We are just days into July which means the year is already half over...

So far in 2025 I have finished 22 books. No where near where I thought I'd be, but life gets in the way of the things we would rather do. My TBR list is growing day by day thanks to the wonderful world of #booktok; whether it be on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. The reviews and reels keeps showing up intriguing me to want to read more. 

I have had three 5⭐️ reads so far this year.

First one being Onyx Storm. I have seen a lot of mixed reviews on this series and even just this book and I will say with confidence it is one of my all time favorites. To me, Onyx Storm was EXACTLY what a third book in a five book series should be. It bridged gaps, gave more detail and insight into the characters, it was emotional and exciting. I will say I do not agree that this was or should ever be considered enimies to lovers, and its barely a romatancy. I think, my opinion, is that its a Fantasy with a subplot of romance but regardless I am invested. I recently pre-ordered the wing and claw collection from Barnes & Noble. I was so excited when this was announced as I lost my original copies in a house fire I had earlier this year and I cannot wait to build back up my collection. 

Second one being Vicious Fae. I have not yet had the opportunity to finish this series but out of the books I have read so far this was by far was the best. This book sent me through a whirlwind of emotions and I could not put it down. I do believe this has been the largest book Ive read so far this year but never once did it feel like it. Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti are just tremendous writers. I have enjoyed everything of theirs I have picked up. 

And third I just finished this morning. Poetry by DEAD Men.. I was gifted the eARC and I just couldn't put it down. I have been reading a lot of fantasy and romtansy lately cause romance just started to feel repetitive. But, the way this was written was a new way to see the whole picture for me. There wasn't just one story happening but the main story never felt like it took a back seat. I have already preordered my physical copy to eventually put on my book shelf when its rebuilt. :) 

But I want to give an honorable mention for Death's Kiss... It came out earlier this year and was a 4.75⭐️ read for me. I loved it. The magic was different and twists and turns were unexpected. Another one definitely worth adding to any fantasy lovers TBR. 

I've never really been a fan of audiobooks. As when I read I tend to have the character voices in my head but as I've been working on a wedding present for my son I have not been able to pick up a book. I don't really watch television and needed something for background entertainment. So I took the plunge. I have now listened to four books on audio and they go by fast when you can just keep your AirPods in and go about your day. It's allowed me to consistently work on my project. I definitely still prefer to read them myself but it's a wonderful alternative when driving, cleaning, or just not be able to carry a book or pull out the Kindle. 

I couldn't be more thrilled to have received my first set of eARCs from TheNerdFam. I have been able to get through two so far and both were wonderful reads. I cannot wait to delve into the rest of my list... its been so much fun reading new books by wonderful writers and getting to share in the moments of the the book world learning about their creatativity. 

For anyone looking or needing an escape books do a wonderful job of transporting you somewhere else. Giving you a moment or two (hell we're readers... you get hours) of just living in someone else's world. Life sucks sometimes and every now and then we need those moments (hours) to sit back and enjoy a great story. 

Not sure if anyone else has had a similar problem but I have all my screwed me completing the Zodiac Acadamy series. I was following @ThatGirlReads reading order and I was eight, EIGHT books in when my house caught fire. I had so much to do for that, that I stopped reading all together. Now that I'm finally ready to pick it back up I can't remember where I was in Broken Fae. I had the physical books and now I'm trying to pick it up on Kindle so my place isn't marked. I'll read some and start remembering it so I scroll to the next part that doesn't sound familiar and then something will happens that triggers me remembering. Now I don't want to finish it. I was really enjoying the series too. FRUSTRATING! Not sure what to do now. I picked up and completed two different rom com books to finish off a series to jump start my reading and still......... the worst part I hadn't finished documenting my reviews for them cause I was reading them so fast. Looks like ZA is gonna get filed away for awhile cause I feel like a redo is in my future. Perhaps now is a good time to start Throne of Glass or The Plated Prisoner series. Any suggestions?

Hello everyone........ It has been a long time since my last post/review. I had taken a step back as I was finishing books in a day or two and checking out of my actual life. But a few weeks ago our lives changed forever. Our home caught fire and the only thing that matters is my son and my dogs are safe and healthy. But we have lost a lot and just trying to navigate has been overwhelming. I am hoping as things start to settle into our new temporary normal that I will have the capacity to enjoy a book while struggling to stay focused. Reading has always calmed me and allowed me to escape into someone else's world and right now I could use that, I just haven't been able to turn the planning part of my brain off long enough to pick up the book. Well kindle as my entire library is now gone. I know things will continue to get better, it’s just a matter of time now.

