Published in 2008, Graceling by Kristin Cashore is the first novel in a fantasy YA series. Yeah, it’s been a hot minute since this novel was published, but I think it deserves more attention. This novel has idiots to lovers, a hot prince, medieval fights, a toxic uncle, a killer heroine, and a soft prince who practices botany.
While I love fantasy novels with cute princes, see my short review for Kill the Queen, I enjoyed this novel because Katsa is a cute idiot!
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I was in the mood for more elf princes after finishing Deal with the Elf king so I decided to read Enchanting the Elven Mage by Alisha Klapheke. This story is a Sleeping Beauty retelling with a delicious twist.
I mean the author didn’t have to add dragons, elves, witches, faeries, and killer wolves but we got it all.
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Yes, I did it! I finally finished We Unleash this Merciless Storm. Originally I began this novel last summer, but to be honest, I wasn’t much in the mood to read it. But then I said forget it let’s dive in!
We Unleash this Merciless Storm is the Sequel to Tehlor Kay Mejia’s We Set the Dark on Fire (Here’s my review for that novel). Set immediately after the previous novel, explosive ending, We Unleash this Merciless Storm gives readers a change in perspective.
When I started this blog I was overwhelmed with the reading required for my major. My brain struggled to decode these older texts and by my 3rd year in college, I decided to mix in young adults novels in between reads.
Young adult novels have become very diverse and with the rise of Own Voices novels, I began to prefer these novels because I feel like they explore modern themes.
Not to hate on Shakespeare, but forbidden teenage romance like that of Romeo and Juliet do not speak to teens in the U.S as say Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give does.
The list I’ve complied contains YA books that hold similar plots and themes. Whether you’re in a book slump or looking for your next read, I hope you find this list helpful.
Hey book lovers, I am back again this week, not with a book review but a collection of them. I feel like I’ve bombarded this blog with so many book reviews that I’m a little tired of them. So today, I felt like I would change things up and tell you about all the novels I read this month.
I had originally planned to finish my reread Six of Crows before Shadow and Bone premiered but these nine other novels were more tempting.
Some of the novels I am going to mention have their own published blog post already- I will speak on them briefly-but I will link their posts if you want to read more of my thoughts.
My Soul to Keep is the latest novel in Rebekah Weatherspoon’s vampire sorority sister series. Previous novels in the series focused on a college student becoming a vampire queen, and two exes deciding to marry each other. I have reviewed the other two novels already. If you want to read my thoughts on Better off Read and Blacker than Blue then follow those links.
Hello booklovers! Today’s review is an idiots to lovers story courtesy of romantic prince and a stubborn theif, That’s right today am reviewing Nocturna by Maya Motayne.
Nocturna is Maya Motayne’s debut novel and the first in the Forgery of Magic series. This series is high fantasy, set in Latin America, and contains lots of magic.
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Hello readers! I am back with another smutty vampire review!
Blacker than Blue is the sequel to Rebekah Weatherspoon’s Better off Red, a sapphic vampire love story which I reviewed last week. Blacker than Blue is set in the same sorority house and follows Cleo and Benny, two side characters we met in Better off Red. Like Better off Red, Blacker than Blue is also an interracial love story.
Before I start this review I wanted to leave some links to support the Asian American community. In case you don’t know what happened in the US this past week 8 people of Asian descent were killed because of ongoing Covid racism and ignorance. If you witness hate aimed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders you can report the incident to the Stop AAPI Hate website.
A few years ago at the Los Angeles Festival of books, I listened to Gloria Chao confess that she named the love interest in American Panda after Sailor Moon’s boyfriend. I found it adorable and never forgot it.
Coincidentally, I stumbled across Rent a boyfriend while browsing and decided to pick it up, unaware it’s penned by the same author.
Rent a Boyfriend is a novel by Gloria Chao that you might recognize from such books as American Panda and Our Wayward Fate.
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Hello romance novels! Have you read any good romance novels lately? Well I’ve recently read Take a Hint Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert and loved it! Seriously add this novel to your tbr!
