I am so excited to announce that I have created my own little book tag!!!! This is really cool for me since this is the first one I have ever created and it’s ironic, because I have conceded to forever being terribly behind on tags, (which is fine by the way, If you have tagged me for something and I haven’t done it yet, I WILL do it eventually! I have so many posts I love to write and tags are so much fun to do, it will just be a long while.) Anywho, Lets move along with the tag!
The Rules:
1. Thank the lovely person who tagged you, spread the love!
2. Meantion me Tiana @ The Book Raven as the (insert adjective here) creater of this book tag!
3. Use the original tag image in your post. (However, Feel free to add whatever other graphics your heart desires!)
4. At least tag 1 fellow blogger for this tag. Even if your like me sometimes and feel a bit lazy đ
5. List the rules
Have fun! (Not a rule but a hope, I am so proud of this little tag, I honestly hope you enjoy it!)
The Tag:
“No Ideas But in Things” A book cover that perfectly expresses the novel inside it
The Night Circus cover perfectly encapsulates the stunning beauty of the novel inside it with a minimalistic design with all the color elements The Night Circus is centered on. I adore this cover!
“Dark and Lovely” A book cover that is so creepalicious you just want to eat it up
The Dead House is hauntingly beautiful and its cover is too. I remember the day I walked into Barnes & Nobel and saw this book for the first time, the cover stopped me in my tracks, couple of months later and the book was on my shelves. I love it!
“Sugary Sweet” A cute cover that is so fluffy you want to give it a hug
This cover is so adorable to me as well as gorgeous! I love the hand drawn aesthetic and this one has a beautiful touch of that. I need this cover on my shelves!
“The Simple Aesthetic” A book cover that stuns with the most minimalistic of design
I Have No Secrets stands out and it does it simply with contrast and silhouette. I love how much this cover packs a punch without any over complicated design.
“Cover Envy” A book cover you wish you had on your shelves, but don’t yet
This cover is breathtaking, all I know is this book needs to be on my shelves and it needs to be there right now.
“Traveling Abroad” A beautiful book cover featuring a country outside of your own
I live in America and so I choose Anna and the French Kiss, because it is a beautiful display of color with a touch of what makes France so appealing. It’s simple and pretty.
“The Color Wheel” A cover that showcases one of your favorite colors
Another cover set in France, I swear I didn’t plan this. I just love the way two of my favorite colors Dark Blue and Gold work together so beautifully in this cover. In person this cover is even prettier. The digital version doesn’t do it justice.
“Switching Gears” A cover change you absolutely adore
I am so glad the Throne of Glass covers were changed. I absolutely gravitate towards the covers as they are now with this fiery artistic murduerous female in the front vs. a simple pretty girl. Plus the backs of the cover changed versions are so cool as well!
“Oldie but Goodie” A favorite cover of your favorite classic
I think this cover for Tess of the D’Ubervilles is so cool! It’s dark and gothic and it captures the sadness of the book quite well. I love how much it grabs my attention.
“And the Winner is…” Which book cover meantioned above is your favorite?
If this cover didn’t exist it would have been so much harder to pick a favorite from the ones I meantioned. This cover is too stunning for words. It speaks for itself. (It also makes me want to get a tattoo XD)
ï»żThanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed my first ever original book tag! This was incredible to create and I hope you all enjoy participating in it. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Itâs January 2024 and itâs time for some brand new YA releases to kick off the year. I chose 10 titles plus 1 title I got the chance to read early I believe everyone should read as my most anticipated releases of the month!
Starting with the one Iâve read: Dungeons & Drama by Kristy Boyce
âWhen it comes to romance, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to play games. A fun YA romcom full of fake dating hijinks!
Musical lover Riley has big aspirations to become a director on Broadway. Crucial to this plan is to bring back her high schoolâs spring musical, but when Riley takes her momâs car without permission, she’s grounded and stuck with the worst spending her after-school hours working at her dadâs game shop.
Riley can’t waste her time working when she has a musical to save, so she convinces Nathanâa nerdy teen employeeâto cover her shifts and, in exchange, sheâll flirt with him to make his gamer-girl crush jealous.
