On the coast of Georgia rests a small southern town where faeries still take changelings. Faye lost her mother to the Folk, but has she spent her whole life longing for a glimpse—however brief—behind the veil.
When Faye finds her way in, she also finds the truth of why the dark and alluring world of the Folk has always called to her: She’s half-faerie, and heiress to the Dark Court’s throne.
When the rival court steals her best friend, she’ll have to claim her crown to get her back. But that means learning how to use her glamour so she can face three deadly trials—and not falling for the dark and brooding king she’s meant to be replacing, or the nymph-turned-knight teaching her to fight. [From Goodreads]
I had high hopes for this one, and maybe that was inevitably its downfall. I had seen someone compare this to The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black, one of my all-time favorites. So I was incredibly excited to start this one when I received approval on NetGalley.
Jordyn from Jordyn Reads really summed it up in her one-word review of this book: “underdeveloped”. This book had so much potential, and in the end, it just did not deliver.
The story started out with Faye at a high school party. Lots of southern charm, lots of friend dynamics already starting to form. I thought we would get to see a mix of the fae world and southern suburbia and how they interact with each other throughout the story, but this scene is really the extent we get of that.
After this, we get so much info on seelie/unseelie dynamics and absolutely no development of any of the characters. The only character who seemed well-developed was Gage. I know nothing about Faye, Isla, Ellie, or their grandmother.
The interactions with Gage are what kept me from DNFing this book. They were little glimmers of what could have been with this story had the other characters benefited from the same kind of characterization.
I loved the Bi rep as well, which is why I was so sad about not enjoying this one. It was underwhelming, and not much happens until the very end of the book. When something eventually did happen, I didn’t care enough about the characters to really feel anything.
II will give credit to this one for at least not giving me the feeling I had to DNF.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Publishers’ Group for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Nora Stephens’ life is books – she’s read them all – and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.
Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away – with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.
If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again – in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow – what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves. [From Goodreads]
I was a little wary going into this one. I absolutely adored both Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation, but it’s been a while. I was worried that Henry’s writing wouldn’t live up to the hype I created for her in my head. I forgot about the actual magic that exists in her writing.
There was so much to love about this book. Henry said she wrote this one as a response to the common Hallmark romance trope where the main character escapes the work-obsessed partner back home in the city in small-town America. She says, “what’s wrong with being that partner back home who loves her job and the city?” This premise meant a lot to me. Before my grandma passed, we would go to her house and watch Hallmarks all night. I love Hallmark movies, but this trope is a commonly discussed and made-fun-of one in my family. This book honestly felt like home, and I loved seeing the ways Henry plays with these tropes to subvert them.
One thing that I think sets Henry apart from other romance authors is the humor she injects into her books. Characters in romances often have a very quirky sense of humor that is hard to relate to. Henry’s heroines have a little edgier and smarter sense of humor. They seem like real people that I know and am friends with. Actually, the humor kind of reminded me of the humor in Gilmore Girls which I watched over and over with my mom as a kid. The dialogue is just smart and really makes the characters come alive.
I think this is why, in the end, the romance works so well. Nora and Charlie feel like people you could bump into at any moment in the city because you get to know them so well through their dialogue. Like I said, Emily Henry has literal magic in her writing to make you feel for these characters at every turn.
Not to mention, she provides just the right amount of angst balanced with some give to make an insanely satisfying romantic ending. If you haven’t read any of Emily Henry’s romances, they are not hyped up this much for nothing–go read them!
Happy Wednesday, and Happy May!! I’m feeling very optimistic about my reading this month. I’ve already finished one book, close to finishing another, and have lots of free time for reading coming up since finishing classes for the ’21-’22 year.
I was able to get through a lot of These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong last night at work. Technically, I’m not supposed to have headphones in while at the circulation desk, but I think my customer service was top-notch, regardless. I’m 69% done with the audiobook, and I hope to finish this soon because it is so good. Nothing like I imagined it to be. Just a truly wild story.
I also went to Barnes and Noble yesterday to pick up Book Lovers by Emily Henry which I had to start immediately, obviously. Only about 40 pages in, but I can tell I’m going to love it. And because I couldn’t just get one book at B&N, I came home with about 6 or 7 books (post on my haul forthcoming).