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Hello book lovers! Have you looked at the new Shadow and Bone pictures Netflix released? Did you see the photo of Alina and the Darkling together? This man is toxic but I’m still excited to see that part of the story. Speaking of Shadow and Bone, I’ve collected my thoughts for this last novel and gathered them together in this post for your enjoyment.
If you have been following this series from the beginning then you know I’ve been spoiling all the books over on my youtube channel. And today is no different, so if would like to know all the juicy plot points for this series head on over to my youtube Living in Libros.
If you want to live a spoiler free life read the summary and dip. My thoughts are full of spoilers and a rant for the whole series. Proceed with caution.
Hello book lovers! If you lurk on the book side of social media then you probably know by now that Leigh Bardugo’s book series Shadow and Bone has been turned into a Netflix series and we can expect the show to premiere in April. I am a big Six of Crows fans so when I heard this news I knew I needed to read Shadow and Bone too!
If you’re curious about this series and want to know what it’s all about before the show permeries, well I caught you covered…
Hello Book Lovers! I hope your February is off to a great start! My February has been busy! Which reminds me I have some big news!
You can now find me on Youtube!
Yes, Living in Libros is now on youtube! You can now find me gushing about baddies in lit on a screen near you.
My dream for this Youtube channel is not only to review novels but for my audience to get to know me a little more. I plan on sharing my sewing adventures, give Kdrama recs, and sharing more of my hobbies.
Check out my first video if you’d like and subscribe to see more.
Hello book lovers! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. For this week’s blog post, I wanted to share a book that isn’t super popular, No Ordinary Star- written by M.C Frank- a physicist turned author and editor in chief.
This novel is written as a whimsical dystopian with dark and light moments and set in the snowy tundra. Reading this book put me in a chilly mood, and I needed to read it cozied up in an oversized hoodie.
Hello book lovers, I hope your reading this week is going great, or you found a new tv show or even a kdrama to binge. I’m currently reading the second novel in the Shadow and Bone trilogy. Today I wanted to review a recently released romance novel.
I ended my year by reading Lyssa Kay Adams’ Crazy Stupid Bromance. This novel is both funny and dramatic and includes a chunky cat named beefcake, who’s a little on the naughty side. This book immediately caught my attention.
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Happy new year, book lovers! I hope the new year has been treating you well and that you’re not stressing too much, although if you’re a U.S resident, please take time away from the internet to distress and have a mental break. Watch some cat videos or your favorite tv show.
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Hello readers! I hope you’ve had happy holidays and have entered the New Year fresh and with some zest. But if you didn’t, that’s cool too. I hope my review can take your mind off of things for a bit. I finally finished the Raven cycles series, and the last book was interesting and exciting, but I do have some questions.
*This post contains affiliate links. If you complete a purchase through one of my links I earn a commission.*
Hey readers! I hope you’re having a happy holidays staying safe and dodging covid. This year has looked a lot different than what we are all used to. So to lighten the mood I thought I’d share one of my best 2020 experiences. Disclaimer I went to this pop up before covid was considered a pandemic in the U.S. and before everything was shut down in March.
Hello readers! I am back again with another review of the Raven cycle. This week I jumped into the third installment known as Blue Lily, Lily Blue. Check out my other reviews of the Raven Cycles series here.
Previously on the Raven Cycles series, Adam learned to control his gift from Cabeswater, Ronan discovered his mother was a dream creation and rewrote his father’s will, Gansey and Blue began taking late-night evening drives but ultimately decided not to date each other because they didn’t want to hurt Adam. Muara Sargent begins dating Mr. Gray, a former assassin, and accidentally gets herself trapped in a cave.
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The Pandemic has made this year hard for everyone, and while we may not be able to gather around with family during the holidays, we can still send them some books to let them know we’re thinking of them.
I don’t know if it’s just the book lover in me, but I often find myself giving books as gifts during the holidays. Of course, it’s also cool to have someone else to discuss plot points, ships, and hot antagonists with.
