Gifted & Talented
Do I think this is a “can’t miss” book? Probably not. Was it deeply entertaining? Absolutely. If you’re looking for something funny and unserious and also heartfelt, pick this up.
The Mask Falling (The Bone Season, #4)
This was such a satisfying read. The pacing continues to be perfect, the twists are twisty, the lore deepens with each installment, loyalties have layers upon layers, and Page and Arcturus are perfection.
Royal Assassin (The Farseer Trilogy, #2)
As a reader who loves both fantasy and character-driven literary fiction, Robin Hobb’s books are a special kind of reading experience. I liked Royal Assassin even more than the first book.
Playground
A bold statement: I think Playground is my favorite Richard Powers so far. I know he won the Pulitzer for The Overstory (which I definitely enjoyed!), but I said what I said.
Great Big Beautiful Life
Great Big Beautiful Life is Book Lovers meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the best way imaginable, and y’all aren’t ready. Emily Henry has done it again.
Black Woods Blue Sky
I’m a sucker for literary fiction with speculative elements, so when I heard about Black Woods Blue Sky, which blends the dreaminess and darkness of fairy tales with the beauty and danger of the Alaskan wilderness, I knew it was going to be exactly my kind of book. And I was not wrong!
This Strange Eventful History
This Strange Eventful History was longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. Parts of it were more engaging for me than others, but overall, I enjoyed it. Audio is definitely the way to go here, IMO!
Upon a Starlit Tide
Upon a Starlit Tide bills itself as The Little Mermaid mixed with Cinderella into a dark historical fantasy — and it delivers excellently. Kell Woods clearly knows and loves her fairytales and folklore. I had so much fun reading it.
The Dawn Chorus (The Bone Season, #3.5)
I’m glad that I decided not to skip the supplementary novellas in this series. Like The Pale Dreamer (#1.5), this one was fast, short, fun, and felt like a fully worthwhile into a few key characters and relationships.
Cursebound (Faebound, #2)
These books have a lot of promise, but the execution is just not as good as I want it to be. Still, they are fast paced and short, so I’ll probably keep going.
The Song Rising (The Bone Season, #3)
I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again before this series is over, but man, books like these are why we read fantasy. Onward!
Death of the Author
Unsurprisingly after all that hype, this genre-bender not only delivers but also hits differently than anything else Okorafor has written.
Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
Just like Iron Flame, this book is fun, but fine — Fourth Wing is the strongest in the series so far. I had a good time with Onyx Storm, and if the fourth book was out now, I’d pick it up right away. But the execution is just not there.
Three Days in June
This book was a bit of a miss for me. It has emotional impact and fantastic characters, but the execution felt old-fashioned and strangely out of touch. It’s short, though, so you still might enjoy this heartwarming little story.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
I savored this book over the course of a month, sinking in every time I opened it. Prose, pacing, plot, character — Schwab truly does it all and does it better than most.
The Mime Order (The Bone Season, #2)
This book is clearly setting up a LOT of room for the rest of the series to run, which I find extremely exciting!
We Do Not Part
This book is surreal and disorienting (in a good way), deeply affecting, and the kind of book that’s so good and readable you have to stop yourself from inhaling it
Mirrored Heavens (Between Earth and Sky, #3)
Mirrored Heavens is an epic conclusion to an epic trilogy, and one that I’m very glad I read.
The Pale Dreamer (The Bone Season, #0.5)
I read The Bone Season and loved it, so when a friend recommended that I read The Pale Dreamer before diving into The Mime Order, I sent the salute emoji and borrowed it from the library.