April's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 07 May 2025 13:21:27 -0700 60 April's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)]]> 212127083
In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn't much a girl wouldn't do for a glass of water.

Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember.

But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.

When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently re-opens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares... but it turns out they're real, and Saeris has landed herself in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.

The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist's magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him . . . or her.

Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he's the only way Saeris is going to make it home.]]> 588 Callie Hart April 4
Saeris however got on my nerves at times, her commentary sometimes didn't feel like it fit the atmosphere or the worldbuilding.

But it was still a wonderful read.]]> 4.34 2024 Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)
author: Callie Hart
name: April
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/05/07
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review:
I enjoyed the world and it's history. I enjoyed the plot.

Saeris however got on my nerves at times, her commentary sometimes didn't feel like it fit the atmosphere or the worldbuilding.

But it was still a wonderful read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Black Witch (The Black Witch Chronicles, #1)]]> 25740412 A new Black Witch will rise…her powers vast beyond imagining.

Elloren Gardner is the granddaughter of the last prophesied Black Witch, Carnissa Gardner, who drove back the enemy forces and saved the Gardnerian people during the Realm War. But while she is the absolute spitting image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above all else.

When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University to embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But she soon realizes that the university, which admits all manner of people—including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of all Gardnerians—is a treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch.

As evil looms on the horizon and the pressure to live up to her heritage builds, everything Elloren thought she knew will be challenged and torn away. Her best hope of survival may be among the most unlikely band of rebels…if only she can find the courage to trust those she’s been taught to fear.]]> 601 Laurie Forest 0373212313 April 5 Could not put this down. 4.06 2017 The Black Witch (The Black Witch Chronicles, #1)
author: Laurie Forest
name: April
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/05/03
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review:
Could not put this down.
]]> Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) 209439446
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 527 Rebecca Yarros 1649374186 April 4
Half of the book felt like a information dump for things that could have been included with the first two books.

The other half made up for it... mostly.
TBH I'm almost tire of having more questions than answers constantly with this series ]]> 4.17 2025 Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: April
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/05/01
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review:
Took me long enough, started ages ago, but took a break.

Half of the book felt like a information dump for things that could have been included with the first two books.

The other half made up for it... mostly.
TBH I'm almost tire of having more questions than answers constantly with this series
]]> The Spellshop 199269577 The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz—a magically sentient spider plant—have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.

When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.

In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.

But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.

Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.]]> 384 Sarah Beth Durst April 5 4.05 2024 The Spellshop
author: Sarah Beth Durst
name: April
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/18
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sweep: Volume 2 (Sweep, #4-6)]]> 8493681 Includes:
Book 4 - Dark Magick
Book 5 - Awakening
Book 6 - Spellbound

Morgan Rowlands is a blood witch, the last of a long line of ancient and powerful witches and the holder of an unfathomable power. With the help of her love, her soul mate, Cal, she has realized her true self-but at a price. For Morgan and Cal share a terrible, dark secret; one that binds them together even as they are rend apart. Yet there is something about Cal's hunger for magick that frightens Morgan...

And now there is another, one who can bring Morgan clarity, truth... love. Morgan must decide who is her true soul mate, and who is out to destroy her forever...]]> 576 Cate Tiernan 0142418978 April 5 favorite 4.41 2007 Sweep: Volume 2 (Sweep, #4-6)
author: Cate Tiernan
name: April
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: favorite
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Silvercloak (Silvercloak Saga, #1)]]> 219520708 In this addictive new fantasy series set in a world where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain, an obsessive detective infiltrates a brutal gang of dark mages—knowing that one wrong move will get her killed. . . .

Two decades ago, the Bloodmoons ruthlessly murdered Saffron Killoran’s parents, destroying her idyllic childhood. Hell-bent on revenge, she lies her way into Silvercloak Academy—the training ground for her city’s elite order of detectives—with a single goal: to bring the Bloodmoons to justice.

But when Saff’s deception is exposed, rather than being cast out, she’s given a rare opportunity: to go undercover and tear the Bloodmoons down from the inside.

Descending into a world where pleasure and pain are the most powerful currencies, Saff must commit some truly heinous deeds to keep her cover—and her life. Not only are there rival gangs and sinister smuggling rings to contend with, but there’s also her growing feelings for the kingpin’s tortured son, with his vicious pet fallowwolf, his dark past, and the curious prophecy foretelling his death at Saffron’s hand.

With each day testing her loyalties further, Saff finds her web of lies becoming harder to spin. And when one false step could destroy everything and everyone she’s ever loved . . . the detective who’s dedicated her life to vengeance just might die for it.

Book One of the Silvercloak Saga]]> 464 Laura Steven 0593973992 April 0 to-read 4.01 2025 Silvercloak (Silvercloak Saga, #1)
author: Laura Steven
name: April
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> Girl in the Creek 211004203 The Girl in the Creek by Hugo Award winner Wendy N. Wagner is an atmospheric and eerie story about a Pacific Northwest forest that seems to be devouring all who enter. A perfect read for fans of T. Kingfisher and Jeff VanderMeer’s cli-fi cosmic horror.

The Clackamas National Forest has always been a sanctuary for evil—human and alien. The shadows of looming trees and long-abandoned mines shelter poachers and serial killers alike. Then there’s the ruined hotel on the outskirts of picturesque small town Faraday, Oregon, nestled in the foothills of Mt. Hood. The one drowning in mushrooms and fungus not even the local expert can identify. Not to mention the stacks of missing persons cases. Freelance writer Erin Harper arrives in Faraday to find out what happened to her brother, whose disappearance in the forest has haunted her for years. But someone else has gone missing. And when Erin finds her in the creek, the girl vanishes again � this time from the morgue, and days later her fingerprints show up at a murder scene. Maybe it’s a serial killer, or maybe it’s the spores infecting the forest and those lost inside. Erin must find answers quickly, before anyone else goes missing. But she might be next�

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 272 Wendy N. Wagner 1250908647 April 0 to-read 3.50 2025 Girl in the Creek
author: Wendy N. Wagner
name: April
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Dragon's Apprentice 217245599 In this hilarious fantasy adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Story Thieves series, a girl strikes a deal with the ancient, cranky dragon she accidentally summoned to teach her the forbidden magic she needs to save her mother.

STOP. Don’t read any further. There are magic spells in this book, and the Emperor has forbidden anyone from learning magic, because it’s way too dangerous! If you try one of the spells, any number of terrible things might happen (or so the Emperor says).Ěý

Don’t be like Ciara, a twelve-year-old girl living in the tiny village of Skael. When she used a spell from within this book, she ended up summoning a dragon. A DRAGON! Those things breathe fire! From their mouths! She’s obviously doomed.Ěý

And don’t listen if Ciara tells you that dragons won’t hurt humans, and that they even once taught us magic, a thousand years ago. Definitely don’t pay any attention to the fact that the dragon she summoned, Scorch, might be willing to help rescue Ciara’s mother and free her village from the Emperor and his Warden, because it’s all obviously a big lie.ĚýSo put this book down, and forget about it. Magic is just way too dangerous. After all, you wouldn’t want to summon your own dragon, would you?]]> 240 James Riley 0593813189 April 0 to-read 3.95 2025 The Dragon's Apprentice
author: James Riley
name: April
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> Saltwater 215362444 336 Katy Hays 0593875559 April 0 to-read 3.59 2025 Saltwater
author: Katy Hays
name: April
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire, #1)]]> 32669692
Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever.

Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer; Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom; and Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over. The time of rebellion has begun.]]> 432 Michael J. Sullivan 1101965355 April 0 to-read 4.17 2016 Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire, #1)
author: Michael J. Sullivan
name: April
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons (Adenashire, #2)]]> 218568749 Spilling the tea has never been so cozy�

In the quaint town of Adenashire, Doli Butterbuckle, a people-pleasing sunshine dwarf, is content with her simple tea magic and circle of friends. It’s true she’s never quite lived up to family expectations, but life is just fine...until her parents arrive with an inherited dragon egg and then a charming gargoyle harboring a secret strolls into her life.

As Doli grapples with her newfound responsibility and discovers a long hidden side of herself, she must face an overbearing family, a sinister plot, and a mischievous dragon that refuses to stay out of trouble.

But with the help of her loyal friends and newfound love, Doli embarks on a heartwarming adventure, revealing that embracing her true self is the most enchanting path of all.

Escape to Adenashire for a whimsical, cozy fantasy where every steaming cup of tea holds the promise of inner strength.]]> 304 J. Penner 1464243778 April 0 to-read 3.68 2024 A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons (Adenashire, #2)
author: J. Penner
name: April
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Great Work 226747693 An alchemist and his young nephew hunt down a legend in this profound and unsettling speculative Western, for fans of Karen Russell and Victor LaValle.

Alone in a frontier town in the nineteenth-century Northwest, Gentle Montgomery is grieving his best friend. Liam was an alchemist, killed when he tried to capture a creature that shouldn’t a giant salamander that drives men mad. When Gentle’s teenage nephew Kitt arrives at his doorstep, the two set out together to track the monster down, so they can use its blood in an alchemical formula that will bring Liam back to life.

It's a hard and haunted journey. The salamander produces surreal nightmares and waking dreams of a blighted, burning future. And Gentle and Kitt soon find themselves pursued by a bloodthirsty hunter, a sadistic judge, and a doomsday cult, all of whom have their own plans for the river monster. Armed with nothing but Liam’s alchemical notebooks, they must not only find the salamander but learn to understand it—and the terrifying visions it causes—before it’s too late. And as Gentle struggles to comprehend the creature, his lost friend, his nephew, and his fellow seekers, it becomes clear that the Great Work of the alchemists may pale in comparison to the small work of human connection.

Sheldon Costa’s dark, vivid, and strangely hopeful debut novel is a supernatural adventure through the wilderness of friendship and the rotten heart of the early American empire.]]> 336 Sheldon Costa 1683695054 April 0 to-read 4.40 2025 The Great Work
author: Sheldon Costa
name: April
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Keeper of Lonely Spirits 212228449 In this mesmerizing, wonderfully moving queer cozy fantasy, an immortal ghost hunter must confront his tragic past in order to embrace his found family.

Find an angry spirit. Send it on its way before it causes trouble. Leave before anyone learns his name.

After over two hundred years, Peter Shaughnessy is ready to die and end this cycle. But thanks to a youthful encounter with one o� them folk in his native Ireland, he can’t. Instead, he’s cursed to wander eternally far from home, with the ability to see ghosts and talk to plants.

Immortality means Peter has lost everyone he’s ever loved. And so he centers his life on the dead—until his wandering brings him to Harrington, Ohio. As he searches for a vengeful spirit, Peter’s drawn into the townsfolk’s lives, homes and troubles. For the first time in over a century, he wants something other than death.

But the people of Harrington will die someday. And he won’t

As Harrington buckles under the weight of the supernatural, the ghost hunt pits Peter’s well-being against that of his new friends and the man he’s falling for. If he stays, he risks heartbreak. If he leaves, he risks their lives.]]> 400 E.M. Anderson 0778368521 April 0 to-read 4.21 2025 The Keeper of Lonely Spirits
author: E.M. Anderson
name: April
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> She Didn't See It Coming 220999092 “No one does suburban paranoia like Shari Lapena.”—Ruth Ware

The new gripping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

When a beloved wife and mother disappears, a luxurious condo building transforms into a potential crime scene, and the investigation begins: can the detectives find her before it's too late?

Bryden and Sam have it all: thriving careers, a smart apartment in a luxury condominium, supportive friends and a cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple.

Then Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden–working from home that day–has failed to collect their daughter from daycare. Arriving home with their little girl, he finds his wife’s car in the underground garage. Upstairs in their apartment her laptop is open on the table, her cell phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall.

Except Bryden is nowhere to be seen. It’s as if she just walked out.]]> 352 Shari Lapena 0593832442 April 0 to-read 4.33 2025 She Didn't See It Coming
author: Shari Lapena
name: April
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> What He Left Behind 215358836 In this town, everyone has a secret they’d kill to keep.

Oak Hill, North Carolina is a sleepy community where nothing exciting ever happens, a town so tiny it has no room for secrets. So when a stranger is found murdered in a cornfield, Detective Grace Bingham is forced to partner with Jacob Sawyer—a big city detective who broke her heart and fled the town years prior—in order to uncover the explosive truth.Ěý

As Grace ID’s the Jane Doe, her identity points toward their tragic case from fifteen years ago and the powerful Dockery family. Grace and Sawyer race to piece together their case, armed with new evidence for the first time in decades, even if the town has turned against them. After all, everybody has a secret they’d kill to keep.]]> 368 Benjamin Bradley 0744311969 April 0 to-read 4.35 What He Left Behind
author: Benjamin Bradley
name: April
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery]]> 220175439 In a fast-paced, sexy, ghostly adventure, a publicist at the top of her game must confront her secret mystical past.

To be a client of Gwendolyn Montgomery’s—New York’s most powerful publicist at Sublime Creative—is to be infused with a certain oomph, a mysterious glamour. She seems to have created the ideal life with her handsome new boyfriend, the perfect match. But Gwendolyn has a legion of long-buried secrets that could unravel everything.

