marta the book slayer's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 30 Apr 2025 11:58:11 -0700 60 marta the book slayer's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Anne of Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables)]]> 40716863 276 L.M. Montgomery 1528706447 marta the book slayer 0 4.26 1909 Anne of Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables)
author: L.M. Montgomery
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1909
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: tbr-priority, childrens, classics
review:

]]> Anne of the Island 40716869 258 L.M. Montgomery 1528706501 marta the book slayer 0 to-read 4.67 1915 Anne of the Island
author: L.M. Montgomery
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.67
book published: 1915
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Anne of Green Gables 37117164
This early work by L. M. Montgomery was originally published in 1908 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography.

Lucy Maud Montgomery was born on 30th November 1874, New London, in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. Her mother, Clara Woolner (Macneil), died before Lucy reached the age of two and so she was raised by her maternal grandparents in a family of wealthy Scottish immigrants. In 1908 Montgomery produced her first full-length novel, titled 'Anne of Green Gables'. It was an instant success, and following it up with several sequels, Montgomery became a regular on the best-seller list and an international household name.]]> 312 L.M. Montgomery 1473316847 marta the book slayer 0 already crying on page 1 4.14 1908 Anne of Green Gables
author: L.M. Montgomery
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1908
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: classics, childrens, fiction, series-tbr, 2025-bingo, currently-reading
review:
already crying on page 1
]]> Heir (Heir Duology, #1) 206780522 An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.

And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she's willing to give up.

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives―and their hearts. Literally.]]> 484 Sabaa Tahir 0593616944 marta the book slayer 0 to-read 4.24 2024 Heir (Heir Duology, #1)
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2)]]> 213075405 Elias and Laia are running for their lives.

After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars' survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus's will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape...and kill them both.]]> 460 Sabaa Tahir 110199889X marta the book slayer 2 romantasy, young-adult 4.18 2016 A Torch Against the Night (An Ember in the Ashes, #2)
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/29
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: romantasy, young-adult
review:
only enjoyed 1/3 of this book (Helene’s chapters)
]]> The Things We Water 231547784 Once upon a time, a girl found a magical puppy, and her life was never the same again.

Nina Popoca needs help.

So, so much of it.

The only place she can find that help is on a sprawling ranch in Colorado. A place hiding more than a community filled with magical creatures trying to live their lives in safety and in peace. A village that might hold the answers to questions she’s had her entire life.

And if that ranch is owned by her best friend’s hunky cousin?

…there are worse things in the world than having to live right by Henri Blackrock.]]> 717 Mariana Zapata marta the book slayer 0 to-read, romantasy 4.73 2025 The Things We Water
author: Mariana Zapata
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.73
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: to-read, romantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Endless War (The Bridge Kingdom, #4)]]> 211081097
Newly crowned as king, Keris has watched, powerless, as his forbidden relationship with Zarrah is revealed. But when Zarrah is imprisoned by the empress, Keris knows there is only one way to save her: to ally with the kingdom he nearly destroyed.

Imprisoned on the dreaded Devil’s Island, Zarrah faces two choices: prove her loyalty to the empress who condemned her or die a traitor. Yet as she struggles to survive among violent prisoners, Zarrah uncovers a third path: a rebellion to overthrow tyranny entwined with a destiny she must fight to claim.

While the empress plots a war with devastating consequences, Keris and Zarrah must find their way back to each other. Yet their greatest adversary is the fiery passion between them. Unless they overcome the bitterness of betrayal, their love will not be the bringer of peace but rather the fuel that turns the Endless War into an inferno.]]> 576 Danielle L. Jensen 0593975278 marta the book slayer 0 4.17 2023 The Endless War (The Bridge Kingdom, #4)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/29
shelves: romantasy, 2025-bingo, tbr-priority
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Twisted Throne (The Bridge Kingdom, #5)]]> 216563167
The Maridrinians left Ithicana in ruins and its people impoverished. So when the wealthy kingdom of Harendell claims her as a bride for its crown prince, Ahnna is prepared to do whatever it takes to gain influence as the future queen. And to control the gold that comes with the throne.

Yet Ahnna swiftly discovers that beneath the beautiful surface of Harendell's court is a dark underbelly built upon schemes, duplicity, and the pursuit of power. The only individual who holds himself above the politics is not her future husband, but his infuriating half brother, James. And as she begins to question whether Harendell is the ally it claims to be, Ahnna finds herself drawn into a forbidden attraction to the wrong prince.

As deadly plots tighten around her, Ahnna must decide whether saving her people will be achieved as a bride...or as a blade.]]> 512 Danielle L. Jensen 0593975308 marta the book slayer 0 4.23 2024 The Twisted Throne (The Bridge Kingdom, #5)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: romantasy, 2025-bingo, tbr-priority
review:

]]> Vicious (Villains, #1) 40874032 A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.]]> 402 Victoria E. Schwab marta the book slayer 0 4.17 2013 Vicious (Villains, #1)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: fucking-magical, series-tbr, 2025-bingo, tbr-priority
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes, #4)]]> 213075289 Prepare for the jaw-dropping finale of Sabaa Tahir's beloved New York Times bestselling An Ember in the Ashes fantasy series, and discover: Who will survive the storm?

Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off...

The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.

By his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.

Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory--or to an unimaginable doom.

And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life--and love--he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save--or destroy--all that he knows.]]> 544 Sabaa Tahir 044849454X marta the book slayer 0 tbr-priority 4.23 2020 A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes, #4)
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: tbr-priority
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes, #3)]]> 213075365 BOOK THREE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES
An Entertainment Weekly Summer Reads pick and New York Times bestseller!

Beyond the Martial Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.
Helene Aquilla, the Blood Shrike, is desperate to protect her sister's life and the lives of everyone in the Empire. But she knows that danger lurks on all sides: Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable and violent, while Keris Veturia, the ruthless Commandant, capitalizes on the Emperor's volatility to grow her own power--regardless of the carnage she leaves in her path.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But in the hunt to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would help her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she'd have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that demands his complete surrender--even if that means abandoning the woman he loves.]]> 480 Sabaa Tahir 0448494515 marta the book slayer 0 tbr-priority 4.04 2018 A Reaper at the Gates (An Ember in the Ashes, #3)
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: tbr-priority
review:

]]> Great Big Beautiful Life 218559595 Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.]]> 432 Emily Henry marta the book slayer 0 4.20 2025 Great Big Beautiful Life
author: Emily Henry
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: cliches, 2025-bingo, currently-reading
review:
the chokehold this woman has on me�.
]]> The Flatshare 48715812 here.

Tiffy and Leon share an apartment. Tiffy and Leon have never met.

After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap.

Desperation makes her open-minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night-shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He’ll be there only when she’s at the office. In fact, they’ll never even have to meet.

Of course, since they live together, sometimes they do need to share information. Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes—first about what day is garbage day, then politely establishing which leftovers are up for grabs and debating the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Soon, they're sharing details of their lives: their work, their families, their romances. And it's amazing how much they learn about their flatmate just by sharing a space.

Even though they are complete opposites, Tiffy and Leon soon become friends. And then maybe more.

But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea . . . especially if you've never met. What happens when you finally bump into each other?

A joyful, quirky romantic comedy, The Flatshare is a feel-good novel about finding love in the most unexpected of places—under the same roof.]]> 328 Beth O'Leary 1250295637 marta the book slayer 0 dnf 3.98 2019 The Flatshare
author: Beth O'Leary
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/23
shelves: dnf
review:
I was in the mood for a quick and good romance read and I can tell you this book can be summarized as "flat". I enjoyed Tiffy's quirkiness but was so put off by Leon's computerized personality. I also hated the fact that their only interaction was through written notes; this book severely lacked any chemistry. I also hated the fact that Leon treated his girlfriend so poorly when she was the one making sure Tiffy was well taken care of and was super understanding. I couldn't even tell you how far I got in this novel before I called it quits and quickly returned it to the library.
]]> The Heart of a Dog 6535413 128 Mikhail Bulgakov 0099529947 marta the book slayer 2 русская-литература uhhhhh� go off I guess? 3.94 1925 The Heart of a Dog
author: Mikhail Bulgakov
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1925
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/13
date added: 2025/04/16
shelves: русская-литература
review:
uhhhhh� go off I guess?
]]> The Wild Huntress 207567925
BRANWEN possesses a gift no other human has: the ability to see and slay monsters. She’s desperate to cure her mother’s sickness, and the Wild Hunt is her only option.

GWYDION is the least impressive of his magically talented family, but with his ability to control plants and his sleight of hand, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his cruel older brother from becoming a tyrant.

PRYDERI is prince-born and monster-raised. Deep down, the royal crown doesn’t interest him—all he wants is to know is where he belongs.

A trickster, a prince, and a wild huntress—if they band together against the monstrous creatures within the woods, they have a chance to win. But nothing is guaranteed, for all are fair game in love and the Hunt.]]> 421 Emily Lloyd-Jones 0316568147 marta the book slayer 0 4.00 2024 The Wild Huntress
author: Emily Lloyd-Jones
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: fucking-magical, young-adult, dnf
review:
got 50% through and the hunt still had not started. It’s literally in the book description!!!!
]]> <![CDATA[The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair (Marcus Goldman, #1)]]> 25050513
Thirty-three years later, Marcus Goldman, a successful young novelist, visits Somerset to see his mentor, Harry Quebert, one of the country's most respected writers, and to find a cure for his writer's block as his publisher's deadline looms. But Marcus's plans are violently upended when Harry is suddenly and sensationally implicated in the cold-case murder of Nola Kellergan--whom, he admits, he had an affair with. As the national media convicts Harry, Marcus launches his own investigation, following a trail of clues through his mentor's books, the backwoods and isolated beaches of New Hampshire, and the hidden history of Somerset's citizens and the man they hold most dear. To save Harry, his own writing career, and eventually even himself, Marcus must answer three questions, all of which are mysteriously connected: Who killed Nola Kellergan? What happened one misty morning in Somerset in the summer of 1975? And how do you write a book to save someone's life?]]> 624 Joël Dicker marta the book slayer 0 4.03 2012 The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair (Marcus Goldman, #1)
author: Joël Dicker
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: mystery, thriller, series-tbr, 2025-bingo, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy, #3)]]> 214151222 Paedyn and Kai are reunited but face a terrible decision in this thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling romantic fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and The Red Queen.

Paedyn Gray and Kai Azer return to the Kingdom of Ilya�

And Paedyn has a life-altering choice to make. Whatever she decides will determine her fate—and the fate of those around her—forever.

In the ultimate battle of love and loyalty, who wins?]]> 608 Lauren Roberts 1665955465 marta the book slayer 3 2025-bingo, series-tbr
but the remainder of the book was just so mediocre :/]]> 4.30 2025 Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy, #3)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: 2025-bingo, series-tbr
review:
i experienced the most insane roller coaster of emotions from page 290-403

but the remainder of the book was just so mediocre :/
]]> <![CDATA[Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy, #2)]]> 204514529 512 Lauren Roberts marta the book slayer 2 romantasy, write-review JAIL 4.01 2024 Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy, #2)
author: Lauren Roberts
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: romantasy, write-review
review:
JAIL
]]> <![CDATA[An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)]]> 213075476 This is an alternative cover edition for ISBN-13: 9781595148049.

Laia is a slave.Elias is a soldier.Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.]]> 480 Sabaa Tahir 1595148043 marta the book slayer 3 young-adult, romantasy justice for Helene 4.18 2015 An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves: young-adult, romantasy
review:
justice for Helene
]]> <![CDATA[The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)]]> 56449420
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.]]> 520 Suzanne Collins 0702309516 marta the book slayer 4
For 90% of this book I was hooked and could not put it down. I loved how she wrote Snow’s monologue that contrasted with his dialogue and actions. It was brilliantly done and cemented his status as a villain. With such great writing and plot, it was a disappointment for the ending to feel so rushed. I would have happily read more pages if that meant the story had a better paced conclusion. ]]> 4.02 2020 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: worst-case-scenarios, young-adult, audiobooks
review:
I’ll be honest and admit I stayed away from this book for a while thinking it was just a cash grab riding off a popular trilogy (one I devoured when I was 12). I was insanely wrong. This book was NEEDED.

For 90% of this book I was hooked and could not put it down. I loved how she wrote Snow’s monologue that contrasted with his dialogue and actions. It was brilliantly done and cemented his status as a villain. With such great writing and plot, it was a disappointment for the ending to feel so rushed. I would have happily read more pages if that meant the story had a better paced conclusion.
]]> Margo's Got Money Troubles 199534613
“[An] enormously entertaining and lovable book.� —Nick Hornby, New York Times Book Review

A bold, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartwarming story about one young woman’s attempt to navigate adulthood, new motherhood, and her meager bank account in our increasingly online world—from the PEN/Faulkner finalist and critically acclaimed author of The Knockout Queen.

As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet's always known she’d have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can’t imagine how she’ll ever make a living. She’s still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor—and while the affair is brief, it isn’t brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant. Despite everyone’s advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naiveté and a yearning for something bigger.

Now, at twenty, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction. She needs a cash infusion—fast. When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare. Then Margo begins to form a plan: she’ll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, and soon finds herself adapting some of Jinx’s advice from the world of wrestling. Like how to craft a compelling character and make your audience fall in love with you. Before she knows it, she’s turned it into a runaway success. Could this be the answer to all of Margo’s problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price?

Blisteringly funny and filled with sharp insight, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a tender tale starring an endearing young heroine who’s struggling to wrest money and power from a world that has little interest in giving it to her. It’s a playful and honest examination of the art of storytelling and controlling your own narrative, and an empowering portrait of coming into your own, both online and off.

“A wholly original novel. . . . Thorpe is both poetic and profound in the way she brings her remarkable story to an end.� —The Associated Press]]> 304 Rufi Thorpe 0063356589 marta the book slayer 3 2025-bingo, contemporary-fic 3.86 2024 Margo's Got Money Troubles
author: Rufi Thorpe
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: 2025-bingo, contemporary-fic
review:
I honestly was incapable of putting this down and I grew to really enjoy Margo as a character. I was still frustrated with many of her decisions: trusting her mom and creating cringey videos on TikTok. Ultimately, I felt satisfied with the conclusion of the story.
]]> <![CDATA[The Dagger and the Flame (The City of Fantome #1)]]> 174547967 From the number one bestselling author Catherine Doyle comes the most fiery enemies-to-lovers romantasy of the year. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo and Stephanie Garber.

