I Read a Book Once

On the heels of one of the more average fantasy novels I've read recently, I picked up one of the most unique fantasy novels I've ever read. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty follows the titular character, a 40-year-old mother who is both a pirate and a devout Muslim, as she comes out of retirement for one last job. I spend time detailing the many unique facets of this novel, talk about the pacing, and discuss the role religion played in this book.

Rounding out my vacation reads is The Liar's Crown by Abigail Owen. This YA/NA fantasy novel follows Meren, a secret princess, after she is kidnapped prior to her sister's coronation. I explore the one innovative plot idea in this book, pose multiple questions about the curse that makes no sense to me, and explain the standard fantasy tropes we see in this book that are used all the time.

I finally got on the Tessa Bailey train and picked up her newest novel Secretly Yours. It follows Hallie as she reeks havoc on a wine tasting business and writes secret admirer letters to her high school crush Julian. I talk about reading a Tessa Bailey book for the first time, go over why I thought this book was a blast, and complain about the cover.

I finally read one of my most highly anticipated books of the year: A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross. This book is the conclusion to the Elements of Cadence duology and follows Jack, Adaira, Sidra, and Torin as they try to heal a mysterious illness and bring balance back to the island. I break down the character development of each of the main characters, express my joy at being back in this world, and provide a critique of the climax of the novel.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on Talia Hibbert's highly anticipated YA debut novel Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute. This book follows Celine and Brad friends turned enemies as they compete in a camping expedition for a college scholarship. I provide an overview of the great representation in Hibbert's books, explain my conflicting feelings about Celine's character, and discuss aliens and conspiracy theories.

When I found out Cinda Williams Chima was starting a new YA fantasy series, I couldn't wait to read it. Children of Ragnarok follows Eiric, who is trying to sail to a magical island with his sister Liv, and Reginn, who is a magic user working to uncover buried secrets. I spend too much time talking about Chima's other books, make predictions for the next books, and discuss the shady things going down.

After searching tirelessly for months, I finally found a copy of Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P Manansala. This cozy mystery follows Lila as her untrustworthy cousin Ronnie moves back into town and becomes a murder suspect. I talk about my difficulty finding this book, discuss the guessability of this mystery, and wonder where the heck Jae was in this book.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin has been absolutely everywhere and winning all the awards. This book follows Sam and Sadie the ups and downs of their friendship and career as video game creators over 30+ years. I complain about the false advertising, and dig into my main qualms with this book, and touch on the redeeming qualities.

Back-to-back episodes where I cover two books at once! This time I cover Dava Shastri's Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti and In 27 Days by Alison Gervais. I uncover two random similarities between the books, detail how I found In 27 Days, and explain my feelings about both books.

Over Thanksgiving I read The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang and The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. I'm way behind on my posting schedule, so that means I'm finally getting around to the books I read over Thanksgiving at the very end of January. I give an actually short plot summary for each and then do a deep dive into my thoughts and opinions on both books!