This has it all! Friendship lost & friends to lovers, real politic, magic, possible rebellion, monsters of all sorts, and a king willing to sacrifice everything to save his kingdom from invaders.
Fairlie is a gifted metal worker, a once in a generation talent and when powerful people use magic to warp her and try to force her work for them, the goddess will allow her friend to keep a deadly magic to even the scale.
5/5, read this in one day!

This book does not provide enough information about the world, and does not explain why things happen. The characters are ok, but the MC has very few morals & ethics and no real reason to be so mean.
Sorcha and her new partner are sent to a remote village and learn that spirits aren‘t just changing, they are being called by corrupt people. They team up with the prince and heir of the old rulers, and rush to save the capital.
1/5 stars

I love a heroine that grows and learns and who doesn‘t do stupid shit for the love of some dude she barely knows. Great story, great characters, good world building.
Agnieszka is chosen by the Wizard that rules her valley because she has magic-but a magic the wizard doesn‘t understand. They work together to fight the Wood, and to save their kingdom. Agnieszka learns how and why the Wood came to be.
5/5 stars, read if you want kind of teenage mage

I really enjoyed this! This is a dark book, but unlike many dark magic universe books, this does not provide pornographic descriptions of the torture, which I appreciate.
The Turning has started and there are new magicians looking to establish houses and to destroy established houses. Two outsiders team up, both intent on remaking the hidden world, but who will make the ultimate sacrifice?
4/5 stars, read if you like complex hidden magic worlds

Picks up years after the 1st book & alternates between characters on both sides of the war between alien factions. It‘s a lot more outright warfare in this book, and again the ending made me super angry. I though the relationship between the aliens and their hosts was much better described & explored.
Tao and his allies must stop the slaughter of their people, and maybe global warming & war.
2/5 stars, I won‘t read the next book in the series.

This is an interesting book, but when the author decides to refrigerate a character, it made me mad! Stop using lazy writing and create female characters with depth! Interesting concept and world through.
Tao is an alien that takes on an unwilling host in an effort to survivor and pulls his new host into a deadly war between alien factions. Symbiotic or parasites, these aliens shaped human history and might be trying to destroy us. 2/5 stars.

This is barely a pick, although the ending was quite satisfying. Imagine the characters of P&P in a world where they are lawyers, with Lizzy‘s powers of deduction more fitting into a cozy mystery book than a true mystery. What saved this book from the so-so is the pirate angle, which I thought was interesting. 2/5 stars, good to read when sick.

I got a signed edition from owl crate at my local bookstore and I am SO pleased with this book! It slows a bit in the middle, but other than that, this is an excellent story with elements of Dress of a Thousand Furs, and a tiny bit of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, two of my favorite fairy tales.
Maia takes her fathers place in a competition for tailors and must embrace magic and survive politics.
4.5/5 stars, can‘t wait to read the sequel!

This was an excellent high fantasy adaptation of P&P. Dragons, beast riders, and man eating mythical creatures abound in a world where gender is not a barrier to fighting to save humanity.
An engaging read with a very interesting world, and improvements to the characters established by Austen makes this book one of my favorite P&P adaptations. 5/5 stars. Read this if you love Pride and Prejudice & definitely read this if you enjoy high fantasy.

This super cute young YA graphic novel follow Katie as she tries to save up to go to camp with her friends. Her cat sitting job leads her into the world of super heroes and the villains thwart, and touches on how perception would be shaped by social media and yelp.
May favorite part is all the cats-such fun to imagine these magical cats with various skills. 3/5 stars, I will read more of this series.

This opened up a lot of the world, but it did so in a way that didn‘t really make sense with the rest of the series. This story spent too much time doing not a lot, and packed in too much in the last chapter.
Annie meets Magicians while touring in Germany and learns that horrors form her childhood are just part of the larger world of Magic that she and her husband must decide if they want to join.
2/5 stars, read if you like the series.

I mostly found this book fascinating, but in the interview that the author gave that caused me to buy this book, he sold it as a history of a man who stoped a coup against FDR- that covers less than a chapter. The rest is the about the horrors of war and colonialism. Which is good to read and learn about, but I wanted more about the coup and Butler‘s anti-war activities. 3/5 stars read for a history of the USA‘s colonial wars.

