2018 Wrap-Up & 2019 Book Blog Goals {Bookish Goals}

Hey, 24hr.YABookBlog here (~˘▾˘)~ 💞✨📚 Today’s blog post is all about my 2019 Book Blog-related goals & wrapping-up some bookish accomplishments/surprises in 2018!

2018 came and went, but there were so many amazing things that happened last year on the blog such as: 

Getting ARC’s for new releases such as: Love Hate And Other Filters, To Kill A Kingdom, The Poet X, Legendary, & many others of books I loved or am really looking forward to reading!

Having the opportunity to interview some amazing YA Authors such as Maura Milan (Ignite The Stars), Astrid Scholte (Four Dead Queens), & Janelle Milanes (Analee, In Real Life) 😍💞📚🎉

Still shaking because of this, but I was mentioned in the acknowledgements of Tricia Levenseller’s Daughter Of The Siren Queen!! 😭❤❤📚🎉 (Thank you so much Tricia)

Alongside that, I was also mentioned in FeedSpot’s Top 100 Young Adult Book Blogs!

Teamed up with HMH Teen to promote Grim Lovelies & got a really cool book box!

There were so many wonderful + spectacular bookish things that happened in 2018 and I can’t wait to see what’s in-store for 2019! 

With that said, I’m also excited to be sharing some 2019 Bookish Goals today! 😍🎉📚

1. Reading Goals

The main ones are highlighted in my 2019 Reading Goals Post! But above all, I just want this year’s reading to be memorable and also challenge me to read differently!

In addition to that, I also really want to try & keep up with reviewing ARCs early!

2.Expand On Blog Features

I’ve had so much fun creating blog posts for my features such Literary Listens and my newest one Literary Travels (where I create a fictional guide to fantasy worlds)!

I want to continue posting for them in 2019 because they are some of the most creative features on my blog that I love & have so much fun writing for!

*I also have some upcoming bookish features I’m bringing to the blog in 2019 & I can’t wait to share them! 😍🎉📚

3. 2019 Bullet Journal

Around Thanksgiving break in 2018, I started planning out my 2019 Bookish Bullet Journal and I want to keep up with it in the new year!

I plan to fill it with bookish collages, track my book buying, podcasts, library book loans, & so much more!

If you’ve done a bookish bullet journal I’d love to hear any page ideas or tips you have!! 😄💞✨

4.Keep Up With Bookstagram

I noticed near the end of 2018, that I hadn’t really been having as much fun with my bookstagram as I had in the past!

I began to see it as a chore, but in 2019 I really want to find my bookstagram “theme” which will hopefully motivate me to post more & keep up with it!! (Maybe weekly?)

5.Continue Reading Diversely

Now at the end of each year, I track how many books by authors of color or diverse books I’ve read! I love supporting diverse books & #OwnVoices authors and want to continue that even more in 2019!

As of 2018, I read 43 books out of 63 books by authors of color, books that feature diverse characters, or are #OwnVoices! I’m incredibly proud that over 50% of the 2018 books I read were diverse books! 😍💜📚

In 2019 I want to continue to do that not only by reading/reviewing diverse books, but also promoting them as much as I can!

6.Writing

There’s an #OwnVoices YA Fantasy Idea of mine that’s been explored and written in fragments here and there for about 2 years at this point and I really want to try and get it written in 2019!

To help, I also have 2 other ideas on the back-burner that I’ve started and will hopefully inspire me to get back to my main idea when I can! 😄💞✨📚📝

7.Review More Critically

This one is something that I’ve really been thinking about in 2018! My reviews are mainly positive because I know what kinds of books I like/love and stick with those kinds of stories. However, in 2019 even with books I know I’ll enjoy I want to be able to review with a more critical lens because I feel its not only important to me as a reader, but also aspiring writer!

8. Be More Social On Twitter

After creating a blog post about engaging more in bookish content this past year and seeing my own Twitter feed throughout 2018, I noticed that while its kind of hard for me to be social on twitter, I really should try more!

There’s honestly so much book news & interesting discussions that go on in the bookish community that I know of, but am just kind of shy to comment on! But I really want to make more of an effort to communicate more on my platform!

If you follow me on twitter too, please feel free to chat with me! I know there’s more I can do to spread more bookish love on Twitter, but some days its just not all that easy for me 😅😭✨

I’m making it a goal to talk more about upcoming books, create interesting bookish threads & just chat more!

