Showing posts with label ya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ya. Show all posts

Friday, November 1, 2024

October 2024 Wrap-Up


This year has been flying by. I cannot believe we're into November already! October felt like it flew by and I was so busy I didn't get much into the Halloween spirit (shock, I know). However, I am fully embracing just the general autumn vibes and plan to until Thanksgiving. 

I read 10 books in October with some rereads of past favorites and some new favorites discovered. I am feeling hopeful for November in regards to getting through some of my immediate TBR books as well as a couple releases I'm looking forward to. But before I put my sights to the new month, let's take a look at the past one.


1. 
Title: The Bakery Dragon
Author: Devin Elle Kurtz
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

2.
Title: Tragic Bonds
Author: J. Bree
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread- 

3. 
Title: Unbroken Bonds
Author: J. Bree
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread- 

4. 
Title: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Author: Sangu Mandanna
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review TK

5. 
Title: Fractured Fates
Author: Hannah Haze
Rating: 2.5 // 5 stars

6. 
Title: Love on the Brain
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

7. 
Title: The Fake Mate
Author: Lana Ferguson
Rating: 3 // 5 stars

8.
Title: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
Author: Holly Jackson
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

9.
Title: A Life of Shadows 
Author: Kristen Banet
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Series Review
-reread-

10. 
Title: A Heart of Shame 
Author: Kristen Banet
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Series Review
-reread-





Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Friday, July 26, 2024

Book Review: "Check & Mate" by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Check & Mate
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: YA Romance
Page Length: 352 pages
Publication Date: November 7, 2023
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Dare I say Ali Hazelwood can do no wrong? Once again, I am obsessed. 

Check & Mate is Ali Hazelwood's debut into the YA romance sphere. On the surface, it's a gripping romance between two rival chess players. But underneath, it's a story about family, self-identity, the transition into adulthood, and sexism in organized competition. This, to me, is one of Ali's most balanced books in terms of plot, romance, self-exploration, and secondary characters. 

I was sucked in from the beginning. We're introduced to a very compelling main character that you can see is having a rough go of it. She's trying to support her family, often at the expense of her own happiness and fulfillment. Playing chess, and the cash rewards that come with tournaments, is a way for her to support them, despite all of the complex emotions around the sport.

It's hard to pick what I loved most about this book. I know that I was laughing and giggling and kicking my feet often. I also know that it dealt with a lot of complex situations and emotions in a thoughtful way. Yes, the main plot was about the main character playing chess tournaments and getting closer to a rival player, Nolan (swoon!), but it was also about so much more. 

Check & Mate somehow managed to address so many topics including the transition of growing up into adulthood, complex and differing family dynamics, friendship strains and changed, sexism and misogyny in sports, self-identity exploration, and even the issues with class and money. If I even try to address all of them I'll end up writing an entire essay. 

All that to say, I loved it. Mallory and Nolan were delightful to read about. Nolan is so unlike any of Ali's other male leads (and that's not to say I don't love the others too) in a refreshing way. Mallory is so focused on everyone but herself and it was beautiful to watch her put herself first finally. This was just a pair of characters who are flawed but beautiful and kind and I loved watching their romance bloom.

The side characters were equally interesting and compelling. Each one had such a unique voice and distinct impact on the main characters. I loved them all, especially as the story went on and we got to see how each of their relationships with Mallory evolved. 

Overall, this was one of Ali's strongest novels to date and has become a new top favorite of mine. I'm quite excited to get a copy for my shelf and read it over and over again in the years to come. 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Sunday, November 6, 2022

October 2022 Wrap-Up + Haul


Well, October was another underwhelming reading month. I had hoped to read a bunch of spooky books, get through some newly hauled books, and just have a better reading month than September. However, I only read a single book again. I struggled a lot with reading due to our current living/working/commuting situation. However, I've already read two books in November so I'm hopeful this upcoming month will be a turning point in my reading year. Who knows, maybe I'll get quite a bit more in before the year is concluded. 

I also only hauled four books this month, which was good for my bank account and I honestly was too stressed to think about buying books. I am really excited about all of the books that I got this month, though, and can't wait to talk about them. 