But Riley didnât realize that meant joining Nathan’s Dungeons & Dragons gameâŠor that role playing would be so fun. Soon, Riley starts to think that flirting with Nathan doesn’t require as much acting as she would’ve thought…â
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! Itâs cute and nerdy and such a blast to read. I recommend it a 1000 times over. If youâd like to read my full review the link is here.
Now for the releases I hope to one day read!
10. Into the Sunken City by Dinesh Thiru
âA diverse retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic, TREASURE ISLAND, with an “Ocean’s Eleven” twist.
In a climate-ravaged near future, Jin and her sister Thara are just trying to make ends meet until a mysterious drifter arrives, offering them the score of a lifetimeâa massive stash of gold, hidden in the sunken ruins of the Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas.â
This book seems intense and exciting and I feel like I would be at the edge of my seat reading it.
9. The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
âFive women are dead. The killer leaves no fingerprints, no DNA. Police are utterly stumped. In a world where only women can use magic and the men who know about it seek to eradicate them, three lonely teenage girls – one cursed, one hunted, one out for revenge – will team up to track down and take out a brutal supernatural killer.
Jude St. Claire is rich as sin and handsome as the devil. But she’s also cursed. Her immortal soul is tethered to a rather hateful demon – and she wants the hell out of the deal. What Jude needs is a cursewriter – and she thinks the string of dead women, all of whom she suspects of messing with the occult, might just be able to lead her to one.
Zara Jones has also been tracking the murders since they began. Her older sister was the killer’s first victim. Zara doesn’t just want revenge – she wants to find a way to bring her sister back. What Zara needs is a witch, a sorcerer, a necromancer – what Zara needs is a cursewriter.
At the apartment of the fifth victim, Jude and Zara meet by chance, and there they find a clue that brings their paths crashing together: A strange business card bearing three words. Emer Byrne. Cursewriter.â
Murder Mystery meets magic sounds absolutely incredible. I adore the pre is of this novel and Iâll love to read it one day soon.
8. Not Dead Enough by Tyffany D. Neiheiser
âGirl in Pieces meets Cracked Up to Be in this raw and candid look at trauma about a girl who is being haunted and stalked by her definitely dead ex-boyfriend.
Charlotte survived the car crash that killed her boyfriend Jerry, but that night, everything changed. Charlotte wants desperately to get back to ânormal,â –whatever that means now– and start reconnecting with friends she hasnât spoken to in months. And sheâs trying to work through her PTSD with the help of her therapist, only she canât tell the truth about Jerry or what really happened the night he died.
Just when Charlotte thinks she might be moving on, someone starts sending her threatening messages claiming to be Jerry, saying things only he would know. But it can’t really be Jerry because there’s no such thing as ghosts. The cold spots in her room must be a draft and the noises she hears must be the house creaking. There has to be a logical explanation for all of it. Because if ghosts are real, then Jerry came back for herâjust like he always said he would.
Not Dead Enough is a gripping exploration of trauma from debut author Tyffany D. Neiheiser about a girl who realizes that running from the past will help you survive, but everything you try to escape will eventually find you in the end. Perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Kathleen Glasgow!â
This sounds creepy and full of mystery. Another on the edge of your seat kind of read. Iâd love to read this!
7. Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney
âWhat if the real villain of Jane Eyre was actually Mr. Rochester? In this fresh reimagining of Charlotte Bronteâs classic novel by acclaimed author L.L. McKinney, Jane Eyre and Bertha MasonâMr. Rochesterâs wife, whom heâs imprisoned within the house for yearsâmust save each other from the horrifying machinations of Mr. Rochester in this intrigue-filled, empowering Black queer young adult romance.
Jane Eyre has no interest in a husband. Eager to make her own way in the world, she accepts the governess position at Thornfield Hall.
Though her new employer, Edward Rochester, has a charming airânot to mention a handsome faceâJane discovers that his smile can sharpen in an instant. Plagued by Edwardâs mercurial mood and the strange wails that echo through the corridors, Jane grows suspicious of the secrets hidden within Thornfield Hallâunaware of the true horrors lurking above her very head.
