My Top 5 Ships of 2022 - Spoilers Ahead!!!

I'm warning you now, there will be SPOILERS in this post for the following series: Legendborn, Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac, Beautiful Monsters, Zodiac Academy, and From Blood and Ash. So do not continue with this post if you haven't read all of the books in those five series. While I love interacting with my blog followers, I don't want to spoil anyone.

You may be asking why I'm even sharing this post if probably everyone who stops by can't read it. Well, it's mostly for me. I like to look back at all my Top lists and reminisce. So, here they are, just for me. And maybe you if you've read those books. Ha ha.

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Nick, Bree, and Selwyn from Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Artwork by @jessdraw.s

I have to be honest, I haven't read the second book in this series yet. However, I am rooting for a throuple so hard. Nick is such a nice guy, while Sel is...not. It would be great to see them in a relationship, and I think Bree is a strong, independent character who doesn't have to be with either of them but chooses the disaster boys anyway. But, like I said, I have no idea what is actually going to happen. These characters may or may not end up together, but I'm still going to root for them in fanfiction. Lol.

Leon & His Lionesses from Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Artwork from AMillionWorldsDesign

Like a lot of the books on this list, I pretty much binged the entire Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac series. I think I took a short break between two of the books, but still, it wasn't a long break at all. And, while the main female character in this reverse harem has major not-like-other-girls syndrome, there is one guy in this harem that has me rolling. Leon, the Nemean lion (basically a lion shifter), is hilarious! And his "lionesses" all together make me laugh so hard. I'm excited that the authors are planning to release a novella from their POVs for the events of Zodiac Academy, especially Leon.

Matthew & Tarrick from Beautiful Monsters by Jex Lane

I devoured the first three books in the Beautiful Monsters series, and I'm desperately waiting for book four. But the reason I love it so much is the Matthew and Tarrick relationship. It's so twisted and strange, and I both want them to be with each other but at the same time fight it out cage-match style. They have so much tension. I mean an incubus and a half-incubus/half-vampire?! That's crazy. 

Seth & Caleb from Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Artwork and photo from Thenubivagantcabinet

Another major spoiler for another series. I warned you. I was spoiled for this couple (which isn't even 100% confirmed yet) from an enamel pin set by Prettygalpins. However, the pin design is what made me want to read the books. And I'm glad I did. Not only do I love almost everything about Zodiac Academy, I ship this couple so hard that I've reread many of their scenes. I haven't done that for any other couple in the series, just this one. I also need to buy this print. It's very pretty, and probably the best one of this couple I've seen for sale anywhere.

The Joining Crew from From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Artwork by Dominique Wesson

I mean, how could this not be number one? It involves my favorite character, Kieran Contou, and my other favorite characters, Poppy and Hawke. They are just such a delight together. I recently reread The War of Two Queens, and it reminded me how much I adore all of them for different reasons. Even when Hawke made me mad in the third book, I still loved him. Kieran is the steady personality I feel like everyone needs in their life, Poppy is the stabby friend you want to have your back, and Hawke is the hot guy you drool after. I LOVE THEM! And I can't wait to see what happens to the three of them in the next book. Which sadly is an entire year away. 😭

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Alright, there you have it. My favorite ships of 2022. What were your favorite ships of the year? Let me know in the comments section.

Stacking the Shelves: The I Have a Problem Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

It's still January. Yeesh. This month just never ends, does it? Well, not a lot has been going on. I'm just working, working out, eating, sleeping, etc. I actually don't think I'll have a lot going on until closer to April, though I am planning a trip to Iceland in September with my book club friends. That could be something interesting to talk about. I need to buy the plane tickets, hotel, etc., but that's still not happening until early February. So...yeah. Just another boring week.      .

First up in this week's haul are two prints I ordered from the JLA Shop. They're the full print versions of the FBAA standees I received last week. And yes, I'm still kind of upset they didn't sell the two things at the same time so I could save on shipping. I also have a Bargainer pin I ordered from NoOneDesigns on Etsy. The seller was having a sale, so I jumped on it. Her pins are beautiful.