1. 
Title: A Lair of Bones
Author: Helen Scheuerer 
Rating: 4 // 5 stars 
Review TK




The first book that I got this month was my Fairyloot edition of The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni. I ordered this all the way back in April (and was lucky enough to snag a matching stenciled edge) and it finally shipped! I knew it wasn't going to ship until around this time but the wait was still quite long. Now that I finally have my copy of the third book in this trilogy, though, I can binge read it all at once! 

Then I picked up The River of Silver by S.A. Chakraborty. This is a collection of stories that is a companion to the Daevabad trilogy. The stories are set before, during, and after the trilogy (I think) and I'm so excited to give these a go on my next read through. I love this world so having more time with characters I love is going to be quite exciting, I think. 

The third book I got was my Illumicrate edition of The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake. This is the sequel to The Atlas Six (which I've still not read) and is absolutely stunning. I love the edges and that it has a completely redesigned cover. I can't wait to put it on the shelf with the first book and see how they look together. Hopefully I'll also enjoy reading them. 

The last book I got in October was my Fairyloot edition of These Twisted Bonds by Lexi Ryan. I ordered this even farther back in February and was lucky enough to snag the stenciled edge version and have no issues with the shipping. This is absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to finally finish this duology now that I have this. It came out during the summer but wasn't scheduled to ship until now so I'm just glad the wait is finally over for it.  



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Unboxing: Fairyloot's "Farewell My Love" (September 2022)


Another month, another Fairyloot. From the moment they announced this box, I was excited for it. It shipped quite early this month, which was a real treat, and I was so excited when it arrived. They announced there would be a blanket in this box, as well as the last trinket dish in their collectible series. Additionally, this is the first month of there only being four items instead of five. To be honest, I didn't really notice. Between the bigger, high quality items, tarot cards, extra prints and bookmarks, and the book, I think we still get a lot for our money. I really liked this box (it was one of their better ones I've gotten recently) so let's just dive in! 



The first item was a set of botanic themed coasters designed by @stellabookishart. These are quite pretty and I do think they're a useful item. I like that they're fandom neutral as I can definitely use them around our home. However, I am not quite sure when I'll get use out of them as I have a lot of coasters but not enough space to need that many just yet. 

Up next was the final trinket dish in the collectible series designed by @arz28. This one features Cardan from The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. These dishes are gorgeous but I'm not sure if I'll get much use out of them. I have other trinket dishes but I tend to prefer covered storage to prevent dust on things. Also, I've not read any of the books that are featured with the trinket dishes, though all are on my TBR. In that, maybe on day I'll be able to display these on bookshelves when my stuff is out of storage but for now these will stay boxed away with other book merch. 

Then there was a tea tin inspired by this month's book, Belladonna by Adalyn Grace, that was designed by @chattynora. It is another beautiful tea tin that Fairyloot seems to really enjoy including in their boxes. I think this is the fourth tea tin I own from them now? They're pretty cute and I like that they have lids so I can keep dust out of things. I think I'll store various bookish merch items in them or I might even use them for stationary stuff. 

The last full item was a blanket designed by @afterblossom_art inspired by Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. This and the book of the month were the main reasons that I got this box. I've gotten Fairyloot blankets in the past and I was quite excited. I haven't yet unrolled this fully as we're in the process of moving, but I've seen pictures of it online and it's beautiful. Plus, it's super soft and fluffy. It'll definitely come in handy this winter when it's too expensive to turn on our heating. 

The tarot cards this month were also themed after this month's book, Belladonna. We have Signa as The Hanged Man and Death as the Death card. These, like usual, are beautiful. I'm actually really enjoying collecting the tarot cards this time around. I say this every month but I really like that the tarot cards are themed after books they include in their boxes.  

This month's book was Belladonna. It came with an exclusive cover, stencil sprayed edges, artwork printed on the hardcover designed by @taratjah, artwork on the endpages by @monolimeart, and was signed. I've read books by Adalyn Grace and really enjoyed them, so I was definitely looking forward to her newest book. I was quite excited that it was going to be in this box and this edition is stunning. I much prefer this darker, purple themed edition over the standard UK edition. Plus, the edges are stunning. The art print was designed by @kudriaken. 






