en-US Wed, 11 Dec 2024 14:12:45 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 55424891
Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run, pursued by the men who killed his mother. When an old servant tells him of his destiny to fight beside the Stewards, Will is ushered into a world of magic, where he must train to play a vital role in the oncoming battle against the Dark.

As London is threatened by the Dark King’s return, the reborn heroes and villains of a long-forgotten war begin to draw battle lines. But as the young descendants of Light and Dark step into their destined roles, old allegiances, old enmities and old flames are awakened. Will must stand with the last heroes of the Light to prevent the fate that destroyed their world from returning to destroy his own.]]> 464 C.S. Pacat 0062946161 Aricka 5 4.15 2021
author: C.S. Pacat
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/30
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves: fantasy, ya-fantasy, favorites
review:
I really enjoyed this! I thought it did have a few slow bits but the writing was lovely. I enjoyed the characters and the plot a lot! The last few chapters were ridiculous!
]]> 17675462 “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,�� Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.��

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.]]> 409 Maggie Stiefvater 0545424925 Aricka 5 4.05 2012
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/26
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves: ya-fantasy, fantasy, paranormal, favorites, book-boyfriend, highschool-romance
review:

]]> 17347389 439 Maggie Stiefvater 0545424941 Aricka 5 4.22 2013
author: Maggie Stiefvater
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/27
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves: paranormal, ya-fantasy, fantasy, favorites, book-boyfriend, highschool-romance
review:
Enjoyed this a lot, love an angsty teen boy episode along with relationship changes. Gansey would be my book husband if he wasn’t 17 lol
]]> 206101578 Red, White & Royal Blue meets The Nightmare Before Christmas in a sexy, quirky romcom where the golden-hearted Prince of Christmas falls for the totally off-limits Prince of Halloween.

Featuring beautiful ruby sprayed edges!

Nicholas “Coal�� Claus used to love Christmas. Until his father, the reigning Santa, turned the holiday into a PR façade. Coal will do anything to escape the spectacle, including getting tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make- out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night.

But the heir to Christmas is soon commanded to do his duty: he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess and his brother’s not-so-secret crush. A situation that has disaster written all over it.

Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand…and Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar hottie: Hex, the Prince of Halloween.

It’s a fake competition between two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other over a marriage of convenience that no one wants. And it all leads to one of the sweetest, sexiest, messiest, most delightfully unforgettable love stories of the year.]]> 357 Sara Raasch 1250333199 Aricka 5
Wow, I have been looking forward to reading this for some while. I decided by the title alone that I was going to read it, and put it on hold on libby the day it released. Finally we are here just in time for spooky month, but its far more Christmas than I was expecting. As a person who really isn't all that into Christmas, I am pleasantly surprised that it did not bother me. Nope, the fantasy of Christmas and all the like fantastical magical parts of it just made it enjoyable. I really liked this. I liked it from the romance to the friendship, to the brotherly love, to the broken family aspect, to the political ploys. All of the elements of this book came together and formed a perfect little cute romantic package. Yes at times I was frustrated, but not because of the book itself, but because of what was happening to the characters, which is always ap lus. I love feeling emotions when reading a book. Especially since this quite a cute fluffy book, more so than I was lead to believe. This is a super cute, safe romantic romance set in fantasy in a political and royal setting. Hex and Cole are adorable together, especially when its just them, enjoying themselves together either while skating or in the bedroom. I felt the romance/love even if it was squeezed in a short span of time. I think this is just super sweet and I enjoyed it a lot. I ran through all the emotions I love having in a book and it kept my interest and made me excited to read the next installment in the series, and there isnt anything more I could ask for.

I will warn though, if you check books on ROMANCE.IO ( I do religiously, because I like to know what I am in for or when Im looking for something devilishly sinful in all its sexual explorations) that this book is labeled Explicit Open Door, which I disagree. This is more of an open door situation. They fuck or make love, but nothing too explicit is said or happens. You get the gists of what is happening but your not like taken step by step into the sexual act. No crude language other than Fuck is said, so I think that is a bit of a misleading labeled (explicit open door). I would say 2 chilly peppers on the spice level if I was going to rate it.]]> 3.94 2024
author: Sara Raasch
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/30
date added: 2024/11/02
shelves: contemporary, fantasy, mm-romance
review:
"Every single one of those instances when I thought I was hypnotized by seeing joy on other people, I’d been searching, searching specifically for his joy. Because now that I’ve experienced it, it renders all past joy obsolete."

Wow, I have been looking forward to reading this for some while. I decided by the title alone that I was going to read it, and put it on hold on libby the day it released. Finally we are here just in time for spooky month, but its far more Christmas than I was expecting. As a person who really isn't all that into Christmas, I am pleasantly surprised that it did not bother me. Nope, the fantasy of Christmas and all the like fantastical magical parts of it just made it enjoyable. I really liked this. I liked it from the romance to the friendship, to the brotherly love, to the broken family aspect, to the political ploys. All of the elements of this book came together and formed a perfect little cute romantic package. Yes at times I was frustrated, but not because of the book itself, but because of what was happening to the characters, which is always ap lus. I love feeling emotions when reading a book. Especially since this quite a cute fluffy book, more so than I was lead to believe. This is a super cute, safe romantic romance set in fantasy in a political and royal setting. Hex and Cole are adorable together, especially when its just them, enjoying themselves together either while skating or in the bedroom. I felt the romance/love even if it was squeezed in a short span of time. I think this is just super sweet and I enjoyed it a lot. I ran through all the emotions I love having in a book and it kept my interest and made me excited to read the next installment in the series, and there isnt anything more I could ask for.

I will warn though, if you check books on ROMANCE.IO ( I do religiously, because I like to know what I am in for or when Im looking for something devilishly sinful in all its sexual explorations) that this book is labeled Explicit Open Door, which I disagree. This is more of an open door situation. They fuck or make love, but nothing too explicit is said or happens. You get the gists of what is happening but your not like taken step by step into the sexual act. No crude language other than Fuck is said, so I think that is a bit of a misleading labeled (explicit open door). I would say 2 chilly peppers on the spice level if I was going to rate it.
]]> 123076033
Desperate to get back to a world where he's top dog, Brad finds himself in the crosshairs of Raul, the menacingly hot hero of The Wolf's Mate, who's intent on teaching Brad a whole new meaning to the word alpha.

Not only does Raul insist that Brad is an omega�� his omega–but Brad is going to have to come to terms with the fact that he isn't just a part of this fictional world. He's a stand-in for the main character, and the only way out is to make sure he gets to his happily ever after.

-

Author's Note: This is the first installment of a new mpreg serial following Brad, a quintessential frat bro and Raul, the brooding werewolf love interest he never asked for--and, in typical '80s alpha male hero fashion, is never gonna give him up. Prepare for hot shifters, snark and banter, gay awakening, found family dynamics, sassy (and intrusive) siblings, a villainous heroine, cliffhangers galore, and meta mayhem.]]> 137 L.C. Davis Aricka 4
All vibes no brain needed for this short books. Frat bro gets Isekaid into a werewolf romance novel and fucked by a big werewolf man. Easy reading.]]> 3.94 2023
author: L.C. Davis
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/29
date added: 2024/11/02
shelves: mm-romance, spicy-romance, contemporary, fantasy, paranormal-romance
review:
"Bro. Are you saying I'm so hot I turned you gay?"

