Tag: book blog

January TBR!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR (again)! A new year is so fresh and ripe with bookish possibilities. If you read my 2020 Goals Post, you know that I have a semi-structured plan for what books I’m going to read each month. I painstakingly poured over my physical books, Netgalley responsibilities, and backlist babies to determine what to read this month and I came up with a HUGE list. We’ll see how this actually works, but I have high hopes!

PHYSICAL BOOKS

My plan is to read a new backlist series each month and just binge my way through them. This month is devoted to Cassandra Clare.

  1. City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4), Cassandra Clare
  2. City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5), Cassandra Clare
  3. City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6), Cassandra Clare
  4. Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1), Cassandra Clare
  5. Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2), Cassandra Clare
  6. Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3), Cassandra Clare
  7. The Wicked Fox (Gumiho #1), Kat Cho
  8. The Beckoning Shadow (The Beckoning Shadow #1), Katharyn Blair
  9. Love Her or Lose Her (Hot & Hammered #2), Tessa Bailey
  10. The Women’s War (Women’s War #1) – Jenna Glass

NETGALLEY EARC’S

I give myself 4 days to read Netgalley books, at 25% a day. It’s worked so far, and gives me time to read physical books at the same time. Even if I get really engrossed and finish one in 2 days, I won’t start the next until the calendar says to.

  1. The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves #2), Roshani Chokshi
  2. Queen of the Unwanted (Women’s War #2), Jenna Glass
  3. The Shrike and the Shadows, Chantal Gadoury and A.M. Wright
  4. Unravel the Dusk (The Blood of Stars #2), Elizabeth Lim
  5. Heart of Flames (Crown of Feathers #2), Nicki Pau Preto
  6. The Electric Heir (Feverwake #2), Victoria Lee
  7. Havenfall (Havenfall #1), Sara Holland
  8. The Kissing Game, Marie Harte
  9. Break in Case of Emergency, Brian Francis

Before you say anything, yes I know this is a very ambitious list. I think 18 is the most books I’ve read in a month before so 19 in the first month of the year may be pushing it. BUT I just don’t care! I get to make my TBR however I want, and we’ll see how I do at the end of the month! Wish me luck, friends!

Happy reading, folks!

2020 Reading Goals!

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Happy New Year my bookish friends!! I’m so excited for 2020, and I have a bunch of goals I want to keep in mind while reading this year! Not to be confused with a typical resolution list, the below are some goals I want to reach toward to improve my reading habits, bookstagram, and blogging! I started my blog in 2019 as a method of getting my thoughts and feelings about my books down, and I’ve really loved it. At the end of 2019 I got into a slump and wasn’t really posting, so I want to work on that this year!

READING GOAL

I plan on reading at least 150 books this year. This is my Goodreads goal, and since I read over 160 this year I feel I can make it happen. I also want to complete the Popsugar Reading Challenge. I came as close as ever to completing it in 2019, so I’d like to be able to say I completed it in 2020.

BE MORE CONSCIOUS OF WHAT I’M READING

I know this can mean anything, so let me explain. I have a million TBR books, but I seem to be reading only new released and not backlist. So this year I can break this goal down to a few smaller goals

  1. Read 2 subscription box books a month until I am caught up
  2. Read a backlist book each month
  3. Binge series’ together

NETGALLEY READING/POSTING

This one is short and simple. I want to get my Netgalley percentage up to 80% and keep it there. I am currently at 75%, so I feel I can make this happen over the next year. On top of this, I’d like to be mindful about posting my promotional photos when I say I will, by actually using my planner like I said I would.

BLOGGING

I’d like to do a few things in this category. First, I’d like to review every book I read, and post them to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. This one may not happen, but I figure I can at least review *most* of the books I read. I also would like to participate in Top Ten Tuesday, which I feel will help my blog be more diverse and interesting.

