flew by. This book was everything and more 💖

This is a Korean lore fantasy story about a Gumiho, a fox with nine tails. This story is set in modern day Seoul, following Miyoung. She is on a hunt for Gi, a humans life force. She must consume Gi at least once a month in order to survive. On this particular night, she runs into a Dokubai, a large goblin, attacking a teenage boy. In the attempt to save his life she loses her fox bead which contains her soul.

Miyoung – A 16 year old high school student who is half Gumiho and half human. A nine tailed fox who takes the form of a beautiful girl. She tries so hard to pleas her mother Yena, an old but gorgeous Gumiho. Miyoung struggles with her human emotions, which usually leads to trouble.

Jihoon – A high school boy, who lives with his grandmother over the restaurant she owns. He finds out that Miyoung is a Gumiho and when she starts going to his school, he really wants to befriend her. He has two best friends, who are absolute gems! He is so soft and adorable! I loved him so much.

“When you’re constantly treated as a pariah, and labeled bad, you might begin living up to the expectation. “

I really loved the friendship and later in the book, romance between the two characters. There early interactions reminded me of Twilight which I’m currently reading. Miyoung tells Jihoon to stay away from her and is grumpy when he talks to her in the halls. Eventually she starts to let her guard down, and there adorable together! They both have such strong character arcs, and have a lot more in common than you’d believe a Gumiho and a human boy would have. Such as absent parents and trying to figure out how to fit in.

I also loved Jihoon and his grandmothers relationship, there so tender and sweet, but also hand so many funny moments. I wasn’t expecting this book to make me so emotional but I cried more times than I’d like to admit.

Besides all the cute moments there is also a lot of action. The second half of this book had so much conflict. This was the first book I read that was set in Korea and I need more. The setting and atmosphere was beautiful. Kat Cho is such an amazing writer I can’t believe this is a debut novel, her words transported me into Korea and the I never wanted to leave. This book was an absolute joy to read.

I cannot wait for the sequel! I highly recommend Wicked Fox.

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

July 3, 2019July 3, 20195 Comments

“On the island of By-the-Sea you could always smell two things: salt and magic.”

SUMMER OF SALT is an incredible atmospheric and magical novel that follows Georgina and her family who live on a strange island called By-the-Sea. Her family own the only Inn on the island, and ever summer a large group of people they call birdheads visit the island in search of a special bird they call Annabella. She fly’s to the island every summer to lay her eggs, except this summer she is missing.

Georgie – Our main character, who is a twin and it’s the summer before leaving for college, she struggles with having to leave her home on the island. She is a lesbian, and a witch who has yet to discovered her power.

Mary – Georgina’s twin sister, who has discovered her power since birth, she has the ability to float in midair. She is the wild sister, the free spirit.

Vira – Georgina’s best friend, her full name is Elvira and she works at the local ice cream parlor. She is aroace, and she is freaking adorable .

Harrison – Is a new guest to the island, he is researching Annabelle.

Prue – Is Harrison’s sister, she is bisexual and developing feelings for Georgie.

“In a family full of girls, you realize quickly that no girls are ordinary”

Georgie takes it upon herself to find out what has happened to Annabella. Mary has been acting depressed and secretive, Georgie is determined to help her sister, while also trying to figure out if she will manifest her power before her 18th birthday. I loved how this story was about family, friendship and unconditional love. The romance between Georgie and Prue was really adorable!

This book also explores some darker issues, about rape and rape culture throughout the story. I was not expecting these issues to be explored and was a little shocked, so please be cautious if that is a trigger for you.

Overall, I really loved this book, I can see myself reading it again. It’s whimsical, atmospheric and queer, and so much more! It is the perfect combination of sweet and dark.

Content and trigger warnings for off the page sexual assault, underage drinking, drug use, animal death.

June Wrap Up

June 30, 2019June 30, 20193 Comments

Hello loves ! Can you believe June is over, that we’re halfway through the year already. June was a really good reading month, I participated in two readathons. This didn’t complete all the challenges for either but it was still a lot of fun. I think June has been one of the best reading months I’ve had all year.

I know I’ve been slacking on the blogging, I have so many reviews to write and a few other posts to finish up. I promise there is going to be a lot of content from me coming up. I’ve also been toying with the idea of YouTube. I tried starting a channel before I ever made my blog but I let my anxiety get the better of me. However recently I’ve been thinking about it again.

Book’s Read In June

> Vicious by LJ Shen

This was the first book I read for #Smutathon, I’ve been really interested in this book ever since Melanie first mentioned that it reminded her of Cardan. Oh boy was she right! I loved every minute of this book. This is very much an enemies to lovers story, Vicious is an even bigger bully than Cardan, so fair warning if that’s not your thing than you probably wont enjoy this book.This book is told between flashbacks of when Emilia is in high school and present day. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series !

