katarina's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 05 Apr 2025 09:42:08 -0700 60 katarina's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Voyage of the Damned 218554737
Aboard are the heirs of the twelve provinces of Concordia, each graced with a unique and secret magical ability known as a Blessing.

Except Ganymedes Piscero - class clown, slacker, and all-round disappointment.

When a beloved heir is murdered, everyone is a suspect. Stuck at sea and surrounded by powerful people without a Blessing to protect him, odds of survival are slim.

But as the bodies pile higher, Ganymedes must become the hero he was not born to be. Can he unmask the killer and their blessing before this bloody crusade reaches the shores of Concordia?

Or will the empire as he knows it fall?]]> 464 Frances White 0778387909 katarina 0 to-read 3.00 2024 Voyage of the Damned
author: Frances White
name: katarina
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Fear the Flames 223927257 NATIONAL BESTSELLER - An exiled princess teams up with the last man she thought she could trust in the start of a dazzling and unforgettable epic fantasy romance series.

As a child, Elowen Atarah was ripped away from her dragons and imprisoned by her father, King Garrick of Imirath. Years later, Elowen is now a woman determined to free her dragons. Having established a secret kingdom of her own called Aestilian, she's ready to do what's necessary to save her people and seek vengeance. Even if that means having to align herself with the Commander of Vareveth, Cayden Veles, the most feared and dangerous man in all the kingdoms of Ravaryn.

Cayden is ruthless, lethal, and secretive, promising to help Elowen if she will stand with him and all of Vareveth in the pending war against Imirath. Despite their contrasting motives, Elowen can't ignore their undeniable attraction as they combine their efforts and plot to infiltrate the impenetrable castle of Imirath to steal back her dragons and seek revenge on their common enemy.

As the world tries to keep them apart, the pull between Elowen and Cayden becomes impossible to resist. Working together with their crew over clandestine schemes, the threat of war looms, making the imminent heist to free her dragons their most dangerous adventure yet. But for Elowen, her vengeance is a promise signed in blood, and she'll stop at nothing to see that promise through.

An immersive fantasy filled with a sizzling reluctant-allies-to-lovers romance, a world to get lost in, dangerous quests, dragon bonds, and an entertaining band of characters to root for, Fear the Flames marks the stunning debut of Olivia Rose Darling.]]> 400 Olivia Rose Darling 0593873912 katarina 0 to-read 5.00 2022 Fear the Flames
author: Olivia Rose Darling
name: katarina
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Audre & Bash Are Just Friends 218422214 Scorching-hot summer. Scorching-hot chemistry. Two teens can¡¯t forget they¡¯re?just friends?in this sweet, funny, electrifying romance from?New York Times?bestselling author Tia Williams. Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon.
?
MEET AUDRE. Junior class president. Debate team captain. Unofficial student therapist. Desperately in need of a good time.
?
MEET BASH. Mysterious new senior. Everybody¡¯s crush. Tall, floppy, great taste in jewelry. King of having a good time.
?
It¡¯s the last day of school at Cheshire Prep, Brooklyn¡¯s elite academy¡ªand Audre Mercy-Moore¡¯s life is a mess. Her dad cancelled her annual summer visit to his Malibu beach house. Now? She¡¯s stuck in a claustrophobic apartment with her mom, stepdad, and one-year-old sister (aka the Goblin Baby).
?
Under these conditions, she¡¯ll never finish writing her self-help book¡ªie, the key to winning over Stanford¡¯s admissions board.
?
Cut to Bash Henry! Audre hires him to be her ¡°fun consultant.¡± His job? To help her complete the Experience Challenge¡ªher list of five wild dares designed to give her juicy book material. She¡¯ll get inspo; he¡¯ll get paid. Everybody wins.
?
He isn¡¯t boyfriend material. And she¡¯s not looking for one. Can they stay professional despite their obvious connection?
?
Fun Audre Mercy-Moore first appeared in the?New York Times?bestseller?Seven Days in June?and now stars in her own story!
?]]> Tia Williams 031648069X katarina 0 currently-reading 4.69 2025 Audre & Bash Are Just Friends
author: Tia Williams
name: katarina
average rating: 4.69
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)]]> 50794839 Ambition will fuel him.
Competition will drive him.
But power has its price.

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He¡¯s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined¡ªevery choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.]]> 528 Suzanne Collins 1338635174 katarina 0 currently-reading 3.87 2020 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: katarina
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blood of Bellevue Manor: (Blood Hunter Book 2)]]> 223761404 Seclusion. Secrets. Sacrifice.

After the events of last fall, Juliette Jennings is ready to move on and continue healing. But her plans are interrupted when her brief investigative partner, Alex Osman, asks her to join him on a cross-country trip to his hometown of Bellevue, Vermont. With the goal of helping Alex confront the traumas of his past, the two head off to the East Coast.

Alex and Juliette¡¯s arrival in the small, vampire inhabited town is quickly broadcasted, and the pair are asked to investigate the disappearance of a student from the elusive Bellevue Manor¡ªa boarding school for vampire teens. The duo is once again swept up in the secrets and danger of the vampire world, unmasking truths about both the school and Alex¡¯s past.

*This is book two of the Blood Hunter Trilogy. It is highly recommended that you read book one (Blood Hunter) before starting this book. Blood of Bellevue Manor is a medium-paced mystery with vampires, romance, and intrigue. Suggested reader age is 18+, content warnings can be found inside the book.*]]> 259 C.M. Kennedy katarina 4 me 4.45 Blood of Bellevue Manor: (Blood Hunter Book 2)
author: C.M. Kennedy
name: katarina
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves:
review:
me
]]> <![CDATA[Run Wild: Sa Ye (Novel) Vol. 1]]> 203524969
Unwanted by his adoptive parents, Jiang Cheng leaves home to live in a cold, gray city with his deadbeat dad whose only talent is feeding a gambling addiction. Alone save for his suitcase, the rebellious teenage boy arrives at the train station ready to face his miserable new life.

But the moment he steps off the platform, Jiang Cheng meets the peculiar young girl Gu Miao, along with her big brother Gu Fei¡ªa boy his age with a musical staff shaved into his hair. Rumor has it that Gu Fei is bad news with dark secrets of his own, but Jiang Cheng still finds himself pulled toward the withdrawn delinquent thanks to Gu Miao and, perhaps, fate. The unlikely friendship that blossoms between them shows Jiang Cheng the hidden depths of Gu Fei¡­and the hidden depths of his own feelings. Features exclusive new art!]]> 396 Wu Zhe katarina 0 physical-tbr 4.52 Run Wild: Sa Ye (Novel) Vol. 1
author: Wu Zhe
name: katarina
average rating: 4.52
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/30
shelves: physical-tbr
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]]> <![CDATA[Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 1]]> 58701949
Eight hundred years after his mortal life, Xie Lian has ascended to godhood for the third time, angering most of the gods in the process. To repay his debts, he is sent to the Mortal Realm to hunt down violent ghosts and troublemaking spirits who prey on the living. Along his travels, he meets the fascinating and brilliant San Lang, a young man with whom he feels an instant connection. Yet San Lang is clearly more than he appears... What mysteries lie behind that carefree smile?

This Chinese xianxia fantasy novel series built around the romanticized love between two men (danmei) is the newest work from author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, and has spawned an ongoing multimedia franchise that's beloved across the world--including the animated series (donghua) that amassed 100+ million views in just its first month. The Seven Seas English-language edition will include covers from ÈÕ³öµÄÐ¡Ì«ê– (tai3_3), and exclusive, all-new interior illustrations from ZeldaCW.]]> 416 M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´ 1648279171 katarina 0 to-read 4.61 2020 Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 1
author: M¨° Xi¨¡ng T¨®ng Xi¨´
name: katarina
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Remnants of Filth: Yuwu (Novel) Vol. 1]]> 63361744 The Noble General's Only Stain

Noble-born Mo Xi is the foremost general of Chonghua, known for his ruthless temper and ascetic air. Once he was one of two promising young commanders, twin stars of the empire. His comrade, the lowborn Gu Mang, was Mo Xi's brother-in-arms, best friend, and--secretly--his lover, until the day Gu Mang turned traitor and joined the ranks of their nation's greatest enemy.

Now Gu Mang has been returned to the empire a ruined man, a shadow of the military genius he once was. The public clamors for his death, and no one yearns for vengeance more than Mo Xi. Or so he thought--for faced once more with his bitterest enemy, Mo Xi is left with more questions than answers. Why did the man he loved betray him? And what secrets hide behind Gu Mang's tortured eyes?]]> 427 Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou 168579467X katarina 0 to-read 4.27 Remnants of Filth: Yuwu (Novel) Vol. 1
author: Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
name: katarina
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu (Novel) Vol. 1]]> 198692490 SCOURGE OF A NATION

Shen Zechuan is the eighth son of the traitorous Prince of Jianxing, a man who doomed his cities and people to destruction at the hands of the foreign enemy. As the only surviving member of his reviled line, Shen Zechuan bears the hatred of the nation. And no one's hate burns hotter than that of Xiao Chiye, the youngest son of the powerful Prince of Libei.

Xiao Chiye would love nothing more than to see Shen Zechuan dead, but against all odds, he clings to life. Rather than succumb to his family's disgrace, he becomes a thorn in Xiao Chiye's side, clawing his way into the cutthroat political world of the capital. Yet as these two bitter enemies struggle against the bonds of their fate, they find themselves drawn together with a force neither expected--and neither can hope to resist.]]> 446 Tang Jiu Qing katarina 0 to-read 4.45 Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu (Novel) Vol. 1
author: Tang Jiu Qing
name: katarina
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: to-read
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]]> And They Were Roommates 214860519 A hilarious, unputdownable second-chance-romance about the most unlikely, gay roommate mishap. Perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Gwen & Art Are Not in Love.

Romance is the last thing on Charlie¡¯s mind.

On his first day at Valentine Academy for Boys, Charlie¡¯s carefully crafted plan to hide his identity as the school¡¯s only trans student is set in motion. Only to be immediately destroyed. Charlie has been assigned the worst roommate in the world (possibly the universe): Jasper Grimes, the boy who broke Charlie¡¯s heart the year before he transitioned.

Except, Jasper doesn¡¯t recognize Charlie.

Who knows how long until Jasper realizes the truth? Charlie has one shot at freedom and a dorm room all to himself, but only if he helps Jasper write love letters on behalf of their fellow students first. No problem. Charlie can help Jasper with some silly letters.

Long nights spent discussing deep romantic feelings with Jasper? Surely, no unintended consequences will arise¡­]]> 320 Page Powars 1250347645 katarina 2
Okay but really I feel so bad giving this two stars. This was one of those books where I was having a lot of fun until I just wasn¡¯t. It took a bit for me to really get into the beginning, around the middle I liked, but then the latter half was a massive miss for me.

This book ends up leaning more into contemporary than romance. Majority of the plot surrounds the letter writing, maintaining grades, tutoring, and gym training. I am aware I am not the target audience for this being a 23 year old who¡¯s long since graduated, but a lot of it was just kind of boring. I did however enjoy the idea of the letter writing! I thought the interview bits for the letters were quite funny as well as Jasper attempting to teach Charlie the art of writing them.
I think Powars did a great job encapsulating the stressful high school experience especially with Charlie. I would be ill if the school I went to had a ranking system posted on the wall every single week and my scholarship hinged on making the top five. Also the trans representation felt genuine and very insightful. I appreciate that it didn¡¯t take a traumatic route.

Jasper¡¯s character gives me some mixed feelings. If you really squint he kind of reminded me of Adrien Agreste from Miraculous Ladybug in his clueless nature while also being borderline worshipped by the school. I didn¡¯t mind his massive ego and actually found it quite endearing. But, his main personality trait is that he¡¯s this outstanding poet, when I found his writing to be extremely underwhelming.

The relationship between Charlie and Jasper is a sort of second chance romance situation because they originally met at a summer camp two years prior. However, now that Charlie has transitioned Jasper doesn¡¯t recognize him. I thought this was an exciting premise and kept you on edge waiting for the big reveal but I don¡¯t think it served enough for the romance set up. Quite frankly they didn¡¯t really have any chemistry. There were maybe a couple scenes here and there where I was eagerly waiting for something to progress but then it would just sort of fizzle out. Then towards the end the romance starts to feel extremely rushed¡­ like not them already saying the L word to each other after barely even establishing mutual feelings.

At the end it was fun to finally see the plan with the letters fleshed out but it still just felt overall lackluster. So much work was put into those letters and then it¡¯s all just done and over with in like five pages. Suddenly everyone is all coupled up and happy and that¡¯s it.

I¡¯m so so sad this didn¡¯t work for me because it truly had some great concepts, I just wish certain sections were reworked a bit.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Children¡¯s for providing me with this arc.]]> 4.00 2025 And They Were Roommates
author: Page Powars
name: katarina
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/28
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves:
review:
This had me second guessing if it was even a romance. Trust me I love a slow burn but after a while this had me thinking we didn¡¯t have any flint.

Okay but really I feel so bad giving this two stars. This was one of those books where I was having a lot of fun until I just wasn¡¯t. It took a bit for me to really get into the beginning, around the middle I liked, but then the latter half was a massive miss for me.

This book ends up leaning more into contemporary than romance. Majority of the plot surrounds the letter writing, maintaining grades, tutoring, and gym training. I am aware I am not the target audience for this being a 23 year old who¡¯s long since graduated, but a lot of it was just kind of boring. I did however enjoy the idea of the letter writing! I thought the interview bits for the letters were quite funny as well as Jasper attempting to teach Charlie the art of writing them.
I think Powars did a great job encapsulating the stressful high school experience especially with Charlie. I would be ill if the school I went to had a ranking system posted on the wall every single week and my scholarship hinged on making the top five. Also the trans representation felt genuine and very insightful. I appreciate that it didn¡¯t take a traumatic route.

Jasper¡¯s character gives me some mixed feelings. If you really squint he kind of reminded me of Adrien Agreste from Miraculous Ladybug in his clueless nature while also being borderline worshipped by the school. I didn¡¯t mind his massive ego and actually found it quite endearing. But, his main personality trait is that he¡¯s this outstanding poet, when I found his writing to be extremely underwhelming.

The relationship between Charlie and Jasper is a sort of second chance romance situation because they originally met at a summer camp two years prior. However, now that Charlie has transitioned Jasper doesn¡¯t recognize him. I thought this was an exciting premise and kept you on edge waiting for the big reveal but I don¡¯t think it served enough for the romance set up. Quite frankly they didn¡¯t really have any chemistry. There were maybe a couple scenes here and there where I was eagerly waiting for something to progress but then it would just sort of fizzle out. Then towards the end the romance starts to feel extremely rushed¡­ like not them already saying the L word to each other after barely even establishing mutual feelings.

At the end it was fun to finally see the plan with the letters fleshed out but it still just felt overall lackluster. So much work was put into those letters and then it¡¯s all just done and over with in like five pages. Suddenly everyone is all coupled up and happy and that¡¯s it.

I¡¯m so so sad this didn¡¯t work for me because it truly had some great concepts, I just wish certain sections were reworked a bit.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Children¡¯s for providing me with this arc.
]]> Hazelthorn 220909040
Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

But when Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn¡¯s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. There¡¯s just one caveat: He must choose a new guardian from amongst Laurie's scheming, backstabbing relatives to help manage the estate until he turns eighteen.

Except Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next. Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family¡¯s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he¡¯s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.]]> 368 C.G. Drews 1250376297 katarina 5 favorites
After Don¡¯t Let the Forest In being my favorite book of 2024 I had such high expectations for this book and it did not disappoint. I hold both in such high regard but I honestly think Hazelthorn might edge out DLTFI ever so slightly! A copy will be acquired as soon as possible on release day.

C.G. Drews is such a masterclass writer. Hazelthorn is filled to the brim with the type of quotes that make you want to erratically write them on the walls of your room to obsessively look at in ritual. The descriptions were hauntingly beautiful with the perfect amount of unsettling. There were times my face was just stuck as the distressed emoji.

Evander and Laurie served as such interesting characters. The dynamic between the two of them literally had me stepping away from my kindle to collect myself because I would be overcome with so much emotion. Being in Evander¡¯s mind was a trip. There¡¯s just something about unhinged obsessive characters that always have my heart and soul.

I will forever ride or die for their books!

Thank you so much to Edelweiss and Feiwel & Friends for providing me with this ARC.]]> 4.77 2025 Hazelthorn
author: C.G. Drews
name: katarina
average rating: 4.77
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: favorites
review:
Spectacular, give me 14 of them right now. C.G. Drews please never stop writing these unhinged horror books.