BOOKSTAGRAM

I would like to be more engaged in my bookstagram. I am incredibly shy and super awkward, so I don’t often interact with my fellow bookstagrammers. I want to reach out to at least a few a month to talk about books, and hopefully begin some friendships. I also want to continue talking to my Baltimore Bookstagram friends in our group chat. On top of this, I’d like to try and post daily, along with being more active in stories and highlights.

I think this about covers my plans for 2020. I thrive when I have a semblance of organization (the actual organization is unnecessary, so I already feel better with having this list written down for future reference.

Talk with me in the comments about your goals! Do we share any?

Happy 2020 reading, folks!!

December Wrap Up!

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December was a good reading month for the last of the year, and the decade. This decade of reading was very interesting for me. Whereas I’ve always loved reading, college and grad school made it difficult to really read for fun. In 2018, I immersed myself back in reading, started my bookstagram, and read 38 books. In 2019, I finished with 162 books, with 17 being in December alone.

I also started reviewing books on Netgalley in 2019, so I opened myself up to a whole new world of ebooks and being able to read them without having to purchase them first. I read a total of 45 Netgalley eARC’s in 2019, which is amazing to me. Below I detail my December 2019 reads!

PHYSICAL BOOKS

  1. The Start of Me and You, Emery Lord – 4/5 stars
  2. The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang – 5/5 stars
  3. Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, Christina Lauren – 5/5 stars
  4. Twice in a Blue Moon, Christina Lauren – 4/5 stars
  5. The Simple Wild, K.A. Tucker – 5/5 stars
  6. Not the Girl You Marry, Andie J. Christopher – 4/5 stars
  7. The Big Love, Sarah Dunn – 2.5/5 stars

NETGALLEY EARC’S

  1. The Stars We Steal, Alexa Donne – 5/5 stars
  2. The Map From Here to There, Emery Lord – 4/5 stars
  3. No, We Can’t Be Friends, Sophie Ranald – 4/5 stars
  4. Temptress, Lola Dodge – 3/5 stars
  5. How to Build a Heart, Maria Padian – 4/5 stars
  6. What the Other Three Don’t Know, Spencer Hyde – 3/5 stars
  7. The Sound of Stars, Alechia Dow – 4/5 stars
  8. Ink in the Blood, Kim Smejkal – 3.5/5 stars

EBOOKS

  1. Of Rioters and Royals, M.L. Greye – 5/5 stars (reread)
  2. Entwined Paths, M.L. Greye – 5/5 stars (ARC provided by the author)

The Big Love by Sarah Dunn was my last read of the year, and unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. Planning on reading a book that I KNOW will be amazing as my first read in 2020 to make up for it! I hope you all had a great reading month, and decade! Comment below and let me know if you’ve read any of these, are looking forward to reading any, or something you read and loved in December!

Happy reading, folks!

December Book Haul!

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FairyLoot Special Edition!

Happy end of the year!! I got most of my hauled books for Christmas, as I did pretty well with buying knowing my family would get me books (and gift cards!) – but of course I still got my subscription box books. One goal of mine for next year is to be more mindful of how much money I spend on books as I have a wedding to plan and save for! I’m going to set a limit for myself… I’m just not sure what that limit is yet!

SUBSCRIPTION BOXES

This month I got my December Owlcrate, November Shelflove Crate, and Decembet BOTM. This will be my last month getting Shelflove Crate, because unfortunately their service has really gone downhill and they are now requiring subscribers to pay a month in advance for the box – e.g. charged in December for January’s box, that would even ship until January 20th (if it’s on time, which is hasn’t been for the last year). SO I cancelled that on Black Friday and started BOTM! I actually got my December BOTM picks BEFORE my November Shelflove Crate. That says something.

  1. The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising #1) – Kiersten White (OwlCrate)
  2. Blood Heir (Blood Heir Trilogy #1) – Amelie Wen Zhao
  3. Well Met (Well Met #1) – Jen DeLuca
  4. Red, White, and Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

My family is wonderful and support my reading habit (even if my boyfriend is upset because my books are literally breaking his bookshelves and I cannot fit anything else on my TBR cart) so I got a bunch of books for Christmas!