I recently started the Zodiac Acedemy series or I guess I should say the Salaria world series...I have just finished the 4th book following the no spoiler reading order I found online by @That Girl Reads. So far I am at 4⭐️s overall... We will see if the momentum continues; only 21 books left. :)

Being that there are currently three different series within this world I was concerned it would be hard to go from one to the other, but I was pleasently suprised as the first book in the 2nd series was very easy to read after reading the first three in ZA

Well I won book bingo and my book club paid up. The haul I got today was awesome. I had also saved my points from my last book run giving more free money to spend.

Today I got The Rook and Rose trilogy y M.A. Carrick....... I also got the four book series The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne..... and last but not least I picked up The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. Not a bad a day!

I have slowly been purchasing the whole Zodiac Academy world which includes 3 different completed series and new one just starting out. I prefer the look of the old covers rather than the new ones so I am attempting to get them all before they can no longer be found. 

I annotated by first book. I choose tabs that matched the colors in the cover and I sat down and started reading the book. I enjoyed annotating. I like how it allows me to quickly glance at a book and see how much I laughed or cried or gasped... but I will say I only annotate about half of it. The book I was reading, A Pointed End, had me very confused based on the prologue and I think I forgot about annotating once i stated trying to figure out what I was reading compared to what I thought I was reading. I am not sure if I would annotate my most favorited books without having a backup "clean" copy but I definitely think it is something I would enjoy getting into. 

As predicted I'm in a book slump after Onyx Storm and just can't get into the next book I want to read. I have never annotated a book before and thought that maybe if I gave myself something more to do than just reading it would help me get back to enjoying the next book. I have a small, 283 page, romance book that I thought would be a good start. Romance doesn't have complex world building or usually a lot of characters to follow so we will see how it goes. 

Think I'm gonna start my categories off easy. 

sad, happy, laugh out loud, and who knows what else  😀

Picking up a book the day after I finished Onyx Storm was so hard, but I was one book away from winning book bingo and I couldn't let the others in my group beat me out due to devistation. Afraid to pick up a subpar fantasy I went with a rom com; needing a laugh. I don't think it quite hit the way it should have cause I wasn't in the right space to read a rom com. I am about to start Blood Over Bright Haven. Have seen amazing reviews for this book so I'm excited to dive in. 

Being devastated after reading Onyx Storm I'm not sure how to recover and pick up my next book. I really wanna win book bingo but I'm nervous to pick up my next book. How do you move forward? Pick a different genre? Take a few days to detox from book hangover?

Alright y'all. We are just over 24 hrs away from the start of the midnight release parties. I am so excited. I have read two books in two days cause I just need to do something. Of course I could be doing my laundry but I'd rather not 😂. At almost 9pm where I am at I am struggling on what I should do. Do I pick up another book knowing I will also have to finish it in 1day or do I sit back maybe get my laundry done and wait?  I do have errands I have to run tomorrow morning. But I am off work until Wednesday. The decision is so hard. I've read two wonderful books in the romance category trying to steer clear of fantasy until I get my hands on Onyx Storm. Welp, I guess Ill let you if Inwind up with another book review to post. 

I just finished my re~read of Iron Flame and oh holy hell. The plot thickens and surprises keep on coming. The thoughts that rattled in my brain while reading this time around really made me make some conclusions to what might unfold in Onxy Storm. Sitting here trying to write this without giving too much away is so difficult. I just wanna talk about all the things.  I'm so excited to be attending the midnight release at Barnes and Noble this coming Monday night. I even took off Tuesday at work and plan to be in my lazy chair curled up with my new book while my kiddo is at school. And I won't forget the tissues I just know I'm gonna need. At almost 800 pages I'm seriously worried I'll finish it in one day and be left hungover for who knows how long for the next one. I feel like a kid leading up to Christmas. Come on 6 days!

In preparation of the release of Onyx Storm, I, like most fantasy readers are re-reading the first two books in the Empyrean Series. I read these books for the first time about 6 months ago and since I hadn't started this blog yet my reviews are not listed on here so I will briefly cover them. I was so captivated by the story in Fourth Wing that I read it in just a few days and immediately started Iron Flame. The constant surprises. The emotional heartbreak. The BETRAYAL! It left me wanting more. I was glad in that as I was starting Iron Flame that I would only have to wait 6 months for the third book to come out. By the time I finished Iron Flame (just a couple days later) I was fuming that I still had to wait 6 months for the next book. Now that we are within the 10 day mark of the release of Onyx Storm, I decided it was time to start the re-read. Thinking 10 days is plenty of time. I can read in my spare time while I try to get some things finished that got put on hold while I recovered from the flu. I lied to myself. I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! These books have lived at the forefront of my brain for 6 months and I still sat here and finished Fourth Wing in two days and cried my eyes out. In trying to keep these post spoiler free I won't go into details. But I think the second time around was worse. This time I vividly watched the scenes play out in my head like a movie. I am sitting here writing this calming myself down before I dive into Iron Flame. With as much as I have thought about these books I have so many scary possibilities rumbling around my head for Onyx Storm, but something is telling me it won't be anything that I think. This where I have to say I feel sorry for writers. A release of an anticipated new book has to feel like Thanksgiving dinner. Hours upon hours to prepare for everyone to sit down and devour it in a matter of what seems like minutes. Then the pressure to out do yourself on the next one. I know come January 21, 2025 we are all going to once again be coming unglued and then going insane knowing we have to wait for the next one. Rebecca Yarros you deserve all the fame; you are truly a gifted writer. 

