January is coming to an end and it was a strong month of reading. I genuinely enjoyed every book I read this month. Of course I started off my A Court of Thorns and Roses reread in preparation for A Court of Silver Flames releasing February 16, 2021. And I was also able to sneak … Continue reading January 2021 Wrap Up
Title: The Gilded Ones Author: Namina Forna Publisher/Publish date: Delacorte Press/February 9, 2021 Edition/Pages: Ebook/432 pages Genre: YA Fantasy Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for … Continue reading ARC Review | The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Happy Near Year to all! You know what I love most about a new year? New books! Below are the books I'm itching to read that release in these next two months. Release date: January 5th, 2021 Even though I've already read this book, I believe that One of the Good Ones by Maika and … Continue reading Anticipated Releases | January and February 2021
2020 has been quite a year. With everything going on in the world, I found solace in reading. Running away from the real world and jumping into a fictional one was, honestly, my way coping. And it helped. My goal this year was to read 24 books and I ended up reading 39! I discovered … Continue reading My Favorite Reads of 2020
Title: One of the Good Ones Authors: Maika and Maritza Moulite Publisher/Publish Date: Inkyard Press/January 5, 2021 Edition/Pages: Kindle/384 pages Genre: YA contemporary/mystery Trigger warning: policy brutality, racism ISN'T BEING HUMAN ENOUGH? When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister … Continue reading ARC Review | One of the Good Ones by Maika and Maritza Moulite
October was a great month for reading; the best month of the year for me so far. Its the fall season and for me, that means romance. I honestly haven't read a good romance book in a while, so for the time being, I'm putting all other genres aside and diving into contemporary romance. But … Continue reading October 2020 Wrap Up
Title: Dear Haiti, Love Alain Authors: Maika and Maritza Moulite Publisher/Publish Date: Inkyard Press/September 3rd, 2019 Edition/Pages: Kindle/432 pages Genre: YA contemporary, fiction, coming of age Trigger warning: mental health, mention of sexual abuse When a school presentation goes very wrong, Alaine Beauparlant finds herself suspended, shipped off to Haiti and writing the report of a lifetime… … Continue reading Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
Title: Transcendent Kingdom Author: Yaa Gyasi Publisher/Publish Date: Knopf/September 1st, 2020 Genres: Adult, contemporary, literary fiction Edition/Pages: Kindle/288 pages Trigger Warnings: mentions of suicide, drug abuse, abandonment, depression "I wanted, above all else, to be good. And I wanted the path to that goodness to be clear." Gifty is a fifth year candidate in neuroscience … Continue reading Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
I've once again found another book tag floating around the bookish world. And since the fall season is upon us, it's only right to do this book tag. So here we go: In fall, the air is crisp and clear: name a book with a vivid setting! I LOVE VELARIS! I always say that Velaris … Continue reading It’s Finally Fall Book Tag
Title: Kingdom of the Wicked Author: Kerri Maniscalco Publisher/Publish date: JIMMY Patterson/October 27, 2020 Genres: Young adult fantasy, historical fiction, mystery Edition/Pages: eBook/448 pages Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. … Continue reading ARC Review | Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
Well, this is it guys, the last quarter of the year. We're almost there to the finish line. October WILL be a good month, a great month for me. I'm declaring it now. I want to read more and write more. I want to start something that I've been scared to do for quite some … Continue reading What’s Going On Wednesdays | October 2020
Welcome to the ending of my Black Voices series! Previously, I talked about fantasy and social commentary books that I wanted to read. Today, I'll be talking about some contemporary books by black authors that I really want to get into. These will be a mix of young adult contemporaries and some good old romance. … Continue reading Black Voices On My TBR – Part 3: Contemporary
Another month has gone by and my TBR has grown yet again. It wasn't a bad month for books. I read three amazing books and got an ARC I'm so excited for. Check out my wrap up below! Books I Gained: ARCs: I was so excited to be able to get an ARC of Kingdom … Continue reading September 2020 Wrap Up