I’m reading a third book as well: Of Beast and Burden by Kelsey Kicklighter. I know, wild. I usually like to be reading one book in each format: e-book, audiobook, and physical copy. This one is an e-book, and it’s a review copy, coming out next Tuesday. I’m about halfway through. It’s a quick read, but pretty underwhelming so far.
I finished The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes the other day (review to be published in the next few days). It was my first read of May, and it’s making me feel pretty optimistic about my reading habits this month! It was definitely an interesting read, and I’m looking forward to starting the next book soon.
Like I said, I’ll be starting The Hawthorne Legacy soon. I could wait on this, but I checked it out from the library, so I only have about a week and a half to actually get to it. I also think that if I don’t pick it up now, I won’t ever get to it. It’s not that I didn’t like the first one, I just wasn’t completely sucked in. I do want to see what happens next, so I’m making myself pick this one up.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell is part of the haul I brought home yesterday. I didn’t know anything about it until I saw it on the shelf. I’ve obviously seen it everywhere, I just never really looked into it. After reading the back though, I’m absolutely intrigued and super looking forward to starting it.
I am so, so excited to be starting Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl) this week given the theme. I love the idea of really concise reviews because I always write too much. I don’t think I reviewed a good amount of the last ten books I read, so it’s even better that I do this now.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
One-Word Review: Mysterious
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
One-Word Review: The f*cking sh*t
(cheating here but if you know Dave Grohl, it is the only fitting review)
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
One-Word Review: Magical
The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren
One-Word Review: Lacking
A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
One-Word Review: Important
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
One-Word Review: Sweet
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
One-Word Review: Hot.
The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
One-Word Review: Angsty perfection
(cheating again but I couldn’t just leave it at angsty)
Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz
One-Word Review: Underwhelming
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
One-Word Review: Forgettable
This was harder than I expected! I tried to pick words that weren’t so generic that they could be applied to literally any book. And obviously I cheated a couple times. No regrets!!
Happy May, everyone! While I love rainy April (seriously I could have rainstorms every day and never be sad again), May is my absolute favorite month.
My reading for April was not the best. I had a lot of family stuff going on, and my grandma’s passing really took its toll. I’m kinda glad I took this break from reading during that time, though, because I wouldn’t have enjoyed any book anyway. Aside from this huge chunk of my April, I also went on a trip to visit my best friend in St. Louis which meant not a lot of reading got done. Enjoy some unedited photos from our trip:
Under the arch!Missouri Botanic Garden
Books Read: 4
Pages read: 1,504
Books DNF’d: 2
According to Storygraph, most of my books were either funny or adventurous. I could probably agree that several were adventurous, but the ‘funny’ category was surprising to me. It lists The Storyteller and The Honey-Don’t List under that category. I get the former a little, but neither really jumps out as being incredibly funny.
As for genres, this checks out. Romance and fantasy are always my top genres. Pretty self explanatory.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
I liked these two reads, but they weren’t my favorites of the month. I didn’t even review A Song Below Water, mostly because it is YA. I don’t feel like I should be reviewing something if I didn’t absolutely love it when it wasn’t written with me as the intended audience. The Honey-Don’t List was cute but just a solid romance that didn’t do anything extraordinary.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
These two were the stars of April. Anything Dave Grohl does, I can’t not enjoy it. And Daughter of the Moon Goddess was just fantasy perfection. I have nothing more to say on either.
I read (or attempted to read) Twisted Love while I was dealing with my grandma getting sick, so I’d like to give it the benefit of the doubt. It just wasn’t the story I was looking for at the time. I wanted something a little more romance focused, and this was just waaaay too intense.
As for Island Time, I really, really tried hard to get into this. I got like 5% and almost put it down, but then told myself I had to keep going because it was a review copy. Turns out, my first instinct was right. Boring and just kind of weird, in the end.
I’m still in the middle of The Inheritance Games and These Violent Delights, so I’m hoping to get May off to a good start by finishing those soon.
Down The TBR Hole is a meme created by Lia at Lost in a Story that revolves around cleansing your TBR of all those books you’re never going to read and sort through it all to know what’s actually on there.
Most of you probably know this feeling, your Goodreads TBR pile keeps growing and growing and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. You keep adding, but you add more than you actually read. And then when you’re scrolling through your list, you realize that you have no idea what half the books are about and why you added them. Well that’s going to change!
