Anticipated Releases Autumn 2021

Hello everyone!
Today I’m talking about the books I’m excited for this Autumn. There are so many books coming out, it’s actually overwhelming!

Here’s my top 4:

Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson

This is my most anticipated read of Autumn, if not 2021. I love this series!! Starsight’s cliffhanger was BRUTAL. I have been eagerly awaiting this book ever since. I cannot wait to see where the story goes. I already know this will be amazing. Sanderson Never disappoints.

Out November 25th

---

*Gilded by Marissa Meyer

I will read anything Marissa Meyer puts out after absolutely loving The Lunar Chronicles. I love retellings and I’m super interest in this since I’ve never read a Rumpelstiltskin retelling (nor do I know much about the tale tbh). I’m super lucky to have received an ARC of this, I cannot wait to pick it up soon!

Out November 2nd

---

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson

After loving Sorcery of Thorns earlier this year, I am interested to see whether I enjoy this one. Having not enjoyed An Enchantment of Ravens, this could go either way… I’m hoping to love it but we’ll see! Stay tuned for that review!

Out October 5th

---

Empress & Aniya by Candice Carty-Williams

I enjoyed Queenie by this author and I’m excited to read her YA debut! The synopsis gives me Freaky Friday vibes and I am SO down for that!!

Out October 7th

---

Are you excited for any of these? Let me know what books you’re excited for so I can put them on my radar!

Graphic Novel Review: The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill

Synopsis:
From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes The Tea Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons.

After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.

---

My thoughts:

Oh my goodness, where to even begin. I don’t have the words to express how adorable this graphic novel is!

It’s middle grade graphic novel with LGBTQ+ & disability rep and the most wholesome vibes ever. Despite being for children, anyone could pick this up and enjoy it. It’s such a lovely, comforting read. Honestly, I was just in awe of the cuteness throughout.

It’s all about dragons – Tea Dragons, to be more specific. It’s such a cute and cool concept. Who doesn’t love dragons?! It’s also about friendship and love and it’s just a beautiful story about finding your place in the world. *sheds tear*

THE ARTWORK – Oh how I wish I could draw even half as well as K. O’Neill. The art is simply stunning.
Here are some examples (taken from the Amazon preview):

I am obsessed with this cutesy art style! It’s so beautiful. Such a joy to look at!

Rating: 5 Stars

August Wrap Up | 2021

Happy September!
I literally cannot believe it’s September already?! Where is this year going???
August was a bit of a slow reading month for me. I managed to read 4 books, which I’m actually really happy with as I didn’t read for a few weeks and one book was over a 1000 pages long. So, I don’t think I did too bad.

Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler

A sci-fi short story/novella. Very interesting and weird. I honestly didn’t know what to make of this when I read it. I still can’t really articulate what went on nor how I felt.
Rating: 3 Stars

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Reread)
I want to continue the Stormlight Archive but it’s been a few years since I first read TWOK, so I reread it. I didn’t really enjoy it when I first read it but now I cannot understand why?! I absolutely loved it. It was dense and hard going – it’s over 1100 pages, which I think was overwhelming the first time. This time around I listened to the audiobook while reading which was a great decision. I loved it! Now onto the sequel!
Rating: 5 Stars

A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova

One of my most anticipated releases of 2021 and it did not disappoint!
I really really enjoyed this! I devoured it in one sitting, so good. I love this series and cannot wait for the next one.
Full review here // Rating: 4 Stars

The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill

I finished off the month with a light, easy read. This adorable middle grade graphic novel!
I will have a full review up for this soon. But OMG, the cuteness of this!!! I can’t get over it. I will be reading the next one ASAP!
Rating: 5 Stars

Let me know what you read in August!

Book Review: A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova (Married to Magic)

Synopsis:

She knew her hand in marriage would be sold. She had no idea a fae prince was the buyer.

Katria swore she’d never fall in love. She’s seen what “love” means through the cruelty of her family. So when she’s married off to the mysterious Lord Fenwood for a handsome price, all Katria wants is a better life than the one she’s leaving. Feelings are off the table.