9.Feature More Author Interviews

As I mentioned above in my 2018 bookish wrap-up, I had a lot of fun interviewing authors about their books and writing!

This year I really want to take the opportunity to interview even more YA authors (debut or non) about books, their craft, and other book-related things! 😄💞📚📝

10.Change My Book Reviewing Style

This is something I’ve also had on my mind for a few months! I’ve been thinking about how I can change my review style to go beyond just the plot of a book! In 2019 its my goal to bring a unique exploration/depth to reviews with each book I read! It may take some time, but I’m hoping to really accomplish this goal with at least a couple books!

And those are my Bookish Goals for 2019! What are your bookish goals for the new year? Any similar to mine? Let’s Discuss! 😍📚🎉✨

If you’d like to support me & my content, I also have a Ko-Fi ☕

Tattered Sundays: Shadow & Bone + My Heart And Other Black Holes

Hey, 24hr.YABookBlog here (~˘▾˘)~ 💞📚✨ Today’s post is Tattered Sundays which was a weekly tag originally started by Mel over at MelsBookRealm

Tattered Sundays is a weekly post that according to Mel, showcases “damaged yet beloved books and gives them their time to shine.” 

I originally found out about her blog through this post and loved the idea so much that I planned on making a post like it, but wasn’t entirely sure how to go about it.

That’s mainly because I’m the kind of person that takes a lot of care with my books to avoid any kind of damage & I also tend to read/review new releases from the library. So, I’m changing it up a bit to instead showcase: secondhand books that I’ve gotten either through used bookstores or trading/buying through the book-related tags on twitter!

If you haven’t read Mel’s Tattered Sundays post I definitely recommend checking it out! The post that allowed me to discover her blog was talking about her well-loved copy of Shadow And Bone!

Today I’m showcasing: Shadow And Bone by Leigh Bardugo & My Heart And Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga!

Shadow And Bone (or the Grishaverse as a whole) was a series I was pretty familiar with, but hadn’t read when I first got back into reading YA in around 2012/2013!

It wasn’t until I’d gotten my copy for the first Yallwest (2015) to have Leigh Bardugo sign at the event, that I knew I had to finally read it! (Also, considering how much I told her I’d heard a lot of great things about it, I was looking forward to it!)

I distinctly remember taking a trip later that year during the summer (around June) and knew that it was finally time I read it! I stayed up most of the night during the plane ride, turning pages + pages, and remembering how vivid and dark the atmosphere was as I read it for the very first time!

During vacation I marathoned all 3 books within the span of about 3 days! With Shadow And Bone having been read around June 10, & Siege And Storm + Ruin And Rising having been read from June 15-16!

What I loved about reading that series for the first time too, was how it inspired me as a writer! During that time I was brainstorming a YA Fantasy idea (that’s now evolved since then & that I hope to start drafting within the next year!!😍🎉) and how much it helped me to think about atmosphere, setting, and character depth/emotion through a first person narrative in YA Fantasy!

So fast forward to today! If you’ve been on twitter recently, you may have heard about a hashtag going around called #BookishWish! It’s basically a tag where people say what’s on their wishlist & if someone has it/is able to offer it, or someone posts a picture of books there willing to offer, you both can set up an agreement to work out a trade, etc.!

When that tag went around, I was surprised to have found Shadow & Bone with the original cover (because I knew at this point, they were out of print or really difficult to find. & I’d been looking for an extra copy that would serve as my ‘reading copy’ instead of my signed one). 

Luckily I was able to find one through twitter, with the person being so kind to also add in Siege & Storm (which I didn’t own).

Bonus story time: This past week I went on vacation again & thought it was time to reread Shadow & Bone! I brought my reading copy and this time around, I speed-read it within 1 day and loved it even more than when I read it the first time! (´▽`ʃƪ)*:･ﾟ✧✧ﾟ*♥♥

Next up is: My Heart And Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

I first read My Heart And Other Black Holes back in March of 2015 (more specifically from March 13-14).

At that stage of my love for reading, I mainly read YA Contemporary and I distinctly remember how much I was able to connect with the unique story, important themes, and the main characters Aysel + Roman.