All vibes no brain needed for this short books. Frat bro gets Isekaid into a werewolf romance novel and fucked by a big werewolf man. Easy reading.
]]> 53217284
For fans of Georgette Heyer or Julia Quinn's Bridgerton, who'd like to welcome magic into their lives...

Young baronet Robin Blyth thought he was taking up a minor governmental post. However, he's actually been appointed parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society. If it weren’t for this administrative error, he’d never have discovered the incredible magic underlying his world.

Cursed by mysterious attackers and plagued by visions, Robin becomes determined to drag answers from his missing predecessor �� but he’ll need the help of Edwin Courcey, his hostile magical-society counterpart. Unwillingly thrown together, Robin and Edwin will discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles.]]> 377 Freya Marske 1250788897 Aricka 5
4.5��
Alright alright. I have had this on my list for a while and thought why not give it a shot. I will be honest, I hardly glanced at the synopsis, just saw the cover and was like "that looks good." I am so pleasantly surprised. It was a fantastical magical and homosexuals journey I found myself on today. Falling into the the world of The Last Binding and seeing the magic and lore that is threaded within this story was fantastic. I was hooked right away. Robin and Edwin were also quiet interesting characters. I took to Robin right away, while it took me a moment or two to get on board with Edwin. It was fun to watch the two of them try to uncover a way to reverse the curse and figure out why the hell people are are after something that is only suppose to be a myth. Also I want to say Edwin's family are a bunch of stupid cunts, there I said it and I dont apologize fore it. All of them, maybe not the mother but she also is a sorry sack of shit in my opinion for allowing things to happen so fuck her too I guess. Watching Edwin and Robin slowly allow themselves to feel and give into the desire they have for one another was fantastic and seeing Edwin allow himself to have something that is his, someone who wants him was great, especially given all of Edwin's character points. Overall I had a fantastic time and the story and the mystery was fun. I would say I was eager to read the next book in the series, and I might get to it eventually, but it's something of an annoyance of mine when a singular plot (since these books are following the same overarching plot) have different main characters. I want Edwin and Robin to continue this journey, I dont particularly want to follow other characters do it, but beggars cant be choosers but I will choose to put this trilogy on the back burner until I find the time to continue. If it was the same couple I would most likely start the next book right away, but alas. I dont know why, thats just something I prefer. If this is a mystery solve it series I like following the same couple! But Im sure Maud (idk how to spell her name) will be a lovely woman to follow in the next book when and if I do continue it. ]]> 3.94 2021
author: Freya Marske
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/24
date added: 2024/10/24
shelves: spicy-romance, mm-romance, historical-romance, fantasy, crime-mystery
review:
"And admission, even in his own head: I am nothing like you, and yet I feel more myself with you."

4.5��
Alright alright. I have had this on my list for a while and thought why not give it a shot. I will be honest, I hardly glanced at the synopsis, just saw the cover and was like "that looks good." I am so pleasantly surprised. It was a fantastical magical and homosexuals journey I found myself on today. Falling into the the world of The Last Binding and seeing the magic and lore that is threaded within this story was fantastic. I was hooked right away. Robin and Edwin were also quiet interesting characters. I took to Robin right away, while it took me a moment or two to get on board with Edwin. It was fun to watch the two of them try to uncover a way to reverse the curse and figure out why the hell people are are after something that is only suppose to be a myth. Also I want to say Edwin's family are a bunch of stupid cunts, there I said it and I dont apologize fore it. All of them, maybe not the mother but she also is a sorry sack of shit in my opinion for allowing things to happen so fuck her too I guess. Watching Edwin and Robin slowly allow themselves to feel and give into the desire they have for one another was fantastic and seeing Edwin allow himself to have something that is his, someone who wants him was great, especially given all of Edwin's character points. Overall I had a fantastic time and the story and the mystery was fun. I would say I was eager to read the next book in the series, and I might get to it eventually, but it's something of an annoyance of mine when a singular plot (since these books are following the same overarching plot) have different main characters. I want Edwin and Robin to continue this journey, I dont particularly want to follow other characters do it, but beggars cant be choosers but I will choose to put this trilogy on the back burner until I find the time to continue. If it was the same couple I would most likely start the next book right away, but alas. I dont know why, thats just something I prefer. If this is a mystery solve it series I like following the same couple! But Im sure Maud (idk how to spell her name) will be a lovely woman to follow in the next book when and if I do continue it.
]]> 199415360 Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the hugely anticipated sequel to TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of the best-loved and best-selling fantasy novels of the past decade. Featuring gorgeous orange sprayed edges!

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.

He’s the master of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.

Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there’s the island’s sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.

But when Arthur is summoned to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself at the helm of a fight for the future that his family, and all magical people, deserve.

And when a new magical child hopes to join them on their island home—one who finds power in calling himself monster, a name that Arthur worked so hard to protect his children from—Arthur knows they’re at a breaking point: their family will either grow stronger than ever or fall apart.

Welcome back to Marsyas Island. This is Arthur’s story.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.]]> 406 T.J. Klune Aricka 5
4.5⭐️

Oh to finally at last to return to that house by the cerulean sea. It has been a few years since I read the first book and I was worried I would forget everything and end up lost in this sequel. Happily everything came rushing back to me as I read. The whimsical and unfair world Arthur and Linus and all the beautiful children live in came back to me. Following up where we left off in The House By The Cerulean Sea, we see Arthur speak out about the atrocities that the government has dealt to him and many other magical individuals in this world. We get to see more into his backstory and his thoughts since the book is told from is perspective. Arthur was always mysterious and amazing man to me and to see him as the main character was fantastic. Seeing his love for his family, his children and him fight the battle to protect him while dealing with the tangle of pint-up emotions within himself was fantastic. We also got to see how obnoxious the government can be and the lady who came to audit them had me wanting to let Lucy do evil terrible things to her. But anyways I never like to go into story details in my reviews just how I feel about the book. I felt a range of emotions, joy, sadness, annoyance, anger. I shed quite a few tears in the process. I don’t know the warmhearted wholesome feeling this book gives while dealing with troubling and horrific topics that can also represent issues in the real world had me feeling so many things. But at the end of the day, the story of Arthur finding and making and keeping his family he loves and cherishes beyond belief really just hit me straight in the feels. God this was a great and emotional time for me. 4.5⭐️ because well the voice acting for David was not my favorite and kind of had me annoyed by him, though he is a great addition to the family. Also Lucy rules. The end. ]]> 4.21 2024
author: T.J. Klune
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/21
date added: 2024/10/24
shelves: best-couples, contemporary, magical-realism, mm-romance, fantasy, romance
review:
“Hope is a thing with feather. And hope is a thing with fire.��

