A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden – Is It Worth the Hype?
I bought this entire trilogy under the best possible circumstances: my local Barnes & Noble was closing to move locations, and every book was 50% to 75% off. I’d been seeing bits and pieces about the Sacred Stones series floating around the fantasy romance corner of the internet for a while and kept mentally filing it away. When I saw all three books sitting there at a steep discount, it felt like a sign. I bought all of them on the spot. I went in curious but cautious. Discounted impulse buys don’t always pan out. This one did, at least for book one. Summary A Dawn of Onyx follows a…
The Books I Keep Meaning to Read (But Keep Putting Off)
A love letter to my ever-growing, slightly neglected, deeply intentional stack. Let me be honest with you about something: I am not just a reader. I am a collector. And there is a difference. A reader finishes one book and reaches for the next. A collector finishes one book, reaches for the next, spots something beautiful at Barnes & Noble on the way home, adds three more to the cart during a late-night browsing session, and then arranges everything on the shelf in a way that is visually satisfying even if chronologically chaotic. The TBR pile is not just a reading list. It’s an atmosphere. It’s the comfort of knowing…
When One Bad Book Breaks Everything: On Reading Slumps & Starting Over
(Or: How Leather & Lark temporarily destroyed my will to read) There’s a particular kind of reading misery that doesn’t get talked about enough, not the slump that creeps in slowly, not the one born from burnout or busyness, but the one that hits you fast and hard because a book you genuinely tried to like just… didn’t work. At all. And now you’re sitting there, surrounded by your beautiful TBR, and nothing sounds appealing because your reading brain is a little bruised. That’s exactly where I am right now, and I’m blaming Leather & Lark entirely. I don’t want to spend this post tearing that book apart, that review can…
Leather & Lark by Brynn Weaver – A Dark Follow up to Butcher & Blackbird
“It took a while to learn that being in love is not enough. Choosing love is what it takes.” After genuinely enjoying Butcher & Blackbird, I went into Leather & Lark with cautious optimism. I was curious to see what the eldest Kane brother would be like after his gruff, sarcastic appearance in the first book. Unfortunately, what I got was a book that felt less like a sequel and more like a photocopy: same plot beats, same dynamics, just with different names. Summary Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job…
Butcher and Blackbird by Brynn Weaver – Still Unwell Over The Beginning of This Book
“What does my nervous little Blackbird like to read, I wonder?” I’d had my eye on this book for a while but kept holding off because I’m skeptical of #BookTok recommendations. Eventually, this became another case of I found an audiobook with narrators I like, so I’ll give it a try. The beginning was straight-up gross, and the insta-lust between the two main characters was off-putting at first. That said, they grew on me faster than I expected, and once the story found its footing, I was surprisingly invested. Storygraph // Goodreads Quick Summary When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two…
My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney – Twists on Twists on Twists in This Feisty Thriller
“I have always been happiest when hiding inside a story.” I found this audiobook on Spotify while browsing for something under 15 hours – long enough to get invested, but not overwhelming. I also liked the narrators right away, which made it an easy yes. The premise hooked me immediately: a woman comes home to discover she’s been replaced. That unsettling idea alone was enough to pull me in and keep me listening. Storygraph // Goodreads Quick Summary Eden Fox, an artist on the brink of her big break, sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the home she recently moved into, Spyglass, an…
Getting Back Into the Groove of Reading (Without Forcing It)
January surprised me in a good way. After a long stretch of not reading much at all, I finished two books this month. Not rushed, not assigned, not out of obligation. Just… read. One was a re-read of A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas, a book I already knew I loved. The other was My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney, a psychological thriller that kept my attention in a very different way. Both were audiobooks, which feels important to say out loud. (I am a firmly audiobooks count as reading girlie.) I’m still working on getting back into the habit of reading before bed, and some…
Why I Stopped My ACOTAR Re-Read at A Court of Wings and Ruin
I recently finished my second re-read of the A Court of Thorns and Roses, and I stopped at A Court of Wings and Ruin. This wasn’t an accident. It was a choice. ACOTAR is my roman empire. I think about these characters constantly. The story lives in my head in a way few series ever have, and no other romantasy has gripped me quite the same way the first three books did. This re-read reminded me why, and also why I’m okay stopping where I did. **Please note that while there are no spoilers discussed below, my thoughts/comments will make more sense to those who have read at least the…
The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith – A Twisty YA Fantasy Romance
“I remember everything. I remember everything so much I am being crushed under the weight of it all. If I weren’t so horribly defined by everything I’ve ever loved and lost, maybe I could be the kind of person who moved through life easily.” Summary The Rose Bargain is a fast-paced, Regency-inspired fantasy romance set in an alternate England where young women are given the opportunity to strike magical bargains with an immortal fae Queen. In exchange for beauty, talent, or other gifts that could improve their marriage prospects, they must give up something deeply personal, often without fully understanding the cost. The story follows a sharp, ambitious protagonist navigating…
How to Set Reading Goals Without Guilt
At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to read 60 books. It felt optimistic and exciting, a version of myself I wanted to believe in. The 60 book goal also felt realistic. The year before I had managed to read 27 books. So, picking 60 felt like a hefty (but doable) goal. The year started out strong but as the year unfolded, my time, and energy shifted. By the end of the year, I’d only read 23 books. Not horrible under the circumstances, but nowhere near that 60 book goal. Why I Changed My Goal Instead of feeling disappointed in myself, I changed the goal. I adjusted…