In the dark underbelly of a beautiful city, two rival assassins are pitted against each other in a deadly game of revenge, where the most dangerous mistake of all is falling in love�

In Fantome, a kingdom of cobbled streets, flickering lamplight, beautiful buildings, and secret catacombs, Shade-magic is a scarce and deadly commodity controlled by two enemy the Cloaks and the Daggers � the thieves and the assassins. On the night of her mother’s murder, 17-year-old Seraphine runs for her life. Seeking sanctuary with the Cloaks, Sera’s heart is set on revenge. But are her secret abilities a match for the dark-haired boy whose quicksilver eyes follow her around the city?

Nothing can prepare Sera for the moment she finally comes face-to-face with Ransom, heir to the Order of Daggers. And Ransom is shocked to discover that this unassuming farmgirl wields a strange and blazing magic he has never seen before� Among rumours of monsters stalking the streets and the rival guilds grappling for control of Fantome’s underworld, Sera and Ransom are drawn together by something more than just magic and must face a deadly choice - forgiveness or vengeance? Kiss or kill? Dagger or Flame? ]]> 509 Catherine Doyle 1398528455 marta the book slayer 0 3.86 2024 The Dagger and the Flame (The City of Fantome #1)
author: Catherine Doyle
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read, romantasy, young-adult
review:

]]> Everything I Know About Love 46041465
When it comes to the trials and triumphs of becoming an adult, journalist and former Sunday Times columnist Dolly Alderton has seen and tried it all. In her memoir, she vividly recounts falling in love, finding a job, getting drunk, getting dumped, realizing that Ivan from the corner shop might just be the only reliable man in her life, and that absolutely no one can ever compare to her best girlfriends. Everything I Know About Love is about bad dates, good friends and—above all else� realizing that you are enough.

Glittering with wit and insight, heart and humor, Dolly Alderton’s unforgettable debut weaves together personal stories, satirical observations, a series of lists, recipes, and other vignettes that will strike a chord of recognition with women of every age—making you want to pick up the phone and tell your best friends all about it. Like Bridget Jones� Diary but all true, Everything I Know About Love is about the struggles of early adulthood in all its terrifying and hopeful uncertainty.]]> 368 Dolly Alderton 0062968785 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, memoirs 3.98 2018 Everything I Know About Love
author: Dolly Alderton
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read, memoirs
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)]]> 214331246 When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.]]> 387 Suzanne Collins 1546171460 marta the book slayer 0 to-read 4.62 2025 Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games, #0.5)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> White King 217712344 "I hope you haven't forgotten me. Shall we play?"

Antonia Scott knows exactly who sent her this the mysterious Mister White, whom she has been tracking for years. She also knows that it is almost impossible to win against him. But if she loses this game, Inspector Jon Gutiérrez will pay with his life.

Antonia and Jon have one last they must solve three cases that are considered unsolvable. A game of life and death begins . . .

The thrilling conclusion to Juan Gómez-Jurado's international bestselling Red Queen Trilogy.

Praise for Juan Gó

'What impresses is the brainy brio of Gómez-Jurado's storytelling, as well as his striking depiction of Madrid as two cities, an elegant baroque facade concealing a gothic underworld' - The Sunday Times

'Fizzes with energy and lively scene-setting . . . There are obvious echoes of Lisbeth Salander, but the crackling interplay between Scott and Inspector Gutiérrez, a gay Basque policeman, adds an extra layer of originality, as does Nick Caistor’s sparkling translation' - Financial Times

'What Gómez-Jurado excels at, as conveyed in Nick Caistor’s brisk translation, is pacing of the breakneck variety. Short chapters, funny asides, lethally potent they all contribute to a frenetic page-turning momentum . . . you’ll have great fun reading it' - The New York Times]]> 353 Juan Gómez-Jurado 1529093821 marta the book slayer 4 4.39 2020 White King
author: Juan Gómez-Jurado
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:
sometimes authors know how to conclude a trilogy !!
]]> God's Spy 2570470
A ruthless serial killer, a chilling conspiracy, and a deadly race around the Vatican converge in this internationally bestselling thriller. In the days following the death of Pope John Paul II, the horribly disfigured body of a cardinal is discovered in a chapel in Rome. With a serial killer now on the loose in the Vatican, Police Inspector Paola Dicanti is assigned to the grisly case. Desperate to find the killer before another victim dies, she enlists the help of Father Anthony Fowler, a charismatic American priest who knows more about the killer than Paola could have imagined. As Paola and Father Anthony struggle through the web of tantalizing clues, the evidence leads them to powerful figures within the Church hierarchy. But their pursuit of the truth may make them the next pawns to be sacrificed in this terrifying and deadly game.]]> 368 Juan Gómez-Jurado 0452289122 marta the book slayer 0 to-read 3.54 2006 God's Spy
author: Juan Gómez-Jurado
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City, #2)]]> 63909101 Sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller. Sarah J. Maas’s sexy, groundbreaking CRESCENT CITY series continues with the second installment.

Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal―they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.

The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels� plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.

In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode―and the people who will do anything to save it.]]> 805 Sarah J. Maas 1526662507 marta the book slayer 2 WHY ARE THEY HERE 4.40 2022 House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City, #2)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:
WHY ARE THEY HERE
]]> Wild Side (Rose Hill, #3) 229042005
But when my nephew’s guardianship is contested, I decide I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him in Rose Hill. Even if it means marrying the enemy.

Rhys Dupris.

A man who is secretive, broody, and completely infuriating. A man whose work takes him away for weeks on end and brings him back covered in mysterious bruises—ones he won’t talk about. In fact, we barely talk at all.

Which would be fine, except when he’s not talking, he’s staring. And the way he looks at me is borderline indecent.

The tension between us has always been palpable. But living under the same roof is a dangerous temptation.

I swore I would never forgive him. But that was before I knew the man behind the mask. The one who’s fierce and protective. The one who’s gentle and patient. The one who shows up for us when we need him most.

He’s not at all who I thought he was.

And that makes hating my husband so much harder� and loving him just a little too easy.]]> 453 Elsie Silver 1464249482 marta the book slayer 3 steamy
BUT it was fun and i finally got a readable book in this series!!!]]> 4.33 2025 Wild Side (Rose Hill, #3)
author: Elsie Silver
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: steamy
review:
this was a little bit wild ;p and really cheesy

BUT it was fun and i finally got a readable book in this series!!!
]]> <![CDATA[Heavenly Bodies (Heavenly Bodies, #1)]]> 214507851 You know the most dangerous kind of villain? A woman with nothing left to lose.

In a world ruled by the Stars, cruel and merciless gods, Elara has been cursed by fate.

A prophecy promises she will fall for a Star, but that it will kill them both.

Yet when the Star of Wrath and War descends to hunt Elara, the neighbouring kingdom sees an opportunity to take her from her home, the Kingdom of Night, to Helios, Kingdom of Light. Where she strides straight into the arms of an enemy prince.

There, Elara is forced to either let Prince Lorenzo train her into a weapon worthy of battling against the tyrannical reign of the Stars, or to accept her fate.

But there are shadows even within the Kingdom of Light � and they threaten to reveal the darkness in Lorenzo’s past and the ancient magic that slumbers in Elara’s veins.

And with it all, the undeniable, star-crossed pull between them . . .]]> 512 Imani Erriu 024174055X marta the book slayer 2 romantasy, 2025-bingo
Cool okay, but why do I care? (spoiler alert: i don't).

We're told repeatedly that she is special, but in all honesty she's mediocre at best. Her only personality seems to be "snarky remarks" and flirting with a prince; in the next chapter she seems to remember her best friend and feels guilty and get's angry at everyone. Rinse and repeat. At some points the romance is so over the top with Imani Err shoving every possible trope down our throats, that I actually wished she would get back to the main plot.

What made this incredibly insufferable was the pacing of the book. I couldn't really tell you how much time has elapsed because most chapters started with "weeks later" or "months had passed" and we are told of what had been occurring. I never believed her capable of assassination nor use of magick (yup that's how it's written in this book) because she suddenly is able to do everything.

Lorenzo (MMC) is just a hot man and that's really all.

Whatever crumbs I got of the plot though, left me wanting more and the last 10% of the book finally grasped my attention. So much so, that yes I'll still be continuing with the sequel. Wish me luck.]]> 4.04 2022 Heavenly Bodies (Heavenly Bodies, #1)
author: Imani Erriu
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: romantasy, 2025-bingo
review:
What you'll quickly notice when starting this book is that you are thrown right in the middle of the action. Elara (a queen) is kidnapped from her kingdom and is being trained and used by another kingdom to kill a star.

Cool okay, but why do I care? (spoiler alert: i don't).

We're told repeatedly that she is special, but in all honesty she's mediocre at best. Her only personality seems to be "snarky remarks" and flirting with a prince; in the next chapter she seems to remember her best friend and feels guilty and get's angry at everyone. Rinse and repeat. At some points the romance is so over the top with Imani Err shoving every possible trope down our throats, that I actually wished she would get back to the main plot.

What made this incredibly insufferable was the pacing of the book. I couldn't really tell you how much time has elapsed because most chapters started with "weeks later" or "months had passed" and we are told of what had been occurring. I never believed her capable of assassination nor use of magick (yup that's how it's written in this book) because she suddenly is able to do everything.

Lorenzo (MMC) is just a hot man and that's really all.

Whatever crumbs I got of the plot though, left me wanting more and the last 10% of the book finally grasped my attention. So much so, that yes I'll still be continuing with the sequel. Wish me luck.
]]> <![CDATA[House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3)]]> 123211531
Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she's going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that's no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he's in the Asteri's dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce's fate. He's desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri's leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt's world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.]]> 835 Sarah J. Maas 1635574102 marta the book slayer 0 to-read 4.15 2024 House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wild Card (Rose Hill, #4) 230186826 Sebastian Rousseau is a grumpy, hot as hell fire pilot who is too damn good with his hands.

It’s the perfect combination. But unfortunately for me, he’s also my ex-boyfriend’s dad.

A chance meeting brought us together and a missed connection has kept us apart.

One year later, a stroke of fate has us living under the same roof—which makes everything between us downright messy.

Because even after all this time, he’s still the man I think about when I fall asleep. The one I can’t get over no matter how hard I try.

He’s working on mending a fragile relationship with his son and we both know acting on these urges would be the ultimate betrayal.

But I see the heat in his eyes. That look of need that never fails to send a shiver down my spine.

The mutual longing is borderline unbearable and the simmering heat between us is downright palpable.

We both know there are rules when it comes to situations like this.

But then again…following the rules never has been my strong suit.]]> 352 Elsie Silver 0349441693 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, cliches 0.0 2025 Wild Card (Rose Hill, #4)
author: Elsie Silver
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves: to-read, cliches
review:

]]> <![CDATA[We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya, #1)]]> 57384037 Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, Hafsah Faizal's We Hunt the Flame is a breathtaking debut about discovery, conquering fear and taking identity into your own hands. The first in the Sands of Arawiya duology, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone series.

People lived because she killed. People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter. Forced to disguise herself as a man, she risks everything to provide for her people.

Nasir is the Prince of Death. A feared assassin who is forever bound to the command of his father, the sultan.

Both are legends in their kingdom � but neither wants to be. And when Zafira embarks on a dangerous quest to return magic to their suffering land, Nasir is sent on a similar mission. But as their journey unfolds, an anvient evil begins to stir . . .

Don't miss the epic sequel and conclusion to the duology, We Free The Stars.]]> 512 Hafsah Faizal 1529045177 marta the book slayer 0 3.88 2019 We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya, #1)
author: Hafsah Faizal
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: romantasy, young-adult, series-tbr, 2025-bingo, dnf
review:
This is so poorly written; 30% in and nothing has even happened.
]]> <![CDATA[The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom, #3)]]> 211081102 Return to the world of The Bridge Kingdom in this sensuous fantasy full of romance and intrigue that is perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Silver Flames.

A soldier raised as heir to an empire, Zarrah is motivated by two truths. The first is that the Veliant family murdered her mother. And the second is that her pursuit of vengeance will put every last one of them in their graves.

The Endless War between Maridrina and Valcotta has raged for generations, leaving thousands of Zarrah’s people dead and countless more orphaned. So when she’s given command of the contested city of Nerastis, Zarrah is prepared to do whatever it takes to destroy the Maridrinian forces who oppose her. And to kill the Veliant prince who leads them.

Yet a chance encounter with an anonymous, and handsome, Maridrinian causes Zarrah to question whether the violence she’s perpetrated is justice or a crime. And as she continues to meet the nameless man each night, she finds common ground - and fiery passion - in his arms.

But when identities are revealed, Zarrah must decide whether to embrace a chance at peace…or march to the drums of war.]]> 673 Danielle L. Jensen 0593975243 marta the book slayer 0 4.06 2022 The Inadequate Heir (The Bridge Kingdom, #3)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: romantasy, 2025-bingo, tbr-priority
review:

]]> <![CDATA[House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)]]> 63909096
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they'd only let it.

With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom-and the power of love.]]> 803 Sarah J. Maas 1526662493 marta the book slayer 3 romantasy 4.59 2020 House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/16
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: romantasy
review:
Overcomplicated world building with more characters than I had the capacity to keep track of. Bryce in particular was not my favorite but she could have been a lot worse. This definitely could have been edited down. I have a particular dislike for more than one POV where you get repeated scenes. I can infer well enough what the other character were thinking based on their reactions; I don’t need it spelled out for me. HOWEVER, the dramatic audiobook is fun and easy to listen to. (might be the only thing holding this rating up� well maybe Ruhn too�.)
]]> Taming 7 (Boys of Tommen, #5) 198405341
Tommen's cheeky lad, Gerard 'Gibsie' Gibson, is a comedian at heart, but underneath his happy-go-lucky-nature lurks a broken boy, tortured by the events of his past. Using humour to cope with his demons, Gibsie hides everything from the world.

