These books feature characters and content for adults.
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House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City 1): A spectacular series opener
A half-fae “party girl” and an enslaved angel must work together to solve a gruesome case involving murder, demon summoning, and black market drugs.
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The Duke & I (Bridgerton 1): Romanticizing toxic relationships
Simon, a duke avoiding marriage, and Daphne, a socialite looking to get engaged, pretend to court – and must avoid falling in love while they’re at it.
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The Librarianist: Hopeful and funny
Bob Comet is a retired librarian. After a chance encounter with a confused elderly woman, Bob begins volunteering at a retirement community, where he reckons with his past.
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The Beautiful Ones: A fairly standard affair
Nina is a young woman making her debut in Loisail who struggles to control her telekinetic powers — until she meets Hector, a telekinetic like her. She begins to fall for him, but Hector has a secret.
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Olga Dies Dreaming: A little slow, but compelling
Olga, a wedding planner, and her brother Prieto, a local politician, grapple with their ambitions, identities, beliefs, and their relationship with their absent mother in 2017 NYC.
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When We Were Bright and Beautiful: Twisty and engaging
A college student, Cassie, and her affluent family reel from the aftereffects of her brother’s rape charge. As the case unravels, Cassie must face the truth about the people she loves most.
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The Priory of the Orange Tree: Somehow too long and too short
In this epic fantasy set in a world besieged by wyrms and dragons, we follow four characters across several countries: a servant tasked to protect the queen until she gives birth, an exiled lord struggling to survive on his quest, an ambitious dragon-rider-in-training who jeopardized her future and country, and a dishonored alchemist.
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The Antiquity Affair: An adventurous tale
In 1907, two sisters, Lila and Tess, are swept up in a scheme to uncover an ancient (and potentially powerful) Egyptian relic.
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Go as a River: Tragic and inspiring
In rural Colorado from the 1940s to the 1970s, we follow a young girl as she navigates becoming a woman, suffers a horrendous loss at the hands of those she trusted, then flees for safety.
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The Great Alone: An all-time favorite
When the Allbright family moves to the Alaskan bush, a young girl must learn to survive not just the dangers of the wild but also the dangers inside her home.
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All the Feels: Cute, but bland
When an actor, Alex, gets bad press as a result of a bar fight, his show runner hires Lauren to keep him out of trouble – which means spending all their time together.
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A Darker Shade of Magic: Disappointing overall
In a universe where there are four parallel Londons, Kell – a rare magician capable of traveling between these Londons – is caught up in a scheme to move a dangerous talisman before other power-hungry individuals get a chance to take it.
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Book Lovers: A light and easy read
A big city career woman agrees to to go to Sunshine Falls in search of a small town romance…and runs into a work enemy instead.
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Verity: My first (and probably last) CoHo book
When Lowen is asked to ghost write for a famous author (who has been in an accident and can’t move or speak), she moves in with the author’s family – only to discover a terrifying and disturbing autobiography.
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Scorched Grace: A new kind of detective
A heavily-tattooed, chain-smoking, queer nun puts her sleuthing skills to the test to solve a crime.
These books target an audience in the 18-23 age range. New Adult tends to straddle the line, featuring tropes or plot points beloved in Young Adult, but with Adult characters and content.
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Long Live Evil (Book 1): Fun and campy
Rae, who’s dying of cancer, is teleported into the world of her favorite fantasy series for a chance to find a cure. There’s just one problem: she’s woken up as the villain who’s supposed to get executed early on. Now she has to scheme her way into survival.
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The Hemlock Queen (Book 2): Tense and subtly gory
After the events of the eclipse, things begin changing very fast for Lore, Bastian, and Gabe. Now they’re wrapped up in politics and scheming Gods while war looms on the horizon.
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Throne of Glass: Full series review
This series follows a young assassin with a mysterious past who was raised by an infamous Assassin’s Guild leader. Everyone wants to use her unique skills for themselves – or otherwise eradicate the threat she poses. As she struggles for freedom, she is also forced to confront her deepest secrets.
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Iron Flame: A mid sequel
Book 2 in the Fourth Wing series by Rebecca Yarros.
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Divine Rivals: Sweet and well-written
Two competing young journalists navigate life, love, and the front line in the midst of war between gods.
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August 2023 DNF Roundup
In lieu of a review this week, I’m covering a quick list of some recent DNFs (books I gave up on). Come sip the tea.
