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“Lula Dean‘s Little Library of Banned Books” is a must read. Set in the Deep South, this small book tackles topics such as racism, homophobia, bigotry, and rape in a poignant manner that showcases how a little book library can cause an upheaval to an entire town that still honors the Confederacy. Even with its heavy themes, it is heartwarming, funny, and very important. It is very relevant today and I will forever recommend this book.

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This was a fun and heartwarming read that is set in an alternative medieval universe with a band of lovable and witty characters. I enjoyed this story and I wish the book had lasted a little bit longer (or even extended the epilogue), so I could have enjoyed the characters a little bit more.

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“I Hope This Finds You Well” was funny, heart-warming, and charming. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their flaws, and the found family/friends trope (I‘m a sucker for these) was spot on.

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“Sleep Tight” is a creepy yet entertaining read that is perfect for those wanting a spooky Halloween read. I will say that I found some ideas/concepts to be a little far fetched and the ending could have been fleshed out more. Not a bad read, but I don‘t find it worth keeping or reading again.

This will probably be an unpopular opinion, but I sadly wasn‘t a big fan of this book. I loved the world and I really tried to love the characters and plot, but I just found myself disappointed. I found Seraphine annoying and a lot of the side characters were generic. The relationship between Ransom and Seraphine was more lustful versus love, felt underdeveloped, and there was even a part that made me cringe. Wish this one could have been better!

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I always love a good slow-burn enemies-to-lovers fantasy, and “Powerless” was a solid start to this trilogy. I look forward to seeing how the sequel continues the current plot line!

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Sarah Anderson does it again 🧡

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“The Temptation of Magic” is set in a dark academia setting focused on supernatural art history that happened to give me “Ninth House” and “Twilight” vibes. I wasn‘t a huge fan of how Kyan and Nicole‘s relationship developed as it reminded me heavily of “Twilight” and was a bit too lustful for my taste. I‘m intrigued with how the plot will progress in the sequel, however I won‘t be in a rush to read it.

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“The House in the Cerulean Sea” is one of my favorite books of all time, so when “Somewhere Beyond the Sea” was announced, I was equally part ecstatic that there was a sequel and part leery that the sequel wouldn‘t be as good as the first. I didn‘t need to worry, as this book is absolutely everything. I adored everything about it, and there aren‘t enough words to express how much I love this book and series.

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I was a huge fan of Backman‘s “Anxious People”, so when I saw that my library had a well-loved copy of “A Man Called Ove”, I took the chance. This book is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, and I‘m so glad I read it. The found-family trope was well done and even the ending was very satisfying.

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I absolutely loved Bannen‘s previous “The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy” and was pleasantly surprised when I found the next book in the series at my library. “The Undermining of Twyla and Frank” was just as cute with adorable dragons, humor, and witty banter. I very much look forward to the next installment in this series!

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I had been looking forward to “Ghostsmith” ever since I finished the previous “Bonesmith” last October. This book is just as dark, and all the characters suffer heartbreak and face challenges of their own. I will say that I felt like there were moments where the story dragged a bit and I missed some of the character development that was in the first book. Despite that, this was a solid and satisfying conclusion to this duology.

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“The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers” was a cute and cozy read about finding yourself and new-found family that was immersed in the vast field of puzzles. I enjoyed this story, and I found that it is a great light read that is also heartwarming.

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“Project Hail Mary” is a book that I‘ll be thinking about for a long time. The plot, humanity‘s impending extinction, Ryland‘s character arc, and (of course) Ryland‘s and Rocky‘s friendship are all major reasons why I gave this book all five stars. There is a lot of science in this book, however Weir writes in a way that you will still understand the plot and the book, even if you don‘t get the terms or concepts that he uses.