Compared to the other YA Contemporary books I’d read recently, there was just something about this book as a whole that stuck with me and that I still remember to this day!

So as of yesterday, I was browsing a used bookstore I visit from time to time & luckily found a hardcover copy of My Heart And Other Black Holes for $1!

I’d been thinking whether to just get it off Book Outlet for some time, but just never got around to it!

I’d also been wanting to reread it recently after I saw the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before movie and made a post about some YA Contemporary books that I want to have Netflix adaptations! I’d thought about My Heart just after I’d posted that list and just felt like reflecting back on this YA Book I’d really loved!

Its in pretty great condition and was so happy to have gotten for such a great deal.

So this is my first edition of Tattered Sundays! Thanks to Mel for creating such a great tag, this was a lot of fun! 😄💕📚✨🎉

Do you have any well-loved or secondhand books that have stories behind them? 

Engagement In Book-Related Content & On Book Blogs {Book Blog Discussion}

Its time for a bookish chat! Hey, 24hr.YABookBlog here (~˘▾˘)~💞✨📚 I don’t usually make book blog discussions, but this one had been on my mind for a bit & I’d love to explore this topic & get your thoughts on it!

From the people I’ve been following on twitter recently, I’d been seeing a lot of discussion come up about supporting book bloggers, bookish content in general, and engaging more!

I agree 100%!! I’m sure there’s definitely been moments where us a book bloggers, readers, etc. have worked hard on a review, post, tweet, bookstagram, or whatever it may be, putting our heart & soul into it, perfecting it, looking it over time & time again before the official post, and not having it get the discussion or love we had hoped!

It can be disheartening because isn’t that what the bookish community is all about? Having discussions, supporting each others work, and connecting over favorite & upcoming books!

There are times where I find myself thinking “do people just not care about this?”, or any number of other thoughts that roll around in my mind making me feel like my content isn’t connecting with people.

As the years go by, since I started my book blog in the summer of 2015, I’m trying to focus less on numbers and more on discussion & engagement with fellow readers. But, there are days when I can’t help but feel discouraged.

However there are some tips & tricks I’ve noticed and found myself, that I’m going to try & follow! + Hopefully, they’ll help you too.

I also find that, for me personally, I don’t put more effort into engaging & that’s on me. I can be a rather introverted person, so being in a community as connected and ever-growing as this one is, there are days I do find it difficult to interact with blogger/bookish friends on a daily basis or the bookish community in general!

However, with these tips on engagement & supporting bookish content, I really hope to change that & connect more!! 😍

*These are all ones I’m planning to do more of, however if these don’t work for you, that’s completely fine! Ever reader/blogger is different, just do whatever you feel works for you ♥♥ & if you have any additional tips, feel free to share them below!*

1.Socialize

This one may seem like a pretty easy one, but for me, I find its the easiest one to forget about!

After I post something, I often times just scroll through my wordpress feed and read/like a couple posts, then go back to twitter, reading, etc.

For example, lets say you’ve just post a book review or other book-related content on your blog, next, you should find other reviews for that particular book or similar blog posts & start commenting!

For me at least, I find its easier to engage with other bloggers or bookish people about similar reviews/discussions I’ve recently shared too, because its still fresh in my mind!

To me, this seems an easy way to engage with fellow readers & bloggers if you aren’t sure where to start! Find content similar to what you’ve recently posted and start some conversation!

Or maybe it isn’t on blogs! It could be on Twitter, bookstagram, Goodreads, etc. Find the content wherever you feel your looking to get more engagement!

1a. Conversation

To go along with socializing, another topic is keeping up with conversation. Let’s say someone comments on a post, tweet, bookstagram, etc., try to keep the conversation going and make those connections!

This is something I’m really planning to do more of and work better at, as I continue with book blogging!

1b. Complementing

If there’s a review (on a blog or Goodreads), twitter thread/tweets, bookstagram, recommendations, etc. you like, let the person know! It may seem like something small, but to the content creator, complementing their work means so much!

2. Promotion (For you & fellow bookworms)

I’ve noticed that a lot of my views come from twitter! So, another thing to keep in mind is cross-promote your content through different social medias!

Or let’s say there’s a blogger or reader you enjoying keeping up with, promote their stuff! Tell your followers to check them out!!

RT, Quote Tweet, Repost, Like etc. lets support our bookish community!