But her new husband makes not falling in love difficult.

As their attraction begins to grow, so too do the oddities within her new life: strange rules, screams in the night, and attacks by fae that Katria never thought were real. When she witnesses a ritual not meant for human eyes, Katria finds herself spirited away to the land of Midscape.

Surviving the fae wilds as a human is hard enough. Katria must survive as a human who accidently pilfered the magic of ancient kings – magic a bloodthirsty king is ready to kill her for in order to keep his stolen throne – and her new husband is the rightful heir in hiding.

The power to save the fae is in her hands. But who will save her from a love she vowed never to feel?

---

My thoughts:

I loved this!! I was absolutely obsessed with A Deal with the Elf King when I read it last year, I have been highly anticipating this ever since. Like it’s predecessor, it’s a retelling, this time around it’s a Cinderella retelling! Which is very evident throughout. It’s draws inspiration from Psyche and Eros, which I’m not super familiar with.

I devoured this in one sitting. It’s such an easy, binge-able read!
If you’re looking for a feel good, quick romance-fantasy, definitely pick this (and the previous one) up!

The romance is force marriage and a bit slow burn. There’s a bit of tension since the love interest, Lord Fenwood, is very mysterious and reclusive. Katria tries her hardest to get to know her husband but he is reluctant. I love that kind of angsty/reluctant romance!

This one gave more worldbuilding than the last, which I was extremely happy about. I live for good worldbuilding. I am so invested in this world and learning more about it! Fae are one of my favourite fantasy creatures(?) – so I was ecstatic about the Fae of this world and seeing the differences between them and the Elves of previous novel.

The only issue I had was the pacing. It was a bit off for me, it was super quick for the most part, but toward the middle it slowed down a bit too much. It got a little repetitive at times. That being said, I still managed to read it in one sitting, so it’s not painfully slow or anything like that.

There was less romance in this one, compared to ADWTEK, this had more fantasy-quest vibes. Overall, The plot is pretty predictable but a very fun read nonetheless. Not a mind-blowing, complicated read, just simple and familiar. It’s a comforting read rather than tense and high stakes. I really enjoyed reading it, I would absolutely read this again. I can’t wait for the next instalment in the Married to Magic series!

Rating: 4 Stars

Kindle Unlimited Book Recs #1

Hey guys!
Long time no post. (whoops)
I’m back with a post about Kindle Unlimited. I’m talking about the books I’ve read that are currently available on KU (UK)

Saga by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Hands down one of the best graphic novel series out there. I am so glad KU introduced me to this series. Volume 1 & 2 are available through KU. They’re seriously worth a read if you like adult science fiction. (warning they are very graphic and sexually explicit)
My review is here.

A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova

Enemies to lovers/ Forced marriage trope! Such a great fantasy romance. I was addicted and invested from the beginning. I binged this in 24 hours. I adore it!
Full review here.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Do I remember this book? Not much. I do remember enjoying it at the time, I think I gave it 4 stars. Although unmemorable, it’s still worth picking up. It’s not a bad trilogy overall.
Super old review here.

Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson

Another graphic novel series. It’s a bit weird but fun regardless! Very easy to binge, if you’re looking for something super fast to get through – pick this up! It’s a YA series about a group of friends at camp, it has paranormal vibes and it’s very diverse! Not a favourite of mine, but worth a read.

The Humans by Matt Haig

Probably my favourite of Matt Haig’s fiction books. It’s sci-fi/comedy. It’s pretty entertaining! I didn’t love the ending but the beginning was super funny. Pretty fast, easy going – perfect soft sci-fi.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

This is probably my least favourite Schwab book but I thought I’d include it here anyway. It’s a decent enough read and I’m sure there’s plenty of people who will love it or want to get into Schwab’s books. I didn’t realise it was on KU until recently. All her books are worth reading for the absolutely gorgeous writing!
Full review here

Let me know if you have an recommendations from Kindle Unlimited!

Disclaimer: Not sponsored. All views my own 🙂

July Wrap Up | 2021

Happy August!
Cannot believe how fast the year is flying by!