On the topmost floor, Bertha Mason is trapped in more ways than one. After her whirlwind marriage to Edward turned into a nightmare, he locked her away as revenge for withholding her inheritance. Now his patience grows thin in the face of Berthaâs resilience and Janeâs persistent questions, and both young women are in more danger than they realize.
When their only chance at safetyâand perhaps something moreâis in each otherâs arms, can they find and keep one another safe before Edwardâs dark machinations close in around them?â
Iâm always a sucker for a good twist on a classic story. What else could I say?
6. A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel
âCirce goes YA in this unapologetically feminist retelling of the Medusa myth steeped in Indian mythology, a YA epic fantasy addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.
All monsters and heroes have beginnings. This is mine.
Sixteen-year-old Manisha is no stranger to monstersâsheâs been running from them for years, from beasts who roam the jungle to the Kingâs army, who forced her people, the naga, to scatter to the ends of the earth. You might think that the kingdomâs famed holy temples atop the floating mountains, where Manisha is now a priestess, would be safeâbut you would be wrong.
Seventeen-year-old Pratyush is a famed slayer of monsters, one of the Kingâs most prized warriors and a frequent visitor to the floating temples. For every monster the slayer kills, years are added to his life. You might think such a powerful warrior could do whatever he wants, but true power lies with the King. Tired after years of fighting, Pratyush wants nothing more than a peaceful, respectable life.
When Pratyush and Manisha meet, each sees in the other the possibility to chart a new path. Unfortunately, the kingdomâs powerful have other plans. A temple visitor sexually assaults Manisha and pushes her off the mountain into a pit of vipers. A month later, the King sends Pratyush off to kill one last monster (a powerful nagin who has been turning men to stone) before heâll consider granting his freedom.
Except Manisha doesnât die, despite the hundreds of snake bites covering her body and the venom running through her veins. She rises from the pit more powerful than ever before, with heightened senses, armor-like skin, and blood that can turn people to stone. And Pratyush doesnât know it, but the âmonsterâ heâs been sent to kill is none other than the girl he wants to marry.
Alternating between Manishaâs and Pratyushâs perspectives, Sajni Patel weaves together lush language, high stakes, and page-turning suspense, demanding an answer to the question âWhat does it truly mean to be a monster?ââ
Gorgeous cover and a retelling of Medusa thatâs all I really need to know. Count me in!
5. A Place for Vanishing by Ann Fraistat
âA teen girl and her family return to her mother’s childhood home, only to discover that the house’s strange beauty may disguise a sinister past, in this contemporary gothic horror from the author of What We Harvest.
The house was supposed to be a fresh start. That’s what Libby’s mom said. And after Libbyâs recent bipolar III diagnosis and the tragedy that preceded it, Libby knows she and her family need to find a new normal.
Libbyâs mom refuses to hear anything that could derail their familyâs perfect new beginning, but Libby knows better. The house is keeping secrets from her, and something tells her that the key to unlocking them lies in the eerie, bug-shaped masks hidden throughout the property.
We all wear masksâto hide our imperfections, to make us stronger and braver. But if Libby keeps hers on for too long, she might just lose herselfâand everyone she loves.â
This sounds so intriguing. It has a unique premise and Iâm all for it!
4. Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa
âA trans boy searches for a futureâand a romanceâin which he can live and love openly as himself in this heartwrenching YA reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, part of the Remixed Classics series.
London, 1812. Oliver Bennet feels trapped. Not just by the endless corsets, petticoats and skirts he’s forced to wear on a daily basis, but also by society’s expectations. The worldâand the vast majority of his family and friendsâthink Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He is therefore expected to mingle at balls wearing a pretty dress, entertain suitors regardless of his interest in them, and ultimately become someone’s wife.
But Oliver can’t bear the thought of such a fate. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family’s home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. It’s during one such excursion when Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to “Elizabeth” at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver comes to find that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart. And not to mention incredibly attractive.