After Don¡¯t Let the Forest In being my favorite book of 2024 I had such high expectations for this book and it did not disappoint. I hold both in such high regard but I honestly think Hazelthorn might edge out DLTFI ever so slightly! A copy will be acquired as soon as possible on release day.

C.G. Drews is such a masterclass writer. Hazelthorn is filled to the brim with the type of quotes that make you want to erratically write them on the walls of your room to obsessively look at in ritual. The descriptions were hauntingly beautiful with the perfect amount of unsettling. There were times my face was just stuck as the distressed emoji.

Evander and Laurie served as such interesting characters. The dynamic between the two of them literally had me stepping away from my kindle to collect myself because I would be overcome with so much emotion. Being in Evander¡¯s mind was a trip. There¡¯s just something about unhinged obsessive characters that always have my heart and soul.

I will forever ride or die for their books!

Thank you so much to Edelweiss and Feiwel & Friends for providing me with this ARC.
]]> The Wolf and His King 209330956 Madeline Miller meets Angela Carter in this spellbinding queer retelling of the 12th-century tale of Bisclavret the werewolf¡ªunmissable for fans of Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Swordcrossed by Freya Marske, and The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden.

A noble knight hiding the beast inside. A lonely king isolated by his courtiers. Between them an impossible gulf surmountable only by the twists and turns of relentless destiny in this spellbinding retelling of Marie de France¡¯s classic 12th-century tale of romance and adventure.

The wolf-sickness strikes always without warning, stealing Bisclavret¡¯s body and confusing his mind. Since boyhood he hasn¡¯t dared leave his isolated holdings¡ªnot to beg the return of his father¡¯s lost estate, not to seek brotherhood among the court, not even to win the knighthood he yearns for. But when a new king ascends, Bisclavret must deliver his kiss of fealty or answer for the failure.

Half an exile himself, the young king is intrigued by this uneasy, rough-hewn nobleman. Bisclavret seems a perfect knight: bold, strong, and merciful. But he keeps his secrets close, and the king¡¯s longings are not for counsel alone. As his fascination grows, the barriers between them multiply, until the king battles desperation and grief. Then Bisclavret vanishes beyond reach, just as the greatest threats to the kingdom converge. Only duty to his people stands between the king and ruin¡ªduty, and the steady loyalty of the strangest wolf . . .]]> 0 Finn Longman 1399621025 katarina 0 to-read 5.00 2025 The Wolf and His King
author: Finn Longman
name: katarina
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Darker Than the Starless Night]]> 227957174 A tale of gods and titans, the humans caught between them, and the chemistry that binds it all together

Yom has found a simple solution to avoiding the obsessive thoughts that have haunted her since burying herself beneath powdered drugs, bodies, and coin. But when her gang¡¯s leader demands loyalty at all costs, Yom¡¯s position as the gang¡¯s head chemist comes under threat. Forced to investigate, she crosses paths with a cagey royal archivist named Quia as they unearth a horrifying conspiracy to reopen the ancient war that ripped the world in two.

Quia offers a tenuous cross the dangerous network of provinces to reach the queendom¡¯s capitol, and seek the one mythical person capable of halting the forces of war. On the treacherous odyssey, Yom reckons with blood-thirsty crime lords, the queen¡¯s personal guard, bounty hunters, forest spirits, old gods, and the specter of a friend she lost as a child¡ªher first love¡ªwho might still be alive out there. The chemist must face her addiction to powder, her growing feelings for Quia, and the obsessive thoughts that threaten to tear her mind in two, lest she lose herself in her quest to save the world.]]> Rebecca Brodkey katarina 0 to-read 5.00 Darker Than the Starless Night
author: Rebecca Brodkey
name: katarina
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> America's Not-So-Sweetheart 217159452 After spending the year suffering as a reality TV villain IRL, Alec Braud will do anything to get his redemption arc.

Alec Braud may have won his season of the hit teen reality TV show Campfire Wars, but he¡¯s lost the war of public opinion. At seventeen, he¡¯s the most hated teen in America just because he betrayed his showmance, Joaqu¨ªn Delgado. Alec only did it to use the cash prize to help his parents¡¯ wildlife rehabilitation center. And Joaqu¨ªn forgave him¡ªso why can¡¯t everybody else?

Joaqu¨ªn was the golden boy of their season, and everyone still loves him¡ªincluding Alec. So when he asks Alec to join him on a trip to re-create classic movie kisses for his art school portfolio, Alec agrees in the hopes it¡¯ll mend his reputation. What could possibly go wrong on a week-long cross-country road trip with his ex and lots of fake kissing?

Lines get blurred between what part of the trip is for the camera and what isn¡¯t. From there, things get even more complicated when trouble at his parents¡¯ wildlife rehabilitation center tempts Alec to attend a CW convention for a chance to get his family more money. At the convention, Alec hears that villains from other seasons are plotting to get onto an upcoming allstars season to redeem themselves¡ªand they want him to join.

With former players trying to recruit him, Joaqu¨ªn hinting he might want to get back together with him, and show execs whispering in his ear, Alec will have to decide for himself who he really is and what he really wants.]]> Blair Hanson katarina 0 to-read 4.67 America's Not-So-Sweetheart
author: Blair Hanson
name: katarina
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Spit Back the Bones 223706765 For fans of Midnight Mass comes a haunting new horromance. Something dreadful is festering in the old Thomas Bog. For years, it¡¯s done what it has been taught to do¡ªit swallows. But it¡¯s done following orders.

It¡¯s been three years since Mila Thomas¡¯ brother Jed went missing and his case went cold. Since then, Mila has fled town, running from the voices of the dead that reach her from the depths of the old family bog, afraid she would hear her brother¡¯s among them.

But when her younger sister, Agatha, calls her back home to celebrate her graduation, Mila can¡¯t help but return to her old haunts. When she arrives, Mila comes face to face with the town reverend, who informs her that Agatha is now also missing. Finding her mother and the local police utterly useless, Mila opens herself up to the voices of the bog in the hopes that they can tell her where her sister is. But something else lurks beneath the bog's waters, something that would sooner hunt her than help her. As more bodies turn up on the sandy shores, Mila must overcome her complicated history with the reverend¡¯s estranged son¡ªthe boy she never quite got over¡ªto unearth the fate of the town¡¯s missing members and the family secrets that may be behind everything.]]> 320 Teagan Olivia King katarina 0 to-read 5.00 Spit Back the Bones
author: Teagan Olivia King
name: katarina
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/26
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Familiar 211004837
What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio P¨¦rez, 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¡ªand P¨¦rez 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¡ªeven if that means enlisting the help of Guill¨¦n Sant¨¢ngel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.]]> 400 Leigh Bardugo 1250884276 katarina 0 to-read 4.17 2024 The Familiar
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: katarina
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> An Unkindness of Ghosts 34381254
Aster lives in the lowdeck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space vessel organized much like the antebellum South. For generations, Matilda has ferried the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. On its way, the ship¡¯s leaders have imposed harsh moral restrictions and deep indignities on dark-skinned sharecroppers like Aster. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer, Aster learns there may be a way to improve her lot¡ªif she¡¯s willing to sow the seeds of civil war.]]> 351 Rivers Solomon 1617755885 katarina 0 to-read 3.95 2017 An Unkindness of Ghosts
author: Rivers Solomon
name: katarina
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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]]> What the Water Remembers 227787007 316 Elyse Welles 1960018612 katarina 0 to-read 5.00 What the Water Remembers
author: Elyse Welles
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average rating: 5.00
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]]> The Captive 223363548 From Ned Beauman, the Man Booker Prize longlisted author of The Teleportation Accident and Clarke Award winning author of Venomous Lumpsucker. Perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix and Joe Hill.
Underground revolutionary group, The Nail, and their newest member, Luke have kidnapped 23-year-old heiress Adeline Woolsaw, whose wealthy parents run the Woolsaw Group, a vast outsourcing company. They run everything from prisons and hospitals to military bases ¨C quietly suffocating the country with the help of powerful friends in government.
The Nail's to use the kidnapping to draw attention to the Woolsaw Group and their terrible practices. But with Adeline bundled into their van, The Nail discover two things. The first is that she's just about to give birth. And the second is that this isn't a normal baby. In fact, it has devastating supernatural powers. Because the father of this baby wasn't a man, it was¡­ something else. Something that her parents make human sacrifices to on an altar in the basement of their Highgate mansion. And all this time the Woolsaw Group has been preparing the ground for the Woolsaws' real an infernal new kingdom that will rise with Adeline's son sitting on its throne.]]> 364 Kit Burgoyne 164129728X katarina 0 to-read 0.0 The Captive
author: Kit Burgoyne
name: katarina
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]]> Local Heavens 221244034
New York City, 2075. Filipino-American Nick Carraway has just moved to the heart of the fractured New Americas, where he¡¯s struck by the city¡¯s contradictions¡ªshining corporate towers casting bleak shadows over the slums of a crumbling middle class.

When Nick meets alluring new-money Jay Gatsby, he falls for Gatsby¡¯s frank charm and confident aura. But in a city where the wealthy flaunt tech-enhanced bodies to cheat death, surfaces aren¡¯t all they seem¡ªand as a corporate- sanctioned cyberspace hacker, Nick knows that no secret can stay buried forever. He¡¯s the reason they don¡¯t. And his latest assignment? Investigate Gatsby himself.

As Nick becomes entangled in the dark affairs of the elite¡ªand the devastating fallout of their actions on the city¡¯s most vulnerable¡ªhe must reckon with the limits of compassion and accountability across class and status. What takes precedence: Love, or truth? Heart, or soul?

A brilliant reimagining of Fitzgerald¡¯s classic tale of glamour, desire, and desperation, Local Heavens examines the guardrails of morality¡­ and the price of desire. Publication set for fall 2025.]]> K.M. Fajardo katarina 0 to-read 4.97 Local Heavens
author: K.M. Fajardo
name: katarina
average rating: 4.97
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]]> <![CDATA[Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon (The Go-Between, #1)]]> 224003800 A suspenseful magical realism novel about a mysterious teenage ¡°Go-Between¡± who arranges meetings between the living and the dead, from multimillion copy Japanese bestselling author Mizuki Tsujimura.

I bring together the living and the departed. I am the Go-Between.

When a young woman from Tokyo contacts the Go-Between to request a meeting with a deceased TV star who once helped her, she doesn¡¯t expect a teenage boy to show up. Dressed in a designer duffel coat and carrying a tattered notebook, Ayumi Shibuya, our mysterious intermediary, offers an extraordinary he reunites the living with their dearly departed. Meeting his clients at a luxury hotel, Ayumi lays down the ground each reunion is a one-time arrangement that the dead can refuse; the service is entirely free, and the meeting must take place during a full moon.

As Ayumi arranges these reunions, we encounter a resentful eldest son who wants to ask his mother to unearth the deeds to a plot of land; a teenage girl who blames herself for her best friend¡¯s death; and a weary businessman seeking answers about his fianc¨¦e¡¯s disappearance days after he proposed. With each rendezvous, clues begin to surface, leading readers to unravel the mystery of the boy in the duffel coat, whose own story is eventually revealed.

A runaway, multimillion copy bestseller in Japan, Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is storytelling at its finest, from an international sensation whose work has been hailed as ¡°strange and beautiful¡± (The Guardian). With an artful balance of heart and mystery, Mizuki Tsujimura creates an unforgettable page-turner in which the living and the dead are given one last chance for closure.]]> 272 Mizuki Tsujimura 1668099837 katarina 0 to-read 4.00 2010 Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon (The Go-Between, #1)
author: Mizuki Tsujimura
name: katarina
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Something Wicked (Idle Reputations, #1)]]> 223854848 From the beloved USA Today bestselling author Falon Ballard comes a seductive romantasy that blends Macbeth and Moulin Rouge! into a hypnotic saga of sex, love, and murder.

The country of Avon is in deep turmoil. The Uprising has overthrown Avon's monarchial rulers, and a decree has been issued. Candidates for the first presidential election will be selected by the completion of a special to kill the former monarch of their home province.?

Callum, the son of the recently dethroned king, is determined to be in the running. But to do so, he must come to terms with killing his father, the key to which lies in the hands of Lady Caterine, a Gifted courtesan at La Puissance, Avon¡¯s premiere sex club.

Lady Caterine has always had the magical ability to manipulate the emotions of anyone who experiences an orgasm in her presence. If Callum can only open up to Cate, he will be able to commit the newly fated murder without suffering the guilt and take his place as the rightful candidate from his province. But Callum has a deep-seated mistrust of the Gifted. And the last thing he expects is to be confronted with an undeniable connection with Cate that neither of them understands, nor wants.

With the fate of the country at stake, Callum and Cate search for ways to bare themselves to each other, and discover a darker force building within La Puissance, one that might ruin the future of Avon for good.?To stop Avon from violently falling to ashes, they must sacrifice everything they have . . . even if it requires betraying each other.]]> 384 Falon Ballard 0593854675 katarina 0 to-read 3.40 Something Wicked (Idle Reputations, #1)
author: Falon Ballard
name: katarina
average rating: 3.40
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]]> Through Our Teeth 222658383 Three teens investigate a murder¡ªwhile each tries to hide their own complicated history with the dead girl¡ªin this thought-provoking novel from award-winning author Pamela N. Harris. Perfect for fans of Karen M. McManus and Tiffany D. Jackson!

Hope Jackson is dead. Everyone is convinced she took her own life, but Liv, one of Hope¡¯s best friends, isn¡¯t so sure. Hope¡¯s boyfriend, Brendan, was always jealous and possessive, and his alibi doesn¡¯t really check out. But in the town¡¯s eyes, Hope was just some nobody who was going to drag down golden boy Brendan.?

So with the help of Hope¡¯s other two best friends, Kizzie and Sherie, Liv is determined to bring Brendan¡¯s actions to light. Together, they vow to make him pay.

But as their plans keep escalating, Liv begins to have second thoughts¡ªespecially as she¡¯s realizing that Brendan may not be the only one with the motive or opportunity to kill Hope. Is Liv really getting justice for Hope, or is she just helping one of Hope¡¯s so-called friends cover up their lies?

?]]> 368 Pamela N. Harris 0063212676 katarina 0 to-read 3.50 Through Our Teeth
author: Pamela N. Harris
name: katarina
average rating: 3.50
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Survive Camping: The Man With No Shadow (1)]]> 220160818
I am a campground manager. I don¡¯t have a list of rules because I¡¯m trying to ruin your fun¡­I¡¯m trying to keep you from doing small, simple things that could result in your horrific and most agonizing demise.

Goat Valley Campground has killed generations of Kate¡¯s family. The land is old, passed down through generations, but the campground¡¯s reputation doesn¡¯t just draw campers year after year. Creatures from folklore and horror have made Goat Valley not just their home, but their hunting ground.

As campground manager, Kate has rules to protect her campers¡ªif the man with the skull cup offers you a drink, accept it or you will die a gruesome death; don¡¯t buy ice from the children with no wagon; and of course, never ever follow the lights. Still, not every camper follows the rules¡­which means not every camper survives their stay.

Soon decapitated and exsanguinated campers are the least of Kate¡¯s worries; one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the campground is determined to claim the land for himself. Meanwhile, something in the land is shifting, the tides are turning, and the curse that hunts members of her bloodline begins to close in¡­]]> 320 Bonnie Quinn 1668096498 katarina 0 to-read 4.50 How to Survive Camping: The Man With No Shadow (1)
author: Bonnie Quinn
name: katarina
average rating: 4.50
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]]> The Sofa 224044745
Mr. Montessori and his family return home from a trip to the beach to discover that their sofa is different. Once dark and contemporary, it¡¯s now antique, green and yellow, and smelling faintly of damp.

Its appearance and origins are a mystery. A joke? An inverted theft? A break in the fabric of reality? Yes, the police take the ¡°crime¡± seriously. But what happens next lies outside their expertise. Strange sounds in the night. A half-bathroom toilet with a mind of its own. Odd, fleeting glimpses of something (or someone) in mirrors. The inexplicable vision of Montessori¡¯s neighbor: He swears he saw a burglar. . . .

Montessori¡¯s quest for answers will take him to a dank highway overpass in decayed upstate New York, a very strange dry-cleaning supply concern in outermost Queens, and into the depths of an eerie, warped forest where time and space no longer connect, all while putting his ever-more-troubled marriage and young family in grave danger. But that¡¯s what it costs to find out if we own our possessions ¡ª or if they own us.

Munson emerges as a master stylist in this tense, taut work of surreal humor and psychological horror.]]> 162 Sam Munson 1953387977 katarina 0 to-read 4.50 The Sofa
author: Sam Munson
name: katarina
average rating: 4.50
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]]> The Isle in the Silver Sea 219134676 From World Fantasy Award-winning author Tasha Suri comes The Isle in the Silver Sea, a heart-shattering romantasy of sapphic longing, medieval folklore and a love that spans the centuries.