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“The Spellshop” was a cozy read full of magic, new-found family and changing the world for the better. Definitely recommend if you are looking for a cute fantasy that is also an escape from reality 💜

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When I first read this book many years ago, I absolutely loved the story, characters, and humor. I still feel the same after reading this for the second time, however it did lose a little bit of its magic after the initial read. Regardless, I still really enjoy this book and look forward to watching the new television series based off of it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5/5)

“Darling Girls” was a creepy but intriguing read that made me suspicious of all the characters until the very end. I kind of suspected ‘who did it‘ early on into the book, however the plot twists made it less obvious. Overall this is a solid read, however the very last chapter wasn‘t entirely necessary and it was a weird way to end the book.

I loved Postpn‘s previous book, “The Dead Romantics”, so I was very much looking forward to this next book. After making it about 80ish pages, I couldn‘t find myself reading any further as the story wasn‘t as engaging and I thought it was very frustrating that Clementine didn‘t tell Iwan about the seven year difference at the beginning and just decided to withhold that information instead. Maybe I will try reading this again someday!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)

“To a Darker Shore” was a unique read that focused on overcoming stereotypes, and the main protagonists each had their own obstacles to overcome throughout the story. The plot was engaging and moved quickly, there were a couple plot twists (which might be predicted beforehand), and the romance was sweet. I enjoyed this standalone, and the character arcs were well done.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)

Let me start off by saying that “The Book That Wouldn‘t Burn” starts off slow, and I honestly found it hard to stay interested until the last third of the book (and this book is big). However, once I got to the first plot twist, my mind was simply blown. The world-building, plot, and interconnections still has me reeling, and the implications of the ending creates no doubt that I will be reading the sequel in this trilogy.

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Four years after the events of “The Maid”, “The Mystery Guest” follows Molly Gray as another unexpectedly murder occurs, this time to a world- renown mystery writer. “The Mystery Guest” doesn‘t disappoint in this sequel, and I loved the characters and the several plots twists as well!

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As a former ER nurse who also worked on an ambulance, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, I am not a stranger to death and it‘s many forms. I found this book very interesting and found it eye-opening as well in terms of the many fields and workers in the death industry. I think this is a great read, especially for those that aren‘t frontline workers or already working with the dead.

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I absolutely loved Emily‘s previous “The Bone Houses” and was eager to start reading another one of her books. The storyline is interesting and Mer‘s character arc is great, however I didn‘t enjoy this one as much as I did “The Bone Houses”. I will say that I greatly enjoyed Trefor the corgi and the epilogue brought the story to a very satisfying end.

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I adore “Beauty and the Beast” retellings and I was mildly let down by this one. The writing randomly alternates between eloquent storytelling and immature wording and dialogue that doesn‘t fit the story/setting (ex. “Swag”). Some of the passages inserted throughout the book referencing fairy tales were a bit random and occasionally make sense. Parts of the romance were well done, however other parts made the main characters seem childish.

I had high hopes for “The Lost Bookshop” as I always love a bookish cozy read. However, all three of the main characters felt kind of bland and poorly developed. The main characters also made frustrating and very rash decisions, and the actual story itself fell flat.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)

Like “Godkiller”, “Sunbringer” is slow to start off with and tends to be slower paced than its predecessor. However, the character development continued to impress me, the plot was interesting, and there were a couple surprising plot twists. I‘m very much looking forward to reading the next installment in this series!

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I absolutely loved “The House Witch” and procrastinated starting the sequel as I was afraid that the second book wouldn‘t live up to the first. I enjoyed the plot, characters, and humor just as much as the first book, and I will be diving into the final volume right away.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)

I fell in love with Rebecca Ross‘ writing last year with “Divine Rivals”, and my recent read of “A River Enchanted” and “A Fire Endless” were no exceptions. “Dreams Lie Beneath” continued this trend, and I really enjoyed the writing, story, characters and world-building. Bonus points for a beautiful book map as well!

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I absolutely hate love triangles, but this was one that I could tolerate. The love triangle thankfully resolved by the end of the book, and I‘m very interested to see how Rune and Gideon‘s relationship develops from here. I also enjoyed that both sides of the conflict weren‘t completely in the right and had their own faults. I‘m definitely looking forward to when the sequel is released!