Next up is part of A Touch of Magic Design's Heartmates FBAA box. This thing took forever to get to me, for reasons I do not understand. Plus, ATOMD didn't answer the emails and messages I tried to send them to ask why everyone else was getting their box when I wasn't. They finally answered around the New Year (a few week later), to say like 10 boxes were missing items, so they'd be late. And sadly, a print is missing from my box, so I have to try and contact them AGAIN. Ugh. I love their items, but the lack of communication gets me sometimes. I know my friend hasn't heard back multiple times when she's tried to contact the shop owner. Anyway, these are the cute standees that came in the box. Tawny, Kieran, Poppy, and Hawke. I'm a little disappointed that three out of the four characters are in red/pink. I know the outfits for Poppy and Hawke are significant, but it's not the look I would've chosen for them. And also, Tawny doesn't have white hair in the first book at all. Oh, and the candle I had to get my dad to open for me. But the smell was too perfumy so it's going bye bye. The body scrub is also going too. It smells like coffee. Ick.

Another item included in the Heartmates box was the A Shadow in the Ember Dominique Wesson dustjacket. I love the draken on the back cover! And the color is very pretty! I also think the character designs are nice, minus a few issues, like Nyktos's shoulders/neck area and Sera being a little young looking. It's still a beautiful jacket, but unfortunately, I just tried to put it on my ASITE copy, and it was a good half inch too tall. I am not happy right now. I had to contact ATOMD again. It's kind of ridiculous at this point.

Here are all the prints I received. One is a Cassian bonus print and there's a Hawke Dominique Wesson print that I added to my order. Honestly, I'm not super impressed with the prints that came in this box, even the one that I'm missing isn't what I was hoping for. I haven't decided which ones I'll keep and get rid of yet, but I figure quite a few will end up in my FBAA swag sale that's coming up.

This is the last of the Heartmates box contents. There was an enamel pin of Poppy's dagger, which I have received many versions of at this point. I'm just not a fan of how oddly stubby the dagger looks. I'll probably throw this pin one in my swag sale, as I have a dagger pin I already like and there's another one I want to order that looks way better, in my opinion. The booksleeve is also something I don't really want to keep. However, I do have ApollyCon coming up, so it is nice to have booksleeves to keep books safe when traveling. But, on the other hand, I already have a dozen of them. Ugh. Decisions, decisions. And last up, is the wristlet keychain-holder thing. I was excited for this because I don't have a fun keychain on my keys anymore. My Supernatural one broke. However, the quality is so cheap and the designer chose a quote with the F word on it. I would've preferred to have a wristlet I didn't have to hide at work, when I let people borrow my keys, etc. It's annoying.

And finally, I have some ebooks. You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince is a book you've seen on my blog before. I borrowed a paperback version from my library. Well, I didn't get to read it before it was due, so I decided to check out the ebook version. I also downloaded two books from Kindle Unlimited. One was Perfectly Imperfect Pixie by M.J. May and Frost by C.N. Crawford. Frost is by an ApollyCon author, so I'm hoping I can get to it pretty soon.

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?

My 10 Most Anticipated Releases by New Authors

There are A LOT of 2023 book releases I'm looking forward to, and my top 10 changes each day based on what genre I'm in the mood to read. Since I noticed a lot of my most anticipated books are sequels, I decided to make three separate posts for my anticipated releases (similar to what I did last year). Today's post is the list of books by authors I've never read before that I'm most looking forward to. I'm sure others will be added once the year goes on and I hear about new stuff coming out, but this is what I have right now. I've already posted my most anticipated sequels as well as my ten most anticipated new releases/series starters by authors I'm familiar with.

For your reading pleasure, here are my ten most anticipated 2023 releases by new-to-me authors. Oh, and unlike my 2023 sequel list, I couldn't think of a list of honorable mentions to add here. I have a few others I could've added, but these are the big ones.

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Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares (September)

This is a Zorro retelling! Do you know how many times I watched Antonio Banderas flipping around swinging one of those thin swords with Catherine Zeta-Jones looking all gorgeous and telling men off? Many, many times. My childhood was filled with them. I even watched the old TV show a bit as a kid when the reruns were on in the early, early mornings. In addition to the Zorro retelling, this story also has magic and mythology! So yeah, I'm all in!

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam (May 2)

Dragons worshiped as gods? Heck yes! A shape-shifting dragon boy? Again, heck yes! My only hesitancy surrounding this book is that the main female character is a thief. For some reason, I'm kind of tired of the thief trope. It's been done. A lot. However, I think I can get over it since there are dragons involved. They'll definitely distract me. Hee hee.

Gwen & Art Are Not In Love by Lex Croucher (November 28)

I'm getting Merlin vibes from this one. I used to love that show, and I definitely think I'll get some of the same feelings when I read this book. It just looks like a fun, quick, cozy fantasy read. A queer King Arthur retelling is exactly what I think I'll need as a palate cleanser between some of those denser fantasy novels. Plus, I already have a NetGalley ARC of this one, so yay!

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem (July 18)

The cover for this book is gorgeous! It sounds like it has some secret royalty, magic hunting, hidden magic, and some gladiator-type fights. With a nice dosing of enemies-to-lovers. I'm totally ready for it. Plus, I think this book might be getting a special edition in one of the book boxes. I'm hoping it's FairyLoot. I love it when books I'm anticipating end up being in my subscription boxes.

A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen (March 28)

I actually only found out about this book a couple of days ago, or maybe a week or so by now. But it hasn't been very long. And it just kind of snuck up on me when I realized it sounded pretty good. Six teen wizards trapped together sounds like a very entertaining read. And look at that cover! It's beautiful!

Blood & Steel by Helen Scheuerer (2023)

The synopsis for this has me thinking it'll be a fantasy version of Divergent, which I am totally here for. I like me a good Disney-Mulan-and-Shang type of romance where the seasoned warrior falls in love with the new novice soldier. I think the comparisons to The Witcher, FBAA, and The Bridge Kingdom don't hurt either, though it could be a huge letdown if the story can't live up to its comparisons.

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon (October)

A soldier with light powers and a prince with shadow powers put together in an arranged marriage? I dig it. Honestly, this book sounds a little bit like a Darklina fanfiction, so I hope it doesn't go in that direction. I want something that's going to give me all the angst. I do love magical powers and a good enemies-to-lovers story. I am surprised it doesn't have a cover yet, though. It's releasing in October.

Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb (February 7)

I've been following this author on Instagram, so I keep seeing aesthetic reels and things for this book that make me extremely hyped about it. FairyLoot also released a reel that has me excited as well. It has an FBAA vibe from what I can tell, with a cinnamon roll love interest and a badass female main character. Love it!

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (May 2)

Another dragon book! And this one was blurbed by JLA! Actually this is the second dragon rider book I'm looking forward to in 2023. Taran Matharu has one releasing too. That's totally gonna make my 2023 an awesome year! I love dragon-riding stories, from Game of Thrones to How to Train Your Dragon to Eragon, I've pretty much watched or read as many of them as I can. Although, there are quite a few books still left that I should get my hands on.

Bloodguard by Cecy Robson (June 6)

I do not know a lot about this book, to be completely honest. And sadly, Red Tower Books hasn't given a full description, even though it comes out this year. However, I've found myself drawn to this book. The cover reminds me of Red Queen, and the idea that it's a gender-flipped gladiator story has me super intrigued. I've already preordered it, but I think I might also request it on NetGalley as well.

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Alright, there you have it. My most anticipated 2023 books by new-to-me authors. What 2023 books are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comments section.

Review: Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim

Spice Road

Maiya Ibrahim

(Spice Road Trilogy #1)

Publication Date: January 24, 2023

Hardcover, 464 pages, Delacorte Press

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

Goodreads

 

In the hidden desert city of Qalia, there is secret spice magic that awakens the affinities of those who drink the misra tea. Sixteen-year-old Imani has the affinity for iron and is able to wield a dagger like no other warrior. She has garnered the reputation as being the next great Shield for battling djinn, ghouls, and other monsters spreading across the sands.

 

Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother, who tarnished the family name after it was revealed that he was stealing his nation's coveted spice--a telltale sign of magical obsession. Soon after that, he disappeared, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes. Despite her brother's betrayal, there isn't a day that goes by when Imani doesn't grieve him.

 

But when Imani discovers signs that her brother may be alive and spreading the nation's magic to outsiders, she makes a deal with the Council that she will find him and bring him back to Qalia, where he will face punishment. Accompanied by other Shields, including Taha, a powerful beastseer who can control the minds of falcons, she sets out on her mission.

 

Imani will soon find that many secrets lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes--and in her own heart--but will she find her brother?

