I started out January so well, I read four books over just a few days, but then I got completely stuck on the 6th Zodiac Academy book. So basically, I didn’t have as good a reading month as I wanted.
A Tournament of Crowns by Elise Kova
Read: 1/1/24 – 6/1/24
This series just keeps getting better and honestly, Elise Kova never disappoints. I’m so excited to start the next instalment when it’s released in a few weeks.
Synopsis: Last night, Eira killed a man.
However justified her actions were, many now regard her as a cold-blooded murderer and a heretic who extinguished their hope. But there’s no time to explain herself. She barely has a chance to wash the blood off her hands before the Tournament of Five Kingdoms begins.
Sequestered with the other champions for the duration of the tournament, Eira must now navigate the games, her competition, the enemies who hunt her head, and — somehow worse than all the rest — being stuck in close quarters with the man who broke her heart.
All is fair in love and magical tournaments, and Eira is ready for the fight of her life.
Get ready for twists you never saw coming in A Tournament of Crowns. This series is perfect for readers who enjoy young adult, epic fantasy full of elemental magic, slow-burn romance, found family, and battles for the futures of kingdoms set in a world you’ll never want to leave.
Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
Read: 6/1/24 – 7/1/24
I was hoping this would have the same feeling of whimsy that the film has, but sadly, that wasn’t the case. I did enjoy the read and will be continuing with the series but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping.
Synopsis: When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly embarks on a journey to London in search of her. But nothing can prepare her for what awaits. Because when she arrives, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderous villains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothers–all while attempting to piece together clues to her mother’s strange disappearance. Amid all the mayhem, will Enola be able to decode the necessary clues and find her mother?
They All Had A Secret by Michele Leathers
Read: 7/1/24
This was such a quick read and I do love a thriller, but the sense of urgency was missing with this instalment. I do plan to read the next book in the series, but if it doesn’t pick up I’ll probably give up on it.
Synopsis: Charity has a past full of dark secrets that she keeps buried deep inside her cold heart. Samantha didn’t used to have any secrets, but that’s all about to change. And Roy, who seems to be caught in the middle, may have a haunting past of his own. When the small town they live in is hit with a devastating flood, the isolation, the danger, it will lead the three of them down a path they can never return from. One of them will have to go, for the others to survive.
Fated Throne by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Read: 9/1/24 – 21/1/24
My god was this a struggle to get through. There are so many chapters that could be cut without affecting the story that are so boring. I really don’t care for any perspectives other than the immediate players in the story (if that makes sense?).
I haven’t reviewed this yet, but it will be up in the next few weeks.
Synopsis: Fate has torn us apart and sometimes I believe the stars have given up on us altogether.
Without my sister, the world seems darker than ever before and the shadows loom thicker, rising up to answer the call of the Shadow Princess and changing the face of Solaria for good.
Now Lionel Acrux has the strength to make a move for the throne, I’m not sure how much time we have left to stop him.
Our only hope is to find the Imperial Star before he does. We made the sacrifice the stars called for and we’re paying the price for that decision so it can’t be for nothing. But with the stars turning against us at every move, and the last light in the world seeming to fade, I’m afraid we’re almost out of time. Hope is a dangerous thing. It’s the key to us fighting on. But it could be what destroys us in the end.
One thing is for certain, I won’t stop until I have been reunited with my other half and together we will fight to take our crowns.
A war is coming.
The throne is calling for a new monarch. And someone must answer its call.
The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond
Read: 22/1/24 – 25/1/24
DNF
I’m very sad to be saying I’ve already had a DNF this year. This book sounded so interesting, but honestly, it was boring. But more on that in my review that is coming in a few weeks.
Synopsis: A magically gifted con artist must gather her estranged mother’s old crew for a once-in-a-lifetime heist, from the New York Times bestselling author of Stranger Suspicious Minds.
Dani Poissant is the daughter and former accomplice of the world’s most famous art thief, as well as being an expert forger in her own right. The secret to their success? A little thing called magic, kept rigorously secret from the non-magical world. Dani’s mother possesses the power of persuasion, able to bend people to her will, whereas Dani has the ability to make any forgery she undertakes feel like the genuine article.
At seventeen, concerned about the corrupting influence of her mother’s shadowy partner, Archer, Dani impulsively sold her mother out to the FBI—an act she has always regretted. Ten years later, Archer seeks her out, asking her to steal a particular painting for him, since her mother’s still in jail. In return, he will reconcile her with her mother and reunite her with her mother’s old gang—including her former best friend, Mia, and Elliott, the love of her life.
The problem is, it’s a nearly impossible job—even with the magical talents of the people she once considered family backing her up. The painting is in the never-before-viewed private collection of deceased billionaire William Hackworth—otherwise known as the Fortress of Art. It’s a job that needs a year to plan, and Dani has just over one week. Worse, she’s not exactly gotten a warm welcome from her former colleagues—especially not from Elliott, who has grown from a weedy teen to a smoking-hot adult. And then there is the biggest puzzle of why Archer wants her to steal a portrait of himself, which clearly dates from the 1890s, instead of the much more valuable works by Vermeer or Rothko. Who is her mother’s partner, really, and what does he want?
The more Dani learns, the more she understands she may be in way over her head—and that there is far more at stake in this job than she ever realized.
Jonesy, Vol. 1 by Sam Humphries
Read: 28/1/24
This is a super cute graphic novel with a wonderful art style. If you like fast-paced stories, this is definitely for you.
Synopsis: A sarcastic teenager with the powers of cupid unleashes her preternatural matchmaking abilities on her school with hilarious and charming results.
Jonesy is a self-described “cool dork” who spends her time making zines nobody reads, watching anime, and listening to riot grrrl bands and 1D simultaneously. But she has a secret nobody knows. She has the power to make people fall in love! Anyone. With anything. She’s a cupid in plaid. With a Tumblr. There’s only one catch—it doesn’t work on herself. She’s gonna have to find love the old-fashioned way, and in the meantime, figure out how to distract herself from the real emotions she inevitably has to face when her powers go wrong…
Dear Kerri by Danielle Keil
Read: 27/1/24 – 28/1/24
I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first book, but it was still a fun and quick read.
Synopsis: Everyone at Ryder High knows what it means to have a teal envelope taped to their locker on the first day of the month.
But for Kerri Thomas, it’s not quite the moment she was waiting for.
Busy with school, friends, and volleyball, she doesn’t know if she has time to play along and figure out who her Secret Admirer is.
The clues send her on a wild scavenger hunt, proving that her admirer knows her better than she expected.
But none of the clues give her hints about the guy.
Kerri has a team of suspects, including her friends on the baseball team, but narrowing it down is near impossible without more information.
Who could be Kerri’s secret admirer, and why isn’t he revealing anything about himself?
Will Kerri be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together to figure it out?
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