After a grisly, bizarre incident at the Brooklyn Museum, Gwendolyn begins to realize that something nefarious is happening tied directly to her past, right as Fonsi Harewood comes back into her world. Fonsi is a queer Latinx psychic from the South Bronx who’s caught up in a love triangle with a ghost and his mortal ex. He’s able to communicate with the dead, and he comes with a dire warning for Gwendolyn that the barrier between humans and spirits is weakening.

Gwendolyn would prefer not to have anything to do with ghostly drama. Yet in order to get to the bottom of the spookiness derailing her life and threatening the world, she must face the demons she’d long left behind. The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery is a sensuous, funny, mystical adventure that will leave you spellbound as you keep the pages turning.]]> 240 Clarence A. Haynes 1538768518 April 0 to-read 4.32 The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery
author: Clarence A. Haynes
name: April
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
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]]> Witchlore 222376752 Holly Black meets Lex Croucher in this contemporary fantasy about a love story to raise the dead.

At Demdike College of Witchcraft, Orlando is an outcast. Not just for being the only shapeshifter in a college of witches. Not just for being a really bad shapeshifter, with no control over their magic or when their body switches between male and female forms. But because their girlfriend Elizabeth died - and it was Lando's fault.

Then charming new boy Bastian arrives with a proposition: he knows a spell that can raise Elizabeth from the dead. It's dangerous but Lando will try anything. But as Lando's attraction to Bastian grows, questions start to arise. Who is Bastian? What does he really want? And who will survive the resurrection spell?

For fans of V.E. Schwab and Rainbow Rowell, Emma Hinds' Witchlore is a spellbinding contemporary fantasy where the passion is as real as the magic.]]> 352 Emma Hinds 1250369495 April 0 to-read 4.38 2025 Witchlore
author: Emma Hinds
name: April
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Sleepless 222417204 Godkiller meets Powerless in this epic gods-and-monsters romantic fantasy from British Fantasy Award-winning author Jen Williams.

Welcome to a world where gods and monsters roam the earth . . .

Elver is the guardian of the wild and dangerous monster forest. Saved from the brink of death by a god, her skin will poison anyone she touches.

Artair is on a mission—one that takes him face-to-face with Elver at her most ruthless. But her defenses are useless when she discovers he's the only human impervious to her deadly gift. For Artair isn't human: he's one of the Sleepless, cursed to share his body with an evil spirit.

Lucian inhabits their body while Artair sleeps, and he is hell-bent on manipulating Elver for his dark purposes. But Elver is harbouring secrets too, and she has her own reasons for feigning an alliance with these two souls.

Caught in the crossfire of gods, monsters, and a dangerous magic they can barely understand, it is only a matter of time before the paths the three of them choose to take will set alight the very foundations of their world.

With a love triangle like you’ve never seen it, incredible world-building, brilliant writing, and a dangerous quest, The Sleepless will have you spellbound.]]> 336 Jen Williams 125040925X April 0 to-read 3.67 2025 The Sleepless
author: Jen Williams
name: April
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
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]]> Of Flame and Fury 215700931 Fourth Wing meets Iron Widow in this enemies-to-lovers romantic fantasy by debut author Mikayla Bridge. The hottest must-read of the summer!

On an island built from ash and shrouded in fire, phoenix racing is a sport just as profitable as it is deadly.

Seventeen-year-old Kel Varra and her team of underdogs, the Crimson Howlers, are desperate to win the annual races and the fortune that comes with it. But the Howlers need a new rider, which leads Kel to join forces with Warren “Coup� Coupers � an arrogant rival she can’t get out of her head.

As tensions rise on and off the track, Kel's home is mistakenly burned down, and she’s forced to take a job from a mysterious tech mogul with an unsettling interest in her phoenix, Savita. This sets in motion a conspiracy that threatens everyone Kel cares for, especially Coup, for whom her embers of resentment are quickly igniting into something dangerously new.

Heart-pounding pages full of steamy romance, fiery confessions, political scheming, and volatile magic culminate ina final twist readers will never see coming.]]> 416 Mikayla Bridge 0374393427 April 0 to-read 4.20 2025 Of Flame and Fury
author: Mikayla Bridge
name: April
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The After (The After Series, #1)]]> 220303260 186 J. Taylor 1038309999 April 0 to-read 4.83 The After (The After Series, #1)
author: J. Taylor
name: April
average rating: 4.83
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood Oath (Storm Breaker, #1)]]> 228874423
Thrust into a brutal realm where survival hinges on combat, Allyria is torn from her home and trained under Cassius, the enigmatic Captain of the Death Dealer's immortal guard. Her to win the deadly Elder Tournaments, a series of brutal trials that pit the most powerful fighters against each other, and earn her freedom.

But when the murder of a fae prince pushes the world to the brink of war, Allyria and the Death Dealer must join forces in a desperate bid to save their world—both human and immortal. As the stakes rise and the lines between duty and destiny blur, Allyria must navigate a war-torn land, confront her growing feelings for the Death Dealer, and decide where her true loyalties lie.

Can Allyria rise to become the hero her world needs, or will she let it plunge into eternal night?]]> 522 Kayla Cunningham April 0 to-read 4.00 Blood Oath (Storm Breaker, #1)
author: Kayla Cunningham
name: April
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
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]]> Tenderly, I Am Devoured 214438301 Perfect for fans of Saltburn, For the Wolf, and House of Hollow, Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a moody, monstrously Gothic romantasy in which a young woman must bind herself to a dangerous chthonic demon with the help of the son of a rival family to save her family's legacy―and herself―from ruin.

Expelled from her prestigious boarding school following a violent incident, eighteen-year-old Lacrimosa Arriscane returns home in disgrace to discover her family on the point of financial ruin. Desperate to save them, she accepts a marriage of convenience� to Therion, the chthonic god worshipped by Lark’s isolated coastal hometown.

But when her betrothal goes horribly wrong, Lark begins to vanish from the mortal realm. Her only hope is to seek help from Alastair Felimath: the brilliant, arrogant boy who was her first heartbreak, and his alluring older sister, Camille. As the trio delve into the folklore of gods, Lark falls under the spell of the Felimath siblings.

Ensnared by a fervent romance, they perform a bacchanalia with hopes the hedonistic ritual will repair the connection between Lark and her bridegroom. Instead, they draw the ire of something much darker, which seeks to destroy Therion―and Lark as well.]]> 304 Lyndall Clipstone 1250348900 April 0 to-read 4.00 2025 Tenderly, I Am Devoured
author: Lyndall Clipstone
name: April
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Amalfi Curse 218674082 Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse�

Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artifacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?

As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art ofĚýstregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed foreverâ€�

Against the dazzling backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, this bewitching novel shimmers with mystery, romance and the untamed magic of the sea.
Ěý±Ő±Ő> 336 Sarah Penner 0778308006 April 0 to-read 4.04 2025 The Amalfi Curse
author: Sarah Penner
name: April
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Boleyn Traitor (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #11)]]> 220235413 From the author of The Other Boleyn Girl, legendary historical novelist Philippa Gregory returns to the court of Henry VIII with this dazzling and provocative tour de force about the high cost of loyalty, love, and betrayal.

Sister. Liar. Spy. Traitor.

Her secrets shaped a kingdom.

Her loyalty was deadly.

Jane Boleyn watches from the shadows of the Tudor court, where nothing is more powerful than a secret. And power rests on the edge of a tyrant King’s sword.

She wears many masks � loving wife, devoted sister, and obedient spy. It’s what a woman must do to survive.

The only weapon she has is her voice.

They say Jane’s whispers sealed the fate of two queens. They called her a liar and a traitor.

But the truth is far more dangerous�

Philippa Gregory brings the Boleyn traitor out of the shadows in an explosive story of one woman’s survival in the deadly dance of the Tudor Court.]]> 640 Philippa Gregory 0063439689 April 0 to-read 5.00 Boleyn Traitor (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #11)
author: Philippa Gregory
name: April
average rating: 5.00
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rating: 0
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]]> Sweep: Volume 1 (Sweep, #1-3) 7821892 Includes:
Book 1 - Book of Shadows
Book 2 - The Coven
Book 3 - Blood Witch

The first three Sweep books bound into one gorgeous edition at a fabulous price! Morgan Rowlands never thought she was anything other than a typical sixteen-year-old girl. But when she meets Cal, a captivatingly handsome coven leader, she makes a discover that turns her whole world upside down: she is a witch, descended from an ancient and powerful line. And so is Cal. Their connection is immediate and unbreakable; Cal teases out Morgan's power, her love, her magick. But Morgan discovers too soon that her powers are strong-- almost too powerful to control. And she begins to suspect that Cal may be keeping secrets from her . . . secrets that could destroy them both.]]> 592 Cate Tiernan 0142417173 April 5 favorite 4.29 2001 Sweep: Volume 1 (Sweep, #1-3)
author: Cate Tiernan
name: April
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: favorite
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ashes of the Sun (Burningblade & Silvereye, #1)]]> 52822248
Gyre hasn't seen his beloved sister since their parents sold her to the mysterious Twilight Order. Now, twelve years after her disappearance, Gyre's sole focus is revenge, and he's willing to risk anything and anyone to claim enough power to destroy the Order.

Chasing rumors of a fabled city protecting a powerful artifact, Gyre comes face-to-face with his lost sister. But she isn't who she once was. Trained to be a warrior, Maya wields magic for the Twilight Order's cause. Standing on opposite sides of a looming civil war, the two siblings will learn that not even the ties of blood will keep them from splitting the world in two.]]> 592 Django Wexler 0316519545 April 4 3.91 2020 Ashes of the Sun (Burningblade & Silvereye, #1)
author: Django Wexler
name: April
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2020
rating: 4
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date added: 2025/02/23
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]]> <![CDATA[Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders, #1)]]> 45100
For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy unjustly denied her--a legacy she will risk anything to reclaim. For Althea's young nephew Wintrow, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard ship, Vivacia is a life sentence.

But the fate of the Vestrit family--and the ship--may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider. The ruthless pirate Kennit seeks a way to seize power over all the denizens of the Pirate Isles...and the first step of his plan requires him to capture his own liveship and bend it to his will....


From the Paperback edition.]]> 880 Robin Hobb 000649885X April 0 to-read 4.20 1998 Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders, #1)
author: Robin Hobb
name: April
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1998
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[A Touch of Darkness (Hades & Persephone #1)]]> 58750487
She remembered the words she had whispered to him in the back of the limo after La Rose. "You will worship me, and I won't even have to order you." His request felt sinful and devious, and she reveled in it.

She answered, "Yes."

---

Persephone is the Goddess of Spring in title only. Since she was a little girl, flowers have only shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hoped to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. All of that changes when she sits down in a forbidden nightclub to play a hand of cards with a hypnotic and mysterious stranger.

Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible. But nothing has ever intrigued him as much as the goddess offering him a bargain he can't resist.

After her encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead, and his terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever. The bet does more than expose Persephone's failure as a goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows―a love that is both captivating and forbidden.]]> 379 Scarlett St. Clair 1728258456 April 0 to-read 3.87 2019 A Touch of Darkness (Hades & Persephone #1)
author: Scarlett St. Clair
name: April
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/08
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]]> <![CDATA[The Staff of Beckoning: A Symphony of Spheres (The Staff of Beckoning, #1)]]> 221103674 The more we know, the less we understand ...



Adir Nathar craved more than what he was born into. And existence obliged.

A mysterious death � an act of revenge! Adir flees Marafel, abandoning friends and family for safety and a fresh start. But, unbeknownst to him, he is pursued by the Khasmia Shadow, a secret society charged with a sole divine purpose—eliminate the destructive venna with the sacred Staff of Beckoning. The world of Leakarha itself is undergoing a seismic shift. Rakhor, terrible demonspawn, are emerging farther south from the Precipice than ever before.

Caught in the middle of it all, Adir is driven deeper into his own shadows, forced to face truths he never knew existed.

But this isn’t just Adir’s story.

From Naven to Ostarium to Cayan, this story unfolds through the eyes of a troubled father, a ruler fighting to secure her legacy, an heiress obsessed with knowledge, a woman torn by love, an archer chasing glory, a man harboring a hidden past, and a noblewoman caught between two worlds—each holding a piece of a greater truth waiting to be uncovered.

The Staff of Beckoning, the first book in the series A Symphony of Spheres, is an epic fantasy tale of identity, destiny, and purpose. Blending elements from science fiction, mythology, and dark fantasy, this gripping narrative is perfect for readers who enjoy complex characters, intricate world-building, and expansive sagas. If you've enjoyed series like The Wheel of Time, The Kingkiller Chronicle, and The Prince of Nothing, then this book is for you.]]> Praneet Menon April 0 to-read 2.00 The Staff of Beckoning: A Symphony of Spheres (The Staff of Beckoning, #1)
author: Praneet Menon
name: April
average rating: 2.00
book published:
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Book That Held Her Heart (The Library Trilogy, #3)]]> 216247528 The secret war that defines the Library has chosen its champions and set them on the board

The fate of an infinite library hangs on one book, a book that holds the power to break the unbreakable. In the face of such forces, fragile things like hearts, family, and the world seem certain to fail.