  1. City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) – Cassandra Clare
  2. City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) – Cassandra Clare
  3. City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) – Cassandra Clare
  4. Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) – Cassandra Clare
  5. Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) – Cassandra Clare
  6. Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3) – Cassandra Clare
  7. The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1) – Mary E. Pearson
  8. The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles #1) – Mary E. Pearson
  9. The Beauty of Darkness (The Remnant Chronicles #1) – Mary E. Pearson

SPECIAL EDITION

My last edition was a special edition book I purchased a few months back from FairyLoot! My post office held it hostage for several weeks, even though it was released in November – I didn’t get it until this month. Also, the publisher made a mistake and sent these copies out to the general public, so they created ANOTHER special edition dust jacket that they will be sending us to replace!

  1. Girls of Storm and Shadow (Girls of Paper and Fire #2) – Natasha Ngan

It has been a great month, and year for books! I also got a boatload of money in Barnes and Noble gift cards, which I’ve already used a bunch of! I have an order set to come in January 2nd (Happy New Year to me!) so I can’t wait to unhaul them for you at the end of the month!

Happy reading, folks!

Book Review – Scythe

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Title: Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1)

Author: Neal Shusterman

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication date: November 22nd, 2016

435 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Thou shalt kill.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

Review

Without the threat of suffering, we can’t experience true joy.

Neal shusterman, scythe

My boyfriend bought me this book on a whim and it sat on my TBR cart for months until he picked it up, shoved it in my face, and told me to read it because he bought it for me. I’M SO GLAD HE DID. I loved Scythe and the take on this utopian/dystopian future world. This is my first Neal Shusterman book, but I also have his Unwind series on my TBR so this has me putting his other works higher on my list!

In the futuristic world of Scythe, there is no war, disease, or dying really. Unless you are chosen by a Scythe for gleaning, the only method of population control as all of the world’s problems are basically solved. Scythe’s are responsible for gleaning humans in order to keep a sustainable amount of people on Earth, and this is determined by the Thunderhead – the big computer that runs the world. In Scythe, you follow Citra and Rowan, two youngsters who are chosen to apprentice in Scythe craft. Through their stories, you see that the world is not as perfect as it seems, and corruption is still rampant in the Scythedom. Citra and Rowan must decide which paths to take and determine right from wrong, something that’s super easy for teenagers… right?

I find it hard to put into words how amazing this reading experience was for me. It evoked such complex emotions and makes you think about how the world would be if this was our reality. It brings up a discussion on death and murder – what is acceptable and what is not. Citra and Rowan as characters are such a healthy combination of unredeemable and morally sound – you’ll just have to trust me! On top of this, you get action, a long-distance chase scene, and some serious violence. This is definitely not a fluffy book that will be an easy read.

I really can’t find any criticisms to give this book. I set it down and could only say wow to my boyfriend when he asked how it was. I was hooked from the beginning and Scythe never let go. The writing is sharp and detailed without being flowery or overly done. The characters have back story and a fantastic arc and development. Even the background characters make themselves known and jump off the page, all for eclectic reasons.

If you love science fiction, futuristic, and books that make you think and question the world around you – pick up Scythe immediately. Happy reading, bookish friends! 🙂

Book Review – The Unhoneymooners

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Title: The Unhoneymooners

Author: Christina Lauren

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication date: May 14th, 2019

400 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of… lucky.

Review

I can appreciate my body in a bikini and still want to set fire to the patriarchy.

christina lauren, the unhoneymooners

Friends, I officially love Christina Lauren and their books. This is my first read from the writing duo, but I am an auto buyer for life now. I really can’t wait to read more from them. I picked this up on a whim in Rehoboth Beach while browsing an independent book store – mostly because it was used and on sale. I am SO GLAD I DID!

