Monday, January 6, 2025

Book Series I Finished in 2024


One of the posts I like to do at the end of every year is where I look back at all the book series I finished. It motivates me to finish series in the next year and also gives me a sense of accomplishment as sometimes series start slipping through the cracks. In 2024, I read ten series. Now, there were rereads in that number, which I'll get into later on. I read a total of eight unique series, with two of the series being read twice each in 2024. It'll make more sense if I just get right on into the series...




The first series I read this year was a reread of the Hannaford Prep series by J. Bree. This is a dark why choose series that quickly became an all-time favorite of mine in 2023. I read it twice in 2023 and then again in January of 2024. I went through a rather difficult transition in my life in January and this series was such a godsend at that time. I then reread it again in August of 2024. So far, I apparently tend to reread this series every six to eight months. It's just one of my all time favorites that I adore so deeply. You can find my original review for the series here




The next series I read was the Pack Darling duology by Lola Rock. This was a new one for me in 2024 but I did end up reading this one twice as well. The first read was in February and the second read was in May, just a few short months apart. I quickly became addicted to the characters and loved the storyline. I know I'll be rereading it in 2025, most likely in the next couple of months, due to how much of a comfort series it is for me now. You can find my original review here




The third series I read in 2024 was the Reapers of Caspian Hill series by Jessa Halliwell. This is a dark why choose crime series. I read the entire series as they were addicting but I will say that I pretty much forgot everything the moment I finished. It was a solid 3-star series that filled the need I had for something to read that was engaging and easy to read. But it didn't stand out to me at all and I won't be rereading it in the future.




Up next was This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada. This is a YA sci-fi trilogy that had been on my radar for ages. I really enjoyed this trilogy. It had such an interesting concept and I found myself very much addicted to it. I read it quite quickly as the pace moved easily and the characters were engaging and interesting. It's definitely a solid sci-fi/dystopian if you're looking for one in the YA sphere. 





I then finally read a series I've been wanting to for years: A Tempest of Shadows by Jane Washington. Jane is an auto-read author for me with lots of great books and I hadn't gotten around to reading this series yet. This is a dark (and I mean dark) complex fantasy series. I binge-read it and it was definitely a mind fuck of a series. Jane doesn't mess around with her possessive love interests either. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I do think Jane's other series still rank above this one for me. 




Then we have The Vicious Lost Boys by Nikki St. Crowe. This is a dark Peter Pan retelling and it was very addicting. I read this rather quickly and just couldn't put it down. While it's not one of my all-time favorites, it is a solid why-choose series if you like dark romances. There's not much I can say about it other than it was solid but not extraordinary and it was rather spicy. 





I also read the Cruel Shifterverse series by Jasmine Mas this year. This is a six book series with three books from one character's POV and three from another. However, they are not separate. It is the same, overarching storyline across all six books. I will say, it was addicting and I enjoyed reading them. However, they were a bit convoluted by the end and you have to suspend your disbelief a lot. A solid read if you're just looking for fun but a series that wouldn't hold up to rigorous inspection. 




The last series I read this year was a reread of The Bonds That Tie by J. Bree. This is one of those authors where I truly just love everything she writes. This was my first time reading this series in 2024 but my third read overall. Each time I am surprised just how much more I love them and how many new details I find. I absolutely love this series, despite its flaws, and know that it'll likely be on my series list for 2025 as well. You can find my original review here



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Saturday, January 4, 2025

Favorite Books of 2024


The year of 2024 has finally come to an end. I can't say I'm sad to see it go. In a lot of ways, 2024 was better than the years before it. But just because it wasn't the worst year ever doesn't mean it was an amazing year. 

My reading year was the biggest it has ever been. I read 51,808 pages across 133 books. My best reading year prior to that was in 2019 with 43,643 pages across 138 books. So while I read less books this year compared to 2019, my page count was a lot higher. 

I read a lot of great books this year...and I also read a lot of middle-of-the-road books. I found my tastes tended towards books that were easy to fall into with addicting stories that felt familiar. I didn't branch out too much from romance, fantasy, or why choose. 