3. Seek Out Your Audience

What I mean by this is, for example, aside from book reviews & my monthly wrap-ups on YA Book news, I also make podcast reviews!

When I do, I look for the podcast on twitter or facebook & tag them in my review post!

So, lets say you want to find people who are into a certain kind of genre of books, you should try to seek out those reviewers & readers by: following them on social media, using/finding tags and following sites relevant to what you are looking for!

Find the bookish audience your hoping to connect with!

4. Linking

This is something I’ve done maybe a couple times, but I really want to make an effort and do it more!

If there’s a book I’ve recently reviewed, 9/10 times I look up other reviews of it right after! Whether their with a similar or different rating to mine, I always find reviews that I really love that also help me to find new bloggers to follow, or just inspire my reviewing!

When I find a review I really loved or want to promote, in the future I plan to follow these steps: mention the blogger, their review & link it in my post! (Or maybe it isn’t a review, maybe its a discussion post or TBR list! Whatever it is, if you really love it, tell people about it!)

I really want to do this more as I continue to create book reviews or other blog posts because I find this is an easy, but also wonderful way to promote fellow book bloggers!! ♥♥

For example: I really love Marie’s from DrizzleAndHurricaneBooks discussion posts! I’ve mentioned her posts a couple of times on Twitter, but if you haven’t checked them out, please do!! I love  how she discusses each topic, her posts are so worth a read!!

I also recommend checking out: Acquadimore’s book blog!! Her reviews are incredibly written and I love her writing style for each one (she gets to the point and I love reading her critiques + critical views)!! From certain tropes, plot points, etc. I find my critiques/opinions often are the same as hers too! While I’ve definitely read quite a bit of reviews in the years as a book blogger, hers are just so memorable and definitely worth reading & checking out!

And those are some tips to help you in getting more engagement to your blog or book-related content!! Thanks so much for joining me in my first book blog discussion (~˘▾˘)~

*And I’d love to support your posts that you feel more people should check out!! So, leave a link of a book review, book blog discussion, or other book, maybe even non book-related content that you’d like others to see! Can’t wait to check them out 😄📚*

Here’s mine: Sacred Lies Trailer Discussion {Sacred Lies is an upcoming mini-series based on Stephanie Oakes 2015 YA Mystery/Thriller, The Sacred Lies Of Minnow Bly}

Are people engaging in your posts? If not, do these tips or others seem like they’d help?

Any additional tips you’d like to share?

April 2018 Wrap-Up

# Of Books Read: 3

April wasn’t the best reading wise, but overall it did give me more time to come up with posts that I can’t wait to share this month!! ^_^

1.Legendary Ladies: 50 Goddesses To Empower And Inspire You by Ann Shen

Owned | Started/Finished April 6 |Rating: ★★★★☆ ½ |Legendary Ladies Full Review

Overall Thoughts: Legendary Ladies is a beautifully illustrated book that chronicles the tales of goddesses from around the world! With a selection of goddesses from a variety of cultures, Shen not only shares their stories, but also a guiding sentence at the end to offer words of wisdom inspired by each heroic goddess. What I found while reading, was how goddesses tales across time and cultures seemed to weave together and connect! I just wish there were more stories, because Shen not only does an incredible job at summarizing their legends, but also accompanying them with such vibrant illustrations! This colorful and inspiring collection is a must read!

2.Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

Library | Started April 3 + Finished April 8 | Rating: ★★★★★ | Emergency Contact Full Review

Overall Thoughts: Emergency Contact was a book I knew I would go into really enjoying, but did not expect to love it as much as I did! I don’t usually read contemporary books that a very romance heavy/centered, but this one was just incredible! Choi delivers such a character-driven, raw, modern-day romance that is just so unique and moving! I found myself re-reading this book twice & annotating my own copy when I bought it late last month, because I just loved it so much! Told through dual POV, it allows you to really understand the main characters Penny & Sam, how they really escape their loneliness through one another, and seeing the development of their deep friendship & connection with each other. It was so interesting to see how their text messages with each other vs. real-life interactions differed. Overall added such a unique layer to their relationship/development. It has a deep and moving story, is romantic, and has such emotional depth! If your looking for a unique,modern-day romance, Emergency Contact is definitely a book to check out! 