4.5⭐️

Oh to finally at last to return to that house by the cerulean sea. It has been a few years since I read the first book and I was worried I would forget everything and end up lost in this sequel. Happily everything came rushing back to me as I read. The whimsical and unfair world Arthur and Linus and all the beautiful children live in came back to me. Following up where we left off in The House By The Cerulean Sea, we see Arthur speak out about the atrocities that the government has dealt to him and many other magical individuals in this world. We get to see more into his backstory and his thoughts since the book is told from is perspective. Arthur was always mysterious and amazing man to me and to see him as the main character was fantastic. Seeing his love for his family, his children and him fight the battle to protect him while dealing with the tangle of pint-up emotions within himself was fantastic. We also got to see how obnoxious the government can be and the lady who came to audit them had me wanting to let Lucy do evil terrible things to her. But anyways I never like to go into story details in my reviews just how I feel about the book. I felt a range of emotions, joy, sadness, annoyance, anger. I shed quite a few tears in the process. I don’t know the warmhearted wholesome feeling this book gives while dealing with troubling and horrific topics that can also represent issues in the real world had me feeling so many things. But at the end of the day, the story of Arthur finding and making and keeping his family he loves and cherishes beyond belief really just hit me straight in the feels. God this was a great and emotional time for me. 4.5⭐️ because well the voice acting for David was not my favorite and kind of had me annoyed by him, though he is a great addition to the family. Also Lucy rules. The end.
]]> 45047384
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]> 394 T.J. Klune Aricka 5 4.37 2020
author: T.J. Klune
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/05
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: fantasy, ya-fantasy, favorites, mm-romance, best-couples
review:

]]> 9361589
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.]]> 506 Erin Morgenstern Aricka 5 4.00 2011
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/16
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: fantasy, romance, magical-realism, favorites, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:
Such a Beautifully written boon with a cast of characters that I got so attached to. I loved it.
]]> 35796008
At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.

Mary E. Pearson's Dance of Thieves is a new YA novel in the New York Times bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts. ]]> 512 Mary E. Pearson 1250159016 Aricka 5 4.11 2018
author: Mary E. Pearson
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/20
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: romance, fantasy, favorites, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:
Amazing. I loved it! Read it in a day because I couldn’t put it down.
]]> 26032825 Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.]]> 370 Holly Black 0316310271 Aricka 5 4.01 2018
author: Holly Black
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/19
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: ya-fantasy, ya-romance, fantasy, romance, favorites, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:

]]> 26032887 The enchanting and bloodthirsty sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince.

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.]]> 336 Holly Black 0316310336 Aricka 5 4.27 2019
author: Holly Black
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/24
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: fantasy, romance, ya-romance, ya-fantasy, favorites, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:

]]> 56251143 From Stephanie Garber, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Caraval, Once Upon a Broken Heart is the first book in a new series about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after.

Evangeline Fox was raised in her beloved father’s curiosity shop, where she grew up on legends about immortals, like the tragic Prince of Hearts. She knows his powers are mythic, his kiss is worth dying for, and that bargains with him rarely end well.

But when Evangeline learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, she becomes desperate enough to offer the Prince of Hearts whatever he wants in exchange for his help to stop the wedding. The prince only asks for three kisses. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’s pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy…]]> 403 Stephanie Garber 1529380901 Aricka 4 4.12 2021
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/10
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: fantasy, ya-fantasy, favorites, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:

]]> 26032912 He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity��

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.]]> 321 Holly Black 0316310409 Aricka 4 4.33 2019
author: Holly Black
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/21
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: romance, fantasy, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:
I enjoyed this and read it fast! I wish there was another book, I would love to get more of their relationship and the court schemes.
]]> 34196663
But an ominous warning mars their journey back, and they soon find themselves captured in a tangled web of deceit woven by their greatest enemies and unlikeliest allies, a place where betrayals run deeper and more deadly than either had thought possible and where timeless ambitions threaten to destroy them both.]]> 480 Mary E. Pearson 1250162653 Aricka 5 4.30 2019
author: Mary E. Pearson
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/22
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: fantasy, 2021-read-books, romance, favorites, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:

]]> 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 Aricka 5 JUST WOW 4.38 2007
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/25
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: fantasy, favorites, best-couples
review:
JUST WOW
]]> 59332540 Not every love is meant to be...

After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she’ll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can. . . .]]> 416 Stephanie Garber 1529380960 Aricka 5 4.56 2022
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/08
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: fantasy, romance, favorites, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:

]]> 2767793
Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness—the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists—is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. Vin can't even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!]]> 572 Brandon Sanderson 0765316897 Aricka 5 4.54 2008
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/13
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: fantasy, favorites, best-couples
review:

]]> 60784546 After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again��

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands �� that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper �� an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.]]> 357 Rebecca Ross 1250857430 Aricka 5 4.14 2023
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/11
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: fantasy, romance, favorites, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:

]]> 62816044 Two villains, one girl, and a deadly battle for happily ever after.

Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She’s married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she’s paid for this fairytale. She doesn’t know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

Blood will be shed, hearts will be stolen, and true love will be put to the test in A Curse for True Love, the breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy.]]> 386 Stephanie Garber 1250851203 Aricka 4 4.14 2023
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/14
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: romance, fantasy, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:

]]> 52780201
A new threat from the past is rising, and only a handful of heroes remain to fight. Pursued by dark forces, Will and his allies must leave the safety of the Hall and travel to the heart of the ancient world, making new and dangerous alliances, and revealing the shocking secrets of the past.

But Will is carrying a dark secret of his own—his true identity. Drawn to the beautiful and deadly James St. Clair, Will is pulled ever deeper into the web of the past, and finds himself tempted by the darkness within. As the ancient world threatens to return, can Will and his friends fight their fate? Or will the truths they learn tear their world apart?

Dark Heir is the explosive and highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling Dark Rise,from global phenomenon C. S. Pacat.]]> 496 C.S. Pacat 0062946196 Aricka 5 4.53 2023
author: C.S. Pacat
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/12
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: fantasy, favorites, mm-romance
review:
All I can say is that I’m all for whatever will wants even if he decides to turn dark and kills them all. No one listens to him, so he gotta do what he gotta do. Hope he can get his happy ending.
]]> 58340706
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.]]> 399 Rachel Gillig 0316312487 Aricka 5 4.25 2022
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/19
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: romance, fantasy, favorites, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:

]]> 63910262 In the luscious, dark sequel to One Dark Window, Elspeth must face the consequences of what she's wrought - perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching.

Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders.

If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom.

And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.]]> 437 Rachel Gillig 0356519503 Aricka 5 4.39 2023
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/20
date added: 2024/08/02
shelves: fantasy, romance, favorites, book-boyfriend, best-couples
review:
Dear nightmare why you make me cry
]]> 59918505
For two centuries, all of the Darling women have disappeared on their 18th birthday. Sometimes they’re gone for only a day, some a week or a month. But they always return broken.

Now, on the afternoon of my 18th birthday, my mother is running around the house making sure all the windows are barred and the doors locked.