Only one person knows who he truly is on the inside. His friend's little sister. His Claire-bear.

Enveloped in sunshine, Claire Biggs, has spent her whole life adoring the boy across the street. Her brother's friend. Seeing a side to Gerard that no one else sees, Claire is determined to tame her wild-at-heart childhood best friend.

But when the unexpected occurs and lines are crossed, will Gibsie and Claire's friendship survive? Will it blossom into something more, or will they lose themselves in the riptide?]]> 551 Chloe Walsh 0349439354 marta the book slayer 1 series-tbr, steamy
IM SO MAD]]> 4.36 2024 Taming 7 (Boys of Tommen, #5)
author: Chloe Walsh
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves: series-tbr, steamy
review:
THIS HAD SO MUCH FUCKING POTENTIAL

IM SO MAD
]]> The Maias 99242 634 Eça de Queirós 1857546083 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, travels when in 4.02 1888 The Maias
author: Eça de Queirós
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1888
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read, travels
review:
when in
]]> <![CDATA[Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law]]> 60165453 #1 Los Angeles Times Bestseller
#1 Indie Hardcover Nonfiction Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Best Nonfiction Book of 2021
Longlisted for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction

Join "America’s funniest science writer" (Peter Carlson, Washington Post ), Mary Roach, on an irresistible investigation into the unpredictable world where wildlife and humans meet. What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology. Roach tags along with animal-attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and "danger tree" faller blasters. Intrepid as ever, she travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St. Peter’s Square in the early hours before the pope arrives for Easter Mass, when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display. She taste-tests rat bait, learns how to install a vulture effigy, and gets mugged by a macaque. Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and trespassing squirrels, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature’s lawbreakers. When it comes to "problem" wildlife, she finds, humans are more often the problem―and the solution. Fascinating, witty, and humane, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat. 12 illustrations]]> 336 Mary Roach 1324036125 marta the book slayer 3 science 3.82 2021 Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law
author: Mary Roach
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: science
review:
an equal mixture of humor and knowledge!
]]> War and Peace 53745033 The grand epic set during Napoleon’s invasion of a vividly detailed view of nineteenth-century Russian life by the author of Anna Karenina. Widely regarded as one of the greatest novels ever written, War and Peace is Leo Tolstoy’s magnum opus, a groundbreaking work of literary realism, and a psychologically acute examination of Tsarist society in the Napoleonic Era. The narrative follows the fates, fortunes, loves, and betrayals of five aristocratic Russian families from an elegant soirée in 1805 Saint Petersburg to the abandoned and burning Moscow of 1812. With a panoramic cast of characters, including peasants, soldiers, nobles, and historical figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Mikhail Kutuzov, Tolstoy presents a hugely ambitious portrait of the human condition. First published in 1865, this edition of War and Peace was translated into English by Louise and Alymer Maude]]> 1965 Leo Tolstoy 1504062329 marta the book slayer 1 classics, 2025-bingo
BOOK ONE - PART ONE
so far all I know is Tolstoy loves to yap and gossip. I’ve met so many characters and it only took 100 pages for me to piece together who is who. I was definitely intimated before starting this, but it surprisingly reads much faster and easier. it’s still daunting to know I’m only 8% through the book, but slow and steady wins the race.

BOOK ONE - PART TWO
So the war has officially started for our characters and tbh they are fairly well off. Given their aristocratic status, they have pretty comfortable positions or just ride around on horseback throughout most of the battle. It's surprising how many of the men romanticize being in battle.

BOOK ONE - PART THREE
Pierre’s only thoughts toward his potential future fiancée were „she’s so ugly� and that’s kind of rough. Rostov fangirling over the emperor Alexander was goofy. Napoleon having a cameo and dialogue were unexpected and shocked me to my core.

BOOK TWO - PART ONE
marriages!!! proposals!!! finally some romance
or NOT (because they both failed)

BOOK TWO - PART TWO
It only took him 400 pages to bring up religion

BOOK TWO - PART THREE
we finally have romance!!! yay!!!!
but it’s between a 16 year old female and a 31 year old male…………�..

BOOK TWO - PART FOUR
There were many chapters on hunting (unnecessary) and Natasha being a brat. Best of all we have (an age appropriate) romance blossoming after cross dressing. Did Tostoy actually write in some fruity characters?

BOOK TWO - PART FIVE
I was not expecting a love triangle so quickly. By far my favorite quote is “you shameless slut� directed at Natasha (because she entirely deserved it).

BOOK THREE - PART ONE
Napoleon = 666 (checks out)

BOOK THREE - PART TWO
You know this war is serious when Pierre finally enlists

BOOK THREE - PART THREE
Natasha: annoying
Andrei: annoying by association
Pierre (my fave): (barely) attempts to kill napoleon (only in his thoughts), ends up besties with a Frenchman, and adopting a child
Napoleon: fangirling over being in Moscow
Rest of em: irrelevant or probably dead idek

BOOK FOUR - PART ONE
If any of these characters died, I would not care. In fact, I’d applaud it.

BOOK FOUR - PART TWO
The only people I recognize in this part are Napoleon and Pierre, so most of this was confusing.

BOOK FOUR - PART THREE
I think there was war at this part but I honestly can’t remember because everything blurred together.

BOOK FOUR - PART FOUR
How is Natasha capable of attracting this many men? She’s got to be one of the worst female characters I’ve ever read.

EPILOGUE - PART ONE
Natasha in this part is acting exactly how I’d expect her to act and god is it infuriating.

EPILOGUE - PART TWO
did we really need a part two?? I sincerely don’t think so

FINAL THOUGHTS
I did it!!!! Yay!!!! I never want to do this again!!!!]]> 3.91 1869 War and Peace
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1869
rating: 1
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: classics, 2025-bingo
review:
do I get a prize if I finish this?

BOOK ONE - PART ONE
so far all I know is Tolstoy loves to yap and gossip. I’ve met so many characters and it only took 100 pages for me to piece together who is who. I was definitely intimated before starting this, but it surprisingly reads much faster and easier. it’s still daunting to know I’m only 8% through the book, but slow and steady wins the race.

BOOK ONE - PART TWO
So the war has officially started for our characters and tbh they are fairly well off. Given their aristocratic status, they have pretty comfortable positions or just ride around on horseback throughout most of the battle. It's surprising how many of the men romanticize being in battle.

BOOK ONE - PART THREE
Pierre’s only thoughts toward his potential future fiancée were „she’s so ugly� and that’s kind of rough. Rostov fangirling over the emperor Alexander was goofy. Napoleon having a cameo and dialogue were unexpected and shocked me to my core.

BOOK TWO - PART ONE
marriages!!! proposals!!! finally some romance
or NOT (because they both failed)

BOOK TWO - PART TWO
It only took him 400 pages to bring up religion

BOOK TWO - PART THREE
we finally have romance!!! yay!!!!
but it’s between a 16 year old female and a 31 year old male…………�..

BOOK TWO - PART FOUR
There were many chapters on hunting (unnecessary) and Natasha being a brat. Best of all we have (an age appropriate) romance blossoming after cross dressing. Did Tostoy actually write in some fruity characters?

BOOK TWO - PART FIVE
I was not expecting a love triangle so quickly. By far my favorite quote is “you shameless slut� directed at Natasha (because she entirely deserved it).

BOOK THREE - PART ONE
Napoleon = 666 (checks out)

BOOK THREE - PART TWO
You know this war is serious when Pierre finally enlists

BOOK THREE - PART THREE
Natasha: annoying
Andrei: annoying by association
Pierre (my fave): (barely) attempts to kill napoleon (only in his thoughts), ends up besties with a Frenchman, and adopting a child
Napoleon: fangirling over being in Moscow
Rest of em: irrelevant or probably dead idek

BOOK FOUR - PART ONE
If any of these characters died, I would not care. In fact, I’d applaud it.

BOOK FOUR - PART TWO
The only people I recognize in this part are Napoleon and Pierre, so most of this was confusing.

BOOK FOUR - PART THREE
I think there was war at this part but I honestly can’t remember because everything blurred together.

BOOK FOUR - PART FOUR
How is Natasha capable of attracting this many men? She’s got to be one of the worst female characters I’ve ever read.

EPILOGUE - PART ONE
Natasha in this part is acting exactly how I’d expect her to act and god is it infuriating.

EPILOGUE - PART TWO
did we really need a part two?? I sincerely don’t think so

FINAL THOUGHTS
I did it!!!! Yay!!!! I never want to do this again!!!!
]]> Brimstone (Fae & Alchemy, #2) 222444821 The Blood Court has only ever had one king. But now it has a queen ...

Saeris Fane is beginning to realize just how much her life has changed with her extraordinary new powers ... but if she doesn't act quickly to figure out how to close off the gateway to her magic before the power becomes too volatile, she may destroy everyone and everything she's ever loved.]]> Callie Hart 1399745492 marta the book slayer 0 0.0 2025 Brimstone (Fae & Alchemy, #2)
author: Callie Hart
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, romantasy, series-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Six Feet Over: Science Tackles the Afterlife]]> 60165445 320 Mary Roach 1324036044 marta the book slayer 3 science, write-review 3.51 2005 Six Feet Over: Science Tackles the Afterlife
author: Mary Roach
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/01
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: science, write-review
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)]]> 68429
The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier's protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin's Mistborn skills sharp, but it's the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn't run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier's crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won't get easier with three armies - one of them composed of ferocious giants - now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler's hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.]]> 590 Brandon Sanderson 0765316889 marta the book slayer 0 4.38 2007 The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: to-read, fucking-magical, series-tbr
review:

]]> The Turnout 55573785
Marie, warm and soft, teaches the younger students; Dara, with her precision, trains the older ones; and Charlie, sidelined from dancing after years of injuries, rules over the back office. Circling around one another, the three have perfected a dance, six days a week, that keeps the studio thriving. But when a suspicious accident occurs, just at the onset of the school's annual performance of The Nutcracker� a season of competition, anxiety, and exhilaration—an interloper arrives and threatens the sisters' delicate balance.

Taut and unnerving, The Turnout is Megan Abbott at the height of her game. With uncanny insight and hypnotic writing, it is a sharp and strange dissection of family ties and sexuality, femininity and power, and a tale that is both alarming and irresistible.]]> 340 Megan Abbott 059308490X marta the book slayer 1 thriller
Absolutely
fucking
terrible

The book starts with three completely unstable characters. It's obvious and thrown in our faces multiple times that there is something wrong with this dysfunctional family. Clearly their relationship with their parents was messed up and even more so there is a strange connection between the wife/husband and her sister.

So right away we know something weird is happening but it takes over 100 pages of useless descriptions to get this revealed. How much can you really read about ballerinas and of dry-wall before going insane? Seriously, if I wanted to experience construction I could have just looked out my window because there's constantly construction going on outside.

The biggest fucking event of this book is The Nutcracker and it was so hard to give a fuck. There were some weird hints of potential pedophilia with one of the ballet sisters and her students, but that's not even surprising because next fucking sentence we are hearing about drywall. Everything is brushed off because nothing in this novel has any significance.

Also, why was everyone obsessed with some crusty old construction man. Why was this construction man's only personality trait caring about other houses he can remodel? Did he have no other personality to offer?

Overall, the ending sucked, so did the beginning and the middle. Yes, this book was so fucking terrible. It was never ending. Nothing about this was thrilling. I really had to force myself to read a certain amount of pages to be able to make it through this book.

All I want in life is to forget about this book's existence and never read another Megan Abbott book again.

�
part of race against time challenge (aka read all 2021 releases before the year ends.)]]> 3.03 2021 The Turnout
author: Megan Abbott
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.03
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2021/08/26
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: thriller
review:
What a waste of my time.

Absolutely
fucking
terrible

The book starts with three completely unstable characters. It's obvious and thrown in our faces multiple times that there is something wrong with this dysfunctional family. Clearly their relationship with their parents was messed up and even more so there is a strange connection between the wife/husband and her sister.

So right away we know something weird is happening but it takes over 100 pages of useless descriptions to get this revealed. How much can you really read about ballerinas and of dry-wall before going insane? Seriously, if I wanted to experience construction I could have just looked out my window because there's constantly construction going on outside.

The biggest fucking event of this book is The Nutcracker and it was so hard to give a fuck. There were some weird hints of potential pedophilia with one of the ballet sisters and her students, but that's not even surprising because next fucking sentence we are hearing about drywall. Everything is brushed off because nothing in this novel has any significance.

Also, why was everyone obsessed with some crusty old construction man. Why was this construction man's only personality trait caring about other houses he can remodel? Did he have no other personality to offer?

Overall, the ending sucked, so did the beginning and the middle. Yes, this book was so fucking terrible. It was never ending. Nothing about this was thrilling. I really had to force myself to read a certain amount of pages to be able to make it through this book.

All I want in life is to forget about this book's existence and never read another Megan Abbott book again.

�
part of race against time challenge (aka read all 2021 releases before the year ends.)
]]> Deep End 212806619 A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...]]> 446 Ali Hazelwood 0593641051 marta the book slayer 4 steamy BDSM-lite 3.89 2025 Deep End
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: steamy
review:
BDSM-lite
]]> <![CDATA[Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)]]> 68428 What if the whole world were a dead, blasted wasteland?

Mistborn
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Then Kelsier reveals his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets. She will have to learn trust if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

Brandon Sanderson, fantasy's newest master tale-spinner and author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the prophesied hero failed to defeat the Dark Lord? The answer will be found in the Mistborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises that begins with the book in your hands. Fantasy will never be the same again.]]> 541 Brandon Sanderson marta the book slayer 4 4.48 2006 Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: fucking-magical, physical-tbr, audiobooks
review:
I finally read this!!!! I enjoyed it!!!!! I’ll continue the series !!!!
]]> Caught Up (Into Darkness, #2) 217562358
I wanted this woman, and I was a man who always got what he wanted.

