The tension of this book was built two ways, first with truly harrowing home invasion. Then with an investigation so misogynistic that it couldn‘t be real, when you know sadly it totally could be. Tense and upsetting, it wasn‘t an easy read, but it had a very satisfying conclusion. 4⭐️
#roll100 done! #doublespin done!

This was a very disappointing DNF, because 1. It‘s really short yet I still gave up. 2. I have enjoyed this series overall. The first two books had a strong lead character and lots of gothic creepy vibes. This book has a lot of unnecessary, tedious conversations and very little action. I still love T. Kingfisher, but this was a miss for me. #hailthebail

This is a bail because of content, not writing quality. It contains Broms beautiful writing and art. It is also a very interesting retelling of Peter Pan. Just the violence against children is very extreme and just not something I enjoy reading. #hailthebail #dnf
#bookspin off the TBR

This was a really fun historical adventure with a touch of supernatural elements. Think Mummy/Indiana Jones but the snappy intellectual woman is the main character. It is a very slow burn romance, and a touch slow paced. However, I really enjoyed the characters and look forward to continuing the series. 5⭐️

I overall mostly liked this story of a small community with a treasure mystery and a series of death that may be connected. There are some slow moments and a few characters that are not fully fleshed out and have no actual purpose besides being an obvious red herring. A light mystery that is not thrilling but overall fine. 3⭐️

This book is weird and wacky and in Stephen Graham Jones‘ trademark choppy and unique writing style. It has some moments of meandering, and at times doesn‘t age well with some of the language. If you look beyond that, it is still a fun silly horror. 3.5⭐️

Though I did predict the ending, there were some fun twists throughout. It also had solid pacing that kept me interested to the end. Domestic thrillers are not my favorite and there are some elements which may put off some readers. Also the men in this story are so clueless… Still, overall a fun time. 3.5⭐️

Another enjoyable mystery solved by Vera and friends, with returning characters and some new ones to add to Vera‘s found family. I really do love her, though this one was not quite as good as the first one. Still a great time. 4.5⭐️

Here‘s my #bookspinbingo board for October!

My #bookspin pick is The Child Thief by Brom
My #doublespin pick is Night Watching by Tracy Sierra

A very different, unique take on the Snow White tale. Our protagonist is a healer who specializes in finding cures to poisons. She is hired by the King to figure out why his daughter is sick. A fun fantasy/mystery story unravels, with a touch of romance too. Very entertaining and original. 4.5⭐️

Vera was my favorite read of the month. So much fun and lovable characters. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series in October!

Here are my #Septemberreadingstats

15 books read
4 DNF‘s
4 physical/ebook reads
11 Audiobooks
6 books off my physical TBR snack

5 star reads: The Light of All That Falls & Vera Wong‘s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
I had a lot of good reads, just the 2 great reads.
⬇️

This is a beautifully written bittersweet story of a middle aged couple trying to make their way in Alaska and the found family the find along the way. There are some possible fantastical elements, but overall it does a great job of demonstrating the harsh reality of early 20th century Alaska. It was not perfect for me though. The last third of the book really annoyed me and felt unnecessary.⬇️

My #OctoberTBR is all about the spooky books!
As always I‘m participating in #bookspin #doublespin #bookspinbingo & #roll100

This is a rather bonkers horror/sci-fi about a series of freak occurrences and a secret government agency. It is overall entertaining and I liked our main character. There was just something missing. Maybe it being a little longer would help. It just started and moved at full speed until the end. Still a big fan of this author, but not my favorite. 3.5⭐️
#bookspin pick done!

Wow, what an ending to this very well crafted epic fantasy. I will definitely want to reread at some point to catch all the fine details leading the grand finale. If you are a fan of epic fantasy, and great world building, check this series out! 5⭐️

I‘m bailing on this one, it is really not for me. Pregnancy thriller, gaslighting, the main character being dumb. Yeah I‘m done. #hailthebail

#doublespin off the TBR

This book is a mess. Strongly inspired by Japanese gangster horror, this does well with the brutal violent imagery. The story itself jumps around and does not quite work. It really is just too short and trying to fit too much story into a short novella. Let repeat this is brutally violent and includes a couple scenes of SA. I really only finished because it was short. 2⭐️

#bookspinbingo!

An action/horror manga that is very similar to Witcher, but our warrior is a woman. A good start to a series, I think I will continue! 4⭐️

Here are my #roll100 picks for my #OctoberTBR!

Night Watching by Tracy Sierra
The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley
The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel

Now time to build my October TBR!