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House of Hunger: An addicting sapphic gothic tale
In a world where blood is a valuable commodity, a young woman named Marion agrees to become an indentured bloodmaid for a noblewoman – but not everything in the mansion is as it seems.
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Fourth Wing (Book 1): The best of 2023 so far
Despite being untrained, dealing with chronic pain, and having a target on her back, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail’s mother forces her to enroll in a dragon-riding military college – where the mortality rate for first-years is something like 50% or more. Now Violet has to survive not just the deadly training but the other ruthless students…
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Zodiac Academy (Book 4): Shadow Princess – DNF review
Book 4 in the Zodiac Academy series.
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The Foxglove King: Fun and thought-provoking
Lore, a necromancer who can wield death magic, must spy on the crown prince in a world where such magic is a highly-priced illicit commodity. Here the church and the monarchy are dangerously interwoven, and Lore must find a way to navigate the obscenely opulent royal court.
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Zodiac Academy (Book 3): The Reckoning – More of the same
Book 3 of the Zodiac Academy series.
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Zodiac Academy: Ruthless Fae (Book 2) – The revenge story
Book 2 of the Zodiac Academy series.
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Zodiac Academy: The Awakening (Book 1) – A mixed bag
A pair of twins who’ve just aged out of the foster system learn that they’re not just Fae changelings, but apparently heirs to a Fae throne when they are whisked away to Zodiac Academy in a parallel world.
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A Court of Silver Flames (Book 4): A new favorite
Book 4 in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
These books have characters and content for teenagers.
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My Lady Jane: Funny and charming
In an alternate history where some humans can shift into animals, Lady Jane Grey’s history is completely rewritten. In this version of events, King Edward, her cousin and dearest friend, marries her off to Gifford – who’s a horse. Not only that, but in the process, she’s unwittingly swept up in a plot to steal…
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Tress of the Emerald Sea: Fun and whimsical
When the boy she loves disappears, Tress sets sail to find him – except on her planet, the seas are made of deadly spores.
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The Isles of the Gods (Book 1): Surprisingly enjoyable
In a world where slumbering gods are awakening, a young sailor, a prince, and a scholar must survive both the ocean and their enemies if they’re going to prevent a war.
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Lies We Sing to the Sea: A decent YA debut
Leto’s story begins with her death. After she is sacrificed to the sea god, she finds herself transformed – and saddled with a mission to kill the prince.
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The Book of Essie: Compelling and interesting
Essie, the youngest daughter in an evangelical family with a reality TV show called Six for Hicks, is pregnant. Now she must orchestrate her freedom.
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Ruthless Vows (Book 2): An okay sequel
Iris and Roman deal with the fallout as the war front heads toward Oath.
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Throne of Glass: Full series review
This series follows a young assassin with a mysterious past who was raised by an infamous Assassin’s Guild leader. Everyone wants to use her unique skills for themselves – or otherwise eradicate the threat she poses. As she struggles for freedom, she is also forced to confront her deepest secrets.
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A Study in Drowning: Entertaining but predictable
Effy, a freshman and the only girl in her college, is accepted to take on the daunting task of redesigning a mansion that pays homage to her favorite author – but things at Hiraeth Manor are stranger than she realized.
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Little Women: Sweet as a toothache
Little Women follows the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, as they grow up in the American Civil War era.
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Divine Rivals: Sweet and well-written
Two competing young journalists navigate life, love, and the front line in the midst of war between gods.
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August 2023 DNF Roundup
In lieu of a review this week, I’m covering a quick list of some recent DNFs (books I gave up on). Come sip the tea.
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A Deadly Education: Perfect for teen readers
At the Scholomance, half the students won’t survive to graduation. El is doing well enough – except her magic is powerful and inconveniently primed for evildoing, so she has to be careful not to raze the whole place down.
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The Ocean at the End of the Lane: Whimsical and creepy
A middle-aged man suddenly remembers the strange, magical happenings he experienced as a child when he returns to visit the house at the end of the lane from his childhood home.
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The Hawthorne Legacy (Book 2): Entertaining but not mind-blowing
The plot thickens as Avery tries to find the one man who may know why a stranger left his billions to her instead of his own family.
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Mary Jane: A delightful, cozy read
In 1975 Baltimore, 14-year-old sheltered Mary Jane takes a summer nannying job in a home where the psychologist father is treating a drug-addicted rock star and his movie star wife.