It works like this:
Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?
I’ve been on Goodreads since 2010 and have over 1,100 books on my profile. In light of this, I’m expecting (hoping) to clear out a lot of books from my TBR. I’m horrible at letting go of things, however, and I think this going to be harder than it sounds.
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
I still have this book on my shelf at home, and I bought it because Williams Chima was praised as a classic fantasy author. It’s from 2009, so I do worry it won’t be as good a read for 2022 standards. This isn’t a given though, and I often love the storytelling style that was popular in the aughts. I obviously still love fantasy. I think this one might still be a good read. And if I do like it, I’ll have all of her other books to get into.
Verdict: Keeping it
The Republic by Plato
This is one my sixth grade history teacher recommended to the class. Because I always tried to be teacher’s pet, I immediately said of course I would read it at some point. I’m still interested in philosophy, but this one is tough because do I really care about what my Greek ancestors thought the perfect society was? Keeping this would be an absolutely sentimental action, but I could definitely see myself picking this up when I’m older and in the mood for something different.
Verdict: Keeping it
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
I remember putting a lot of A.S. King novels on my TBR and not reading any of them. This is a YA contemporary which is a genre I’m just not super into anymore. I have no attachment to this book, and I’d rather spend my time reading something else. The premise sounds interesting, so I’m a little torn, but I know in reality I won’t ever get to this one.
Verdict: Gone
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
This book was huge on BookTube in 2013, right when everyone was reading and loving dystopia. I think the trend for me on this one has just fully passed. I still find dystopia interesting, but I’m not going to go pick this one up. When I moved houses in 2017, I got rid of a lot of books I just was not into anymore. This honestly might have gone out with those books already. And, to be honest, I just don’t often vibe with male fantasy writers. So if I’m going to pick up a dystopia, it’s going to be by a woman.
Verdict: Already gone
Tiger’s Dream by Colleen Houck
I absolutely loved this series when I was younger. I remember not being able to put them down even when friends were over. We would watch movies, and I would just be sitting there reading these books. Looking back, though, this is definitely a white woman writing an Indian-inspired fantasy novel which does not sit right with me. It might be fun to go back and reread the original series just to see if I pick up on anything white, but I don’t see myself going for this fifth novel.
Verdict: Gone
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
I went through a small Steinbeck phase in middle school because I thought if I could read Grapes of Wrath in the eighth grade, it meant I was better than everyone else. No one mentioned to me that just because I read it, doesn’t mean I understood it at all. Anyway, I do still like Steinbeck, and I’ve been talking to my partner about doing a buddy-read for this lately. No intention of taking this off my TBR anytime soon.
Verdict: Keeping it
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
I probably found this one on BookTube as well, and I don’t think I was super interested at the time. Now though, the premise sounds super interesting. And I’m a sucker for anything that’s touted as having beautiful descriptive writing. Historical fiction can be hit-or-miss for me, but making this post has intrigued me even more. Might have to read this one soon.
Verdict: Keeping it
Shadowland by Meg Cabot
This one honestly sounds soooo fun. 16-year-old me would have loved to read this one, and I’m sad I didn’t at that age. 24-year-old me is looking back with regret, but I won’t end up reading this one. Again, it’s just too late on this trend for me. There are other fantasy books that I know would be more fitting for my reading tastes now. Maybe I’ll see this one day at a thrift bookshop and pick it up, but for now, it’s a no from me.
Verdict: Gone
1984 by George Orwell
Alright, it’s actually embarrassing that this is still on my TBR shelf. I read Animal Farm in high school and absolutely loved it. I know I would love this one. I mean, it’s a classic for a reason. It has been so talked about, especially in the past 6 years. It’s ok to shame me on this one, y’all. I’m keeping this and making a commitment to reading it soon, okay?
Verdict: Keeping it
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
I actually partially read this one. In 2020, I got a little over halfway through and decided it was too long and convoluted, and I didn’t want to waste any more time on it. It’s a very plot-centered novel, which is just not for me. I can see why it’s a classic, and I think I would try his other books, but this was technically a DNF.
Verdict: Read it (for the most part)
Books kept: 5
Books off my TBR: 5
TBR count: 529 books
I don’t pay much attention to my Goodreads TBR list, but this was a nice exercise in letting go. It was also interesting to see how much my reading tastes have evolved. I was a little pretentious when I was young, hence all the classic lit. I’ve been thinking of reading the oldest books on my TBR for a while now, so this might be the kickstart I needed to finally do it this year.