A surprisingly emotional read, about a high schooler in a competitive private boarding school who realizes that she‘s the Mary Bennet of her family and decides to change with the help of her determined room mate. Add in a library reading program for shelter pets and a scandal, and this book is a fast and good read. 3.5/5 stars, read if you want a modern interpretation of Pride and Prejudice with an emphasis on learning to love yourself.

I wanted more dinosaurs, less sex and boring politics. I found the characters to be extremely forgettable and the storyline was not very well developed.
Two dinosaur masters met in battle and then on a road possibly set by Angels. The daughter of the emperor speaks dangerously & loves the head of a religious order who‘s writings have sparked a religious revolution. A formerly rebel lord plays a deep game and hunts the princess.
2/5 stars

This mystery set in a fantasy world was very exciting. I loved the world, set during the end of reconstruction, where white people use sorcery and Black people use magic based on constellations.
People are being murdered and a cursed constellation is being left for the Conductors turned detectives to find. While I did feel the bad guy came out of nowhere, it was a good story overall.
3.5/5, read for a unique fantasy world

While not as good as the first novel set in Silence Lake, this was a fast paced mystery style book. I almost felt like it was a novella with a lot of pages.
Crowbones, a legend among the Others, comes out and murders during a tricksters night celebration and brings all kinds of trouble for the growing town. Who is the real Crowbones and how can the town prevent more deaths?
3/5 stars, good but not great

A cute, short book about a Bengal cat (he‘s very proud of his breed) that is dragged into another dimension by an evil sorcerer. He escapes and bonds with a dragon, and while he‘s never fed as he wants, he does join the war against the evil sorcerer. A cute and fun read, 2.5/5 stars. Read for a short and fun a fantasy adventure.

Parts of this book were really good, but parts of it were not good. I appreciated that the main character grew, but the growth came all at once, and didn‘t really make sense with the story line to me.
Feyre kills a wolf to feed her family, and becomes part of a chain of events that could see war brought to humans and see the Fae on her continent ruled by a tyrant.
2.5/5. Read if you like mythical retellings and enemies to lovers troupes.

I‘ve had this book for years, my undergrad roommate gave it to me, and I finally tried to read it. It was not for me. The writing was meandering, and seemed like the words dropped on each other like rocks, not peaceful nor interesting. I made it halfway through the first chapter and said no. Someone who likes 1st person mysteries might enjoy this more than me.

This is a narrative biography of Catherine the Great. It dragged a lot in some places and did not provide enough information in others, but does a good job for a story telling of Catherine the Great‘s life.
Catherine was able to survive decades of abuse to become one of the most powerful rulers of her time, her dedication to the arts and the brilliant people she was able to work with stand out in this incredible life. 3/5 stars

Excellent and very scary, my first political thriller. The Secretary of State must figure out how three bombings are connected and what the true danger is, to the USA, the world, and her family. This is indeed a thriller, and co-written by someone who has lived experience in this world. 4/5 stars, get a bit slow in some places, read if you want to be both scared and kept on the edge of your seat.

Awesome world building, meh characters, and a lot of plot and continuity issues.
Julie is working to prevent a future in which Kate dies, and must return to Atlanta to prevent a monstrous almost God from obtaining a powerful object- without Kate learning she‘s returned. Lots of return characters, some really strange character development, and a total disregard of some earlier stories. 2/5 stars, I wouldn‘t read this again.

This is a fun enemies to lovers book. While not one I would normally read, I am glad that I read it. Thank you @MittenGirlPeach
A romance set in a NPR radio station in WA, the main characters are asked to pretend to be ex‘s when their snipping at each other is noticed by the station manager and the station needs a romance/relationship show with a twist.
3/4 stars, a fun and relaxing read with good side plots and well developed side characters.

This book just wasn‘t for me. I don‘t like non-linear time lines and I don‘t know enough about this time period to feel really immersed in the story. I think for the right person this could be a great read.

