GENRE: YA Fantasy LENGTH: 395 pages PLOT Seung and Eunji come from very different backgrounds yet both seek the same thing – freedom - Seung from his family’s poverty and Eunji from her forced marriage. The two befriend each other and fall in love. Things become complicated when they discover the last tiger and find themselves on opposing sides. CHARACTERS Seung and Eunji come from different worlds. Seung’s family is extremely poor, while Eunji’s family is in

GENRE: Adult Thriller LENGTH: 383 pages PLOT Anna Matheson invites the six people responsible for destroying her family aboard a 13 hour train ride. They’re to be arrested upon their arrival at their destination, but on the way, she intends to confront them for their sins. CHARACTERS This was my fourth Sager book (though admittedly I DNF’d one). He has a chronic problem of writing flat female characters. To be clear, I don’t think that male authors are incapable writi

GENRE: YA Fantasy LENGTH: 385 pages PLOT This is the sequel to Blade of Secrets and the conclusion to the Bladesmith duology. Ziva and Kellyn are captured by an evil prince who intends to use Ziva’s bladesmith magic for his own selfish desires of world domination. CHARACTERS Ziva is a character who means a lot to me. I suffer from a diagnosed anxiety disorder and growing up I never got to see myself represented in YA fantasy. To think that today’s youth will have a char

SEPTEMBER READS 1. Never a Hero by Vanessa Len (YA Fantasy) (509 pages) (5⭐️) This is the second book in the Monsters trilogy about a girl, Joan, who discovers she’s half-monster. In this book, she and her first love, Nick, are on the run from the Monster Court. This was a reread in anticipation of the final book’s release. This is a fantastic middle book as it nicely progresses the plot and is never boring. The stakes are even higher than in the first book. Full Review:.

GENRE: YA Fantasy LENGTH: 500 pages PLOT In the conclusion to the Monster trilogy, Joan, Nick, and Aaron and their allies find themselves in a timeline ruled by monsters. They must stop Joan’s evil sister, Eleanor, and reverse the damaged timeline she created. CHARACTERS I knew this novel was going to have to resolve the love triangle between our main trio. If you look at other reviews for the series it’s pretty clear that most readers prefer Aaron. I myself find Joan a

GENRE: Adult Thriller LENGTH: 380 pages PLOT Jet survives a brutal attack but develops an aneurysm that will kill her in a week. She is determined to solve her own murder before she inevitably dies. CHARACTERS The novel primarily follows Jet and Billy. Jet has spent her life drifting, always believing that things will ‘start’ eventually, but never actually motivated. Her attack and the subsequent seven day deadline cause her to regret her wasted time and become determined

GENRE: Adult Romantasy LENGTH: 385 pages PLOT Sibyl is a Diviner who drowns to receive dreams/visions from the Omens (gods). When her fellow Diviners go missing, she joins a heretical knight, Rodrick, and others on a quest to find them. CHARACTERS Sibyl is the novel’s protagonists. Accompanying her are the new king, Benedict ‘Benji’, two of his knights, Rodrick ‘Rory’ (who is Sibyl’s love interest) and Maude, as well as an unnamed gargoyle from the Cathedral. The novel’

GENRE: YA Fantasy LENGTH: 376 pages PLOT Effy has grown up immersed in the famous fairy tale book Angharad. As she studies architecture in college, she applies for the position to update the seaside home of Angharad's author. When she gets there, though, sinister things begin to happen. CHARACTERS As a woman, writer, and fairy tale lover I connected with Effy on many levels. Unfortunately, I fear many female readers will relate all too well to Effy in her struggles with her

GENRE: YA Historical Romantasy LENGTH: 339 pages PLOT Branwen/Evelyn (henceforward called Evelyn) and Arden have been reincarnated...

GENRE: YA Historical Fantasy LENGTH: 371 pages PLOT In the sequel to What The River Knows, Inez is determined to track down her...

GENRE: Adult Thriller LENGTH: 381 pages PLOT Private security officer Amy Wheeler teams up with her father-in-law and a famous author to...

GENRE: Adult Sci-Fi LENGTH: 381 pages PLOT When his life falls apart, Nate retreats to his family's old cabin. He finds it already...

JUNE READS Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano (Adult Cozy Thriller) (305 pages) (4.75⭐️) This is the fifth installment in the Finlay Donovan series. In this book, Finlay and Vero must figure out who murdered the body found in Mrs. Haggerty’s yard in order to exonerate Finlay's ex-husband Steven. This novel gives Mrs. Haggerty a lot more depth than she’s ever had before, and it actually did the seemingly impossible –it made me like her! I continue to love this

DISCLAIMER: I was provided an ARC (advanced reader copy) of this book in exchange for a review. I was not paid to say anything positive...

GENRE: Adult Cozy Thriller LENGTH: 305 pages PLOT This is the fifth installment in the Finlay Donovan series. Finlay and Vero must solve...

BEST BOOK I’VE READ IN 2025 This is a tough one, because I have three books that are essentially tied for first place. The first one is a...

GENRE: Middle Grade Mystery LENGTH: 245 pages PLOT Sarah’s family’s home is going into foreclosure and she’ll be forced to move away...

GENRE: YA Fantasy LENGTH: 417 pages PLOT Every five years the mortal king of Dyfed and the immortal fairy Otherking jointly host the...

GENRE: Adult Romantasy LENGTH: 413 pages PLOT This is the sequel to Five Broken Blades and takes place pretty immediately following the...

GENRE: Adult Romantasy LENGTH: 381 pages PLOT Long ago, four noble families rose up against their goddess. As punishment, their...