Monthly Wrap-Ups · Top Ten Tuesday

Fall Hopefuls 2021 TBR

It’s the best season! I love everything about fall- yes I am a basic witch- and I am so looking forward to all the spooky, witchy reads. My fall is about to get crazy, exciting, but crazy, and I might not have as much time to read as I would like, but hopefully will still be able to get some good ones in. I only packed 3 physical books and my kindle for the next two months which was excruciatingly hard for me, but I know I will gain books along the way. I do have a feeling that I will not be able to blog as much in the next month either as my schedule is about to be bananas, but I will do my best! Here are my ten Fall hopefuls on my TBR!

*I am an affiliate with Bookshop.org and any purchases made through my links will help independent bookstores and earn me a small commission!*


The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

Compared to Outlander and The Mists of Avalon, this thrilling first novel of a debut trilogy reveals the untold story of Languoreth—a forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland—twin sister of the man who inspired the legend of Merlin.

I write because I have seen the darkness that will come. Already there are those who seek to tell a new history…

In a land of mountains and mist, tradition and superstition, Languoreth and her brother Lailoken are raised in the Old Way of their ancestors. But in Scotland, a new religion is rising, one that brings disruption, bloodshed, and riot. And even as her family faces the burgeoning forces of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons, bent on colonization, are encroaching from the east. When conflict brings the hero Emrys Pendragon to her father’s door, Languoreth finds love with one of his warriors. Her deep connection to Maelgwn is forged by enchantment, but she is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king. As Languoreth is catapulted into a world of violence and political intrigue, she must learn to adapt. Together with her brother—a warrior and druid known to history as Myrddin—Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way and the survival of her kingdom, or risk the loss of them both forever.

Based on new scholarship, this tale of bravery and conflicted love brings a lost queen back to life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of one of the most enduring legends of all time. 


Luminous by Mara Rutherford

A witch who must learn to harness her power–or risk losing her loved ones forever.

Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.

To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos–and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him.


Crush (Crave #2) by Tracy Wolff

Everything feels off—especially me. I’ve returned to Katmere Academy, but I’m haunted by fragments of days I have no recollection of living and struggling to understand who, or what, I really am.

Just when I start to feel safe again, Hudson is back with a vengeance. He insists there are secrets I don’t know about, threatening to drive a wedge between Jaxon and me forever. But far worse enemies are at our doorstep.

The Circle is caught in a power play and the Vampire Court is trying to drag me out of my world and into theirs. The only thing Hudson and Jaxon agree on is that leaving Katmere would mean my certain death.

And not only am I fighting for my life, but now everyone else’s is at stake—unless we can defeat an unspeakable evil. All I know is that saving the people I love is going to require sacrifice.

Maybe more than I’m able to give.


Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith

The Last Magician meets The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy in this thrilling and atmospheric historical fantasy following a young woman who discovers she has magical powers and is thrust into a battle between witches and wizards.

In 1911 New York City, seventeen-year-old Frances Hallowell spends her days as a seamstress, mourning the mysterious death of her brother months prior. Everything changes when she’s attacked and a man ends up dead at her feet—her scissors in his neck, and she can’t explain how they got there.

Before she can be condemned as a murderess, two cape-wearing nurses arrive to inform her she is deathly ill and ordered to report to Haxahaven Sanitarium. But Frances finds Haxahaven isn’t a sanitarium at all: it’s a school for witches. Within Haxahaven’s glittering walls, Frances finds the sisterhood she craves, but the headmistress warns Frances that magic is dangerous. Frances has no interest in the small, safe magic of her school, and is instead enchanted by Finn, a boy with magic himself who appears in her dreams and tells her he can teach her all she’s been craving to learn, lessons that may bring her closer to discovering what truly happened to her brother.

Frances’s newfound power attracts the attention of the leader of an ancient order who yearns for magical control of Manhattan. And who will stop at nothing to have Frances by his side. Frances must ultimately choose what matters more, justice for her murdered brother and her growing feelings for Finn, or the safety of her city and fellow witches. What price would she pay for power, and what if the truth is more terrible than she ever imagined?


The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Intrigue, riches, and romance abound in this thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Inheritance Games perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions – including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.

Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows that she’s not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture – by any means necessary.

With nonstop action, aspirational jet-setting, family intrigue, swoonworthy romance, and billions of dollars hanging in the balance, The Hawthorne Legacy will thrill Jennifer Lynn Barnes fans and new readers alike. 


The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl

The Descendants meets Pretty Little Liars.

Four troubled friends, One murdered girl… and a dark fate that may leave them all doomed.

After the mysterious death of their best friend, Ella, Yuki, and Rory are the talk of their elite school, Grimrose Académie. The police ruled it a suicide, but the trio are determined to find out what really happened.