But it’s pointless.

Because when night falls, he comes for me. And this time, the Never King and the Lost Boys aren’t willing to let me go.

* Release Date is not final and will likely be much sooner. Target release date is March 2022 *

The Never King is a dark retelling of Peter and Wendy. If you like your enemies to lovers romance with hot, ruthless, morally gray love interests, you’ll enjoy The Never King and the Lost Boys. You can expect hate kissing, fighting, bickering, and ‘touch her and I’ll unalive you�� vibes.]]> 192 Nikki St. Crowe Aricka 3 3.55 2022
author: Nikki St. Crowe
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/05
date added: 2024/07/17
shelves: spicy-romance, dark-romance, reverse-harem, fantasy, shane-east
review:
I want a dark Peter Pan book that isn’t smut now
]]> 38715000 A legendary competition.
A mesmerizing romance.
An unbreakable bond
between two sisters.

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.]]> 361 Stephanie Garber Aricka 4 3.97 2016
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/30
date added: 2024/07/17
shelves: ya-fantasy, ya-romance, fantasy, romance
review:
I actually am surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. I’m actually invested in Scarlett and Julian but I fear the next book will be about Donatella and I’m not quite sure how I feel about her, but maybe I will read it so I can see Jacks before Once Upon A Broken Heart, I’m reading this series out of order lol
]]> 65214365
Long ago, the world was destroyed by gods. Only nine cities were spared. Separated by vast wilderness teeming with monsters and unimaginable dangers, each city is now ruled by a guardian―royalty who feed on mortal pleasure.

Born with an intuition that never fails, Calista knows her talents are of great value to the power-hungry of the world, so she lives hidden as a courtesan of the Baron of Archwood. In exchange for his protection, she grants him information.

When her intuition leads her to save a traveling prince in dire trouble, the voice inside her blazes with warning―and promise. Today he’ll bring her joy. One day he'll be her doom.

When the Baron takes an interest in the traveling prince and the prince takes an interest in Calista, she becomes the prince’s temporary companion. But the city simmers with rebellion, and with knights and monsters at her city gates and a hungry prince in her bed, intuition may not be enough to keep her safe.

Calista must follow her intuition to safety or follow her heart to her downfall.]]> 416 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1250750199 Aricka 4 Magical Cum. 3.94 2023
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/21
date added: 2024/06/21
shelves: fantasy, spicy-romance, romance
review:
Magical Cum.
]]> 66087062 A 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. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.

It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.

After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’s decades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’s been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.

With The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young delivers a brilliant novel of romance, mystery, and a touch of the impossible—a story you will never forget.]]> 320 Adrienne Young 0593598679 Aricka 4 romance, fantasy 4.13 2023
author: Adrienne Young
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/13
date added: 2024/05/15
shelves: romance, fantasy
review:
Time travel is a tricky thing and some things didn’t make sense to me but overall I really enjoyed it. The romance is bare minimum but that is okay I just like the idea of the book the most but it was well written
]]> 133286777 From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.]]> 387 Leigh Bardugo 125088425X Aricka 5 fantasy, romance 3.74 2024
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/06
date added: 2024/05/06
shelves: fantasy, romance
review:
I really really liked this a lot. Some might find it slow but I so enjoyed it. The ending had me shedding tears
]]> 50623864
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.]]> 448 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387565 Aricka 5 4.16 2020
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/28
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves: 2021-read-books, fantasy, magical-realism, romance, favorites, book-boyfriend
review:

]]> 76714487 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shining city of Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast armies are Erilea's last hope. But they have also come to Antica for another purpose: to seek healing at the famed Torre Cesme for the wounds Chaol received in Rifthold.

After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need—and will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries shadows from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realize they could engulf them both.

In this sweeping parallel novel to the New York Times bestselling Empire of Storms, Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene will have to draw on every scrap of their resilience if they wish to save their friends. But while they become entangled in the political webs of the khaganate, deep in the shadows of mighty mountains where warriors soar on legendary ruks, long-awaited answers slumber. Answers that might offer their world a chance at survival—or doom them all . . .]]> 663 Sarah J. Maas 1639731040 Aricka 4 fantasy, book-boyfriend 4.26 2017
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/16
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves: fantasy, book-boyfriend
review:

]]> 61428537 Who knew the jester was dangerous, or that he would try to steal her heart?

After seven long years of learning magic at the Wizarding Guild, twenty-two-year-old Laynah is eager to graduate and pursue a glorious career as a wizard in the Royal Guard—until a horrendous injury leaves her dream in ruins.

Defeated and with no chance of graduating, Laynah resigns herself to failure—so no one is more surprised than her when she is given a second chance to go to Rutherford Castle.

But Laynah soon learns that not all that glitters is gold, and the royal castle’s inhabitants hold dangerous secrets, including the mysterious jester, who is both infuriating and charming.

When tragedy strikes the kingdom, Laynah is drawn deeper into a web of secrets and lies, and becomes entangled with the jester in a treacherous game of trust and betrayal—but can she trust the jester with her heart?

AMAZON BESTSELLER AND AWARDED READERS�� FAVORITE 5-STAR SEAL, this medieval fantasy romance blends magic, castles, ballrooms, political intrigue and a slow-burn romance for a seductive, page-turning escape.

This is Book 1 of the Huskarl Duology - Book 2 Releasing Oct 1st 2023.


"Pride and Prejudice meets Harry Potter"
�� Fantasy Romance for New Adults
�� Court Intrigue
�� Slow Burn with Open Door Spice (2/5)
�� Wizards, Castles & Ballrooms
�� Soft Magic System
�� Political Intrigue
�� Secrets & Deception
�� Grumpy/Sunshine trope
�� Book 1 of Huskarl Duology
�� Long book
�� Easy to read
�� Wholesome characters
�� Mild cliff-hanger with HFN vibes
�� Book 2 will deliver more spice and HEA

Please note:
- The published book has undergone significant changes since the ARC in response to reader feedback.
- Since the release date, Wizard's Masquerade has undergone changes including a five percent reduction in word count to improve flow and readability (without impacting the story) and the spelling of the protagonist's name has changed to Laynah. The audiobook has also been updated.]]> 550 Jay Pellegrin 0645441309 Aricka 5 3.86 2022
author: Jay Pellegrin
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/10
date added: 2024/05/03
shelves: fantasy, romance, book-boyfriend
review:
I’m in love with a Jester and I need more Jester romance books. I will write my own one day. Till then I shall have to read the second book asap
]]> 58416952 At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.

AUDI. VIDE. TACE.

The Catenan Republic �� the Hierarchy �� may rule the world now, but they do not know everything.

I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilised society in allowing my strength, my drive and my focus �� what they call Will �� to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.

I tell them that I belong, and they believe me.

But the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart.

And that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family.

To survive, though, I will still have to rise through the Academy’s ranks. I will have to smile, and make friends, and pretend to be one of them and win. Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me.

