Well that was…something. I think I prefer Katee Robert‘s Hades x Persephone retelling, since this one dragged for the last two hours of the audiobook. If these two would just, idk, talk? to each other? So many of their issues would‘ve been resolved. Also, Persephone is 21. Like human 21. And Hades is literally millions of years old. No thanks, my curiosity is satiated, I won‘t be continuing this series.

1.5 stars | #romance

Reread so I can get to Murtagh this year! Somehow I read a 16hr audiobook in 18hrs 🤪 8 week wait for Eldest, so I move on to some of the others I‘ve got on loan.

4 stars | #fantasy #ya

I had a better time with this reread than Divergent. I liked how Tris‘ PTSD and mental health was handled, until like the last 25%. I still think Tris and Four are TERRIBLE for each other. Y‘all can be friends, but stop dating lol. It‘s a two week wait to get my hands on Allegiant, so pausing on this project now.

3 stars | #dystopia #ya

I like the new covers, and I‘ve been on an audiobook kick at work, so when this one was available on Libby, I figured why not? Allegiant was the first book I remember deciding to DNF in high school, and I want to see if this holds up from the 2010‘s YA Dystopia craze (spoiler: it does not). I hate the age/maturity gap between Tris and Four, I like the allegories Roth is trying to make, but I just…

2 stars | #dystopia #ya

I just…can‘t do it for the remaining SIX HOURS of my audiobook after slogging thru 7.5 hours. Ironically I moved on to Divergent, also with a Beatrice, and can tell you it‘s not the format, it‘s just the book.

Normalize the ability to quit books you know you‘re not going to enjoy, and protect your peace 😤

I think I finished 7 books this month? Including my first DNF of the year. Hoping to keep this momentum going!!

I am genuinely so bored. The mix of some of my fav tropes and some I HATE is really just making this “meh”. I need a silly little romance to do my work too, not whatever soap drama is happening hereeeee. There‘s still 6 hours left?? And three more books???

This one however? Had me heated and was never. ending. First, I love a pathetic man, but there was something so Reddit Incel about Ben that it gave me the BIGGEST ick. Second, the power dynamic? Abhorrent. Don't keep reminding me that he could literally order her to off herself and then tell me they're in love. Third, Elleanore kept having to sideline her literal PTSD episodes to help Ben with his anxiety he refused to treat. >:|

1.5 stars

THIS one I liked more. The banter between Little Sh*t Asteroth and Always Fighting Calladia was tasty. Maybe I'm just a sucker for...well, this wasn't exactly enemies to lovers, but it was close! As close as you can probably get in contemporary fiction. The ending was...interesting, but I can appreciate that these books, while romances, try to tackle Big Issues(TM) as well as personal ones.

4 stars | #romance #paranormal #witch

I was looking for an audiobook at work on Spotify that was under their 15 hour limit and behold! A book my aunt had recently read the sequel to! I enjoyed this one. It was a fun little romp, another witchy paranormal romance I could add to my collection for this year. If you're looking for something to just...put on, or a palette cleanser after something heavy, this one is pretty good.

3.5 stars | #romance #paranormal #witch

Somehow?? An Ali Hazelwood book was my favorite for the month. No one is more shocked than me, considering my personal vendetta agains her and her #steminist novels that are…just the same book. BUT I‘ll review that later. Four books (technically five if you count The Ritual 🤢). Pretty good start to the year!

#january #recap

A reread, but I‘m being kinder to it the second time than I was my first read. I still think the weight Vivi puts on Rhys‘ betrothal is too much, but hey, gotta second chance romance it somewhere. I do need some hard and fast magic rules tho bc Vivi doing “big magic” like the candle and the summoning? I don‘t even know what this world would consider big magic. Gimme rules! Outlines! Something! Overall, fun, fast, and easy.

3⭐️| #romance #reread

Ooh I‘m so excited for this list from @bookwyrm7 !! A few of them I‘ve already read (and loved), but I thiiink…I‘ll start with either 9 (I live about 6 hours from the Arctic), 16 (a coworker just found out about this gem and I‘ve been meaning to read it), or 19 (which I already have).

Thank you to @monalyisha for organizing #auldlangspine!!

Grand total: 5685 points! I finished 5 books, bringing my 2024 total to 40 books :) Thanks again to the hosts, and special thanks to @StayCurious my team lead!! Until next year~~ #wintergames2024 #wintergames #christmaschapterchasers #xmaschacha

HATED this book. Would‘ve been DNF #1 of 2025 if I hadn‘t been buddy-reading with @Lin3han . Four middle-aged white British men wander into the woods and awaken an old Swedish god, who defends her territory. I was rooting for everyone to die bc they were all terrible for their blatant misogyny, fatphobia, antisemitism, and homophobia.

#wintergames #xmaschacha #cozychristmas #12booksofchristmas #20in4 #sugarrush #readouttheold

LOVED this one! So glad boyf got it for me for Jolabokaflod. I‘m honestly a little mad I hadn‘t picked it up before then! After three great books from T Kingfisher, safe to say they‘re a solid new favorite.

