Unboxing | Invocation

Happy Friday! I’m very excited to be sharing with you all about Aileen Erin’s latest series which kicks off with INVOCATION, the first book in the Days of Iron and Clay paranormal romance series! If you’ve read her Alpha Girl series then you’ll spot some familiar faces and if you haven’t, no worries! You don’t need to have read that series at all to enjoy this one but it’ll probably inspire you to! Okay okay let’s get back on task. Keep reading my post to find out more about the book and its author, a lil sneak peek, my review, and the awesome goodies that came in the promo box!

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Divine Rivals

Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment #1) by Rebecca Ross (2023)

YA Fiction | Historical | Fantasy

Blurb:

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

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One-line Reviews: Fall 2023

Merry Christmas everyone! This year, as you may know, I was supposed to be on my continued hiatus, but I can’t seem to resist sharing my thoughts on the books I read so here I am, emerging once again from hibernation to recap some of the books I’ve read this fall/early winter. Anyhow, this list features brief, one-line reviews so if you weren’t a fan of my usual sprawling review style then this is the complete opposite.

Any book recommendations for me to indulge in over winter?

Follow me on Goodreads if you’d like to keep up with all of the books I read, reviewed or not!

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The Mindy McGinnis Collection

YA Fiction not only unafraid of the darker side of life, but that goes after it staring into its depths unflinching and writing down what it sees.

I’ve officially caught up on (almost) all things Mindy McGinnis, finally reading her entire backlist except things like short stories and co-writing projects done for other authors. But McGinnis’ solo stuff? I’m all caught up and what a wild ride. The first book of hers that I read was The Female of the Species and from that moment I was hooked (it’s still my favorite though I wish they hadn’t changed the cover recently. The original cover shown in this post looks like it’s a book with something to say while the new cover just looks like creepy semi-abstract art imo). I read Heroine, Be Not Far From Me, The Initial Insult duology…then it was time to partner with my library’s resources to find everything else I’d missed. My conclusion? She’s still one of my top favorite authors who can tackle any genre that comes to her mind and one day I hope to meet her.

In this post I’ve included brief reviews for all of her books (except sequels though most of her books are stand-alones anyway) and if I’d written a longer review (you know how I like to ramble haha) then I’ve included the link. So scroll through and see if anything catches your fancy. She really is a talented author and at the very least her books will make you think twice before settling in Ohio lol.

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Lessons in Chemistry

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022)

Fiction | Historical

Blurb:

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results. 

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Fourth Wing

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros (2023)

Fiction | Fantasy

Blurb:

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

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DC Icons

YA best-selling authors team up with the superhero cash cow. An exciting partnership or a basic marketing ploy?

The year was 2017. I’m obsessed with Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas while the movie industry is obsessed with superheroes. Again. Or, rather, still? The publishers are making bank off of several popular YA authors and have an idea of how to make more. DC’s perk? They reach the up-and-coming audience. But while I was voraciously willing to pick up anything by these new favorite authors, the release of DC Icons made me pause and choose to save my carefully rationed pennies not only because I was hesitant about the genre but because by several accounts these books were, in a word, disappointing. However now it’s 2023 and I’ve remembered that libraries exist.

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One-line Reviews: Summer 2023

Although I’m still on hiatus, it’s simply impossible for me not to share my thoughts on the books I read apparently haha so to compromise here I am offering a recap with this post of one-line reviews for some of the books I’ve read/finished so far this summer. It’s short and gets to the point so if you haven’t been a fan of my usual sprawling review style then this is the complete opposite. If you do prefer my lengthier posts then you’ll be excited to know that a few books not on this list will have their reviews shared one a day for the next few days with a more in-depth spotlight.

Follow me on Goodreads if you’d like to keep up with all of the books I read, reviewed or not!

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This Will Be Funny Someday

This Will Be Funny Someday by Katie Henry (2021)

YA Fiction | Contemporary

Blurb:

A girl walks into a bar… then onto a stage, and up to the mic.

Sixteen-year-old Izzy is used to keeping her thoughts to herself—in school, where her boyfriend does the talking for her, and at home, where it’s impossible to compete with her older siblings and high-powered parents—but when she accidentally walks into a stand-up comedy club and performs, the experience is surprisingly cathartic. After the show, she meets Mo, an aspiring comic who’s everything Izzy’s not: bold, confident, comfortable in her skin. Mo invites Izzy to join her group of friends and introduces her to the Chicago open mic scene.

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