Hello, internet land! Today I bring you an author interview with Becca Mionis! This post is a part of her book tour for her newest novel, The Last Celestials, coming out February 14th! The Last Celestials is a space romance filled with drama, tension, and lots of swoon-worthy moments!
Hello, internet land! This week I bring you something I don’t do very often: a guest post! Today’s guest is Philip Barker, who recently released Climb, a coming-of-age story about tragedy, grief, and resilience. Hope you guys enjoy!
✧ This short review is spoiler-free! ✧
Title: Heartstopper, Volume Three
Series: Heartstopper, #3
Author: Alice Oseman
Published: Feb. 6, 2020
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Category: young adult
Genre: contemporary, LGBTQIA+
Pages: 384
My Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads page
✧ This review is spoiler-free! ✧
“Slowly, I take my hands off of the controls. I let my mind rest. My thoughts quiet.
There are no further calculations required of me.
It is strangely peaceful.
I lean into my mic to speak to my squadmates.
‘Finian, Scarlett. It has been a privilege to serve in squad 312 alongside you.'”
Aurora Burning, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Title: Aurora Burning
Series: The Aurora Cycle, #2
Authors: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
Published: May 5, 2020
Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers
Category: young adult
Genre: sci-fi
Pages: 495
My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5)
Goodreads page
One thing that might be surprising is that I read a lot of romance novels. I don’t talk about it here because this is more of a YA book blog. When I saw that Jack Edwards reviewed all the books he read in 2020 in one sentence each, I knew I had to try as well. Because I read a lot of books that I don’t end up reviewing, I thought it’d be a good idea to dedicate a post on my (brief) thoughts for each book I’ve read so far in 2021. However, that post would be insanely long, so I decided to split them up by month. Today, I’ll be reviewing all the books I read in January, and in a few weeks I’ll review February’s books, and so on and so forth.
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CRY-WORTHY BOOKS
Finals week is over, which means I can finally decompress and enjoy life. This past semester has been seriously tough mentally and emotionally, so I couldn’t help but cry in relief that I’m done. As a sympathetic crier (I start tearing up when others cry), it doesn’t take much to make my eyes sweat. I thought I’d compile a list of books that made me tear up as a celebration of finishing this semester. (Don’t question my logic… my brain is fried and I don’t feel like thinking).
✧ This review is spoiler-free! ✧
“She…hoped. And hope was dangerous. Hope was the most vicious evil of them all, the thing that had managed to thrive in Pandora’s box among misery, and disease, and sadness—and what could endure alongside others with such teeth if it didn’t have ghastly claws of its own?”
– Chloe Gong, These Violent Delights
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
(These Violent Delights, #1)
Published: November 17, 2020
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Category: YA
Genre: historical, fantasy, retelling, romance
Pages: 463
My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5 stars)
Goodreads page
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Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.
The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.
[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]
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We know what a TBR is (to be read). A lot of bookworms have TBRs long enough to last a lifetime. But one thing I’ve never heard of in all my years as an online bookworm is an anti-TBR. When I saw this tag (originally created by Nicole @ Nicole & Her Books on YouTube), I was intrigued.
Basically, the questions revolve around books/authors that you wouldn’t put in your TBR (hence the name). I’ve seen other people’s answers to these questions, and some of them are s p i c y.
(Hopefully I won’t get cancelled by the end of this.)
Let’s get into it!
Continue reading✧ This review is spoiler-free! ✧
“When life becomes difficult. the only source of strength we have is love. Love of others, love of self, love of life in its entirety.”
Renee Ahdieh, The Beautiful
Title: The Beautiful
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Series: The Beautiful, #1
Published: Oct. 8, 2019
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Reader
Category: young adult
Genre: fantasy, paranormal, romance
Pages: 448
My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)
Goodreads page
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In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as Le Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s leader, the enigmatic Sèbastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of Le Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sèbastien’s guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.
When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.
[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]
Continue reading✧ This (short) review is spoiler-free! ✧
“Never.”
“Never come for me.”
“Never look for me.”
“If you do, I will take everything from you.”
Jennifer L. Armentrout, The Brightest Night
Title: The Brightest Night
Series: Origin, #3
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published: October 20, 2020
Publisher: Tor Teen
Category: young adult
Genre: fantasy, aliens, romance
Pages: 512
My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)
Goodreads page
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