I managed to read 4 books, not the best, not the worst. I’ve been in a bit of slump recently, which I’m hoping to shift. Hopefully, I can read more this month!

The books I read in July:

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

This is probably the most disappointing read I’ve had this year.
It was an anticipated read and it was just a huge flop for me.
Full review here // Rating: 2 Stars

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney

Things were better with my next read. Oh my goodness, did I love this book! I was addicted. I will have a full review up for this next.
Rating: 5 Stars

*XOXO by Axie Oh

I was kindly gifted this by the publisher.
I loved it so much! It’s such a cute, light-hearted romance.
Full review here /// Rating: 4 Stars

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

I see what Austen was doing here. I admire her but this was my least favourite I’ve read so far. It was short but dragged a lot. The satire of gothic literature was good. I didn’t take to the main character much and I really didn’t like the love interest.
Rating: 3 Stars

*ARC Review: XOXO by Axie Oh

Synopsis:
Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.

Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating.

When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.

---

My thoughts:

Oh my goodness, what an adorable book!

First off, I’m not a Kpop fan, so I’m not super aware of the fandom and artists etc. However, I don’t think you have to be a Kpop fan to really enjoy this – I loved it!
If you are a Kpop fan then you will enjoy it even more probably.

It’s obviously a YA Romance – so if that’s not your thing then definitely skip this one.
The romance is forbidden lovers/secret romance – Love that trope personally. It’s also a little slow burn, which I also enjoyed. The whole celebrity/famous person with a normal person trope is such an entertaining trope. I will never tire of it. I really thought Jenny and Jaewoo were SO adorable. Although, I couldn’t relate to Jenny on a personal level, her character was so well written I was still completely invested in her story.

Additionally, the side characters were all amazing and well developed. The friendships in this book were equally as lovely as the romance. I loved seeing the friendships blossom. I loved all the side characters, but hello do we need a sequel about Sori and Nathaniel please!!

I learnt so much from reading this book. Romance and plot aside, I really enjoyed learning about kpop and South Korea, the culture, the people. Also, the music aspect. I was pretty clueless about that too. I enjoyed learning all about being a musician and the boarding school in SK was a great setting.

Even though I couldn’t relate to a hell of a lot of it, I still enjoyed all of it. The writing was really fantastic and I was invested and immersed in the culture, customs, etc of South Korea. It was all explained really well and in such a way that I am now in love with SK. It was all fascinating, I knew so little going in, now I want to just fly to South Korea.

Overall, a light-hearted, fun romance novel that is perfect for summer reading!
It’ll make you smile, laugh and feel all warm inside (that’s coming from someone with a heart of ice). Couldn’t recommend it more!

Rating: 4 Stars

XOXO is available on Kindle now, the Hardback is out August 5th.

*Book was gifted. All views are my own.
Thank you to Harper Collins for the Advance Reader’s Copy

Popular Opinions Book Tag!

1. A popular book or series that you love

Mistborn & Warbreaker (basically any Brandon Sanderson)
They’re SERIOUSLY worth the hype!

2. An underhyped book or series that you love and wish was more popular

Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan – Criminally underrated. It’s a sci-fi romance and it made me cry! I rarely cry at books but this touched my icy heart.

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney – A recent release I’ve not seen around much! I absolutely loved this!

3. A romance (love triangle or OTP) that you love

I’m not a massive fan of love triangles but it is done perfectly in The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson. I also love who the main character ends up with.

4. Your favourite genre + a popular genre that you want to read more often

My favourite is fantasy for sure!
One I want to read more often: Sci-fi!

5. A popular or beloved character that you love or a character that you feel deserves more love

I’ll answer both because why not!

A popular character I love – Tyrion Lannister. He’s amazing. You cannot argue otherwise.

A character I think deserves more love is Lia from The Remnant Chronicles. She’s one of my faves of all time. Underrated!

6. An autobuy author

Brandon Sanderson
He could release his shopping list and I would read it.

7. A popular book trope that you love reading about

Enemies to lovers!
Everyone loves this but yeah, it’s definitely one of the best. Especially if the romance is slow burn. *Swoon*

8. A popular series that you are excited to read

The Gentlemen Bastards Series by Scott Lynch
I’ve heard so many great things about this series. Hoping it lives up to the hype. I’ve had the first book on my shelf for a while, this year for sure!