The Unhoneymooners tracks Olive, a quirky and loud woman who has no shame or filter. This makes Ethan, our other MC, uncomfortable because he isn’t sure how to handle her. Olive’s twin sister is getting married to Ethan’s younger brother, so they are forced to spend time together. When everyone but them gets sick at the wedding, they are forced into taking the honeymoon together so it doesn’t go to waste. They try so hard to stay away from each other, but sometimes differences have a way of attracting…

Y’allll Olive is my love. If Ethan didn’t end up with her, I totally would have. Christina Lauren manages to really craft well-rounded characters in stand-alone novels, which is impressive to me and lends to a better read. I really understood Olive’s point of view and where she was coming from – but same with Ethan. Their romance was easy to read and easy to love.

This is a total beach read. If you have this on your TBR, either read it immediately (because hello, it’s amazing) or save if for the beach vacation you’re dreaming about now in the dead of winter. I personally read this on my couch, but would have loved to be toes in the water, ass in the sand with it and a fruity drink – doesn’t help that most of it is set in Hawaii!!

Please read this is you love contemporary romance! Happy reading, bookish friends! 🙂

eARC Review – Temptress

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Title: Temptress (Manhattan Ten #2)

Author: Lola Dodge

Publisher: Ink Monster, LLC

Publication date: November 12th, 2019

126 pages

3.5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

A seductress. A super brain.

She’s an indie operative who only works alone, stealing other super heroes’ powers with a kiss and bringing down the bad guys. Those stolen powers add up to a crazy arsenal, but Temptress isn’t built for super strength and shooting laser beams. Her body is falling apart and a teensy mission slip-up gets her tangled with the Manhattan Ten.

He’s the M10’s leader. The man, the myth, the Mensa-conquering legend. Nothing escapes Thinktank’s calculations… Until a run-in with Temptress leaves him powerless. Superpowers stolen with a kiss can only be returned with a kiss. 

Natural enemies can only get closer. And closer. And closer…

It’s love at first fight in the second volume of the Manhattan Ten Series.

Review

**Thank you to Ink Monster, Netgalley, and Lola Dodge for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

Temptress is tasked with capturing Steel, a member of the Manhattan Ten accused of sexual assault by the LVPD. With her power she is able to suck other super’s powers out of their body with just a kiss, so she is used often when the police are dealing with a super. She also works at casino’s helping to monitor security situations. She is also able to USE all the others powers – but not without a price. In comes Thinktank, the leader of the Manhattan Ten. She isn’t supposed to steal his powers, but he gets in her way – what choice does she have? Problem is she can’t figure out how to return his powers, the usual quick kiss isn’t working. Guess they’ll have to keep trying…

In the second book of the Manhattan Ten short story series, a new superhero emerges to catch Thinktank’s eye. Temptress, or Jenny for her friends. I loved Ivory, so I knew I needed to get Temptress to continue on in the series – and continue reading the companion stories of the Manhattan Ten. Temptress’ character was so awesome – she was completely bad-ass and totally nonchalant about it. She just walks into a fight without a care. I also like getting to know Tank’s character more than what we got to see in Ivory.

As with the first one, this is an adult short story, so there is sexual content – but I would say less than there was in Ivory. The focus of this story was more about figuring out Temptress’ backstory and eventually saving her from her past. With her ability to steal other super’s powers – she really is a force to be reckoned with and I’m happy she got her ending.

Check this out if you want a super quick, fantasy novel with fun characters and interesting super powers.

Happy reading, bookish friends! 🙂

Book Review – Stealing Home

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Title: Stealing Home

Author: Becky Wallace

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Publication date: July 9th, 2019

320 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Fight for your dreams, even if it means breaking a few rules.

Seventeen-year-old Ryan Russell has life perfectly planned. If she keeps up her hard work, one day she’ll take over the family business: owning the Buckley Beavers, a minor league baseball team, and become one of the only female General Managers in the sport.