Nico 'Junior' Trocci knows Lauren Marchetti is off limits. She is sweetness and laughter, whereas Junior exists in a world of violence and depravity. Men like him don't get to have women like her. It's why he pushed her away back in high school and has kept his distance ever since.

But when Junior looks Lauren up online, he discovers the shy, bookish girl he remembers is gone. In her place is a strikingly beautiful woman whose social media is filled with scantily clad pictures of herself and a connection to a nearby play club. Junior's innocent curiosity quickly turns into a dark obsession. But watching Lauren from a distance isn't enough; he needs to make her his.

He's ruthless; a walking red flag. Good thing red is my favorite color.

Lauren is intrigued by the mystery man who keeps showing up at her club, who tempts her white-hot desires. But as their flirty online messages stir up a deeper form of connection, Lauren worries she's developing real feelings for this brooding stranger. As their combined desire ratchets up to a breaking point, who will seduce who? And will they survive the fall?

Caught Up is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally grey male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the content warning at the beginning of the book.

]]> Navessa Allen 1529442443 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, steamy 4.22 2025 Caught Up (Into Darkness, #2)
author: Navessa Allen
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read, steamy
review:

]]> The Goal (Off-Campus) 199214687 She's good at achieving her goals . . .

College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned graduate from college, kick butt in law school, and land a high-paying job at a cut-throat firm. Her path to escaping her shameful past certainly doesn't include a gorgeous hockey player who believes in love at first sight. One night of sizzling heat and surprising tenderness is all she's willing to give John Tucker, but sometimes, one night is all it takes for your entire life to change.

But the game just got a whole lot more complicated . . .

Tucker believes being a team player is as important as being the star. On the ice, he's fine staying out of the spotlight, but when it comes to becoming a daddy at the age of twenty-two, he refuses to be a bench warmer. It doesn't hurt that the soon-to-be mother of his child is beautiful, whip-smart, and keeps him on his toes. The problem is, Sabrina's heart is locked up tight, and the fiery brunette is too stubborn to accept his help. If he wants a life with the woman of his dreams, he'll have to convince her that some goals can only be made with an assist . . .]]> 350 Elle Kennedy 0349440883 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, steamy 3.65 2016 The Goal (Off-Campus)
author: Elle Kennedy
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/13
shelves: to-read, steamy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rain of Shadows and Endings (Legacy, #1)]]> 123349658
Rain of Shadows and Endings is book one in The Legacy Series and ends on a cliffhanger. This is new adult dark fantasy romance series and includes elements that may be triggering to some readers.]]> 670 Melissa K. Roehrich marta the book slayer 0 to-read 4.01 2023 Rain of Shadows and Endings (Legacy, #1)
author: Melissa K. Roehrich
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Tender Is the Flesh 49090884
His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.� Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he’s given a a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved.]]> 209 Agustina Bazterrica 1982150920 marta the book slayer 3 spoopy
read as part of a spooky read-a-thon in october of course
]]> 3.75 2017 Tender Is the Flesh
author: Agustina Bazterrica
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/03
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: spoopy
review:
i wasn't as disturbed as any of the other reviewers seemed to be upon finishing this book. i held no emotional connection to anyone in this novel, so the ending was unsurprising and predictable in my opinion. the concept was truly fascinating and describing this book to others is a great conversation starter or finisher (depending on who the person is)

read as part of a spooky read-a-thon in october of course

]]> Katabasis 226933409 Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.]]> 560 R.F. Kuang marta the book slayer 0 4.05 2025 Katabasis
author: R.F. Kuang
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: to-read, fucking-magical, 2025-bingo
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heat of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #3)]]> 198632606
After her disastrous coronation, Diem finds herself at the center of the conflict between the Descended and the Guardians. With her newfound friends and the man she’s falling for on one side, and the mortals she has vowed to protect on the other, Diem must walk a careful line to save the people she loves� even from each other.

The mystery of her unusual heritage begins to unravel, sending Diem and Luther on an unexpected journey across the realms. The answers may hold the key to winning the war, but finding them will require her to face painful truths about her mother, her bloodline, and her fate.

Meanwhile, the Crowns have set Diem in their sights. Some could be her greatest allies—while others want her dead. To end their oppressive reign, Diem must sort friend from foe and risk it all to build an army of her own.

But a powerful figure in the north has plans that could change everything...

Heat of the Everflame is the third book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book epic fantasy romance series that follows our fiesty, bad*ss heroine Diem Bellator in her fight against injustice, her struggle to survive in a royal palace full of betrayal and intrigue, and her journey of self-discovery and finding true love. This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers series is perfect for fans of unique magic systems, dragons and other mythical creatures, angst and romantic tension, and hilarious banter. This book will appeal to fans of plot-heavy, character-driven romantasy such as A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, Gild, Shadow & Bone, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.]]> 776 Penn Cole marta the book slayer 3 romantasy 4.28 2023 Heat of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #3)
author: Penn Cole
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: romantasy
review:
Diem, honey, I’m sorry to tell you this but there’s no way you can win a war without killing at least one person.
]]> <![CDATA[Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane, #1)]]> 3524297 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780312537074.

From the New York Times bestselling author of On Mystic Lake comes a powerful novelof love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . .

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world� moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all---beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness.

Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she’ll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she’ll envy her famous best friend. . . .

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship---jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they’ve survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone’s Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it’s the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It’s about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you---and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you’ll never forget . . . one you’ll want to pass on to your best friend.]]> 499 Kristin Hannah marta the book slayer 2 contemporary-fic, cliches Did I cry like a baby for the last 15% of it? FUCK YES

1.5/5

These characters are SO FLAT. The dialogue can be summed up in this way:
Tully: *does something selfish*
Kate: It is okay Tully, you are just like that
Tully: You're my forever friend
Kate: We are going to be best friends forever

It felt like their dialogue barely changed from the start of the story till the end. At a certain point it was just predictable what would happen.

I was so-so about this story taking place from the 70s onward. It was nice to be reminded of the popular songs and fashion styles, but it read a bit cliche.

This was an incredibly quick (BUT TERRIBLY TERRIBLY SAD) read. I won't spoil too much but I do want to highlight the author's note at the end for women to be conscious about the warning signs of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) which has often been overlooked or misdiagnosed.

Sorry this review is crap. I'm an emotional mess. I need to pull myself together before starting the TV show and crying all over again. The show changed so much from the novel. I AM PISSED OFF]]> 4.15 2008 Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane, #1)
author: Kristin Hannah
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 2021/02/11
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: contemporary-fic, cliches
review:
Did I hate this book? YES
Did I cry like a baby for the last 15% of it? FUCK YES

1.5/5

These characters are SO FLAT. The dialogue can be summed up in this way:
Tully: *does something selfish*
Kate: It is okay Tully, you are just like that
Tully: You're my forever friend
Kate: We are going to be best friends forever

It felt like their dialogue barely changed from the start of the story till the end. At a certain point it was just predictable what would happen.

I was so-so about this story taking place from the 70s onward. It was nice to be reminded of the popular songs and fashion styles, but it read a bit cliche.

This was an incredibly quick (BUT TERRIBLY TERRIBLY SAD) read. I won't spoil too much but I do want to highlight the author's note at the end for women to be conscious about the warning signs of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) which has often been overlooked or misdiagnosed.

Sorry this review is crap. I'm an emotional mess. I need to pull myself together before starting the TV show and crying all over again. The show changed so much from the novel. I AM PISSED OFF
]]> <![CDATA[The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1)]]> 218422159 From NYT bestselling author Rachel Gillig comesthe next big romantasy sensation, a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a young prophetess who is forced on an impossible quest with the one infuriating knight whose future is beyond her sight. Perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Leigh Bardugo.

Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrickhas no respect for Sybil's visions.But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only thegods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.]]> 396 Rachel Gillig 0316573787 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, series-tbr 4.74 2025 The Knight and the Moth (The Stonewater Kingdom, #1)
author: Rachel Gillig
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read, series-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)]]> 17756559 Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.]]> 368 Marie Rutkoski 0374384673 marta the book slayer 0 4.02 2014 The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)
author: Marie Rutkoski
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read, romantasy, young-adult, series-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1)]]> 22878967 It has been twenty years since the end of the war. The dictatorial Augurs—once thought of almost as gods—were overthrown and wiped out during the conflict, their much-feared powers mysteriously failing them. Those who had ruled under them, men and women with a lesser ability known as the Gift, avoided the Augurs' fate only by submitting themselves to the rebellion's Four Tenets. A representation of these laws is now written into the flesh of any who use the Gift, forcing those so marked into absolute obedience.

As a student of the Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war fought—and lost—before he was born. Despised by most beyond the school walls, he and those around him are all but prisoners as they attempt to learn control of the Gift. Worse, as Davian struggles with his lessons, he knows that there is further to fall if he cannot pass his final tests.

But when Davian discovers he has the ability to wield the forbidden power of the Augurs, he sets into motion a chain of events that will change everything. To the north, an ancient enemy long thought defeated begins to stir. And to the west, a young man whose fate is intertwined with Davian’s wakes up in the forest, covered in blood and with no memory of who he is…]]> 602 James Islington 099258020X marta the book slayer 0 4.13 2014 The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1)
author: James Islington
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: fucking-magical, 2025-bingo, to-read, series-tbr
review:

]]> Bunny (Bunny, #1) 53285047 We were just these innocent girls in the night trying to make something beautiful. We nearly died. We very nearly did, didn't we?

Samantha Heather Mackey couldn't be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England's Warren University. A scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to that of most people, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort--a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other Bunny, and seem to move and speak as one.

But everything changes when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies' fabled Smut Salon, and finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door--ditching her only friend, Ava, in the process. As Samantha plunges deeper and deeper into the Bunnies' sinister yet saccharine world, beginning to take part in the ritualistic off-campus Workshop where they conjure their monstrous creations, the edges of reality begin to blur. Soon, her friendships with Ava and the Bunnies will be brought into deadly collision.

The spellbinding new novel from one of our most fearless chroniclers of the female experience, Bunny is a down-the-rabbit-hole tale of loneliness and belonging, friendship and desire, and the fantastic and terrible power of the imagination.

Named a Best Book of 2019 by TIME, Vogue, Electric Literature, and The New York Public Library]]> 305 Mona Awad 0525559752 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, spoopy, series-tbr 3.43 2019 Bunny (Bunny, #1)
author: Mona Awad
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read, spoopy, series-tbr
review:

]]> Beartown (Beartown, #1) 33413128
People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.]]> 432 Fredrik Backman marta the book slayer 0 4.27 2016 Beartown (Beartown, #1)
author: Fredrik Backman
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read, physical-tbr, contemporary-fic, 2025-bingo, series-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rewind It Back (Windy City, #5)]]> 216156650
When I was eleven, my family moved next door to his.
When I was thirteen, he was my first crush.
When I was sixteen, we fell for each other.

And when I was nineteen, we broke each other's hearts.

Six years later, I've landed an internship with a big-name interior designer in a new city. Unfortunately, that city just so happens to be the one he plays hockey for.

I thought Chicago was big enough to avoid him, until I get the surprise of a lifetime and unknowingly move in right next door. Even worse? The renovation project I'm assigned to in hopes of turning that internship into my full-time dream job...

It's his house.

But how am I supposed to update his bachelor pad into a family home when we can't even stand to be in the same room?

I may have loved Rio DeLuca once, but I'm not that same girl anymore.

RIO

I never thought I'd be the only single one left in my friend group. But after years of trying to find love, I've concluded it may not exist for me anymore.

That is, until I accidentally hire Hallie Hart to renovate my house and our jaded history has me rewinding memories I've kept secret for years.

You see, there's something that my friends don't know.

That connection I've been looking for since I moved to Chicago, that one person some search their entire lives to find . . . I had already found her when I was twelve years old.

And now the only girl I've ever loved is moving into the house next door.

Again.

Rewind It Back is the fifth and FINAL book in the sensational Windy City series which has gripped over a million readers across the world. But don't worry if you're new round here, you'll still love it as a standalone!]]> Liz Tomforde marta the book slayer 0 4.65 2025 Rewind It Back (Windy City, #5)
author: Liz Tomforde
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read, 2025-bingo, steamy, series-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy, #1)]]> 215109788
Stripped of her Mind Magic and her freedom, Briony and the other survivors are quickly auctioned off to the highest bidders in an auction � and as the heir-apparent’s sister, she fetches the highest price.

After a fierce bidding war, she’s sold to none other than Toven a high ranking Bomardsun � and her long-time and ill-fated infatuation. Scion of a family known for their cruel control of Heart Magic, the Hearsts are ruthlessly ambitious, and Briony knows they will use her however they can to further their own interests.

Yet despite the horrors of her new world and the role she must learn to play within it, all is not lost. Help � and hope � may yet arise in the most unlikely of places…]]> 464 Julie Soto 0008711690 marta the book slayer 0 4.50 2025 Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy, #1)
author: Julie Soto
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read, 2025-bingo, series-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Burn of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #4)]]> 220145036
In Lumnos, Realm of Light and Shadow, the Crowns are gathering. Caught between two deadly foes, they must form an unlikely alliance to save their people.

But the Crowns have a secret—and a heart without its mate will burn the world down to fulfill its fate.

Hatred reigns. Hope seems lost. With the future in darkness, can a flame emerge to bring the light?]]> 550 Penn Cole 3911244118 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, series-tbr 4.28 2026 Burn of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #4)
author: Penn Cole
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves: to-read, series-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Glow of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #2)]]> 124935969
The threat of war has arrived at Diem’s doorstep, along with a new discovery that could save her people. To use it, she must survive the next thirty days by forming a devil’s bargain with the people she hates most: the royal family of House Corbois.

But as she dives into the world of the Descended elite, Diem quickly realizes good and evil aren’t as simple as they seem. Old prejudices are challenged, and new loyalties blur the line between friend and foe.

Meanwhile, her mother is still missing, and the secrets she left behind can no longer be ignored—and neither can the Guardians and their demands. Caught between an old flame and a sizzling new spark, Diem must confront the truth about who she is and what she wants before time runs out.