In a Britain fuelled by stories, the knight and the witch are fated to fall in love and doom each other over and over, the same tale retold over hundreds of lifetimes.

Simran is a witch of the woods. Vina is a knight of the Queen's court. When the two women begin to fall for each other, how can they surrender to their desires, when to give in is to destroy each other?

As they seek a way to break the cycle, a mysterious assassin begins targeting tales like theirs. To survive, the two will need to write a story stronger than the one that fate has given to them.

But what tale is stronger than The Knight and the Witch?]]> 384 Tasha Suri 0356524418 katarina 0 to-read 4.67 2025 The Isle in the Silver Sea
author: Tasha Suri
name: katarina
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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]]> Wish You Were Her 217420633 Book Lovers meets Notting Hill with a slice of You've Got Mail in Wish You Were Her, the brand new rivals-to-lovers romance from bestselling, award-winning Elle McNicoll.

18-year-old Allegra Brooks has skyrocketed to fame after starring in a hit television show, and she's the overnight success that everyone's talking about. They just don't know she's autistic. Now, all she wants is a normal teenage summer.

Her destination for escape is the remote Lake Pristine and its annual Book Festival, organized by the dedicated but unfriendly senior bookseller, Jonah Thorne.

In small towns like Lake Pristine, misunderstandings abound, and before long the two are drawn into high-profile hostility that's a far cry from the drama-free holiday Allegra was craving. Thank goodness for her saving the increasingly personal emails she's been sharing with a charming and anonymous bookseller who is definitely not Jonah Thorne . . .

An unforgettable romcom about finding the one person who makes you feel yourself when the whole world is watching.

Praise for Elle McNicoll's Some Like it Cold:

'A clever, poignant and healing love story . . . Some Like It Cold is a heartfelt romance that is sweeping in its scope and tender in its emotional depth. McNicoll has crafted a powerful ode to love in all its of community, of home and of ourselves ¨C as well as the genre of romance itself.' -- Bea Fitzgerald, author of Girl, Goddess, Queen

'I utterly adored this book! Some Like it Cold is a warm, wonderful winter romance to cosy up with - brilliant characters, sizzling chemistry, and so full of heart, Elle has written a truly gorgeous book that¡¯s a must-read.'-- Beth Reekles, author of The Kissing Booth

'As much an ode to the history of the romance genre as a classic yet modern love story in its own right. Achingly honest and heartfelt, this is McNicoll at her best. It is quite literally my favourite romance novel of all time.' -- Lizzie Huxley-Jones, author of Make You Mine this Christmas

'McNicoll delivers a breathtaking story of love and joy that will keep the reader hooked until the very last page. It was such a pleasure being immersed in Jasper's world.'-- Anika Hussain, author of This Is How You Fall In Love

'A sweet will-they-won't-they rom-com set in a small town, dealing with autism, grief, love and being comfortable in your own skin. This is a cosy, heartwarming wintery romance. -- Abiola Bello, author of Only for the Holidays]]> 352 Elle McNicoll 1250335582 katarina 0 to-read 4.00 Wish You Were Her
author: Elle McNicoll
name: katarina
average rating: 4.00
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date added: 2025/03/24
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]]> <![CDATA[A Story of Seven Lives: The Complete Manga Collection]]> 75477886 ½Ö¤ÎƬÓç¤Çĺ¤é¤·¤Æ¤¤¤ë¡¢¥Î¥éè¤ÎÆßÉú¤È¥Þ¥Á¡£
±Ë¤é¤ÏÈ˼䤿¤Á¤¬×÷¤Ã¤¿¡¸Ê³×¿¡¹¤Çʳʤò¤È¤ê¡¢ËÀ¤ÈëO¤êºÏ¤ï¤»¤Î¤Ê¤«±ØËÀ¤ËÉú¤­¤Æ¤¤¤¿¡£
¤½¤ó¤Ê¤¢¤ëÈձˤé¤Ï¡¢¡¸Ã¨¤ò¿É°®¤¤¤È˼¤Ã¤¿¤³¤È¤Ê¤ó¤Æ¡¢Ò»¶È¤â¤Ê¤¤¡¹¤È¤¤¤¦È˼䡢³ÉÌïÊçÄˤȳö»á¤¦¨D¨D¡£

È˼ä¤È¹²¤Ë¡¢µØÓò¤ÇÉú¤­¤ë¡¸¥Î¥é衹¤¿¤Á¡£
×ÔÓɤǚݤޤޤ˼û¤¨¤ë±Ë¤é¤À¤±¤ì¤É¡¢±¾µ±¤Ë¤½¤¦¤Ê¤Î¤À¤í¤¦¤«£¿
±Ë¤é¤Î¥ê¥¢¥ë¤ÊÉú¤­˜”¤òÃ褤¤¿¡¢¥ê¥¢¥ë襹¥È©`¥ê©`µÚ£±Ž†¡£

µç×ÓÊé¼®ÏÞ¶¨Ìصä¤È¤·¤Æ¡¢Ã褭ÏÂ¤í¤·¥Þ¥ó¥¬¤ò…§åh£¡±Õ±Õ> 456 Shirakawa Gin 1638588260 katarina 0 to-read 4.55 2018 A Story of Seven Lives: The Complete Manga Collection
author: Shirakawa Gin
name: katarina
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/22
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]]> The Unveiling 223478414
Striker isn¡¯t entirely sure she should be on this luxury Antarctic cruise. A Black film scout, her mission is to photograph potential locations for a big-budget movie about Ernest Shackleton¡¯s doomed expedition. Along the way, she finds private if cautious amusement in the behavior of both the native wildlife and the group of wealthy, mostly white tourists who have chosen to spend Christmas on the Weddell Sea.

But when a kayaking excursion goes horribly wrong, Striker and a group of survivors become stranded on a remote island along the Antarctic Peninsula, a desolate setting complete with boiling geothermal vents and vicious birds. Soon the hostile environment will show each survivor their true face, and as the polar ice thaws in the unseasonable warmth, the group¡¯s secrets, prejudices, and inner demons will also emerge, including revelations from Striker¡¯s past that could irrevocably shatter her world.

With her signature lyricism and humor, Quan Barry offers neither comfort nor closure as she questions the limits of the human bonds that connect us to one another, affirming there are no such things as haunted places, only haunted people. Gripping, lucid, and imaginative, The Unveiling is an astonishing ghost story about the masks we wear and the truths we hide even from ourselves.]]> Quan Barry katarina 0 to-read 2.83 2025 The Unveiling
author: Quan Barry
name: katarina
average rating: 2.83
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/17
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]]> This Vicious Hunger 222139733 From the author of?Wild and Wicked Things comes a dark gothic fantasy about two young women struggling to find the freedom of choice in a world where their path feels predetermined. Turning to each other, they soon find themselves sinking deeper into a world of beauty, poison, and the insatiable quest for knowledge.?

Thora Grieve finds herself destitute and an outcast after the sudden death of her husband only a few weeks into their marriage, but a glimmer of hope arrives when a family friend offers her spot at a university to study botany under a famed professor. Once at the university Thora becomes entranced by a mysterious young woman, Olea, who emerges each night to tend to the plants in the professor's private garden.
?
Thora soon that a mysterious illness prevents Olea from leaving the garden. Hungry for connection, Thora befriends Olea through the garden gate and their relationship quickly and intensely blossoms. The visceral connection between Thora and Olea unlocks an obsessive desire in Thora as she throws herself into finding a cure for Olea's ailment. But is this really love or is it merely lustful intoxication? Thora's finally found the freedom to pursue her deepest desires, but at what cost?]]> 432 Francesca May 0316287539 katarina 0 to-read 5.00 2025 This Vicious Hunger
author: Francesca May
name: katarina
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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]]> I, Medusa: A Novel 228142988 From New York Times bestselling author Ayana Gray comes a new kind of villain origin story, reimagining one of the most iconic monsters in Greek mythology as a provocative and powerful young heroine.

Meddy has spent her whole life as a footnote in someone else¡¯s story. Out of place next to her beautiful, immortal sisters and her parents¡ªboth gods, albeit minor ones¡ªshe dreams of leaving her family¡¯s island for a life of adventure. So when she catches the eye of the goddess Athena, who invites her to train as an esteemed priestess in her temple, Meddy leaps at the chance to see the world beyond her home.

In Athens¡¯ colorful market streets and the clandestine chambers of the temple, Meddy flourishes in her role as Athena¡¯s favored acolyte, getting her first tastes of purpose and power. But when she is noticed by another Olympian, Poseidon, a drunken night between girl and god ends in violence, and the course of Meddy¡¯s promising future is suddenly and irrevocably altered.

Her locs transformed into snakes as punishment for a crime she did not commit, Medusa must embrace a new identity¡ªnot as a victim, but as a vigilante¡ªand with it, the chance to write her own story as mortal, martyr, and myth.

Exploding with rage, heartbreak, and love, I, Medusa portrays a young woman caught in the cross currents between her heart¡¯s deepest desires and the cruel, careless games the Olympian gods play.]]> 504 Ayana Gray katarina 0 to-read 4.62 I, Medusa: A Novel
author: Ayana Gray
name: katarina
average rating: 4.62
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]]> The Weight of the Stars 36952571
One day she meets Alexandria: a furious loner who spurns Ryann¡¯s offer of friendship. After a horrific accident leaves Alexandria with a broken arm, the two misfits are brought together despite themselves¡ªand Ryann learns her secret: Alexandria¡¯s mother is an astronaut who volunteered for a one-way trip to the edge of the solar system.

Every night without fail, Alexandria waits to catch radio signals from her mother. And its up to Ryann to lift her onto the roof day after day until the silence between them grows into friendship, and eventually something more . . .

In K. Ancrum¡¯s signature poetic style, this slow-burn romance will have you savoring every page.

An Imprint Book]]> 384 K. Ancrum 1250101638 katarina 5 k ancrum books are like crack, addicting and leave you wanting more]]> 3.95 2019 The Weight of the Stars
author: K. Ancrum
name: katarina
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
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*4.5 rounded up
k ancrum books are like crack, addicting and leave you wanting more
]]> Sunburn 75715117 Selected as an Evening Standard 'one to watch in 2023'

It's the early 1990s, and in the Irish village of Crossmore, Lucy feels out of place. Despite her fierce friendships, she's always felt this way, and the conventional path of marriage and motherhood doesn't appeal to her at all. Not even with handsome and doting Martin, her closest childhood friend.

Lucy begins to make sense of herself during a long hot summer, when a spark with her school friend Susannah escalates to an all-consuming infatuation, and, very quickly, to a desperate and devastating love.

Fearful of rejection from her small and conservative community, Lucy begins living a double life, hiding the most honest parts of herself in stolen moments with Susannah.

But with the end of school and the opportunity to leave Crossmore looming, Lucy must choose between two places, two people and two futures, each as terrifying as the other. But only one can offer her real happiness.

Sunburn is an astute and tender portrayal of first love, adolescent anxiety and the realities of growing up in a small town where tradition holds people tightly in its grasp.]]> 288 Chloe Michelle Howarth 0857308416 katarina 0 physical-tbr 4.33 2023 Sunburn
author: Chloe Michelle Howarth
name: katarina
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/14
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]]> <![CDATA[Fire from Heaven (Alexander the Great, #1)]]> 67697
In Alexander's childhood, his defiant character was molded into the makings of a king. His mother, Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son's loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance from the cradle. His love for the youth Hephaistion, on whom he depended for he rest of his life, taught him trust, whilst Aristotle's tutoring provoked his mind and Homer's Iliad fuelled his aspirations. He killed his first man in battle at the age of twelve and became the commander of Macedon's cavalry at eighteen - by the time his father was murdered and he acceded to the throne, Alexander's skills had grown to match his fiery ambition.]]> 375 Mary Renault 0375726829 katarina 0 to-read 3.98 1969 Fire from Heaven (Alexander the Great, #1)
author: Mary Renault
name: katarina
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1969
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/14
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]]> <![CDATA[The Six Deaths of the Saint (Into Shadow, #3)]]> 62991463
Always mindful of the debt she owes, the girl finds her worth as a weapon in the hand of the Prince. Her victories make him a king, then an emperor. The bards sing her name and her enemies fear it. But the war never ends and the cost keeps rising¡ªhow many times will she repeat her own story?]]> 31 Alix E. Harrow 166250957X katarina 0 to-read 4.32 2022 The Six Deaths of the Saint (Into Shadow, #3)
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: katarina
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2022
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/03/13
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]]> ITCH! 219443138 *** THE FOLK HORROR NOVEL CRAWLING UNDER YOUR SKIN FOR HALLOWEEN 2025 ***

Something moves on the forest floor . . .

Josie is at rock bottom. Burned out, heartbroken and recovering from an abusive relationship, she lives a haunted existence after returning to her isolated hometown on the edge of the Forest of Dean.

But the tall, dense pine trees are not the only things casting shadows across her skin.

Josie's hopes of a fresh start are horribly derailed when she stumbles across a dead woman's decaying, ant-infested body in the woods. The grim discovery sends her into a downward spiral, forcing her to face uncomfortable truths about the victim and her own past - all whilst battling the swarming black ants that seem to have burrowed into her mind . . . and her flesh.

As Josie struggles with infestations of all kinds, she scratches the surface of an age-old mystery - a masked predator stalks the forest around Ellwood, a place deeply gripped by ancient folklore and strange customs. So when the village dresses up for its annual festival, Josie gets closer and closer to unveiling a monster, and begins to ask

Are these dark crawling insects leading her to uncover the truth?
Or is she their next victim?]]> Gemma Amor 1399745387 katarina 0 to-read 5.00 ITCH!
author: Gemma Amor
name: katarina
average rating: 5.00
book published:
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date added: 2025/03/13
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]]> The Charioteer 18881848 Mary Renault¡¯s landmark novel about a wounded soldier who returns from the front and must choose between relationships with two very different men

After being wounded at Dunkirk in World War II, Laurie Odell is sent back home to a rural British hospital. Standing out among the orderlies is Andrew, a bright conscientious objector raised as a Quaker and uncertain about his sexuality. A burgeoning romance develops between the two men, but it is tested when Ralph, a friend of Laurie¡¯s from school, re-enters his life, introducing him into a milieu of jaded, more experienced gay men. Is it the idealism and innocence of Andrew that Laurie should embrace, or the sense of belonging within gay culture that Ralph offers??


Celebrated for its literary brilliance and sincere depiction of homosexuality, The Charioteer is a stirring and beautifully rendered portrayal of love.


This ebook features an illustrated biography of Mary Renault including rare images of the author.]]> 354 Mary Renault 148043311X katarina 5
Special shoutout to Cody for putting this on my radar, their book recs never miss!!!

Laurie Odell is 100% a new favorite character for me. Dude is absolutely going through it. He is the embodiment of flying too close to the sun and getting scared when it starts to feel too real. But he is an icon and he is the moment nonetheless. You can¡¯t help but feel for him as he navigates being a queer man during the WWII era while also juggling two love interests.

Now onto Ralph and Andrew. Ralph Lanyon!!! Why am I lowkey swooning for you. He was such an intriguing and interesting character, really stealing the show every time he was on page. And Andrew, gahhhh he was actually the sweetest ever. When he was off page I would borderline forget about him but then the second he was there I couldn¡¯t help but melt. He needs to be protected at all costs. There were so many parallels between Laurie and Ralph vs Laurie and Andrew and it actually made me feel so insane. The love triangle in this was done exceptionally well and these dynamics will be sticking with me for a while.

The second half of this book really had me going through it. Those final 3 chapters the angst was at an all time high. I'm honestly surprised I made it out. I had to pause and collect my thoughts multiple times due to the immense tension (not that I¡¯m complaining, we all know anything angsty is an automatic yes from me).

This is one of those books that would benefit from multiple reads. I had to really lock in because there is so much hidden within the lines. I listened to the audiobook with the ebook pulled up at the same time for full optimization plus it made it easier to take notes. I will also vouch for the audiobook 100% the narration really brought each of the characters to life. I ended my read with over 100 highlights and I¡¯m still not even sure I gathered the full idea of everything. Upon finishing I¡¯ve started scouring all the reddit threads and live journal posts for further explanations. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up rereading this as early as next year.

This is definitely worth the read and I¡¯m surprised it doesn¡¯t have more attention online given the strides it made for queer literature at the time.]]> 4.13 1953 The Charioteer
author: Mary Renault
name: katarina
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1953
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves:
review:
This book deserves more hype, point blank.

Special shoutout to Cody for putting this on my radar, their book recs never miss!!!

