REVIEW: A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

**I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you, Wednesday Books!). These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

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Book: A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

Release Date: March 8, 2022

My Rating: 4 stars

Rep: Jewish-coded protagonist, lesbian side character; (Jewish author)

CW: antisemitism, animal injury, animal death, gore, parental neglect, panic attacks

Summary: When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.

Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist–yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.

Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt – if they survive that long.

In A Far Wilder Magic, Allison Saft has written an achingly tender love story set against a deadly hunt in an atmospheric, rich fantasy world that will sweep you away.

** I’m in the acknowledgements of this book! Check it out here. **

#waitingonwednesday: love radio

I randomly came across this debut title on Edelweiss last year and immediately added it to my TBR list. I mean, it just sounds so fun, especially because it’s comp’ed to the movie Hitch! Love Radio is out May 31; check out more about it below.

REVIEW: This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg

**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

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Book: This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg

Release Date: March 1, 2022

My Rating: 3.75 stars

Rep: biracial love interest

CW: mentions of parental abuse (verbal)

Summary: Marit Weisenberg’s This Golden State follows a family on the run, a restless teenage daughter hungry for the truth, and the simple DNA test that threatens their carefully crafted world

The Winslow family lives by five principles:

1. No one can know your real name.
2. Don’t stay in one place too long.
3. If you sense anything is wrong, go immediately to the meeting spot.
4. Keeping our family together is everything.
5. We wish we could tell you who we are, but we can’t. Please—do not ask.

Poppy doesn’t know why her family has been running her whole life, but she does know that there are dire consequences if they’re ever caught. Still, her curiosity grows each year, as does her desire for real friends and the chance to build on something, instead of leaving behind school projects, teams, and crushes at a moment’s notice.

When a move to California exposes a crack in her parents’ airtight planning, Poppy realizes how fragile her world is. Determined to find out the truth, she mails in a home DNA test. Just as she starts to settle into her new life and even begins opening up to a boy in her math class, the forgotten test results bring her crashing back to reality.

Unraveling the shocking truth of her parents’ real identities, Poppy realizes that the DNA test has undone decades of careful work to keep her family anonymous—and the past is dangerously close to catching up to them. Determined to protect her family but desperate for more, Poppy must ask: How much of herself does she owe her family? And is it a betrayal to find her own place in the world?

TOUR / REVIEW: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley for this blog tour (thank you, Colored Pages Book Tours and Feiwel & Friends/Fierce Reads!). These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

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Book: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

Release Date: February 22, 2022

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Rep: Korean inspiration and characters; (Korean-American author)

Summary: Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.

Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village—and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon—may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.

Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin—as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits—Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.

But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking…

REVIEW: Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen

**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley (thank you, Delacorte Press and Gina!). These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

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Book: Violet Made of Thorns (Violet Made of Thorns #1) by Gina Chen

Release Date: July 26, 2022

My Rating: 5 stars

Rep: East Asian-coded protagonist, bisexual brown side character, lesbian side character; (Chinese-American author)

CW: self-harm in a ritual/magical context, body horror

Summary: A darkly enchanting fantasy debut about a morally gray witch, a cursed prince, and a prophecy that ignites their fate-twisted destinies—perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and Serpent & Dove.

Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased—and not always true—divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he’s crowned at the end of the summer—unless Violet does something about it.

But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus’s love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between her and Cyrus.

Violet’s wits may protect her in the cutthroat court, but they can’t change her fate. And as the boundary between hatred and love grows ever thinner with the prince, Violet must untangle a wicked web of deceit in order to save herself and the kingdom—or doom them all.

REVIEW: Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake

**I received an ARC from the publisher through Edelweiss. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

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Book: Delilah Green Doesn’t Care (Bright Falls #1) by Ashley Herring Blake

Release Date: February 22, 2022

My Rating: 4.25 stars

Rep: lesbian protagonist, bisexual protagonist, bisexual side character

Summary: A clever and steamy queer romantic comedy about taking chances and accepting love—with all its complications—by debut author Ashley Herring Blake.

Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her.

When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there’s some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all.

Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first. Though they’ve known each other for years, they don’t really know each other—so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they’re forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn’t sure she has the strength to resist Delilah’s charms. Even worse, she’s starting to think she doesn’t want to…

REVIEW: I’m So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson

**I received an ARC from the publisher through Edelweiss. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

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Book: I’m So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson

Release Date: February 22, 2022

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Rep: gay Black protagonist, love interest, and side character; Black side characters; Indian-American side character; (gay Black author)

Summary: A chance to rewrite their ending is worth the risk in this swoony romantic comedy from Kosoko Jackson.

It’s been months since aspiring journalist Kian Andrews has heard from his ex-boyfriend, Hudson Rivers, but an urgent text has them meeting at a café. Maybe Hudson wants to profusely apologize for the breakup. Or confess his undying love. . . But no, Hudson has a favor to ask–he wants Kian to pretend to be his boyfriend while his parents are in town, and Kian reluctantly agrees.

The dinner doesn’t go exactly as planned, and suddenly Kian is Hudson’s plus one to Georgia’s wedding of the season. Hudson comes from a wealthy family where reputation is everything, and he really can’t afford another mistake. If Kian goes, he’ll help Hudson preserve appearances and get the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in media. This could be the big career break Kian needs.

But their fake relationship is starting to feel like it might be more than a means to an end, and it’s time for both men to fact-check their feelings.

SONG SATURDAY: bts songs + books (pt. 2)

Hello, we are back with another BTS songs + books post! I truly did not mean for almost an entire year (which. how has it been a year) to pass in between posts, but we’ll just say this one has been a long time coming. I have no idea when part 3 will be out at this point, but I definitely have plans to continue this series of posts!

This post also falls under my “song saturday” posts, where I pair books with a song. You can also view my other BTS-related posts (mostly non-bookish) here! If you liked this post and want to see more, don’t forget to follow me (in the sidebar or at the bottom of this post).

I think this set of book rec pairings came out a little happier than part one, just by nature of the songs. For like 3-4 of these, in particular, I could write whole essays about why this song pairs with this book; that’s how strongly I feel about some of these recs lmao. Anyways, here is a list of books paired with BTS songs!

Lyric translations are taken from Doolset Lyrics and BTS-Trans/Bangtan Subs.

REVIEW: All the Right Reasons by Bethany Mangle

**I received an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley (thanks, Simon Teen!). These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**

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Book: All the Right Reasons by Bethany Mangle

Release Date: February 15, 2022

My Rating: 4 stars

Rep: biracial (Korean, white) protagonist, love interest with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, adopted Korean-American side character; (adopted Korean-American author)

CW: toxic parent relationship

Summary: The Bachelor meets Gilmore Girls in this laugh-out-loud young adult romance about a girl who joins her mother on a reality dating show for single parents—only to fall for a contestant’s son.

Cara Hawn’s life fell apart after her father cheated on her mother and got remarried to a woman Cara can’t stand. When Cara accidentally posts a rant about her father online, it goes viral—and catches the attention of the TV producers behind a new reality dating show for single parent families.

The next thing Cara and her mother know, they’ve been cast as leads on the show and are whisked away to sunny Key West where they’re asked to narrow a field of suitors and their kids down to one winning pair. All of this is outside of Cara’s comfort zone, from the meddling producers to the camera-hungry contestants, especially as Cara and her mother begin to clash on which suitors are worth keeping around. And then comes Connor.

As the son of a contestant, Connor is decidedly off-limits. Except that he doesn’t fit in with the cutthroat atmosphere in all the same ways as Cara, and she can’t get him out of her head. Now Cara must juggle her growing feelings while dodging the cameras and helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love, or else risk fracturing their family even more for the sake of ratings. Maybe there’s a reason most people don’t date on TV.