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[mad-rdr]

November Reads

7 books this month!

The River of Silver by S.A. Chakraborty (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5): this was such a nice collection of stories set in the Daevabad world and even though I just finished this series, I didn't realize I had missed the characters so much

The Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies (★ ★ ★/5): big city girl moves to small town farm and learns what fulfilling work is (and how to cook). Basic story with exaggerated events (there's no reason for her backstory to be that dramatic tbh) and useless arguments (PLEASE) but I was in dire need of some mind-numbing fluff so here we are

Daydream by Hannah Grace (★ ★ ★/5): I don't know why I keep reading these books, they're cheesy and have bad dialogue and the most unrealistic college students I've ever heard of... but as I said, sometimes I just need to numb my mind and Hannah Grace definitely does the trick

What If It's Us? by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera (★ ★ ★ ★/5): this book gives huge nostalgia vibes for the first time I read it and a part of me will always love it. It's nice to be reassured that sometimes people come into your life for just the right amount of time and that the universe may work in mysterious ways

Here's To Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera (★ ★ ★ ★/5): didn't love this book as first but it got much better at the end. I feel like the beginning was too drawn out (probably for max dramatic effect) and I definitely did not see that Dylan and Samantha twist coming, but hey that epilogue proposal was amazing

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo (★ ★ ★/5): this was... oddly disappointing. I love Bardugo but for some reason this book didn't do it for me, it was hard to get into, slow, and honestly didn't make a whole lot of sense. Her debut into the adult genre definitely could've been better but I'm sure I'll continue to read anything she writes like a rat searching for crumbs

Familiar Threat by Stephanie St. Klaire (★ ★/5): sometimes I remember people who know me in real life can see the things I read... this is one of those times. Don't worry about it

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October reads

7 books this month!

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5): another iconic book in the world of SJM. Bryce and Hunt are my absolute favs and I love the shit they get up to with all their friends. Very curious to see how SJM finally wraps this series up with the crossover and all that...

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas (★ ★ ★ ★/5): hm. I feel like I need to process the fact that this 800+ page book not only took place over a week but that that was all the crossover entailed. I didn't hate it, I couldn't hate all these insane character arcs and plotlines, but I was a bit disappointed by this finale. I'll sit with it, but honestly I can't believe it's over

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (★ ★ ★/5): another silly installation in this series. Evie and The Villain are so amusing and I need them get together already. I wish this series was a little more complex and longer but hey, didn't mean I enjoyed it any less

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson (★ ★/5): I really wanted to like this book but honestly, I couldn't get into it. It dragged on and the world building, which seemed great at first, fell flat

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland (★ ★ ★ ★/5): this was a fun one, a band of liars and thieves and killers, all with their own motives, brough together with the sole purpose of killing a tyrant king. I really was rooting for this book, and while it wasn't the worst, most the action happens in the last 50 pages. I feel like by trying to make the characters mysterious and complex, a lot of background info was just dropped- it's hard to form connections with characters you know nothing about. Three stars but the fourth star is solely for queen and badass motherfucker Sora.

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein (no rating): a long thought-out case for how capitalism inherently works against the environment and how the two can't coexist. I've been studying this topic for awhile so while it wasn't anything new, I still appreciated Klein's matter of fact way of putting things

Nightbane by Alex Aster (★ ★/5): I don't know why I thought the sequel would be any better than Lightlark (I blame the reviews). It was just as stupid and corny and as much bad writing as the first book. I don't understand why they're suddenly in a war and why Isla loves Oro when he's as interesting as flour. And the whole thing with Isla remembering her past with Grim was badly paced for the plot and the reveals at the end had me rolling my eyes. You know your book is bad when you have to force a cliff hanger to get people to care.

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September Reads

8 books this month!

Wildfire by Hannah Grace (★ ★ ★/5): cute lil romance that was wayyy better than ice breaker. Tbh I was more interested in the workings of the summer camp than the “plot” but hey, I’m a simple creature

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips (★ ★ ★/5): you can tell this was written in the early 2000s but honestly it was so camp and made me laugh

The Family Experiment by John Marrs (★ ★ ★ ★/5): is this the future of AI? god, I hope not. The metaverse (or whatever it’s called) it’s a terrifying thought and AI babies sounds insane.