Whether you ship these books or safely drop them off to your loved ones, I hope this gift list is helpful.
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The Raven teens are off on a new adventure in this second installment to Maggie Steifvater’s The Raven Cycle. If you read my previous review of The Raven Boys, then you know how much I enjoyed the first novel. Luckily the sequel has lived up to my expectations.
Unlike the first novel, where readers got to learn all about Blue and the Raven Boys, Dream Thieves focuses more on Ronan.
*This post contains affiliate links. If you click one of my links and make a purchase through it I earn a commission.
Summary:
We begin this novel with Ronan confessing to his friends that he can manifest things from his dreams into real life. Meanwhile, Adam’s deal with Cabeswater has taken a toll on him, and he struggles to decipher what is real and what is a vision. Adam’s new vision is negatively impacting his relationship with Blue. As a result, Blue and Gansey grow closer, leaning on each other when drama becomes too much. And Noah is the same chismoso (gossip lover).
However, a mysterious stranger known as the Grey Man comes to town, and he has a mission to fulfill for his boss, kill the dreamer.
Thoughts:
As I am gathering my thoughts for this review, it has occurred to me that the Dream Thieves reminded me a lot of a Midsummer Night’s dream. Blue is with Adam but wants to be with Gansey, Adam loves Blue but might be catching feelings for Ronan, and Blue’s mother is seeing an assassin.
Shakespeare’s play is all about messy love triangles and unrequited love. And Dream Thieves also had this similar structure.
I may be reaching, but why name this novel the dream thieves? Hmm. Okay, my tin foil hat is off.
Maggie Stiefvater keeps the same whimsical and gothic atmosphere that the first novel had for the sequel as well. The writing is phenomenal, but the pacing feels like it veers off into character development a little too often for my liking. Unlike the first one, where I was uncomfortable with Ronan’s ignorant comment, I didn’t catch another one this time around. This novel also contains more cute moments with Noah and Blue.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Ronan in the first novel, and a majority of this novel is through his pov. And Ronan grew on me. Ronan gets a more in-depth backstory, and I was left on edge when he started to hang out with Kavinsky. Of course, if Blue comes from a family of psychics, there has to be more paranormal elements to this series. Anyway, I enjoyed the character study of Ronan more than I thought I would.
I was a little frustrated that Adam didn’t have much focus in this novel, and at first, it seemed like this novel was going to drift away from him and the deal he made at Cabeswater. I wasn’t a big fan that the author withheld this arc of Adam’s story, but it flowed well with the novel overall, so I’ll just pout on my own.
The romantic arc in this novel curves in different directions. As I explained earlier, it felt very Shakesperian. Ronan and Adam are giving me a slow burn romance, which I hadn’t expected at all. However, out of the two of them, I think Adam will be the one to fall in love first. I cannot wait to see what the third novel has in store.
Gansey and Blue have realized they have feelings for each other. And their friendship deepens in this novel. I predict they are going to have a hard time denying their feelings for each other and start seeing each other in secret. Overall, I very curious to see how they’ll act around each other when they eventually start to date.
“I wish you could be kissed, Jane,’ he said. ‘Because I would beg just one off you. Under all this.’ He flailed an arm toward the stars.”
Dream Theives Maggie Steivater
And to round off this review, I just want to say I don’t know how to feel about the Gray-man. Although he’s an assassin, he gets some morals when he starts dating Mora and compromises his mission. But I thought it was weird to have Mora fall in love with a guy like that. I’ll check back in on how I feel about their relationship in the following novel review.
The ending plot twist! Who let Maura do that? No!!
If you would like to purchase a copy of Dream Thieves or The Raven Boys and help support independent bookstores, you can do so by purchasing through my bookshop link. If you want to purchase more of my favorite books you can do so through my bookshop store!
I’m currently reading the next novel in this series and I hope to have a review for it soon!