But when the newest member of the Beavers, child-phenom Sawyer Campbell, shows up, Ryan’s carefully laid plans are thrown a major curveball. Sawyer is far more charming than the arrogant jocks she usually manages, his ambition rivals her own workaholic nature—and he’s completely out of bounds. Fraternizing is against every rule in the Beaver’s handbook.

Then Ryan’s divorced parents butt heads over the future of the Beavers, and her mom plans to sell her shares to a business group known for relocating teams. If this happens, Ryan’s dreams of becoming GM disappear. In a bid to save her future, she partners with Sawyer to use his star power to draw in sponsors who will keep the team in Buckley. But the more time she spends with him, the more impossible it becomes to play by the Beaver’s rules, and she can’t afford a strikeout on the path to her dreams.

Full count with two outs, Ryan’s one pitch away from losing the whole ball game.

Review

Stealing Home follows main character’s Ryan and Sawyer as they mutually fight for the futures they’ve been working towards their whole lives. Ryan wants nothing more than to be the General Manager of her dad’s minor league baseball team, The Buckley Beavers. She puts all of her spare time and effort into the team. Sawyer is trying to make it big in the MLB to help keep his family’s watermelon farm afloat. When Sawyer is drafted and sent to the Beavers, they have a chance to help each other out, or cause each other to fail in their dreams.

I thought Stealing Home was super cute. I’m a baseball fanatic, have been my whole life, so I adore reading baseball related books. Sawyer and Ryan were so cute together, even when they were trying not to be. They are both stubborn and motivated individuals, which is why they work so well together. The romance is very PG, with some long, lingering glances and heated exchanges.

The supporting characters are the reason I docked this book a star. Ryan’s mom and dad are not great characters (although they get SOME redemption at the end). I really felt bad for Ryan having to deal with them as people. Also, I felt like it was kind of ridiculous that she was 17 and doing all of the grunt work for her dad – like she didn’t have a life. I know it was her choice, but what dad does that?

Overall, this was a very cute, contemporary, sports novel. I enjoyed reading it and read it all in one day. It was fairly light and easy to read. Fans of Jenn Bennett and Brigid Kemmerer should check this one out!

Happy reading, bookish friends! 🙂

Book Review – The Wren Hunt

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Title: The Wren Hunt (The Wren Hunt #1)

Author: Mary Watson

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Publication date: February 8th, 2018

432 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Every Christmas, Wren is chased through the woods near her isolated village by her family’s enemies—the Judges—and there’s nothing that she can do to stop it. Once her people, the Augurs, controlled a powerful magic. But now that power lies with the Judges, who are set on destroying her kind for good.

In a desperate bid to save her family, Wren takes a dangerous undercover assignment—as an intern to an influential Judge named Cassa Harkness. Cassa has spent her life researching a transformative spell, which could bring the war between the factions to its absolute end. Caught in a web of deceit, Wren must decide whether or not to gamble on the spell and seal the Augurs’ fate.

Review

There would be consequences, I knew that. There were always consequences, usually teeny tiny consequences that you hardly noticed. But the small things added up over time, until eventually they formed one big thing that could crush you beneath its weight.

Mary watson, the wren hunt

The Wren Hunt is the start of a duology following Wren, a young augur about to take an internship wit a house of judges, in order to try and steal a map from them. Set in Ireland, The Wren Hunt posits two gifted groups; judges and augurs. Judges are able to commune with nature and augurs have different abilities centered around understanding patterns and being able to manipulate the world around them. The two sides are constantly at war, and the judges are winning. Wren must tip the scales back into the augurs favor before it is too late, or does the universe have a different plan in store for her?

Whew, this book was A LOT. I spent most of it very confused, and am actually still pretty confused. The book starts of with Wren being chased through the woods by a group of young judges, which apparently happens every year. Apparently the only reason this occurs is because her name is Wren and they must hunt the Wren. Seriously, already it started off weird. Also, I feel like I never got a good explanation for why this happened EVERY YEAR on the same day. But I digress. The events of the book are confusing.