And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me.]]> 639 James Islington 1982141190 Aricka 5 fantasy, favorites, sci-fi 4.60 2023
author: James Islington
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/06
date added: 2024/04/29
shelves: fantasy, favorites, sci-fi
review:
That ending is crazy I need the next book
]]> 61198133 A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.

Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.

Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.

#1��New York Times��bestselling author Holly Black returns to the opulent world of Elfhame in the first book in a thrilling new duology, following Jude's brother Oak, and the changeling queen, Suren.]]> 356 Holly Black 0316592706 Aricka 4 fantasy 3.92 2023
author: Holly Black
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/15
date added: 2024/04/29
shelves: fantasy
review:
I did not enjoy this much as The Cruel Prince trilogy, but I did love Oak and even though I saw the twist coming, I will be checking out the second book.
]]> 60117406
Harlow Krane is a sorcière who wants nothing more than to recover from her most recent breakup in peace. When the season begins, her Order needs her help to save their ancestral occult district from being taken over by the Illuminated, the most powerful immortals in Nuva Troi. They offer to back off—if Harlow agrees to pair with their most eligible bachelor, Finn McKay. But Harlow has been burned by Finn before.

Finn McKay is one of the Illuminated. Rich, powerful, and he isn’t afraid of anyone—except for his parents. When they push him towards Harlow Krane, he knows their purposes are sinister at best. For the past seven years, Finn has done everything in his power to stay away from Harlow and he won’t break his resolve now, even if it means defying his parents. As the season begins, it’s clear something is dangerously wrong but besides Finn, only Harlow seems to notice.

With magic behaving strangely, the balance of power between the Immortal Orders and humans grows deadlier by the day. Harlow and Finn must work together to keep ancient grudges from resurfacing and take back their lives in the process. If they can get over their past, the whole world may have a brighter future.

Dark Night, Golden Dawn is Book One in The Immortal Orders Trilogy, a blazing hot fantasy romance, set in a contemporary world of magic, deception, and betrayal.]]> 408 Allison Carr Waechter Aricka 4 3.97 2022
author: Allison Carr Waechter
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/16
date added: 2024/04/29
shelves: fantasy, spicy-romance, romance
review:
I actually really enjoyed this and the world they are building. Finn is definitely book boyfriend material especially at the end
]]> 41886271 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.]]> 651 M.L. Wang Aricka 4 sci-fi, fantasy All tears and heartbreak 4.46 2019
author: M.L. Wang
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/24
date added: 2024/04/14
shelves: sci-fi, fantasy
review:
All tears and heartbreak
]]> 57198961
Her quest is Steal a stone from Islor’s sacred garden without anyone discovering her true identity, which would earn her certain death. But the identity she has inexplicably assumed is that of the captured Ybarisan princess—an enemy to Islor after she poisoned their beloved king and queen on the day she was to marry the prince.

Her betrothed, the newly crowned King Zander, detests her with every grain of his handsome being. Fortunately for Romeria, she is more valuable to him alive than dead. Zander gives her a life in a cell, or an acquittal of all charges in exchange for her help in exposing the growing plot against him.

Romeria sees no other option and embraces the tricky role of smitten queen-to-be until she can escape, a ruse that brings her far closer to the king than she anticipated and threatens more than her safety. As she digs deeper into this sacred garden and the ancient feud between Ybaris and Islor, she discovers monstrous truths that could spell ruin for all.

She would know the world of vengeful gods and monsters, and the lengths one would go for love. And nothing would ever be the same for her again.]]> 547 K.A. Tucker 1990105149 Aricka 4 fantasy, romance 4.09 2021
author: K.A. Tucker
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/11
date added: 2024/04/14
shelves: fantasy, romance
review:

]]> 54513688 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B08CZHZSRW.
---
Save the world or end it.

A strange darkness is growing in the Ward. Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.

Fate knocks on her door, in the form of a mythical immortal and a lethal assassin, who tell Corayne that she is the last of an ancient lineage—with the power to save the world from destruction.

Because a man who would burn kingdoms to the ground is raising an army unlike any seen before, bent on uprooting the foundations of the world. With poison in his heart and a stolen sword in his hand, he'll break the realm itself to claim it. And only Corayne can stop him.

Alongside an unlikely group of reluctant allies, Corayne finds herself on a desperate journey to complete an impossible task, with untold magic singing in her blood and the fate of the world on her shoulders.]]> 576 Victoria Aveyard Aricka 4 fantasy, ya-fantasy 3.57 2021
author: Victoria Aveyard
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/09
date added: 2024/04/09
shelves: fantasy, ya-fantasy
review:
3.5 stars . I enjoyed this well enough, I do enjoy a slow adventure fantasy. I enjoy slow paced books with a lot of detail so that isn’t the reason for me to give it 3.5, I just found myself not connecting or caring about the characters. I enjoyed the pace and the writing but I just don’t think the characters are for me and I won’t continue the series but I would be interested in other stories by this author.
]]> 127280062 Torn apart by war. Reunited by love?

Two weeks have passed since Iris returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over.

Roman is missing, lost behind enemy lines, with no memory of his past, or Iris. Hoping his memories return, he begins to write again �� but this time for the enemy.

When a strange letter arrives through his wardrobe door, he strikes up a correspondence with a penpal who seems at once mysterious�� and strangely familiar.

As their connection deepens, the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.]]> 420 Rebecca Ross 1250857457 Aricka 4 3.98 2023
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/19
date added: 2024/04/05
shelves: fantasy, romance, magical-realism, favorites
review:
Not as good as you the first book but still a good time.
]]> 127305713
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe �� a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution �� who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch�� is falling in love.]]> 406 Kristen Ciccarelli 1250866901 Aricka 5 4.16 2024
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/02
date added: 2024/04/02
shelves: fantasy, historical-romance, paranormal-romance
review:
That was very enjoyable, going to have to wait a year for the second book though, so I hope I don't forget everything that happened. The ending, I saw coming but it did not lessen my experience of the book. Really loved it. 4.75 because I have a bad feeling this will not have a happy ending and that makes me sad.
]]> 22055262
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.]]> 400 Victoria E. Schwab 0765376458 Aricka 5 4.04 2015
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/25
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: 2021-read-books, fantasy, magical-realism, favorites
review:
I liked this a whole lot! The magic system and the characters were interesting and not get dull but one did annoy me a little bit through out the book. However I really did enjoy it and can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
]]> 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 Aricka 5 fantasy, favorites 4.48 2006
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/08
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy, favorites
review:
Just wow! My first ever high fantasy book and my first Brandon Sanderson book! Made me feel all the feelings and I can’t wait to read the next one!
]]> 17927395
Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.]]> 626 Sarah J. Maas Aricka 4 fantasy, romance, favorites 4.60 2016
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/19
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy, romance, favorites
review:
I really enjoyed this one, I think more than the 1st book. I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and not just the romance. The family and friends that were made through this book were fantastic. I think the only reason I couldn't give it 5 stars is that I was tired of hearing the same 5 words used over and over. If I don't read someone calling another person a prick or flip them a vulgar gesture again, I would be fine with that.
]]> 32718027
But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...]]> 532 S.A. Chakraborty 0062678108 Aricka 5 4.12 2017
author: S.A. Chakraborty
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/06
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: mythology, fantasy, romance, favorites
review:
Well, this is the first time I have ever read a book about Djinn or anything of that sort, and now I’m pretty much obsessed. I was a little hesitant going into the book. Some people really liked it and some couldn’t get invested in the characters. I’m so happy to say I found myself in love with the world and the characters in it. It was a confusing world at first, had to take notes, but I think that made me like it even more. I can’t wait to continue the series!
]]> 20764879
Now, restless after having given up his smuggling habit, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks as she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games--an extravagant international competition of magic meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries--a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