The people most vital to Livira are scattered across time and space, lost, divided into factions, in mortal peril. Somehow, she must bring them together and resolve the unresolvable argument that fuels the library’s war. The bond between Livira and Evar has stretched and stretched again. Can it hold at the end, when things fall apart? Can it bring them together against impossible odds? This is the last chapter, the final page. The end threatens and no one, not characters, readers, or even the author, will emerge unscathed.]]> 384 Mark Lawrence 0593437977 April 0 to-read 3.88 2025 The Book That Held Her Heart (The Library Trilogy, #3)
author: Mark Lawrence
name: April
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
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]]> <![CDATA[The Queen's Resistance (The Queen's Rising, #2)]]> 214466891
Aodhan Morgane, formerly known as Cartier Évariste, is adjusting to the stark contrast between his pre-rebellion life in Valenia and his current one as lord of a fallen House. During his castle’s restoration, he discovers Tomas, a young boy whose past is a mystery. So when Brienna is as taken with Tomas as he is, Cartier lets his mind wander—what if he doesn’t have to raise him or his House alone?

However, Brienna and Cartier must put their love aside and stay focused on the most vital tasks at hand—the Lannons' trial, forging alliances, executing justice, and ensuring that no one halts the queen’s coronation. But resistance is rumbling among the old regime’s supporters, who are desperate to find a weakness in the rebels� forces. And what makes one more vulnerable than love?

In this epic follow-up to The Queen's Rising, Rebecca Ross weaves political intrigue, complicated relationships, and undying love to create a story that readers won't be able to put down.]]> 496 Rebecca Ross 0063428415 April 0 to-read 4.06 2019 The Queen's Resistance (The Queen's Rising, #2)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: April
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Kingdom of Faewood (Fae of Woodlands & Wild, #1)]]> 223207919 The all-knowing semelees swirled around me in the Veiled Between, crooning and writhing. “You’ve come to us, Daughter of Darkness, Princess of Shadows. Tell us what you seek.�

On the Silten continent, I’m the only fae who can walk the Veiled Between. My rare power is immense and dangerous, so the authorities have entrusted me to my guardian who controls my potent magic with an enchanted device.

To avoid the device’s searing punishment, I submit to a dutiful life. Until one terrifying night everything changes.

I’m taken captive by the ruthless Dark Raider—an outlaw wanted in all four kingdoms, who hides behind a mask, and has a body created for sin.

But the Raider whispers a promise I can’t resist—use my magic to find who he seeks, and he’ll obliterate my chains.

Finally, the freedom I’ve craved is within my reach.

Yet finding who he hunts plunges me into a game of deceit among the kingdoms. After uncovering truths I was never meant to know, I’m caught in a web of betrayal, and if I can’t find a way to break free, I’ll have simply traded one imprisonment for another.


Kingdom of Faewood is book one in Fae of Woodlands & Wild, a fae fantasy romance trilogy that takes place in Krista Street’s Supernatural World. This series contains spicy romance, epic worldbuilding, a female fae who’s determined to wield her own fate, a ruthless Dark Raider who will stop at nothing to protect those he loves, and a mysterious ploy circulating throughout the kingdoms.]]> 386 Krista Street 1946884324 April 0 to-read 3.89 2025 Kingdom of Faewood (Fae of Woodlands & Wild, #1)
author: Krista Street
name: April
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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]]> Dreams Lie Beneath 214466894 A story about magic and the captivating power of dreams.

A curse plagues the realm of Azenor—during each new moon, magic flows from the nearby mountain and brings nightmares to life. Only magicians, who serve as territory wardens, stand between people and their worst dreams.

Clementine Madigan is ready to take over as the warden of her small town, but when two magicians challenge her, she is unwittingly drawn into a century-old conflict. She seeks revenge, but as she secretly gets closer to Phelan, one of the handsome young magicians, secrets begin to rise. Clementine must unite with her rival to fight the realm’s curse, which seems to be haunting her every turn.]]> 496 Rebecca Ross 0063428431 April 0 to-read 4.39 2021 Dreams Lie Beneath
author: Rebecca Ross
name: April
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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]]> Sisters of Sword and Song 214466920 From the author of The Queen’s Rising comes a thrilling YA stand-alone fantasy about the unbreakable bond between sisters. Perfect for fans of Ember in the Ashes, Sky in the Deep, and Court of Fives.

After eight long years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been proudly serving in the queen’s army. But when Halcyon appears earlier than expected, Eva knows something has gone terribly wrong. Halcyon is on the run, hunted by her commander and charged with murder.

Though Halcyon’s life is spared during her trial, the punishment is heavy. And when Eva volunteers to serve part of Halcyon’s sentence, she’s determined to find out exactly what happened. But as Eva begins her sentence, she quickly learns that there are fates much worse than death.]]> 480 Rebecca Ross 0063428423 April 0 to-read 4.22 2020 Sisters of Sword and Song
author: Rebecca Ross
name: April
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2020
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
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]]> <![CDATA[The Queen's Rising (The Queen's Rising, #1)]]> 214466903
Growing up in the southern kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her. While some are born with a talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she chose knowledge. However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true: she is left without a patron.

Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, she reluctantly accepts. But there is much more to his story, for there is a dangerous plot to overthrow the king of Maevana—the rival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved, some closer to Brienna than she realizes.

With war brewing, Brienna must choose whose side she will remain loyal to—passion or blood. Because a queen is destined to rise and lead the battle to reclaim the crown. Who will be that queen?

With gorgeous description and detailed rendering of a world where not everything is what it seems, debut author Rebecca Ross weaves an intricate tale of revenge, loyalty, and, ultimately, self-discovery.]]> 480 Rebecca Ross 0063428407 April 0 to-read 3.92 2018 The Queen's Rising (The Queen's Rising, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: April
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
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]]> <![CDATA[Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil]]> 213263148 ALL first edition copies will be signed by the author! Signed copies available while supplies last.

From V. E. Schwab, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: a new genre-defying novel about immortality and hunger.

This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.
1827. London.
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage.
2019. Boston.
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.

This is a story about life�
how it ends, and how it starts.

USA Today, 15 Most Anticipated of 2025
BookBub, Most Anticipated of 2025 (and Reader’s Pick)
Readers Digest, 20 Most Anticipated Books This Year
Paste Magazine, Most Anticipated Fantasy Books of 2025
BookRiot, Most Anticipated Books of 2025
Men's Health, 25 Best & Most Anticipated Books of 2025
The Nerd Daily, SFF to Devour in 2025
Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ, Readers' Most Anticipated Books of 2025]]> 544 Victoria E. Schwab 1250320526 April 0 to-read 4.50 2025 Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: April
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)]]> 211081101
The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.

Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save� and which kingdom she’ll destroy.

Passionate and violent, The Bridge Kingdom is a seductive fantasy perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]> 430 Danielle L. Jensen 0593975189 April 0 to-read 4.01 2018 The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: April
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
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]]> Guard in the Garden 224267315 Embark on a wholesome journey of healing and self-discovery. A cozy fantasy tale of forging new friendships and overcoming fears. A quiet quest of family bonds and budding romance.

From dragon fire to garden flowers �

Felton Holdum spent his entire life training to become one of Galium’s elite dwarven warriors. When a bloody battle leaves him injured, he has no choice but to move into his eccentric twin aunts� quaint home in the town’s quiet Garome District.

With his life of military service seemingly over, the captain of the city guard gives Felton his only chance at a fresh start in the new life he never wanted.

But when a human woman barges through his front door, the grumpy dwarf starts to wonder if there is more to life than war. The sunshine woman invites him to visit her garden, where Felton gains a new nemesis and a new purpose in life.

Take a walk through the garden and see what magic awaits.

Come enjoy the hospitality of the whimsical Garome District. Meet new friends as you sample new breads at the bakery, play a game of Castle Brick at the tavern, and taste homemade pies during the annual pie baking contest at the Fall Festival.

“Virgin River meets The Hobbit� in this heartwarming, feel-good fantasy.]]> Z.S. Diamanti 1961580136 April 0 to-read 4.56 Guard in the Garden
author: Z.S. Diamanti
name: April
average rating: 4.56
book published:
rating: 0
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]]> Nothing Ever Happens Here 212378262 🎧Run Time = 9 hours and 34 minutes

“Phenomenally well-crafted suspense� (Samantha M. Bailey) from “a writer to watch� (Publishers Weekly): Shelby survived a horrible attack � and just as life starts returning to normal, she receives an anonymous note that makes it seem like the danger isn’t over.
“A charming cast of characters, a twisty mystery, and a diabolical killer� Impossible to put down� (Robyn Harding, internationally bestselling author of The Haters).
“No one weaves a twisty, dark tale quite like Seraphina Nova Glass.� —Amber Garza, author of When I Was You

Nothing ever happens in small towns�

When Shelby Dawson survives a harrowing attack that should have left her dead, she tries to move past it—for herself, and for her family. Fifteen months later, with the help of her best friend, Mackenzie, she finally feels safe again in the snowy Minnesota town she calls home. But when an anonymous note appears on her windshield bearing the same threats her attacker made, Shelby realizes that her nightmare has only just begun.

As new evidence surfaces, and a group of well-meaning senior citizens accidentally makes the case go viral online, the situation quickly goes from bad to worse. And with suspicious accidents targeting those closest to her happening all over town, Shelby can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched. Fighting to stay one step ahead of disaster, she finds herself asking the question on everyone’s lips: Who attacked her that night?

But Shelby isn’t the only one with questions. Mackenzie’s husband, Leo, vanished without a trace on that terrible night, and over a year later, no one knows why. Until a deep dive into his finances reveals a history of debts, mismanaged funds, and hidden accounts—one of which is still active. Their suspicion that Leo is still alive only complicates things further, though, and when another person connected to Shelby goes missing, she’s caught in a race against time before her attacker becomes a killer.

Other thrillers from Seraphina to keep you up all night: � The Vacancy in Room 10 � The Vanishing Hour � On a Quiet Street � Such a Good Wife � Someone’s Listening]]> 304 Seraphina Nova Glass 1525836722 April 0 to-read 3.46 2025 Nothing Ever Happens Here
author: Seraphina Nova Glass
name: April
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
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]]> <![CDATA[His Mortal Demise (The Last Bloodcarver, #2)]]> 208840761 These Violent Delights meets Divine Rivals in the explosive finale to The Last Bloodcarver duology -- with a riveting medical magic system and lush Vietnam-inspired romantasy world.

Kochin is a heartsooth -- a rare being with the ability to heal any wound. Any wound, that is, except death.

Intent on defying nature and bringing Nhika back to life, Kochin keeps her body in a life-preserving casket and waits for a miracle. Stricken with grief and descending into madness, Kochin realizes the answer to his desperate quest can only lie in one place: Yarong, the lush yet battle-ridden island the first heartsooths called home.

Months later, Nhika wakes in a familiar manor-house, with Kochin nowhere to be found. As she traces his footsteps across Theumas, she discovers the haunting path he walked to bring her back, and a world changed by war.

When Kochin discovers the true and grisly way to resurrect a person from the grave, he must decide exactly how much he is willing to sacrifice, in order to reunite with the woman he loves...

Don't miss this stunning dual-POV follow up to THE LAST BLOODCARVER, where morals will be tested, hearts pushed to the limit, and fates determined once and for all. Vanessa Le's jaw-dropping sequel is a bloody and luscious spectacle to be devoured in one sitting.]]> 400 Vanessa Le 1250881544 April 0 to-read 4.00 2025 His Mortal Demise (The Last Bloodcarver, #2)
author: Vanessa Le
name: April
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Heir of Storms (Storm Weaver, #1)]]> 214438337 RED QUEEN meets SHADOW AND BONE in this explosive start to a YA romantasy trilogy about dangerous magic, forbidden love, and a cut-throat competition for the throne in an empire where crowns are not inherited -- they're won.

The very day Blaze came into the world, she almost drowned it. A Rain Singer born into one of the most powerful fire-wielding families in the empire, Blaze's birth summoned a devastating storm that left thousands dead. She's been hidden away ever since with a dark secret: the same torrential power that branded her an outcast disappeared that fateful day. And she’s not sure she wants it back.

When an unexpected invitation arrives for Blaze and her twin brother, Flint, to compete as future rulers of the empire, she’s suddenly thrust into the limelight again -- and into battle. Threats abound at the Golden Palace, where intrigue and romance await with not one but two handsome suitors: the enchanting Crown Prince and a dangerously alluring newcomer at court.

As Blaze explores her untapped power, she discovers the throne may be within her grasp. But in order to take it, she’ll have to leave behind the stories that others have told about her, and find the courage to write her own.]]> 416 Lauryn Hamilton Murray 1250348153 April 0 to-read 4.19 2025 Heir of Storms (Storm Weaver, #1)
author: Lauryn Hamilton Murray
name: April
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Floating World (The Floating World, #1)]]> 215149209 From Axie Oh, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in this romantic fantasy reimagining the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens.

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.

Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn't realize she's the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined...]]> 368 Axie Oh 1250853087 April 0 to-read 4.11 2025 The Floating World (The Floating World, #1)
author: Axie Oh
name: April
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
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]]> When Devils Sing 214438358 This deluxe edition is printed with stenciled edges and a stunning foil-stamped case!

A Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ Most Anticipated Horror Novel

"A true blood-soaked Southern Gothic for the modern age.� —Andrew Joseph White, New York Times–bestselling author of Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bears its Teeth

Four unlikely allies in a small town investigate a local teen's disappearance, and what they discover festering at the core of their community is far more sinister and ancient than they could’ve ever imagined. For fans of She is a Haunting, True Detective, Mexican Gothic, and Midsommar.

When Dawson Sumter goes missing, all he leaves behind is a smattering of blood in room 4 of the debt-ridden motel owned by Neera Singh's family. Disappearances like this aren't uncommon in the rural Georgia town of Carrion, especially every thirteen years when a periodical cicada brood returns from underground, shrieking their deafening screams.

For Neera, Dawson is another reminder that in this corner of the South, the rich only get richer, and the poor—well, nothing good comes their way.

Neera sets out to investigate Dawson’s whereabouts—if he even still lives—along with three other teens: Isaiah, son of a prominent judge and clandestine true crime podcaster; Reid, son of the wealthiest man in the region; and Sam, estranged daughter of the local hitman. As they find themselves entangled in a messy web of secrets and lies, they discover the riches of the adjacent Lake Clearwater community may have a terrifying source of power dating back to the town’s founding and an ancient urban legend about three devils, each more sinister than the next. How deep does the rot go, and can they find a way to escape its reach?]]> 400 Xan Kaur 1250357179 April 0 to-read 4.07 2025 When Devils Sing
author: Xan Kaur
name: April
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
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]]> <![CDATA[A Tempest of Tea (Blood and Tea, #1)]]> 213879518
On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city's most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.

From the New York Times—bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame comes the first book in a hotly anticipated fantasy duology teeming with romance and revenge, led by an orphan girl willing to do whatever it takes to save her self-made kingdom. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.]]> 352 Hafsah Faizal 1250824990 April 0 to-read 3.54 2024 A Tempest of Tea (Blood and Tea, #1)
author: Hafsah Faizal
name: April
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/05
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]]> Lost in the Light 212427266
It’s crucial for living in the crime capital of the Meridian System. Established for space travel and trade by Illyarium, a world of gods amongst men, the Port of Acheron is now a far cry from the holy image it was spawned from. Just how she likes it. Together, with her level-headed partner, Ari takes any job that brings in the credits.

Chosen to investigate a simple distress call, the pair travel to a desolate planet looking to find an easy payday. Instead, they stumble upon a child in danger, and their decision to intervene puts into motion a war that will span the universe. Out of options and out of luck, Ari is torn away from the person she cares about most and burdened with a new responsibility in the form of a young ward with mysterious origins.

Desperate to get her life back on track, Ari charters a ship and meets a crew of unlikely allies. However, a target has been painted on her back and she is now enemy number one to mortals and immortals alike. Ari will be forced to make sacrifices, but the most dangerous battle to face is with the monster lurking inside her.]]> 464 J.J. Kang April 0 to-read 4.76 Lost in the Light
author: J.J. Kang
name: April
average rating: 4.76
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/24
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]]> <![CDATA[A Fire Endless (Elements of Cadence, #2)]]> 54326657
In the West, Adaira struggles to adjust to the more brutal, bitter ways of life among the Breccans. Striving to find her place in the clan, she swiftly realizes that it just might be the last role she desires to hold. And while magic blooms effortlessly for the Breccans in the west, the spirits continue to suffer beneath Bane’s harsh power, felt in every gust of wind.

In the East, Jack is adrift without Adaira until he sings to the ember-weak fire spirits, acquiring a dangerous mission he never expected. One that is destined to lead him westward. Likewise, Torin and Sidra are consumed by a new mystery as sickness spreads first amongst the crops, and then to the people of the Tamerlaine clan. While Sidra desperately searches for a cure, Torin dares to strike a bargain with the spirits—a precarious folly anytime, but especially now as the days grow darker.

With the island falling further out of balance, humans and spirits alike will need to join together to face Bane, and Jack’s gift with the harp will be called upon once more. Yet no one can challenge the North Wind without paying a terrible price, and the sacrifice required this time may be more than Jack, Adaira, Torin, and Sidra can bear to pay.

In the stunning conclusion to the Elements of Cadence duology, A Fire Endless finds the delicate balance between the human and faerie realm threatened by Bane, the spirit of the North Wind, whose defeat can only come through fire, song, and heart-rending sacrifice.]]> 512 Rebecca Ross 0008514704 April 5 4.33 2022 A Fire Endless (Elements of Cadence, #2)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: April
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2022
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/01/23
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]]> Wild ​Reverence 222361609
Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.

As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.]]> Rebecca Ross 1250373360 April 0 to-read 4.71 2025 Wild ​Reverence
author: Rebecca Ross
name: April
average rating: 4.71
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/21
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]]> Mistress of Bones 217420653 An epic and romantic debut adventure fantasy, where a necromancer trying to resurrect her sister gets embroiled in bigger, world-ending plans instead

It's been thousands of years since the gods lifted the continents into the air so humanity could thrive, chaining the lands down with their bones and turning them into Anchor.

Azul del Arroyo doesn't care about gods or Anchor; she cares about being responsible for her sister's death and getting her bones from the capital so she can bring her back to life. Again. But in her way stands the Emissary of the Lord Death, who will do anything in his power to stop her, because a necromancer like her shouldn’t exist—no matter how alluring.

As Azul and the Emissary's cat-and-mouse game leads them to the dangerous Court of Cienpuentes, their fate becomes entwined with a count who begrudgingly works for a child king, a faceless witch who transforms Anchor into dreams she can peddle, and a long-lost half-brother with a secret of his own. It's a time of enlightenment, of rapiers and scientific prowess, in a country where Anchor ceased to be something worth revering a long time ago, and people have forgotten the gods' sacrifice.

But the gods haven’t. Because the gods want their bones back, and they're not opposed to becoming players in their own game.

Swashbuckling, grand, and tragically romantic, Mistress of Bones is a can't-miss debut about love, about loss, and, of course, about death.]]> 336 Maria Z. Medina 1250888239 April 0 to-read 3.43 2025 Mistress of Bones
author: Maria Z. Medina
name: April
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> Nightweaver (Nightweaver, #1) 215750325
Six hundred years ago, Nightweavers, cursed beings with untamed power, claimed the continents for their own. The ocean was meant to be a safe haven for humanity, including seventeen-year-old Aster Oberon and her pirate family. But after Aster’s brother is killed in an epic battle at sea against Nightweavers, Aster and her family are thrust into a new life on land.

When a handsome Nightweaver named Will offers the Oberons protection and work at his opulent estate, Aster is suspicious. As the arrogant and entitled right hand to the wicked prince, Will is everything that she has been taught to hate. But as he shows empathy and kindness, Aster can’t ignore a blooming attraction. And even more, Will opens her eyes to a new There are monsters worse than Nightweavers, monsters who may be behind her brother’s death.

As Aster hunts the creatures responsible, dark secrets threaten to unravel everything she once believed about her family, herself, and her world.

Filled with elemental magic, forbidden romance, and breathtaking twists, this is a propulsive romantasy about an iron-willed heroine avenging her brother and discovering her destiny—perfect for fans of Powerless and Heartless Hunter.]]> 432 R.M. Gray 0316583367 April 0 to-read 3.87 2025 Nightweaver (Nightweaver, #1)
author: R.M. Gray
name: April
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> Order of Swans 211665659 In this spellbinding, fantasy-rich novel, a woman is swept into a world where she has the power to alter fairy tales, and change a kingdom’s destiny�

To Kaley Arens, a PhD student and expert in folklore, fairy stories have always had a power and an allure beyond mere entertainment.

It’s only when Kaley accompanies her lifelong friend Jobi on a visit to his home that she realizes how much she still has to learn. Bellis isn’t the remote island that she believed it to be. It’s another world—a stunningly beautiful and seductive one, with its own royalty, its own rules, and inhabitants who breathe life into the tales she was taught were fiction.

Kaley’s presence is no simple holiday. She has a mysterious connection with Jobi and with Bellis, and abilities that may help determine this world’s fate. Tasked with locating a lost prince, Kaley and her companions—the enigmatic Tanek, a member of the Order of Swans, and Sojee, Kaley's colossal bodyguard—journey through a land both thrilling and terrifying, where the uncanny and the familiar go hand in hand.

But in fairy tales, heroes and villains are easy to discern. Here, nothing is quite as it seems. And though Kaley is discovering that she can change the outcome of the fairy tales she knows so well, her own story is unfolding in ways impossible to predict, with a destiny she could never have foretold…]]> 336 Jude Deveraux 0778368424 April 0 to-read 3.18 2025 Order of Swans
author: Jude Deveraux
name: April
average rating: 3.18
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> The Winter Goddess 214537812 A goddess is cursed to endlessly live and die as a mortal until she understands the value of human life, in this inventive, moving reimagining of Gaelic mythology.

Cailleach, goddess of winter, was not born to be a blight on humanity, but she became it. If anyone asked her, she would say with scorn that it was their own humans were selfish, thoughtless, and destructive, bringing harm to each other and the Earth without cause or qualms.Ěý

One day, Cailleach goes too far. Thousands die, lost to her brutal winter. In punishment, her mother Danu, the queen of the gods, strips the goddess of her powers and sends Cailleach to Earth, to live and die as the mortals she so despises, until she understands what it is to be a human. Though determined to live in solitude, Cailleach finds that she cannot help but reach for the people she once held in such disdain. She loves and mourns in equal measure, and in opening herself to humanity, hears tales not meant for immortal ears—and a secret long-buried, that will redefine what it means to be a god.

]]> 304 Megan Barnard 0143137689 April 0 to-read 4.13 The Winter Goddess
author: Megan Barnard
name: April
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Infinity Alchemist (Infinity Alchemist, #1)]]> 211004796
Only an elite few are legally permitted to study the science of magic―so when Ash is rejected by the Lancaster Mage’s College, he takes a job as the school’s groundskeeper instead, forced to learn alchemy in secret.

When he’s discovered by the condescending and brilliant apprentice Ramsay Thorne, Ash is sure he's about to be arrested―but instead of calling the reds, Ramsay surprises Ash by making him an offer: Ramsay will keep Ash's secret if he helps her find the legendary Book of Source, a sacred text that gives its reader extraordinary power.

As Ash and Ramsay work together and their feelings for each other grow, Ash discovers their mission is more dangerous than he imagined, pitting them against influential and powerful alchemists―Ash’s estranged father included. Ash’s journey takes him through the cities and wilds across New Anglia, forcing him to discover his own definition of true power and how far he and other alchemists will go to seize it.

Featuring trans, queer, and polyamorous characters of color, Infinity Alchemist is the hugely anticipated young adult fantasy debut from the extraordinary author of Felix Ever After, King and the Dragonflies, Queen of the Conquered and more.]]> 400 Kacen Callender 1250890276 April 0 to-read 3.54 2024 Infinity Alchemist (Infinity Alchemist, #1)
author: Kacen Callender
name: April
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> The Steel Dragon Forge 220062786 Danger and Dragons

The kingdom of Verdonia is a peaceful and happy agricultural land. They are bordered to the east by the kingdom of Lithia, with whom they have traded for centuries, and to the north by the Dragon Lands, where no human ever goes.

Then when the kingdom of Verdonia is unexpectedly plunged into war, there are no good options. Faced with an enemy that they can't defeat and left unaided by the other kingdoms, what are they to do? The King, Royal Sorcerer, High Generals, and other members of the High Council seek a way to save the kingdom. As the rulers search for any feasible solutions, one chance is found.

A magical Weapon of tremendous power.

But it comes at a heavy cost.

Can desperate circumstances justify committing an unspeakable atrocity?

Beyond the ultimate sacrifice is a fate worse than death.

Is it possible to save both the kingdom and its honor?

A single brave soldier named Trev may be the key...
As Trev tries to save a kingdom's people from enslavement he will face the possibility of losing his soul and discover the secrets of the dragons.

aprox. 137,000 words]]> 442 Monica Plume April 0 to-read 5.00 The Steel Dragon Forge
author: Monica Plume
name: April
average rating: 5.00
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rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Angel of Water & Shadow (The Book of the Watchers, #1)]]> 213984217
One second, the sounds around River are white noise, the next it’s like the world is speaking to her directly. It started when she was eight—right after her mom was swept away by a rip current, never to be seen or heard from again. She assumes that the Voices, as she calls them, are a figment of her grief. But they’re real, and despite the fact that she doesn't even have her license or diploma, they’re certain she’s the one who will deliver Earth from darkness.

When River’s connection to the Voices abruptly shuts off at her school’s graduation party, it’s a step towards the normalcy she’s craved. But when a demon chases her off campus, a werewolf tries to eat her at a bonfire, and Source magic manifests at her fingertips, the Voices aren’t there to explain. Instead, a mysterious hunter named Ryder is—he has clues about her identity they unravel together, although she feels like he’s unraveling her in the process.

