The Helm of Midnight – blog tour (review + giveaway!)

Author: Marina Lostetter
Publication date: April 13, 2021
Genre: fantasy
My rating: 5/5 stars

Magic masks. A serial killer. Political intrigue. Mysterious gods. Folks, this is my favorite fantasy novel I’ve read this year–a deliciously dark tale with intricate worldbuilding, memorable (and diverse!) characters, and a nuanced portrayal of the impacts of trauma on the human psyche. I’m so grateful to Jean Book Nerd for having me as a host on this tour. Stick around for my review, more info on the book, and a giveaway you don’t want to miss!

The Sky Blues – blog tour (ARC review + giveaway!)

Author: Robbie Couch
Publication date: April 6, 2021
Genre: YA contemporary
My rating: 3/5 stars

Cute, diverse, and full of both the best and the worst of small-town life, The Sky Blues is an ode to friendship, young love, and the importance of being yourself. While I wouldn’t call it a perfect read, it is a fast, fun read that will certainly appeal to younger YA fans, especially fans of “leaked romantic feelings” stories like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Stick with this post past the review, and you’ll find info on how you could win a copy of this book for yourself!

Sweet & Bitter Magic – blog tour (review, quotes + giveaway!)

Author: Adrienne Tooley
Publication date: March 9, 2021
Genre: YA fantasy
My rating: 4/5 stars

Today is my stop on TBR and Beyond’s blog tour for Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley, a debut fantasy full of darkness, witchy magic, love bargains, and two girls who are polar opposites learning to work with each other to save their world–and fall for each other in the process. Read on for a brief review and some of my favorite quotes from this lovely slow-burn!

Sing Me Forgotten – blog tour (ARC review + beautiful quotes)

Author: Jessica S. Olson
Publication date: March 9, 2021
Genre: YA fantasy, romance, retelling
My rating: 4/5 stars

Phantom of the Opera phans, rejoice–this is the gender-swapped Phantom retelling we’ve all been waiting for. Dark, luscious, and full of twisted magic, this story offers a fresh twist on the musical (and novel) you know and love. It takes out the love triangle, adds in a magic system rooted in the buying and selling of memory, and doesn’t shy away from the tricky blend of monstrousness and humanity that is the Opera Ghost. In other words, it tells a new tale while maintaining the best parts of the original. The end result is magical–music to my ears, if you’ll pardon the pun.

Audiobook mini-review: Anxious People

Author: Fredrik Backman
Publication date: September 8, 2020
Genre: contemporary literary fiction
My rating: 5/5 stars

When I picked up this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect from it–a lot of popular titles kind of miss the mark for me, so perhaps my wariness was justified. But let me tell you: this one COMPLETELY lives up to the hype. This narrative is warm, wise, and witty, alternating emotional sucker-punches with laugh-out-loud commentary on the ridiculousness modern life, and it is one of my favorite reads of this year so far.

This Golden Flame – blog tour (review + giveaway!)

Author: Emily Victoria
Publication date: February 2, 2021
Genre: young adult fantasy
My rating: 4/5 stars

Self-aware magic-AI-robot-person! A world inspired by ancient Greece! Pirates! Aro-ace protagonist! And so much more! This Golden Flame is a solid debut with adventure, diverse representation, and lots of wholesome character friendships. I’m so happy to be able to bring you this review as part of TBR and Beyond Tours’ blog tour for this book! Read on for my review, some more info about the book, and a chance to win a copy for yourself!

Audiobook mini-review: The Midnight Library

Author: Matt Haig
Publication date: August 13, 2020
Genre: magical realism, contemporary, fantasy
My rating: 4.5/5 stars

Do you ever read a book that deals with a topic that is really close to your heart, and all you can think when you read it is some sound of internal shrieking because somebody gets it? Because…yeah, that pretty accurately sums up my feelings on The Midnight Library, a story about depression, second chances, and the impact of even the smallest choices. As is typical for me, this audiobook review is going to be very short, sweet, and concise, because let’s face it–audio reviews can be hard to write. Let’s go.

Concrete Rose – review

Author: Angie Thomas
Publication date: January 12, 2021
Genre: YA contemporary/recent historical
My rating: 5/5 stars

Going into this book, I knew I would love it. Angie Thomas is a phenomenal writer and both of her first two books blew me away. But y’all, I did not expect it to be this phenomenal. Writing a prequel can be a risky move, so I was a little skeptical about how this one would work out–but this one was flawlessly executed, fusing both pain and joy in the experiences of a Black teenage boy who finds himself unexpectedly a father. I know it’s only February, but I think it’s safe to say this book will wind up in my top ten reads of this year. Just…wow.

Fable – review

Author: Adrienne Young
Series: Fable (#1)
Publication date: September 1, 2020
Genre: YA fantasy
My rating: 4.5/5 stars

Folks, this book is more than just a pretty cover. After all the hype surrounding it when it came out, I wasn’t sure whether I would end up actually enjoying it as much as people suggested. But I am so glad I ended up reading it anyway last month, because y’all: this one is actually really good. Pirates, diving for gemstones, trade rivalries, and boats–it is a quintessential female-fronted maritime adventure, and I need more books like this one, stat.

Audiobook mini-review: The Guest List

Author: Lucy Foley
Publication date: June 2, 2020
Genre: mystery/thriller
My rating: 4/5 stars

Lately, I’ve been trying to diversify the genres that I read. This has included joining in a monthly horror read hosted by Melanie at TBR and Beyond, as well as picking up the occasional thriller and some historical fiction, to complement my usual contemporary/literary/YA/fantasy/nonfiction/poetry. (I’ve also been dabbling in some MG and even trying a romance once in a while–yes, I know, shocking! My opinions on those romances, though, are…less shocking, if you know me. But that’s a story for another day.)

All that is to say, this book, being a thriller, was a little outside my wheelhouse. I gave this specific one a shot because my friend M at Storme Reads a Lot was pretty psyched when it won the Goodreads Choice Award for the Thriller category last year, and…I guess I generally like to defer to those with more expertise when trying a genre that they know much better than I do? Their enthusiasm sold me on it.

Cool, enough rambling. Let’s make this actual review short, sweet, and to the point: