After some consideration, I’ve decided to start trying to do wrap ups two months at a time. I’m always behind lately, and I feel like this will cut back on the pressure I’ve been feeling towards myself for not getting enough posts written. So anyway, let’s get to this wrap up!
January:
Gemina by Kaufman & Kristoff | ★★★★★ | audiobook | reread
I continued rereading this series with the audiobooks. Honestly I think Gemina might be my favorite in this series. Don’t get me wrong, I really love Illuminae and Obsidio is good. But there’s just something about Nik and Hanna’s banter. I love the “we dislike each other but we’re forced to work together” trope. Plus, Ella is a fantastic character as well!
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson | ★★★★ | audiobook | check TWs
This book is about a world where we’ve figured out how to travel between universes, but you can only make the journey if your other world counterpart is dead. That concept alone attracted me to this book and I was slightly disappointed that it didn’t flesh out that universe traveling a little bit more. However I was pleasantly surprised by the “we have to take down corporate greed” plot.
Iron Heart by Nina Varela | ★★★★ | physical book
Finished reading the second book in the Crier’s War duology and oh my goodness, it was amazing. I love this series. Crier and Ayla are ridiculous, stubborn messes of characters – aka, my favorite type of character. I thought that the beginning of the book was a little slow to start but once the action picked up, it did not stop. Varela wraps up the story perfectly while also introducing entirely new characters that I instantly fell in love with and want whole spin off books just for their adventures.
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel | ★★★★ | audiobook
This book was recommended by a friend so I just picked it up without knowing too much and oh my goodness I loved it! I won’t say much because I think this is one of those sci-fi stories that’s even better when you know less. But I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook of it if you can. I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series.
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson | ★★★★ | ebook | check TWs
This was such an impactful book about breaking barriers and standing up to a racist, homophobic small town status quo. The main character, Liz, felt like a great representation of teens today. She suffered from panic attacks and worried about her younger brother, who has sickle cell. The wlw romance was really cute, the only thing I didn’t like was how much hinged on the “miscommunication causes conflict” trope.
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner | ★★★★★ | audiobook | reread
I finally got to reread this book and it was even better the second time around! I think I always say this but The Queen’s Thief series is one that just gets better and better the more you read it. I love that this book uses first and third person POVs and that it centers on Sophos’ story. He’s such a sweet cinnamon roll!
February:
The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi | ★★★½ (3.5) | audiobook
This book unfortunately suffered a bit from “second book syndrome”. However, I still really enjoyed it because I just love the characters. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a found family. And it did pick up more in the second half too, so I’m still excited about the series and can’t wait to see how it wraps up.
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand | ★★★ | audiobook | check TWs
Sawkill Girls follows three girls living on an island where girls are mysteriously going missing. Given the creepy island setting and that it’s queer–sapphic and ace rep–I was expecting to love it, like I loved Wilder Girls. However, this book was unfortunately a let down. I felt like a bit too much of the supernatural was just unexplained and the violence against the girls felt like it bordered on excessive. Like most of it was just there for the sake of having good quotes about girl power.
Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales | ★★★★★ | eARC | check TWs
I had the pleasure of reading this ARC and I absolutely loved it. This book is about a girl who runs an anonymous relationship advice service at her school, and the boy who blackmails her for help winning back his ex-girlfriend. It was funny but also full of heartfelt moments and meaningful advice about romantic, as well as platonic, relationships. What mattered even more to me was also the discussion of biphobia both internalized and within the LGBT+ community and how bi people in straight passing relationships get treated.
The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty | ★★★★★ | audiobook
After having the audiobook on hold literally since the book came out last summer, it was finally my turn to read it. And I was not disappointed. This book wrapped up the series so perfectly. If you haven’t read The Daevabad Trilogy yet, I’m telling you now that you need to.
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson | ★★★★ | audiobook | check TWs
Grown is one of those books that I think every teen–and even adult–needs to read. It follows a young Black aspiring singer named Enchanted and the abuse she suffers as a much older male pop star forced her into a relationship. What I think is important about this book is that it shows just how much women, and especially Black women, aren’t listened to when they come forward about abuse. I think if more people read this book and saw the brutal reality of Enchanted’s story, maybe more women would be listened to when these things happen.
Icarus and the Sun by Gabriel Picolo | ★★★★ | graphic novel
I backed the crowd sourcing campaign for this graphic novel months ago and finally received my copy. The art was beautiful but I felt like the story was lacking at times. However, I did appreciate that it tried to show the ways seemingly healthy relationships can actually be toxic.
The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee | ★★★★ | physical book
This sequel to The Rise of Kyoshi follows the repercussions of the events in the first book and show us Kyoshi’s early struggles with handling her Avatarhood. I really enjoyed this book. I felt like it was slow at some points, but other parts made up for it. I’m pretty sure this is a duology but I really hope they decide to do more books in the future, because I’ve loved seeing Kyoshi’s journey.
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas | ★★★★ | audiobook | check TWs
In this prequel to The Hate U Give we follow Maverick, Star’s father, in his early days of fatherhood. I really loved Mav in THUG–I thought he was a strong, insightful and loving father and seeing what set him on the path to being that kind of person was really touching. He faces loss but manages to make it out the other side through loving family members and role models.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds | ★★★★ | ebook | check TWs
I was in the mood to read a book in verse so I borrowed this one from the library because I had heard good things. I didn’t know much about it though and I was not expecting just how impactful it would be. The book follows Will, a teen whose brother has been shot and killed. And Will knows he must follow “The Rules” and kill the guy who killed his brother. It’s a heavy book cautioning against the cycles of revenge and the toxic masculinity that says men shouldn’t cry even when they’re hurting for lost loved ones.
I have links to TW databases in my linktree that I would recommend referencing before reading any of these but especially for the books I marked. Find me on: TikTok | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads
Em Hoards Books 