Have you read any of the books on my list? What’s your current Goodreads TBR count at?
I thought about writing a review for this one, but writing reviews of autobiographies just feels a little weird to me. What am I going to say, “I found your life boring AND your writing sucks too”? I wouldn’t say that about Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller, but I’m not going to write a whole piece talking about how much I love the man (as much as I would like to). Anyone else feel weird about reviewing autobiographies?
There was something I was thinking about, however, while listening to this audiobook. Grohl talks a lot about how he believes much of his success comes from manifestation at a young age, really believing and thinking he was going to make it and then putting in the effort to do so. At one point he says something to the effect of if you work hard enough and believe in what you’re doing, you can make it.
Now, to reiterate, I fucking *love* Dave Grohl. Do I think he manifested his fame and success? I think he’s an extremely talented guy who just got lucky on many occasions in his life. On some level I love the idea that if you think hard enough about something, it will come to fruition. So, while I was listening to this, I was thinking, yeah, I can get behind this. But I was also thinking, dude, you are a super-rich rockstar with Paul McCartney’s phone number. I’m pretty sure you don’t have to manifest much. I don’t fault Dave for this. He’s a musician, so he’s probably just naturally inclined to this kind of ideology anyway. And he seems incredibly nice. So he gets a pass.
It did get me to thinking about the celebrity autobiography in general. I mean, it’s obviously another way to get money and add to their stardom, right? Who sits down and says, “I’m going to write a book today” unless they absolutely love reading and writing. Which is fine–I’d probably do the same thing, if I’m being honest. Sometimes I do think, though, man did this celebrity really need to write a book about themselves? Is anything in this book even real? Or, do I just like this book because I love the celebrity? Does it even matter?
I didn’t think this while reading this book. Dave Grohl has had a super interesting life, but I wonder if I would have been interested if I hadn’t already known I love him. All I know is that he definitely deserves the level of fame he has, AND he seems like a really sweet dad.
Some other celeb autobiographies I read and enjoyed:
Ok, so maybe Michelle Obama is more political figure than celebrity, but my point stands.
Do you guys read autobiographies of celebrities you aren’t fans of? Do you like the idea of them, or do they piss you off? Still unsure, though I have read quite a few in my life. Can’t say I don’t enjoy them.
Happy Wednesday everyone! We’re about to get into my favorite month, and I could not feel happier about everything going on in my life recently! There’s a reason Spring is the month of rebirth 🙂 This week, I finished up all my finals, so I have a lot of free time on my hands coming up.
So, this photoset looks extremely similar to the one I did last week. I’m going to take that as a sign of good planning on my part! I’ll give an update regardless here.
Currently reading: I’ve been reading The Inheritance Games before bed every night and during downtime at work. This one is so unlike what I expected. The characters almost remind me of the gang from The Raven Cycle. Anyone else? I’m kinda surprised how much I’ve been enjoying YA recently. I had thought I was originally moving on from it, but I’ve had a lot of good YA reads this year. I also just started the These Violent Delights audiobook today during a workout. I only have 7 days left on that loan, so I really need to get moving on it. The beginning has been incredible so far, so I’m looking forward to what’s in store next!
Recently finished: I finished Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller this week. After not finishing anything until the middle of this month, I’m definitely on a winning streak this month. These were both 5 star reads for me. The Storyteller was expected to go this way, but I didn’t know what to expect from Tan’s book. So, so good.
Reading next: Of Beasts and Burden comes out May 10, so I also need to get going on that one too. I have high hopes for both, so hopefully I can finish the month out strong. Honestly have no idea what will come after this one. Sometimes I have a clear plan of books I’d like to get to soon, but I’m feeling really free with my schedule! Tell me one book I should read next below!
Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.
Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor’s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.
To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.
As the title of this book review states, this might be my favorite fantasy of the year (as of April). And I have read a lot of good fantasy this year (She Who Became the Son, Six Crimson Cranes, Legendborn, Little Thieves) to name a few. This novel took the war intrigue and protagonist bad-assery from She Who Became the Sun and combined it with strong relationship-building to form, quite literally, my perfect fantasy story.