3.Aru Shah And The End Of Time by Roshani Chokshi (Pandava Quartet #1)

Library | Started April 11 + Finished April 24 | Rating:★★★★☆ |Aru Shah And The End Of Time {Mini Review}

Overall Thoughts: Chokshi delivers a heroic fantasy adventure weaved in with Hindu mythology and folklore! Aru Shah And The End Of Time also emphasized family and friendship throughout the entire story, which is so wonderfully explored (And I loved that!). The 3rd person POV really allowed for the mythology, characters, and world to get such an expansive view and great development! Sadly the plot did get a bit slow for me as I read nearing the middle and the end. However, Chokshi’s debut into middle grade is not a book to miss! She brilliantly blends fantasy w/ the modern day, delivers a dazzling writing style, and immerses you into an unforgettable fantasy adventure!

Additional Posts From This Month:

Book Bytes #10

Empire Of Sand by Tasha Suri Cover Reveal

Top 10 Tuesday: Podcasts I’ve Recently Discovered {Freebie!}

LA Times Festival Of Books Wrap-Up {2018} + Giveaway {INTL + Open until May 15th}

Plans For May:

~ Now that finals are close, I’ll be on summer break (finally!) and catch up on so many books!!

~Planning to finally post my SFF TBR! 😍💞✨⚔🚀💫📚

~Share the posts I spent time drafting last month!

LA Times Festival Of Books Wrap-Up {2018} + {Swag Giveaway!}

This past weekend I went to the L.A. Times Festival Of Books! Its a great festival hosted at USC every April where there are signings, celebration of art, music, and of course–tons of authors & books! 😍✨📚

If you’ve never gone, I highly recommend going if you have the chance! There’s always such great and interesting booths–and not just ones about books!

There’s entertainment, education, food, writing booths & so much more! (Especially great book swag!)

Thanks @latimesfob for the amazing book swag! 😍📚✨ + Thank you so much @mauxbot + @smenonbooks for the lovely enamel pins♥️
& @ThePaige_Turner for the awesome Sew Cal Gals button 😄💕#LATFOB #Bookfest pic.twitter.com/iMJATOSCEj

— 24hr.YABookBlog (@24hrYABookBlog) April 22, 2018

For Saturday April 21 it was a pretty easy schedule with only 4 authors on my list:

Roshani Chokshi author of The Star-Touched Queen,  A Crown Of Wishes, & her most recent, Aru Shah And The End Of Time (which I’m almost done with!!)

Sandhya Menon author of When Dimple Met Rishi

Sara Saedi author of Never Ever & Maurene Goo author of I Believe In A Thing Called Love 

I was able to meet all these authors & get my books signed! Throughout the festival I also checked out a lot of the booths, got some swag, and bought a book!

Shout-out to Maurene who recognized me b/c I also met her last year to get an ARC of I Believe In A Thing Called Love!😭✨❤💗

And Sara Saedi! I really loved her Peter Pan retelling Never Ever, so now that the sequel is out, it was great to be able to talk to her about it & what to  expect!

I also got to chat/see some lovely book blog friends again, such as Jordan from: The Heart Of A Book Blogger

Paige: The Paige Turner

& Allison: @AlliCrystal

On Sunday April 22, I had a few more authors on my list & was able to see almost all of them (sadly Nic Stone’s signing was too late for me & I couldn’t find my copy of American Panda in time to see Gloria Chao 😭):

First I met: Dhonielle Clayton, author of The Belles and co-author of The Tiny Pretty Things duology! {We talked about writing, then she asked me about tea-cup animals {which are in The Belles} & which one I would want–I said foxes or dragons!! 😆😍✨🦊🐉 & chatting w/ her was just so much fun!}

Before I met Dhonielle Clayton, I actually attended a panel that featured her, Sabaa Tahir, Marie Lu, & Tochi Onyebuchi for: Eat. Read Sleep: Fantastical Young Adult! This panel was moderated by Sarah Enni who runs the podcast: First Draft Pod.

They discussed the fantasy worlds they create, diversity and the importance of representation, how they go about world-building, etc.! It was a great panel & they were so funny!! 😂✨

I don’t usually attend panels when I go to book events, but this one was just fantastic & I’m so glad I attended!