9. A popular book + film where you love the story in both formats

I’m going to change this to tv, because I cannot think of a film…
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen & BBC Pride and Prejudice
When I say perfect adaptation, I mean it. It is probably the best book adaptation ever. It’s just perfection.
You may be thinking, there’s a P&P film with Kiera Knightley and…. Just no.

I wrote a whole post about BBC Pride and Prejudice, check it out for my full thoughts!

I tag whoever wants to do this! Definitely link back/leave a link if you do, I’d love to read your answers!

The Most Unlikeable MC EVER? | Book Review: Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

Synopsis:

Noah Ramirez thinks he’s an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There’s just one problem—all the stories are fake. What started as the fantasies of a trans boy afraid to step out of the closet has grown into a beacon of hope for trans readers across the globe.

When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah’s world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn’t have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah’s life, and the pieces fall into place: Drew is willing to fake-date Noah to save the Diary. But when Noah’s feelings grow beyond their staged romance, he realizes that dating in real life isn’t quite the same as finding love on the page.

In this charming novel by Emery Lee, Noah will have to choose between following his own rules for love or discovering that the most romantic endings are the ones that go off script. 

My thoughts:

I really wanted to love this.
I really wanted this to be a new fave.
But it really wasn’t good.

The Good:

The Rep – Mixed race main character, trans rep, bisexual, mlm, anxiety/panic disorder

The Storyline – The story was interesting, I will give that to the author. It was very plot driven, there’s no likable characters to really latch on to. I only finished this book for the plot aspect, I’m usually more of a character driven person. It had so much potential! Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes, I wish the characters were better so that the plot worked better.

Trans joy – Yay! I’m so glad this was about trans joy instead of suffering and struggles – not to say that’s not important but I feel that joy is often left out.

Tumblr blog – I like Tumblr, like when Tumblr is included in books. I find it really relatable as someone who has been on that platform for like decade. (wow, when did I get so old?)

The side characters were way more likeable than the main character. I really liked Devin, e was the best by far. I also learned about the pronouns e/eir/em – which I had not previous come across. The topic of pronouns was discussed a few times, I learned a few things which is great!

The Bad:

To balance out the joy there was toxicity.
Toxic relationship between Drew and Noah, they are an awful combination.
But then again even though Drew was a terrible boyfriend, Noah was an awful person… so *sips tea*

The Ugly:

Noah.
When I say Noah is the most insufferable character to ever exist, that is an understatement. I don’t mind unlikeable characters, as long as they’re interesting and their motives and behaviours are founded.
Noah is just an entitled asshole. Very little character development happens. Noah lacks self-awareness completely and is just awful to everyone around him. He’s a brat, spoiled and thinks he’s too good for everything and everyone. I don’t think I’ve ever found a more annoying character to read from in my entire reading history. Noah is the literal worst!

It makes me laugh that the synopsis says, ‘In this charming novel by Emery Lee’ – when in fact it is not charming at all.

Rating: 2 Stars

Most disappointing read of the year so far.

June Wrap Up | 2021

Hey guys!
I’ve been in a bit of a reading, blog and general life slump, so this post is a tad late. Better late than never, right?

June wasn’t a great reading month for me. I really couldn’t concentrate on anything. I only managed to read one book and one novella.

Firstly, I read Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

I’ll try and have a review up soon. (I’m so behind on reviews!)
I really enjoyed this. It was so different and unique from other YA fantasy. I love the setting and the magic was really cool. The romance was right up my street too. I cannot wait to read the sequel!
Rating: 4 stars

The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

To squeeze an extra read into June, I picked up this novella. Which is part of the Amazon Forward collection – they’re all free on Amazon kindle for Prime & Kindle Unlimited members. It was an interesting and quick read. I’d recommend the Forward collection to any sci-fi fans or even those trying to get into the genre, they’re all very short.

Rating: 3 Stars

How was your reading in June? Hopefully, better than mine!