War is coming, and dangerous enemies wait on all sides.. but the most deadly battle Diem faces may be the one for her heart.

Glow of the Everflame is the second book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book fantasy romance series. This book will appeal to fans of plot-heavy, character-driven romantasy such as A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, Gild, Shadow & Bone, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.]]> 637 Penn Cole marta the book slayer 3 4.36 2023 Glow of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #2)
author: Penn Cole
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves:
review:
enjoyed this so much more than the first one and yes even Luther is growing on me
]]> <![CDATA[Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1)]]> 152178939
In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by the Descended, their cruel offspring, Diem Bellator yearns to escape the insular life of her poor village.

Her mother’s sudden disappearance—and the discovery of a dangerous secret about her past—offer Diem an unexpected opportunity to enter the dark world of Descended royalty and unlock the web of mysteries her mother left behind.

With the dying King’s handsome, mysterious heir watching her every move, and a ruthless mortal alliance recruiting her to join the growing civil war, Diem will have to navigate the unwritten rules of love, power, and politics in order to save her family—and all of mortalkind.

Spark of the Everflame is the first book in The Kindred's Curse Saga, a four-book epic fantasy romance series that follows our fiesty, bad*ss heroine Diem Bellator in her fight against injustice and oppression, her struggle to survive in a royal palace full of betrayal and intrigue, and her journey of self-discovery and finding true love. This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers series is perfect for fans of unique magic systems, dragons and other mythical creatures, angst and romantic tension, and hilarious banter. This book will appeal to fans of plot-heavy, character-driven romantasy such as A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, Gild, Shadow & Bone, and The Serpent & the Wings of Night.

Content warning (MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS) : death (including on-page child death), references to SA (off-page), brief thoughts of suicide, violence, sex, swearing. This book contains adult themes and is intended for readers 18+. This book ends in a cliffhanger.]]> 436 Penn Cole marta the book slayer 3 2025-bingo, romantasy 4.14 2023 Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1)
author: Penn Cole
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/18
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: 2025-bingo, romantasy
review:
I think I got whiplash from how fast the romance happened. Where’s the pining?!? Where’s the enemies to lovers I was promised ?!!!?
]]> <![CDATA[The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #5)]]> 52263433
With the clues leading back to Holly’s close-knit group of friends, to their rival clique, and to the tangle of relationships that bound them all to the murdered boy, the private underworld of teenage girls turns out to be more mysterious and more dangerous than the detectives imagined.

An alternate cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.]]> 541 Tana French 0143127519 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, mystery 3.85 2014 The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #5)
author: Tana French
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read, mystery
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated, #1)]]> 208851301
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.]]> 414 Danielle L. Jensen marta the book slayer 3 romantasy
3.5/5]]> 3.90 2024 A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated, #1)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/13
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: romantasy
review:
DLJ just knows how to keep me captivated from first to last page but this just wasn’t bridge kingdom level

3.5/5
]]> The Favorites 211399784 To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER � An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating, starring a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice

“P Wuthering Heights and part Daisy Jones & The Six, this novel is as brilliantly choreographed as a gold medal performance and will keep you guessing until its last page.”—Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of By Any Other Name

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.

Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the “real story� through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary, but she can’t stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy. So, after a decade of silence, she’s telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.]]> 448 Layne Fargo 0593732049 marta the book slayer 2 2025-bingo, contemporary-fic
I've seen this book compared to Daisy Jones & The Six and I think that's valid. Layne Fargo was able to create an entirely believable world, so much so that you feel like you could go on Youtube and watch these performances (and are disappointed when you can't). The world of figure skating was always fascinating to me, so the premise of this skyrocketed it to the top of my TBR. This feeling only lasts for the first half of the novel.

The latter half is absolutely terrible and I could no longer take this book seriously. LY herself might have been confused whether she wanted a romance, contemporary fiction or a thriller (maybe all of the above?). Since all elements were executed poorly, I found myself laughing at the absurdity of the story, with the ending being a complete joke. I want to scrub this book entirely from my mind.
]]> 4.17 2025 The Favorites
author: Layne Fargo
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: 2025-bingo, contemporary-fic
review:
I don't think I've ever struggled with how to rate a story as much as I did with this one. The main characters are insufferable for the entirety of the story, however it's impossible to put down.

I've seen this book compared to Daisy Jones & The Six and I think that's valid. Layne Fargo was able to create an entirely believable world, so much so that you feel like you could go on Youtube and watch these performances (and are disappointed when you can't). The world of figure skating was always fascinating to me, so the premise of this skyrocketed it to the top of my TBR. This feeling only lasts for the first half of the novel.

The latter half is absolutely terrible and I could no longer take this book seriously. LY herself might have been confused whether she wanted a romance, contemporary fiction or a thriller (maybe all of the above?). Since all elements were executed poorly, I found myself laughing at the absurdity of the story, with the ending being a complete joke. I want to scrub this book entirely from my mind.

]]> <![CDATA[City of Gods and Monsters (House of Devils, #1)]]> 59820919 Welcome to the city of Angelthene. We hope you survive.

Loren Calla has only ever been ordinary. As a human struggling to survive in a city that caters to the needs of vampires, werewolves, witches, and other supernatural creatures, she always assumed her life would remain simple, predictable, and as safe as her world would allow.

Until she barely escapes abduction at the hands of Darkslayers—supernatural bounty hunters that possess the Sight, a magical tracking ability that allows them to see a person’s aura—and one of her friends is taken in her place. The abductors are demanding a ransom: Loren's life in exchange for her friend's safe return. Loren will do whatever it takes to get her friend back—even if it means accepting help from Darien Cassel, the leader of the Seven Devils, the most feared Darkslaying circle in the city.

Darien specializes in tracking down demons and criminals that are better off dead than alive, so when he takes a job to track down Loren and finds out she is human—and couldn't hurt a fly if her life depended on it—he decides to protect her instead of turn her in for a reward. As much as Loren doesn't want to admit it, Darien is her best and only chance at finding her friend alive, if she can somehow manage to get along with him—and not fall head-over-heels in love with him in the process, which is far easier said than done.

When more women start disappearing, and some of them slowly turn up dead, Loren and Darien's search for answers takes them deep into Angelthene's corrupt underbelly, where they discover a dark secret that threatens to unravel their world. And when tragedy strikes, Loren learns that love can make an ordinary person do extraordinary things.

From the author of Dreams of Ice and Iron comes a new fantasy romance perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas, Ilona Andrews, and Cassandra Clare.

Please note: This book contains darker content that might be triggering for some readers, including violence, mature language, sexual content, drug abuse, death of an animal (with a HEA), sexual harassment, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and suicide. It is not intended for anyone under the age of 18.]]> 760 Kayla Edwards 1777880734 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, romantasy 3.68 2022 City of Gods and Monsters (House of Devils, #1)
author: Kayla Edwards
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: to-read, romantasy
review:

]]> Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) 209439446
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 527 Rebecca Yarros 1649374186 marta the book slayer 3 romantasy SIGNIFICANT improvement from the second book.

Going back into this book without re-reading the previous two was a challenge. I forgot how many side characters there were and honestly it felt like RY would input characters at random for the sake of the plot. Because of this, the first 50% were a complete struggle for me. This book felt like it was 1000+ pages in the first half and our characters just kept wandering to different places. None of it felt cohesive or added much to the plot.

The second half where they get to the isles on the other hand was TOO fast but incredibly interesting. We jumped between places and seemingly important plot points were glossed over within one chapter. This did make it much easier to read and at this point it was impossible to put down.

The last chunk of the book is always where most of the action is in this series. RY uses all her side characters a bit too much. There were many moments where I knew I was supposed to feel something but I genuinely didn't even know who the person was. The final few chapters felt a bit too similar to the second book; the second book could have been edited down and integrated into this one, resulting in a much more impactful story.

RY does know how to end in a great cliffhanger that will of course keep me wanting more. I can only hope I don't have to wait long for the next one. ]]> 4.17 2025 Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/24
date added: 2025/01/25
shelves: romantasy
review:
a SIGNIFICANT improvement from the second book.

Going back into this book without re-reading the previous two was a challenge. I forgot how many side characters there were and honestly it felt like RY would input characters at random for the sake of the plot. Because of this, the first 50% were a complete struggle for me. This book felt like it was 1000+ pages in the first half and our characters just kept wandering to different places. None of it felt cohesive or added much to the plot.

The second half where they get to the isles on the other hand was TOO fast but incredibly interesting. We jumped between places and seemingly important plot points were glossed over within one chapter. This did make it much easier to read and at this point it was impossible to put down.

The last chunk of the book is always where most of the action is in this series. RY uses all her side characters a bit too much. There were many moments where I knew I was supposed to feel something but I genuinely didn't even know who the person was. The final few chapters felt a bit too similar to the second book; the second book could have been edited down and integrated into this one, resulting in a much more impactful story.

RY does know how to end in a great cliffhanger that will of course keep me wanting more. I can only hope I don't have to wait long for the next one.
]]> Red City (The New Alchemists) 222765064 The Godfather meets The Magicians in the sweeping adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu. Perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Red City is a dark and deadly contemporary fantasy of magical warfare, star-crossed ambition, and the pursuit of perfection at any cost, set in a glittering alternate Los Angeles.

Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.

Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city—and the paths of their lives—will be irrevocably transformed.

The daughter of a poor single mother, Sam would do anything to claw her way into the ranks of Grand Central in search of a better life. Plucked away from his family as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice, Ari is one of the syndicates' brightest rising stars. Once, they might have loved each other. But as the two alchemists face off across opposite sides of an ever-escalating conflict, ambition becomes power, loyalty becomes lies, and no transformation may be perfect enough for them both to survive the coming war.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> Marie Lu 125088568X marta the book slayer 0 to-read, fucking-magical 4.33 2025 Red City (The New Alchemists)
author: Marie Lu
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves: to-read, fucking-magical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Redeeming 6 (Boys of Tommen, #4)]]> 198404987
An epic and unforgettable love story continues in Redeeming 6, the fourth book in the international bestselling and TikTok-phenomenon The Boys of Tommen series, from Chloe Walsh.

The power and pain of first love has never been more deeply felt than in Chloe Walsh's extraordinary stories about the irresistible Boys of Tommen, which will give you the ultimate book hangover.

The reader reaction to The Boys of Tommen says it all!

'This book wrecked me even further than I could've imagined, in all the best possible ways! Joey and Aoife have my heart. Chloe Walsh is one of the most gifted authors that I've ever come across'

'Will leave an indelible imprint on your heart without doubt . . . Most definitely Chloe Walsh's best work to date'

'Just WOW!!!! I can't seem to find the words to even try and explain why this book is so EPIC!'

'Nothing I say will do this book justice . . . There was laughter and tears, trauma and healing and every single word of it was perfection'

.........................

I'm saving you, six.

With his world unravelling around him, and pressure rising at home, Joey Lynch's life has never been in more turmoil. Desperate to prove himself worthy of the only person he's ever put his trust in, Joey fights to stay away from a world that threatens to destroy everything. But with the odds stacking against him by the day, can he keep his head above water?

Unwilling to give up on the boy she loves, Aoife Molloy fights to save her best friend from the edge of self-destruction. Drowning in a world she doesn't understand, with only her heart to guide her, Aoife refuses to turn her back on Joey, no matter how badly the odds are stacked against them.

Through heartbreak and horror, Aoife and Joey have had each other's backs, and this time is no different. Come what may.]]> 927 Chloe Walsh 0349439303 marta the book slayer 3 4.67 2023 Redeeming 6 (Boys of Tommen, #4)
author: Chloe Walsh
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves:
review:
why the fuck did this have to have a pregnancy storyline
]]> Alchemised 222490389 In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy—and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.

“What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.�

Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.

In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile, undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.

According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?

To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.]]> 1040 SenLinYu 0593972708 marta the book slayer 0 to-read 4.57 2025 Alchemised
author: SenLinYu
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Saving 6 (Boys of Tommen, #3) 198404979
An epic and unforgettable love story begins in Saving 6, the third book in the international bestselling and TikTok-phenomenon The Boys of Tommen series, from Chloe Walsh.

The power and pain of first love has never been more deeply felt than in Chloe Walsh's extraordinary stories about the irresistible Boys of Tommen, which will give you the ultimate book hangover.

The reader reaction to The Boys of Tommen says it all!

'Absolute perfection. This book will ruin you'

'I have no words as to how heartbreakingly beautiful this book is and the talent of Chloe is unmeasured in my eyes'

'Chloe Walsh is a genius when it comes to creating characters and writing, making you feel every emotion'

'There's not enough stars to rate this book it is simply outstanding!'

.........................

He's a boy who's lost. She's girl who might just be the home he's never had.

The second born son in a broken marriage, Joey Lynch has spent a lifetime picking up the pieces of a family unravelling. When his older brother Darren skips town, twelve-year-old Joey finds himself thrown into the role of protector to his younger siblings and mother. Plagued by self-loathing, and furious with the world, he grapples with teenage life, his unwavering sense of duty to his family, while balancing precariously close to a life of addiction that threatens to swallow him whole. The only light in his sea of darkness is his boss's firecracker of a daughter who refuses to back down. A girl who just so happens to be his classmate.

Aoife Molloy has never been backwards in coming forward. Her bubbly and self-assured nature has never led her astray. Until her first day of secondary school when she collides with a hot-headed boy who sparks a burning curiosity inside of her that only grows stronger by the day.

Falling into a complicated friendship with her father's apprentice, Aoife works to unravels the secrets around Joey Lynch's life - while he desperately fights to keep her out.]]> 623 Chloe Walsh 0349439281 marta the book slayer 4 JAIL 4.49 2023 Saving 6 (Boys of Tommen, #3)
author: Chloe Walsh
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves:
review:
JAIL
]]> <![CDATA[Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen, #2)]]> 198404761
The power and pain of first love has never been more deeply felt than in Chloe Walsh's extraordinary stories about the irresistible Boys of Tommen, which will give you the ultimate book hangover.

The reader reaction to The Boys of Tommen says it all!