As Oliver is able to spend more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares begin to hope that his dream of love and life as a man to be possible. But suitors are growing bolderâand even threateningâand his mother is growing more desperate to see him settled into an engagement. Oliver will have to choose: Settle for safety, security, and a life of pretending to be something he’s not, or risk it all for a slim chance at freedom, love, and a life that can be truly, honestly his own.â
This sounds absolutely adorable and it feels like a retelling regency romance thatâll have me smiling from ear to ear.
3. So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
âWhip-smart and immersive, this Jamaican-inspired fantasy follows a gods-blessed heroine whoâs forced to choose between saving her sister or protecting her homelandâ perfect for fans of Iron Widow and The Priory of the Orange Tree.
Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. Sheâs a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbors.
When sheâs forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesnât expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragonâor the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister.
As Faronâs desperation to find another solution takes her down a dark path, and Elara discovers the shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, both must make difficult choices that will shape each otherâs lives, as well as the fate of their world.â
Fantasy and dragons are always an instant want to buy premise for me. This sounds so cool!
2. Cupidâs Revenge by Wibke Brueggemann
âFor fans of Casey McQuiston and Alice Oseman, a girl falls for her best friendâs crush in Cupidâs Revenge, a queer YA rom-com from Wibke Brueggemann thatâs equal parts hilarious and swoon-worthy.
It was never Tillyâs intention to fall in love, but Cupid will get you when you least expect it. Thatâs exactly what happens when Tillyâs best friend, Teddy, ropes Tilly into a plan to woo his dream girl, aspiring actress Katherine Cooper-Bunting. It turns out Teddyâs not the only one who finds her dreamy.
But Katherine is off-limits. The only thing more important than Tillyâs feelings for someone she just met is not hurting Teddy, whose heart has been broken in the past.
Though, avoiding temptation is easier said than done, as Teddy convinces Tilly to help him audition for a local play as a way to get to know Katherine betterâa complete horror for someone who grew up in an artsy family but doesnât have a creative bone in her body. On top of dealing with her growing feelings for the girl she shouldnât like (but who may like her back), Tillie is still grieving a loss while navigating her grandfatherâs recent Alzheimerâs diagnosis. So yeah, thatâs a lot for any sixteen-year-old to handle without Cupidâs vengeful arrows getting involved.â
This book feels like itâll be emotional for me because Iâm dealing with my Dadâs dementia, but also itâll be healing and cute and happy too. So I just want this book in my hands with my whole heart.
1. If I Promise You Wings by A. K. Small
âHold Still meets You’ve Reached Sam in this lyrical YA novel about one young woman’s journey through the Paris fashion scene as she chases promises, overcomes grief, and falls in love.
Seventeen-year-old Alix Leclaire dreams of becoming a renowned feather artist, creating statement pieces that define glamour and high fashion. As an intern at Parisâs premier feather boutique, trained by the alluring Raven, she works with the staff to construct wings for the dancers at the Moulin Rouge.
But with every feather she sews, the grief Alix has been evading looms. Her best friend, Jeanne, died months ago and ever since, Alix has felt compelled to live as Jeanne did, taking risks she never would have before. Alix begins stealing feathers for her own useâa serious offense at the boutiqueâand loses herself in a passionate affair with Raven, who makes her his muse. Even when Blaise, an old schoolmate, offers solace and healing, she pushes him away.
Echoing the chaos and division in her heart, the wings that Alix creates take on a frightening and wild beauty. Living like Jeanne has given her everything she ever wantedâbut at the risk of losing it all.â
This book sounds heartbreaking, but also healing at the same time. I just feel like it will be a beautiful read.
And so the saga continues…. it is ever closer to the end and this challenge is literally over a year in the making.. I will finally feel free once this is all over, but for now, it’s time to celebrate books with the Letter “R”.
On to the books!
Memorable Books that Start with the Letter “R”:
Ramona Blue
I adore this book! It’s so well written. It has great characters and a great plot. It’s fast paced and it talks about some really important subjects. I highly recommend this contemporary.
Rogue
I love Julie Kagawa! Her works are incredible and I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read from her. Rogue is no exception and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!