> Hate Notes by Vi Keelan and Penelope Ward

My second read for #Smutathon, this book surprised me. This was a fun book, it starts when Charlotte goes into a shop to return her un-worn wedding dress. S. While in the shop she spots a beautiful dress and finds a blue handwritten note. he decides she needs to now who has written the note, but soon she finds herself working for that same man. This was a cute hate to love office romance.However near the middle of the book, things took a turn and it became more serious than I expected.

>The King of Bourbon Street by Thea De Salle

My third and final book I finished for #Smutathon. The writing is amazing, and it has has such amazing representation. The MC is fat and doesn’t shy away from her body. Rain is a heiress, and used to being in the spotlight. After a sex tape scandal that she orchestrated to upset her mother, she fly’s to New Orleans with her brother, and Corgi. Where she immediately meets Sol, the hotel owner, who is also bi. Sol and Rain were such a great characters! There is very explicit sex scenes, so if that’s not your thing you may not enjoy this book. I’m really looking forward to reading the companion novel.

> Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

This was a re-read and now that I’ve finished it the rest of Cassie Clares books are new to me! I love this book so much more than all the Mortal Instrument books. I love Tessa so much more than Clary. Jem remain my favorite character. I have somehow managed to avoid all spoilers for this series, thank God. I’m extremely excited to continue on with this series but first I need to go back to the Mortal Instruments.

>Tithe by Holly Black

I re-read Tithe as part of #faerieathon and this was my first time coming back to this book after almost 10 years. I first read this book way back in the early 2000’s when it was first released and I fell in love with Holly Blacks writing and Fae world. I’m currently working on writing a full review, as i have many thoughts and cannot begin to write them all in this short paragraph. Basically, I really enjoyed being back in the world of fae but had some issues I will discuss in my review.

>A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

This book will make a great Beach read. It is suspenseful and has a lot of twist that will draw you in and keep you turning the pages to find out more. I read this book in a day, I needed to know what was going to happen next. A Stranger on the Beach was my first of Campbell’s books, but it wasn’t my last!

>Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

What first drew me to this book was because I loved the cover. Just look at it, it’s adorable, I am loving all the illustrated romance covers!This is the first book I’ve ever read by Tessa Bailey and I thoroughly very much enjoyed myself. I expected Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey to be light, fluffy but oh boy was I wrong! There was some really cute sweet moments but this book was so steamy!I ! I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS BOOK!.

>City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

This book was a hot mess, I’ve always heard this book wasn’t the greatest and that’s what put me off with continuing with the series.I’m glad I did read it because now I can move on. Jace is literally the worst, in each new book he seems to annoy me more. Simon had some bad choices in this book as well, and I love Simon but i was really disappointed in him. I don’t want to reveal any spoilers so I’ll just finish off by saying that I’m so happy the next book is Clockwork Prince!

> Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

I cannot honestly tell you how many times I’ve read this book, when it was first released I read it over and over. I am loving this re read with the audiobooks, its such a different experience. This book introduces us to so many amazing characters, Lupin, Sirius, Crookshanks (I know hes a cat but I Love him) and the Dementors. One of my favourite things about this series is Harry and Hermione’s friendship. Hermione has so much character development in this book,which makes me love her so much more. The movie really left a lot of things out, which makes me so sad because this book is just so good!

>Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

I can’t express in words how much I love this book. I want to scream from rooftops about how amazing and stunning this novel is. What drew me to this book was the promise of a witchy F/F relationship.This book was so much more than I was expecting.SUMMER OF SALT is an incredible atmospheric and magical novel that follows Georgina and her family who live on a strange island called By-the-Sea.I really loved this book, I can see myself reading it again. It’s whimsical, atmospheric and queer, and so much more! It is the perfect combination of sweet and dark.

>Well Met by Jen Deluca

THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE ROMANCE BOOK! I loved everything about this book. This is Renaissance Faire-inspired contemporary romance, and a debut novel. This book follows Emily, who has moved in with her sister and niece after her sister was in a car accident. Her Niece wants to participate in the Faire and Emily is told in order for Cait to be able to that Emily must also volunteer. This is where she meets Simon, a grumpy English teacher who is a stickler for the rules. This is a slow burn romance and it is so cute! Everyone needs to add this to there list of book to be on the lookout for in September.

Well there you have iot, all the books i read in the month of June. Let me know down below if you’ve read any of these or if there on your TBR. Also what was your favorite book you read this month? I love hearing your guys thoughts. Have a Happy Canada day tomorrow !