Sue Lynn Tan is an expert at playing with my emotions. There were several times reading this book where my heart dropped, and I had to put it down for a few minutes. The relationships were so complicated, and I could not see an easy fix to any of the problems. It was truly heart-wrenching but in the best possibly way because Tan’s writing is exquisite.
I’m not sure how she does it, but every line of Tan’s writing just feels magical. I don’t need beautiful writing to enjoy a story, but, man, does it seriously make a difference.
I could not believe this was a debut novel when I did some research after finishing. I am so excited to see what is next for Xingyin and for Tan’s writing.
Ok, I technically was not tagged in this. BUT I’m kinda just making up my own rules with this blogging thing. I’ve been running this blog for three months, which is honestly a lot longer than I expected myself to get with this. I saw Leslie do this, so I thought I’d take it and use it as a 3-month milestone post!
Hi y’all! I’m Louise! I’m a 24-year-old grad student studying to be a librarian, and I currently work in an engineering library on campus. I am definitely considering going into public librarianship, though, because I love working with kids and other people who aren’t in academia 🙂 I’m currently living in Illinois but am originally from Boston! And that is pretty much all I have to say in way of introduction lol.
Something most everyone wants to know…do you have any pets?
I have a 6 year old maltipoo named Gigi (after George Harrison), but she’s back home in Boston with my parents while I’m in school 😦
Here’s one of my favorite pictures of her after a grooming!
What is your favorite thing to drink?
Going to be veeeery boring here and just say water. There’s nothing like drinking a glass of ice water when you’re thirsty. Although, I do love a glass of wine on nights where I don’t have to work the next day!
What is your favorite season?
Spring!!! I love the feeling of everything coming back to life and the first warm day after a cold winter. It also just gives me a lot of nostalgia for when I was younger and would be finishing up the school year.
Do you have any special talents?
My family is all very musical, so we’re all singers and play instruments. I like piano and flute even though I haven’t spent much time practicing either. Not really a special talent, per se, but just a normal talent.
Blogging
When and why did you start your blog?
I’ve been blogging technically since I was about 14 on different platforms. First Tumblr, then I shared a WordPress book blog with a friend throughout high school. I started this one 3 months ago, obviously. Every time has been because I love talking about books and I wanted to share that with others. Not many people in my life are huge readers, so having all of you is really important to me 🙂
What is something that you wish you knew about blogging when you first started?
This is definitely premature, but I wish I had known all the WordPress tricks I do now. Other than that, I think there’s probably still a lot I have to learn!
What has been the hardest part about blogging?
Just getting myself to sit down and actually write the stuff out. I have all these ideas I want to post, and it’s been hardest to get myself to put them down on paper. Even though it feels good when I’m actually writing it out, I have so much going on with school and work that sometimes it’s just hard to stop myself from watching two hours of TikTok when I have some free time.
What has been the most rewarding part of blogging?
Definitely everyone I’ve interacted with so far!! I love seeing books I have in common with people and finding new books from people I follow. I hope to really get to know a lot of you continuing on 🙂
Do you write your posts ahead of time or write them the day of posting?
Usually write them day of, unless I have time to write two posts in one day. I don’t plan things out, because then it would become too much of a chore for me.
Reading
Who are your top 5 favourite authors?
This was incredibly hard but:
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Jennifer L. Armentrout
Ali Hazelwood
Emily Henry
Jane Austen
What genre do you read the most?
This year it has been romance, but definitely overall fantasy/romance/romantasy are my top genres. I will never move away from these genres.
What genre surprised youby how much you love it?
Science nonfiction! I shouldn’t have been surprised because I love random facts, but I am a story girl through and through. Science nonfiction kinda snuck up on me in a few of the classes I was taking. I readThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks for a biology class as an undergrad as well as a few others and was hooked on the genre!
Which popular book didn’t live up to the hype for you?
I’ve said this before, but it will always be the first to come to mind. I really did not like House of Earth and Blood. Sooooo so long with barely anything that happens.
Who are some popular authors you haven’t read?
Casey McQuiston! Her books have been on my TBR for a while, I just haven’t gotten to pick them up yet.
What upcoming release are you excited to read?
Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood. Enough said.
Do you listen to music while reading?
Nope! If I listen to music, I’ll just end up singing along. Yes, even if it’s classical music.
Louise Reads 