Overall, I loved this box. I think Fairyloot have really upped their game the last couple years and I've enjoyed all their boxes since I resubscribed last December. I will be skipping all subscriptions in October, as I will be in the process of moving, but I am eagerly looking forward to my next box in the future (hopefully November). I think my favorite items were the blanket and the book for sure. 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Book Review: "Foul Lady Fortune" by Chloe Gong

Title: Foul Lady Fortune
Author: Chloe Gong
Series: "Foul Lady Fortune" #1
Genre: YA Speculative Historical Thriller
Page Length: 528 pages
Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

Chloe Gong has done it again. She's written another novel I'm obsessed with and I don't know how I'm going to cope with the wait for book two. 

Foul Lady Fortune is the first in a spin-off duology set after the events of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends. It follows Rosalind, an assassin who can't die, and Orion, a playboy spy, who must pose as a married couple on an undercover mission. This duology contains characters old and new. While it can be read on its own, it will spoil the events of Our Violent Ends so if you're interested in reading the original duology, I would read that first. 

This book has a completely different vibe than the These Violent Delights duology yet also felt like I was coming home. The plot in Foul Lady Fortune is about covert operations, sneaking around in the night, etc. It uses a lot of brain power to follow but it's quite exciting and feels very well-set in 1930s Shanghai. 

Of course, my favorite part of this book, like with the previous duology, are the characters. I am obsessed with all of them. I wasn't expecting all the different POV characters but came to enjoy each. I think my favorites are still currently Rosalind and Orion. Their dynamics were hilarious and the way their relationship progressed made me squeal the entire time.

I was expecting there to be plot twists, but I still was blown away when they came about. My mind is still reeling and I'm still wondering about how things will be resolved after the cliffhanger in this book. I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens next. I'm unsure how I'm going to survive the over one year wait but I think finally get my physical copies when this officially releases will help. 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

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Saturday, July 2, 2022

June 2022 Wrap-Up + Haul


Another month of 2022 gone, bringing us right to halfway through the year! I cannot believe we're already halfway. It seems like this year has flown by so far and June was gone in a blink of an eye. I was on-and-off busy this month and was fully engaged with some different TV shows, so I didn't get around to reading much. I only read two books this month, but I did love both of them. I also started another and got over 400 pages in, but didn't finish it until the first of July so I'm not able to count it here. Anyway, I'm also combining my book haul for June in this post as I read so little, so let's just dive right in! 


1. 
Title: Serpent & Dove
Author: Shelby Mahurin
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread-

2. 
Title: Foul Lady Fortune 
Author: Chloe Gong
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars


I definitely hauled way more books than I read this month. I hauled twelve physical books and I'm excited about all of them. To be fair, four of these were ones I ordered months ago and finally came. The rest...I have no excuses. I just wanted them. Let's just dive in! 

The first book I got this month was One For My Enemy by Olivie Blake. I had just been scrolling around on TikTok one day and stumbled across a video about this. It's one of Olivie Blake's backlist titles (she wrote the much loved The Atlas Six that was originally self-published but has been traditionally published now). I was just very intrigued by this one and impulse bought it. I'm so glad I did as less than a week later it was announced this was another title being traditionally published and was then no longer available for purchase. So I swooped in and got that self-pupped edition before it was too late, wooo! 

The next books I got were from the Fairyloot Trove restock back in April? May? I think I ordered these in April. I got five books in the restock, though one was a new copy of a book I'd bought secondhand that was damaged so I'm not including it in this haul as I just swapped copies. There was some issues with queuing and website crashing but I somehow managed to get everything I wanted and more. 

The first book I got from this restock was Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. This was my main goal for this restock and I'm so glad I was able to get it. I order the UK cover for this series and this Fairyloot edition is even more stunning with the slight color changes, artwork, and edges. I also was able to get the second book preorder so I definitely wanted a matching copy. I waited out six months from when I first saw this edition to when it restocked and I'm so glad I got it now instead of paying insane resale prices.