'The chemistry, the love, everything about this book was so good it gave me all the feels . . . Beautiful book, beautiful words. Chloe Walsh you're my home'

'Chloe Walsh has surpassed herself again, from the get-go you will be hooked, you will be sad, angry, elated, hysterical and you will absolutely love it!'

'This was absolutely EVERYTHING. I find it difficult to even put into words just how much this book made me laugh, cry and swoon'

'There aren't enough stars for this book. It has everything, I laughed, I cried, I fumed and I despaired . . . This is a rare book, one that evokes every emotion'

.........................

Falling in love was the easy part. What comes next is the test . . .

Following a devastating injury that has left him sidelined and stripped of his beloved number 13 jersey, Johnny Kavanagh is struggling to hold onto his dreams. Lost, insecure, and desperately seeking comfort, he sets his sights on unravelling the mystery of the girl with the midnight-blue eyes, who haunts his every waking hour.

Keeping secrets has never been a problem for Shannon Lynch. The life she was born into demands nothing less. She knows that demons and evil men don't just exist in fairytales. They exist in her world, too. Traumatized beyond repair after her return from Dublin, and desperate to protect her little brothers, Shannon finds herself falling into the same old cover-up, barely keeping her head above water, as her future unravels before her eyes. Beaten and broken, her walls are up and her trust is shaken.

Only one boy has the ability to climb those walls. The boy who owns her heart. But secrets are about to be exposed and lives could be changed forever - can Johnny and Shannon's love survive?]]> 802 Chloe Walsh 0349439273 marta the book slayer 1 cliches 4.59 2018 Keeping 13 (Boys of Tommen, #2)
author: Chloe Walsh
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2018
rating: 1
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: cliches
review:
I also want to set myself on fire
]]> <![CDATA[Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)]]> 198404743 Until now.

He wants to save her.
She wants to hide.

She’s damaged.
He’s determined.

Fate brought them together.
Love binds them.

Johnny Kavanagh has everything going for him. On the rugby pitch, he's a force to be reckoned with. Primed for stardom, he's heading straight for the top. Nothing can possibly get in his way, right?
Not even the shy new girl at Tommen College. The one with the sad eyes and hidden bruises. The one that distracts him like no one ever has.
Plagued with a hidden injury and desperate to impress the scouts watching his every move, Johnny has been placed on a pedestal so high, he has no room to make mistakes.
Striving to maintain balance, and on the crest of the International Summer Campaign, Johnny needs to keep his head in the game. He needs to stay focused, and cannot afford to let distractions get in the way of the bigger picture.
But what happens when a lonely girl with sad eyes becomes the only picture?

Life has never been easy for Shannon Lynch. Bullied and tortured, she arrives at Tommen College mid-way through the school year praying for a fresh start and desperate to shake off the demons that plague her.
On her very first day at the prestigious private school, she comes into contact with the notorious Johnny Kavanagh.
Thrown through a hoop over her feelings for him, and desperate to keep a low-profile, Shannon finds herself once again the target of bullies as she forms a fragile alliance with rugby's rising star.

Falling into a complicated friendship and grappling with their undeniable chemistry, Johnny and Shannon must face obstacles that threaten their relationship.

Two teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks collide.

Friendship, first love, rising fame, horrifying secrets, and pain all fuel together in Binding 13.

Hearts are binding and lives are entwining in Binding 13.

Binding 13 is the explosive first installment of a brand-new series from Chloe Walsh. Based in Ireland, the Boys Of Tommen series is bound to captivate and lure you into the world of rugby, love, and teenage heartbreak.
]]> 789 Chloe Walsh 0349439257 marta the book slayer 2 cliches hi shannon
hi johnny
*shannon runs away*
*johnny complains about his balls*

and repeat
]]> 4.57 2018 Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen, #1)
author: Chloe Walsh
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves: cliches
review:
*shannon is small*
hi shannon
hi johnny
*shannon runs away*
*johnny complains about his balls*

and repeat

]]> Madame Bovary 402154 411 Gustave Flaubert 0679736360 marta the book slayer 0 3.93 1856 Madame Bovary
author: Gustave Flaubert
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1856
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: classics, to-read, travels, physical-tbr, 2025-bingo
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1)]]> 41161349
Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others' pain.

Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith...and a startling vision of human destiny.

This highly acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from award-winning author Octavia E. Butler “pairs well with 1984 or The Handmaid's Tale� (John Green, New York Times)—now with a new foreword by N. K. Jemisin.]]> 329 Octavia E. Butler 1538732181 marta the book slayer 0 4.17 1993 Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1)
author: Octavia E. Butler
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: to-read, worst-case-scenarios, series-tbr, 2025-bingo
review:

]]> Dom Casmurro 62586051 288 Machado de Assis 1324090707 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, classics, 2025-bingo 3.99 1899 Dom Casmurro
author: Machado de Assis
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1899
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: to-read, classics, 2025-bingo
review:

]]> House of Leaves 20800995
Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story—of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.]]> 709 Mark Z. Danielewski marta the book slayer 0 3rd times the charm�.right? 4.31 2000 House of Leaves
author: Mark Z. Danielewski
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: spoopy, physical-tbr, to-read, 2025-bingo
review:
3rd times the charm�.right?
]]> The Sword of Kaigen 202943439 A son struggling to grasp his violent future,
A father blind to the danger that threatens them all.

When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?

High on a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name ‘The Sword of Kaigen.�

Born into Kusanagi’s legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family’s fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen’s alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.

Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.]]> 720 M.L. Wang 1739478711 marta the book slayer 0 4.61 2019 The Sword of Kaigen
author: M.L. Wang
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: to-read, fucking-magical, 2025-bingo
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Curse Carved in Bone (Saga of the Unfated, #2)]]> 216602917 A shield maiden fights to break the shackles of prophecy—and to overcome the betrayal of the man who broke her heart—in this searing conclusion to the Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology that began with the bestselling A Fate Inked in Blood.

The secret of her divine heritage revealed, Freya finds herself on a path that will see thousands of lives lost to the magic in her blood. Desperate to avoid this dark fate, she risks an alliance with Skaland’s greatest enemy to seek answers from the seer who foretold her future—the same seer who sent Bjorn to kill her.

While Freya still seethes with rage over Bjorn’s betrayal, the blood oaths that bind her demand that she keep him close as she hunts for a way to avert the looming war. Her magic draws her to the front lines of an old enmity, embroiling her with Nordeland’s Unfated—children of the gods who serve the king she was raised to fear. The same king who, unlike Bjorn, is now willing to fight at her back. For despite the desire that burns hot between Bjorn and Freya, his growing distrust of her chosen path threatens to drag them further apart.

As war approaches, gods and mortals must choose their weapons. Yet the fiercest battle will be the one Freya wages within herself. With the magic of two goddesses burning in her veins, she must weave the threads of destiny to decide her own fate: Will she be the shield that protects her people or the curse that destroys them?]]> 416 Danielle L. Jensen 0593599861 marta the book slayer 0 4.26 2025 A Curse Carved in Bone (Saga of the Unfated, #2)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: to-read, romantasy, series-tbr, 2025-bingo
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom, #2)]]> 211081092
A queen now in exile as a traitor, Lara has watched Ithicana be conquered by her own father, helpless to do anything to stop the destruction. But when she learns her husband, Aren, has been captured in battle, Lara knows there is only one reason her father is keeping him alive: as bait for his traitorous daughter.

And it is bait she fully intends to take.

Risking her life to the Tempest Seas, Lara returns to Ithicana with a plan not only to free its king, but for liberating the Bridge Kingdom from her father's clutches using his own weapons: the sisters whose lives she spared. But not only is the palace inescapable, there are more players in the game than Lara ever realized, enemies and allies switching sides in the fight for crowns, kingdoms, and bridges. But her greatest adversary of all might be the very man she's trying to free—the husband she betrayed.

With everything she loves in jeopardy, Lara must decide who—and what—she is fighting for: her kingdom, her husband, or herself.]]> 416 Danielle L. Jensen 0593975219 marta the book slayer 5 romantasy “To rule is a burden, but perhaps especially so for a king who enters his reign desirous of change, for he will spend his life wading against the current.�

Before we begin, an easy way to see whether I liked a book or not is whether I spent the time curating a playlist inspired by the characters and plot. Without further ado, I present to you my playlist. Enjoy

I didn’t think I would find myself here so soon, yet here I am writing a review for a sequel that took me only a day to read. I’ll be trying to keep out spoilers from this review but seeing as this is a sequel I won’t be avoiding discussing what happened prior to this novel. For a spoiler free review of the first novel head to my review linked below!

Lara and Aren find themselves in unfortunate circumstances following the cliffhanger in the first novel. After letting her run away with threats of killing her if she stayed, Aren is fighting for Ithicana and gets captured by Lara’s father. Lara learns of his capture and vows to make her amends by rescuing Aren to give Ithicana the chance of freedom.

This novel was an absolute rollercoaster. At every single moment my heart was pounding and I was nervous for both these characters. Their hatred toward one another (completely justified) intensified as the novel progressed and I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it to the end of the novel.

I was worried Lara’s actions would be forgiven too easily in the beginning of this novel to make room for the smut romance I was looking forward to. DLJ does not let it off the hook that easy and chapter after chapter reminds us of the consequences Lara’s actions had. This isn’t your typical lighthearted read because there is actually a war going on during the whole novel. This, the novel also doesn’t have too much of a romance. I think the series went from enemies to lovers back to enemies again with the start of this novel. You could tell that the love for one another was still buried deep and it hurt to read the drastic contrast of their words to each other with their inner feelings.

I read some reviews that hated how much Lara was disrespected and how annoying it became. I agree to a certain extent, however, every reaction she got was from new characters she didn’t interact with before. It wouldn’t make sense for her to only have one bad interaction and then miraculously everyone forgives her.

The ending was a bit too good to be true and the pacing was slightly too fast for me, but overall I think this was a dramatic conclusion to Lara and Aren’s love story; it was impossible to put down. I’m a little nervous about the next two books in the series which follow two characters introduced in this novel and have Lara/Aren serve as secondary characters. I still have my full faith in DLJ to deliver a fantastic read; can’t wait!

--
Unseen footage of me at my job after staying up finishing a novel for the first time in ~8 years:
description

---
1. The Bridge Kingdom Review: ⭑⭑⭑⭑�
2. You're reading it ;)]]> 4.18 2020 The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom, #2)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/30
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: romantasy
review:
“To rule is a burden, but perhaps especially so for a king who enters his reign desirous of change, for he will spend his life wading against the current.�

Before we begin, an easy way to see whether I liked a book or not is whether I spent the time curating a playlist inspired by the characters and plot. Without further ado, I present to you my playlist. Enjoy

I didn’t think I would find myself here so soon, yet here I am writing a review for a sequel that took me only a day to read. I’ll be trying to keep out spoilers from this review but seeing as this is a sequel I won’t be avoiding discussing what happened prior to this novel. For a spoiler free review of the first novel head to my review linked below!

Lara and Aren find themselves in unfortunate circumstances following the cliffhanger in the first novel. After letting her run away with threats of killing her if she stayed, Aren is fighting for Ithicana and gets captured by Lara’s father. Lara learns of his capture and vows to make her amends by rescuing Aren to give Ithicana the chance of freedom.

This novel was an absolute rollercoaster. At every single moment my heart was pounding and I was nervous for both these characters. Their hatred toward one another (completely justified) intensified as the novel progressed and I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it to the end of the novel.

I was worried Lara’s actions would be forgiven too easily in the beginning of this novel to make room for the smut romance I was looking forward to. DLJ does not let it off the hook that easy and chapter after chapter reminds us of the consequences Lara’s actions had. This isn’t your typical lighthearted read because there is actually a war going on during the whole novel. This, the novel also doesn’t have too much of a romance. I think the series went from enemies to lovers back to enemies again with the start of this novel. You could tell that the love for one another was still buried deep and it hurt to read the drastic contrast of their words to each other with their inner feelings.

I read some reviews that hated how much Lara was disrespected and how annoying it became. I agree to a certain extent, however, every reaction she got was from new characters she didn’t interact with before. It wouldn’t make sense for her to only have one bad interaction and then miraculously everyone forgives her.

The ending was a bit too good to be true and the pacing was slightly too fast for me, but overall I think this was a dramatic conclusion to Lara and Aren’s love story; it was impossible to put down. I’m a little nervous about the next two books in the series which follow two characters introduced in this novel and have Lara/Aren serve as secondary characters. I still have my full faith in DLJ to deliver a fantastic read; can’t wait!

--
Unseen footage of me at my job after staying up finishing a novel for the first time in ~8 years:
description

---
1. The Bridge Kingdom Review: ⭑⭑⭑⭑�
2. You're reading it ;)
]]> <![CDATA[The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)]]> 211081101
The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when she’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.

Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she’s the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she’ll save� and which kingdom she’ll destroy.

Passionate and violent, The Bridge Kingdom is a seductive fantasy perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]> 430 Danielle L. Jensen 0593975189 marta the book slayer 5 golden-books, romantasy "Ithicana would pay for its crimes against her people, and by the time she was through with its king, he’d do more than bend. He’d bleed.

Before we begin, an easy way to see whether I liked a book or not is if I spent the time curating a playlist inspired by the characters and plot. Without further ado, I present to you my playlist. Enjoy

Where has this novel been my whole life? By whole life I mean the torturous time while I was reading SJM and JLA novels that have been claimed as the holy grails of smut fantasy. Let’s all get one thing straight; as far as smut fantasy goes, my queen and savior Danielle L. Jensen owns this genre. Let’s highlight a few key points:
∙Our main character Lara has been raised to fight, spy and kill. Lara’s backstory solidifies her skills and addresses her shortcomings (where her knowledge came from and how reliable it is)
All she had ever known was violence. It was nothing to her. And everything.