#wintergames #xmaschacha #adventathon #cozychristmas #12booksofchristmas

Easily my least favorite and honestly? With the downward trend, I may not finish this series. Nina does some HORRIBLE things and is basically given a slap on the wrist, and also the back says Morty is “nonbinary” but is never referred to as they/them, only he/him the ENTIRE book. Granted, they say their pronouns are he/they, but there‘s a whole convo where they explain that they‘re uncomfy being labelled as just a man. 😐

Another reread! This one…wasn‘t as good as the first. For one, Issa at one point compared being an Avramov in Thistle Grove to being a Black man in the US South and…no??? Not at all the same. For two, I just think the resolution to the problem is a little lackluster.

#wintergames #xmaschacha #adventathon #oatmealescape

Reread! I got a couple witchy Christmas romances in anticipation of the #wintergames but it‘d been a while since I read the first two. I forgot it was wlw, which was a pleasant surprise, and it‘s just a fun lil romance.

#xmaschacha #adventathon #20in4 #firstsnowreadathon #gingerbreadjourney #oatmealescape

Jolabokaflod is a tradition I‘ve started doing with my partner, and we get to do it for the first time together this year. :) It reminds me of my family‘s tradition growing up, where Xmas Eve we‘d get to open one present that always had a book and pj‘s. The pj‘s continue (ours are stuck in the mail rn) and I‘m happy to bring books back into the equation too. #xmaschacha #wintergames2024 #wg2024

Yule tradition! I used to have an elaborate setup for burning new year wishes, and alas it was lost in the move SO. This year I got a free candle from work and my boyf‘s wish burned to the bottom of the candle in record time lol. Happy Yule to all that celebrate!

#wintergames #xmaschacha

1. LOVE me some eggnog. Non-alcoholic, though, and I recently found a pumpkin one that is delicious!!
2. Family tradition is one on Xmas Eve with new PJ‘s, and the rest on Xmas day
3. Red star to match our red, silver, and black decorations :)
4. Another family tradition is to have Xmas dinner at one of the two Waffle Houses within a mile of our house lol
5. Since I moved to Alaska, we can‘t afford to go home very often

+20pts

Got my books all ready to go! Glad the library was able to get those four in time. So excited to get started!! Most anticipated is probably Thirteen Storeys (thank youuu @Lin3han !)

+40pts
#wintergames #wintergames2024 #christmaschapterchasers #XmasChaCha #twowitches #twoyuletidewitches #earlybirdpoints

I‘m gonna so-so this book not bc I didn‘t like it (I did!) but bc it was one of those that (for me) was hard to pick up after I put it down. I will be reading the sequel. I didn‘t like the amount of repetition in this book. It felt stylistic, but also since reading SJM I‘m just very much not a fan of it.

4 ⭐️ | #fantasy

Had so so much fun!! Same time next year? (Love you too!!)

Cheers to winning!! 🥳🥳

Thank you @TheBookHippie !! This literally arrived today and I finally got the chance to open it. I can‘t wait to get into Blood Orange and UGH I love Poe. And the stickers!! I was just planning out my decorations for next year‘s bullet journal, and these are perfect. Thanks again!!

And thank you @wanderinglynn for organizing! I always look forward to this swap 🧡🖤

#hauntedhollowswap #hhs #hhs24 #hauntedhollowswap24

Did a readathon with @Lin3han this weekend. Since we both loved Summer Sons, we went with Mandelo‘s new novella, which was dripping in southern gothic. He captures summer in the south soooo well, and his spooky horror has made southern gothic one of my favorite subgenres. I will protect Les and Stevie with my life!!

5⭐️| #twowitches #horror #southerngothic #longnights #spookoween #31by31 #witchathon #readlikehellathon

Thank you so much @forestandcrow !! I had some raven feathers and a deer jawbone just like this one before I moved and it‘s so so nice to be able to incorporate them again. I can‘t wait to break into the books. Thank you again!!

And @BookwormAHN thank you for organizing this again! It‘s always something I look forward to during the Halloween season ❤️

#mws #mws24 #modernwitchswap #modernwitchswap2024

It‘s in! Thank you @forestandcrow ! So excited to open it soooooon!!

#mws #modernwitchswap

Haunted Hollow Swap box ALSO on it‘s way out, estimated delivery day of Monday!!

#hauntedhollowswap #hhs #hhs24

Box is out! Should be at it‘s destination Monday (according to USPS people)!

#modernwitchswap #mws

One thing I will die mad about is that I had an indie 1st ed and my boyf‘s cat peed on it 😭 I did toss it and then didn‘t replace it until AFTER Gibson was trad published. My books are Hella protected now believe you me. Anyway, Constanta, marry me? Plz? Thanks.