When Nani Eszes arrives as their newest roommate, it sets into motion a series of events they couldn’t have imagined. As the girls retrace their friend’s last steps, they uncover dark secrets about themselves and their destinies, discovering they’re all cursed to repeat the brutal and gruesome endings to their stories until they can break the cycle.

This contemporary take on classic fairytales reimagines heroines as friends attending the same school. While investigating the murder of their best friend, they uncover connections to their ancient fairytale curses and attempt to forge their own fate before it’s too late.


Gild by Raven Kennedy

The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule.

Gold.

Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold.

Even me.

King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I’m called his precious. His favored. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe.

Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck.

Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong.

Because these bars I’m kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage. But the monsters on the other side might make me wish I’d never left.

The myth of King Midas reimagined. This compelling adult fantasy series is as addictive as it is unexpected. With romance, intrigue, and danger, the gilded world of Orea will grip you from the very first page.


Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare

Danger and betrayal, love and loss, secrets and enchantment are woven together in the breathtaking finale to the #1 New York Times bestselling Infernal Devices Trilogy, prequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.


The Last Graduate (The Scholomance #2) by Naomi Novik

A budding dark sorceress determined not to use her formidable powers uncovers yet more secrets about the workings of her world in the stunning sequel to A Deadly Education, the start of Naomi Novik’s groundbreaking crossover series.

At the Scholomance, El, Orion, and the other students are faced with their final year—and the looming specter of graduation, a deadly ritual that leaves few students alive in its wake. El is determined that her chosen group will survive, but it is a prospect that is looking harder by the day as the savagery of the school ramps up. Until El realizes that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules . . .


Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow #3) by Rainbow Rowell

In Carry On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they wondered whether everything they understood about themselves might be wrong.

In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon and Baz and Penelope and Agatha have to decide how to move forward.

For Simon, that means deciding whether he still wants to be part of the World of Mages — and if he doesn’t, what does that mean for his relationship with Baz? Meanwhile Baz is bouncing between two family crises and not finding any time to talk to anyone about his newfound vampire knowledge. Penelope would love to help, but she’s smuggled an American Normal into London, and now she isn’t sure what to do with him. And Agatha? Well, Agatha Wellbelove has had enough.

Any Way the Wind Blows takes the gang back to England, back to Watford, and back to their families for their longest and most emotionally wrenching adventure yet.

This book is a finale. It tells secrets and answers questions and lays ghosts to rest.



What books are you looking forward to this fall? Let me know in the comments! ❤

Monthly Wrap-Ups

August 2021 Wrap-Up

Hello everyone! Long time, no see! I took a bit of a blogging break for the month of August and just read for pure enjoyment. It was a much needed and very refreshing break. I’m hoping to get back to more regular blogging again now, even if I’m not sure what that will look like. I have some very exciting things in the works and I can’t wait to share with you all. Thanks for hanging with me <3. Here is to the best season of the year!


August Reads

Strange Gods by Alison Kimble ★★

Shadowspell Academy: The Culling Trials by K.F. Breene and Shannon Mayer ★★★★

Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli ★★★★

The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers ★★★★

Bone Criers Moon by Kathryn Purdie ★★★★

Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray ★★★


Favorite Book of the Month


Currently Reading


Challenge Updates

Goodreads Challenge: 44 of 100

Classics Club Challenge: 10 of 50 (I have made ZERO progress on this)


Monthly Wrap-Ups

June/July 2021 Wrap-Up

Hi everyone! I realized that I never did a June Wrap-Up, so this time I will be doing a double wrap-up! These past two months have been a whirlwind and as of August 1st, I have made the move back to NYC! While leaving the comforts of home and the people I love there makes this move bittersweet, I am so excited to be back in the city I love with the prospect of theatre coming back! I’ve been contemplating taking a brief break from blogging, and while I haven’t fully committed to that, if things get a little quieter around here it’s because I’m taking some necessary breathing room so I don’t get completely burnt out. I can feel the excitement bubbling up when I think about reading whatever I want without trying to fit a schedule, so I might try to focus more on that feeling. I can tell you that I am pumped to have my subway reading time built back into my life and cannot wait to get back to the New York Public Library. Here is to a fresh start and a hopeful August full of books and experiences that fill us up!