Funny Story by Emily Henry (★ ★ ★ ★/5): this set up was funny as hell and I loved the drama. Super cute as well, Emily Henry never misses

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5): one of the best historical nonfiction books I’ve read in a longgg time, I was tearing through the pages. Such an interesting style to write in, but I was hooked

Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by M. J. Wassmer (★ ★ ★/5): a bit predictable but no less entertaining. “Lord of the Flies” inspired is an apt description

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (★ ★ ★ ★/5): LOVE TJR. The way she write struggles and character arcs is insane- she a must read author for me and I’m never disappointed. Carrie is incredibly complex and a bit unlikable, but this was a damn good story

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5): one of my favorite books of all time, Bryce Quinlan is one bamf, I will never get over her vacuuming up the archangel she murdered and then preceding to become one of the most powerful people in the world all because of LOVE. Ugh I don’t even care that this book was inspired by zootopia- that movie slaps (sorry not sorry)

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August Reads

6 books this month!

The Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty (★ ★ ★ ★/5): If I could summarize this book in one sentence it would be: a war where neither side is right and everyone dies. If you can’t tell, this book was INSANE. There was so much happening the entire time and everytime I thought my opinions on a character were certain, they did something that completely changed my mind again. There were so many loyalty changes and assassination attempts and self-righteous speeches. My only complaint is that I feel because there are so many characters to keep track of and develop, there’s not really any huge character arcs that should have happened.

The Duchess War by Courtney Milan (★ ★ ★/5): cute and basic regency-era romance. Gotta love a revolutionary duke who realizes he's unmatched when it comes to the woman he loves

Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver (★ ★ ★/5): Butcher & Blackbird works because it's one of a kind and this sequel is obviously trying to capitalize on that success. Not to say this book wasn't enjoyable, it just wasn't as fun as the first one. The whole fake marriage thing barely makes sense, I really don't get why Lark would bother to try and save Lochlan's life. But anyways, cheers to enemies to lovers ig

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (★ ★/5): While not a good book (which I knew going in), I was finding it relatively entertaining until the last 20% of the book. Anastasia is honestly so annoying and Nathan gets gross and controlling towards the end. The conflict with Aaron was incredibly drawn out and super repetitive and don’t even get me started on her being pregnant in the epilogue. Anyways- it was fun till it kinda wasn’t but eh, I wasn’t expecting quality.

Raven Rock by Nichole Louise (★ ★ ★ ★/5): A historical fiction book placed right in the heart of the American Revolution, it explains the origins of the legend of the Headless Horseman. And let me just say, wow. It started off a little slow, but by halfway through I was fully engaged in the story. Wolfram was such a compelling character, with his internal conflict regarding his uncle, a man who had been like a father to him, and his ruthlessness during the war. He defies him and ends up saving a child from a burning building, becoming a traitor in the process. His time in Sleepy Hollow with Hulda (resident healer that is seen as a witch and therefore outcasted) was so fun to read about and makes the tragedy of it all that more devastating. I am glad that Wolfram got his revenge against his uncle for not only killing his father but also killing him. I like to think Hulda and Wolfram are haunting Raven Rock together and have found each other in their afterlives. This truly was such a great read and I’m glad I pick led it up. Shoutout to Herkules, the best horse companion a man could have.

The Empire of Gold by S. A. Chakraborty (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5): I take back everything I said in the last book about there being too many characters to give them proper arcs. This series finale proved me wrong and I am so, so glad. This series has only gotten better with each book and this was definitely the best one. Nahri and Ali cross the world, find allies in ancient beings, come into new powers, discover family secrets, overthrow a mass murderer, and are rebuilding Daevabad from the ground up. They are such a fun pair and I’m truly glad they’ve found their way back to each other. For Dara, I just feel an immense sadness for him. His story is a tragedy and so nuanced and complex- the author did a really good job of handling it and giving him a fitting ending. There’s so much more I could talk about but just know that this was such a good ending and, in one way or another, everyone is working towards their own peace.

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July Reads

5 books this month!

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty (★ ★ ★ ★/5): the author builds an incredibly complex world that I struggled to follow along with, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Nahri is such a fun main character and I really wish that the whole love triangle between her, Ali, and Dara didn't exist. Dara and Ali are polar opposites of each, down to their values and religious ideologies, and there could've been so much more to their interacts other than who "wins" Nahri's hand. But now that Dara is "dead" and Ali is banished, I hope Nahri fucks shit up in Daevabad.

