Tag: sarah j maas

Monthly TBRs

December TBR

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is now December and that means it is time to talk about what books we will be reading this month.

What books do you hope to read in December and before the end of 2025?

December TBR

Murder at the Orpheus Theatre by Irina Shapiro

Pages and Co: Tilly and the Map of Stories by Anna James

Dog Sitter Detective Christmas Tails by Antony Johnston

Miss Beetons Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd

Traitors Legacy by S J Parris

Fearful by Lauren Roberts

Death and the Harlot by Georgina Clarke

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas

Monthly Wrap Ups

November Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a lovely day. It is the end of the month and that means it is time to discuss the books that I did and did not read in November.

What books did you read this month? Did you enjoy them?

From my November TBR:

  • Immortality by Dana Schwartz – I did not get around to reading it this month
  • Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead – I decided, after putting two on my November TBR, not to do any rereads this month so I did not read this one
  • The Guest List by Lucy Foley – I did read this book. I have been putting it off for a long time but I have finally read it and I thought it was good, not amazing but good enough.
  • The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrews – I did read this.
  • Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco – this was the second book that I put on my November TBR as a reread, so I did not read this.
  • Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies – I did read this.
  • Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft – I did not read this
  • To Steal From Thieves by M K Lobb – I did not read this.
  • A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna – I did read this.
  • Agency of Scandal by Laura Wood – I did read this.
  • Fate of the Argosi by Sebastien de Castell – I did read this.
  • Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas – I am writing this a little early, I have a week left of November and in that time I plan on finishing Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn.

Outside of my TBR I also read The Ripper of Whitechapel by Yvette Fielding and A Quiet Life in the Country by TE Kinsey.

That means in November, I read a total of 8 books so far this month, but I might be able to add three more to this if I manage to read the three Sarah J Maas books.

Uncategorized

End of year TBR

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Happy Friday bookish people! How are you all today? I hope you are all well. We are so close to the end of the year now, the time of cosy reading is here and with more time on my hands I have been thinking about the books I haven’t managed to read yet this year that I am still wanting to get to.

What books do you want to get to before the end of the year?

The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tail by Antony Johnston

A festive murder mystery where I have enjoyed the rest of this series, I will be putting this on my December TBR.

Queen of Shadows – Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas

At the start of this year I wanted to finish the Throne of Glass series and the A Court of Thorns and Roses series and so both of these are on this list.

The Ripper of Whitechapel by Yvette Fielding

I am intrigued what this will be like because of who it is written by, and it is only a short book so I am excited to read it.

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

I have started rereading the stalking jack the ripper series and I remember this second one being my favourite of the series so I am excited to get back into it.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas

I would love to be able to finish this series before the end of the year, I read the rest at the beginning of the year and then I took a pause because I wasn’t sure if I would like Nesta in this book but enough is enough, it is time to finish the series.

Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber

I can’t wait to read this! Stephanie Garber is easily one of my favourite authors and I love everything she writes, I have been itching to read this since I got my hands on a copy.

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

I recently got hold of second hand copies of this series. I remember absolutely loving it when I was younger so I’d like to do a reread and see what I think of it now.

A Quiet Life in the Country by T E Kinsey

I recently bought this book after being recommended it, and I would like to read it soon so that I know whether or not I would like to continue with the series into next year.

A Death in Diamonds by S J Bennett

Another mystery series I have loved all the books in so far, but I have been putting this one off as I need to be in the right mood to read it, but I would like to finish up this series before the end of the year.

Murder at Midwinter Farm by Helena Dixon

I have read and loved all of the Helena Dixon, Miss Underhay series so far and this book is coming out before December so I will be buying and reading that immediately.

Monthly TBRs

November TBR!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. It is November and now that I am free from my PhD work (at least until January), I have a lot more time to read and that makes me very excited – so many options!

What are you all planning on reading this month?

Fate of the Argosi by Sebastien de Castell

Agency of Scandal by Laura Wood

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

To Steal From Thieves by M K Lobb

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Immortality by Dana Schwarz

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

Monthly Wrap Ups

October Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a great day today.