Laurie Odell is 100% a new favorite character for me. Dude is absolutely going through it. He is the embodiment of flying too close to the sun and getting scared when it starts to feel too real. But he is an icon and he is the moment nonetheless. You can¡¯t help but feel for him as he navigates being a queer man during the WWII era while also juggling two love interests.

Now onto Ralph and Andrew. Ralph Lanyon!!! Why am I lowkey swooning for you. He was such an intriguing and interesting character, really stealing the show every time he was on page. And Andrew, gahhhh he was actually the sweetest ever. When he was off page I would borderline forget about him but then the second he was there I couldn¡¯t help but melt. He needs to be protected at all costs. There were so many parallels between Laurie and Ralph vs Laurie and Andrew and it actually made me feel so insane. The love triangle in this was done exceptionally well and these dynamics will be sticking with me for a while.

The second half of this book really had me going through it. Those final 3 chapters the angst was at an all time high. I'm honestly surprised I made it out. I had to pause and collect my thoughts multiple times due to the immense tension (not that I¡¯m complaining, we all know anything angsty is an automatic yes from me).

This is one of those books that would benefit from multiple reads. I had to really lock in because there is so much hidden within the lines. I listened to the audiobook with the ebook pulled up at the same time for full optimization plus it made it easier to take notes. I will also vouch for the audiobook 100% the narration really brought each of the characters to life. I ended my read with over 100 highlights and I¡¯m still not even sure I gathered the full idea of everything. Upon finishing I¡¯ve started scouring all the reddit threads and live journal posts for further explanations. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up rereading this as early as next year.

This is definitely worth the read and I¡¯m surprised it doesn¡¯t have more attention online given the strides it made for queer literature at the time.
]]> <![CDATA[The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel (The Raven Cycle: The Graphic Novels #1)]]> 221473217 The first book in Maggie Stiefvater's?#1 NYT bestselling series The Raven Cycle, now gorgeously illustrated as a graphic novel!

Blue Sargent comes from a family of psychics. Only, she has never had the same clairvoyant abilities they had and has always felt too ordinary within the magic that surrounded her. Enter Gansey, a rich student from Aglionby, the town¡¯s all-boys private school teeming with wealth, privilege, and trouble. Blue's always made it a point to stay away from its students, the Raven Boys.

But when Gansey asks her to join him and three other Raven Boys on his quest to find a long-forgotten Welsh king rumored to be sleeping beneath the mountains of their quiet Virginia town, Blue doesn¡¯t hesitate. She jumps at the chance to finally be a part of something real and full of magic, a world she was born into yet one that always stood just out of reach. Soon enough, she¡¯s swept into a strange and shifting world woven into theirs, one far more dangerous than anything they could have dreamt up.

Now reimagined as a stunning full-color graphic novel adapted by Stephanie Williams and illustrated by Sas Milledge, The Raven Boys unravels a thrilling plot around a cast of characters impossible to forget.]]> 256 Stephanie Williams 0593621174 katarina 5 That¡¯s them! That¡¯s them in full color!

As an avid enjoyer of the original Raven Cycle series this graphic novel was such a wonderful adaptation, perfect for longtime fans as well as new.

The characters are one of my favorite parts of this story and even in a graphic novel format you still feel the immense emotion and adoration for each of them. They were all so distinct in their personalities and it translated beautifully into art. I mean just look at them. Especially Noah, like I could actually cry.

The art style was so perfect for this adaptation. Everything was full of so much charm and whimsy. It was so nice to see all the iconic places in illustrated form, such as Monmouth Manufacturing, 300 Fox Way, Nino¡¯s Pizza, and of course Cabeswater. Everything felt as though it was pulled directly from my brain and I could not imagine it any other way.

The only loss from the original is with the limit of speech bubbles and text on page in graphic novels a lot of Maggie¡¯s gorgeous prose gets left out which was a highlight of the original series. Some iconic quotes were also changed a bit but that is expected to aid with the flow of the comic.

All in all, this graphic novel did not disappoint and I can¡¯t wait for the adaptations of the other books, especially The Dream Thieves.

Thank you so much to Edelweiss & Viking Books for providing me with this ARC.]]> 4.75 2025 The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel (The Raven Cycle: The Graphic Novels #1)
author: Stephanie Williams
name: katarina
average rating: 4.75
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves:
review:
4.5 rounded up*
That¡¯s them! That¡¯s them in full color!

As an avid enjoyer of the original Raven Cycle series this graphic novel was such a wonderful adaptation, perfect for longtime fans as well as new.

The characters are one of my favorite parts of this story and even in a graphic novel format you still feel the immense emotion and adoration for each of them. They were all so distinct in their personalities and it translated beautifully into art. I mean just look at them. Especially Noah, like I could actually cry.

The art style was so perfect for this adaptation. Everything was full of so much charm and whimsy. It was so nice to see all the iconic places in illustrated form, such as Monmouth Manufacturing, 300 Fox Way, Nino¡¯s Pizza, and of course Cabeswater. Everything felt as though it was pulled directly from my brain and I could not imagine it any other way.

The only loss from the original is with the limit of speech bubbles and text on page in graphic novels a lot of Maggie¡¯s gorgeous prose gets left out which was a highlight of the original series. Some iconic quotes were also changed a bit but that is expected to aid with the flow of the comic.

All in all, this graphic novel did not disappoint and I can¡¯t wait for the adaptations of the other books, especially The Dream Thieves.

Thank you so much to Edelweiss & Viking Books for providing me with this ARC.
]]> Most Valuable Player 220504469
For Mason, tutoring an airheaded jock is nothing but a distraction from a past he can't escape. What he doesn't expect is to find something worthwhile in their conversations-something softening in the ice between them. Nor does Cam expect that Mason's calm smile hides a harrowing story. As they slowly nudge through each other's steel gates, the dangerous realities beyond high school threaten their deepening bond.

But really, it's about football.]]> A.M. Woody katarina 5 favorites
This book was heavyyyyyy and had me hurting big time for these characters. While starting off the story on a lighthearted funny note you quickly get to see the deeper content it covers.

Mason and Cameron were like these little crumpled up balls of paper finally able to be smoothed back out. Seeing them both make strides towards happier lives and working to overcome their trauma made me so proud.

The connection the two of them formed together was so sweet and genuine. I was obsessed with their banter, teasing, and flirty behavior. And the nicknames!!! Every time they referred to each other as ¡°Water Boy¡± and ¡°Quarterback¡± I found myself smiling so big.

Reading this was such an emotional rollercoaster with a lot more dips than ups. So many instances had me fighting back tears and wanting to chuck my kindle across the room (let¡¯s just say some characters would¡¯ve been catching these hands) but, the soft scenes would rejuvenate me enough (I would crawl through the book to hug both of them if I could).

I highly recommend this to anyone who likes romances with strong emotional depth leaning more into darker themes.

Thank you so much to Edelweiss and Viking Books for providing me with this ARC.]]> 4.78 2025 Most Valuable Player
author: A.M. Woody
name: katarina
average rating: 4.78
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: favorites
review:
Anyone who has ever wronged Mason and Cameron WILL be dealt with.

This book was heavyyyyyy and had me hurting big time for these characters. While starting off the story on a lighthearted funny note you quickly get to see the deeper content it covers.

Mason and Cameron were like these little crumpled up balls of paper finally able to be smoothed back out. Seeing them both make strides towards happier lives and working to overcome their trauma made me so proud.

The connection the two of them formed together was so sweet and genuine. I was obsessed with their banter, teasing, and flirty behavior. And the nicknames!!! Every time they referred to each other as ¡°Water Boy¡± and ¡°Quarterback¡± I found myself smiling so big.

Reading this was such an emotional rollercoaster with a lot more dips than ups. So many instances had me fighting back tears and wanting to chuck my kindle across the room (let¡¯s just say some characters would¡¯ve been catching these hands) but, the soft scenes would rejuvenate me enough (I would crawl through the book to hug both of them if I could).

I highly recommend this to anyone who likes romances with strong emotional depth leaning more into darker themes.

Thank you so much to Edelweiss and Viking Books for providing me with this ARC.
]]> A Feast for the Eyes 223363677 Four teens must track down a local cryptid that¡¯s feeding off secrets, before their own hidden truths are exposed.

On the dreary Oregon coast, a beast who feeds on secrets¡ªknown as the Watcher¡ªlies in wait. When Shay and her girlfriend Lauren get into a fight over whether to go public with their relationship, they awaken the creature. Although Lauren is badly injured, the girls escape with their lives but can¡¯t shake the feeling of the creature¡¯s eyes tracking them.

Meanwhile, aspiring photographer Zoe is desperate to put together a portfolio worthy of earning a scholarship to attend art college. Her photography teacher praises her skill, but urges her to select more daring subjects for her submissions¡ªa tall task when Zoe¡¯s camera acts as a barrier between herself and the rest of the world.

As rumors swirl about Lauren¡¯s injuries, Shay remains steadfast in that the Watcher is to blame. She asks for Zoe¡¯s help in snapping a photo of the local legend. Proof would help Shay get her life back on track and would certainly be daring enough for Zoe¡¯s scholarship. Together with their friends Jack and Parker, they set out to expose the Watcher before its ever-creeping eyes cast the secrets they¡¯re keeping from the town¡ªand each other¡ªinto the light.

Eerily atmospheric and as piercing as eyes on the back of your head, Alex Crespo¡¯s LGBTQ+ supernatural thriller is a poignant story about the prices we pay to keep our secrets hidden¡ªsometimes for good reason. Through creeping tension and mounting horror, readers will furiously turn the pages with their breaths held.]]> 352 Alex Crespo 1682635791 katarina 0 to-read 4.50 2025 A Feast for the Eyes
author: Alex Crespo
name: katarina
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Treachery of Swans 217643704 An enthralling sapphic retelling of Swan Lake, for fans of Allison Saft and V.E Schwab.

Magic has long been outlawed in Aur¨¦al . Odile has always known she¡¯d be the one to restore it.

Raised by a sorcerer, Odile has spent years preparing for the heist of a lifetime. It¡¯s perfectly simple. Impersonate a princess, infiltrate the palace, steal the king's enchanted crown and restore magic to the kingdom.

But when the King is unexpectedly murdered, she¡¯s forced to recruit the help of Marie d'Odette, the real princess, and the two begin to unravel a web of lies and deceit that leaves Odile uncertain of who to trust.

Soon though Odile must decide ¨C her mission or the girl she¡¯s falling for?

The fate of the Kingdom depends on her making the right choice. . .]]> 352 A.B. Poranek katarina 0 to-read 4.24 2025 A Treachery of Swans
author: A.B. Poranek
name: katarina
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Greenwode (The Wode, #1) 53808706 Daring the old gods. Defying the new.
The making of a legend¡ªand a truly innovative re-imagining of Robin Hood.
Rob of Loxley and his older sister Marion have been groomed from birth to take their parents¡¯ places within the Old Religion. Despite this, when Rob finds an injured nobleman¡¯s son in the forest, neither he nor Marion understand what befriending young Gamelyn could mean for the future of their beliefs. Already the ancient spirits are fading beneath the iron of nobleman¡¯s politics and the stones of Church subjugation. More, the druid elders warn that Rob and Gamelyn are cast as sworn adversaries, locked in timeless and symbolic struggle for the greenwood¡¯s Maiden.
Instead, in a theological twist only a stroppy dissident could envision, Rob swears he¡¯ll defend the sacred woodland of the Horned God and Lady Huntress to his last breath¡ªif his god will let him be lover, not rival, to the one fated as his enemy.
But in the eyes of Gamelyn¡¯s Church, sodomy is unthinkable... and the old pagan magics are an evil that must be vanquished.

------

With a truly original take on the Robin Hood legends, this historical fantasy series sets Robin the outlaw archer as a queer, chaotic-neutral druid; Marion as pagan queen who is sister but not wife, and their consort a Christian--and thusly conflicted--nobleman.

]]> 340 J. Tullos Hennig katarina 0 to-read 3.95 2013 Greenwode (The Wode, #1)
author: J. Tullos Hennig
name: katarina
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)]]> 213243908 A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof¡ªshe begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.]]> 448 B.K. Borison 0593641191 katarina 0 dnf i¡¯m gonna be so fr the second i saw this book was over 400 pages i started getting skeptical on if it was truly worth my time, and as you can see i decided it wasn¡¯t. this was just wayyyy too cheesy for me and in the 100 pages i read basically nothing of substance happened. i can¡¯t really get a read on the characters other than the fact they¡¯ve been watered down to two personality traits¡­ unromantic boy with sick mom & hopeless romantic single mom who¡¯s previous dating life was flopping. im also not really connecting with the writing style, so much is being said yet nothing at all. this is honestly such a bummer because i absolutely adore the cover for this one! ]]> 4.10 2025 First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)
author: B.K. Borison
name: katarina
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: dnf
review:
dnf @ 24%
i¡¯m gonna be so fr the second i saw this book was over 400 pages i started getting skeptical on if it was truly worth my time, and as you can see i decided it wasn¡¯t. this was just wayyyy too cheesy for me and in the 100 pages i read basically nothing of substance happened. i can¡¯t really get a read on the characters other than the fact they¡¯ve been watered down to two personality traits¡­ unromantic boy with sick mom & hopeless romantic single mom who¡¯s previous dating life was flopping. im also not really connecting with the writing style, so much is being said yet nothing at all. this is honestly such a bummer because i absolutely adore the cover for this one!
]]> Two-Step Devil 197239494
It's 2014 in Lookout Mountain, Alabama, where the Prophet¡ªa 70-year-old man who paints his visions¡ªlives off the grid in a cabin near the Georgia border. While scrounging for materials at the local dump, the Prophet sees a car pull up to an abandoned gas station. In the back seat is a teenage girl with zip ties on her wrists, a girl he realizes he must rescue from her current life. Her name is Michael and the Prophet feels certain that she is his Big Fish, a messenger sent by God to take his apocalyptic warnings to the White House. Michael finds herself in the Prophet¡¯s remote, art-filled cabin, and as their uncertain dynamic evolves into tender friendship, she is offered a surprising opportunity to escape her past¡ªand perhaps change her future.

Moving through the worlds of the Prophet, the girl, and a beguiling devil figure who dances in the corner of their lives, Two-Step Devil is a propulsive, philosophical examination of fate and faith that dares to ask what salvation, if any, can be found in our modern world.]]> 269 Jamie Quatro 0802163130 katarina 0 to-read 3.77 2024 Two-Step Devil
author: Jamie Quatro
name: katarina
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stop Me If You've Heard This One]]> 214986196 From the New York Times bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things, a sparkling and funny new novel of entertainment, ambition, art, and love.

Cherry Hendricks might be down on her luck, but she can write the book on what makes something funny: she¡¯s a professional clown who creates raucous, zany fun at gigs all over Orlando. Between her clowning and her shifts at an aquarium store for extra cash, she¡¯s always hustling. Not to mention balancing her judgmental mother, her messy love life, and her equally messy community of fellow performers.

Things start looking up when Cherry meets Margot the Magnificent¡ªa much older lesbian magician¡ªwho seems to have worked out the lines between art, business, and life, and has a slick, successful career to prove it. With Margot¡¯s mentorship and industry connections, Cherry is sure to take her art to the next level. Plus, Margot is sexy as hell. It¡¯s not long before Cherry must decide how much she¡¯s willing to risk for Margot and for her own explosive new act¡ªand what kind of clown she wants to be under her suit.

Equal parts bravado, tenderness, and humor, and bursting with misfits, magicians, musicians, and mimes, Stop Me If You've Heard This One is a masterpiece of comedic fiction that asks big questions about art and performance, friendship and community, and the importance of timing in jokes and in life.]]> 272 Kristen Arnett 0593719778 katarina 0 to-read 3.74 2025 Stop Me If You've Heard This One
author: Kristen Arnett
name: katarina
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Anxious People 53799686
Viewing an apartment normally doesn¡¯t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.

First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she¡¯s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live¡ªand, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there¡¯s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don¡¯t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can¡¯t agree on anything. And there¡¯s Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn¡¯t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn¡¯t outside parking the car.

As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.

Rich with Fredrik Backman¡¯s ¡°pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature¡± (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People¡¯s whimsical plot serves up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.]]> 336 Fredrik Backman 1982121602 katarina 4 4.12 2019 Anxious People
author: Fredrik Backman
name: katarina
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves:
review:
how does this book manage to be so unserious yet serious at the same time
]]> The Least of My Scars 18843964
William Colton Hughes is living his fantasy: his victims are delivered to his apartment every few days. But when he's suddenly alone, no visitors, nobody to talk to but himself, he begins to lose what little of his mind he has left. Has his benefactor, his employer, been his prison warden all along? His apartment complex a hospital? Is he going to have to go back to heaving dark plastic bags into dumpsters when nobody's looking?

Or will Dashboard Mary, a mysterious woman hell-bent on revenge, get to him first?

This is William Colton Hughes. Come and knock on his door.]]> 188 Stephen Graham Jones 1940885000 katarina 0 to-read 3.75 2013 The Least of My Scars
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: katarina
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)]]> 50659467
At least, he¡¯s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she¡¯s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin¡ªand his world¡ªforever.

From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.]]> 419 Sarah J. Maas 1635575567 katarina 0 dude LICKED her tears 4.16 2015 A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: katarina
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2023/09/12
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves:
review:
dude LICKED her tears
]]> The Burial Tide 216684512 Drawing on the creatures and horrors of Irish folklore, The Burial Tide unearths our darkest how far we¡¯d go to win our freedom, and how quickly our desires blur the line between human and monster.

A woman who can¡¯t remember her death.
On an eerily quiet island off the coast of Ireland, a woman with no memory claws her way out of her grave and back to life. But not everyone welcomes the return of Mara Fitch.

An island with a terrible secret.
Inishbannock. Where strange misshapen figures watch from the trees and the roads are covered in teeth. Where two brothers gamble for nothing, the doctor only treats the dead, and the pub owner speaks in riddles. Where a poet loses and finds his soul. And a husband without a wife claims to know everything about Mara.

A past that refuses to stay buried.
As Mara returns to her life on this upside-down island, her memories begin to leech their way back to the surface. The more she remembers, the more the village will do anything to stop her . . .

But the sea remembers it all.]]> 384 Neil Sharpson 1638932026 katarina 0 to-read 4.56 The Burial Tide
author: Neil Sharpson
name: katarina
average rating: 4.56
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both]]> 185767233 Susan Choi¡¯s Trust Exercise meets Nick Hornby¡¯s High Fidelity in a Black woman¡¯s coming-of-age story, chronicling a life-changing friendship, the interplay between music fandom and identity, and the slipperiness of sanity

Set in the suburbs of Los Angeles and New York City, I Love You So Much It¡¯s Killing Us Both is an immersive journey into the life and mind of Khaki Oliver, who¡¯s perennially trying to disappear into something: a codependent friendship, an ill-advised boyfriend, the punk scene, or simply, the ether. These days it¡¯s a meaningless job and a comfortingly empty apartment. Then, after a decade of estrangement, she receives a letter from her former best friend. Fiona¡¯s throwing a party for her newly adopted daughter and wants Khaki to join the celebration.

Khaki is equal parts terrified and tempted to reconnect. Their platonic love was confusing, all-consuming, and encouraged their worst impulses. While stalling her RSVP, Khaki starts crafting the perfect mixtape¡ªrevisiting memories of formative shows, failed romances, and the ups and downs of desire and denial¡ªwhile weighing the risks and rewards of saying yes to Fiona again.

One song at a time, from 1980s hardcore to 2010s emo, the shared and separate contours of each woman¡¯s mind come into focus. Will listening to the same old songs on repeat doom Khaki to a lonely life of arrested development? Or will hindsight help her regain her sense of self and pave a healthy path for the future, with or without Fiona?]]> 336 Mariah Stovall 1593767609 katarina 0 to-read 3.17 2024 I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both
author: Mariah Stovall
name: katarina
average rating: 3.17
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Duke Steals Hearts & Other Body Parts]]> 212199595 Wielding a magic that allows him to pop off limbs, con artist Phyllis steals body parts and his partner Lucent ransoms them. Everyone who knows about Phyllis¡¯s magic is afraid of him¡ªexcept for Lucent. But his partner¡¯s love comes with one condition: Phyllis must keep stealing. But when a mark can¡¯t afford ransom for his missing nose, Phyllis loses his resolve. The man claims his sister, Adeline, was taken, and without her money he can¡¯t pay until she¡¯s found.

Intrigued, Phyllis investigates Adeline¡¯s disappearance, but she is not the only missing girl in their seedy city. To gain answers from the nobility, Phyllis masquerades as a duke¡ªLord Phillip of Rabbiton¡ªand begins to fall in love with both stories of Adeline and the man he¡¯s becoming to try and find her. Soon, he¡¯s not sure he ever wants to return to Lucent and their life of crime together.

When he finally finds Adeline with another missing girl, it turns out they¡¯re not dead¡ªbut undead.

To win Adeline¡¯s heart and break from his toxic past, Phillip will have to scheme to keep his title and master his evolving magic.]]> 352 Elias Cold katarina 0 to-read 4.19 The Duke Steals Hearts & Other Body Parts
author: Elias Cold
name: katarina
average rating: 4.19
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Language of Limbs 218153837 "The prose is textured, viscous almost, an ooze of sweet honey shot through with golden light . . . A Language of Limbs is a novel of (impeccable) vibes and mood, a gay hymnal written from inside the guts of the two protagonists."
¡ªYves Rees, Australian Book Review

A beautifully inventive, tender novel¡ªthe author's first to be published in the U.S.¡ªfollowing two lives as they almost intersect over three heartbreaking yet euphoric decades

A Language of Limbs is a breathtaking spin on a will-they-won¡¯t-they love story; it is a tender epic that explores the weight of a choice, the love of community, and how joy is found in even the darkest corners.
Newcastle, Australia, 1972. On a sticky summer night, a choice must be made: to give in to queer desire or suppress it? To venture into the unknown or stay the course? In alternating chapters, poetically called Limb One and Limb Two, we trace the two versions of a life that follow.
In Limb One, a teenage girl is caught kissing her neighbor and is kicked from her home; in continuing to run, she chooses a new life for herself. She lands at a queer communal home in Sydney called Uranian House, where she meets the people who will forever become her family. Meanwhile, in Limb Two, a teenage girl pushes down her lustful dreams of her best friend and eventually makes her way to a university in Sydney to study English literature.
During pivotal moments, the physical space between Limb One and Limb Two closes and they almost intersect¡ªlike when they each meet the first great loves of their lives in 1977 at a protest, or when, almost a decade later, they are both rushed to the hospital with only a curtain between them. Through the AIDS crisis¡ªand from classrooms to art galleries, beds to bars, and hospitals to homes¡ªwe witness these two lives shadow each other until, finally, they collide.]]> 304 Dylin Hardcastle 0593852710 katarina 0 to-read 4.62 2024 A Language of Limbs
author: Dylin Hardcastle
name: katarina
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Isn't It Obvious? 222376489
When high school librarian Yael¡¯s secret podcast starts to take off, she decides to hire Kevin, a remote freelance editor/producer so she can manage juggling her mental health, day job, and the queer teen book club she¡¯s been hosting at school after hours. To maintain her anonymity, they communicate strictly via email and Kevin only knows her by her podcast persona, Elle.

Little does Yael know that Kevin, who in real life goes by his middle name, Ravi, is the same man she tore apart for climbing out of her bedroom window after a one night stand with her roommate, Charlie. And she certainly never expects him to show up to volunteer at her book club.

In person, Yael and Ravi clash until their sparks turn into something more. Over email, Elle and Kevin are starting to fall hard when they decide to keep things strictly professional. But when Ravi discovers the truth, will keeping it a secret mean the end of everything he¡¯s built with Yael/Elle? And what happens when she finds out? Will they fall twice as hard, or cut ties in more ways than one?]]> 320 Rachel Runya Katz 1250369975 katarina 0 to-read 4.67 Isn't It Obvious?
author: Rachel Runya Katz
name: katarina
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder]]> 58045504 An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here.

The most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh's novels, Brideshead Revisited looks back to the golden age before the Second World War. It tells the story of Charles Ryder's infatuation with the Marchmains and the rapidly-disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. Enchanted first by Sebastian at Oxford, then by his doomed Catholic family, in particular his remote sister, Julia, Charles comes finally to recognize only his spiritual and social distance from them.]]> 480 Evelyn Waugh 0141182482 katarina 0 to-read 4.04 1945 Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder
author: Evelyn Waugh
name: katarina
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1945
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Untitled (All for the Game, #6)]]> 228362986 Nora Sakavic katarina 0 to-read 5.00 2025 Untitled (All for the Game, #6)
author: Nora Sakavic
name: katarina
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Worst-Case Scenario 227786697 New from Ray Stoeve comes an enemies-to-lovers romance about nemeses who are forced to share their school¡¯s Queer Alliance presidency following a tie in the election.

Sidney has one goal for their junior year. Well . . . two, if they¡¯re being honest. Number become president of their school¡¯s Queer Alliance club. And number keep their self-diagnosed anxiety in check so their grades don¡¯t tank like they did last year.

But when the election results in a tie with none other than Sidney¡¯s arch nemesis, the class clown Forrest, the two are forced to share the presidency until a revote at the end of term. Sidney expects Forrest to be insufferable, but it turns out that working together is . . . kind of nice?

As surprising feelings for Forrest emerge, Sidney¡¯s techniques for managing their anxiety stop working. With the reelection approaching and assignments starting to pile up, will all this pressure be too much for Sidney to handle on their own?]]> 304 Ray Stoeve 1419764993 katarina 0 to-read 0.0 2026 Worst-Case Scenario
author: Ray Stoeve
name: katarina
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2026
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Open Wide 227786718 A provocative novel about intimacy, love, and consent, following an increasingly obsessive radio host who tests boundaries she didn¡¯t know existed

Olive is desperate to get close to Theo¡ªreally, really close. She¡¯s always struggled to connect with people. And now she¡¯s in her thirties, single, and so flustered by relationships that she secretly records her conversations, hoping to decipher social clues and find a way to be less alone.

Then Theo turns up for a shift at the same food pantry where she volunteers. He¡¯s a surgeon fascinated by human organs, a former soccer player, and possibly as weird as Olive. For the first time, someone seems to crave and understand her. Every recording Olive makes of Theo is a balm, which just makes her more afraid of losing him. The only solution seems to be to bind him to her forever. Luckily, the gap between Theo¡¯s front teeth is just wide enough for something¡ªor someone¡ªto slip inside.

Arresting and immersive, Open Wide explores the boundaries of love and the body, as universal human impulses bleed into the surreal.]]> 272 Jessica Gross 1419778986 katarina 0 to-read 4.67 2025 Open Wide
author: Jessica Gross
name: katarina
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mate (Bride, #2) 228256271 A Human hybrid and an Alpha Were claw against the bonds of fate in the highly anticipated companion novel to the New York Times bestselling Bride.

Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey to the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left¡ªif he¡¯ll have her.

As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn¡¯t matter if Serena doesn¡¯t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.

But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her¡ªand Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation¡­]]> 432 Ali Hazelwood 0593955013 katarina 0 to-read 4.46 2025 Mate (Bride, #2)
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: katarina
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Shots You Take 210202493 A sweet and sexy hockey romance about two ex-teammates and former best friends with benefits who are about to discover whether you can ever really have a second chance, from the USA TODAY bestselling author of Heated Rivalry and The Long Game.

After moving back to his hometown ten years ago, Riley Tuck thought he had left his major league hockey career¡ªand his broken heart¡ªfar behind. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, it brings ex-teammate and former best friend with benefits Adam Sheppard back into his life.

Coming to the small town of Avery River, Nova Scotia, might have been a mistake. Adam¡¯s not sure he¡¯ll ever win back Riley¡¯s trust after the way they left things¡ªand the attention he¡¯s getting as a huge hockey star isn¡¯t exactly helping. Yet the chemistry that crackles between them is undeniable, even now.

As Adam helps Riley navigate his grief, long-buried feelings start to resurface. But they¡¯ll have to square off with their complicated past if they¡¯re going to have a real shot at a new beginning.]]> 336 Rachel Reid 1335015329 katarina 2 fool me once shame on you,
fool me twice shame on me,
fool me three times¡­ wait now why did with fall for this a third time

I have some mixed feelings about this book because I absolutely live for the angst that comes with second chance romances but the reason for this being the second chance had me a bit ehhhhhhh.

A big part of the second chance trope is the reveal of why they had their falling out. Most of the time I¡¯m left underwhelmed because it¡¯s usually some stupid miscommunication but the reasoning in this book put me into next level anger. Personally if I was Riley I would not forgive Adam at all. Adam is the main reason that Riley struggled for so long and what he did to him genuinely wrecked him emotionally so him coming around in the end just couldn¡¯t be me.

I mean, although I couldn¡¯t stand what Adam did to Riley it still set up for some delicious angst. I respect that Riley stood his ground and expressed his frustrations with Adam through the book. The dialogue was packed with so much raw emotion that I really appreciated and the inclusion of a couple chapters showing their past added points for extra hurt.

The epilogue lowkey took me out though because it was giving one of those ¡°where are they now?¡± scenes at the end of movies.

This could be hit or miss with folks and I think it really comes down to how much you project yourself into stories.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin for providing me with this ARC.]]> 4.09 2025 The Shots You Take
author: Rachel Reid
name: katarina
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
*2.5 stars rounded down
fool me once shame on you,
fool me twice shame on me,
fool me three times¡­ wait now why did with fall for this a third time

I have some mixed feelings about this book because I absolutely live for the angst that comes with second chance romances but the reason for this being the second chance had me a bit ehhhhhhh.

A big part of the second chance trope is the reveal of why they had their falling out. Most of the time I¡¯m left underwhelmed because it¡¯s usually some stupid miscommunication but the reasoning in this book put me into next level anger. Personally if I was Riley I would not forgive Adam at all. Adam is the main reason that Riley struggled for so long and what he did to him genuinely wrecked him emotionally so him coming around in the end just couldn¡¯t be me.

I mean, although I couldn¡¯t stand what Adam did to Riley it still set up for some delicious angst. I respect that Riley stood his ground and expressed his frustrations with Adam through the book. The dialogue was packed with so much raw emotion that I really appreciated and the inclusion of a couple chapters showing their past added points for extra hurt.

The epilogue lowkey took me out though because it was giving one of those ¡°where are they now?¡± scenes at the end of movies.

This could be hit or miss with folks and I think it really comes down to how much you project yourself into stories.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin for providing me with this ARC.
]]> Wish You Were Her 217191631 Book Lovers meets Notting Hill with a slice of You've Got Mail in Wish You Were Her, the brand new rivals-to-lovers romance from bestselling, award-winning Elle McNicoll.

Eighteen-year-old Allegra Brooks has skyrocketed to fame after starring in a hit television show, and she's the overnight success that everyone's talking about. They just don't know she's autistic. Now, all she wants is a normal teenage summer.

Her destination for escape is the remote Lake Pristine and its annual Book Festival, organized by the dedicated but unfriendly senior bookseller, Jonah Thorne.

In small towns like Lake Pristine, misunderstandings abound, and before long the two are drawn into high-profile hostility that's a far cry from the drama-free holiday Allegra was craving. Thank goodness for her saving the increasingly personal emails she's been sharing with a charming and anonymous bookseller who is definitely not Jonah Thorne . . .

An unforgettable romcom about finding the one person who makes you feel yourself when the whole world is watching.

Praise for Elle McNicoll's Some Like it Cold:

'A clever, poignant and healing love story . . . Some Like It Cold is a heartfelt romance that is sweeping in its scope and tender in its emotional depth. McNicoll has crafted a powerful ode to love in all its of community, of home and of ourselves ¨C as well as the genre of romance itself.' -- Bea Fitzgerald, author of Girl, Goddess, Queen

'I utterly adored this book! Some Like it Cold is a warm, wonderful winter romance to cosy up with - brilliant characters, sizzling chemistry, and so full of heart, Elle has written a truly gorgeous book that¡¯s a must-read.'¨C Beth Reekles, author of The Kissing Booth

'As much an ode to the history of the romance genre as a classic yet modern love story in its own right. Achingly honest and heartfelt, this is McNicoll at her best. It is quite literally my favourite romance novel of all time.' ¨C Lizzie Huxley-Jones, author of Make You Mine this Christmas

'McNicoll delivers a breathtaking story of love and joy that will keep the reader hooked until the very last page. It was such a pleasure being immersed in Jasper's world.'¨C Anika Hussain, author of This Is How You Fall In Love

'A sweet will-they-won't-they rom-com set in a small town, dealing with autism, grief, love and being comfortable in your own skin. This is a cosy, heartwarming wintery romance. ¨C Abiola Bello, author of Only for the Holidays]]> 352 Elle McNicoll 1035027895 katarina 0 to-read 4.53 Wish You Were Her
author: Elle McNicoll
name: katarina
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy, #1)]]> 221179254 This beautiful DELUXE EDITION hardcover featuring gorgeous sprayed edges with stenciled art is only available for a limited first print run and while supplies last. This is a stunning special edition you will want to add to your collection.

YOUR NEXT ROMANTASY OBSESSION!

The war is over, the dark forces have won, and the hero who was supposed to save them is dead.