Next I stayed around the YA Stage to meet:

Marie Marquardt author of Flight Season 

Emily X.R. Pan author of The Astonishing Color Of After (Which I still have yet to read!! But will very soon! 😭✨♥)

& Mary H.K. Choi author of Emergency Contact!

Getting the chance to chat w/ each author was just so great! Especially Marie & Mary, who I got to fangirl with over their amazing books!!

I also met some cool bookish people in line, such as Kalie who blogs about books at: A Bit Fairy Tale!

Afterwards I decided to make my last stop at the Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore booth to pick up an early copy of Bridget Morrissey’s upcoming YA Contemporary novel:

What You Left Me

I’d heard about it a while back and I definitely decided to keep it on my radar b/c it sounded like a great YA Contemporary & couldn’t miss the opportunity to get an early copy and meet the author!

Out on June 5, here is a summary: Martin and Petra meet for the first time at graduation, and though they’ve shared the halls of their high school for four years without crossing paths, there’s an instant connection the moment they’re seated next to each other at the commencement ceremony.

Then a car accident puts Martin into a coma, and Petra is somehow left picking up the pieces, using friends, family, and shared dreams to keep their surprise connection going.

Together they must unlock the truth of his situation, and with time running out, their bond becomes Martin’s best shot at waking back up to the life he’s left behind.

Got to meet @bridgemorrissey today at #LATFOB & get a copy of her upcoming book: What You Left Me 📚✨#WhatYouLeftMe is out June 5! @latimesfob @SourcebooksFire #YAContemporary #YALit #Bookfest pic.twitter.com/cwoao8qQfF

— 24hr.YABookBlog (@24hrYABookBlog) April 23, 2018

Overall talking with each author was amazing! They were all so kind! Getting the time to ask them questions about writing and their books was incredible!

And now for the giveaway!! I was at the Mysterious Galaxy booth & found some Furyborn swag (an exclusive sampler + bookmark!)

So not only is this my first swag giveaway, but its also my first international one!
All you have to do is RT the tweet below & follow my twitter!

& I can’t share it yet, but I’ll also be having another LATFOB giveaway soon! (Stay tuned on my twitter ^_^)

#LATFOB Book Swag Giveaway🎉📚: RT + Follow for your chance to win Furyborn by @clairelegrand swag! {Bookmark + Sampler} ✨💫⚔️👑
{Ends 5/15! INTL okay!✨) #Furyborn @SourcebooksFire pic.twitter.com/PAFWiNW9ib

— 24hr.YABookBlog (@24hrYABookBlog) April 23, 2018

So overall it was another fantastic weekend at the LA Times Festival Of Books!! It just gets better & better w/ each year!! I can’t wait to return again next year in 2019!

March 2018 Wrap-Up

# Of Books Read: 5

1. The Prince And The Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Library | Started/Finished on March 6| Rating:★★★★★| The Prince And The Dressmaker Full Review

Overall Thoughts: While breaking gender norms and putting a focus on trust and friendship, The Prince And The Dressmaker was a delightful graphic novel that has such vibrant artwork, great characters and a heart-warming story! Frances soon finds herself working for royalty when she gets assigned to create dresses for Prince Sebastian. He feels so much pressure put upon him as a prince, but when he wears dresses and takes the name Lady Crystallia, we see him truly shine! The friendship and dynamic forged between the 2 is so well done. Delightful, charming, and diverse, The Prince And The Dressmaker will capture your heart!

2. Flight Season by Marie Marquardt

Library | Started on March 2 + Finished on March 8| Rating:★★★★★| Flight Season Full Review

Overall Thoughts: Flight Season easily made it to the list of my all-time favorite YA Contemporary books and it will forever have a special place in my heart! ♥♥~ Following the unique and distinct POV’s of Vivi Flannigan, TJ Carvalho & Ángel Solis, you see how their stories intertwine and the journey each of them undergo. The deep connection and friendship these characters forge was not only incredibly developed, but easily one of the many highlights of this novel! Marquardt gives such depth and insight into the 3 main characters. The plot is unique and captivating: following Vivi when she returns home for the summer after her first year of college to complete an internship at a hospital in the heart ICU, TJ who is also working there & is attempting to figure out what he wants/ the goals he wants to accomplish. Then there’s Ángel, who’s such a witty dynamic character, and is in the heart ICU (due to a heart infection) as Vivi & TJ’s patient. This novel also meant so much to me because of the Guatemalan rep.!~ Grief, family, and friendship are the main themes explored perfectly throughout this novel. The plot is unique, the romance is beautifully developed, the writing is spectacular, and there is such depth explored to the many differing aspects of this novel. Flight Season is a must read YA Contemporary! (There’s indigenous Guatemalan rep. & Brazilian-American rep.!)