This started as a series about assassins and poisons, talking your enemies senseless should not be an issue. 😠
Yelena is pregnant & can‘t use her magic. She gets captured, gets her entire team captured, and then they get captured again. Valek is no longer trusted by the commander and must decide where his loyalty will be focused. Siblings are found, new drugs and weapons are abused. There is much plotting and very little action. 2/5 stars

I didn‘t like the way the story was narrated and it got off to a SUPER SLOW start, but the world building was excellent and the story, once it finally started getting established, was really interesting.
Voch & Kas are kicked out of the guild for the death of a priest under their protection, but when they try to steal from the wrong coach, they land in a complicated web of blood mages, rebellion, and lies. 3/5 stars, needs more swashbuckling.

Excellent writing, ok citations, and sometimes the author got really into details for the architecture which I personally didn‘t care for. The story of Roxelana, the Harem slave who became Empress is fascinating! I learned a ton about the Ottoman Empire and how Roxelana helped establish the role of queen mother and the diplomatic role of queens in the Ottoman Empire. 4/5 stars Read if you are interested in history, especially powerful women.

The last quarter of this book is good, but I did not particularly enjoy the rest of the book. It got really bogged down in over describing somethings and barely described others.
Trolls are being murdered and a genius magic user and a half-human, half-troll, with her human companion, decide to put a stop to the murders and eventually end up working together.
2/5 stars. Read for an interesting world, but not for super engaging characters.

The history of labor is well written, but needs much better citations, esp since the author makes some pretty big claims. I don‘t think her book was well structured to support her final argument- that we can‘t really demand and get more respect & better treatment in our jobs until we stop loving them. Also, a TON of the book was about women‘s labor & how it is not valued & creates the problem of love, but not how to address that. 2/5 stars

Thank you @MittenGirlPeach for the #littlechristmasswap! Super excited for the new books and the chocolates! Thank you so much you so much @bookish_wookish for organizing!

This book is almost all primary sources, but lacks context. The primary sources alone don‘t help me understand much about Samurai without a deep understanding of the history and events surrounding the poems and stories. I think this would be better read as part of a class, with lots of history and social context provided through other sources. 1.5/5 stars, read for a collection of primary sources, mostly written by Samurai.

This book is full of lots of action and twists. The Zombie plague is pretty much in the background, so like our current situation, but there is a plot afoot that Maurice and Veronica must stop and they must save Veronica‘s sister. The darkness is spreading and Queen Victoria‘s most loyal agents must decide where they stand-on the side of the Queen or the side of the future of England. 3/5 stars, read if you like steampunk and/or Sherlock.

This book really drags, and ends without resolving a major plot point. I skipped at least 40% of it and don‘t feel I missed a thing. I liked that it‘s realistic about corruption in hospitals and is set in The Bay Area.
Layla returns home after a disastrous and viral break up and Sam is renting an office above her family‘s restaurant as he tries to bring his sister‘s abusive ex-husband to justice. 2/5 stars, finish the plot please!

This is a nice happy book, with a protagonist with actual character development, and the world building is excellent. It‘s a YA novel that isn‘t all dark, depressing, and full of stupid characters who never learn.
Miri‘s little sister is going to do something great and Miri and her fellow Champions are determined to protect her from the Dark Fae. Miri discovers more about her father, learns combat and magic in her quest to save her sister. 4/5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this modern take on You‘ve Got Mail. The author did a good job adapting it to modern times and I also enjoyed the extra layer of adding authorship to the mix.
Rosie owns a book store and Jane‘s family owns the building the book store is in and Jane must evict her. They are super hot for each other, but can they have a relationship with that kind of background? 3.5/5 stars. Slow in some places, but a fun read.

This book is BARELY a pick. I thought the story was not very cohesive and I did not enjoy the way the author switched out of third person narrative. I felt this was very much a filler book. Still love the series! Moriarty comes to Charlotte to ask for her help to determine if his daughter is alive and well in a religious compound. There are many secrets and Charlotte and her friends must race to discover and connect them all. 2/5 stars.