If you like a book where the characters are likable and have redeeming qualities, this book will not fulfill that desire. Even the seemingly great characters end up being terrible, and the MC is no better. I spent most of the book internally yelling at Wren for her actions, and frankly I did the same for most of the supporting characters as well. In a war between augurs and judges, no one plays fair.

I will say, this book had a magnificent plot twist towards the end that I DID NOT see coming in the slightest. I felt more convinced after that that The Wren Hunt was worth my time reading. I picked it up because I was approved for the sequel, The Wickerlight, on Netgalley and I really do NOT like to DNF books. The twist was able to move this book into a solid 3 star book for me.

Lastly, the cover is gorgeous. Simple. Classic. Fitting. The Wickerlight cover matches in style, if not color. I am a fan of a good, simple cover sometimes. YA books lately have been KILLING it with these amazing, colorful, detailed covers – but sometimes I appreciate sleek and simple. The romance is okay – I’d classify it as a slow burn, lovers to enemies romance trope which is not even in my top five of romance tropes. But hey, if you like those, check this book out!

Overall, a mid range book for me. The writing is beautiful and mysterious (which leads it to be confusing), and I enjoyed that it was set in Ireland.

Happy reading, bookish friends! 🙂

eARC Review – These Wicked Waters

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Title: These Wicked Waters

Author: Emily Layne

Publisher: Owl Hollow Press

Publication date: October 22nd, 2019

274 pages

3.5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

A centuries-old curse plagues the island of Viaii Nisi and an ancient enemy lurks beneath the depths of the surrounding water.

Annie Mayfield has heard all the stories and rumors about the island that is now home to the brand new Mayfield Villa resort, and she is definitely not psyched about having to spend her summer working there. The island’s name alone—Viaii Nisi, or violent island—is enough to make any sane person seriously reconsider it as a vacation destination. Then there are the mysterious deaths of every previous owner! It’s a history Annie’s mother is quick to shrug off, but when a guest goes missing on opening night, Annie really starts to get the creeps.

And then Annie makes a truly terrifying discovery: ruins filled with bones and one skeleton that seems to be half human and half fish. Intrigued by the strange remains and determined to help find the missing guest, Annie channels her inner Nancy Drew—minus the skirt and pearls, of course—in an attempt to uncover the truth about Viaii Nisi. But that truth is beyond anything she could ever have imagined. With her mother in complete denial and local officials unconcerned, Annie finds she’ll have to face her biggest fears if she’s to attempt to save everyone she loves.

Review

**Thank you to Owl Hollow Press, Netgalley, and Emily Layne for providing me an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review**

These Wicked Waters was not the book I was expecting when I picked it up. I initially thought this was going to be high fantasy, in a magical new world – however, it is fantasy within the realms of reality. This is not a negative for me, just came unexpected in the first few pages.

Annie is our MC, and she is sent to spend her summer on a private island her mom owns (right??) after she pulled a prank at her boarding school. The island is Viaii Nisi, or violent island in Greek. Disturbing rumors abound about this island, and all of the previous owners have drowned to death. Annie gets to the island and when workers and guests start disappearing, she investigates what could be behind the rumors and disappearances…

Lorelai is a two-tailed siren, who has been forbidden by the siren Queen Thessalonike from using her song to interfere with the lung-breathers on the island. She disobeys, and the results cost her what she cared about most.

These Wicked Waters narrated back and forth between Annie and Lorelai. Background information is given slowly over the book, which is generally not the style I prefer. I spent the first half of the book pretty confused with what was going on. The story did pick up after awhile and I ended up enjoying it.

One thing I liked about These Wicked Waters is that it left the possibly of a sequel open. There was an ending that mostly wrapped everything up, but dropped one last bomb on you (a predictable bomb, but still a bomb) and could be the basis of a sequel. Currently, These Wicked Waters is a standalone but hopes for the future!

Fans of The Wicked Deep and The Sea Witch will enjoy this new spin on sirens and an ocean themed novel. Check it out!

Happy reading, bookish friends! 🙂