Until next time book lovers keep living in libros,
Hello readers! Back in September and October I set out to read Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of everything during Latinx heritage month. After reading many other books, enjoying halloween, and starting the Raven Boys series, I finally finished this novel. This novel is written so poetically you’ll want to reread passages over and over.
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Elizabeth Acevedo is quickly becoming an auto read author for me. I loved reading The Poet X a few months ago so I knew I had to read Clap When you Land next!
Clap when you land is a novel in verse written by slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo and tells the story of two sisters separated by a big family secret.
*Disclaimer* this post contains affiliate links. If click one of my links and make a purchase through the bookshop site I earn a commission.
The Raven Boys is the first novel in The Raven Cycles series by Maggie Stiefvater. Maggie Stiefvater’s already a well known fiction author and I loved her previous series The Wolves of Mercy Falls so I had high hopes with this series. [Spoilers] I’m already liking this series.
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Hello readers! Today I’m going to review an upcoming latinx book. Originally, I planned to read Somewhere Between Bitter during Latinx heritage month, but because I have no self-control, I began another book series (Hidden Legacy but Ilona Andrews). And my carefully crafted tbr was swallowed into the abyss. If you would like to read those reviews, you can find them here.
Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet is the newest novel by Leakan Zea Kemp set to debut April 2021. And the cover is simply gorgeous!
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Hello readers and feliz dia de muertos! I hope you have been eating celebrating with love ones. If you want to read a dia de los muertos story written by yours truly you can read Limon y Sal on this site or Wattpad.
Today I want to review Wayward Witch, the final novel in the Brooklyn Brujas series. The series revolves around three teen sisters who come into their magic powers and accidentally turn their lives inside out. For example, in the first novel middle sister, Alex accidentally sends her entire family to the underworld. The second novel deals with the eldest sister, Lula angering the goddess of death.
Rose Mortiz prides herself on being the ruler follower amongst her sisters. However, when Rose casts a truth spell on her death day, she ends up learning more than she ever wanted from her family.
By now, you must have noticed a bold disclaimer statement at the beginning of my post and links to purchase books I’ve reviewed.
Well, I’ve officially joined bookshop.org ‘s affiliate program. Bookshop.org was created at the beginning of 2020 and aims to be an ethical alternative to Amazon. Every book purchased on bookshop.org supports independent bookstores, even those who are not on BookShop.
Of course, you can still support your local bookstore by searching for it on Bookshop’s store map, and when you purchase from that bookstore through bookshop, they’ll receive the full profit of your order.
If you don’t have a favorite bookstore, you can still support local bookstores because Bookshop.org has an earnings pool that they distribute among independent bookstores.
I earn a commission from purchases made through my bookshop online storefront. I also earn a commission from purchases made through the affiliate links that I’ve included at the end of my book reviews. If you would like to support me and support independent bookstores, you can do so while also purchasing a cool book!
Currently, BookShop only ships within the U.S, but you can still support me by following this blog or my other social medias
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I receive a commission if you click through and purchase the books mentioned.
Hey readers! I hope you have been having a fantastic month! In today’s review, I’d like to talk about my latest book binge; The Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews.
Authors Ilona Gordon and Andrew Gordon penned The Hidden Legacy series, a five part series told through the eyes of two sisters. For today’s post I’ll be focusing on the first three novels.
Hey book readers! I hope you have gotten a great start to your October, whether that be diving into your spooky book stack, decorating your space for falloween, or watching some spooky faves.
This past week, I’ve been neglecting my reading of Wayward Witch, and have instead been focusing on spooky crafts. If you follow me on IG, you got to see me work on some Halloween PJ shorts and scrunchies. Since I haven’t been doing much reading, I thought I share with my readers some perfect books, movies, and podcasts to get into the Halloween spirit.
Do you love reading about baddies in lit? We all know I do! What about reading about death gods? Mayan mythology? Road trips? 1920s Mexico? Then Gods of Jade and Shadow is probably the book for you!