 

The first book in an epic fantasy series set in an Arabian-inspired land with secret spice magic. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, sixteen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother, whose betrayal is now the country's greatest threat.From the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material comes a sweet and scrumptious romantic comedy about facing your insecurities, finding love, and baking it off, no matter what people say.

My Review

Are you devastated S.A. Chakraborty's Daevabad series is over? Are you not-so-patiently waiting for the release date of Chelsea Abdullah's sequel to The Stardust Thief? Do you miss being immersed in fantastical desert fantasy worlds? Well then, Spice Road is 100% for you. It's an adventure full of djinn, unique powers, and frustrating siblings.

Imani, the female main character, is trying to be the best Shield (a.k.a. monster slayer) that she can be, but her missing brother's secrets mean she has to go on a quest to find him with her arrogant nemesis and his crew tagging along, much to her annoyance and my internal squealing. Cue all the awesome fantasy and romance tropes! Enemies to (maybe) lovers, one horse, epic quests, and, most importantly, magical creatures!

Both Imani and Taha—Imani's rival and possibly something more and just overall a general pain in Imani's you-know-what—have a lot of hidden secrets in their families and pasts, and while nothing revealed throughout this book was particularly shocking, the author did manage to make me feel strongly for the characters, despite how stubborn they could be around each other. Also, the side characters were good too. Imani's siblings had their own time to shine. I loved that. And the mysteries of Qayn the djinni are very intriguing.

Honestly, I loved this book. I loved Imani's strength and tenacity, her sister's attitude, and Taha's frustrating inability to make good decisions. Everything in Spice Road just flowed so easily from the beginning to end. I wasn't left confused like some other fantasy books. My only minor complaints are two teensy tiny things that probably will only ever bug me because I'm ridiculous. How often Taha's sweat is mentioned (nothing explicit, it's just face sweat due to heat) had me cringing. It's only mentioned like three or four times, but it's just something that wigs me out a little for no reason other than being a germaphobe. Haha. Also, the female characters had a tendency to sob a bit too much. It wasn't anything overly distracting, but I did notice the repeated use of the word during my read-through

All in all, regardless of my very small nitpicks, I am ready for book two. I can't wait to see what happens after the reveals at the end of Spice Road, and I know you'll feel the same. Because if you're looking for a story in the same vein as The City of Brass, The Wrath and the Dawn, or Rebel of the Sands, you'll definitely want to pick this one up.

*Note: I received a NetGalley ARC of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Stacking the Shelves: The Tiny Book Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Other than spending too much money in just the first few weeks of the year, I haven't had a lot going on. It's been blessedly quiet. I like that. My job is getting a little better, as now I actually have things to do and am not just sitting there, and I have a family trip planned the day this post goes live. I'm not overly excited for it, but maybe I'll visit a bookstore on the way.

First up is the ARC of The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart that I mentioned in last week's Stacking the Shelves post. I now have to binge-read all three books in the series so I can post reviews. I'm very excited to devour this trilogy. Thank you, Orbit for the copies! Also, I bought Margaret Rogerson's Mysteries of Thorn Manor novella from Amazon. I truly wish she'd written a full-length sequel, as this book is ridiculous short and tiny, but oh well. At least I get this much.

Next up are three books that technically arrived last week, but they were left in the rain, so I asked for replacements. They are The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards, City of Ruin by Charissa Weaks, and The Book of Azrael by Amber Nicole. So my delivery driver decided to leave the box with these books in it out in the rain. And, while my other package was okay because the seller had wrapped each individual book in bubble wrap, thereby waterproofing them, Amazon doesn't do that. So yeah, they got a little wet. They were mostly just a little wavy, not soaked or anything. I requested replacements, but now I just found damage on what I thought were the new, replacement copies. So I guess I'll just have to see which copies I can live with more before I take the rejects back.

One of my FairyLoot preorders arrived. It's The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake. I still haven't read the first book in this series, but I'm collecting the sequels because I think I'll like it. Maybe I shouldn't do that anymore... Ha. Also, my preorder for Target's exclusive Caraxes Funko Pop came in. He's so tiny! But he doesn't really look like Caraxes, so I'll probably just put him on a shelf with dragon books.

And finally, I have my second deck of Prettygalpin's Throne of Glass tarot cards. I barely knew who anyone was in this deck when I first opened it. It's been so long since I finished this series. But I figured all the characters out eventually. They are all extremely pretty. Especially Nehemia and Yrene. I don't mind Chaol's depiction either. ;)

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?