This premise is just too absurd and I‘m not feeling it. #dnf #hailthebail

Another solid entry in the In Death series! 4⭐️

I‘m giving this a marginal pick. About two piano players, a middle aged child prodigy and a young celebrity. I liked the exploration of their struggles and their deep love and connection for music. There were just some odd choices in plot and one of the main characters Prudence is 48, but reads in her 60‘s and the timelines don‘t always make sense. If you love music, I recommend though. 3.5⭐️

A dizzying action packed finale to a truly unique and interesting fantasy trilogy! 4.5⭐️

Very quickly realized I was not going to love this one, so DNF. #hailthebail a book off my #roll100 & physical tbr! @PuddleJumper

I really liked this fantasy duology, a very solid continuation of the story. This series has some very interesting world building and a unique magic system. There are some pacing issues, and the last act moves so fast it felt rushed. But overall I did enjoy this second book and the series overall. A great set for like more fantasy and world building in their Romantasy. 4⭐️

This was such a fun read! Our main character Vera Wong discovers a dead body in her tea shop, and decides she is the best person to solve the mystery. Vera is amazing, you will totally fall in love with her. There is also a delightful cast of supporting characters/suspects. I loved this and look forward to more madcap adventures with Vera & co. 5⭐️

Overall, a good story but the pacing was a little slow. I also never felt the connection to any of the characters as I did in Weyward. Still an interesting story with multiple POV‘s. Historical fiction with some fantastical elements. 3.5⭐️

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I am a fan of Darcy Coates, and with this books she brings us another quirky dark horror/thriller. This book is part reality tv nightmare a la Fyre Fest and part cult story - you could debate that some online celebrities have cult like followings too. This was entertaining, gruesome and a bit messy.⬇️

Another fun tropey rom-com in this athlete centered series. Book 5 (which I accidentally read first) is still my favorite. 4⭐️

A very disturbing and frequently gross novel about the quite literal horrors of the beauty industry. This frequently made me feel icky, yet I kept going wanting to know the ending. Not for the faint of heart, there is some body horror and some additional eluded to elements to be wary of. 4⭐️

I liked this, and like all of R. F. Huang‘s books it has beautiful writing. It just doesn‘t 100% hit, there are a few too many ideas. It definitely hits the pretentious hell that academia can be when it literally becomes hell. It also has a touch of romance which does not quite hit. There are also some other little elements that she squeezed in that I know had meaning to the author, but did not quite fit within the story.⬇️

Here is my #bookspinbingo board for my #SeptemberTBR

My #bookspin pick is Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle
My #doublespin pick is Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott

I am also continuing to work on my physical TBR with #roll100

Tagged was my top read of the month, but When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy was a close second so I added it as a Wild Card.

August reading stats:
17 books read
A super unfortunate 10 books I DNF‘d 😳
11 audiobooks
6 ebook/physical books
6 books off my physical tbr

Favorite read: The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews
Other 5⭐️ reads: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy

It seems weird to type this, but this has the most likable serial killer I‘ve read. Our main character is just trying to enjoy her retirement, when a filmmaker visits her wanting to revisit her past. This was a very entertaining read, with humor and well written protagonist. I would have loved a little more development of the side characters, but definitely recommend this one! 4.5⭐️

I am sure this will be popular. However, even though the tarot based magic system is interesting, nothing else in this book feels original. Also, I‘m just bored. DNF‘d at 30%. Let me know if you feel this is genuinely worth continuing. #hailthebail

Another delightful romantic comedy by Tara Sivec. I enjoyed this one more than the first in the series. Both main characters are delightful and adorable. It also has a very satisfying ending and some very steamy scenes. 4.5⭐️

Here is my #SeptemberTBR for #bookspinbingo
I will continue #bookspin & #doublespin as well as #roll100

This started well and was cute overall, but the ridiculous lack of adult conversations was annoying. I still enjoy this author‘s humor so am continuing in the series. 3⭐️

This was a cute, if a little slow, fantasy romance. A mix of historical fiction and magical realism, this features a married couple in a marriage of convenience, that work together to solve a magical mystery. The relationship issues were a bit unnecessary as they were heavily built on miscommunication. When a simple conversation would solve most of the issues, it can be frustrating to leave. I still like the writing and the world. 3.5⭐️

Here are my #roll100 picks for my #SeptemberTBR

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Ring by Koji Suzuki
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

This is a bummer as I LOVED Elatsoe, one of my favorite reads of last year. However, this is just boring. It should have been a short story. The first third was really interesting, but the middle of the book nothing was happening and there was just a lot of talking. So DNF. #hailthebail Another #bookspinbingo though!

This is a bummer as I LOVED Elatsoe, one of my favorite reads of last year. However, this is just boring. It should have been a short story. The first third was really interesting, but the middle of the book nothing was happening and there was just a lot of talking. So DNF. #hailthebail Another #bookspinbingo though!

This had an interesting start, but I‘m just not enjoying the main character or the writing style. It has a YA tone but definitely adult content. Just not for me. #hailthebail

A delightful & cozy English countryside mystery. I loved our main characters. I look forward to continuing this series! 4.5⭐️

Another solid installment in this epic fantasy series. Though full of action, it still has that middle book feel where nothing is fully resolved. Still enjoyable overall. 4⭐️

I am not liking the writing style, just not for me.
Bummer as I supported this kickstarter. The book is very pretty, up for sale on my Pango store. #hailthebail a book off my #roll100 TBR too!
It also gave me a #bookspinbingo

I was hoping to like this more than the movie, but I just don‘t enjoy Snow‘s story. #hailthebail

Absolutely fantastic! This writing team knows how to write an amazing heroine, and Ada may be my favorite. This new sci-fantasy features a near future where portals start to appear with invasions of monsters. Our main character Ada is part of a team on an expedition to mine/close one of these portals. Things go very wrong and will change Ada forever. There is also a very good dog. 5+⭐️
#bookspin done!