Books I’d Love to Read Starting with the Letter “R”:
Replica
“Lyraâs story begins in the Haven Institute, a building tucked away on a private island off the coast of Florida that from a distance looks serene and even beautiful. But up close the locked doors, military guards, and biohazard suits tell a different story. In truth, Haven is a clandestine research facility where thousands of replicas, or human models, are born, raised, and observed. When a surprise attack is launched on Haven, two of its young experimental subjectsâLyra, or 24, and the boy known only as 72âmanage to escape.
Gemma has been in and out of hospitals for as long as she can remember. A lonely teen, her life is circumscribed by home, school, and her best friend, April. But after she is nearly abducted by a stranger claiming to know her, Gemma starts to investigate her familyâs past and discovers her fatherâs mysterious connection to the secretive Haven research facility. Hungry for answers, she travels to Florida, only to stumble upon two replicas and a completely new set of questions.
While the stories of Lyra and Gemma mirror each other, each contains breathtaking revelations critically important to the other story. Using hotlinks in this electronic edition, readers can decide how they would like to read the book, as with the print version. They can read the story of Gemma or Lyra straight through first, followed by the other girlâs story, or they can move between chapters in Lyraâs and Gemmaâs sections. No matter how it is read, Replica is an ambitious, thought-provoking masterwork.”
I own this book and still haven’t gotten to it. Trust me, I’m going to be reading this very soon. I’ve always loved the idea of the format and with two more in the series I know I’m going to devour it!
Reign of the Fallen
“Without the dead, she’d be no one.
Odessa is one of Karthia’s master necromancers, catering to the kingdom’s ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it’s Odessa’s job to raise them by retrieving their soul from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised: the Dead must remain shrouded. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, a grotesque transformation begins, turning the Dead into terrifying, bloodthirsty Shades.
A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears around the kingdom. Soon, a crushing loss of one of her closest companions leaves Odessa shattered, and reveals a disturbing conspiracy in Karthia: Someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead–and training them to attack. Odessa is forced to contemplate a terrifying question: What if her magic is the weapon that brings the kingdom to its knees?
Fighting alongside her fellow mages–and a powerful girl as enthralling as she is infuriating–Odessa must untangle the gruesome plot to destroy Karthia before the Shades take everything she loves.
Perfect for fans of Three Dark Crowns and Red Queen, Reign of the Fallen is a gutsy, unpredictable read with a surprising and breathtaking LGBT romance at its core.”
I also own this book and I’m mad at how long it’s taken me to pick it up.. I’m going to read this very soon! It’s really high up on my tbr.
Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below.
One of the best parts of being a book lover is seeing new books and imagining how good they seem. Sometimes you see a book and you just know.. much the same as when you fall in love. These are some books that I simply just know I’m going to love.
Summer Bird Blue
“Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesnât have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure ofâshe wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea.
Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. Now thousands of miles from home, Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister, being abandoned by her mother, and the absence of music in her life. With the help of the âboys next doorââa teenage surfer named Kai, who smiles too much and doesnât take anything seriously, and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe, who succumbed to his own grief years agoâRumi attempts to find her way back to her music, to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish.”
The author of my favorite novel ever, Starfish, recently released this beautiful gem and I can’t wait to one day own, read, and rate it 5 Stars. There is no doubt in my mind.. I’m going to love this book. Everything about it sounds amazing.
Perks of Being a Wallflower
“Read the cult-favorite coming of age story that takes a sometimes heartbreaking, often hysterical, and always honest look at high school in all its glory. Also a major motion picture starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a funny, touching, and haunting modern classic.
The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky, Perks follows observant âwallflowerâ Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
A #1 New York Times best seller for more than a year, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2000) and Best Book for Reluctant Readers (2000), and with millions of copies in print, this novel for teen readers (or âwallflowersâ of more-advanced age) will make you laugh, cry, and perhaps feel nostalgic for those moments when you, too, tiptoed onto the dance floor of life.”
This is the love of my life’s favorite book and I have no doubt that I’m going to love it too. I’ve wanted to read it for a very long time, but I hadn’t had a real chance to read it till now. I know I’m going to pick this book up very soon!