June Reads

July Reads


Favorite Books of the Month


Currently Reading


Challenge Updates

Goodreads Challenge: 39 of 40

Classics Club Challenge: 10 of 50 WHOOPS


Throwback Thursday

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares


June Reviews

• Better Together by Christine Riccio • The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin • Don’t Hate The Player by Alexis Nedd • 

July Reviews

• Where It All Lands by Jennie Wexler Review • Small Favors by Erin A. Craig • 


June Posts

• Top 10 Tuesday: Books I Loved That Made Me Want More Books Like Them • Cleaning Up My TBR: Down the TBR Hole #36 • Top 10 Tuesday: Books On My Summer TBR • Top 10 Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2021 • 

July Posts

• Top 10 Tuesday: Books I Could Have Read in One Sitting • Top 10 Tuesday: Books I’d Want With Me While Stranded On a Deserted Island


Monthly Wrap-Ups

May 2021 Wrap-Up

It’s Gemini season! I’m so happy that the warm weather is here and that summer is about to begin! May flew by in a whirl-wind and all of a sudden it is my birthday tomorrow! May was a big lesson for me in surrendering and letting go of expectations, because things don’t always go as planned. I’m in the process of going with the flow, figuring out what I truly want, and letting the universe show me the way. I’m not sure what is in store for me, and while that absolutely terrifies me and drives me crazy, I know it will all work out how it is supposed to and I’m just going to try to enjoy the ride. I’m incredibly grateful for my superstar family, friends, and boyfriend who always remind me who I am and help lift me up. I can’t wait to fill the last year of my 20’s with so many fun memories, experiences, and of course, amazing reads.


Books Read

The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout ★★★★★

Sunkissed by Kasie West ★★★★★

The Ivies by Alexa Donne ★★★★

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard ★★★

Spells Trouble by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast ★★★

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer ★★★★


Favorite Book of the Month


Currently Reading


Challenge Updates

Goodreads Challenge: 26 of 50

Classics Club Challenge: 10 of 50…. for the millionth time. I really need to make progress on this one haha


Throwback Thursday- Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer


May Reviews

Sunkissed by Kasie West • The Ivies by Alexa Donne • Spells Trouble by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

May Posts

• Top 10 Tuesday: My Ten Most Recent Reads • Cleaning Up My TBR: Down the TBR Hole #35 • Top 10 Tuesday: Books With Nature on the Cover • 20 Questions Book Tag • Never Have I Ever Book Tag • 


Monthly Wrap-Ups

April 2021 Wrap-Up

And just like that it’s May. Time is wild and this past month has honestly been a blur. I’m currently getting ready to make the move back to the Big Apple and I am so excited for this next stage in the adventure. In the meantime, I’ve been nannying quite a bit, playing with my sweet new puppy nephew, and reading, of course.


Books Read

Malice by Heather Walter ★★★★★

These Feathered Flames by Alexandra Overy ★★

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer ★★★

Slingshot by Mercedes Helnwein ★★★


Favorite Book of the Month


Currently Reading


Challenge Updates

Goodreads Challenge: 20 of 100 (12 books behind schedule 😬)

Classics Club Challenge: Still 10 of 50 (just utterly failing this challenge)


TBT- New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

April Reviews

• Malice by Heather Walter • These Feathered Flames by Alexandra Overy • Slingshot by Mercedes Helnwein

April Posts

• Top 10 Tuesday: Book Titles That Sound Like They Could Be Crayola Crayons • Cleaning Up My TBR: Down the TBR Hole #34 • Zodiac Sign Book Tag • Top 10 Tuesday: Colorful Book Covers • 

Monthly Wrap-Ups

March 2021 Wrap-Up

Is it just me, or did March just FLY by?! I can’t believe it’s April already. I’ve been nannying a bit, watched a lot of basketball (I know, who am I?!), and got some good reading done! I did take a small spring break from blogging the past 2 weeks, but I’m ready to get back in. I’m in the process of making plans to move back to NYC, which is both extremely exciting and slightly scary- a lot of emotions and unknowns still, but I’m getting ready to take a step forward. I’m feeling hopeful and open to whatever the future has in store.


Books Read

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★

The Stolen Kingdom by Jillian Boehme ★★★

Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson ★★★★

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales ★★★★

Namesake by Adrienne Young ★★★★

Things That Grow by Meredith Goldstein ★★★★

The Secret of the Irish Castle by Santa Montefiore ★★★★★


Favorite Book of the Month


Currently Reading


Challenge Updates

Goodreads Challenge: 16 of 100 (only 9 books behind schedule…)

Classics Club Challenge: 10 of 50 (I really suck at this one)


March Reviews

• The Stolen Kingdom by Jillian Boehme • Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. OlsonPerfect On Paper by Sophie Gonzales • Things That Grow by Meredith Goldstein

March Posts

• Cleaning Up My TBR: Down the TBR Hole #33 • Top 10 Tuesday: Books On My Spring 2021 TBR. • 


Monthly Wrap-Ups

February 2021 Wrap-Up

How is it already March? While February is the shortest month, it seemed to particularly fly by this year. I can’t believe it has been almost an entire year since the start of the pandemic. So much has happened in my life since then, and yet at the same time everything is still at a standstill. It is a wild contradiction that I am still figuring out the best way to navigate. I was pretty busy this month, so I didn’t get as much reading done as I would have liked, but I am hoping to make up for it in March!