3. Daughter Of The Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller (DOTPK #2)

Library | Started March 11 + Finished March 13 | Rating: ★★★★☆ | Daughter Of The Siren Queen Full Review

Overall Thoughts: The Daughter Of The Pirate King duology wraps up with this final installment! With the comedic banter and expansion to the lore set up in book 1, Levenseller made Daughter Of The Siren Queen such a character-driven and action-packed tale! Alosa learns more about her past and now must escape her father the Pirate King when secrets are revealed! I loved that we finally get to meet Alosa’s female crew + Riden gets so much character-development! Similarly to book 1, Levenseller develops romance + banter in such a great way! I will admit though, I didn’t love this finale as much as Daughter Of The Pirate King. For me I felt the plot dragged quite a bit throughout a majority of the middle + I just wanted more plot-wise (n regards to Alosa escaping her father on her ship). However, I love that Levenseller ended her duology in such a way where it wasn’t really a sad bittersweet ending, but very much leaves you knowing Alosa + Riden’s adventures are just beginning! Really looking forward to Tricia Levenseller’s next books!

4. Children Of Blood And Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Legacy Of Orïsha #1)

Library | Started March 12 + Finished March 16 | Rating: ★★★★☆ ½ | Children Of Blood And Bone Full Review

Overall Thoughts: Children Of Blood And Bone is one of those books that leaves you thinking long after the final page! From the very beginning Adeyemi introduces an immersive, magical, and thought-provoking tale. Zélie finds herself going on a perilous journey to restore magic to her world. Following 3 brilliantly woven POV’s, from Zélie to rogue princess Amari, and enemy prince Inan, Adeyemi’s writing delivers such a cinematic and complex story. With so many fantastic elements from intrigue, to action, adventure, and exploration of timely subjects, Children Of Blood And Bone left me feeling so many emotions that I don’t know how I’ll be able to wait for book 2!😂✨

5. The Girl From The Other Side: Siúil A Rún Vol. 2 by Nagabe {TGFTOS #2}

Owned | Started/Finished on March 18| Rating: ★★★★☆ ½| The Girl From The Other Side Vol. 2 Full Review

Overall Thoughts: The Girl From The Other Side: Siúil A Rún manga is a slow-moving tale filled with mystery, but it works so well! In this volume we learn more about Shiva and her protector Teacher, when a mysterious Outsider arrives with answers + more questions regarding their mysterious world of the “Inside” + “Outside” + the main characters themselves. The theme of identity is so important in this volume and is really explored through the character of Teacher. The author really allows the reader to put together on their own while also raising even more questions with the conclusion of each chapter. The 2nd volume to this manga series continues to build and develop this unique world, filled with such intriguing characters!

Additional Posts From This Month:

March 2018 YA Books I’m Looking Forward To!

Plans for April:

~I’m hoping to read at least 1 or 2 more books than last month

~Post another Literary Listens feature

~Share a list of SFF (Science-Fiction + Fantasy) Books upcoming/backlist I’m hoping to read this year! 😍💕✨⚔🚀💫📚

February 2018 Wrap-Up

# Of Books Read: 6

1.Hero At The Fall by Alwyn Hamilton (Rebel Of The Sands #3)

Owned | Started January 31 + Finished on February 2 |Rating:★★★★☆ ½ |Hero At The Fall Full Review

Overall Thoughts: The Rebel Of The Sands Trilogy concludes with such a character-driven and immersive finale! Amani and the remaining rebels band together to take down the sultan. There’s so much character-development and the depth to the world of Rebel, the magic system, and politics continue to develop till the very end! My issues however continue to be the time-jumps/quick pacing through locations and how they tend to rush through character development/interactions & setting description/atmosphere. However, above all Hero At The Fall really wraps up Amani’s adventure & the trilogy as a whole, to a very satisfying conclusion!