I loved the premise and I didn‘t guess the ending AT ALL, but the writing is a bit dry and the fight scenes aren‘t that well written. Sir Maurice is a Sherlock-like figure in a steampunk London where Queen Victoria is kept alive by machines and a Zombie-like plague is overrunning the poor. Veronica, his new assistant, joins him on the queen‘s mission to learn why an Airship crashed. 3/5 stars, read if you like Sherlock & Steampunk.

This book surprised me. It made me think, and think deeply, about myself as a reader and why books have played such an important role in life. This reads almost like a collection of essays, but it is a both a descriptive journey through the author‘s life as a reader and a book meant to help readers think more about reading as an action and as a state of being. 4/5 stars.

@Chelleo thank you so much! I can‘t wait to read this and the local chocolates look amazing! Thanks for my favorite chocolate bar as well. This makes my day. Happy #jolabokaflod and thank you @MaleficentBookDragon for organizing

A slow start, but lots of fun once the story picked up. Written using letter, newspaper articles, police reports, journal entities and more, this book follows the story of Audrey, granddaughter of Lady Trent as she rushes to finish translating ancient tablets “discovered” by a wealthy Lord. Plots, academic reputation, politics, a maybe lost love, all stand in the way and Audrey has to navigate them with two Allies to complete her work 4/5 stars.

My jolabokaflodswap package has arrived! Thank you @MaleficentBookDragon for setting this up, and thank you @Chelleo !

This is a lovely book, not the best start, but once the story gets going, it‘s super engaging and interesting. A young boy finds a girl who he doesn‘t remember but everyone else does. A family secret, a hidden neighborhood history, and a lost story written by an elder when she was a young girl bring a complex and beautifully sad tale to life. 4/5 stars, read if you want to consider issues of mortality and morality.

While I disagreed with the the authors description of Western parenting (she should used western middle class parenting IMO), I found this book to be really interesting. I agree that the way I see ppl raising kids is WEIRD and bad for the parents & the child, and that children need more autonomy & tasks, and less praise. Read this if you‘re interested in modern parenting & if you are want to know more about WEIRD culture. 3/5 stars

Don‘t start a book by stating there‘s almost no documentation on the mongol queens & then write a narrative history! There are no in-text citations and it really drags in some places. Genghis Khan left huge parts of his empire to his daughters, who were systematically butchered & tortured by their brothers. The brothers lose everything. It takes another woman to try to piece it back together after decades of corruption and cruelty. 2/5 stars

Being sick means I get to read a bit! This book is surprisingly fun, great world development, and good characters as well. In a world where women with magic are bound, Darcy must convince Elizabeth to trust him and together they must save England from a war with the Fey and black magic. 4/5 stars, read if you want a magic light and fey heavy P&P retelling.

This is a collection of previously published essays and papers which covered a lot of interesting topics but what I really wanted was a focus on Zombie ideas and why they don‘t die. The lack of cohesion made this a so-so. I did enjoy learning a lot about economics, as I don‘t know much about that discipline and the continuing evidence that racism is behind much of our country‘s collapse is interesting. 2/5 stars

A good book, drags a lot in the middle, but the characters are realistic and the story is interesting if depressing. Rin makes it into the most prestigious military academy and begins training to try to harness the power of the gods. An invasion leads to unspeakable atrocities and hard choices that could lead to the end of the world. 2.5/5 stars, read this if you want a more dark fantasy world with lots of battle school & a based on history vibe.

I wanted to know more about the Supreme Court, but while this book claims to provide insight and be a history, it has no citations and provides almost no context for what for author describes. 1/5 stars

This is interesting and sad, with great character development. It‘s a sequel but I read it as a stand alone. Katherine‘s family is being driven into bankruptcy by her uncle, the mad Duke, but when he promises to save their finances if she comes and learns to be a his sword fighter, her needy mother sends her off. She trains with the greats, learns more about her family‘s very dark past, and eventually starts on her own path. 3/5 stars.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was so good! Great story, great world building, and how awesome to see how two ladies who no one expects to do anything but be ladies can have such a huge impact on big events in their world. Two best friends and cousins must navigate a complex political and magical plot set in regency England. 4.5/5 stars, read this for a light and fun YA magical regency romance