October is over, Halloween has happened, and Christmas is on the horizon, which means it is time to talk about the books I managed to read in October.
Honestly, I am surprised by how many books I managed to read, considering I have been finishing up my PhD this month at the same time. I thought I would maybe read one or two, but I also ended up in hospital at the beginning of the month so that gave me some more reading time that I wasn’t expecting.

What was your favourite read of this month?

What I read from my TBR:

  • Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas – I have not yet read this, mainly because I am still slowly making my way through Queen of Shadows, I am getting there and I will probably have managed to start Empire of Storms before we reach the end of October (I’m writing this on the 22nd)
  • The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent – I have not read this yet either. Again, I have been waiting for some free time to sit down and read because I think when I start this one that I will want to sit there and read until I finish it. Again, I am hopeful I will have managed to start this one before the end of the month but we will see.
  • Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson – I have read this one, actually I finished it last night and I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed it.
  • Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz – I did read this, it took me a while to get through it but I got there eventually.
  • Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo – I am currently reading this book so I should manage to finish it before the end of October.
  • Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson – I read this, it is a book out of my comfort zone as it is a romcom novel but I surprisingly enjoyed it, there was more to the plot than just the romance which was nice.
  • The Thirteenth Child by Erin A Craig – I have not read this one yet but I am looking forward to it, I enjoyed House of Salt and Sorrow by the same author.
  • Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman – I did read this one. It was a very original book which I very much enjoyed.
  • The Coven by Harper L Woods – I did read this one. It was a disappointing read for me, I expected more because the premise sounded so good but it did not deliver unfortunately.

So, I read six books this month, which considering how much work I have been doing and not so much free time, I am quite happy with six books read.

Monthly TBRs

October TBR!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well today. It is October, the colder weather is drawing in quickly and I for one am feeling all comfy and cosy in jumpers, curled up with books and tea. Spring might be my favourite season because of all the flowers but Autumn has to be a close second.

Anyway, what are you all up to at the moment? I am spending October finishing up and submitting my PhD which has been a long time coming, but during that I have a lot of waiting around time in between – waiting for feedback etc. So, that means a lot of free time to be reading and I’ll need a good TBR.

What are you all planning on reading in October?

TBR

  • Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas – I am enjoying my trip through the Throne of Glass series and I have just finished Queen of Shadows and will be moving onto the next book. I will not be doing the tandem read, one huge book at a time is enough for me.
  • The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent – I have been looking forward to reading this one for a while and I think October is the right time to be reading about vampires.
  • Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson – this book has been on my bookshelf for years and I haven’t got around to it yet but I have loved both of her other books and loved them so I have high hopes for this one.
  • Close To Death by Anthony Horowitz – I find his books to be very hit and miss, some I enjoy and some I do not so we shall see how this one goes, the premise looks enjoyable.
  • Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo – oh, here we go. Another book I have had for a long time, I need to read it to see if it is worth finishing off the series.
  • Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson – a romance with a little bit of magic involved, I am not usually a fan of romance novels so this could be light and fluffy to break up all the fantasy but I might not love it.
  • The Thirteenth Child by Erin A Craig – this one looks really dark and gothic so I am excited about that but I don’t know a lot about the actual premise, it will be a nice surprise.
  • Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman – I have been excited for this since I got it but I have been waiting for the right time to read it and I think October might be it.
  • The Coven by Harper L Woods – what better time to read a spooky, witchy book than halloween.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

Monthly Wrap Ups

September Wrap Up!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all well today. September has been and gone in a whirlwind and that means it is time to share my wrap up for the month.

In terms of reading, it has been a mixed month. Good, when thinking about the amount of reading I managed to get through which I was surprised, though pleased, about. Not so good because I had a couple of DNF’s this month, they were books I had thought potential DNF’s but it was still a shame that I didn’t manage to get through them.

How was your reading this month? Any new favourite books?

My Wrap Up!