Icarus by K. Ancrum (★ ★ ★ ★/5): this was so poetic and cute (if a little dark tbh). It's a modern retelling of Icarus that focuses on love and the things that we would do for the people we love, and think it's sweet

The Revenant Games by Margie Fuston (★ ★/5): I didn't like Bly from the beginning, she's selfish and materialistic and blindsided by her delusions throughout the novel. She essentially killed her sister or made her disappear or whatever and tried to blame it on Emerson. Girl- it's not his fault he didn't return your feelings, grow up. Then she forms feelings for the first person/vampire within her sights and betrays literally everyone and everything, including herself, just to not even end up with what she was trying to get in the first place. The book was a whole lot of nothing with a looping plot, a game that makes zero sense, and not a single resolution.

The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5): such an important book with such an important collection of work and research. The US is literally built on segregation- so many of these examples happened within the past 50-60 years. So many people alive today upheld that system and that’s definitely not talked about enough

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (★ ★ ★ ★/5): a tale of the harsh reality of being black in America, this book has incredible prose and depth and although it was first published in the 70s, it’s so relevant.

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June Reads

10 books this month!

Lightlark by Alex Aster (★ ★ ★/5): there's so much potential but unfortunately the author fell into the trope hole and came up with a love triangle out of absolutely nowhere. Could've been more creative with the names too lol no need to be so boring

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5): this was super informative without being a bunch of nonsense technical words. The human body is an incredibly complex thing and we always forget that

Assistant to the Villian by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (★ ★ ★ ★/5): this wasn't perfect but it was entertaining so I can definitely see myself reading the sequel- I love "evil" people who are wonderful employers

A Game of Hearts & Heists by Ruby Roe (★ ★/5): if you're going to have an enemies to lovers at least make the arc make sense ffs, also this plot was so full of holes I could barely follow it

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed (★ ★ ★ ★/5): wildly suspenseful and downright creepy, this short story about an otherworldly forest left me wanting more. Give me the strange and weird things! please!

Beach Read by Emily Henry (★ ★ ★/5): this did not in fact take place on a beach (okay barely) and was kind of cliche but it was cute so it gets four stars instead of three

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes (★ ★ ★ ★/5): this was so entertaining and unlike anything I've read before; a guide to murder (or delete) someone in your life at a top secret university designed to teach you the best way to achieve your murder (or thesis). Very fun read and unique idea

Final Deception by Stephanie St. Klaire (★ ★ ★/5): falling in love with your bodyguard while you’re in witness protection? Questionable. Him coming to save you over and over and over again till he kills the guy coming after you? Acceptable.

Angel on My Corner by Kyle Scafide (★ ★/5): this book was fucking weird and was trying way too hard to make meaning out of something. And the religious iconography was not working the way the author hoped

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver (★ ★ ★/5): I need authors to stop writing for the booktok audience PLEASE. I still found this one enjoyable but my god can we please focus on a story and not just the smut

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May Reads

10 books this month!

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5): I would die for those magical children and also arthur. I really enjoyed this book, it was quite light despite the topics it covers and it reminds me that there is hope in the world despite all the hate. I love how Linus slowly softened to the children (and them to him). His character development was great and I hope they all live happily ever after

Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalo (★ ★ ★/5): this was the weakest book so far. Still loved Thomas and Audrey though her lil escapades with the circus master were obviously trying to create a love triangle that didn't work

The Upcycle by William McDonough (★ ★/5): this book read like one long self promo for their other book, and I really don't think this was written from a conservation standpoint, it appealed to big corporations too much

Midnight Ruin by Katee Robert (★ ★/5): this was sooo bad, there was absolutely no buildup between Eurydice and Charon and I genuinely don't think Orpheus ever got through his shit. I'm a fan of threesomes though so it gets an extra star for that

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (★ ★ ★/5): not too bad of a little sequel although the first one was much better. Being stuck on a murder train sounds awful but at least the narrator was funny (shout out to that twist ending as well)

The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss (★ ★ ★ ★/5): I love Bast and I love the chaos he creates; I still don't fully understand his relationship with Kvothe (plss Pat we need book three), but I enjoyed this story nonetheless

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper (★ ★ ★/5): a heavy book about what it was like to be a woman in ancient Rome, specifically as a prostitute. It was a good story of doing what it takes to survive but I don't think I'll read the rest of the series

Mouth of Rain edited by Briona Simone (★ ★ ★ ★/5): this was such a nice anthrology of work by black lesbians! we have so much to learn from them and they should be cherished at all costs

The Stand-In by Lily Chu (★ ★ ★ /5): unnecessary conflict aside, this wasn't too bad of a story no matter how predictable the ending was (of course they're sisters)

Tempting Enemy by M. Robinson (★/5): this was an awful book and the only reason I put my eyes through the trauma of reading it was so I can talk shit about it on the internet. They really let anyone publish a book these days and it shows. If you want borderline pedophilia and uncomfortable familial relationships,,, by all means read this at your displeasure

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April Reads

9 books this month!