Title: Kingdom of Flesh and Fire Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout Publisher/Publish Date: September 1st 2020 by Blue Box Press Genre: New adult, high fantasy, romance Edition/Pages: Kindle Edition/637 pages Trigger warning: kidnapping, mention of physical and sexual abuse **Spoilers for the first installment, From Blood and Ash, below** Everything Poppy has ever believed in is … Continue reading Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (From Blood and Ash #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date/Publisher: October 6th 2020/Sourcebooks Landmark Genres: Adult, historical, mystery, fantasy Pages: 488 pages Goodreads Synopsis: It's 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Travelling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined … Continue reading Anticipated Releases|October 2020
Time for another book tag! I stumbled across this a while ago and it looked fun! This tag was created by About To Read on Youtube so be sure to check it out. You have 20,000 books on your TBR. How do you decide what to read next? Knowing me, I can't decide. I've tried … Continue reading The Reader Problems Book Tag
Back at it again with part two! This is a continuation of my Black Voices series where I talk about books on my TBR by black authors that feature black and/or other POC characters. If you haven't checked the first part of this series, go on ahead! Today, I'll be talking about books that focus … Continue reading Black Voices On My TBR – Part 2: Social Issues
Title: The Black Kids Author: Christina Hammonds Reed Publisher/Publish Date: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/August 4, 2020 Genre: YA contemporary Edition/Pages: E-book ARC/368 pages Trigger warning: Police brutality, racism, cheating, suicide (mentioned), abuse, underage alcohol and substance use The Black Kids is a YA contemporary book that delves into social commentary, focusing on … Continue reading The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
It's Friday so it's time for a book tag! I forgot where I found this one but it looks fun, so here goes: AUDIOBOOK OR PHYSICAL BOOK I've only ever listened to two audiobooks in my life: Born A Crime by Trevor Noah and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I enjoyed … Continue reading Bookish This or That Tag
I'm starting off the month right by going on vacation! Yes, that's right. It's long overdue. I am mentally shutting down at work and my motivation to do anything is wearing down. So I need to escape for a few days and not worry about anything. But it's new month, which means new goals. So … Continue reading What’s Going On Wednesdays | September 2020
After the horrible reading month that July was, I was able to read three books this month, which is exactly what I planned. I would say over all, I'm glad I was able to get some books off my TBR. But out of the three books I read, I only really enjoyed one. Keep on … Continue reading I Made It Through The Drought
Another month has come and gone. I got a lot of books and was able to read (sort of) the three books that I planned to read. So let's take a look at my wrap for August: Books I Gained ARCs: I was very fortunate that I still got an ARC from Netgalley and Simon … Continue reading August 2020 Wrap Up
I'm back to doing anticipated releases! This is my first since last year. September has some great releases, three which I already pre-ordered. Check out some of the books I'm excited to get my hands on: Goodreads Synopsis: Gifty is a fifth year candidate in neuroscience at Stanford School of Medicine studying reward seeking behavior … Continue reading Anticipated Releases|September 2020
Welcome to part one of my blog series! Recently, I noticed that my library wasn't all that diverse. To rectify that, I've been trying to find more black authors to add to my TBR catalog. Thanks to Goodreads and bookstagram, I've been able to come across A LOT of different books with black characters written … Continue reading Black Voices On My TBR – Part 1: Fantasy
Time for another book tag! I love finding these tags and participating it them. I found this tag on Zezee With Books and I thought it would be fun. Feel free to participate as well! Do you have a certain place at home for reading? Yes! My bed is my number one reading spot. I … Continue reading How I Read Books Book Tag
I'm finally out of my reading slump! Yes, yes, I’m getting back into the swing of things and it’s going great. What has been helping me is the fact that I’ve challenged myself to try and read at least five chapters a day. It’s been working and hopefully at this rate, I’ll be able to … Continue reading Books and Authors That Made Me Into A Book Lover
So Rae at Rae's Reads and Reviews, made this awesome book tag for the Ungodly Hour album by the amazingly talented Chloe x Halle and I just had too do it. Their album, Ungodly Hour, came out a few weeks ago and what a great way to celebrate by doing a book tag! The Rules … Continue reading Ungodly Hour Book Tag