Caught in the middle of a centuries-old battle between two warring supernatural realms, to save humanity, River must find the Voices and unlock a part of her past she’s buried since that fateful day with her mom.

If her own self-loathing, and the ultimate betrayal, don’t stop her from wielding the power of love and acceptance.

A fresh twist on angels and demons, where the line between reality and fantasy is blurred, this debut is full of forbidden love, heart-dropping betrayals, and learning how to turn tragic endings into new beginnings.

Perfect for fans of The Zodiac Academy, Daughter of Smoke & Bone, and The Dark Elements series.]]> 424 Tory Guyon April 0 to-read 4.17 2023 Angel of Water & Shadow (The Book of the Watchers, #1)
author: Tory Guyon
name: April
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> The Scorpion Queen 61884837 Printing with sprayed edges for a limited time!

Uprooted meets Children of Blood and Bone in this dark fantasy inspired by a Malian fairy tale about a princess whose suitors are challenged to gruesome trials.

Deep within the imperial palace at Timbuktu, Amie has suffered a devastating loss. Once the daughter of a prosperous salt merchant Amie’s life was cruelly overturned in a matter of months. At sixteen, Amie now finds herself disinherited, framed for a scandalous crime, and forced to serve Princess Mariama of Mali . Her father, Emperor Sulyeman, has created a series of impossible trials for his daughter's suitors. When they fail, he publicly boils them alive, littering Mariama’s path to marriage with ninety-nine corpses.

At first, Amie’s life at court is drudgery—the chores are difficult, the servants despise her, and Princess Mariama is prone to mood swings—but the more she learns about the princess's circumstances, the closer the two girls become. Amie and her intended, Kader, plan to escape Timbuktu and make a new life far away from the shadow of death that has fallen upon the emperor’s court, but she finds herself increasingly drawn to the princess in ways she doesn’t understand.

When a mysterious discovery forces her hand, she must choose between fleeing with the boy she loves or helping the princess to end the trials forever. Amie will need to draw on all of her strength and courage to make the perilous journey through the desert to seek the aid of an exiled god in a final, desperate attempt to take charge of her own destiny.]]> 320 Mina Fears 1250852943 April 0 to-read 3.38 2025 The Scorpion Queen
author: Mina Fears
name: April
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[The Society of Unknowable Objects]]> 221452815 From the author of the internationally bestsellingĚýThe Book of Doors, another fantastical, stand-alone novel in which a trio of seemingly everyday people are members of a secret society tasked with finding and protecting hidden magical objects—ordinary items with extraordinary properties.Ěý

The world of unknowable objects—magical items that most people have no idea possess powers—has been quiet for decades, but the three current members of a secret society have remained watchful, meeting every six months in the basement of a bookshop in London. They are pledged to protect their archive of magical items hidden away, safe from the outside world—and the world safe from them.ĚýBut when Frank Simpson, the longest-standing member of the Society of Unknowable Objects, hears of a new artifact coming to light in Hong Kong, he sends Magda Sparks—author by day and newest member—to investigate.

Within hours of arriving in Hong Kong, Magda is facing death and danger, confronted by a professional killer who seems to know all about unknowable objects, specifically one that was stolen from him a decade before. Magda is forced to flee, using an artifact that not even the rest of the Society knows about.

Returning to London, Magda learns hers is not the only secret being kept from the other two members. And that the most pernicious secret is about the nature of the Society’s mission.ĚýHer discoveries will lead her on a perilous journey, across the Atlantic to the deep south of the United States, now in pursuit of not an unknowable object, but an unknowable the professional killer she first faced in Hong Kong. In doing so, Magda begins to understand that there are even more in the world who are chasing these magical items, and that her own family’s legacy is tied up in keeping all these secrets under wraps.

Magic has always been too powerful to reveal to the world. But Magda will learn there might be something even more

The truth.]]> 352 Gareth Brown 0063324032 April 0 to-read 4.28 2025 The Society of Unknowable Objects
author: Gareth Brown
name: April
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/16
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]]> <![CDATA[A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #2)]]> 352921
No one liked CC de Poitiers. Not her quiet husband, not her spineless lover, not her pathetic daughter—and certainly none of the residents of Three Pines. CC de Poitiers managed to alienate everyone, right up until the moment of her death.

When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, of the Sûreté du Québec, is called to investigate, he quickly realizes he's dealing with someone quite extraordinary. CC de Poitiers was electrocuted in the middle of a frozen lake, in front of the entire village, as she watched the annual curling tournament. And yet no one saw anything. Who could have been insane enough to try such a macabre method of murder—or brilliant enough to succeed?

With his trademark compassion and courage, Gamache digs beneath the idyllic surface of village life to find the dangerous secrets long buried there. For a Quebec winter is not only staggeringly beautiful but deadly, and the people of Three Pines know better than to reveal too much of themselves. But other dangers are becoming clear to Gamache. As a bitter wind blows into the village, something even more chilling is coming for Gamache himself.]]> 311 Louise Penny 0312352565 April 5 4.04 2006 A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #2)
author: Louise Penny
name: April
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/01/15
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]]> Emberclaw (Dragon Scales, #2) 195830806
The final book in a new romance epic fantasy duology, in which long-banished dragons, revered as gods, return to the mortal realm—a perfect read for your next book club!

Arcady faces their greatest heist yet: posing as a noble student at the arcane University of Vatra. When the University announces the reinstatement of archaic trials of magic, the ever-penniless Arcady seizes the chance. If they win, they not only prove their worth, but the scholarship will give them more time to unlock secrets and reveal, once and for all, that their grandsire was not the Plaguebringer. Yet grief still leaves Arcady broken, and when they close their eyes, they dream of a certain dragon.

Everen, once the hope of dragons, is now hated by his kind. When he is eventually released from his prison, the Queen is clear: while he may help protect the island from wraith attacks, he is no longer a prince of the realm. As he struggles to find his place in Vere Celene, visions of the past, the future, and tantalizing glimpses of Arcady still haunt him. If he steers the wrong path through fate’s storm, he may never be able to create a future where both humans and dragons live in harmony.

Arcady soon realizes that to survive the rising threats from both their old life and their new one, they must use every trick at their disposal—even magic stolen from a dragon they thought dead. And as time runs out before an ancient danger awakens, Everen must fight his way back to Arcady, earn their forgiveness, and learn what it truly means to be an Emberclaw.

Explore the world of the Dragon Scales duology with bonus content, including historical timeline, glossary, and illustrated map!]]> 400 L.R. Lam 0756418445 April 0 to-read 4.10 Emberclaw (Dragon Scales, #2)
author: L.R. Lam
name: April
average rating: 4.10
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Dragonfall (Dragon Scales, #1)]]> 61985453
Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the gods remember, and they do not forgive.

Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Desperate, Arcady steals a powerful artifact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history. Only Arcady knows the artifact's magic holds the key to a new life among the nobles at court and a chance for revenge.

The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely--body, mind, and soul--and then kill them.

Yet the closer the two become, the greater the risk both their worlds will shatter.]]> 336 L.R. Lam April 3 3.36 2023 Dragonfall (Dragon Scales, #1)
author: L.R. Lam
name: April
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)]]> 76703559 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.]]> 406 Sarah J. Maas 163973094X April 0 currently-reading 4.18 2012 Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: April
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)]]> 40275288
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction � but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.]]> 845 Samantha Shannon 1408883457 April 5 4.18 2019 The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)
author: Samantha Shannon
name: April
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 5
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date added: 2025/01/12
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]]> <![CDATA[Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of OrĂŻsha, #1)]]> 34728667 They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving ZĂ©lie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now ZĂ©lie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, ZĂ©lie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in OrĂŻsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be ZĂ©lie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.]]> 544 Tomi Adeyemi 1250170974 April 4 4.10 2018 Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of OrĂŻsha, #1)
author: Tomi Adeyemi
name: April
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/12
date added: 2025/01/12
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]]> <![CDATA[A River Enchanted (Elements of Cadence, #1)]]> 54326518
As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.]]> 476 Rebecca Ross April 0
This is actually only the second book I have read by Ross, but I've been calling her one of my favorite authors since I read A Queen's Rising, & that sentiment still holds true.

I love Ross's way with words. How they convey so much, but without too much wording and the confusion of complicated phrases.

And oh this tale of enchantment, spirits, and secrets did not disappoint. I was enthralled from the beginning, and then got to a point tonight where I just could not stop until the end. The characters are wonderful, flawed, and only human. The intricacies of their struggles are relatable, and their stories that grow with every twist and turn will leave you wanting more.

I will be ordering book 2 immediately.]]> 4.18 2022 A River Enchanted (Elements of Cadence, #1)
author: Rebecca Ross
name: April
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/08
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Tonight I couldn't stop with A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross.

This is actually only the second book I have read by Ross, but I've been calling her one of my favorite authors since I read A Queen's Rising, & that sentiment still holds true.

I love Ross's way with words. How they convey so much, but without too much wording and the confusion of complicated phrases.

And oh this tale of enchantment, spirits, and secrets did not disappoint. I was enthralled from the beginning, and then got to a point tonight where I just could not stop until the end. The characters are wonderful, flawed, and only human. The intricacies of their struggles are relatable, and their stories that grow with every twist and turn will leave you wanting more.

I will be ordering book 2 immediately.
]]> Descend (The Blaze Legacy #1) 60322953
When a mysterious black envelope arrives during freshman orientation—one inviting Kyleigh Roberts to the school’s prestigious secret society—she immediately feels an unexplainable pull to pledge.

What Kyleigh doesn’t realize is that getting closer to the answers she’s been searching for will force her further from everything she’s ever known.

She plummets into a dark realm full of magic and twisted creatures that once only lived in her bedtime fairy tales. Grappling with explosive powers that begin to emerge, Kyleigh stumbles into a stranger—a woman with glowing eyes who claims she can help.

Since Aislin discovered her gift, she’s been nothing more than a weapon—one wielded by criminals. The idea of freedom has always been just that, an idea. A luxury for those who don’t possess her talent for delivering a swift and merciful death. But for the first time, she’s given a shot at the freedom she’s craved for years.

The catch? She must use her gifts one final time to carry out a mission fueled by revenge against the man least deserving of her mercy.

When Kyleigh and Aislin’s stories become entangled, the two women from worlds apart must find a way to join forces against a vengeful king or risk remaining pawns in a deadly game played by those in power.

The Blaze Legacy is a slow burn enemies to lovers romance full of dragons, shifters, delicious tension, and spice that builds with the series. It has dual strong female leads that each have their own romantic storyline. One character develops into an MF relationship and the other into a sapphic one.]]> 304 L.R. Friedman April 0 to-read 3.96 Descend (The Blaze Legacy #1)
author: L.R. Friedman
name: April
average rating: 3.96
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/08
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]]> <![CDATA[The Shadowglass (The Bone Witch, #3)]]> 38504533 In the highly anticipated finale to the Bone Witch trilogy, Tea’s life—and the fate of the kingdoms—hangs in the balance

Tea is a bone witch with the dark magic needed to raise the dead. She has used this magic to breathe life into those she has loved and lost…and those who would join her army against the deceitful royals. But Tea's quest to conjure a shadowglass—to achieve immortality for the one person she loves most in the world—threatens to consume her heart.

Tea's black heartsglass only grows darker with each new betrayal. And when she is left with new blood on her hands, Tea must answer to a power greater than the elder asha or even her conscience...]]> 449 Rin Chupeco 1492660604 April 5
The Shadow Glass by Rin Chupeco is def â­ď¸Źâ­ď¸Źâ­ď¸Źâ­ď¸Źâ­ď¸Ź for me.
Such a bittersweet ending, but grateful it left all its ducks in a row.
Definitely one of my favorite trilogies of 2024.]]> 4.29 2019 The Shadowglass (The Bone Witch, #3)
author: Rin Chupeco
name: April
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:
I finally finished The Bone Witch trilogy.

The Shadow Glass by Rin Chupeco is def â­ď¸Źâ­ď¸Źâ­ď¸Źâ­ď¸Źâ­ď¸Ź for me.
Such a bittersweet ending, but grateful it left all its ducks in a row.
Definitely one of my favorite trilogies of 2024.
]]> <![CDATA[The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch, #2)]]> 33918881 In The Bone Witch, Tea mastered resurrection - now she's after revenge....

No one knows death like Tea. A bone witch who can resurrect the dead, she has the power to take life...and return it. And she is done with her self-imposed exile. Her heart is set on vengeance, and she now possesses all she needs to command the mighty daeva. With the help of these terrifying beasts, she can finally enact revenge against the royals who wronged her - and took the life of her one true love.

But there are those who plot against her, those who would use Tea's dark power for their own nefarious ends. Because you can't kill someone who can never die....

War is brewing among the kingdoms, and when dark magic is at play, no one is safe.]]> 503 Rin Chupeco 1492635855 April 5
So much tied together yet so much more brought to the surface left unanswered.

Tea, I don't know yet all of the why, but I am with you.]]> 4.20 2018 The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch, #2)
author: Rin Chupeco
name: April
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
review:
Lord so much happened in this book.

