Abigail wants to read

 4/5 Thank you to Netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and ageing—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption for her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country. Code name: Fortune.                       But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed. The writing in this book was absolutely phenomenal. I loved it so much, the romance, the mystery, the historical setting, the twists. I didn't guess anything about the ending which is amazing and I love it when that happen

 3/ 5 stars Thank you to Netgalley for the Earc in exchange for an honest review Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project—a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia—Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward. Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school—archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away. First of I want to say that this just wasn't for me and while I wasn't the biggest fan there is definitely an audience that will fall in love with this bo

 There is nothing more heartbreaking in books than when the main character gets betrayed by someone they thought they could trust. Also, there will be major spoilers in this list so if you don't like spoilers click away now. 1) Nezha to Rin The Dragon Republic, The Poppy War series When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to study at the academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who always thought they’d be able to marry Rin off to further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was now finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in the Nikara Empire—was even more surprising. 2) Athena to Lore in Lore Long ago, Lore Perseus fled that brutal world in the wake of her family's sadistic murder by a rival line,

 3/5 Stars Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata—a mermaid—collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home. But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi does the unthinkable—she saves his life, going against an ancient decree. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy it. To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But something is amiss. There’s the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail. Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she doesn’t, then she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it. I absolutely loved the setting and the culture of this book, I love reading about Mermaids but have never read about Mami Wata before and really enjoyed reading about them.

 4/5 Stars 1888. Five years after they met in  The Watchmaker of Filigree Street , Thaniel Steepleton, an unassuming translator, and Keita Mori, the watchmaker who remembers the future, are travelling to Japan. Thaniel has received an unexpected posting to the British legation in Tokyo, and Mori has a business that is taking him to Yokohama. Thaniel's brief is odd: the legation staff have been seeing ghosts, and Thaniel's first task is to find out what's happening. But while staying with Mori, he starts to experience ghostly happenings himself. For reasons Mori won't--or can't--share, he is frightened. Then he vanishes. This is the second book in the Watchmaker of Filigree Street and I liked this one a lot more than the first one. I feel like the writing has improved from Natasha Pulley from the first book and I was able to follow it a lot better and was more attached to the characters in this one even if they do annoy me at times especially Mori when he refuses to

 Dark academia is such an interesting genre and one that I haven't read nearly enough from, but here is a list of the ones that I have read and loved  1) Gallant by V.E.Schwab Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for Girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home; it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile, or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.  2) Bunny by Mona Awad Samantha Heather Mackey couldn't be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England's Warren University. A scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to that of most people, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort – a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other &#

 5/5 Books Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for Girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home; it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile, or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.  I loved this book so much from the moment I opened it I couldn't put it down I had to know what happened next and I was never able to see what happened next everything came out of nowhere and I loved it so much. The setting was my favourite thing about this book, I enjoyed it so much and could picture it perfectly thanks to the amazing writing from V.E.Schwab. Honestly, even if you have read books from them before and didn't like them pick this one up anyway.

 4/5 stars  Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him. When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave. This is the second time I've read this book and I'm so glad I reread it as I definitely don't think I appreciated it enough the first time. I loved this book a lot, the writing was fantastic, the rep was amazin

 These authors I have only read one or two books from however I fell in love with their writing from the book that I did read and would love to read more from them. 1) Hiro Arikawa While I haven't seen any other books that they have released or if they have released any other books when I read The Travelling Cat Chronicles last year and fell in love instantly and fell in love with their writing style and I will definitely be first in line if they release a new book. 2) Gail Honeyman I bought Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine on a whim last year and while I didn't 100% love the story I absolutely adored the writing style and would love to read more from her. 3) Emily M Duncan The Miseducation is one of my favorite books and one of my favorite books in 2020 and told myself I would read more from her in 2021 however that never happened so I'm setting myself a goal in 2022 to read another book from her as I loved her writing and I loved her books 4) Nic Stone I have read 2 bo