I DECLARE AUGUST THE MONTH I SET THINGS IN MOTION! For some reason, towards the end of July, I got a sudden burst to be extremely focused. I wanted to get many aspects of my life in order to try and accomplish my dreams. When it comes to this blog, my bookstagram, and just bookish … Continue reading What’s Going On Wednesdays | August 2020
So July was a HORRIBLE month for reading. I went through a reading block. I did not want to pick up a book at all. At the time (and still now), I was reading the last installment in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco. I started reading it June … Continue reading I Went Through A Reading Block
July was not a great month for reading. I had a reading block with no way of getting out of it. Plus I got a stomach virus for a whole week that left me in bed and under the covers. Even though I didn't get much reading done, I got some great reads! Books I … Continue reading July 2020 Wrap Up
Hello and welcome to Mini Review Mondays! In my June Wrap Up post, I talked about how I wasn't writing reviews lately. Instead of writing full reviews for all the books I read, I decided to write mini reviews for some books and put it all in one post. Check it out! I received To … Continue reading Romance, Romance, and More Romance
Another month has passed which means more books have been read! I was able to finished 5 books this month and I'm so proud of myself! I genuinely enjoyed all the books I've read in June, so suffice to say, this month was a good month. Books I Gained: ARCS: After reading the Crazy Rich … Continue reading June 2020 Wrap Up
“Some truths do nothing but destroy and decay what they do not obliterate. Truths do not always set one free. Only a fool who has spent their entire life being fed lies believes that.” Goodreads synopsis: Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of … Continue reading From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Goodreads synopsis: Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her partner-in-crime-investigation, Thomas Cresswell, are en route to New York to help solve another blood-soaked mystery. Embarking on a week-long voyage across the Atlantic on the opulent RMS Etruria, they’re delighted to discover a traveling troupe of circus performers, fortune tellers, and a certain charismatic young escape artist entertaining … Continue reading Escaping From Houdini (Stalking Jack the Ripper #3) by Kerri Maniscalco
My first monthly wrap up! Yes it's five months into the year, but better late than never, right? So here are the books I gained, the books I read, and the books that I will read: Books I Gained: I didn't buy any physical books this month, but got some great Kindle reads and some … Continue reading May 2020 Wrap Up
Thank you so much Ren (A Bookish Balance) for nominating me to do The Real Neat Blog Award! It means so much and I'm so happy you enjoy my blog! Check her blog out guys, i love it! This award was created by Dear Kitty, Some Blog as a way to highlight blogs with great … Continue reading The Real Neat Blog Award
“That's the choice. I love him, with all that, because of all that. On purpose. I love him on purpose.” Goodreads Synopsis: What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?When his mother became President of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. … Continue reading Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Top Five Tuesday is a weekly prompt hosted by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm. Head over to her blog if you’d like to participate! Today’s Top Five Tuesday features some of the best opening lines in books I've read. Below are some of the first lines that hooked me from the beginning. Stalking Jack the … Continue reading Top Five Tuesday | Top 5 Opening Lines
Goodreads synopsis: The year is 1880, and outlaw gangs roam the West. When Daisy Allen’s family is brutally murdered by the infamous Hopkins gang, she’s left with two options: drown in a bottle of whiskey and grief, or saddle up and hunt the killers down. Accompanied by strangers in pursuit of the same outlaws, Daisy … Continue reading ARC Review | Pistol Daisy (Pistol Daisy #1) by Natalia Leigh
“Monsters are only as real as the stories that grant them life. And they only live for as long as we tell those tales.” Goodreads Synopsis: Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with … Continue reading Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) by Kerri Maniscalco
Top Five Tuesday is a weekly prompt hosted by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm. Head over to her blog if you’d like to participate! Today’s Top Five Tuesday features some of the worst rulers in the literary world. Beware for slight spoilers if you haven’t read any of the books below. Queen Maeve from Throne … Continue reading Top Five Tuesday | Top 5 Worst Rulers
Hello readers! I was looking at my bookshelf this week, thinking about what book I would pick up next. Of all the unread books sitting there and collecting dust, I couldn't help but reach out for some of my favorites. Below are a few books and series that I just have to reread before the … Continue reading Books I Want To Reread In 2020