Here it is three days into 2025 and I have been down with the flu since Wednesday evening. Not how I wanted to spend my week off from work. So between naps, a lot of them, body aches, and this horrible cough I at least managed to finish creating my 2025 reading log. Just in time for me to include my first book of the new year. This year I am playing book bingo; here's to winning Barnes & Noble gift cards 😀

Today my oldest son (also and avid reader) and I went to B&N to spend Christmas money. He bought the whole The Faithful and The Fallen series by John Gwynne. Fitting seeing that we are currently reading another series by him. :) I decided to grab a few different books so I could decide where to go from here. I picked up the first book of The Faithful and The Fallen, I picked up From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout the first book in its self-titled series, then I grabbed a standalone Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wang, and last but not least I grabbed Bloodguard by Cecy Robson. Which from what I saw is part of a trilogy, but each book is its own standalone. I will say that I have never understood how it can be considered a sequel, trilogy, saga, or series if the next book does not intertwine with the first one. But sometimes you need a good standalone to break up the investment that long series require. With B&N sale going on, I am happy with I want I got. The next time I will be at the bookstore is for the midnight release of Onyx Storm. Three weeks and two days, but who's counting. 

With the constant coming and going over this past week I feel like im failing at reading this book. I want to read and keep reading. With the multiple character chapters you get glimpses of their stories leaving me wanting more. Though I have found myself just not picking it up when I know I don't have a lot of time to invest. Needing a win I chose to detour this morning and read a short story by Rebecca Yarros, Point of Origin. When I read that was a firefighter romance I was skeptical. As hot as they are it's one that is over used. I was very pleased to find this wasn't a "typical" firefighter story. I was able to complete this book in just a few short hours and still felt along with the characters. I needed a win and I got just that with this book. 

Everyone is "busy busy busy" this time of year, to quote Professor Hinkle from Frosty the Snowman. The Christmas season is a wonderful time of year. We get to shop without feeling quilty about how much money we spend, we get to watch our most favorited Christmas movies, and we get a lot of time with family. Now, all that is wonderful, but if you are anything like me I'd rather be curled up with a book than deep cleaning my house in preparation. The struggle to set myself to a schedule and stick to it (the real struggle) is difficult for sure. I will say I am half way through the first book in The Bloodsworn Trilogy and its so good that it's almost noon on Christmas Eve before I am pulling myself away to finish before I have a household of people tomorrow. Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to everyone. 

We are exactly four weeks from the release of The Empyrean Series third book Onyx Storm. I know I, like most, are waiting "patiently". So to try and pass the time I have decided to dive into The Bloodsworn Trilogy by John Gwynne. I have not seen much about this series on booktok but it seems interesting and since the third book just released this past November, the series is now complete. I tend to read books rather quickly when they are good; so here's to hoping it is and I can finish before Jan 20th at 10pm when I will be heading to the release party at Barnes & Noble.

I was not always what I would call a reader. I didn't hate it really just didn't enjoy it enough to read something that wasn't a requirement for school. Though at 19 I picked up the first book in the Harry Potter series. Instantly I was hooked. I, myself, had gone through some troubled times and to imagine this young boy never having a voice of his own finding his place in a world he had never known. As the books continued, he continued to stand up for what's right, triumph over the enemy, face his demons, and still see the good in people. It was the inspiration I needed to keep pushing through my own life. Now, many years later, there's a lot of negativity that surrounds the Wizarding World, but any great story will out live its author as this series has shown us over and over again. 

I had this same level of instant "loved it" with The Empyrean series. My oldest son and I picked up Fourth Wing for our book club and we read it so fast we had to push up our book club meet so we could discuss and start Iron Flame. It what was supposed to be two months of book club books that we finished in less than two weeks. Completely unraveled and pissed that we had to wait months for the third book. Here we are almost a month away and these books are still compared to everything else we have read or attempted to read. Onyx Storm is preordered to get at the midnight release at Barnes & Noble and the next day scheduled off work. Come on January!