 4/5 stars Jake D'Arcy has spent most of his twenty-nine years trying to get his life just right. He's nearly there: great girlfriend, great friends, stable job. A distant relationship with his boisterous family - which is exactly the way he wants it. So why does everything feel so wrong? When his popular, irritatingly confident teenage brother Trick comes out as gay to a rapturous response, Jake realises he has questions about his own repressed bisexuality, and that he can't wait any longer to find his answers. As Trick begins to struggle with navigating the murky waters of adult relationships, Jake begins a journey that will destroy his relationship with girlfriend Amelia, challenge his closest friendships, and force him to face up to the distance between him and his family - but offers new friends, fewer inhibitions, and a glimpse of the magnificent life he never thought could be his This book was so good. It talked about the more often than not overlookef biphobia from

  Thank you to  Creative James Media for the arc in exchange for an honest review DNF Julie manipulates what the eye can't see as a graphic designer but no matter what lens she uses, her life and her relationship with her boyfriend Mark remain mundane. Until she meets Ann. Ann is successful, beautiful, and charismatic. Julie can't deny the spark during their chance meeting. When their present entwines once again in Barcelona the spark is impossible to extinguish. When tragedy strikes, Julie must decide between her devotion to Mark and her love for Ann. Can true love survive when the timing is all wrong? I received this as an Earc from Creative James Media in exchange for an honest review I could not finish this book at all, even the last few pages I read before stopping I skimmed read. I disliked the writing so much and I was not too fond of the instalovyness between Julie and Annand felt it wasn't very realistic. Also, it was a love triangle and while I normally hate love

 Books I would love to read in August 1) Conjure Women by Afia Atakora Miss May Belle, a wise healing woman; her precocious and observant daughter Rue, who is reluctant to follow in her mother's footsteps as a midwife; and their master's daughter Varina. The secrets and bonds among these women and their community come to a head at the beginning of a war and at the birth of an accursed child, who sets the townspeople alight with fear and a spreading superstition that threatens their newly won, tenuous freedom. 2) My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones Jade feels like she's trapped in a slasher film as tourists go missing and the tension between her community and the celebrity newcomers to the Indian Lake shore heads towards a tipping point when she feels the killer will rise. Jade watches as the small town she knows and loves begins to head towards catastrophe as yachts compete with canoes and the celebrity rich change the landscape of what was designated park lands

 Thank you to Netgalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review 4/5 Stars Walkman-toting, guitar-playing Finn Mallory blames himself for his parent's deaths and would do anything to turn back time and set things right. So, when he's recruited into a secret club at his new school that specializes in competitive time travel games, Finn sees a world of opportunity open before him.                 The games, however, are far from benign. Competition is cutthroat. Scenarios are rigged.  And the mysterious timekeepers who organize it all have no qualms about using or disposing of players to suit their own sinister plans. Now Finn must decide who he can trust while making peace with his past if he's to have any hope of leading his team to victory and surviving his junior year. I really enjoyed this book, I liked the characters and I loved the historical settings as well as the game elements which left me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen to the ch

 Thank you to NetGalley for the Earc in exchange for an honest review 2/5 Stars After a shocking event leaves Tyrese struggling with grief, he’s taken to visit family in Jamaica. From the first night, strange things start happening: impossible visions, blackouts, swarms of insects, and the discovery of a grave hidden deep in the forest. Tyrese can’t explain what’s going on and he’s scared that he’s losing his grip on reality. Then Tyrese is warned he’s being hunted by the mysterious Shadow Man. Under threat, Tyrese and his friends set out on a terrifying journey across the island to try and uncover the Shadow Man’s sinister history. Who can Tyrese trust when his own mind is falling apart and there’s nowhere left to hide? This book for me was a case of a great plot, great setting, and great characters but not well executed. I did not like the writing at all and sometimes I felt myself skimming the words as I couldn't immerse myself into the book which is a shame as it had so much po