So much tied together yet so much more brought to the surface left unanswered.

Tea, I don't know yet all of the why, but I am with you.
]]> The Maidens 45300567
Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.

Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?

When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything—including her own life.]]> 337 Alex Michaelides 1250304458 April 4
It also completely infuriated me.

Premise this by me admitting this is the first of Alex's books that I've read.

The ending just has me.... mixed emotions and thoughts right now.]]> 3.61 2021 The Maidens
author: Alex Michaelides
name: April
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/20
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed this more than I though I would, but in a different way than expected.

It also completely infuriated me.

Premise this by me admitting this is the first of Alex's books that I've read.

The ending just has me.... mixed emotions and thoughts right now.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch, #1)]]> 30095464 A story of scorned witches, sinister curses, and resurrection, The Bone Witch is the start of a dark fantasy trilogy.

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother, Fox, from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha—one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.


The Bone Witch Trilogy:

The Bone Witch (Book 1)

The Heart Forger (Book 2)

The Shadowglass (Book 3)

]]> 411 Rin Chupeco 1492635820 April 5 I could not get enough of Tea, her past and present self.

There is a aura of darkness to her character, and it just draws you into wanting to know everything that has led up to her present self, and what she is planning.

The cast of characters are wonderful, and the little twists towards the end, I didn't see coming. (Maybe cause I was so enthralled to not catch any hints til they were right in my face).

Starting the next one RIGHT MEOW.]]> 3.67 2017 The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch, #1)
author: Rin Chupeco
name: April
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/10
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves:
review:
Absolutely loved this book.
I could not get enough of Tea, her past and present self.

There is a aura of darkness to her character, and it just draws you into wanting to know everything that has led up to her present self, and what she is planning.

The cast of characters are wonderful, and the little twists towards the end, I didn't see coming. (Maybe cause I was so enthralled to not catch any hints til they were right in my face).

Starting the next one RIGHT MEOW.
]]> <![CDATA[Galaphile (The First Druids of Shannara, #1)]]> 205064662
One of the most iconic structures in the Four Lands is Paranor, the fortress home of the Druid Order. Legend holds that it was erected by an Elven leader known as Galaphile Joss. But who was this Galaphile, and how and why did he choose to establish this center of magic and learning?

Within these pages we meet the real Galaphile, following him from a friendless teenage orphan stranded in the Human world to a powerful adult and master mage, studying under the infamous recluse, Cogline. We learn of the forces that shaped him—those he loved, and those he lost; those who aided him, and those who stood against him.

Throughout it all, Galaphile’s goal is a noble one: to bring order to a chaotic world, and to make life better for those trying to survive it. To this end, he commences building the citadel which will one day be known as Paranor with the aid of the King of the Silver River. But there is one other who seeks dominion over the Four Lands—and for far less virtuous ends.

For this foe has been corrupted by an ancient evil—one that will not only reach out and touch Galaphile’s nearest and dearest, but also echo down through the centuries, sowing the seeds for some of the darkest times the Four Lands will ever face.]]> 336 Terry Brooks 0593129806 April 0 to-read 4.02 2025 Galaphile (The First Druids of Shannara, #1)
author: Terry Brooks
name: April
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Dark Mirror (The Bone Season, #5)]]> 211003763
As she makes her way back to the revolution, her journey takes her to Venice, where she learns a dangerous secret � one that could change the face of the war between humans and immortals. Before she can return to London, she must help the Domino Programme unravel the sinister Operation Ventriloquist.

And it soon becomes clear that the one person who could recover her memories � Arcturus Mesarthim � might also hold the key to saving Italy.

Lyrical and action-packed, The Dark Mirror drives the Bone Season series forward, showing Samantha Shannon at the height of her powers.]]> 576 Samantha Shannon 1639733965 April 0 to-read 4.65 2025 The Dark Mirror (The Bone Season, #5)
author: Samantha Shannon
name: April
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[North Is the Night (Tuonela, #1)]]> 210366380 Two bold young women defy the gods and mortals, living and dead, in this darkly mythical, Finnish folklore-inspired fantasy duology for readers of T. Kingfisher's Nettle & Bone, Danielle L. Jensen, Thea Guanzon, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec.

In the Finnish wilderness, more than wolves roam the dark forests. For Siiri and Aina, summer’s fading light is a harbinger of unwelcome change. Land-hungry Swedes venture north, threatening the peace; a zealous Christian priest denounces the old ways; and young women have begun to disappear.

Siiri vows to protect Aina from danger. But even Siiri cannot stop a death goddess from dragging her friend to Tuonela, the mythical underworld. Determined to save Aina, Siiri braves a dangerous journey north to seek the greatest shaman of legend, the only person to venture to the realm of death and return alive.

In Tuonela, the cruel Witch Queen turns Aina’s every waking moment into a living nightmare. But armed with compassion and cleverness, Aina learns the truth of her capture: the king of the underworld himself has plans for her. To return home, Aina must bargain her heart—as Siiri plots a daring rescue of the woman she loves the most.]]> 592 Emily Rath 1645662209 April 0 to-read 3.82 2024 North Is the Night (Tuonela, #1)
author: Emily Rath
name: April
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Village in the Dark 219400169 Detective Cara Kennedy thought she’d lost her husband and son in an accident, but harrowing evidence has emerged that points to murder--and she will stop at nothing to find the truth in this riveting mystery from the author of City Under One Roof.

On a frigid February day, Anchorage Detective Cara Kennedy stands by the graves of her husband and son, watching as their caskets are raised from the earth.ĚýIt feels sacrilegious, but she has no choice. Aaron and Dylan disappeared on a hike a year ago, their bones eventually found and buried. But shocking clues have emerged that foul play was involved, potentially connecting them to a string of other deaths and disappearances.Ěý
Ěý
Somehow tied to the mystery is Mia Upash, who grew up in an isolated village called Unity, a community of women and children in hiding from abusive men. Mia never imagined the trouble she would find herself in when she left home to live in Man’s World. Although she remains haunted by the tragedy of what happened to the man and the boy in the woods, she has her own reasons for keeping quiet.
Ěý
Aided by police officer Joe Barkowski and other residents of Point Mettier, Cara’s investigation will lead them on a dangerous path that puts their lives and the lives of everyone around them in mortal jeopardy.]]> 288 Iris Yamashita 0593336720 April 0 to-read 3.83 2024 Village in the Dark
author: Iris Yamashita
name: April
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons (Saffron Everleigh Mystery, #1)]]> 71499379
Debut author Kate Khavari deftly entwines a pulse-pounding mystery with the struggles of a woman in a male-dominated field in 1923 London.

Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to blaze a new trail at the University College London, but with her colleagues� beliefs about women’s academic inabilities and not-so-subtle hints that her deceased father’s reputation paved her way into the botany department, she feels stymied at every turn.

When she attends a dinner party for the school, she expects to engage in conversations about the university's large expedition to the Amazon. What she doesn’t expect is for Mrs. Henry, one of the professors� wives, to drop to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin.

Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor, is the main suspect and evidence quickly mounts. Joined by fellow researcher--and potential romantic interest--Alexander Ashton, Saffron uses her knowledge of botany as she explores steamy greenhouses, dark gardens, and deadly poisons to clear Maxwell's name.

Will she be able to uncover the truth, or will her investigation land her on the murderer’s list, in this entertaining examination of society’s expectations?]]> 320 Kate Khavari 1639102701 April 0 to-read 3.52 2022 A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons (Saffron Everleigh Mystery, #1)
author: Kate Khavari
name: April
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell 217387966 A page-turning, compelling thriller about a woman who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth behind her sister’s disappearance.

Shaw Connolly is no stranger to trauma. As a fingerprints analyst, she’s one of the first on-site for crimes, including murder scenes and a mysterious string of arsons popping up throughout the rural Maine community her department serves. But the tragedy of her little sister’s disappearance sixteen years ago has always weighed on her the most; Thea is never far from her thoughts or dreams, and Shaw knows that her obsession with finding the truth about Thea is driving her husband away and impacting her two boys. Still, she can't let it go and has even started taking disturbing calls from a man named Anders Jansen who all but claims to have committed the crime.

Anders taunts Shaw with hints and innuendo about what supposedly happened all those years ago. His calls go to the next level as he reveals just how much he knows about Shaw’s personal life, like her stalled career and ruined marriage. As his stalking escalates to threats on her and her family's lives, he begins to show just how dangerous he might be. Shaw is too desperate for answers to hang up now, just when she's getting close to finding proof. The only question left is what she must lose to learn the truth.

A taut, atmospheric thriller from Edgar Award-finalist young adult author Gillian French, Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell introduces a compelling new voice in adult suspense fiction.]]> 352 Gillian French 1250358515 April 0 to-read 3.74 2025 Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell
author: Gillian French
name: April
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Deadly Walk in Devon (A Walk Through England Mystery, #1)]]> 210367319 For fans of M.C. Beaton, Martha Grimes, and Alexander McCall Smith, the first in a charming new mystery series set in the English countryside, as a retired San Diego police detective embarks upon group walking tours in England’s most scenic counties�

After a long career as a detective in San Diego, Rick “Chase� Chasen has traded in his badge for a change of scenery in the coastal comforts of Devon, England, until a local murder takes him on a deadly detour . . . Still grieving the death of his long-time partner, Chase reunites with his dear friend and fellow Anglophile Billie Mondreau for a seacoast holiday of historic sightseeing. Assigned a pair of guides from the tour company Wanderers, Chase and Billie join seven other like-minded Americans looking forward to an English getaway. All except for Ronald Gretz. The wealthy entrepreneur behind the international Golden Sunset nursing home chain doesn’t like anything about walking, touring, or England. Coarse and opinionated, Gretz’s complaints get on the nerves of his fellow Wanderers—and his long-suffering trophy wife.

But Gretz’s gripes are tied to his own nerves being frayed. He has been receiving threatening texts and emails signed “An Avenger.� Convinced someone means him harm, Gretz asks Chase to watch his back. Soon, Gretz falls afoul of several “accidents,� leading to more friction with the other walkers. Until one final “accident� results in Gretz dead at the bottom of a cliff. Chase, whose investigative instincts remain sharp, knows Gretz’s death was no accident. While helping the police investigate, he discovers that members of the tour group not only disliked the victim but had legitimate motives for wanting him dead. Now, he just has to uncover who among them is willing to kill . . .]]> 320 Nicholas George 1496745272 April 0 to-read 3.58 A Deadly Walk in Devon (A Walk Through England Mystery, #1)
author: Nicholas George
name: April
average rating: 3.58
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Murder in an Irish Village (An Irish Village Mystery, #1)]]> 210409333 A little slice of Heaven on the Emerald Isle�
Ěý
In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Natalie’s Bistro has always been a warm and welcoming spot to visit with neighbors, enjoy some brown bread and tea, and get the local gossip. Nowadays twenty-two-year-old Siobhán O’Sullivan runs the family bistro named for her mother, along with her five siblings, after the death of their parents in a car crash almost a year ago.
Ěý
It’s been a rough year for the O’Sullivans, but it’s about to get rougher. One morning, as they’re opening the bistro, they discover a man seated at a table, dressed in a suit as if for his own funeral, a pair of hot pink barber scissors protruding from his chest.
Ěý
With the local garda suspecting the O’Sullivans, and their business in danger of being shunned—murder tends to spoil the appetite—it’s up to feisty redheaded Siobhán to solve the crime and save her beloved brood.]]> 368 Carlene O'Connor 1496753674 April 0 to-read 3.77 2016 Murder in an Irish Village (An Irish Village Mystery, #1)
author: Carlene O'Connor
name: April
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Arcana Academy (Arcana Academy, #1)]]> 219551319 A woman who wields magical tarot cards lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy in this first installment of an enthralling romantasy series from the bestselling author of A Deal with the Elf King.

Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards-a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy.

Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy's enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape-for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time.

In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.

Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world-and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?]]> 576 Elise Kova 0593726340 April 0 to-read 4.34 2025 Arcana Academy (Arcana Academy, #1)
author: Elise Kova
name: April
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Firebird (The Fire That Binds, #1)]]> 211004924 DELUXE EDITION—featuring beautiful original illustrated stenciled edges with a foil case stamp, and designed endpapers!

An instant New York Times bestseller!

House of the Dragon meets From Blood and Ash in this epic, scorching dark romantasy.

A conqueror captivated�
A witch prophesied to save them all�
An unforgiving world where dragons rule Rome.

Julian Dakkia, Roman general and nephew to the emperor, has played his role as conqueror well. Yet, the moment he laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later, the fierce beauty stands before him, a captive on a scarred battlefield, her life in danger. He instinctively shifts into his fierce dragon form to save her, an action that may mean his head on the imperial gate.

The rules of their world dictate that he is the conqueror and she is the captured. But he and his dragon know one thing: their bond has nothing to do with the laws of mighty Rome. She belongs to them. And they belong to her.

Fierce and powerful, twenty-one-year old Malina has survived the loss of her family and she is determined to fight until her dying breath. Still, she can’t believe that the centurion who had once bestowed a secret talisman on her is the Roman general of legendary brutality…and now holds her life in his hands. Nor can she deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his. Slowly she learns that Julian is caught in his mad uncle’s machinations for domination, and helps him plot the downfall of the empire itself.

