Continuing on with my roundups, I put together a list of everything that I read this month. Looking at it, I’m kind of surprised—it really didn’t feel like I read seven books but I’m impressed with myself, especially given that it was an incredibly busy month for me. I’ve included some brief thoughts on each book and if you click the title of any of the books, it’ll take you to Bookshop where you can purchase a copy for yourself, should you be so inclined. Let’s go!
- The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling — Fun premise, and a joy to read! It’s like Practical Magic x Love Actually with dual-POV with our two main characters and romantic interests. Genuinely couldn’t wait to pick this up and read it. The last act felt a tad rushed and it took away a bit from the satisfaction in the twist, but it didn’t ultimately take me out of the joy of the story much.
- A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow — I’ve been really enjoying Harrow’s writing over the last few years and was excited to read her take on fairytales. This one revolves around Sleeping Beauty and is the first in a new series of novellas that’ll be released. It’s on the shorter side so less time to build things up and do a ton of character development but Harrow does an excellent job in the amount of space and devoured the story in a day or two.
- Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo — I finally got around to reading this! My friend let me borrow her copy and MY GOD!!! MATTIASSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Why does Leigh Bardugo gotta do this to me!? I think the Six of Crows books are among her strongest YA novels and Crooked Kingdom might somehow be even better than the first book…although I do love a good heist story.
- Witches of Brooklyn: What the Hex?! by Sophie Escabasse — A truly delightful sequel in the Witches of Brooklyn series. I’m on board with all of these books and Sophie Escabasse’s captivating storytelling and art. She truly gets the assignment when it comes to writing for a younger audience while making the content something that everyone can enjoy, no matter what age you are when you come to it.
- Squire by Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh — An incredible fantasy epic that will captivate you from start to finish. A graphic novel with rich themes, wonderful characters, a story with so much passion and heart in it…and of course, girls with swords. Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh are a flawless team bringing this story to life, expertly marrying words with the art. A truly stunning comics collaboration where the art shines like it should while the dialogue fills in the gaps. Well worth picking up and reading over and over again. This book will be out in Spring 2022 so the link in the title will allow you to pre-order it—trust me, you’ll want to!
- Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi — Flew through this book in a few days and loved the dual-POV with such distinct characters and complex storylines. It made me laugh, cry, and ultimately root for everyone to find their own version of a happy ending. My one smallest gripe is that the ending was sooooo abrupt (I thought I had several more pages to go!) but overall, it was such an enjoyable read.
- Spellbound by Rebecca L. Garcia — A mildly spicy witchy romance book involving magic, gods, and goddesses! I really enjoyed the characters in this book, overall story, worldbuilding, and the fast pace that kept me engaged the entire time. There’s plenty of action from start to finish and I really hope we get more books falling into this NA audience category soon. Definitely going to keep an eye out for more books by Rebecca L. Garcia.
And that’s it! I’m starting off December with some borrowed manga from a friend and then have an anxiety-inducing TBR stack (both physical and digital) to try to work through during downtime this month. We’ll see how I do! I’ve already reached my reading goal for the year (104 of 75) but I’m curious about how I’ll finish out 2021. Stay tuned!