Captured as her castle is overrun by the enemy, Briony Rosewood knows that the world as she knows it is changed forever. The dark forces of Bomard have won and her people, the Eversuns, face imminent servitude, imprisonment or death. Her brother, fated to be heir twice over and unite the warring kingdoms, is dead.

Stripped of her Mind Magic and her freedom, Briony and the other survivors are quickly auctioned off to the highest bidders in an auction ¨C and as the heir-apparent¡¯s sister, she fetches the highest price.

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

Yet despite the horrors of her new world and the role she must learn to play within it, all is not lost. Help ¨C and hope ¨C may yet arise in the most unlikely of places¡­]]> 464 Julie Soto 1538771225 katarina 0 to-read 4.59 2025 Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy, #1)
author: Julie Soto
name: katarina
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/25
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]]> The River Has Roots 211004176 Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and meet two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death.

¡°Oh what is stronger than a death? Two sisters singing with one breath.¡±

In the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, dwells the mysterious Hawthorn family.

There, they tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honour an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. None more devotedly than the family¡¯s latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees.

But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters¡¯ bond but also their lives will be at risk¡­]]> 133 Amal El-Mohtar 1250341086 katarina 0 to-read 4.21 2025 The River Has Roots
author: Amal El-Mohtar
name: katarina
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/25
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]]> Loca 214151927 From Lambda Literary Award¨Cwinning author Alejandro Heredia comes a spellbinding debut about intersectionality, enduring friendship, and found family set at the turn of the millennium in 1999, following two Afro-Caribbean friends as they journey beyond the confined expectations of their home country in the Dominican Republic and begin new lives in New York City.

Sal and Charo, two best friends from Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, arrive in New York City and dream of making the United States their new home¡ªbut for very different reasons. Charo left Santa Domingo to escape the life of domesticity that was all but guaranteed for women like her, but soon finds herself in the exact situation she tried to partnered to a controlling man, mother of a young child, and working long hours as a cashier. Sal on the other hand, fled Santa Domingo after an unspeakable tragedy, hoping that the distance would allow him a fresh start. But trauma keeps him in its grips, and he¡¯s unable to move on.

With both friends feeling the same pressures in New York that forced them from their homes, a chance outing at a gay bar introduces Sal to Vance, an African American gay man whose romantic relationship with Sal challenges him to confront the trauma of his past. Through Vance, Charo befriends Ella, an African American trans woman, and Ella¡¯s refusal to be who or what society dictates she should be inspires Charo to reckon with the role she¡¯s grown comfortable in. Sal and Charo soon find themselves part of a queer intersectional community who disrupt the status quo of gender politics and conformity, allowing both to create the family and identities they¡¯ve always longed for.]]> 352 Alejandro Heredia 1668050463 katarina 0 to-read 3.93 2025 Loca
author: Alejandro Heredia
name: katarina
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/25
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]]> A Separate Peace 22923684 288 John Knowles 1471139107 katarina 0 to-read 3.63 1959 A Separate Peace
author: John Knowles
name: katarina
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1959
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Golden Raven (All for the Game, #5)]]> 228271766 I do not care what they think of me. I can¡¯t. It only matters that I play.

Jeremy Knox is no stranger to damage control, but his last season on an Exy court is off to a disastrous start. The relentless crusade against his newest teammate threatens the haven he and his friends have worked so hard to build. He promised Jean a fun senior year, but tragedy and ugly truths make every step forward an uphill fight.

Jean Moreau promised the USC Trojans a championship trophy, and he intends to deliver. Granted, it would be significantly easier if they¡¯d slide off their high horses and throw a few elbows on the court. Their steadfast refusal to do things his way is nearly as aggravating as their unwanted affection, but maybe they¡¯re not the ones that need to change.

With so many ready to drag him down, how can he learn to fly?]]> 484 Nora Sakavic katarina 5 4.75 2025 The Golden Raven (All for the Game, #5)
author: Nora Sakavic
name: katarina
average rating: 4.75
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves:
review:
you have no idea how much these characters mean to me
]]> Break Wide the Sea 222376655 A young woman cursed with a fatal heartbreak-induced sickness must race against time to find a cure and protect her family legacy from the ancient finfolk that would destroy it, the fianc¨¦ that would kill her for it, and the boy who would love her if she forsook it.

The seafaring humans of Kirkrell have always been plagued by finfolk¡ªbloodthirsty fae who haunt the seas, sinking ships and cursing bloodlines. Yet it¡¯s only by hunting magical whales that Kirkrell can prosper. Nineteen-year-old Annie is heir to the Fairfax Whaling Company, but their family's success came at a cost: a curse by which heartbreak turns Fairfaxes slowly into monsters. And six years ago, the shipwreck that killed Annie¡¯s parents left her with scales spreading up her arms, claws sprouting from her fingertips.

The love of her fianc¨¦, August, salved her heart for a while¡ªbut when she learns August is maneuvering to take over the company, the curse worsens. Fearing her time is running out, she strikes a bargain with a disreputable young captain, half-finfolk and half-human Silas Price: on a voyage to hunt whales in the far north, Silas will take Annie to the finfolk queen, who can lift the curse in return for a promise to end whaling forever.

As Annie, August and Silas sail north, she is determined to uphold her family¡¯s legacy, but the threat of the finfolk tests her resolve. Lies corrupt her relationship with August; meanwhile a dangerous connection with Silas blooms¡ªbut he¡¯s keeping secrets too, and his might be the most dangerous of all.

As heiress, it¡¯s Annie¡¯s responsibility to deliver whale magic to her city. But as heartbreak looms, she must choose between saving herself and her family¡¯s legacy¡ªand hope it doesn¡¯t cost her everyone she loves.]]> 336 Sara Holland 1250854490 katarina 0 to-read 4.75 2025 Break Wide the Sea
author: Sara Holland
name: katarina
average rating: 4.75
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> My Roommate from Hell 222361626 Cale Dietrich's next swoon-worthy YA rom com, about an ambitious college student whose plans get derailed when he discovers his roommate is the prince of hell.

Owen is not going to college to have fun. Nothing is going to stop him from achieving his goals: study hard, get a good job, and set himself up for the rest of his life. The last thing he needs is to have a loud, obnoxious, and infuriatingly hot roommate. Especially since said roommate just so happens to be the prince of hell.

Prince Zarmenus has come to Point University for the first-ever Earth/hell exchange program, and he's determined to make the most of it. Which may or may not include wild parties, bringing in random boys to his and Owen's room, and accidentally setting Owen's furniture on fire. Sparks fly (literally) as Owen and Zar clash, but Zar's actions threaten to not only ruin Owen's peaceful college life, but demon-human relations as well. To clean up his image, he asks Owen to be his fake boyfriend and teach him how to be a better human in exchange for an internship that will secure Owen¡¯s future. That, and Zar will consider being a better roommate.

A deal is struck, and the two start pretending to be in a relationship where they each have agendas of their own. Only Owen has a secret¨Ddating his mortal enemy, even if it¡¯s fake, is the most fun he's ever had.

Charming and fun, My Roommate from Hell is a rom com with a magical twist. Think just one bed, but that bed is in hell, surrounded by fire and brimstone.]]> 352 Cale Dietrich 1250887798 katarina 0 to-read 4.00 2025 My Roommate from Hell
author: Cale Dietrich
name: katarina
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Katabasis 210191773 Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor¡¯s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.

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

Grimes is now in Hell, and she¡¯s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.]]> 560 R.F. Kuang 0063021471 katarina 0 to-read 4.26 2025 Katabasis
author: R.F. Kuang
name: katarina
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Backhanded Compliments 220160409 A steamy sapphic romance with a fantastical twist about two bitter tennis rivals who realize they are reluctant soulmates¡ªperfect for fans of Expiration Dates and Here We Go Again.

Juliette Ricci dreams of only one being the best women¡¯s tennis player in the world. She¡¯s worked nonstop with her strict father/coach to prepare for her big chance in the Australian Open. Unfortunately, she¡¯ll be playing Lucky Luca Kacic, an aloof player whose unorthodox style and reigning popularity deeply irritate Juliette.

For months they¡¯ve traded sly insults in their press conferences leading up to their showdown on the court, and their first ever match is the most anticipated of the season. But Juliette refuses to let her nerves¡ªor Luca¡¯s annoyingly perfect abs¡ªget the best of her.

Meanwhile, Luca seemingly has everything Juliette desires but there¡¯s one thing missing from her love. When she shakes hands with Juliette after an agonizing match and sees her rival¡¯s name appear on her wrist, it feels like a cruel joke. Juliette is a spoiled, arrogant brat who wants absolutely nothing to do with Luca or a soulmate.

But despite their personal and professional clashes, the two grow closer after late-night massages and one too many shots of limoncello. Their chemistry is tangible, but Luca¡¯s anxiety tells her that Juliette is just messing with her head to throw her off her game, and Juliette can¡¯t understand why Luca is so hot and cold. With the pressure of the world scrutinizing their every move, they will have to decide what¡¯s more important¡ªbeing together or being number one.]]> 368 Katie Chandler 1668086786 katarina 0 to-read 3.32 2025 Backhanded Compliments
author: Katie Chandler
name: katarina
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Open, Heaven 216522629 A stunning debut novel from the acclaimed young Irish poet Se¨¢n Hewitt, reminiscent of Garth Greenwell and Douglas Stuart in the intensity of its evocation of sexual awakening.

Set in a remote village in the North of England, Open, Heaven unfolds over the course of one year in which two sixteen year old boys meet and transform each other¡¯s lives.

James¡ªa sheltered, shy sixteen-year-old¡ªis alone in his newly discovered sexuality, full of an unruly desire but entirely inexperienced. As he is beginning to understand himself and his longings, he also realizes how his feelings threaten to separate him from his family and the rural community he has grown up in. He dreams of another life, fantasizing about what lies beyond the village¡¯s leaf-ribboned boundaries, beyond his autonomy, tenderness, sex. Then, in the autumn of 2002, he meets Luke, a slightly older boy, handsome, unkempt, who comes with a reputation for danger. Abandoned by his parents¡ªhis father imprisoned, and his mother having moved to France for another man¡ªLuke has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle at their farm just outside the village. James is immediately drawn to him, like the pull a fire makes on the air, dragging things into it and blazing them into its hot, white centre, drawn to this boy who is beautiful and impulsive, charismatic, troubled. But underneath Luke¡¯s bravado is a deep wound¡ªa longing for the love of his father and for the stability of family life.

Open, Heaven is a novel about desire, yearning, and the terror of first love. With the striking economy and lyricism that animate his work as a poet, Hewitt has written a mesmerizing hymn to boyhood, sensuality, and love in all its forms. A truly exceptional debut.]]> 224 Se¨¢n Hewitt 0593802845 katarina 0 to-read 4.25 Open, Heaven
author: Se¨¢n Hewitt
name: katarina
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sunshine Court (All for the Game, #4)]]> 211229562 My name is Jean Moreau. My place is at Evermore. I belong to the Moriyamas.

It is a truth Jean has built his life around, a reminder this is the best he can hope for and all he deserves. But when he is stolen from Edgar Allan University and sold to a more dangerous master, Jean is forced to contend with a life outside of the Nest for the first time in five years. The Foxes call his transfer to California a fresh start; Jean knows it is little more than a golden cage.

Captain Jeremy Knox is facing his final year with the USC Trojans and fifth straight year falling short of the championships trophy he desperately craves. Taking in the nation¡¯s best defenseman is a no-brainer, even if that man is a Raven. But Jean is no monster, just a man with no hope or desire for a future, and when Evermore's collapse starts dragging Jean's hideous secrets to light, Jeremy is forced to contend with the cost of victory.]]> 347 Nora Sakavic katarina 5 favorites Jean Moreau still as tragic as ever. i finished my reread but at what cost :,(

read april 2024:
Jean is so tragic i just want to hold him]]> 4.66 2024 The Sunshine Court (All for the Game, #4)
author: Nora Sakavic
name: katarina
average rating: 4.66
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: favorites
review:
reread february 2025:
Jean Moreau still as tragic as ever. i finished my reread but at what cost :,(

read april 2024:
Jean is so tragic i just want to hold him
]]> <![CDATA[The Neighbor Favor (The Greene Sisters, #1)]]> 61111295 In this heart-fluttering romance by Kristina Forest, a shy bookworm enlists her charming neighbor to help her score a date, not knowing he's the obscure author she's been corresponding with.

Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming an editor of children's books but has been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over e-mail turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won't let herself entertain--until he ghosts her.

Months later, still crushed but determined to take charge of her life, Lily seeks a date to her sister's wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, whom she feels drawn to for unexplainable reasons. Little does she know that Nick is an author--her favorite fantasy author.

Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and for pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet woman from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over e-mail months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simple favor between two neighbors is anything but--not when he can't get her off his mind.]]> 403 Kristina Forest 0593546431 katarina 0 to-read 3.80 2023 The Neighbor Favor (The Greene Sisters, #1)
author: Kristina Forest
name: katarina
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Graceview Patient 222376946 Misery meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers in this genre-bending, claustrophobic hospital gothic from the bestselling author of The Death of Jane Lawrence.

Margaret lives with a rare autoimmune condition that has destroyed her life, leaving her isolated. It has no cure, but she¡¯s making do as best she can¡ªuntil she¡¯s offered a fully paid-for spot in an experimental medical trial at Graceview Memorial.

The conditions are simple, if grueling; she will live at the hospital as a full-time patient, subjecting herself to the near-total destruction of her immune system and its subsequent regeneration. The trial will essentially kill most of, but not all of her. But as the treatment progresses and her body begins to fail, she stumbles upon something sinister living and spreading within the hospital.

Unsure of what's real and what is just medication-induced delusion, Margaret struggles to find a way out as her body and mind succumb further to the darkness lurking throughout Graceview's halls.]]> 304 Caitlin Starling 1250340756 katarina 0 to-read 4.08 2025 The Graceview Patient
author: Caitlin Starling
name: katarina
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
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]]> Game Point 216394106 It's game, set, match in the hottest new read of 2025! Pre-order now!


When Aussie Dylan Bailey walks away from her tenth grand slam without a title, she decides to call in for early retirement. But after spending time with fellow pro and British player Oliver Anderson, he convinces her she still has one last title fight left in her.
Together, they embark on a journey of rediscovery and second chances, as Dylan and Oliver navigate the highs and lows of professional tennis while falling deeper in love with each passing match.


Tennis Sport Romance
Pro-Athletes
Friends to Lovers
Coach x Player
Golden Retriever x Black Cat
Roommates]]> Meg Jones 1405973544 katarina 0 to-read 4.08 Game Point
author: Meg Jones
name: katarina
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
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]]> This Is Not a Ghost Story 199793438 Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Amerie¡¯s?dazzling,?satirical adult debut tells the story of?a Black man who walks into the light¡­to find himself in Los Angeles, where he becomes an instant celebrity for being the first visible and verifiable ghost.?

John¡¯s House provides all he needs. Surrounded by a vast, beautiful ocean under a void of sky, the House is John¡¯s haven. He is alone, but never lonely; he is here now, but neither remembers nor longs for a before. In his House, John is safe and untroubled.

But then a terrible shadow creature breaks in¡ªand it wants him out. Pushed from the House, John falls into the light¡­

And finds himself in modern-day Los Angeles, the first person to ever come back from the other side. Though he has no memory of his past life, or even how he died, everyone wants to know more about the Black man who has returned from the dead¡ªis he the second coming? A hoax? Or something beyond explanation? Soon he has brand deals, TV interviews, and politicians aiming to use him for their agendas, yet all John wants is to go home.

But going home will require, most unfortunately, help. In search of a way back, John grudgingly joins forces with a mystic holding dubious qualifications, a hard-edged publicist bent on making him famous, and an aspiring actress who is unsettlingly familiar. With this ragtag band of allies, John begins a journey to find his House on the ocean¡ªbut getting there will prove more complicated than he imagined, for it will require not only trusting in someone other than himself, but will mean uncovering painful truths about who John was in life and, perhaps most difficult, who he must become.

A gorgeous, tender story of hope, sacrifice, and what it means to be human,?This Is Not a Ghost Story introduces an astonishing new voice in literary fiction.]]> 304 Amerie 0358653088 katarina 0 to-read 4.08 This Is Not a Ghost Story
author: Amerie
name: katarina
average rating: 4.08
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
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]]> Between Friends & Lovers 199532113 Talia Hibbert meets Carley Fortune in this swoon-worthy story of love and friendship in the age of social media¡ªwhere what you see might not be all you get.

To her countless Instagram followers Josephine Boateng is the dazzling Dr. Jojo¡ªand her opinions on health, growth, and self-love matter. Her message: be smart (she has a medical degree after all), be significant, and do not put up with foolish men.