Goodreads synopsis: It’s an opportunity she can’t refuse. The woman before her tried… Freya Miller needs a miracle. In the fallout of her husband’s betrayal, she’s about to lose her family home, and with it the security she craves for her five-year-old daughter, Skye. Adrift and alone, she’s on the verge of despair until a … Continue reading ARC Review | The Apartment by K.L. Slater
Hello readers! Like most of you, I have hundreds of books on my TBR. And among my TBR are sequels to series that I've started. Why haven’t I finished these series, you may ask. Well, there are multiple reasons for that. Below you’ll find my list of series that I’ve started but haven’t finished. The … Continue reading Book Series I’ve Started But Haven’t Finished
Hello readers! I’m happy to be taking part in Shanah’s (Bionic Book Worm) Top Five Tuesday prompts for April. For this last prompt, I’ll be talking about book series that I want to start. So here goes: The Selection by Kiera Cass So I’ve been seeing this series float around more recently due to Netflix … Continue reading Top Five Tuesday | Top 5 Series I Want To Start
“Roses have both petals and thorns, my dark flower. You needn’t believe something weak because it appears delicate. Show the world your bravery.” Goodreads synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she … Continue reading Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Hello readers! I’m happy to be taking part in Shanah’s (Bionic Book Worm) Top Five Tuesday prompts for April. I found this kind of late, so I’ll be participating in the last 2 weeks. Head over to her blog, it’s not too late to join! So there are A LOT of books I have yet … Continue reading Top Five Tuesday | Top 5 Popular Books I Haven’t Read
“Through love, all is possible.” The Plot House of Earth and Blood (I kept calling it Crescent City for the longest) follows Bryce Quinlan through her seemingly perfect life in Lunathion. She works hard during the day and spends her nights being the quintessential party girl. When her closest friends are violently dismembered and murdered, … Continue reading House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas
“Sometimes the victim, sometimes the perpetrator? None of us are one or the other. We’re all both to different degrees.” Where the Blame Lies is set in the town of Cincinnati and focuses on the main character, Josie. When Josie was in college, she was kidnapped and held hostage; shackled in an abandoned warehouse for … Continue reading Where the Blame Lies by Mia Sheridan
Like anyone else with a love for reading, I’m trying to read just about everything. But aside from standalones, I love series. There’s a lot I haven’t read and want to read. I feel like everyone has already read all the popular series and I’m so behind! So, I sat down one day and decided … Continue reading Book Series I Have Yet To Read
“There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.” Marie Lu unites the Dagger Society and Rose Society with the conclusion of yet another great series in The Midnight Star. I’m going to try keep this review short and brief. Adelina has finally gotten her revenge and she’s … Continue reading The Midnight Star (The Young Elites #3) by Marie Lu
"There comes a time when we have to accept that people make their own choices, and we’re not responsible for those choices, even if they’re our family." Two sisters go head to head in the thrilling ending to the Ruined series, Allied. Emelina and Olivia Flores are at odds with how to rule over their group of Ruined. Where … Continue reading Allied (Ruined #3) by Amy Tintera
“What is so great about being good?" Wow. Marie Lu has delivered one of her darkest books and it was so good! We left off The Young Elites with Adelina being cast out from the Dagger Society. Fueled with hurt and rage, she sets off plotting her revenge against the Inquisition Axis and the band of rebels … Continue reading The Rose Society (The Young Elites #2) by Marie Lu
Hello readers! I haven’t done an anticipated release post in a very long time. But I’m back with just a few books that are coming out in October that I’d love to my hands on. Title/Author: Rebel (Legend #4) by Marie Lu Publication Date: October 1, 2019 Edition/Pages: Hardcover/384 pages Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian/Science Fiction Goodreads … Continue reading Anticipated Releases|October 2019
The Young Elites brings us into the world of Kenettra, where a blood fever swept the nations and left a few physically marked, and named malfettos. Others developed god-like powers. They are known as the Young Elites. Our main character, Adelina Amouteru survived the blood fever severely scarred, with a very dark and dormant power within … Continue reading The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1) by Marie Lu