As they navigate a world where flying deathriders conquer and burn, their love will ignite a firestorm that can only end in heartbreak or death. Or both.

Firebird is a fantasy with some dark themes, including elements of master/slave relationship, attempted sexual assault (not between MCs), and dubious consent (not between MCs). Readers who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note.]]> 400 Juliette Cross 1250339944 April 0 to-read 3.55 2025 Firebird (The Fire That Binds, #1)
author: Juliette Cross
name: April
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #1)]]> 218515948 Now available for pre-order! This beautiful new paperback edition features full color character art, bonus scene (for the first time in print!), and gold foil cover decoration with embossed lettering.

The overnight viral sensation everyone is talking about, Blood of Hercules, is a sarcastically funny, dark fantasy romance reimagining of Hercules from bestselling author Jasmine Mas.

I’m just a girl. And it turns out, I’m Hercules.

I’m struggling to survive in a Titan infested world where Spartans, immortals from twelve royal families who have god-like powers and obscene wealth, rule over all. A shy-stammering foster child with nothing, I keep my head down, cover my scars, and focus on excelling in school. At least, I try to. Then it happens.

My blood test reveals I’m part of the powerful elite. I’m one of them. A Spartan.

Forced to attend the Spartan War Academy, I undergo the most harrowing test of all time to see if I have what it takes to be an immortal. There’s just a few problems. Achilles and Patro are my scary mentors. Kharon, the ferryman of death, and Augustus, the son of war, are my terrifying professors. Also, I’m pretty sure either someone’s stalking me everywhere I go, or my sanity’s slipping––I have a bad feeling both are true.

I’m surrounded by Villains and they’re smothering me with their hate, obsession, and dark possessiveness. Too bad for them, they have no clue just who they’re messing with.

Perfect for readers who love:
� "Who did this to you?"
� Extreme Enemies to Lovers
� Morally Gray Alpha Heros
� Stories where the Villains get the girl
� Greek Myths and War Academies]]> 512 Jasmine Mas 1335474722 April 0 to-read 4.02 2024 Blood of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #1)
author: Jasmine Mas
name: April
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Daughter of Chaos (The Dark Pantheon, #1)]]> 198132882 ----
In ancient Greece, mortals suffer under the tyranny of the gods—forced to sacrifice the food they depend on, their worldly possessions and even each other at the whims of the Twelve. But an ancient prophecy speaks of hope, of one who will set humankind free.

On the island of Naxos, Danae, a fisherman's daughter, develops strange powers tied to a mysterious tree bearing golden fruit. Driven from her home, she seeks guidance from the oracle but finds only more questions…and whispers of a secret network of believers who have long been awaiting her arrival.

Determined to learn more, Danae joins forces with the legendary Heracles and his crew. Together they battle monsters and gods alike on a quest to the end of the world as Danae seeks the one who holds the key to her destiny.

But a terrifying truth is yet to be unlocked. A truth that could destroy the world as she knows it. Danae must choose to follow her destiny or her heart, while the fate of humanity rests on her shoulders.]]> 464 A.S. Webb 0778368432 April 0 to-read 3.66 2025 Daughter of Chaos (The Dark Pantheon, #1)
author: A.S. Webb
name: April
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Honeysuckle and Bone 212203126 320 Trisha Tobias 163893102X April 0 to-read 3.62 2025 Honeysuckle and Bone
author: Trisha Tobias
name: April
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Shadow Bride (The Scarlet Veil, #2)]]> 199635112 In the thrilling conclusion of the duology set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Serpent & Dove series by Shelby Mahurin, a vampire and the woman who tried to kill him prove that true love can conquer anything, even Death. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Mass.

Célie’s life is over. She took her final breath trying to save the people she loves—including the powerful and enigmatic vampire king, Michal, who refused to let her go. When Célie wakes, she cannot walk in the sun; she can hear her friends� heartbeats and she craves their blood. Michal has cursed her to the eternal existence of a vampire.

But Célie isn’t the only dead roaming the earth. Her sister, Filippa, has returned as a shadow of her former self, and other revenants are rising from their graves intent on revenge. The fragile balance between life and death has broken, awakening an even darker force—and he is coming for Célie, ready to claim her as his Bride. With the fate of their world at stake, Célie and Michal must set aside their searing attraction to mend the veil and right the balance, once and for all.]]> 624 Shelby Mahurin 0063258803 April 0 to-read 4.12 2025 The Shadow Bride (The Scarlet Veil, #2)
author: Shelby Mahurin
name: April
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dark Heir (Dark Rise, #2) 199531867 496 C.S. Pacat 0062946188 April 0 to-read 4.52 2023 Dark Heir (Dark Rise, #2)
author: C.S. Pacat
name: April
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I Am Made of Death 212398691 From bestselling author Kelly Andrew comes the most electrifying dark romance of the decade...

Following the death of his father, Thomas Walsh had to grow up quickly, taking on odd-jobs to keep food on the table and help pay his gravely ill mother's medical bills. When he's offered a highly paid position as an interpreter for an heiress who exclusively signs, Thomas -- the hearing child of a Deaf adult -- jumps at the opportunity.

But the job is not without its challenges. Thomas is expected to accompany Vivienne wherever she goes, but from the start, she seems determined to shake him. To make matters worse, her parents keep her on an extremely short leash. She is not to go anywhere without express permission. She is not to deviate from her routine.

She is, most importantly, not to be out after dark.

A selective-mute, Vivienne Farrow hasn't said a word in years -- not since going missing in Red Rock Canyon when she was four years old. No one knows quite what happened to her out in the dark. They only know that the sound of her voice is now as deadly as a poison. Anyone who hears her speak suffers a horrible death.

Ever since that fatal family vacation, Vivienne has been desperately searching for a way to regain control of both her voice and her body. Because the face staring out of the mirror isn't hers. It's something with teeth.

Thankfully, Vivienne has a plan. She's finally found someone who claims to be able to perform a surgical exorcism. She just needs to find a way to get rid of Thomas first. But Thomas can't afford to walk away, nor is he willing to abandon the mysterious girl he's quickly falling for, no matter what dark powers threaten to swallow them both whole.]]> 368 Kelly Andrew 1546104488 April 0 to-read 3.96 2025 I Am Made of Death
author: Kelly Andrew
name: April
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> We Are the Beasts 63120088
But to sixteen-year-old Joséphine and her best friend, Clara, the beast isn’t a curse. It’s an opportunity.

For years, the girls of Mende have been living in a nightmare—fathers who drink, brothers who punch, homes that feel like prisons—and this is a chance to get them out.

Using the creature’s attacks as cover, Joséphine and Clara set out to fake their friends� deaths and hide them away until it’s safe to run. But escape is harder than they thought. If they can’t brave a harsh winter with little food� If the villagers discover what they’re doing� If the beast finds them first...

Those fake deaths might just become real ones.]]> 352 Gigi Griffis 0593707729 April 0 to-read 3.70 2024 We Are the Beasts
author: Gigi Griffis
name: April
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> War Storm (Red Queen, #4) 27188596 Victory comes at a price.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all� starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power� for all will be tested, but not all will survive.]]> 662 Victoria Aveyard 0062422995 April 5
This was a long book to get through, with soany pieces falling together (& some falling apart).

I am happy with some of the endings, and dissatisfied with the main, BUT it was an ending that suited the story, and our main protagonist.

I hope that the future holds enough peace for them to find themselves, and heal the wounds that linger.]]> 3.80 2018 War Storm (Red Queen, #4)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: April
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/08
shelves:
review:
Another series complete. (Except for the novellas, but I think I'm okay missing out on those.)

This was a long book to get through, with soany pieces falling together (& some falling apart).

I am happy with some of the endings, and dissatisfied with the main, BUT it was an ending that suited the story, and our main protagonist.

I hope that the future holds enough peace for them to find themselves, and heal the wounds that linger.
]]> I Am the Cage 217245667
“A brilliant book about what we survive—and how. Visceral, wrenching, and beautiful.� –John Green, #1 bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars

“A tender, heartfelt story about the wounds childhood trauma can leave on its survivors. The sense of powerlessness—and redemption—will stay with you.� –Jojo Moyes, #1 bestselling author of Me Before You

“Heartfelt, human and true—a novel that feels real from the first word to the last. I loved it.� –Markus Zusak, #1 bestselling author of The Book Thief

“Allison Sweet Grant is a natural storyteller with the keen eye and ear of a poet. Deftly toggling between past and present, childhood trauma and its painful aftershocks, I Am the Cage is a story of love, resilience, and healing. What a beautiful, moving, and insightful debut.”� –Maggie Smith, bestselling author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful

“Grant’s YA debut emerges with a captivating sparkle... introspective and rhythmic prose.... outstanding character study.... powerful.�
–Booklist starred review

“Artfully showcases the complicated back-and-forth between keeping oneself safe and staunching one’s own growth�. Crackles with tension and sincerity� cathartic.� –Publishers Weekly

Fish Creek, Wisconsin—Beautiful. Quiet. Isolated. Anonymous. It’s all that nineteen-year-old Elisabeth needs, and everything she wants. Cloistered in her tiny cabin, Elisabeth is determined to be alone, hiding from her memories and making sure that no one can ever hurt her again.

But when a massive snowstorm strikes, plunging the town into darkness, Elisabeth finally allows herself to accept help from her neighbor, Noah, the town’s young sheriff. Forced to show him more vulnerability than she ever intended, Elisabeth realizes she can no longer outrun the scars of her childhood, and facing the darkness might be exactly what she needs to let the light in.

In a searing own-voices story accented by poignant childhood flashbacks and stunning poetry, Allison Sweet Grant’s young adult debut is a quietly powerful portrait of a young woman’s journey to confront the medical trauma inflicted to “fix� her—and heal her heart in the process. An emotional coming-of-age story about a young woman running away from herself, yet grasping to find a way back. Deeply moving, authentically raw, and humming with the possibility of a new love.]]> 304 Allison Sweet Grant 059361691X April 4
The way it is written makes it easy to read, and even with the darker moments of what she went through (and is going through), it is not too much to handle.

While definitely an emotional story based around trauma and what can follow us and haunt us into adulthood, it was also a story of strength and and what we can overcome.

My only gripe was that the ending felt a bit rushed, there was alot to unpack from the past and future, and I would have liked there to been a bit more into it. I did enjoy the happier ending, and knowing that Elisabeth was moving forward.]]> 4.03 2025 I Am the Cage
author: Allison Sweet Grant
name: April
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves:
review:
I am the Cage is a coming of age story featuring Elisabeth, a 19 year old running from herself and her past. The book is set in the present but with different moments we are taken back into the past and all that Elisabeth went through. Slowly but surely you begin to grasp what exactly made her the way she is now.

The way it is written makes it easy to read, and even with the darker moments of what she went through (and is going through), it is not too much to handle.

While definitely an emotional story based around trauma and what can follow us and haunt us into adulthood, it was also a story of strength and and what we can overcome.

My only gripe was that the ending felt a bit rushed, there was alot to unpack from the past and future, and I would have liked there to been a bit more into it. I did enjoy the happier ending, and knowing that Elisabeth was moving forward.
]]> King's Cage (Red Queen, #3) 35072205
Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.

As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the palace, her once-ragtag band of newbloods and Reds continue organizing, training, and expanding. They prepare for war, no longer able to linger in the shadows. And Cal, the exiled prince with his own claim on Mare's heart, will stop at nothing to bring her back.

When blood turns on blood, and ability on ability, there may be no one left to put out the fire—leaving Norta as Mare knows it to burn all the way down.]]> 700 Victoria Aveyard 6023852866 April 5
I have been in a reading rut the last couple weeks (I think?), but tonight I have finished the 3rd book in the Red Queen series.

This one felt a bit more emotional than the others. I feel like Mare faced alot of dark stuff in this book, and then didn't really have enough time to fully heal and recover.

Very interested to see what happens in War Storm, and how she changes and grows again, especially with that ending.]]> 3.77 2017 King's Cage (Red Queen, #3)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: April
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves:
review:
King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

I have been in a reading rut the last couple weeks (I think?), but tonight I have finished the 3rd book in the Red Queen series.

This one felt a bit more emotional than the others. I feel like Mare faced alot of dark stuff in this book, and then didn't really have enough time to fully heal and recover.

Very interested to see what happens in War Storm, and how she changes and grows again, especially with that ending.
]]> Wisteria (Belladonna, #3) 195820745 #1 New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace delivers a sensational conclusion to the deathly and decadent Belladonna trilogy, with dramatic twists and a seductive new romance that will set readers' hearts ablaze.

Blythe Hawthorne has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and to discover the truth about who she really is.]]> 419 Adalyn Grace 0316569380 April 0 to-read 4.25 2024 Wisteria (Belladonna, #3)
author: Adalyn Grace
name: April
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Foxglove (Belladonna, #2) 58651856
The captivating sequel to the Gothic-infused Belladonna, in which Signa and Death face a supernatural foe determined to tear them apart.