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (★ ★ ★ ★/5): I’ve finally read the og fantasy book and honestly it was so nice to go back to the basics before “romantasy” became a thing. An adventure for an adventure's sake !

The War of Two Queens by Jennifer Armentrout (★ ★ ★/5): this book should’ve been book 2 and we could’ve skipped those other ones. There’s a lot of unnecessary back and forth in this book and once again I stress the importance of editors. The anticipated threesome was okay, could’ve been better tbh. Honestly, I will not be finishing this series- especially after learning that book 5 is literally just a retelling of book 1 in Casteel’s POV. Respectfully I don’t care enough to continue

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade (★ ★ ★/5): this book, much like the storyline consists of, reads like fanfiction. I was genuinely taken aback by the Ao3-formatted chapters within this book, like I did not think that was necessary but okay. Not awful, but be prepared for cringy adults (almost 40 yrs old btw) that have little to no communication skills

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (★ ★ ★/5): I'm a little late to the hype of this book but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I loved Audrey Rose and Thomas' interactions and all props to them both for being interested in mortuary science... couldn't be me

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco (★ ★ ★ ★/5): this was a good mysterious follow up to the first book, although I think it's funny that they went through all of that to not get admitted into the forensics school (also these poor children have soo much trauma now)

Recoding America by Jennifer Pahlka (★ ★ ★/5): a good insight into how efforts to make the government smaller have actually made possible technological advancements nearly impossible (at least on government websites). The policy loopholes (more like tangles) are astounding and frustrating and the government is a mess

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5): I'm only a little familiar with the original Hindu myth of Ramayana but I feel like this take was so good! I really enjoyed Kaikeyi's story and learning abt her motivations for what she did, mythology (and history) is never kind to female voices, and I think their stories need to be told too

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson (★ ★ ★ ★/5): what a fun little mystery novel! The humor of the narrator made this quite enjoyable and quick to read, although I'm a little disappointed this wasn't a story about a family of serial killers

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5): this was such a wholesome story about life after death and seeing the best in humanity. This also taught me that life is too short to not be lived. Go out into the world and live and love and learn and do all the things you want to do without waiting for the "right" moment !

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March Reads

10 books!

Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake (★ ★ ★/5): I loved getting to see Astrid be a normal human being with wants and needs and I especially loved her getting with a woman!! And telling off her awful mother!! (mommy issues hit hard bro)

Blue Monday by Nicci French (★ ★ ★/5): this was such an interesting little mystery involving twins and I loved how Frida was like "I'm a criminal investigator now" and broke like 10 laws. I was also not expecting that ending holy shit (he killed his twins and took his place)

Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian (★ ★ ★/5): honestly, I'm not sure anything actually happened in this book aside from a weird love triangle, this 16 yr old queen realizing she doesn't know shit and some half-assed revival from the dead “twist” at the end.

Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian (★ ★ ★/5): this series finale wasn’t too bad, I still feel like if it was written as an adult book it could’ve done so much more with the characters and plot, but I’ll accept it. People die, Theo learns to wield fire, and there’s a lot of unnecessary injures. Truly, where would they be without Heron. Don’t get me started on the dream walking.

The Power of Trees by Peter Wohlleben (★ ★ ★/5): this was a good book, if a little more scientific than I was expecting. Definitely made me think about the human relationship with trees and how we really do take them for granted.

By Any Other Name by Erin Cotter (★ ★ ★/5): I love historical tellings of gay people- factual correctness aside. I did not, however, enjoy the incessant use of the word “tis.” If you’re going to commit to 16th century England you gotta do it all the way and not just sprinkle it in here and there. I did loveeee our chaotic asf mc though- he doesn’t know anything except lust and money (and sometimes love)

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout (★ ★ ★ ★ /5): finally got around to this book and let me just say… these new high fantasy authors need more editors. Has no one told them that repetition is the bane of my existence?? If I read the word “Maiden” one more time I’m gonna lose it. On that note though, this book wasn’t too bad overall. I found it highly predictable (like duh of course Hawke is the dark prince) but once I accepted I wouldn’t be surprised I was able to enjoy it. I love me a good vampire story and this delivered.