Amy Tintera delivered a politically driven and romance inducing sequel that kept me turning the page for more. So much so, that I almost didn't realize that I made it to the end. Contrary to some, I actually love cliffhanger, and Amy gave me a good one. Starting up a few weeks after Ruined, Avenged follows Emelina … Continue reading Avenged (Ruined #2) by Amy Tintera
“Equality is treating everyone the same. But equity is taking differences into account, so everyone has a chance to succeed.” Small Great Things takes place in present-day America, where unfortunately racial issues are still a problem. Ruth Jefferson is a light-skinned African American labor and delivery nurse at a small hospital in Connecticut. She has … Continue reading Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
“You were born useless, but you don’t have to be helpless.” Set in the kingdom of Lera, Ruined takes us on a wild quest for revenge. Emelina Flores is dead set on saving her ruined sister, Olivia, who is a prisoner of the enemy kingdom of Lera. And she will stop at nothing and do … Continue reading Ruined (Ruined #1) by Amy Tintera
Leigh Bardugo is back and she’s better than ever! King of Scars is a gift to all of us readers who adore the Grishaverse. It brings characters from the previous series together. With that being said, it is IMPERATIVE that you read the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology before you … Continue reading King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Angie Thomas does it again with her most recent release, On the Come Up. Bri Jackson is a sixteen-year-old girl trying to get her family out of a horrible situation. The only way to do that is to become a rapper and get a six-figure deal. What Bri doesn’t understand is that life isn’t so … Continue reading On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
City of Ashes brings us back into the Shadowhunter world and things have gotten worse from last time. Clary, Jace, and the whole Shadowhunter crew are on the hunt for Valentine. His radical ideas for bringing down the clave are slowly becoming a reality. With Downworlder children dying left and right, the gang believes that … Continue reading City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare
Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott was a quick read for me, seeing as I’ve been taking weeks just to finish one book lately. I’m glad that this was a fast read, because if it was any longer, I would have had to DNF. Like the infamous The Fault in Our Stars, both of our … Continue reading Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
“If you don’t get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.” Becoming was definitely worth all the hype. Michelle Obama has gifted us with the emotional and inspiring story of her life. A native of South Side Chicago, Michelle has persevered through all trials in her life. She is … Continue reading Becoming by Michelle Obama
Another month has gone by and that can only mean one thing: more books added to the shelf! I’ve added yet another four books to my growing collection, three of which were Valentine’s Day presents from my amazing boyfriend 😊 And like every other book on my TBR list, I cannot wait to read them. … Continue reading Book Haul: February 2019
Usually, I would insert a quote from the book before I begin my review. But, unfortunately, there are no quotes in this book that would really summarize it’s the plot. And that is neither bad nor good. City of Bones introduces us to the world of the Shadowhunters, the highly trained and paranormal half-humans who … Continue reading City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare
It’s the end of January and my book case has gained more books! Luckily, my bank account is still happy with me because I only bought four books. Below are the following books that have stolen my money, and who knows, I may be able to read them all this year. The Wicked King (The … Continue reading Book Haul: January 2019
The month of February is upon us and that can only mean one thing: more book releases! Below are my anticipated February releases by some amazing authors. Click the photo to be redirected to the book’s Goodreads page and maybe add it to your TBR. I’ll also post links on where you can buy them. … Continue reading Anticipated Releases|February 2019
“Too little information and you're blind, too much and you're blinded.” The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle takes us on one hell of a journey with Aiden Bishop, a man who is given the task of finding the murderer of Evelyn Hardcastle. The catch? He has until 11:00 pm and must inhabit eight different … Continue reading The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
mattylovesbooks.home.blog 