And while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night will reappear in the morning. But the balance of magic is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another London must fall.]]> 512 Victoria E. Schwab 0765376474 Aricka 5 4.20 2016
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/21
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy, magical-realism, favorites
review:
I really loved this! It was interesting with the whole magic tournament, but I was just interested to see what would happen after the last book. I was glad to see my characters back and see some of the struggles they were going through, plus we got a new character I liked a lot! I cant wait to finish the series!
]]> 59251223
Romance, danger, and Serilda's journey to find her power as a woman, a mother, and a storyteller make this reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin one that Meyer fans—old and new—will treasure.]]> 485 Marissa Meyer Aricka 4 fantasy, paranormal-romance 3.98 2022
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy, paranormal-romance
review:

]]> 10485751
Khamsin Coruscate, Princess of Summerlea and summoner of Storms, has spent her life exiled to the shadows of her father's palace. Reviled by her father, marriage to Wintercraig's icy king was supposed to be a terrible punishment, but instead offers Kham her first taste of freedom—and her first taste of overwhelming passion.

As fierce, indomitable Wynter weathers even Khamsin's wildest storms, surprising her with a tenderness she never expected, Kham wants more than Wynter's passion—she yearns for his love. But the power of the Ice Heart is growing, dangerous forces are gathering, and a devastating betrayal puts Khamsin and Wynter to the ultimate test.]]> 594 C.L. Wilson 0062018973 Aricka 4 fantasy, romance 3.97 2014
author: C.L. Wilson
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/28
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy, romance
review:
A very fun romance, don’t judge a book by the cover ♥️
]]> 76705490 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.]]> 420 Sarah J. Maas 1639730966 Aricka 4 fantasy 4.34 2013
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/07
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> 126062562
When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn’s orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn’s clutches—and if they fail, they’ll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives . . .

A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers readers a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling—and deadly—world.

Included in this volume:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
The Assassin and the Healer
The Assassin and the Desert
The Assassin and the Underworld
The Assassin and the Empire]]> 451 Sarah J. Maas 1619632217 Aricka 4 fantasy 4.16 2014
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/08
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> 76706470 576 Sarah J. Maas Aricka 4 fantasy 4.44 2014
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/09
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> 76707900 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past��

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.]]> 648 Sarah J. Maas 1639731008 Aricka 4 fantasy 4.64 2015
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/10
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> 165940202
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.]]> 419 Danielle L. Jensen 0593599837 Aricka 4 fantasy, romance 3.91 2024
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/25
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy, romance
review:
3.5 round up to 4 on here. I was okay with this book but I feel like as with the bridge kingdom this author makes it hard for me to like the main character when I feel she doesn’t use logic enough. I get how angry she is at lies and what not but the inability to try an listen to words of others drives me crazy.
]]> 76713323 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

In this breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what—and who—to sacrifice if she's to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.]]> 693 Sarah J. Maas 1639731024 Aricka 4 fantasy 4.65 2016
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.65
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/14
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> 76715522 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Aelin Galathynius has vowed to save her people �� but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. The knowledge that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, but her resolve is unraveling with each passing day��

With Aelin captured, friends and allies are scattered to different fates. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever. As destinies weave together at last, all must fight if Erilea is to have any hope of salvation.

Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas's New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an explosive conclusion as Aelin fights to save herself―and the promise of a better world.]]> 984 Sarah J. Maas 1639731067 Aricka 4 fantasy 4.74 2018
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.74
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/20
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> 176822897
Ffion is the last hedgewitch in Foxhall. To work her magic, she takes only what nature can spare, unlike the witches of the powerful Foxhall coven, who sacrifice whole forests to fuel their spells. But across the warring kingdoms of Wales, all magic is fading. Even the dragons have vanished.

Prince Taliesin would love nothing more than to watch magic die. But when his father charges Tal and his brother, Dafydd, with destroying King Offa’s dyke—the massive earthen wall raised by their Mercian enemies to the east, which may be the cause of magic’s disappearance—he begrudgingly seeks aid from a witch.

Because whichever prince succeeds in destroying the dyke will win the throne, and Tal is willing to do whatever it takes to become king. Even if the Foxhall coven refuses to help him. Even if he’s forced to team up with a spitfire hedgewitch who hates him almost as much as he hates her magic. And even if Dafydd proves to be a worthier rival than he anticipated…for the crown, and for Ffion’s heart.]]> 392 Anna Bright 0063083574 Aricka 4 fantasy 3.72 2024
author: Anna Bright
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/15
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> 53921926
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.]]> 356 Danielle L. Jensen Aricka 3 fantasy, romance 4.02 2018
author: Danielle L. Jensen
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/02
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy, romance
review:
2.45 feel like everything could of been avoided at the end is Lara just used her brain for one second and then used her words to tell her husband the truth.
]]> 158651126 USA Today and New York Times bestselling author C. L. Wilson’s hugely popular, epic romantasy series about a beautiful girl who would be queen, the Fey King, and their eternal battle for true love in the mystical Fading Lands.

Once he drove back the darkness. Once he loved with such passion his name was legend.

Once, driven wild with grief over the murder of his beloved, the majestic Fey King Rain Tairen Soul had laid waste to the world before vanishing into the Fading Lands. Now, a thousand years later, a new threat draws him back into the world—and a new love reawakens the heart he thought long-dead.

Ellysetta, a woodcarver’s daughter, calls to Rain in a way no other ever has. Mysterious and magical, her soul beckons him with a compelling, seductive song—and no matter the cost, the wildness in his blood will not be denied. As an ancient, familiar evil regains its strength, causing centuries-old alliances to crumble and threatening doom for Rain and his people, he must claim his true mate to embrace the destiny woven for them both in the mists of time.]]> 416 C.L. Wilson 006335375X Aricka 4 romance, fantasy 3.77 2007
author: C.L. Wilson
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/03
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: romance, fantasy
review:

]]> 59023246 “I do not know how to love you and be a good king to my people.��

Romeria has fled Cirilea as a traitor. Zander has sacrificed his crown to save her life but dreads what her existence means for the future of his realm. They both know that no immortal will ever welcome her as Islor's queen. Side-by-side as outcasts - yet with a growing distance between them - they watch as a new threat to the kingdom unfurls, one larger than they could have imagined.