�Lara also has more than one brain cell. She knows when to play her cards right, how not to make careless mistakes, and evaluates every thing around her before jumping to drastic conclusions.
�The mistrust between Lara and Aren is genuine. Through both perspectives, we are given insight into what they are thinking about each other. Unlike with some couples in other novels, this romance is gradual and more realistic than falling in love after having sex with one another. Also WHEN they actually has sex makes 100% sense. It’s not in the middle of a battle scene or after getting stabbed if that’s what you were wondering.
�Aren is an actual leader who has respect for his people, doesn’t sacrifice himself every second of the day for no fucking reason, and logically provides Lara with opportunity to speak up, while also knowing where her knowledge and limitations lie.
∙There is actual violence and death in this novel. Some authors are too afraid to actually have their characters die, be hurt, or fight for more than one chapter, this is not the case here. You will feel heartbroken and be frustrated with parts of this novel and not everything works out perfectly the way you want it to. I LOVE IT!

I’ve only touched the surface so far, but I hope that my points have highlighted for you how developing character background strengths the plot without taking away from the sex appeal. I understand that the sex scenes have to be intriguing, and they can get incredibly steamy (in this novel they really do), but without a solid background of the two characters as individuals a romance novel shouldn’t exist. In addition to this, the world building is phenomenal I can say without a doubt the only confusing things about this setting was the lack of a map (which I have heard is fixed by the second novel, so if that is stopping you from reading I’ll provide the link for it ).

The pacing is absolutely perfect. The relationship between Lara and Aren wasn’t rushed; I think this novel spanned a year, some chapters covering just a single day others covering weeks. It's hard for me to really root for a couple if their romance only spans a couple days or a month.

Apologies for my endless ranting, I was so excited to finally find a novel that checked all the boxes for me in terms of character development, fantasy world building, and romance. I’ll spend some time giving you all a brief synopsis to further convince you that this novel is well worth a read:

Lara, the King of Maridrinia's daughter, selects herself to be wed to the King of Ithicana, Aren, in order to uphold a 15 year treaty. Beneath the surface of this seemingly peaceful alliance, is the bitter truth that Lara has been trained her whole life to infiltrate the kingdom of Ithicana and spill the secrets to her father to give her kingdom the chance of declaring and winning a war against Ithicana.
Lara cast one backward glance at Vencia, at the sun burning hot and bright above it, then turned her sights on the clouds and mist and darkness that lay across the narrow strait before her. One kingdom to save. One kingdom to destroy.

Lara is yeeted off to this mysterious country, which controls the infamous bridge that regulates trade with the other countries. The people are described as extremely brutal, hidden to the outside world with the masks they wear, and mercilessness. Aren, her husband and Ithicana's king, is captivated by her beauty but disappointed in her innocent appearance:
Ithicana needed a queen who was a warrior. A woman who’d fight to the death for her people. A woman who was cunning and ruthless, not because she wanted to be, but because her country needed her to be. A woman who’d challenge him every day for the rest of his life. A woman Ithicana would respect. And there was one thing he was certain: Lara Veliant was not that woman.


Fantastic right? In a mere ~20 pages we are given great background on the main characters, have a solid understanding of what the purpose is, and begin to understand the world in which this is all taking place. *sigh* If only every novel was this good.

The relationship between Lara and Aren is so incredibly tense, due in part to their unfamiliarity but also due to their mistrust in each other. That being said there is some fantastic sexual tension from the get go as both characters are incredibly attracted to each other but understand there's kingdoms at stake if they rush to sex (or maybe even love) too quickly. This is evidenced by one of my favorite scenes:
Lara leaned back in her chair, never breaking eye contact. With both hands, she pulled up the skirt of her dress, higher and higher until her thighs were revealed, seeing the intensity of his gaze shift to a different target. Lifting one leg, she pressed a naked foot against his chest, watching his eyes race from her knee to her thigh to the silken underthings she wore beneath. “How about you take your bridge,� she said sweetly, “and shove it up your ass.� His eyes widened right as she straightened her leg, shoving him out of her space. Picking up her book, she tugged her skirt back into place. “I’ll see you at dawn. Goodnight, Your Grace.�


I don't want to delve into too many spoilers but this has got to be one of my favorite couples. Both of them are so witty and sexy it makes rooting for them incredibly easy. I will say this though SLJ doesn't let us off the hook too easily and as you're approaching the end of the novel you'll have a similar reaction like I had:
description

If I haven't convinced you to add this novel to your TBR then I am a severe disappointment. Fantasy/romance has been such a popular genre since I got back on GR and it amazes me that this novel doesn't get the popularity it rightfully deserves. Any issues that I have had up to this point with other novels have been addressed by DLJ and I am absolutely hooked. I admit some parts of this were a little bit predictable but in no way did that hinder my absolute love and obsession for this novel. I waited till I wrote this review to start reading the sequel, and have no doubt about it, I'm starting The Traitor Queen as soon as I hit "save".

---
1. You're reading it ;)
2. The Traitor Queen Review: ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑]]> 4.01 2018 The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/28
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: golden-books, romantasy
review:
"Ithicana would pay for its crimes against her people, and by the time she was through with its king, he’d do more than bend. He’d bleed.

Before we begin, an easy way to see whether I liked a book or not is if I spent the time curating a playlist inspired by the characters and plot. Without further ado, I present to you my playlist. Enjoy

Where has this novel been my whole life? By whole life I mean the torturous time while I was reading SJM and JLA novels that have been claimed as the holy grails of smut fantasy. Let’s all get one thing straight; as far as smut fantasy goes, my queen and savior Danielle L. Jensen owns this genre. Let’s highlight a few key points:
∙Our main character Lara has been raised to fight, spy and kill. Lara’s backstory solidifies her skills and addresses her shortcomings (where her knowledge came from and how reliable it is)
All she had ever known was violence. It was nothing to her. And everything.

�Lara also has more than one brain cell. She knows when to play her cards right, how not to make careless mistakes, and evaluates every thing around her before jumping to drastic conclusions.
�The mistrust between Lara and Aren is genuine. Through both perspectives, we are given insight into what they are thinking about each other. Unlike with some couples in other novels, this romance is gradual and more realistic than falling in love after having sex with one another. Also WHEN they actually has sex makes 100% sense. It’s not in the middle of a battle scene or after getting stabbed if that’s what you were wondering.
�Aren is an actual leader who has respect for his people, doesn’t sacrifice himself every second of the day for no fucking reason, and logically provides Lara with opportunity to speak up, while also knowing where her knowledge and limitations lie.
∙There is actual violence and death in this novel. Some authors are too afraid to actually have their characters die, be hurt, or fight for more than one chapter, this is not the case here. You will feel heartbroken and be frustrated with parts of this novel and not everything works out perfectly the way you want it to. I LOVE IT!

I’ve only touched the surface so far, but I hope that my points have highlighted for you how developing character background strengths the plot without taking away from the sex appeal. I understand that the sex scenes have to be intriguing, and they can get incredibly steamy (in this novel they really do), but without a solid background of the two characters as individuals a romance novel shouldn’t exist. In addition to this, the world building is phenomenal I can say without a doubt the only confusing things about this setting was the lack of a map (which I have heard is fixed by the second novel, so if that is stopping you from reading I’ll provide the link for it ).

The pacing is absolutely perfect. The relationship between Lara and Aren wasn’t rushed; I think this novel spanned a year, some chapters covering just a single day others covering weeks. It's hard for me to really root for a couple if their romance only spans a couple days or a month.

Apologies for my endless ranting, I was so excited to finally find a novel that checked all the boxes for me in terms of character development, fantasy world building, and romance. I’ll spend some time giving you all a brief synopsis to further convince you that this novel is well worth a read:

Lara, the King of Maridrinia's daughter, selects herself to be wed to the King of Ithicana, Aren, in order to uphold a 15 year treaty. Beneath the surface of this seemingly peaceful alliance, is the bitter truth that Lara has been trained her whole life to infiltrate the kingdom of Ithicana and spill the secrets to her father to give her kingdom the chance of declaring and winning a war against Ithicana.
Lara cast one backward glance at Vencia, at the sun burning hot and bright above it, then turned her sights on the clouds and mist and darkness that lay across the narrow strait before her. One kingdom to save. One kingdom to destroy.

Lara is yeeted off to this mysterious country, which controls the infamous bridge that regulates trade with the other countries. The people are described as extremely brutal, hidden to the outside world with the masks they wear, and mercilessness. Aren, her husband and Ithicana's king, is captivated by her beauty but disappointed in her innocent appearance:
Ithicana needed a queen who was a warrior. A woman who’d fight to the death for her people. A woman who was cunning and ruthless, not because she wanted to be, but because her country needed her to be. A woman who’d challenge him every day for the rest of his life. A woman Ithicana would respect. And there was one thing he was certain: Lara Veliant was not that woman.


Fantastic right? In a mere ~20 pages we are given great background on the main characters, have a solid understanding of what the purpose is, and begin to understand the world in which this is all taking place. *sigh* If only every novel was this good.

The relationship between Lara and Aren is so incredibly tense, due in part to their unfamiliarity but also due to their mistrust in each other. That being said there is some fantastic sexual tension from the get go as both characters are incredibly attracted to each other but understand there's kingdoms at stake if they rush to sex (or maybe even love) too quickly. This is evidenced by one of my favorite scenes:
Lara leaned back in her chair, never breaking eye contact. With both hands, she pulled up the skirt of her dress, higher and higher until her thighs were revealed, seeing the intensity of his gaze shift to a different target. Lifting one leg, she pressed a naked foot against his chest, watching his eyes race from her knee to her thigh to the silken underthings she wore beneath. “How about you take your bridge,� she said sweetly, “and shove it up your ass.� His eyes widened right as she straightened her leg, shoving him out of her space. Picking up her book, she tugged her skirt back into place. “I’ll see you at dawn. Goodnight, Your Grace.�


I don't want to delve into too many spoilers but this has got to be one of my favorite couples. Both of them are so witty and sexy it makes rooting for them incredibly easy. I will say this though SLJ doesn't let us off the hook too easily and as you're approaching the end of the novel you'll have a similar reaction like I had:
description

If I haven't convinced you to add this novel to your TBR then I am a severe disappointment. Fantasy/romance has been such a popular genre since I got back on GR and it amazes me that this novel doesn't get the popularity it rightfully deserves. Any issues that I have had up to this point with other novels have been addressed by DLJ and I am absolutely hooked. I admit some parts of this were a little bit predictable but in no way did that hinder my absolute love and obsession for this novel. I waited till I wrote this review to start reading the sequel, and have no doubt about it, I'm starting The Traitor Queen as soon as I hit "save".

---
1. You're reading it ;)
2. The Traitor Queen Review: ⭑⭑⭑⭑�
]]> <![CDATA[Lights Out (Into Darkness, #1)]]> 201017011 “I don’t need another kink.�

That thought pops into my head whenever I pull up my favorite social media app, but alas, every time I scroll, I learn something new about myself, and another one is born. And yes, I know I’m responsible for what the algorithm shows me, but I’m trying to ignore that fact.

Lately, my feed has been dominated by masked men. I’ve favorited videos with them dressed in full cosplay, decked out in futuristic military apparel, and wrapped up like ghouls.

But more than anything else, my FYP is filled with shirtless men wearing ghost masks. Bonus points if they’re heavily tattooed, wielding a knife, or covered in fake blood. At night, I dream about being chased by them, of them catching me and doing deliciously dark things to my more than willing body.

I never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become my new reality.

Lights Out is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally grey male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the TWs at the beginning of the book. ]]> 338 Navessa Allen marta the book slayer 3 steamy, audiobooks we listen and we don’t judge 4.16 2024 Lights Out (Into Darkness, #1)
author: Navessa Allen
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/14
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: steamy, audiobooks
review:
we listen and we don’t judge
]]> Twin Crowns (Twin Crowns, #1) 58733682
Princess Rose Valhart knows that with power comes responsibility. Marriage into a brutal kingdom awaits, and she will not let a small matter like waking up in the middle of the desert in the company of an extremely impertinent (and handsome) kidnapper get in the way of her royal duty. But life outside the palace walls is wilder and more beautiful than she ever imagined, and the witches she has long feared might turn out to be the family she never knew she was missing.

Two sisters separated at birth and raised into entirely different worlds are about to get to know each other's lives a whole lot better. But as coronation day looms closer and they each strive to claim their birthright, the sinister Kingsbreath, Willem Rathborne, becomes increasingly determined that neither will succeed. Who will ultimately rise to power and wear the crown?]]> 480 Catherine Doyle 0063116138 marta the book slayer 2 romantasy, young-adult 3.92 2022 Twin Crowns (Twin Crowns, #1)
author: Catherine Doyle
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/05
shelves: romantasy, young-adult
review:
decent start to the year with a predictable and reliable ya fantasy story
]]> Galatea 60105524 56 Madeline Miller 1526652064 marta the book slayer 3 3.96 2013 Galatea
author: Madeline Miller
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:
Felt a little bit rushed but overall I enjoyed it.
]]> Starling House 65213595 A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can't stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all.

Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland--and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot.

Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.

As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.

If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it.]]> 320 Alix E. Harrow 1250799058 marta the book slayer 4 magical-realism 3.77 2023 Starling House
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: magical-realism
review:
Disregarding some dialogue and moments that made the characters seem like caricatures, this was a well written and engrossing tale! Happy to end the year with a pleasant reading experience.
]]> <![CDATA[The Ten Thousand Doors of January]]> 43521657
Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.]]> 374 Alix E. Harrow 0316421995 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, fucking-magical 3.99 2019 The Ten Thousand Doors of January
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: to-read, fucking-magical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Six Deaths of the Saint (Into Shadow, #3)]]> 62991463
Always mindful of the debt she owes, the girl finds her worth as a weapon in the hand of the Prince. Her victories make him a king, then an emperor. The bards sing her name and her enemies fear it. But the war never ends and the cost keeps rising—how many times will she repeat her own story?]]> 31 Alix E. Harrow 166250957X marta the book slayer 4 ha ha ha (sarcastically) 4.32 2022 The Six Deaths of the Saint (Into Shadow, #3)
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: fucking-magical, short-stories
review:
ha ha ha (sarcastically)
]]> <![CDATA[Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While Also in an Actual Cult!)]]> 208840265 A deliciously witty and inspiring memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her decade in a cult and her quest to break free.

In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to breakthrough as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her career was about to take off, but her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel. What none of the show’s millions of fans knew, hidden even from her costars, was her secret double life in a cult.