The books I've chosen for this list, though, are truly the standout reads of the year. The ones I think back on frequently with fond memories. It was actually really hard to rank them over one another. For the sake of not having the list completely taken over by a single author, I have grouped series together into one listing. Additionally, I don't include rereads or fanfictions in my favorite reads of the year even though I did reread some amazing books and found some great fanfics in 2024. 

Before I begin, I wanted to give some honorable mentions to a few books that didn't quite muscle out over the ones on this list but still were ones I enjoyed and consider new favorites. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong, and Lights Out by Navessa Allen were also addicting books I couldn't put down. But, without further ado, let's get into my top 10 books of 2024...




Coming in at the tenth spot, we have The Spellshop by Sarah Best Durst. This year had a lot of cozy reads and this is, by far, one of the coziest. I absolutely adored this fantasy book. It felt like a warm hug, like a nostalgic time in childhood that you can't quite grasp anymore, like comfort in the form of paper. The setting was vivid, the characters engaging, the story one I never wanted to leave. I am so excited to read more from this author as this was just...so perfect. 




At number nine, we have Cherished by Emilia Emerson. While I loved the entire series this standalone book is set in, this one grabbed me even harder than the others. It's an addicting, multi-faceted story. I am a sucker for a why choose omegaverse and this one had all my favorite things. We had developed characters, plot outside of the romance, realistic conflicts and progression, and so much more. I can't wait to get a copy for my bookshelves the next time I go to read this one.




Number eight goes to Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver. When I tell you I was addicted to this from page one and couldn't put it down I mean it. It was funny but dark, gruesome but romantic...it was everything it had been raved about. I, personally, really enjoy a funny book that had dark themes. Two serial killers in competition with each other? Sign me up! I truly loved this book and am looking forward to rereading it in the future as well as diving into the last book in just a few weeks. 

You can read my full, non-spoiler review here




Number seven is for The Blighted Stars by Megan E. O'Keefe. This book is an adult sci-fi space opera and it. was. so. good. This series has one of the most interesting concepts I've come across with insane implications. I was rooting for all of the characters and I just knew she was gonna break my heart. It was also surprisingly creepy and suspenseful at times. One of my main goals for 2025 is to continue with this trilogy because it's just so good. 





For number six I have all of the Ali Hazelwood books I've read this year. This is a case where, even though they're not all in the same series, I didn't want the list to be taken up solely by Ali. I read five of her books this year: Bride, Love Theoretically, Check & Mate, Not In Love, and Love on the Brain. It was one of my goals to get through her backlist romances after reading The Love Hypothesis years ago but not keeping up with her releases. Let me tell you, Ali Hazelwood never misses. I loved every single one I read this year. While I would rank some higher than others, all of these were addicting, fun, enjoyable reads. I am majorly looking forward to everything Ali decides to write in the future, particularly Deep End which is coming out very soon. 

My book review for Check & Mate can be found here




Number five goes to The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. I had this book on my TBR for years but I got into a cycle of wanting to only read it during fall but then not reading it before fall was over...rinse and repeat. This year, I finally read it and it was everything to me. Cozy fantasy is definitely a genre I plan on reading more in because the ones I read this year were just phenomenal. Secret Society was perfection. Found family, cozy atmosphere, stakes just high enough to be invested, well-developed and nuanced characters, a budding romance...I adored it. I cannot wait to reread this in the future as well as pick up more books by this author.




Spot number four goes to His Tesoro by Emilia Rossi. This is a mafia romance from the same author as Cherished and it was phenomenal. I don't read a lot of mafia romance but the ones I do read I tend to really enjoy. This is by far my favorite mafia romance I've ever read and it fully cemented Emilia as one of my new auto-read authors. I just adored the main character and how the romance slowly blossomed into what it became. Truly one of my new all-time favorite books that I can't stop thinking about. I am very much looking forward to the standalone sequel that's coming in 2025 following a character we met in this one. 




Number three goes to A Pack for Autumn by Emilia Emerson and A Pack for Winter by Eliana Lee, the first two books in the Cozyverse series. This is a cozy omegaverse world with books set in each season of the year. I read both of these when they came out and they were...delightful. I cannot describe how much I loved these books. I know that these will forever be seasonal reads for me. They're addicting, the spice is on point, and the setting is just perfection. 