A Line in the Dark
“The line between best friend and something more is a line always crossed in the dark.
Jess Wong is Angie Redmondâs best friend. And thatâs the most important thing, even if Angie canât see how Jess truly feels. Being the girl no one quite notices is OK with Jess anyway. While nobody notices her, sheâs free to watch everyone else. But when Angie begins to fall for Margot Adams, a girl from the nearby boarding school, Jess can see it coming a mile away. Suddenly her powers of observation are more curse than gift.
As Angie drags Jess further into Margotâs circle, Jess discovers more than her friendâs growing crush. Secrets and cruelty lie just beneath the carefree surface of this world of wealth and privilege, and when they come out, Jess knows Angie wonât be able to handle the consequences.
When the inevitable darkness finally descends, Angie will need her best friend.
âIt doesnât even matter that she probably doesnât understand how much she means to me. Itâs purer this way. She can take whatever she wants from me, whenever she wants it, because Iâm her best friend.â
A Line in the Dark is a story of love, loyalty, and murder.”
Ever since I first saw this cover I had this weird fascination with this book. I want to read it terribly. It’s a book that is very much a me kinda book and I am really hoping it’s as good as I believe it to be.
Reign of the Fallen
“Odessa is one of Karthia’s master necromancers, catering to the kingdom’s ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it’s Odessa’s job to raise them by retrieving their souls from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised–the Dead must remain shrouded, or risk transforming into zombie-like monsters known as Shades. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, the grotesque transformation will begin.
A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears among Odessa’s necromancer community. Soon a crushing loss of one of their own reveals a disturbing conspiracy: someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead–and training them to attack. Odessa is faced with a terrifying question: What if her necromancer’s magic is the weapon that brings Karthia to its knees?”
Everything about this sounds like the makings of a fantastic fantasy. It will be one of the first necromancer books I read and I just have a really good feeling about it.
The Art of Starving
”
Cancel
More Happy Than Not meets Glory OâBrienâs History of the Future in this gritty, contemporary YA debut about a bullied gay teen boy with an eating disorder who believes heâs developed super powers via starvation.
Matt hasnât eaten in days.
His stomach stabs and twists inside, pleading for a meal. But Matt wonât give in. The hunger clears his mind, keeps him sharpâand he needs to be as sharp as possible if heâs going to find out just how Tariq and his band of high school bullies drove his sister, Maya, away.
Mattâs hardworking mom keeps the kitchen crammed with food, but Matt can resist the siren call of casseroles and cookies because he has discovered something: the less he eats the more he seems to have . . . powers. The ability to see things he shouldnât be able to see. The knack of tuning in to thoughts right out of peopleâs heads. Maybe even the authority to bend time and space.
So what is lunch, really, compared to the secrets of the universe?
Matt decides to infiltrate Tariqâs life, then use his powers to uncover what happened to Maya. All he needs to do is keep the hunger and longing at bay. No problem. But Matt doesnât realize there are many kinds of hunger⊠and he isnât in control of all of them.
A darkly funny, moving story of body image, addiction, friendship, and love, Sam J. Millerâs debut novel will resonate with any reader whoâs ever craved the power that comes with self-acceptance.”
I KNOW I’m going to love this book. From the moment I saw the cover (which is 10/10 for me) I knew I had to give it a shot and when I read the synopsis I was blown away. I can’t wait to finally read this book!
Ink
“Every action, every deed, every significant moment is tattooed on your skin for ever. When Leora’s father dies, she is determined to see her father remembered forever. She knows he deserves to have all his tattoos removed and made into a Skin Book to stand as a record of his good life. But when she discovers that his ink has been edited and his book is incomplete, she wonders whether she ever knew him at all.”
The cover.. the premise.. I feel like this book was created especially for me. I’m going to be so upset if this isn’t a 5 star read for me.
They Both Die at the End
“Adam Silvera reminds us that thereâs no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day.
On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: Theyâre going to die today.
Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, theyâre both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: Thereâs an app for that. Itâs called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventureâto live a lifetime in a single day.”
I’m probably going to cry when I get to read this. I don’t really care. I just know that this story is going to be a beautiful one.
Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree
“On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls. Some managed to escape. Many are still missing. A new pair of shoes, a university degree, a husbandâthese are the things that a girl dreams of in a Nigerian village. A girl who works hard in school and to help her family. A girl with a future as bright as live coals in the dark. And with a government scholarship right around the corner, everyoneâher mother, her five brothers, her best friend, her teachersâcan see that these dreams arenât too far out of reach. Even if the voices on Papaâs radio tell more fearful news than tales to tell by moonlight.
But the girlâs dreams turn to nightmares when her village is attacked by Boko Haram, a terrorist group, in the middle of the night. Kidnapped, she is taken with other girls and women into the forest where she is forced to follow her captorsâ radical beliefs and watch as her best friend slowly accepts everything sheâs been told. Still, the girl defends her existence. As impossible as escape may seem, her lifeâher futureâis hers to fight for.”
This is a gem I found recently and I can’t wait to one day own and read it. It sounds so impactful. I know I’m going to love it.
Jane, Unlimited
“If you could change your story, would you?
Jane has lived a mostly ordinary life, raised by her recently deceased aunt Magnolia, whom she counted on to turn life into an adventure. Without Aunt Magnolia, Jane is directionless. Then an old acquaintance, the glamorous and capricious Kiran Thrash, blows back into Janeâs life and invites her to a gala at the Thrashesâ extravagant island mansion called Tu Reviens. Jane remembers her aunt telling her: âIf anyone ever invites you to Tu Reviens, promise me that youâll go.â
What Jane doesnât know is that at Tu Reviens her story will change; the house will offer her five choices that could ultimately determine the course of her untethered life. But every choice comes with a price. She might fall in love, she might lose her life, she might come face-to-face with herself. At Tu Reviens, anything is possible.”
I ADORE Kristin Cashore. I know that whatever she writes is going to be amazing to me. Plus this is magical realism and I am so pumped for a magical realism from her!
Nalah must do the unspeakable to get what she wantsâa place to call home. But is a home just where you live? Or who you choose to protect?”
The day I first saw this cover revealed was a really good day. I LOVE this cover. I don’t even want to know anything else, but because I trust that this author is good and that the contents are going to be amazing this easily makes it onto this list!
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post. What book on your tbr do you predict to be a 5 star read?
Tags are wonderful ways that us bloggers connect with one another and share common posts that are fun and interesting to do. However, sometimes they can get repetitive and that’s why I don’t always enjoy doing them.
When I first started blogging I adored tags. I did them all the time and had fun doing them, but very quickly I found a trend. There were different tags carrying different names but the questions seemed to be all the same. Favorite book (in any genre), favorite author, favorite character, favorite and least favorite of everything under the sun. I found myself time and time again using the same books over and over to do different tags and after a while I had had enough.
For me, variety is important. I hate doing the same sorts of things with the same sorts of questions all the time and so I had starting dwindling with my tags and it wasn’t long before they completely stopped being featured on my blog. However, I do miss doing tags and every once in a while I do find one to be unique and I do my best to participate.
The other thing I did to combat this boredom I had gained from tags was to create my own. The Dreamy Book Covers Tag. It was a lot of fun to create my own tag that I felt showcased a love for something that we don’t always appreciate enough, beautiful covers! However, I think I got to the point were I was so exhausted with doing tags that any tag was no longer fun to do.
Even though this post is about why I sometimes don’t like tags it is also here to say how I will approach them in the future. I will try and participate in tags as much as I can, but I am going to be a bit more choosy in the tags I do. I like tags that engage me and force me to really think about what answers I am putting out there. I also really want to start creating more tags. I’ve always been told to “be the change you wish to see in the world” and I think that helping to create a new variety of tags can help keep things fresh.
Thanks for reading! Have you ever gotten tired of doing tags? What are your thoughts on this topic?
I am so glad the Throne of Glass covers were changed. I absolutely gravitate towards the covers as they are now with this fiery artistic murduerous female in the front vs. a simple pretty girl. Plus the backs of the cover changed versions are so cool as well! 
The Book Raven 