4.5⭐️ | #horror #retelling #twowitches #hauntedshelf #cozyreads #spookoween #31by31 #readlikehellathon

This book is so violently pink it hurts. But I had a good time! Although if I ever have to read about another woman calling herself an ermine again I might also go insane, I enjoyed a retelling of Macbeth from Lady Macbeth‘s perspective. Having only read The Wolf and the Woodsman from Reid before, I‘m glad the pacing issues I had from that one didn‘t appear here.
4 ⭐️s | #gothic #horror #twowitches #hauntedshelf

The vibes of this one reminded me a lot of Kierstan White‘s books. Non-linear storytelling, but I *loved* the script chapters. The book will absolutely be dating itself with references to Twitch, Venmo, and COVID, but I enjoyed it. Also the texture of the first printing is so so nice haha.

4 stars | #horror #slasher

Quiet, overcast, and a high of 58° up here in Anchorage, but I hope all you folks with the day off are enjoying it! Happy Labor Day!

I didn‘t know both of the novellas I‘d chosen to pull me out of my slump would reference the same Slavic monster, but here we are. The Chicago Roth describes is one I‘d love to live in, and the vibes reminded me of my favorite book from last year (The Salt Grows Heavy). Would 100% recommend for fans of Olivie Blake‘s Master of Death and The Witcher series. Don‘t read any blurbs going in! They give away too much.

4.75 stars | #urbanfantasy ?

The sequel to What Moves the Dead, idk what deal Kingfisher made to continuously get the most gorgeous covers, but it‘s worth it. I loved checking in with Alex, and the worldbuilding this book does for Gallacia is lovely.

4.5 stars | #horror

This is the only love corner I‘ll be accepting from here on out. If we‘re gonna be playing love triangle shenanigans, connect all the dots pleaseeeee. Anyway, I had a great time with this one. David is a little shit, Rhys has GOT to be a Capricorn, and I‘m submitting apps to be Moira‘s new gf. Can‘t wait to read the prequel in October!

4.5 stars | #darkacademia #occult #urbanfantasy ?

Thanks for the tag @BookwormAHN ! Surprisingly knew more than I thought. I listen to a lot of folk and alt now, so not surprised I didn‘t see anything from my usual playlist, but these three have got to be my fav from the 100.
@Lin3han @ariagrace.13 @MidnightBookGirl (see Dabbe‘s page for how to! Or follow the hashtag to Dabbe‘s post)
#TLT #threelistthursday

It took me a minute to get through but that‘s on me, not the book. I loved Rue as a main character, and her motivation to help her family and her home was very relatable. I wish the magic system and the world was fleshed out a bit, but maybe that comes more in book two, which I will be reading.

3.75 stars | #fantasy #yafantasy

Into the Drowning Deep is my favorite book. I‘ve never read the prequel, so I finally got it and devoured it in one sitting. I‘m glad I read ITDD before RITD, since the prequel gives away the twists. It‘s heartbreaking to read, and so so good, but I would definitely recommend reading AFTER Into the Drowning Deep.

Another reread for the beginning of the year. I really liked the premise, but the weird law story thrown in at the 75% mark always sends me for a loop. After I finish my current work read, I‘ll probably look into the sequels.

I‘ve been reading this series on Tapas for a long time, and it‘s been on hiatus, but the author is returning to finish it! It‘s such a cute little story of a town where every day, it storms at exactly the same time. Also, there‘s witches!

I love this book. I‘m so glad it was my first read of the year (I annotated a copy for my friend for Christmas). It‘s just such a lovely, gory little story. 😊

I LOVE this book with my whole heart. What does it say about me that my top two favorite books are about killer mermaids? 🤔 Anyway, the plague doctor and the mermaid are so cute, and I hope they live happily ever after. 🖤🖤

Lol that‘s a nice number. I had lofty goals! And then life happens but that‘s alright. Go #teamsnowangels!

#wintergames #wintergames2023 #wintergames23 #snowangels #teamsnowangels

Another reread! I finished this book the night before New Years in Italy in 2019 and I still f*cking love it. The science is solid, the characters are wonderful, the writing is GORGEOUS. I immediately lent it to my coworker (who has a Master‘s in marine biology) so I‘ll add a pic when they give it back :)

#wintergames #wintergames2023 #wintergames23 #snowangels #teamsnowangels #Rushathon #YuletideReads #ScaryChristmasReadathon #20in4

While I dislike insta-love, there wasn‘t a fated mates plot at least. Also, I wish there was more on the Mistlefoe game! And the book just…ended. I want more! At least this explains where Alexis came from.

#wintergames #wintergames2023 #wintergames23 #snowangels #teamsnowangels #HolidayRomanceReadathon #Rushathon #DashingDecember #YuletideReads

Once again: great time! Not a super great book, but I enjoyed it and that‘s what‘s important.

#wintergames #wintergames2023 #wintergames23 #snowangels #teamsnowangels #HolidayRomanceReadathon #Rushathon #DashingDecember #YuletideReads

While fun yes, the dubcon in this one was a biiiiit too dubious. Lemming tried to make it not creepy but still. Also, didn‘t expect my introduction to the omegaverse to be this book 😅🥲

#wintergames #wintergames2023 #wintergames23 #snowangels #teamsnowangels #HolidayRomanceReadathon #Rushathon #DashingDecember