Books Read

Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch ★★★★★

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah ★★★★★  

Isoldesse by Kimberly Grymes ★★


Favorite Book of the Month


Currently Reading


Challenge Updates

Goodreads Challenge: 9 of 100

Classics Club Challenge: 10 of 50


Broadway Book Chat: Maggie Malaney


February Reviews

• Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch • Isoldesse by Kimberly Grymes

February Posts

• Top 10 Tuesday: My Favorite Books That Were Written Before I Was Born • Cleaning Up My TBR: Down the TBR Hole #32 • Top 10 Tuesday: Books With Forbidden Love • Top 10 Tuesday: Purple, Yellow, and Green Book Covers • This or That Book Tag • Top 10 Tuesday: Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud • 


Monthly Wrap-Ups

January 2021 Wrap-Up

And just like that, the first month of 2021 is over! I have been super busy this January between teaching dance, studying for my real estate license, and nannying, but I still managed to read a bunch of great books. There are a few really exciting releases coming out in February and I’m gearing up for another full month! Let’s do this!

Books Read

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik ★★★★

The Duke & I by Julia Quinn ★★★★

A Curse of Ash and Embers by Jo Spurrier ★★★★

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout ★★★★★ *BOOK HANGOVER*

Love Spells and Other Disasters by Angie Barrett ★★★

Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout ★★★★★


Favorite Book of the Month


Currently Reading


Challenge Updates

Goodreads Challenge: 6 of 100

Classics Club Challenge: 10 of 50


Broadway Book Chat: Dan Hoy


January Reviews

• You Have a Match by Emma Lord • A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik • A Curse of Ash and Embers by Jo Spurrier • Love Spells and Other Disasters by Angie Barrett


January Posts

• Top 10 Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021 • Cleaning Up My TBR: Down the TBR Hole #31 • Top 10 Tuesday: Bookish (and a few Non-Bookish) Resolutions for 2021 • The Folklore Book Tag • Top 10 Tuesday: Books I Meant to Read in 2020 • Top 10 Tuesday: New to Me Authors I Discovered in 2020 • 

Monthly Wrap-Ups

2020 Yearly Wrap-Up

We made it you guys. The hellish year that was 2020 has finally come to an end. This year has been tough and there is so much uncertainty about the future still out there, but even amongst all the crap that was thrown at us, there was still plenty of joy, new ways of connection, and love, and for that I will be forever grateful. I am doing my best to embrace change and push forward, even though it can be so difficult to do, and am hopeful that 2021 will be a kinder year to us all.


Books Read: 72

Pages Read: 27,509


5 Star Reads: 20


4 Star Reads: 32


3 Star Reads: 14


2 Star Reads: 6


Challenge Updates

Goodreads Challenge: 72 out of 100

I once again was not able to hit my Goodreads goal, but I was closer than last year and read so many books that I loved. I’m ready to try again in 2021!

Classics Club Challenge: 10 of 50

Y’all, I suck at this challenge hahaha. I only read 2 classics this year, but to be fair, one of them was Anna Karenina which is a beast. I’m running out of time with only 2 more years left…. at one time this challenge sounded so doable, but now with how little I’ve done in 3 years it seems a lot harder. I’m gonna really try to read more this next year.

Beat the Backlist Challenge: 35 of 50

I actually did ok on this one! I would have read more had I not been trying to keep up with ARCs and new releases.


Here is to a resilient and joyful new year! We got this! ❤

Monthly Wrap-Ups

November 2020 Wrap-Up

Hello everyone! The holiday season is in full swing and I am getting into the spirit! I am super behind on my reading goals for the year, but I’m still chugging along and trying to get as many books in as I can. I’m really looking forward to finishing out this crazy year with some good reads, family time, and lots of hot coa coa 🙂


Books Read:

Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett ★★★★

Lair of Dreams by Libby Bray ★★★★★

Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn ★★★★

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes ★★★★

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare ★★★★


Favorite Book of the Month


Currently Reading



Challenge Updates

Goodreads Challenge: 65 of 100 – Still 25 books behind schedule… oh well.

Classics Club Challenge: 10 of 50 – I have not been actively trying to do this challenge and I know I need to be better.

Beat the Backlist: 32 of 50 – I read one more. I’ve still been focusing on ARCs and new releases for the most part.


November Reviews

• Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) by Mara Rutherford • Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett • Our Bloody Pearl by D.N. Bryn

 

November Posts

• Top 10 Tuesday: Non-Bookish Hobbies • Cleaning Up My TBR: Down the TBR Hole #29 • Top 10 Tuesday: Book Titles That Would Make Great Song Titles • Top 10 Tuesday: Characters I’d Name a Pet After •