From my TBR:

  • The Killer Question by Janice Hallett – I did read this. I have read, and loved, all of her books so far and this one was no exception. I felt that the build up took a little while to get going but around a third in you do get hooked into the action. It was interesting to have it all centred around a pub quiz as I love a quiz myself. The end had a twist I did not see coming at all.
  • Murder In The Countryside by Helena Dixon – I did read this. Another quick, fun, cosy mystery.
  • Us In Ruins by Rachel Moore – I did read this. I will share my thoughts in a review coming on the 13th October.
  • Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera – I did read this and if you’d like to see my review that will be coming on the 20th October.
  • I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan – Unfortunately, I did DNF this one, it took me seven days and I only got through 118 pages of it and I was not engaged in the story or the mystery of the missing girl.
  • The Wolf And The Woodsman by Ava Reid – Again, unfortunately, I couldn’t get into this book and I ended up deciding to DNF it.
  • Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – I am currently reading this book and I plan to finish it before the end of the month.
  • Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas – I am also halfway through this book currently and I plan to finish this book also by the end of the month.

Outside my TBR:

  • A Gift of Poison by Bella Ellis
  • Murder In New York by Helena Dixon
  • Murder On The Cornish Coast by Helena Dixon
  • Murder At The English Manor by Helena Dixon
  • Murder In Paris by Helena Dixon

So, in September I read 11 books and I did DNF 2.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

Monthly TBRs

September TBR!

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is September, and that means it is time to talk about the books I am planning on reading this month.

The Killer Question by Janice Hallett

Murder in the Countryside by Helena Dixon

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas

Us In Ruins by Rachel Moore

Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera

I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

This month is a bit of a mix for me, its some books that I am excited to get reading but also others that I have had on my shelves for years and I need to get to them to see if I like them, I have less excitement for these but I still want to give them a chance.

What are you reading in September? Have you read any of these books, what did you think of them?

Monthly Wrap Ups

August Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. It is the end of August and that means it is time to share my wrap up for the month.

In the UK, August is the summer holidays for most people, lots of people have time off and the kids aren’t in school so it’s always a busy month for my family, especially now that my Sister has a new baby. Alongside that I’m still plodding along with my PhD and we have been redecorating the dining room. It’s not left a lot of time for reading, however, I have been reading such good books lately that it’s looking like August will be one of my best months for reading and the most books I have read in a month so far this year.

What has your reading looked like in August? Have you read any great books? Any not so great books?

My August Wrap Up: From my TBR

  • A Novel Murder – I started this book and I am counting it as read because I actually ended up DNF’ing this book. At 24 pages. That is so early in a book to decide not to carry on but I could not get along with the main character, she was so self-pitying it was every few sentences my life is awful and I was losing the will to read.
  • A Curse For True Love by Stephanie Garber – I did read this and that means I have finally finished the whole Caraval and Once Upon A Broken Heart series’. I loved this book, it was so close to being a five star and was easily my favourite book in the series even though it contains one of my most hated tropes. I thought it was done well.
  • How To Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin – I did read this. This is the second book in the Castle Knoll mystery series. I did not like the first book, How To Solve Your Own Murder, but this second book surprised me because I actually enjoyed it and gave it four stars. I will give a deeper insight to my thoughts in a book review coming the 15th September.
  • Fearless by Lauren Roberts – What I think is the final book in the Powerless series. I am currently reading this and as I am typing I will be finishing this book today.
  • Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – I did read this and I will be giving a spoiler filled review on the 19th September.
  • This Monster of Mine – I have not read this yet but I still have ten days before the end of the month so I am still planning on finishing this one.
  • Knife Skills for Beginners – another book I am yet to read but I do still plan to read this before the end of the month.

Outside of my TBR I also read: Grimstone by Sophie Lark. Murder at the Highland Castle, Murder at the Island Hotel and Murder on the French Riviera by Helena Dixon and Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas.

This brings my current total for the month to: 10 so far, but if I manage to get to those two final books on my TBR then it would bring my total to 12 and easily be the month so far this year that I have read the most books even though it has also been my busiest month so far.

Uncategorized

The Best Fantasy Fiction So Far This Year

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Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. Following on from last week where I shared the top ten crime fiction books I have read so far this year, today I am doing the same thing but this time it is with Fantasy books. Crime and Fantasy are my top two genres to read, I do read books from other genres but these two are my favourite.