Guided by an uncertain prophecy and with their allies rapidly losing faith, their company journeys to the Venhorn Mountains in search of answers. Yet with Romeria struggling to wield her newfound abilities and the mortal rebellion growing in strength, it may already be too late.

From internationally bestselling author K.A. Tucker comes the second novel in her Fate and Flame series, an adult fantasy story that should be read in series order.]]> 464 K.A. Tucker 199010522X Aricka 4 romance, fantasy 4.08 2022
author: K.A. Tucker
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/12
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: romance, fantasy
review:

]]> 62004837
"You betrayed your brother to steal a broken crown."

The kingdom stands on the brink of chaos. Atticus' grip on the realm is faltering, and as threats arise ever closer to home he is driven to increasingly desperate acts to hold onto power.

With Islor's fate now in the balance, Zander stands to defend the Rift from the oncoming Ybarisan army. With the king's forces scattered, he must risk unlikely new alliances.

And behind the walls of Ulysede, secrets wait for its new queen. Romeria knows that the paths of the hidden city will lead her to answers. But will they be enough to save the realm �� or is their fate already sealed?]]> 606 K.A. Tucker 1990105297 Aricka 4 fantasy, romance 4.20 2023
author: K.A. Tucker
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/13
date added: 2024/03/26
shelves: fantasy, romance
review:

]]> 44778083
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 1635574048 Aricka 4 4.43 2020
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/05
date added: 2022/11/05
shelves: romance, fantasy, spicy-romance
review:

]]> 59108922 The much-acclaimed BookTok sensation, Olivie Blake's The Atlas Six--now newly revised and edited with additional content.

�� The tag #theatlassix has millions of views on TikTok

�� A dark academic debut fantasy with an established cult following that reads like THE SECRET HISTORY meets THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY

�� The first in an explosive trilogy

The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation.

Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications.

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society’s archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will.

Most of them.]]> 410 Olivie Blake 1250854555 Aricka 4 fantasy 3.67 2020
author: Olivie Blake
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/02
date added: 2022/11/05
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> 77197
Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.

So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.]]> 435 Robin Hobb 055357339X Aricka 5 fantasy 4.21 1995
author: Robin Hobb
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at: 2022/08/15
date added: 2022/11/05
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> 29939230 Witness the fate of beloved heroes - and enemies.

THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED...
The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.

WHO WILL CRUMBLE?
Kell - once assumed to be the last surviving Antari - begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?

WHO WILL RISE?
Lila Bard, once a commonplace - but never common - thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.

WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.]]> 624 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387468 Aricka 4 fantasy, magical-realism 4.30 2017
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/11/02
date added: 2022/11/05
shelves: fantasy, magical-realism
review:

]]> 35068705
When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.]]> 545 R.F. Kuang 0062662597 Aricka 3 fantasy 4.16 2018
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/04
date added: 2022/11/05
shelves: fantasy
review:
Really disliked the main character so it took me about 3 months to finish this, will not read the rest of the series, just not for me. Glad others like it.
]]> 55240343 She's been the victim and the survivor��

Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.

The enemy and the warrior��

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms�� dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.

A lover and heartmate��

But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen.]]> 645 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1952457254 Aricka 4 fantasy, romance 4.11 2021
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/15
date added: 2022/03/23
shelves: fantasy, romance
review:
It may of taken me over a month to read it, I had to take a break because it was getting tedious to read, but I enjoyed it none the less. After my break that last 15 chapters went by in a breeze. I’d say it’s a 3.7 but I’ll round up to a 4. It was my least favorite of the books so far but we will see why the next one brings to the story.
]]> 57815107 From the desperation of golden crowns��

Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable.

And born of mortal flesh��

Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. With the strength of the Primal of Life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, Poppy must convince the Atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time. Not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace.

A great primal power rises��

Together, Poppy and Casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear—to protect those who cannot defend themselves. But war is only the beginning. Ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. To end what the Blood Queen has begun, Poppy might have to become what she has been prophesied to be—what she fears the most.

As the Harbinger of Death and Destruction.]]> 628 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1952457726 Aricka 5 fantasy, romance 4.02 2022
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/03/23
shelves: fantasy, romance
review:

]]> 49170959
Mankind has lorded over the land of Illian for a thousand years, building on the ruins left by the elves, as if it were their birthright. A thousand years is a long time for an immortal race to see the truth of things, a truth that has remained unsaid for a millennium - elves are superior. They are faster, stronger and connected to the magical realm in a way that man could never grasp. Illian should belong to them.

Unaware of the shadow that looms in the east, the six kingdoms of man are fractured, unallied, and clawing at each other’s gates for more power.

This isn’t just war set to ravage the land, but a slaughter - the world of man cannot hope to survive.

Thrown into the heart of this war is a man known by many names; an Outlander of the wilds, an assassin, a ranger. Asher was born a thousand years ago, to a life he doesn’t remember. Forty years of brutal training and killing for money has beaten the earliest years of his life away, leaving his ties to the oldest of evils a mystery to all��

RISE OF THE RANGER LAUNCHES AN UNMISSABLE EPIC FANTASY SERIES.]]> 538 Philip C. Quaintrell Aricka 0 to-read, fantasy 4.22 2017
author: Philip C. Quaintrell
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/18
shelves: to-read, fantasy
review:

]]> 19161852
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.]]> 468 N.K. Jemisin Aricka 0 4.29 2015
author: N.K. Jemisin
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/09
shelves: to-read, fantasy, 2021-read-books
review:

]]> 50892212
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.]]> 449 Chloe Gong 1534457690 Aricka 4 fantasy, ya-romance 3.82 2020
author: Chloe Gong
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/29
date added: 2022/02/02
shelves: fantasy, ya-romance
review:
I enjoyed the book, knowing why is to come doesn’t have me jumping to read the next book in the duology since I want to save myself from heartbreak but I did enjoy the story, especially the characters. :)
]]> 52861201 A Maiden...

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

A Duty...

The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

A Kingdom...

Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.]]> 613 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1952457009 Aricka 4 romance, fantasy 4.17 2020
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/27
date added: 2022/01/28
shelves: romance, fantasy
review:
I can see why people really didn’t like this book but damn I really really enjoyed it.
]]> 53968496
When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water, and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals.

Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives, containing a single order: “Don’t let her die. We are coming.�� Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom.

But no one has ever survived.

With an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva’s heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can’t escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun.

From bestselling author Lynette Noni comes a dark, thrilling YA fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, and Sabaa Tahir.]]> 416 Lynette Noni 0358434556 Aricka 4 fantasy, ya-fantasy 4.15 2021
author: Lynette Noni
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/15
date added: 2022/01/28
shelves: fantasy, ya-fantasy
review:
I found this book rather interesting, however, I would say I'd give it a 3.5 but I am rounding up to a 4. The ending, though it was a twist, just seemed to come out of left field and left me feeling confused. I mean I understood it, but I enjoy hints in my books, like little clues and it just felt rushed at the end to get a twist out IMO.
]]> 23766634
She has left the Night Court - and her High Lord - and is playing a deadly game of deceit. In the Spring Court, Tamlin is making deals with the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees, and Feyre is determined to uncover his plans. But to do so she must weave a web of lies, and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As mighty armies grapple for power, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords - and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

BUT WHILE WAR RAGES, IT IS HER HEART THAT WILL FACE THE GREATEST BATTLE.