Number two is for the Pack Darling duet by Lola Rock. I read this not once but TWICE in 2024. It's a hate-to-love omegaverse duology with badass characters and an addicting storyline. I'm a sucker for romances where the characters have to work for it like in hate-to-love or enemies-to-lovers or arranged/forced proximity. This series does it so well and it truly has become a comfort series this year. I know I'll be rereading it often in the future. 

You can find my full, non-spoiler review here




And my number one spot goes to Relever and Glisser by Jane Washington, books four and five in the Ironside Academy series. Jane is one of my auto-read authors and has been for almost ten years at this point. This series is an interesting take on the traditional omegaverse structure and I am absolutely obsessed (and have been). These two were recent releases I hadn't read yet and I found them to be just as addicting as the previous books. I particularly loved getting to develop one-on-one relationships between the main character and her love interests as well as seeing the stakes get a bit higher. Overall, just phenomenal and I am both scared and excited to see how the final book is going to go. 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Thursday, January 2, 2025

December 2024 Wrap-Up

The final monthly wrap-up for 2024...what a year. I'll get into a yearly wrap-up later but, for now, I want to focus in on December. In terms of reading, I had a fairly good month. I enjoyed or outright loved everything that I read. I only hauled four books in the month of December too, which is keeping in line with my goals regarding book buying and consumption. So, without further ado, let's dive into December!


1.
Title: The Book of Azrael  
Author: Amber V. Nicole
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars
Review TK

2. 
Title: The Teller of Small Fortunes
Author: Julie Leong
Rating: 

3. 
Title: A Pack for Winter
Author: Eliana Lee
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

4. 
Title: Plier
Author: Jane Washington
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread-

5.
Title: Tourner
Author: Jane Washington
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread-

6.
Title: Sauter
Author: Jane Washington
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread-

7.
Title: Relever
Author: Jane Washington
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review TK

8. 
Title: Glisser
Author: Jane Washington
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review TK

9. 
Title: Bloody, Slutty & Pathetic 
Author: WhatMurdah
*fanfic*

10. 
Title: Sugar & Spice
Author: InLoveWithForever
*fanfic*

11. 
Title: Lights Out
Author: Navessa Allen




I hauled four books this month and I'm pretty happy with that number. One was a gift and one was something I paid for over a year ago so I'd say the finances were pretty happy in that regard (though we'll not mention the other expenses surrounding Christmas). I do anticipate my January book haul to be significantly larger, though. 

The first book I got in December was The Dawn of the Cursed Queen by Amber V. Nicole. Either she or her publisher(?) was running a thing where you could get a stamped copy of the book if you paid the shipping since they had lots of extra stock. I signed up and ended up getting one! This is the third book in the Gods & Monsters series, which I just read the first book of in December. I love a big floppy paperback and this series looks to have some of the best. 

Then I picked up Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood. I read this book earlier in 2024 and absolutely adored it. It was so addicting and, honestly, one of my favorite Ali books that I've read. I read it from the library so I didn't have my own copy. When I saw a sale at the beginning of December I knew I couldn't pass up the chance to get it. I love seeing on my shelf next to Ali's other books as they're all so cute with their colors. 

We then got the second shipment from the Seasons of Shadowhunters Kickstarter that Cassandra Clare hosted last year. Though we were theoretically supposed to get them all in 2024, I don't mind waiting longer than initially expected for all the books. They're beautiful books and I am just glad to be able to add them to my Shadowhunters collection. This shipment was for An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of the Downworld, which is a companion book to all the Shadowhunters books. I had been meaning to get a copy for years so I'm thrilled to have such a gorgeous edition on my shelves. 

Lastly, one of my friends got me Jumper by Steven Gould. She said this is one of her favorite books so she gifted me and another friend a copy each for Christmas. I don't know much about it other than it's a sci-fi from 1992 that she loves. I'm hoping to give it a read through very soon so I can discuss it with her! I'm just touched that she got me a copy of her favorite book. 

That's it for my 2024 hauls. January is going to be quite a bit bigger as I've got an exciting book splurge coming. Every year, I set aside $1 for every book I read and then take the money I accumulated and spend it guilt-free on books. It really helps me control my book buying throughout the year knowing I have this big haul to look forward to. I have $133 to spend towards it and I'm so excited to pick those up in January. Stay tuned for that large haul! 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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