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer Armentrout (★ ★ ★/5): someone please tell me why it took the entire book for the characters to move from one place to another. Seriously. There seemed to be little development character and plot-wise and while it was quite steamy... *something* should've happened in 600 pages.

A Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer Armentrout (★ ★ ★/5): this book was far better than the second one but I'm still chasing that high of book one. Book three is almost too much, Poppy goes from being crowned to kidnapped to rescued to dying to being revived and "Ascended" all within the first 80 ish pages... and then after that there's still 600 pages to go. In the course of the book her parentage gets "revealed" like 6 times and finally lands on her being a god? It was good, action-packed and smutty, but my god, someone needs to teach this author the skills of pacing.

Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake (★ ★ ★ ★ /5): this was such a good end to the little Bright Falls trilogy; I love me a good bisexual mess who doesn't know how much love she deserves. I just didn't like the breakup at the end, it felt like the author was trying to add a little angst in there and it didn't really work because we all knew they would get back together. But hey, I'm never gonna pass up a fake dating trope.

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February Reads

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian (★ ★ ★ ★/5): a basic little YA fantasy that reads well but is surprisingly violent. There’s clearly a lot of heavy shit going on here and I’m looking forward to seeing how the author will write it out

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (★ ★ ★ ★/5): had a bit of a slow start but definitely picked up from there. I love a good little suspense and mystery read

Beta by Jasinda Wilder (★/5): I’ve read some bad smut books but this one takes the cake. Absolutely full of inconsistencies and bad dialogue. Please stick to wattpad

Everfair by Nisi Shawl (★ ★/5): I loved the idea of this book more than the book itself. It was hard to get through and a bit boring

The Gilded Cage by Lynette Noni (★ ★ ★ ★/5): another great addition to this series, much more action and political drama with another insane ending. This series is keeping me on my toes

The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni (★ ★ ★ ★/5): for the series finale it could’ve been better, the main characters didn’t even talk to each other for 75% of the book. Overall not too bad of a series though, I would read it again

Happy Place by Emily Henry (★ ★ ★/5): man I had expectations for this book and I definitely shouldn’t have. The same problem every 10 pages and honestly who knew what tf was going on ever

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (★ ★ ★ ★/5): a historical fiction piece about lesbians! A bit slow with no real plot but I enjoyed it nonetheless

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January Reads

10 whole books this month! Maybe this is a sign that my reading slump is over??

Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey (★ ★ ★/5) - do I have any idea of what went on in this book? faintly. However, I love space and fucking shit up so I highly enjoyed this.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (★ ★ ★ ★/5) - why was this not split up into two books... and why do the two main characters have the same fucking argument every 15 pages, PLEASE rebecca (you need another editor)

Twisted Lies by Ana Huang (★ ★ ★ ★/5) - this was honestly the tamest of the whole series. Oh you’re upset he kept files on you? Girl he’s literally killed people you have bigger worries. Also was not a fan of the epilogue- none of these men should be fathers and I hate the pregnancy trope

Lilith's Brood by Octavia E. Butler (★ ★ ★ ★/5) - I'm not gonna lie this book made me incredibly uncomfortable but I know that was exactly the point. I'm so here for Ms. Butler continuing to shake up my ideas on the human experience.

This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham (★ ★ ★/3) - queer women that sometimes turn into man-eating monsters! amazing, loved it.

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5) - one of the best ya fantasy novels I've read in a while! The ending definitely got me and I'm hoping the momentum carries throughout the rest of the series.

Monster, She Wrote by Lise Kroger (★ ★ ★/5) - a super cool collection of 18-20th century women who wrote horror and gothic books!

Alpha by Jasinda Wilder (★ ★/5) - the plot was so awful but hey, I'm here for the smutty pallet cleanser.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5) - are you even an environmental scientist if you don't read this book? The answer is no, and this book should be required reading for everyone anyways. So incredibly insightful and inspiring, my heart is lighter.

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake (★ ★ ★ ★/5) - This was sooo cute, I love wlw romances! In a small town! With a heavily tattooed woman!

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My rating system

No stars: Usually for educational books that I don’t feel right rating

★: I didn’t like it

★ ★: It was okay

★ ★ ★: I liked it

★ ★ ★ ★: I really liked it

★ ★ ★ ★ ★: I loved it!

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In case anyone was wondering;

I read 71 books (I lowkey hit a massive reading slump)

I didn’t visit as many used bookstores, but I also didn’t really buy books

In case you didn’t notice from me frantically posting reviews from books I read months ago… I did not in fact keep up with this blog

No quite 40, but 29!!