So far this year I have read 22 fantasy book (actually 23 because I am currently reading Ignite Me by Taherah Mafi but when I made this list I hadn’t started this book yet). My least favourite of those 22 so far was To Sway A Bard. This is a short novel about a thief who is planning a heist and the Sheriff who is trying to stop her. Hoesntly, the premise sounded amazing, exactly what I love to read but the actual book did not go the way I hoped so it’s down at the bottom with my least favourite reads of the year.

So, the top 10 fantasy books I have read so far this year are:

In number 10:

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber. This is the second book in the Once Upon A Broken Heart series. The first book was okay, I didn’t love it but I did love Stephanie Garber’s writing and her other series, Caraval, is one of my all time favourite series, so I wanted to keep reading. This second book was much better than the first. I enjoyed how the characters developed and that there seemed to be a more engaging plot in this book. I did not like the ending, that’s why it’s in tenth place here, it has a trope that I really hate to see so I am hesitant about going into reading the third and final book in this series.

In number 9:

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. I won’t write any thoughts here, I will put them altogether with the other books in the series which (spoiler alert) are higher up on this list.

In number 8:

Way of the Argosi by Sebastien de Castell. This is the first in the spin off, prequel series, that goes with Castell’s Spellslinger series – another of my all time favourite series’. In Way of the Argosi we follow a young Ferrius and we see how she starts on the path to becoming an Argosi. I really enjoy how the writer builds the layers for characters in this series. She starts out as a scared young girl and we really get to go along on the journey with her as she figures out how strong she is and as she learns what is the best thing to do. I thought without Kellen in it I would not enjoy this series as much, I don’t usually enjoy prequel’s because I sort of know how they end but this one surprised me, I loved it and I hope to finish all three books by the end of the year.

In number 7:

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas. I started this year with the idea that I was going to finish ALL of the Sarah J Maas books on my shelves, because I own all of them and I had only read the first book in each of her series’ – A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass and Crescent City House of Earth and Blood. So, I had big goals for this year to get through all 13 other books that I owned in these series’. At this point, it is August and I am making progress in this goal but I’m not sure I’m going to make it but hey, we shall see. I did read Crown of Midnight. Which, to begin with was very slow going. It was a little boring with all the information you get at the beginning but then once the action gets started it hooks you in and I started to really enjoy it and I am excited to get around to Heir of Fire next.

In number 6:

Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi. This is the second book in the Shatter Me series which follows Juliette, a girl who has been in prison for a long time because if she touches you then you die is basically the premise. I enjoyed the first book but I loved the second book. The writing is done in a way that you really feel like you are inside Juliette’s head, feeling what she is feeling and there are so many parts that are absolutely heartbreaking.

In number 5:

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. I did warn you this one was coming and yes, the first book in the series is up higher on the list and I will give my thoughts with that one.

In number 4:

Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco. This is the second book in the princes of sin series, the spin off of the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy. This one follows Prince Gluttony and his rivalry with a newspaper journalist. I did enjoy this one, it wasn’t as good as the rest of Kerri’s books in my opinion, a bit too cinderella-y for me but I still enjoyed the tension and the way the mysteries are done in the plot. Also, it has dragons. The next book in this series follows Prince Sloth and I cannot wait for this book to come out, I will devour it the day I get it. Unfortunately that won’t be until February.

In number 3:

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas. As I was saying, I planned to read all of her books that I had not read yet, this year. So, I have currently read four out of five of the ACOTAR series and ACOWAR is so far my favourite out of the series. I like the balance between battle and romance within this book, although I do kind of think the series could have ended nicely here I appreciate getting to spend more books with the characters.

In number 2:

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Here it is. Okay, honesty. I spent two years refusing to read this book, I didn’t think I would like it and it got so popular so quickly I was cautious about it. Then I got a cheap copy of the first book and I absolutely loved it. And now I have multiple t-shirts, seven dragon soft toys, a bunch of pins and other merchandise and I have read all three books in the series… I might like the series a little bit.

In the top spot, number 1 is:

Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco. This is the fourth and final book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. It follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell as they uncover different mysteries like Jack the Ripper, a killer who mimics Dracula, a circus with Houdini in it and this final book they come up against the serial killer H H Holmes. I adore this series. I love everything about it.

What are some of your favourite fantasy books you have read so far this year?