I also picked up Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. This features an alternate cover, stenciled edges, and various artwork. I have to say, I think I prefer the original UK cover but I do like the rest of the customizations. However, the main reason I got this was because it resells for so high so I knew I should get it now at retail price for if I love this book when I eventually read it. I'm also comfortable with this because I will be able to easily resell it for what I paid or more, so either way I come out on top. 

Then I scored the restock of all restocks: Kingdom of the Wicked and Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco. These Fairyloot editions have stenciled edges, custom covers, and gorgeous artwork. I originally didn't get the box KOTW came in and, because I didn't want to pay insane amounts for the first book, I didn't get KOTC when it went on sale. However, when they announced these were being restocked, I was like...hmmmm. I put it on my list to get but only if I was able to get Six Crimson Cranes first. Somehow I lucked out and it was still in stock when I got in, so now I own these gorgeous editions. And I snagged the third book's preorder after this restock so I'll have the full set, which is insanely lucky. 

Then I picked up Masters of Death by Olivie Blake. This was announced, along with One For My Enemy, that it was being traditionally published. The moment I saw that announcement I raced online to see if I could still get a copy...and I could! I ordered it that moment and it arrived a couple days later and I'm quite happy. I've really lucked out on the timing with Olivie's books going out of print and I'm hoping to slowly get the rest before they potentially go out of print too. 

Up next is the hardcover of The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout. The book actually came out a few months ago but the hardcover wasn't released until recently. I actually think I got this in May but I forgot to include it in my haul and I forgot to even catalogue it in my book collection spreadsheet. I wasn't originally going to get the hardcover so fast but they printed it with special embossing, artwork, etc and I knew I'd want that. I'm hoping that they continue this with the rest of the books and maybe go back to the previous books so they're all uniform. 

Then I got my June Fairyloot box (unboxing soon!) so spoilers if you haven't gotten it yet and don't want to know. This month there were two books and I'm excited about both of them. The first is Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber. This was a bonus paperback this month and I'm so glad it was included. I originally was going to get the Waterstones edition but when this was announced I held off, hoping for a beautiful edition. Luckily, it's stunning. There's an alternate cover, stenciled edges, and is digitally signed. I probably won't read this edition, though, as it's quite a stiff paperback and I don't want to ruin it. However, I am looking forward to this book so much.

The main book of the June box was This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede. This edition has a custom cover, stenciled edges, art on the endpages, embossing on the cover, and is signed. I will say, this edition is quite yellow. I do prefer the original UK cover, but I also like that I will be able to have a very colorful bookshelf with all the colorful books Fairyloot has been doing. I actually haven't heard much about this book but I'm hopeful it'll be great.

Then I picked up It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey because it was on sale by more than 50% off. I've heard great things about this and recently it was announced it's being adapted for screen. I have to say, I'm not happy with this edition. The ISBN and publisher match the USA edition. And it is that edition, but printed in the UK. So it's very stiff and will not match my other Tessa Bailey books. I'm a bit upset as I hate how stiff this is but I've decided I will read it before attempting to get the actual US edition printed in the US to make sure I like the book itself. 

Up next I grabbed Foxy Tales by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. This is a collection of bonus content (mainly from the Zodiac Academy series) that was published as a fundraiser for charity. It was only offered in print for the month of June. I haven't yet read the series (I'm waiting for the last book to release in December before I start it) but I knew that if I like the series I'll want this collection of bonus content. And if I don't like the series, I'm sure there will be a series lover who missed out on it and will want it.

The last book I got in June was City of Gods and Monsters by Kayla Edwards. I first heard of this book on TikTok and immediately put it on my wishlist. I ended up getting the ebook, but as the weeks progressed I started to want the physical copy more and more. At the end of the month I ended up just impulse buying it after it had sat in my cart for ages because I wanted to read it and annotate it as I did. I actually have also already finished it and it is, for sure, my favorite book of 2022 so far. I absolutely loved it (though I finished it the first day of July, aka the day I'm writing this, so I can't include it in my June wrap-up. It's an urban romance-fantasy and it was just everything I wanted and more. I cannot recommend it highly enough. 

Well, those are the twelve books I got in June. Did you see any that looked interesting to you? Did you see any favorites? I cannot wait to dive into the ones I haven't read yet! 





Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

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