Hell yeah I did, I borrowed 34 books from my libraries this year!

Important Stuff

My rating system

No stars: Usually for educational books that I don’t feel right rating

★: I didn’t like it

★ ★: It was okay

★ ★ ★: I liked it

★ ★ ★ ★: I really liked it

★ ★ ★ ★ ★: I loved it!

My 2023 Reading Goals 

Read 80 books

Buy half of books from local or used bookstores

Keep reading journal and Tumblr updated 

Read 40 books written by authors of color 

Utilize local libraries

My Immediate 2023 TBR

Latinas: An Anthology of Struggles & Protests

The New Jim Crow

Four Hundred Souls 

Keeper’n Me

Girls of Paper and Fire Trilogy 

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin Series (2 books)

All of Us Villains Duology 

The Green Bone Saga (3 books)

The Nightingale

The Return of the Dancing Master

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December 2023 Reviews

Finally wrapping up on my 2023 reviews but I’m overwhelmed so I've decided to condense them all into one post;

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong (★ ★ ★ ★/5); absolutely devastating I had tears in my eyes the entire time

A Touch of Ruin (Persephone x Hades #2) - Scarlett St. Clair (★ ★/5); how can someone write a 400 page book where nothing happens???

Radiant Sin (Dark Olympus #4) - Katee Robert (★ ★/5); lowkey the weakest book yet, it was kind of boring and although I loved Cassandra, the other characters were eh

Cruel Seduction (Dark Olympus #5) - Katee Robert (★ ★ ★/5); enemies to lovers and polyamory? Fuck yeah sign me up

A Touch of Malice (Persephone x Hades #3) - Scarlett St. Clair (★ ★ ★/5); this just in/ the two characters argue in circles about the same thing for the entire book… except at some point there’s a wedding

The Light We Carry - Michelle Obama (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5); mother!! Genuinely, Michelle Obamas words are so comforting I love this woman

Book Lovers - Emily Henry (★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5); why can’t I find someone like Charlie, all I’m asking for is a man that READS

Caliban’s War (The Expanse #2) - James S. A. Corey (★ ★ ★/5); do I have any idea what’s going on? No. Am I enjoying the ride? Yes. Strap me into the spaceship let’s shoot some bitches & destroy moons!

The Will to Change - bell hooks (★ ★ ★ ★/5); shook up my worldviews and really made me think about my relationship with men and my anger with them

Perfect on Paper - Sofia Gonzales (★ ★ ★ ★/5); actually really cute despite not being the lil wlw story I was envisioning (long live chaotic bisexuals)

[mad-rdr]

A Touch of Darkness - Scarlett St. Clair

★ ★ ★/5

Idk if you’ve noticed but I’ve been on a little Greek mythology retelling kick this year (2023)… nevermind that it’s mostly erotica… I am a simple creature. After the fun that was the Dark Olympus series (specifically Neon Gods) I was craving another Persephone & Hades retelling and while this book & world wasn’t as good as the Neon Gods one, it was still enjoyable! I love when ancient gods are written into the modern world. I will say that I’m intrigued that the author has a Persephone & Hades series so I can’t wait to see what tricks she’s got up her sleeve.

[mad-rdr]

Black Sun (Between Earth & Sky #1) - Rebecca Roanhorse

★ ★ ★ ★/5

Xiala the pirate captain bisexual joy of my heart and love of my life!! You are one of three main protagonists but you are my favorite and this is your book. Anyways. This book was good! I don’t know where I got mixed up and assumed this was an adult book instead of YA so I was a little surprised the first chapter, but not too displeased because the story made up for it! If you know anything about me so far it should be that I love me some good world building and this world is so intricate- especially the religious aspects and I can’t wait to explore it further in the next one (while I emotionally recover from that ending of course)

[mad-rdr]

Twisted Hate (Twisted #3) - Ana Huang

★ ★ ★ ★/5

Okay so I really, really liked the book. From the first half of it, it was on track to become my favorite book of the twisted series. I loved the banter, the tension, the enemies slow burn to lovers. AND THEN. Fuck ass Josh decides to actively harm Jules through sex knowing how she’s been used in the past and I can never go back from that. Genuinely, that scene disgusted me so much I had to take a break after reading it. And the fact that Huang wrote Jules to forgive him??? Absolutely not. I have highly debated keeping the four stars I originally gave this book when I first finished it but I try not to make a habit of changing my ratings till I reread so it’ll stay for now. Just know that this book is highly enjoyable until that one scene and if you can justify it, kudos to you.