Gods of Jade and Shadow is an adult fantasy novel set during the Jazz Age and in Mexico. Author of Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia pens a fantastical adult fantasy story about revenge, love, and redemption.
Is what Mr. Ethan Winston of Historically Inaccurate would say!
Hi readers! Remember last week when I shared some of my favorite quotes from Historically Inaccurate? Well today I’m sharing my review for the novel. I received an advanced readers copy of Historically Inaccurate in exchange for my honest review thanks to the team at Colored Pages Blog Tours.
Historically Inaccurate is a new adult story by debut author Shay Bravo. Historically Inaccurate was originally on Wattpad but is now going to be published for the masses. This novel features diverse characters, a Black love interest, College clownery, and finding yourself.
Hello readers! Today I’ll be sharing my review for the highly anticipated book Cemetery Boys!
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas has made its way onto the New York Times Bestseller list shortly after its release. But more importantly, this paranormal romance is also an Own Voices read and stars a transgender protagonist.
Today is my stop on the Historically Inaccurate book tour! I received this arc from the team at Colored Pages Bookish Tour. Check them out if you’re a fellow book blogger.
Historically Inaccurate by Shay Bravo is a new adult fiction novel that’s out everywhere September 29.
Soledad just wants things to go back to normal after her mother’s deportation she’s had to move homes, switch schools, and adjust to life without her. When Sol decides to join her College’s history club she doesn’t expect to have to sneak into a house and steal a fork. However, Sol is caught by Ethan Winston a resident of the house and the chance encounter forever changes her life.
To celebrate it’s release I thought I turn some of my favorite quotes into graphics that you may download if you please.
Hey book lovers! It’s that time of year again when the weather cools down, sweaters come out, and leaves begin to fall. But with the start of Autumn also comes the start of Latinx Heritage Month! In case you didn’t know, Latinx Heritage Month spans from September 15 to October 15 and if you need some ideas on what books to pick up this month, keep on reading.
In today’s post, I want to give some K-drama recs for book lovers. Korean dramas are television series produced in Korea, and they range from a variety of genres such as romance, crime, melodrama, or science fiction. I enjoy the romance ones.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’m either finishing a K-drama or starting a new one. If you’re new to K-dramas, or just curious about all the hype, I hope you find this list helpful.
Hey readers! In today’s post, we will take a look at a fluffy YA summer romance featuring an art hoe and an emo-pop star. The story is set in the backdrop of Georgia and on the set of a hot new movie. If all these things sound good, continue reading. If this sounds boring, check out my review of Princess Jellyfish.
Midnight Sun was a dreadful read, but Bet me yanked me right out of my feelings and into a world of bets, Elvis, chicken marsala, Krispy Kreme, and love stories. This enemies to somewhat friends to lovers story will keep you guessing and make you fall in love with all the characters. It might be the best book I read this year. Keep reading if you want to hear what I thought about this romantic contemporary.
I am a fool for reading this. I wanted to salsify my curiosity for Midnight Sun, having read the leaked version long ago, but tbh it was not worth it.
Any enthusiasm I had for this book turned into boredom, and well, if you want to find out what went wrong, continue reading.
Also, the Quileute Tribe is currently raising funds to get their tribe out of the Tsunami zone. If you buy Midnight Sun considering helping the tribe preserve their traditions and culture by donating here.
I Wanna Be Where You Are is an Own Voices YA novel written by Kristina Forest starring a Black ballerina, a stinky dog, a bad boy, and a road trip! Add it to your Tbr now!
The Sun is Also a Star is an #ownvoices novel the author, Nicola Yoon, grew up in Jamaican and Brooklyn, and falls under the YA romance genre. This book is not a quick read, but if you’re up for it, check it out.
This book is written in a series of vignettes by renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo and follows the life of a young Dominican American girl from Harlem. The Poet X is prefect for lovers of poetry and slam poets.
“I only know that learning to believe in the power of my own words has been the most freeing experience of my life. It has brought me the most light. And isn’t that what a poem is? A lantern glowing in the dark.”