THE THRILLING THIRD BOOK IN #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING FANTASY SERIES FROM SARAH J. MAAS.]]> 705 Sarah J. Maas 1408857901 Aricka 4 4.41 2017
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/13
date added: 2022/01/14
shelves: fantasy, ya-fantasy, romance, ya-romance
review:
I really enjoyed this and even cried a few times...I'm gonna miss going through adventures with Feyre Archeron.
]]> 54319549 A Betrayal��

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.

A Choice...

Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.

A Secret��

But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.]]> 637 Jennifer L. Armentrout 1952457106 Aricka 4 fantasy, romance 4.32 2020
author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/09
date added: 2022/01/10
shelves: fantasy, romance
review:
I really enjoyed this maybe even a little more than the first however it can’t be 5 stars cause Poppy made me want to punch her a few times for being so stupid.
]]> 52772417
She vows to do whatever it takes to avenge her beloved sister, Vittoria... even if that means accepting the hand of the Prince of Pride, the king of demons.

The first rule in the court of the Wicked? Trust no one. With back-stabbing princes, luxurious palaces, mysterious party invitations, and conflicting clues about who really killed her twin, Emilia finds herself more alone than ever before. Can she even trust Wrath, her one-time ally in the mortal world... or is he keeping dangerous secrets about his true nature?

Emilia will be tested in every way as she seeks a series of magical objects that will unlock the clues of her past and the answers she craves...

One sister.
Two sinful princes.
Infinite deception with a side of revenge�� Welcome to Hell.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stalking Jack the Ripper Kerri Maniscalco comes the sizzling, sweepingly romantic sequel to Kingdom of the Wicked!]]> 437 Kerri Maniscalco 1529350506 Aricka 4 fantasy, ya-romance 4.09 2021
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/01/07
date added: 2022/01/07
shelves: fantasy, ya-romance
review:
I went into this thinking this was a duology and I guess I’m very wrong, given that ending. The ending had me excited for the next book. I want to know what happens right after the ending, if you know what I mean. Jeesh, this book’s romance was pumped up (romance is light..more sexual tension) and I liked that about it. But the story, the plot, was really the weakest part of it. I enjoyed the first book a lot more, but I think the sexual tension made up for what it lacked, for . So I will give it the same rating as before, and hope that the 3rd book pushes me to a 5.
]]> 27774758 Alternative Cover Edition #1

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.

From the Hardcover edition.]]> 446 Sabaa Tahir Aricka 3 fantasy, ya-romance 4.23 2015
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2021/12/29
date added: 2021/12/29
shelves: fantasy, ya-romance
review:
It was a good book for sure but I do t know if it was for me. I wasn’t all that attached to the characters, I don’t k ow if I’ll continue the series. But I can see why people love it and it was pretty good :)
]]> 56179338 The blockbuster co-writing debut of Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman, All of Us Villains begins a dark tale of ambition and magick...

You Fell in Love with the Victors of the Hunger Games.
Now Prepare to Meet the Villains of the Blood Veil.

The Blood Moon rises. The Blood Veil falls. The Tournament begins.

Every generation, at the coming of the Blood Moon, seven families in the remote city of Ilvernath each name a champion to compete in a tournament to the death.

The prize? Exclusive control over a secret wellspring of high magick, the most powerful resource in the world—one thought long depleted.

But this year a scandalous tell-all book has exposed the tournament and thrust the seven new champions into the worldwide spotlight. The book also granted them valuable information previous champions never had—insight into the other families�� strategies, secrets, and weaknesses. And most important, it gave them a choice: accept their fate or rewrite their legacy.

Either way, this is a story that must be penned in blood.

The All of Us Villains Duology:
#1) All of Us Villains
#2) All of Our Demise]]> 400 Amanda Foody 1250789257 Aricka 4 fantasy, ya-fantasy 3.86 2021
author: Amanda Foody
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/14
date added: 2021/12/18
shelves: fantasy, ya-fantasy
review:
I really enjoyed this book! I was interested in the thought of it being a more mature and bloodier Hunger Games. And though I found the bloodshed a little slow (lacking), I did enjoy the characters a lot! I just have to say there were some parts that had me shook and I love Alistair and I am rooting for him!
]]> 52735921 Two sisters.
One brutal murder.
A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself...
And an intoxicating romance.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin...desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost—even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked—princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems...]]> 372 Kerri Maniscalco 0316428469 Aricka 4 3.87 2020
author: Kerri Maniscalco
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/11/24
date added: 2021/12/06
shelves: ya-romance, ya-fantasy, fantasy
review:
Interesting premise with a lot of things that could happen in the next book. It wasn’t my favorite book of all time but I really enjoyed what it had to offer. I have a feeling the next book will give me more romance and more interest now that the world has been built and the plot he truly started.
]]> 52578297
When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?]]> 288 Matt Haig 0525559477 Aricka 2
I had high hopes for this book from the clock app. It was very hyped up for some reason it falls very short of the amazing tell everyone claimed it to be. The writing, the character, the story, it wasn't interesting, captivating, or emotional to me. I thought perhaps with the depression part (as someone who struggles with depression) I thought I would be able to connect with our main character but I found her more annoying.

I didn't find the story being told very interesting, I think there was so much potential for the concept of the book. But the character and the way it was written just lacked anything special to me. The different lives were boring and they were extremely brief. The ending left me unsatifified. The book seemed like it was trying to pound me in the head with self-help stuff that I wasn't interested in.

Overall I found it boring and it took me way longer than it should have to finish. It was a book that I had to push myself to finish because I hate dropping books.]]> 3.96 2020
author: Matt Haig
name: Aricka
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2021/09/02
date added: 2021/11/26
shelves: magical-realism, fantasy, 2021-read-books
review:
The concept was more interesting than the tell.

I had high hopes for this book from the clock app. It was very hyped up for some reason it falls very short of the amazing tell everyone claimed it to be. The writing, the character, the story, it wasn't interesting, captivating, or emotional to me. I thought perhaps with the depression part (as someone who struggles with depression) I thought I would be able to connect with our main character but I found her more annoying.

I didn't find the story being told very interesting, I think there was so much potential for the concept of the book. But the character and the way it was written just lacked anything special to me. The different lives were boring and they were extremely brief. The ending left me unsatifified. The book seemed like it was trying to pound me in the head with self-help stuff that I wasn't interested in.

Overall I found it boring and it took me way longer than it should have to finish. It was a book that I had to push myself to finish because I hate dropping books.
]]> 54386622 A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!]]> 433 Sarah J. Maas Aricka 4 4.35 2015
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Aricka
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/26
date added: 2021/11/26
shelves: 2021-read-books, fantasy, romance
review:

]]>