2.Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones (Wintersong #2)

ARC| Started February 5 + Finished on February 7|Rating:★★★★☆ ½ |Shadowsong  Full ARC Review

Overall Thoughts: Shadowsong is an enchanting and captivating finale to the Wintersong duology. I loved every moment of this book! Very much a darker continuation, this novel takes place 6 months after the events of Wintersong, focusing on Liesl as character with her internal development + growth as she comes to terms with having left the Underground + the Goblin King behind. The elegantly constructed POV continues to brings such depth and life to the many aspects from world to characters, music etc. of this phenomenal duology. The dynamic between Liesl & Josef is heavily explored in this novel & plays such a huge role in this novel. Shadowsong is a captivating, elegant, heart-wrenching, and brilliant finale to the Wintersong duology! (This novel is #OwnVoices for bipolar disorder)

3.The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton (The Belles #1)

Owned | Started January 23 + Finished on February 9|Rating:★★★★☆ |The Belles Full Review

Overall Thoughts: The Belles seamlessly weaves in political intrigue, themes and discussions of beauty, all through a descriptive and dazzling writing! Camellia Beauregard wants to secure her spot as the Favorite, but not everything is as it seems. Soon, the idea of beauty and power begin to shift as Camellia learns in her quest to prove herself as the Favorite! The descriptive, dazzling, and magical world of Orléans immediately transports you and the mythology/history of the world itself is explored in such an intriguing way! Though the pacing does slow throughout the middle, the intrigue, magic & mystery of the plot keeps you immersed! (#OwnVoices for black rep.)

4.Starfish by by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Library |Started February 12 + Finished On February 16 |Rating:★★★★☆ ½ | Starfish Full Review

Overall Thoughts: Kiko wants nothing more than to get into her dream art school. Living with a family, who never seem to understand her, she learns what family means to her and figures out who she wants to be along the way. Kiko has anxiety and because of that, its difficult for her to speak her mind. However, throughout the novel she knows she has support from friends, both new & old, that help her find her place in the world.The writing flows so beautifully, though the heaviness of the story is there. The writing really allows you to see the characters in such a unique way and are given such depth. Starfish is a character-driven and beautifully written YA Contemporary that builds to an inspiring message of hope! (#OwnVoices for Japanese-American rep. + Social Anxiety)

5.The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (The Folk Of The Air #1)

Library | Started February 18 + Finished on February  22 | Rating:★★★☆☆ ¾ | The Cruel Prince Full Review

Overall Thoughts: Jude and her 2 sisters were forced to go to the land of the Fae when they were young, however 10 years later all Jude wants is to fit in. Both Jude & her twin sister Taryn are bullied by the fae royalty and this just fuels Jude’s anger to prove herself to them. The descriptions of the setting and various themes of politics, intrigue, and mystery all weave together really well. There were characters I was unsure how I felt about in the beginning, but ended up truly surprising me as I read. While there were elements I really enjoyed, sadly there was a mix of reasons why I rated the book low: I did find the pacing to slow a bit and felt the direction of the plot got a bit lost at times. Personally, I also didn’t really connect with or enjoy the twin sister relationship between Jude & Taryn. I also found that big moments nearing the middle and end really had much build up, so it felt difficult to really invest myself. I also found that the morally grey/anti-heroine aspects of Jude’s character that many had mentioned, felt more sporadic than I had hoped.However, the ending did leave me interested in seeing what happens next.

6.The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo 

ARC | Started February 24 + Finished on February 25 | Rating:★★★★☆ ½ | The Poet X Full ARC Review

Overall Thoughts: The Poet X is such a powerful and unforgettable YA Contemporary. Told through poems, Xiomara goes on a journey of questioning and exploring many different aspects of her world from love to religion, and finding her voice through poetry. There were a number of topics explored and discussed such a relationships, body image/self-love, and tackling sexism. Character-driven and impactful, the poems are filled with so much heart, emotion, and depth. The power of Acevedo’s words shines with each page. I also really loved the dynamic between Xiomara & her twin brother Xavier and seeing their relationship change and grow as the book progressed. The Poet X is a must read, so definitely keep an eye out on this book in March! (#OwnVoices for Dominican rep. + there is also gay & Trinidadian rep.)

Additional Posts From This Month:

February 2018 YA Books I’m Looking Forward To!

Literary Listens: Audio Drama Podcasts That Need Book Adaptations