A duke has been murdered. The lord of Thorn Grove has been framed. And Fate, the elusive brother of Death, has taken up residence in a sumptuous estate nearby. He's hellbent on revenge after Death took the life of the woman he loved many years ago...and now he's determined to have Signa for himself, no matter the cost.

Signa and her cousin Blythe are certain that Fate can save Elijah Hawthorne from prison if they will entertain his presence. But the more time the girls spend with Fate, the more frightening their reality becomes as Signa exhibits dramatic new powers that link her to Fate's past. With mysteries and danger around every corner, the cousins must decide if they can trust one another as they navigate their futures in high society, unravel the murders that haunt their family, and play Fate's unexpected games—all with their destinies hanging in the balance.

Dangerous, suspenseful, and seductive, this sequel to Signa and Death's story is as utterly romantic as it is perfectly deadly.]]> 465 Adalyn Grace 0316565253 April 0 to-read 4.12 2023 Foxglove (Belladonna, #2)
author: Adalyn Grace
name: April
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Glass Sword (Red Queen, #2) 23174274 If there’s one thing Mare Barrow knows, it’s that she’s different.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.]]> 444 Victoria Aveyard 0062310666 April 5
Glass Sword exceeded my expectations a bit, Red Queen was so twisty and packed with action, I almost expected that book 2 would be calmer.

In hindsight, I feel like I had to set this book down a few times just to process.... it was even more emotional, action packed, and heartbreaking than the first.

I am almost afraid to pick up book 3, but I know that if I don't, not knowing will haunt me.]]> 3.79 2016 Glass Sword (Red Queen, #2)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: April
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/22
date added: 2024/11/22
shelves:
review:
I can't do much more than escape into reading today. Pregnancy is kicking my butt the last few days, and especially today.

Glass Sword exceeded my expectations a bit, Red Queen was so twisty and packed with action, I almost expected that book 2 would be calmer.

In hindsight, I feel like I had to set this book down a few times just to process.... it was even more emotional, action packed, and heartbreaking than the first.

I am almost afraid to pick up book 3, but I know that if I don't, not knowing will haunt me.
]]> <![CDATA[Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle, #2)]]> 45978
Darkness falls…despair abounds…evil reigns�

Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn't know whom he can trust.

Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle–one that might put Eragon in even graver danger.

Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . .]]> 704 Christopher Paolini 0375840400 April 5 favorite 4.04 2005 Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle, #2)
author: Christopher Paolini
name: April
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/19
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: favorite
review:
*2024* Re-read of the inheritance cycle continues. I still love this trilogy so far, just as much as I used to.
]]> <![CDATA[Brisingr (The Inheritance Cycle #3)]]> 2248573
It's been only months since Eragon first uttered "brisingr", an ancient language term for fire. Since then, he's not only learned to create magic with words � he's been challenged to his very core. Following the colossal battle against the Empires warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still, there is more adventure at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

First is Eragon's oath to his cousin, Roran: to help rescue Roran's beloved from King Galbatorix's clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength � as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices � choices that will take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.

Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

]]> 748 Christopher Paolini 0375826726 April 5 favorite 4.10 2008 Brisingr (The Inheritance Cycle #3)
author: Christopher Paolini
name: April
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/20
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: favorite
review:
*2024 Reread* There was much I had forgotten in this one. But I still enjoyed it as much as I did before.
]]> <![CDATA[Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle, #4)]]> 7664041 Eragon... It ends with Inheritance.

Not so very long ago, Eragon � Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider � was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chance.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the spellbinding conclusion to Christopher Paolini's worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

]]> 849 Christopher Paolini 0375856110 April 5 There was alot I hadn't remembered. And alot that was still infuriating, but still. Such a good book]]> 4.14 2011 Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle, #4)
author: Christopher Paolini
name: April
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/26
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves:
review:
*2024* I've read this once before, about 10 years ago?
There was alot I hadn't remembered. And alot that was still infuriating, but still. Such a good book
]]> <![CDATA[In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)]]> 2459785
Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox (his partner and closest friend) find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

A gorgeously written novel that marks the debut of an astonishing new voice in psychological suspense.]]> 448 Tana French April 4 3.82 2007 In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)
author: Tana French
name: April
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/31
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves:
review:
This is probably more a 3.5 for me, but rounded it up (vs. down) to 4 because other than the unanswered questions. I really did enjoy reading it.
]]> <![CDATA[I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me]]> 75283912 There will be blood.

Ace of Spades meets House of Hollow in this villain origin story.

Laure Mesny is a perfectionist with an axe to grind. Despite being constantly overlooked in the elite and cutthroat world of the Parisian ballet, she will do anything to prove that a Black girl can take center stage. To level the playing field, Laure ventures deep into the depths of the Catacombs and strikes a deal with a pulsating river of blood.

The primordial power Laure gains promises influence and adoration, everything she’s dreamed of and worked toward. With retribution on her mind, she surpasses her bitter and privileged peers, leaving broken bodies behind her on her climb to stardom.

But even as undeniable as she is, Laure is not the only monster around. And her vicious desires make her a perfect target for slaughter. As she descends into madness and the mystifying underworld beneath her, she is faced with the ultimate choice: continue to break herself for scraps of validation or succumb to the darkness that wants her exactly as she is—monstrous heart and all. That is, if the god-killer doesn’t catch her first.

From debut author Jamison Shea comes I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me, a slow-burn horror that lifts a veil on the institutions that profit on exclusion and the toll of giving everything to a world that will never love you back.]]> 339 Jamison Shea 1250909562 April 3
I honestly had to force myself to read this book. I don't mind a villain story, but I had a very, very hard time relating or even understanding the protagonist for the entirety of the book.

Her back story is minimal to begin with, the tidbits thrown to you throughout feel like second hand knowledge, where I felt that there should have been much more emphasis put onto why she was where she was, who she was, and etc.

And the back story of Archeron? I'm not even sure I understand with what little the book gave me. It all felt scattered and confusing.

The moat interesting character was Andor... and while on that topic, I thought the protagonist was only into females for a majority of the book (did I read those signs wrong?).

I also caught a few errors with the punctuation and grammar, but that doesn't usually bother me too much.

If you enjoy a horror-esque villain story with an infuriating protagonist, give it a try. I however, am just happy to move onto something else.

*Thank you to Bookish First for the opportunity to read this, even if it took me ages.*]]> 3.69 2023 I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me
author: Jamison Shea
name: April
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/06
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves:
review:
So starting of the outward appearance of this book is beautiful, and it's twisted beauty fits the content and themes of this book really well.

I honestly had to force myself to read this book. I don't mind a villain story, but I had a very, very hard time relating or even understanding the protagonist for the entirety of the book.

Her back story is minimal to begin with, the tidbits thrown to you throughout feel like second hand knowledge, where I felt that there should have been much more emphasis put onto why she was where she was, who she was, and etc.

And the back story of Archeron? I'm not even sure I understand with what little the book gave me. It all felt scattered and confusing.

The moat interesting character was Andor... and while on that topic, I thought the protagonist was only into females for a majority of the book (did I read those signs wrong?).

I also caught a few errors with the punctuation and grammar, but that doesn't usually bother me too much.

If you enjoy a horror-esque villain story with an infuriating protagonist, give it a try. I however, am just happy to move onto something else.

*Thank you to Bookish First for the opportunity to read this, even if it took me ages.*
]]> Smoke 27208482
Thomas Argyle is the only son of a wayward aristocrat. Charlie Cooper is his best friend. When Thomas finds himself under the boot heel of a sadistic headboy in the treacherous halls of their elite boarding school, he and Charlie begin to question the rules of their society. Then the boys meet Livia, the daughter of a wealthy and powerful family. She leads them to a secret laboratory where they learn that smoke may not be as it seems, and together they set out to uncover the truth about their world.]]> 448 Dan Vyleta 0385540175 April 3
The idea behind the book was good, but it dragged so much for me. I felt that there was just alot of filler text that made my eyes glaze over at times.

The characters were intriguing, but sometimes they got drowned out by the descriptions and long winding explanations.

I didn't hate it, at all, but I had a hard time getting through it.]]> 3.27 2016 Smoke
author: Dan Vyleta
name: April
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves:
review:
So the premise of Smoke, lies within layers of sin and the heaviness of religion and virtue.

The idea behind the book was good, but it dragged so much for me. I felt that there was just alot of filler text that made my eyes glaze over at times.

The characters were intriguing, but sometimes they got drowned out by the descriptions and long winding explanations.

I didn't hate it, at all, but I had a hard time getting through it.
]]> Red Queen (Red Queen, #1) 22328546 This is a world divided by blood—red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.]]> 388 Victoria Aveyard 0062310631 April 5 Why I did, I do not remember (blame preggo brain ]]> 3.98 2015 Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: April
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/16
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves:
review:
I have avoided this series (even tho I have all of them, other than the novella) because I underestimated it.
Why I did, I do not remember (blame preggo brain
]]> <![CDATA[The Secret, Book & Scone Society (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #1)]]> 33632473
Miracle Springs, North Carolina, is a place of healing. Strangers flock here hoping the natural hot springs, five-star cuisine, and renowned spa can cure their ills. If none of that works, they often find their way to Miracle Books, where, over a fresh-baked “comfort� scone from the Gingerbread House bakery, they exchange their stories with owner Nora Pennington in return for a carefully chosen book. That’s Nora’s special talent—prescribing the perfect novel to ease a person’s deepest pain and lighten their heaviest burden.

When a visiting businessman reaches out to Nora for guidance, she knows exactly which novels will help. But before he can keep their appointment at Miracle Books, he’s found dead on the train tracks.

Stunned, Nora forms the Secret, Book, and Scone Society, a group of damaged souls yearning to gain trust and earn redemption by helping others. To join the society, members must divulge their darkest secret—the terrible truth that brought each of them to Miracle Springs in the first place.

Determined to uncover the truth behind the businessman’s demise, the women meet in Nora’s cramped and cozy bookstore to share stories and trade support. And as they untangle a web of corruption, they also discover their own courage, purpose, and a sisterhood that will carry them through every challenge—proving it’s never too late to turn the page and start over . . .]]> 290 Ellery Adams 1496712374 April 5
I'm looking forward to seeing how all their pasts intertwine with the rest of the books whenever I can get my hands on them ]]> 3.65 2017 The Secret, Book & Scone Society (Secret, Book, & Scone Society, #1)
author: Ellery Adams
name: April
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/11
date added: 2024/11/11
shelves:
review:
This was an enjoyable, easy, cozyish mystery read! I loved Nora and her bookstore, and learning about the pasts of her and her new friends.

I'm looking forward to seeing how all their pasts intertwine with the rest of the books whenever I can get my hands on them
]]> <![CDATA[The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues, #1)]]> 48580056 A glamorous media darling, a surprise heiress, and the magical competition of a lifetime.

At sixteen, Honora “Nora� Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in all of Walstad. Her family controls all the money–and all the magic–in the entire country. But despite being the center of attention, Nora has always felt like an outsider. When her mother is found dead in an alley, the family throne and fortune are suddenly up for grabs, and Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz, the ultimate magical competition for power that determines the one family heir.

But there’s a surprise contestant this time: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora’s aunt. When Lotte’s absent mother retrieves her from the rural convent she’d abandoned her to, Lotte goes from being an orphan to surrounded by family. Unfortunately, most of them want her dead.

And soon, Nora discovers that her mother’s death wasn’t random–it was murder. And the only person she can trust to uncover the truth of what happened is a rakish young reporter who despises everything Nora and her family stand for.

With everyone against her, Lotte’s last hope is hunting for the identity of her father. But the dangerous competition–and her feelings for Theo, one of the Holtzfalls� sworn protectors–turns her world upside down.]]> 512 Alwyn Hamilton 0451479661 April 5
The characters in this book, especially the main protagonists, all have their unique strengths and weaknesses, which I loved. Switching between views was made easy, not only by the name with the chapter, but by each following their own plot, with minor intermingling until the story itself brings it all together.

The story felt decently paced while including some worldbuilding and lore (oh I loved the lore), and definitely never felt boring to me in the slightest. As for the twists, there seemed to be so many that I was never quite sure what the outcome was going to be until the truths were finally revealed. Even when it was there were still bits that weren't expected, and enough to leave me wanting more.... oh so much more.

I really, really, do not want to wait for the next step in this story.]]> 4.23 2025 The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues, #1)
author: Alwyn Hamilton
name: April
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/10
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:
Let's start with the cover, it's beautiful, and it fits wondeefully to the glamorous in this borderline steampunk and modernish fantasy tale.

The characters in this book, especially the main protagonists, all have their unique strengths and weaknesses, which I loved. Switching between views was made easy, not only by the name with the chapter, but by each following their own plot, with minor intermingling until the story itself brings it all together.

The story felt decently paced while including some worldbuilding and lore (oh I loved the lore), and definitely never felt boring to me in the slightest. As for the twists, there seemed to be so many that I was never quite sure what the outcome was going to be until the truths were finally revealed. Even when it was there were still bits that weren't expected, and enough to leave me wanting more.... oh so much more.

I really, really, do not want to wait for the next step in this story.
]]>