But behind the camera, Jo¡¯s story is more complicated¡ªshe finds her influencer career underwhelming; her potential career in medicine overwhelming, and she¡¯s hung up on her best friend, nepo-baby and romcom heartthrob Ezra Adelman. When Ezra shows up to his thirtieth birthday party with her childhood bully on his arm, however, Josephine realizes that it¡¯s time to take her own advice and prioritize herself for once.

No one is more shocked than Malcolm Waters when his debut novel turns him into a critic¡¯s darling. When he¡¯s invited to a swanky penthouse party to discuss turning his book into a film, he knows rubbing elbows with the elites of entertainment will be great for his career. The only problem: he¡¯s not good with people, and even worse at networking.

Just when he¡¯s about to throw in the towel, he¡¯s rescued by none other than Dr. Jojo. He¡¯s been following her on social media for years, and she¡¯s even more impressive in real life. And to his bewilderment, the feeling is mutual.

But in a world where the lines between private and public are as blurred as those between friendship and love, can they risk it all for something real?]]> 368 Shirlene Obuobi 0063307316 katarina 0 to-read 3.84 2024 Between Friends & Lovers
author: Shirlene Obuobi
name: katarina
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Girl Dinner 222376577 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six , Girl Dinner is a darkly-fun novel about power, lust, and eating your fill, as wealthy moms and sorority girls practice a sinister new wellness trend . . .

Good girls deserve a treat.

Every member of The House, the most exclusive sorority on campus, and all its alumni, are beautiful, high-achieving, and universally respected.

After a freshman year she would rather forget, sophomore Nina Kaur knows being one of the chosen few accepted into The House is the first step in her path to the brightest possible future. Once she's taken into their fold, the House will surely ease her fears of failure and protect her from those who see a young woman on her own as easy prey.

Meanwhile, adjunct professor Dr. Sloane Hartley is struggling to return to work after accepting a demotion to support her partner's new position at the cutthroat University. After 18 months at home with her newborn daughter, Sloane's clothes don¡¯t fit right, her girl-dad husband isn¡¯t as present as he thinks he is, and even the few hours a day she's apart from her child fill her psyche with paralyzing ennui. When invited to be The House¡¯s academic liaison, Sloane enviously drinks in the way the alumnae seem to have it all, achieving a level of collective perfection that Sloane so desperately craves.

As Nina and Sloane each get drawn deeper into the arcane rituals of the sisterhood, they learn that living well comes with bloody costs. And when they are finally invited to the table, they will have to decide just how much they can stomach in the name of solidarity and power.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 368 Olivie Blake 1250883458 katarina 0 to-read 4.14 2025 Girl Dinner
author: Olivie Blake
name: katarina
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/13
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]]> In the Absence of Men 220160188 From the author of the international bestseller Lie with Me comes the tale of an affair between an aristocratic teenager and a soldier, as they discover the possibilities and perils of first love.

Summer, 1916. With German Zeppelins on the skyline, the men of Paris are off at war. For Vincent, sixteen and still too young to fight, this moment of dread is also a moment of possibility. An electrifying encounter with Marcel, an enigmatic middle-aged writer, draws Vincent¡¯s desires out into the light. As he¡¯s taken under Marcel¡¯s wing, Vincent begins a dangerous affair with Arthur, the son of his governess and a young soldier on leave. Together, they share a secret that everyone seems to know and yet everyone remains silent about.

In this stunning portrait of young love, Philippe Besson depicts a young man who plays by his own rules and is not afraid of who he is. In the afternoons, Vincent is mentored by Marcel, the great novelist, in the city¡¯s opulent caf¨¦s as they draw the judgment of society. And at night, he hides Arthur in his bedroom as the two risk everything to be together. Their affair initiates them into a world of pleasure and shields them from the encroaching war. During this magical week away from the trenches, Vincent shelters Arthur with happiness, reassuring him, ¡°Nothing will happen to you.¡±

Tender and harrowing, In the Absence of Men captures how exhilarating and heart-crushing it is to fall in love for the first time. Besson¡¯s award-winning novel ¡°beautifully captures the romance and amorality of gilded youth¡± (The Independent).]]> 176 Philippe Besson 1668089823 katarina 0 to-read 3.82 2001 In the Absence of Men
author: Philippe Besson
name: katarina
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hinterland 215181818
It won¡¯t be easy. Winter is on their heels, hunters are searching for them, and the strange rituals they perform will rip his humanity from his flesh. But Kestrel isn¡¯t alone. One of the strangers claims to be his friend from before, and there are others willing to join his side and leave the wilderness... if the gods let them.]]> Logan Spurgeon katarina 0 to-read 5.00 Hinterland
author: Logan Spurgeon
name: katarina
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Pan 220687903 ¡°I steal language and ideas from Michael Clune.¡± ¨DBen Lerner, Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of The Topeka School

A strange and brilliant teenager's first panic attacks lead him down the rabbit hole in this wild, highly anticipated debut novel from one of our most distinctive literary minds.

Nicholas is fifteen when he forgets how to breathe. He had plenty of reason to feel unstable already: He¡¯s been living with his dad in the bleak Chicago suburbs since his Russian-born mom kicked him out. Then one day in geometry class, Nicholas suddenly realizes that his hands are objects. The doctor says it¡¯s just panic, but Nicholas suspects that his real problem might not be a psychiatric one: maybe the Greek god Pan is trapped inside his body. As his paradigm for his own consciousness crumbles, Nicholas; his best friend, Ty; and his maybe-girlfriend, Sarah, hunt for answers why¡ªin Oscar Wilde and in Charles Baudelaire, in rock and roll and in Bach, and in the mysterious, drugged-out Barn, where their classmate Tod¡¯s charismatic older brother Ian leads the high schoolers in rituals that might end up breaking more than just the law.

Thrilling, cerebral, and startlingly funny, Pan is a new masterpiece of the coming-of-age genre by Guggenheim fellow and literary scholar Michael Clune, whose memoir of heroin addiction, White Out¡ªnamed one of The New Yorker¡¯s best books of the year¡ªearned him a cult readership. Now, in Pan, the great novel of our age of anxiety, Clune drops us inside the human psyche, where we risk discovering that the forces controlling our inner lives could be more alien than we want to let ourselves believe.]]> 336 Michael Clune 0593834429 katarina 0 to-read 4.67 Pan
author: Michael Clune
name: katarina
average rating: 4.67
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Isn't It Obvious? 222361669
When high school librarian Yael¡¯s secret podcast starts to take off, she decides to hire Kevin, a remote freelance editor/producer so she can manage juggling her mental health, day job, and the queer teen book club she¡¯s been hosting at school after hours. To maintain her anonymity, they communicate strictly via email and Kevin only knows her by her podcast persona, Elle.

Little does Yael know that Kevin, who in real life goes by his middle name, Ravi, is the same man she tore apart for climbing out of her bedroom window after a one night stand with her roommate, Charlie. And she certainly never expects him to show up to volunteer at her book club.

In person, Yael and Ravi clash until their sparks turn into something more. Over email, Elle and Kevin are starting to fall hard when they decide to keep things strictly professional. But when Ravi discovers the truth, will keeping it a secret mean the end of everything he¡¯s built with Yael/Elle? And what happens when she finds out? Will they fall twice as hard, or cut ties in more ways than one?]]> Rachel Runya Katz 1250369983 katarina 0 to-read 5.00 Isn't It Obvious?
author: Rachel Runya Katz
name: katarina
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/10
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Break Wide the Sea (Break Wide the Sea, #1)]]> 60388998 A young woman cursed with a fatal heartbreak-induced sickness must race against time to find a cure and protect her family legacy from the ancient finfolk that would destroy it, the fianc¨¦ that would kill her for it, and the boy who would love her if she forsook it.

The seafaring humans of Kirkrell have always been plagued by finfolk¡ªbloodthirsty fae who haunt the seas, sinking ships and cursing bloodlines. Yet it¡¯s only by hunting magical whales that Kirkrell can prosper. Nineteen-year-old Annie is heir to the Fairfax Whaling Company, but their family's success came at a cost: a curse by which heartbreak turns Fairfaxes slowly into monsters. And six years ago, the shipwreck that killed Annie¡¯s parents left her with scales spreading up her arms, claws sprouting from her fingertips.

The love of her fianc¨¦, August, salved her heart for a while¡ªbut when she learns August is maneuvering to take over the company, the curse worsens. Fearing her time is running out, she strikes a bargain with a disreputable young captain, half-finfolk and half-human Silas Price: on a voyage to hunt whales in the far north, Silas will take Annie to the finfolk queen, who can lift the curse in return for a promise to end whaling forever.

As Annie, August and Silas sail north, she is determined to uphold her family¡¯s legacy, but the threat of the finfolk tests her resolve. Lies corrupt her relationship with August; meanwhile a dangerous connection with Silas blooms¡ªbut he¡¯s keeping secrets too, and his might be the most dangerous of all.

As heiress, it¡¯s Annie¡¯s responsibility to deliver whale magic to her city. But as heartbreak looms, she must choose between saving herself and her family¡¯s legacy¡ªand hope it doesn¡¯t cost her everyone she loves.]]> Sara Holland katarina 0 to-read 3.83 2025 Break Wide the Sea (Break Wide the Sea, #1)
author: Sara Holland
name: katarina
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Deep End 212808709 A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

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

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

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...]]> 464 Ali Hazelwood katarina 0 dnf tbh this book is a nothing burger
i liked the characters individually but wish there was more chemistry and build between them on page. but to be fair this story is instalove, which we all know is my #1 enemy, so there¡¯s no surprise we didn¡¯t get any solid yearning.
*minor spoiler* lukas saying he¡¯d been dreaming of having sex with scarlett since 2 years ago¡­ like mate yall barely even knew each other. sorry but i just can¡¯t stand this sort of character enamoring before they were even talking. also dude you were in a whole other relationship.
and dont get me started on their conversations (or lack of) following the sex scene like what are you guys doinggggggg!?!?
anyways i got a little over 200 pages in and it just felt like nothing was happening and i didn¡¯t really care what direction their relationship was starting to go in.]]> 3.96 2025 Deep End
author: Ali Hazelwood
name: katarina
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: dnf
review:
dnf @ 47% (to literally no one¡¯s surprise)
tbh this book is a nothing burger
i liked the characters individually but wish there was more chemistry and build between them on page. but to be fair this story is instalove, which we all know is my #1 enemy, so there¡¯s no surprise we didn¡¯t get any solid yearning.
*minor spoiler* lukas saying he¡¯d been dreaming of having sex with scarlett since 2 years ago¡­ like mate yall barely even knew each other. sorry but i just can¡¯t stand this sort of character enamoring before they were even talking. also dude you were in a whole other relationship.
and dont get me started on their conversations (or lack of) following the sex scene like what are you guys doinggggggg!?!?
anyways i got a little over 200 pages in and it just felt like nothing was happening and i didn¡¯t really care what direction their relationship was starting to go in.
]]> Hot Wax 224103430 The new novel from the bestselling author of If We Were Villains and Graveyard Shift¡ªa vivid and immersive tale of one woman¡¯s reckless mission to make sense of the events that shattered her childhood, and made her who she is

Summer, 1989: ten-year-old Suzanne is drawn like a magnet to her father¡¯s forbidden world of electric guitars and tricked-out cars. When her mother remarries, she jumps at the chance to tag along on the concert tour that just might be Gil and the Kills¡¯ wild ride to glory. But fame has sharper fangs than anybody realized, and as the band blazes up the charts, internal power struggles set Gil and his group on a collision course destined for a bloody reckoning¡ªone shrouded in mystery and lore for decades to come.

The only witness to a desperate act of violence, Suzanne spends the next twenty-nine years trying to disappear. She trades the music and mayhem of her youth for the quiet of the suburbs and the company of her mild-mannered husband Rob. But when her father¡¯s sudden death resurrects the troubled past she tried so hard to bury, she leaves it all behind and hits the road in search of answers. Hitching her fate and Gil¡¯s beloved car to two vagabonds who call an old Airstream trailer home, she finds everything she thought she¡¯d lost desire, adventure, and the woman she once wanted to be. But Rob refuses to let her go. Determined to bring her back where she belongs, he chases her across the country¡ªand drives her to a desperation all her own.

Drenched in knock-down drag-out rock and roll, Hot Wax is a raucous, breakneck ride to hell and back¡ªwhere getting lost might be the only way to find yourself and save your soul.]]> 400 M.L. Rio 1668070022 katarina 0 to-read 3.87 2025 Hot Wax
author: M.L. Rio
name: katarina
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kings Rising (Captive Prince, #3)]]> 25792894
Damianos of Akielos has returned.

His identity now revealed, Damen must face his master Prince Laurent as Damianos of Akielos, the man Laurent has sworn to kill.

On the brink of a momentous battle, the future of both their countries hangs in the balance. In the south, Kastor¡¯s forces are massing. In the north, the Regent¡¯s armies are mobilising for war. Damen¡¯s only hope of reclaiming his throne is to fight together with Laurent against their usurpers.

Forced into an uneasy alliance the two princes journey deep into Akielos, where they face their most dangerous opposition yet. But even if the fragile trust they have built survives the revelation of Damen¡¯s identity ¨C can it stand against the Regent¡¯s final, deadly play for the throne?]]> 368 C.S. Pacat 0698154320 katarina 0 physical-tbr 4.51 2016 Kings Rising (Captive Prince, #3)
author: C.S. Pacat
name: katarina
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Prince's Gambit (Captive Prince, #2)]]> 26190761 9780698155107

With their countries on the brink of war, Damen and his new master, Prince Laurent, must exchange the intrigues of the palace for the sweeping might of the battlefield as they travel to the border to avert a lethal plot.

Forced to hide his identity, Damen finds himself increasingly drawn to the dangerous, charismatic Laurent. But as the fledgling trust between the two men deepens, the truth of secrets from both their pasts is poised to deal them the crowning death blow...]]> 332 C.S. Pacat 0698155106 katarina 0 physical-tbr 4.45 2013 Prince's Gambit (Captive Prince, #2)
author: C.S. Pacat
name: katarina
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> Mayflies 50162215 From the widely renowned author Andrew O'Hagan, a heartbreaking novel of an extraordinary lifelong friendship.

Everyone has a Tully Dawson: the friend who defines your life.

In the summer of 1986, in a small Scottish town, James and Tully ignite a brilliant friendship based on music, films and the rebel spirit. With school over and the locked world of their fathers before them, they rush towards the climax of their youth: a magical weekend in Manchester, the epicentre of everything that inspires them in working-class Britain. There, against the greatest soundtrack ever recorded, a vow is made: to go at life differently. Thirty years on, half a life away, the phone rings. Tully has news.

Mayflies is a memorial to youth's euphorias and to everyday tragedy. A tender goodbye to an old union, it discovers the joy and the costs of love.]]> 288 Andrew O'Hagan 0571273688 katarina 0 to-read 3.91 2020 Mayflies
author: Andrew O'Hagan
name: katarina
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Touch of Darkness (Hades & Persephone #1)]]> 58750487
She remembered the words she had whispered to him in the back of the limo after La Rose. "You will worship me, and I won't even have to order you." His request felt sinful and devious, and she reveled in it.

She answered, "Yes."

---

Persephone is the Goddess of Spring in title only. Since she was a little girl, flowers have only shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hoped to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. All of that changes when she sits down in a forbidden nightclub to play a hand of cards with a hypnotic and mysterious stranger.

Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible. But nothing has ever intrigued him as much as the goddess offering him a bargain he can't resist.

After her encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead, and his terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever. The bet does more than expose Persephone's failure as a goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows¨Da love that is both captivating and forbidden.]]> 379 Scarlett St. Clair 1728258456 katarina 0 to-read 3.87 2019 A Touch of Darkness (Hades & Persephone #1)
author: Scarlett St. Clair
name: katarina
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Their Vicious Games 62919174
You must work twice as hard to get half as much.

Adina Walker has known this the entire time she¡¯s been on scholarship at the prestigious Edgewater Academy¡ªa school for the rich (and mostly white) upper class of New England. It¡¯s why she works so hard to be perfect and above reproach, no matter what she must force beneath the surface. Even one slip can cost you everything.

And it does. One fight, one moment of lost control, leaves Adina blacklisted from her top choice Ivy League college and any other. Her only chance to regain the future she¡¯s sacrificed everything for is the Finish, a high-stakes contest sponsored by Edgewater¡¯s founding family in which twelve young, ambitious women with exceptional promise are selected to compete in three mysterious events: the Ride, the Raid, and the Royale. The winner will be granted entry into the fold of the Remington family, whose wealth and power can open any door.

But when she arrives at the Finish, Adina quickly gets the feeling that something isn¡¯t quite right with both the Remingtons and her competition, and soon it becomes clear that this larger-than-life prize can only come at an even greater cost. Because the Finish¡¯s stakes aren¡¯t just make or break¡­ they¡¯re life and death.