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I get the hype, I really do. However, the very prominent and frequent lusting of the two main characters and graphic scenes kind of took away from how good the rest of the book was. Also the romance between Violet and Xaden felt a bit immature at times, especially towards the end. There were several majestic moments and plot points that I absolutely loved, and the cliffhanger demands for the sequel to be read.

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“A Fire Endless” is the stunning sequel to “A River Enchanted” and I enjoyed this story from beginning to end. The world-building was superb and the writing was incredibly done. The ending was also satisfying, and I will miss these characters and the world itself dearly.

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I adore Rebecca‘s writing, and this story and its world had me hooked from the very beginning. I loved everything about this book and cannot wait to start reading its sequel.

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“Godkiller” started off very slow, however the backstory was well worth the wait. The world itself was very interesting, in addition to the plot, however the highlight of this book are its characters. The character arcs for Kissen, Elo, Inara, and Skedi were very well done and I always love the found-family trope. I look forward to seeing how these characters continue to develop throughout the rest of this trilogy.

“People make gods, and, for better or worse, gods make people. We show each other for what we truly are. Yearning beings, desperate for love, power, safety.”

- Aan

I made it about 60% of the way through before I called it quits. The story was interesting initially, but I wasn‘t a huge fan of Jack and Hazel‘s characters and the “love story” was very sudden and didn‘t really start until halfway through the book. I had higher hopes for this one, but I can‘t see myself finishing this one.

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“A Fragile Enchantment” was a book I had been looking forward to receiving and reading, but I took off a star due to seeming a bit lackluster at times. However, I enjoyed the plot and character development throughout. The book does a nice job of wrapping up loose ends (always a big fan of that), and I enjoyed Kit‘s and Niamh‘s ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)

“Dear Henry, Love Edith” was a cute read just in time for Valentine‘s Day that is full of “You‘ve Got Mail” vibes. The book focuses on second chances and is full of wacky and funny characters. I greatly enjoyed this story and hope to read more of these characters in the future.

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“The Mysteries of Thorn Manor” was a super cute novella that served as an extended epilogue for “Sorcery of Thorns”. I adore these characters, and I was sad yet again to reach the end of this story.

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“What the River Knows” was an interesting read that had several plot twists, but also had a couple surprises that I guessed were coming. I enjoyed Whit‘s and Inez‘s relationship and Inez‘s headstrong character, however she came across as a bit whiny at times. I‘m intrigued to see how the sequel continues this story.

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I resonated with the themes of this book, however it felt very preachy at times. I unfortunately was hoping for more poetry and felt a bit disappointed when it turned more into a self-help lecture.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)

I‘ve always been a fan of Adrienne Young‘s writing, and this novel doesn‘t disappoint. “The Unmaking of June Farrow” is one that definitely tugs on your heartstrings as it explores themes of family and love while an unsolved murder threatens to disrupt everything. The plot was clever, and the characters with their related arcs were well written.

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I absolutely adored “Divine Rivals” and eagerly awaited the sequel and conclusion of this series, “Ruthless Vows”. I unfortunately can‘t give “Ruthless Vows” the five stars that I gave its predecessor as the focus of this book was more on the war itself and I had mixed feelings about the ending. I loved Roman‘s and Iris‘ journey, and I will miss the characters and the beautiful world that Rebecca Ross had written.

“Sometimes,” Iris began, “I don‘t think we know what we‘re made of until the worst moment possible happens. Then we must decide who we truly are and what is most important to us. I think we‘re often surprised by what we become.”

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This book had multiple flaws, one of them being that it is incredibly repetitive (we get what Clara‘s goal in life is, we don‘t need to be reminded every chapter) and the obscene amount of times that the author mentioned Clara‘s scoliosis was annoying and frustrating. The romance felt forced and its progression was choppy. I wasn‘t a huge fan of the ending and how Clara is completely oblivious at times.