My 10 Most Anticipated 2023 Releases By Authors I'm Familiar With

There are A LOT of 2023 book releases I'm looking forward to, and my top 10 changes each day based on what genre I'm in the mood to read. Since I also noticed a lot of my most anticipated books are sequels, I decided to make three separate posts for my most anticipated books (similar to what I did last year). This is the list of new series/standalones by authors I've already read before. I've already posted my most anticipated sequels, and next week, I'll post my list of books by authors I haven't read before.

For your reading pleasure, here are my ten most anticipated 2023 releases by authors I'm familiar with. Oh, and unlike my 2023 sequel list, I couldn't think of a list of honorable mentions to add here. So basically, this top 10 is where it's all at for 2023. All my bookish hopes reside on these babies.

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Riven by Mindee Arnett

I'm totally cheating here. This book is already out as I'm writing this. I also haven't bought it yet, if that tells you just how busy I am. Life has been crazy lately. But anyway, I read Mindee's Avalon duology a while ago, and I really liked it. Therefore, I've been interested in picking up her other books. I haven't gotten around to Onyx & Ivory yet, but I will. One day. I'll also get to this one. I just need more time in the day!

Bad Blood by Morgan Rhodes

A vampire family written by Morgan Rhodes? Author of the Falling Kingdoms series? Umm... yes please. While I wasn't thrilled with the ending of her first series, Morgan Rhodes has managed to add herself to the list of authors I'd like to see new books from, and she's finally going to release one. And most importantly, it has supernatural creatures in it.

Witch King by Martha Wells

The only books I've read by Martha Wells are the first two installments in her Murderbot Diaries. They were fun, but they're very short. This is a full-length novel, so it'll be interesting to see if there's any difference in the writing style, especially with this one being a fantasy story versus a sci-fi.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

I loved Chakraborty's Daevabad series, so, while pirates in books aren't my favorite, I am very excited to get my hands on this one. I'm also happy that it will likely be a book in a certain subscription box. Yay! I love it when my anticipated books get fancy editions. Oh, and this is the UK cover, by the way. The US version is meh.

Star Bringer by Tracy Wolff and Nina Croft

I've never read anything by Nina Croft, but I have read Tracy Wolff's Crave book. Just the first one, not the sequels, though I do own them all. I'm saving them to binge once the last book releases in May. I have no idea how Tracy will do writing sci-fi, but I'm excited to find out. I think it'll at least be a fun romp through space, time, or wherever else this story takes place.

The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin

This one has characters from the Serpent & Dove trilogy in it. Need I say more? I'm actually a bit apprehensive about it, as it seems like the relationships are all going to be different in this spinoff, but I'll still be reading it. Especially since Blood & Honey was one of my favorite books in 2021.

Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis

It's been a long time since I've read a Sara Raasch book, and I don't think I've ever read a Beth Revis book expect for my Across the Universe DNF way back when. But witches and witch hunters in book form means an automatic buy for me. I think this one will have similar qualities to Serpent & Dove, so I'm beyond ready to get my hands on it.

The Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu

I read Taran Matharu's YA series a few years ago, and I really enjoyed it. It had some good worldbuilding. So I'm very much looking forward to seeing what Taran can do in the adult fantasy category. I would like to see some grit and darker subject matter from this author. Plus, dragons equals major bonus points. Who doesn't love dragons?

A Game of Malice and Greed by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

I've only read two series by these sister authors, but I really do want to read their entire backlist. I'm glad I didn't get to all of them, though, because the sisters rewrote one of their older titles and updated it to make an overall better reading experience. Woohoo! I'm very intrigued by this one's Aladdin vibe.

Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Was there any doubt that this would be number one? I mean, I think I'm fairly predictable at this point. I don't know a lot about this book other than it's by JLA, it's an adult fantasy romance, and the love interest's facial hair is inspired by Jensen Ackles's Soldier Boy, which I am all for. I've seen JLA post some teasers in her Facebook group, but I've stayed away from those. I don't want to know what's going on. I'd like to be surprised when I pick this book up for the first time.

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Alright, there you have it. My most anticipated 2023 books by familiar authors. What 2023 books are you looking forward to? Let me know in the comments section.