An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven she’d been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon morphed into something more sinister—a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Family “minders� assigned to her on set, “Maoist struggle session”–inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with “Leadership� were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal.

Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help of a One Tree Hill superfan), she finally managed to escape the family’s grip and begin to heal from the deep trauma that forever altered her relationship with God and her understanding of faith. Written with powerful honesty and dark humor, Dinner for Vampires is an inspiring story about the importance of identity and understanding what you believe.]]> 303 Bethany Joy Lenz 1668067307 marta the book slayer 3 memoirs 4.27 2024 Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While Also in an Actual Cult!)
author: Bethany Joy Lenz
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: memoirs
review:
I had to read this in one sitting because it was impossible to put down. Memoirs that are written chronologically are the best, however the end felt a little rushed.
]]> <![CDATA[The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door]]> 207567816 From the author of The Magician's Daughter comes The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, a mythic, magical tale full of secret scholarship, faerie curses, and the deadliest spells of all—the ones that friends cast on each other.

All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.

Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England's secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She tells herself she has fought her way there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI which left the doors to faerie country sealed, the study of its magic banned, and its victims cursed.

But when Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country's magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed.

Years later, when the faerie seals break, Clover knows it’s because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends—and now doesn’t quite know what to call—if there’s any hope of saving the world as they know it.]]> 464 H.G. Parry 0316383902 marta the book slayer 2 fucking-magical 4.16 2024 The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door
author: H.G. Parry
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves: fucking-magical
review:
This had so much potential but ultimately should have been edited down and the plot refined quite a bit.
]]> 2024 on ŷ 195342176 2024 on ŷ should make an interesting and varied catalogue of books to inspire other readers in 2025.

For those of you who don't like to add titles you haven't actually 'read', you can place 2024 on ŷ on an 'exclusive' shelf. Exclusive shelves don't have to be listed under 'to read', 'currently reading' or 'read'. To create one, go to 'edit bookshelves' on your 'My Books' page, create a shelf name such as 'review-of-the year' and tick the 'exclusive' box. Your previous and future 'reviews of the year' can be collected together on this dedicated shelf.

Concept created by Fionnuala Lirsdottir.
Description: Fionnuala Lirsdottir
Cover art: Paul Cézanne, The House with the Cracked Walls, 1892-1894
Cover choice and graphics by Jayson]]> Various marta the book slayer 0 year-end-review
series to finish/start
�Cytonic
Broken Harbor
The Girl Who Played with Fire
�The Assassin's Blade
The Final Empire

physical books on my self
�Earthlight
�Anna Karenina
Timequake
A Thousand Splendid Suns
�2001: A Space Odyssey
�The Enigma of Room 622
�East of Eden
Sea of Tranquility
Madame Bovary
House of Leaves
Lapvona
�Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
The Quick and the Dead: Selected Stories
Opowiadania bizarne
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory]]> 4.15 2024 2024 on ŷ
author: Various
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves: year-end-review
review:
putting this here so i hold myself accountable

series to finish/start
�Cytonic
Broken Harbor
The Girl Who Played with Fire
�The Assassin's Blade
The Final Empire

physical books on my self
�Earthlight
�Anna Karenina
Timequake
A Thousand Splendid Suns
�2001: A Space Odyssey
�The Enigma of Room 622
�East of Eden
Sea of Tranquility
Madame Bovary
House of Leaves
Lapvona
�Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
The Quick and the Dead: Selected Stories
Opowiadania bizarne
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory
]]> Play Along (Windy City) 215192073 Kennedy

I’m the only woman on staff for the Windy City Warriors, and after years of putting up with a sexist lead doctor, I’m desperate to land my dream job with a new team next year. All I have to do is maintain my professional reputation for my final season in Chicago.

But a Las Vegas run-in with the team’s shortstop threatens it all, leaving me with a fuzzy memory and a ring on my left hand.

Now, not only am I legally bound to the most persistent man I’ve ever met, but thanks to Isaiah’s scheme to save my job, I have to pretend the whole thing was a planned elopement and not a drunken mistake.

Isaiah Rhodes is reckless, impulsive, and frustratingly charming. He’s also my brand-new husband.

They got the saying wrong. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas� sometimes it follows you right back home.


Isaiah

As the shortstop for Chicago’s professional baseball team, I’ve had my fair share of fun. But that all ended the day Kennedy Kay became a single woman.

I’ve crushed on the team’s athletic trainer for years. I’ve flirted to no avail, so imagine my surprise when I woke up in Sin City with a ring on my finger and my favorite redhead in my bed.

We agree to stay married for one baseball season, just long enough to keep her job safe, but in my mind, I’m using our time together to prove to her I’m husband material.

Kennedy might be reluctant to join in on our game, but it’s one I refuse to lose.

So come on, wife� play along.]]> 382 Liz Tomforde marta the book slayer 3 steamy 4.40 2024 Play Along (Windy City)
author: Liz Tomforde
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/24
shelves: steamy
review:
Kennedy finished medical school and somehow can’t speak up to get a job she’s clearly qualified for.
]]> The Wall of Winnipeg and Me 61336444 512 Mariana Zapata 155267472X marta the book slayer 0 steamy, dnf dnf @ 64%

one of the worst MMC I have ever read. y’all should get ur head checked if this husband material for u ]]> 3.98 2016 The Wall of Winnipeg and Me
author: Mariana Zapata
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: steamy, dnf
review:
dnf @ 64%

one of the worst MMC I have ever read. y’all should get ur head checked if this husband material for u
]]> One Golden Summer 217245639
I never anticipated Charlie Florek.

Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life.

Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it.

Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.

Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.]]> 400 Carley Fortune 0593638913 marta the book slayer 0 to-read 4.52 2025 One Golden Summer
author: Carley Fortune
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Immortal Dark (Immortal Dark Trilogy, #1)]]> 204593711
It began long before my time, but something has always hunted our family.

Orphaned heiress Kidan Adane grew up far from the arcane society she was born into, where human bloodlines gain power through vampire companionship. When her sister, June, disappears, Kidan is convinced a vampire stole her—the very vampire bound to their family, the cruel yet captivating Susenyos Sagad.

To find June, Kidan must infiltrate the elite Uxlay University—where students study to ensure peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires and inherit their family legacies. Kidan must survive living with Susenyos—even as he does everything he can to drive her away. It doesn’t matter that Susenyos’s wickedness speaks to Kidan’s own violent nature and tempts her to surrender to a life of darkness. She must find her sister and kill Susenyos at all costs.

When a murder mirroring June’s disappearance shakes Uxlay, Kidan sinks further into the ruthless underworld of vampires, risking her very soul. There she discovers a centuries-old threat—and June could be at the center of it. To save her sister, Kidan must bring Uxlay to its knees and either break free from the horrors of her own actions or embrace the dark entanglements of love—and the blood it requires.]]> 432 Tigest Girma marta the book slayer 5 romantasy ATE and left no crumbs 3.66 2024 Immortal Dark (Immortal Dark Trilogy, #1)
author: Tigest Girma
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves: romantasy
review:
ATE and left no crumbs
]]> <![CDATA[The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness]]> 55290131
But in the real world, people don’t make financial decisions on a spreadsheet. They make them at the dinner table, or in a meeting room, where personal history, your unique view of the world, ego, pride, marketing, and odd incentives are scrambled together. In the psychology of money, the author shares 19 short stories exploring the strange ways people think about money and teaches you how to make better sense of one of life’s most important matters.]]> 242 Morgan Housel 9390166268 marta the book slayer 3 straight-fax pretty solid advice 4.44 2020 The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness
author: Morgan Housel
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: straight-fax
review:
pretty solid advice
]]> Lapvona 59693959 In a village in a medieval fiefdom buffeted by natural disasters, a motherless shepherd boy finds himself the unlikely pivot of a power struggle that puts all manner of faith to a savage test, in a spellbinding novel that represents Ottessa Moshfegh’s most exciting leap yet

Little Marek, the abused and delusional son of the village shepherd, never knew his mother; his father told him she died in childbirth. One of life’s few consolations for Marek is his enduring bond with the blind village midwife, Ina, who suckled him as a baby, as she did so many of the village’s children. Ina’s gifts extend beyond childcare: she possesses a unique ability to communicate with the natural world. Her gift often brings her the transmission of sacred knowledge on levels far beyond those available to other villagers, however religious they might be. For some people, Ina’s home in the woods outside of the village is a place to fear and to avoid, a godless place.

Among their number is Father Barnabas, the town priest and lackey for the depraved lord and governor, Villiam, whose hilltop manor contains a secret embarrassment of riches. The people’s desperate need to believe that there are powers that be who have their best interests at heart is put to a cruel test by Villiam and the priest, especially in this year of record drought and famine. But when fate brings Marek into violent proximity to the lord’s family, new and occult forces upset the old order. By year’s end, the veil between blindness and sight, life and death, the natural world and the spirit world, civility and savagery, will prove to be very thin indeed.]]> 313 Ottessa Moshfegh marta the book slayer 0 3.53 2022 Lapvona
author: Ottessa Moshfegh
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: back-in-time, spoopy, physical-tbr, to-read
review:

]]> Don't Let Him In 220160814 Three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller.

Restauranteur Paddy Swann was the life of the party until the day a man pushed him in the path of an oncoming train, leaving his twenty-something daughter Ash and wife Nina devastated. Shortly after Paddy’s funeral, the two women receive a surprise in the mail: a note and package from Nick Ratcliffe, an old friend of Paddy’s, and a nondescript lighter that once belonged to him decades ago. This unexpected gift draws Nick and Nina closer together—much to Ash’s dismay.

Martha is a small-town florist with dreams of expansion. She lives with her second husband Al, her baby, and two sons from her prior marriage. But they never seem to have any money, and with his constant traveling for work, she feels like a single parent—especially when an emergency makes her realize something needs to change.

But Nick and Al may not be who they say they are, leading these three women on a shocking collision course, wishing they had heeded a warning: Don’t let him in.]]> 368 Lisa Jewell 1668033879 marta the book slayer 0 to-read, mystery 4.00 2025 Don't Let Him In
author: Lisa Jewell
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: to-read, mystery
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation]]> 125070107 Dr. Jen Gunter fights myths and fear-mongering with real science, inclusive facts, and shame-free advice on the topic that impacts more than 72 million Americans every month: menstruation.

Most women, transgender, and non-binary people who menstruate can expect to have hundreds of periods in a lifetime. So why is real information so hard to find? Despite the significance of menstruation, most education focuses on either increasing the chances of pregnancy or preventing it. Those who menstruate deserve to know more about their bodies than just what happens in service to reproduction. At a time when charlatans, politicians, and social media are succeeding in propagating damaging disinformation with real and devastating consequences, Dr. Gunter provides the antidote with science, myth busting, and no-nonsense facts.]]> 476 Jen Gunter 0735280835 marta the book slayer 3 womens-health reads like a textbook 3.86 2024 Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation
author: Jen Gunter
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2024/12/14
shelves: womens-health
review:
reads like a textbook
]]> The Ex Vows 199926331 Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance.

Georgia Woodward lives by her lists, none more so than the one about her ex, Eli Mora. It’s full of the ironclad dos and don’ts they’ve been following since she returned to the Bay Area after their cataclysmic breakup five years ago.

With the wedding of their mutual best friend, Adam, looming, and them about to step into their roles as best woman and man, Georgia’s never needed it more. She refuses to threaten their tight-knit friend group with her messy—and still very present—feelings. The rules on that list will keep her cool, calm, and compartmentalized.

What’s not on her list? Eli arriving from New York with a new rule-breaking attitude or the all-inclusive venue burning to the ground, leaving the bride and groom in dire straits. Nor does she anticipate Adam asking her and Eli to help him make a miracle happen. Together.

As Georgia and Eli rush up to Napa Valley to pull off the perfect wedding, their old chemistry comes back in technicolor. Somewhere between cake tastings gone wrong, disastrous DJ auditions, and Eli’s heated attention, Georgia starts recognizing the man she fell in love with before. And if she lets herself break her rules, she might find what they’re building isn’t the something old that ruined them—it’s a chance at something new.]]> 399 Jessica Joyce 0593548434 marta the book slayer 1 cliches 4.12 2024 The Ex Vows
author: Jessica Joyce
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/12
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: cliches
review:
two horny adults who can’t communicate
]]> The Unmaking of June Farrow 202725295 One woman risks everything to end her family's centuries-old curse, solve her mother’s disappearance, and find love in this mesmerizing novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Spells for Forgetting.

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line for as long as anyone can remember. But June is determined to be the last of her name, and in turn, be first Farrow to never find love. The whole town knows of the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving her daughter, June, to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors. Everyone in Jasper is certain that it's only a matter of time before she finds the same end, but June hasn't told a single soul that it's already begun.

After her grandmother’s death, a series of clues linking her mother's disappearance to the town's grim past emerge, leading June to a mysterious door. Behind it may lay the answer to the mysteries that have always lingered like a dark shadow over Jasper and the Farrows, but the further into the unknown she goes, the more her mind seems to unravel. Upon crossing the threshold, June embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but entangle her fate and her heart in a star-crossed love.

With The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young delivers a brilliant story with romance, mystery, and a touch of the impossible—a story you will never forget.]]> 315 Adrienne Young marta the book slayer 1 magical-realism 4.26 2023 The Unmaking of June Farrow
author: Adrienne Young
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2024/11/16
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves: magical-realism
review:
it’s unbelievable to me that a woman from 2023 would willingly choose to be in 1950s
]]> Blood Over Bright Haven 212080044 Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling.

An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a highmage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a highmage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.

Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?

A standalone dark academia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, V. E. Schwab, and Fullmetal Alchemist.

(Content warnings for gore, sexual assault, and suicidal ideation)]]> 448 M.L. Wang 1529935512 marta the book slayer 5 fucking-magical 4.56 2023 Blood Over Bright Haven
author: M.L. Wang
name: marta the book slayer
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/09
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: fucking-magical
review:
FINALLY. This is the fantasy book I have been looking for.
]]>