Adina knows the deck is stacked against her¡ªit always has been¡ªso maybe the only way to survive their vicious games is for her to change the rules.]]> 416 Joelle Wellington 1665922427 katarina 0 dnf it¡¯s not the book it¡¯s probably me. after trying to read this for like 2 months i¡¯ve decided it¡¯s time to finally throw in the towel. the concept sounded really intriguing and i typically find enjoyment in ¡°killing game¡± stories but my main issue is the characters. i am just not connecting with any of them and find them all to be extremely unlikable. my age could also be a reason for this being a miss, perhaps if this had come out 10 years ago i would have liked it better.
oh and one more thing¡­
the name Penthesilea keeps pissing me off]]> 3.95 2023 Their Vicious Games
author: Joelle Wellington
name: katarina
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: dnf
review:
dnf @ 48%
it¡¯s not the book it¡¯s probably me. after trying to read this for like 2 months i¡¯ve decided it¡¯s time to finally throw in the towel. the concept sounded really intriguing and i typically find enjoyment in ¡°killing game¡± stories but my main issue is the characters. i am just not connecting with any of them and find them all to be extremely unlikable. my age could also be a reason for this being a miss, perhaps if this had come out 10 years ago i would have liked it better.
oh and one more thing¡­
the name Penthesilea keeps pissing me off
]]> If You Could See the Sun 60099660 actually invisible.
?
When her parents drop the news that they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship, Alice hatches a plan to monetize her strange new power¡ªshe¡¯ll discover the scandalous secrets her classmates want to know, for a price.
?
But as the tasks escalate from petty scandals to actual crimes, Alice must decide if it¡¯s worth losing her conscience¡ªor even her life.

In this genre-bending YA debut, a Chinese American girl monetizes her strange new invisibility powers by discovering and selling her wealthy classmates¡¯ most scandalous secrets.]]> 346 Ann Liang 1335915842 katarina 0 to-read 4.01 2022 If You Could See the Sun
author: Ann Liang
name: katarina
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wearing the Lion 219303534 This second novel from Nebula Award-winning John Wiswell brings a humanizing, redemptive touch to the Hercules story in this mythological fantasy for fans of Jennifer Saint and Elodie Harper

Heracles, hero of Greece, dedicates all his feats to Hera, goddess of family. Heracles¡¯ mother raised himto revere Hera, as her attempt to avoid the goddess¡¯ wrath. Unbeknownst to Heracles, he is yet another child Hera¡¯s husband, Zeus, had out of wedlock.

Hera loathes every minute of Heracles¡¯ devotion. She finally snaps and sends the Furies to make Heracles kill himself. But the moment Heracles goes mad, his children playfully ambush him, and he slays them instead. When the madness fades, Heracles¡¯s wife, Megara, convinces him to seek revenge. Together they¡¯ll hunt the Furies and learn which god did this.

Believing Hera is the only god he can still trust, Heracles prays to Hera, who is wracked with guilt over killing his children. To mislead Heracles, Hera sends him on monster-slaying quests, but he is too traumatized to enact more violence. Instead, Heracles cares for the Nemean lion, cures the illness of the Lernaean hydra, and bonds with Crete¡¯s giant bull.

Hera struggles with her role in Heracles life as Heracles begins to heal psychologically by connecting with the monsters¡ªwhile also amassing an army that could lay siege to Olympos.

Nebula Award-winning author John Wiswell brings his signature humanizing touch to the Hercules story, forever changing the way we understand the man behind the myth¡ªand the goddess reluctantly bound to him.]]> 384 John Wiswell 0756419549 katarina 0 to-read 4.44 2025 Wearing the Lion
author: John Wiswell
name: katarina
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife]]> 98653915
When Eli Harpo was four, he underwent emergency open-heart surgery, flatlined on the operating table, and for a brief time, went to heaven and met Jesus. Or at least that¡¯s what his father, a loving but devout Baptist minister, has raised him to believe.

Nine years later, Eli isn¡¯t so sure. His rounds with his father to evangelize at hospices and sell his father¡¯s self-published book, Heaven or Bust! , feel inauthentic and strange, especially now that he¡¯s started having sex dreams about Jesus. Between that and his mother¡¯s terminal breast cancer diagnosis, Eli feels further from heaven than ever. But when the famous televangelist Charlie Gideon shows up at the Harpos¡¯ doorstep with a proposal to create a new attraction based on Eli¡¯s trip to the afterlife at his Bible-themed park, Eli isn¡¯t able to say no.

As the Harpos head off on a rollicking road trip from Kentucky to Bible World in Orlando, Eli is left to grapple with not just his faith and his sexuality, but also his own parents¡¯ messy humanity and what happens when a family held together by mythmaking starts coming apart at the seams.

Hilarious and moving, Eli Harpo¡¯s Adventure to the Afterlife is a kind-hearted story about self-discovery and the search for truth, wherever it takes you.]]> 352 Eric Schlich 141976912X katarina 0 to-read 3.99 Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife
author: Eric Schlich
name: katarina
average rating: 3.99
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Don't Let the Forest In 200982373 Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him. Protect him. Lie for him.

Kill for him.

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality¨DThomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won't say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork¨Dwhimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew's wicked stories.

Desperate to figure out what's wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster¨DThomas's drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator...]]> 336 C.G. Drews 1250895669 katarina 5 favorites guys i couldn¡¯t stay away i just had to let the forest in a second time

arc read mar 2024:
my jaw is on the floor

The plot of this story is so unique where monsters are brought to life with ink. I really enjoyed the development of Andrew and Thomas¡¯ relationship as they attempted to take down these monsters that they were unintentionally creating. Some scenes left you questioning if the narrator was being truthful as you are taken down some interesting twists and turns.

The writing was phenomenal in this book, Drews created this eerie and unsettling feeling about the forest where you were basically transposed right into the story. I almost felt like I was Andrew as he was being overtaken by the forest, with each advancement and development from the mushrooms, to thorns, to moss, to bark. Some of the ways phrases and words were structured in this story also made it atmospherically pleasing, giving insight to both the world of the monsters while also putting us into the head of our main character. I also constantly found myself highlighting all kinds of quotes and paragraphs due to how rich and beautifully it was written.

I love when books include really strong friendships containing underlying romantic feelings. Our main characters were not only battling these monsters but also what to do with the feelings that they have for each other. Andrew and Thomas had a sort of codependency rooted in their friendship where each of them held the ultimate ¡°I would die for you¡± mentality. It was extremely believable, the emotion and depth of these characters made them jump right off the page. I was feeling all this immense emotion between the characters and the deep love that they truly held for each other.

This is a story that will stay with me for a long time and can definitely see myself rereading it in the future. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan for the opportunity to read this arc!]]> 4.12 2024 Don't Let the Forest In
author: C.G. Drews
name: katarina
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: favorites
review:
reread feb 2025:
guys i couldn¡¯t stay away i just had to let the forest in a second time

arc read mar 2024:
my jaw is on the floor

The plot of this story is so unique where monsters are brought to life with ink. I really enjoyed the development of Andrew and Thomas¡¯ relationship as they attempted to take down these monsters that they were unintentionally creating. Some scenes left you questioning if the narrator was being truthful as you are taken down some interesting twists and turns.

The writing was phenomenal in this book, Drews created this eerie and unsettling feeling about the forest where you were basically transposed right into the story. I almost felt like I was Andrew as he was being overtaken by the forest, with each advancement and development from the mushrooms, to thorns, to moss, to bark. Some of the ways phrases and words were structured in this story also made it atmospherically pleasing, giving insight to both the world of the monsters while also putting us into the head of our main character. I also constantly found myself highlighting all kinds of quotes and paragraphs due to how rich and beautifully it was written.

I love when books include really strong friendships containing underlying romantic feelings. Our main characters were not only battling these monsters but also what to do with the feelings that they have for each other. Andrew and Thomas had a sort of codependency rooted in their friendship where each of them held the ultimate ¡°I would die for you¡± mentality. It was extremely believable, the emotion and depth of these characters made them jump right off the page. I was feeling all this immense emotion between the characters and the deep love that they truly held for each other.

This is a story that will stay with me for a long time and can definitely see myself rereading it in the future. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan for the opportunity to read this arc!
]]> <![CDATA[First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)]]> 213245287 A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life-or lack thereof¡ªshe begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.]]> 446 B.K. Borison 0593641205 katarina 0 to-read 4.24 2025 First-Time Caller (Heartstrings, #1)
author: B.K. Borison
name: katarina
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Heap Earth Upon It 223908226 A creeping story of sapphic obsession with Gothic undertones and a delicious mid-century feel, from the author of the Polari Prize-shortlisted Sunburn.

January 1965. The orphaned O'Leary siblings - Tom, Jack, Anna and Peggy - arrive in the village of Ballycrea, tight-lipped about their troubled past and desperate for a fresh start.

After being met with suspicion from most of the locals, the family are thrilled when they're taken under the wing of their well-respected neighbours, Bill and Betty Nevan, who offer them work, companionship and an opportunity to fit in.

But for one of the O'Learys, this new friendship sparks an intense attachment that makes the dynamic dangerous for all. It's difficult to bury secrets, but almost impossible to bury feelings...

Crackling with suspense, Heap Earth Upon It revisits the rural Ireland of Howarth's critically acclaimed debut and delves into claustrophobic relationships and tangled identities, leaving you wondering who to trust until the very last page. It combines the emotional intensity and slow-burn sapphic obsession of Julia Armfield's Our Wives Under the Sea and K. Patrick's Mrs S. with the unsettling gothic undertones of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and Shirley Jackson's fiction.

'A tense and claustrophobic novel with gothic atmosphere which seeps into your bones like fog... A brutal exploration of the corrosive impact of shame and secrecy. Howarth knows her sapphic yearning!' RACHEL DAWSON, author of Neon Roses

'Dark, passionate and poised. A remarkable story of the way rural Ireland haunts and is haunted. Intense and thrilling' SOULA EMMANUEL, author of Wild Geese

** READERS LOVE SUNBURN **

¡®Achingly beautiful, almost lyrical¡­ This was both sweet and heartbreaking ¨C I couldn¡¯t put it down¡¯ 5-star Reader Review

¡®An addictive, honey-dipped queer love story¡¯ 5-star Reader Review

¡®Ever since I read this, I simply CANNOT stop thinking about it¡¯ 5-star Reader Review

¡®Completely heart-wrenching, devastating, all-consuming¡­ Spectacular¡¯ 5-star Reader Review]]> 281 Chloe Michelle Howarth 0857309064 katarina 0 to-read 4.86 Heap Earth Upon It
author: Chloe Michelle Howarth
name: katarina
average rating: 4.86
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Blackouts 65215321 From the bestselling author of We the Animals, Blackouts mines lost histories--personal and collective.

Out in the desert in a place called the Palace, a young man tends to a dying soul, someone he once knew briefly, but who has haunted the edges of his life. Juan Gay--playful raconteur, child lost and found and lost, guardian of the institutionalized--has a project to pass along to this new narrator. It is inspired by a true artifact of a book, Sex Variants: A Study in Homosexual Patterns, which contains stories collected in the early twentieth century from queer subjects by a queer researcher, Jan Gay, whose groundbreaking work was then co-opted by a committee, her name buried. As Juan waits for his end, he and the narrator trade stories--moments of joy and oblivion--and resurrect lost loves, lives, mothers, fathers, minor heroes. The past is with us, beside us, ahead of us; what are we to create from its gaps and erasures?

Inspired by Kiss of the Spider Woman, Pedro P¨¢ramo, Voodoo Macbeth, the book at its own center and the woman who created it, oral histories, and many more texts, images, and influences, Justin Torres's Blackouts is a work of fiction that sees through the inventions of history and narrative. An extraordinary work of creative imagination, it insists that we look long and steady at the world we have inherited and the world we have made--a world full of ghostly shadows and flashing moments of truth.]]> 306 Justin Torres 0374293570 katarina 0 physical-tbr 3.76 2023 Blackouts
author: Justin Torres
name: katarina
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: physical-tbr
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Limitless: Poetry of an Aromantic & Asexual Journey]]> 221950408
From navigating friendships that transcend romantic norms to finding self-acceptance in a world that expects conformity, Limitless embraces the beauty of being aromantic and asexual. This collection is a celebration of individuality, community, and the power of defining love and connection on your own terms.

Whether you are a part of the aro/ace spectrum or an ally seeking insight, Poetry of an Aromantic & Asexual Journey invites you to journey through the emotions, challenges, and joys of living authentically. Written and organized as a progression of his journey, Patrick Bex reflects on experiences before discovering asexuality, through stages of denial, acceptance, coming out, then repeating this process again when learning of aromanticism. It is a trial of constant growth, education, and relearning what it truly means to love.]]> Patrick Bex katarina 0 to-read 4.70 Limitless: Poetry of an Aromantic & Asexual Journey
author: Patrick Bex
name: katarina
average rating: 4.70
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Sunflower Boys 221452838 A poignant coming-of-age story with the sensitivity and haunting power of What Belongs to You and Swimming in the Dark, about a young boy wrestling with his sexuality as war breaks out in modern Ukraine.

In many ways, twelve-year-old Artem¡¯s life in Chernihiv, Ukraine, is normal. He spends his days helping on his grandfather¡¯s sunflower farm, drawing in his sketchbook¡ªa treasured gift from his father, who works in America¡ªand swimming in the river with his little brother, Yuri. In secret, Artem has begun wrestling with romantic feelings for his best friend, Viktor. In a country where love between two boys is unthinkable, Artem has begun to worry that growing up, his life will never be normal.

Then, on a February night, Artem and Yuri are woken by explosions¡ªthe beginning of a war that will tear their life in two. The invading Russians destroy their home, killing their mother and grandfather, and leaving young Artem and Yuri to fend for themselves.?Fleeing in hopes of somehow reuniting with their father, the brothers traverse the country their ancestors once fought and died for, with nothing but their backpacks and each?other. Surrounded by death and destruction, Artem is certain of one thing¡ªthat whatever may come, he must keep himself and his brother alive.

A harrowing and gorgeous tale of love, identity, lost innocence, and survival set in a time of devastating war, The Sunflower Boys is a powerful, heartrending exploration of young queer love, the Ukrainian spirit, and a family¡¯s struggle to survive.]]> 352 Sam Wachman 0063418223 katarina 0 to-read 4.40 2025 The Sunflower Boys
author: Sam Wachman
name: katarina
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2025
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Theory of Dreaming (A Study in Drowning, #2)]]> 221228045
All stories come to an end.

Effy learned that when she defeated the Fairy King. Even though she may never know exactly what happened at Hiraeth, she is free of her nightmares and is able to pen a thesis with Preston on the beloved national fairy tale Angharad. She has finally earned a spot at the literature college, making her the first woman in history to enroll.

But some dreams are dangerous, especially when they come true. The entire university¡ªand soon the entire nation¡ªis waiting for her to fail. With the Fairy King defeated and Myrddin¡¯s legacy exposed, Effy can no longer escape into fantasy. Who is she without her stories?

With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears like bells. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king¡ªvisions that start to follow him even in waking.

As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire: Effy losing her dreams and Preston losing himself in his.

Are dreams ever truly just dreams?]]> 416 Ava Reid 0063421674 katarina 0 to-read 3.94 2025 A Theory of Dreaming (A Study in Drowning, #2)
author: Ava Reid
name: katarina
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> We Could Be Rats 214152402 A moving story about two very different sisters, and a love letter to childhood, growing up, and the power of imagination¡ªfrom the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Interesting Facts About Space.

Sigrid hates working at the Dollar Pal but having always resisted the idea of growing up into the trappings of adulthood, she did not graduate high school, preferring to roam the streets of her small town with her best friend Greta, the only person in the world who ever understood her. Her older sister Margit is baffled and frustrated by Sigrid¡¯s inability to conform to the expectations of polite society.

But Sigrid¡¯s detachment veils a deeper turmoil and sensitivity. She¡¯s haunted by the pains of her past¡ªfrom pretending her parents were swamp monsters when they shook the floorboards with their violent arguments to grappling with losing Greta¡¯s friendship to the opioid epidemic ravaging their town. As Margit sets out to understand Sigrid and the secrets she has hidden, both sisters, in their own time and way, discover that reigniting their shared childhood imagination is the only way forward.

What unfolds is an unforgettable story of two sisters finding their way back to each other, and a celebration of that transcendent, unshakable bond.]]> 256 Emily R. Austin 1668058146 katarina 0 to-read 4.09 2025 We Could Be Rats
author: Emily R. Austin
name: katarina
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: to-read
review:

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