Valentine’s Day Book Tag

Happy Valentine’s Day!

As per tradition, I’ve decided to complete the Valentine’s Day Book Tag to round out my Blogentine’s Day line-up. This tag was created by CC’s Books. Here are my answers:

• Stand Alone Book that You Love

Book Lovers by Emily Henry was one of my favorite books last year. I really enjoy Emily Henry’s writing style and I thought Nora and Charlie, the love interests in this book, were very well matched.

• Dystopian Book You Love

Honestly, I have not read a dystopian in a really long time. I am afraid I do not have any dystopian books to love this Valentine’s Day. Let me know if there are any recent dystopian books that you loved in the comments!

• A Book You Love that No One Else Talks About

I didn’t necessarily love this book, but overall, I did like it. Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready was my least shelved book on my Goodreads stats last year. Contemporary romance has become extremely popular this past year, so it does surprise me that I don’t really see it mentioned at all.

• Book Couple You Love

One book couple that I really loved during the past year were Aelin and Rowan from Throne of Glass. I loved watching their relationship grow and change throughout the series. Also, I thought they were a very well matched couple. I especially appreciated in the later novels how we get to see Rowan’s softer side towards Aelin.

• Book that Other People Love, but You Haven’t Read Yet

One book that other people loved, but I haven’t read yet is Lovelight Farms by B.K. Robinson. I heard a lot of positive reviews for this book during Christmas in 2022, but I didn’t pick it up before December ended. As a result, I put this book on my 24 books to read before 2024 list. This book seems to be about saving a Christmas tree farm so I look forward to read it during December this year.

• A Book with Red on the Cover

One book with a red cover on my TBR is Yours Truly by Abby Jiminez. I have read two books by Abby Jimenez and I’ve loved each of them so I am looking forward to her 2023 release. Yours Truly follows one of the side characters from Part of Your World, her 2022 releases which made it onto my favorites list for the year. Here’s to hoping that I will enjoy Yours Truly just as much!

• A Book with Pink on the Cover

One book with a pink cover which I read recently was Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren. While I didn’t love everything about this book, it was a pretty solid read for me at 3.5 half stars. I do prefer the pink cover of this book as opposed to the previous orange cover.

• You were given a box of chocolate. Which book boyfriend/girlfriend gave it to you?

One love interest who I think would give a box of chocolate is Lucas from The American Roommate Experiment. Overall, this book wasn’t my favorite. However, it did mention many, many times about Lucas making food for Rosie. Honestly, he’d probably turn the box of chocolate into a wonderful dessert!

• You are single on Valentine’s Day. What book do you read? What movie do you watch? What TV show do you watch?

One book that is on my TBR for February is The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren. I recently received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and I think it will be the perfect book to read around Valentine’s Day. This book is about a filmmaker who recruits a romance author to be the lead of a reality dating show.

• You are in a book store. All of a sudden you get shot with an arrow by cupid. What new release will you love?

One new release in 2023 that I’m hoping to love is Happy Place by Emily Henry. I’ve enjoyed her past two releases, The People We Meet on Vacation and Book Lovers, so I’m hoping to enjoy Happy Place just as much. To be honest, I’m not completely interested in the plot of this book, but if anyone can change my mind, it’s Emily Henry!

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Conversation Hearts Book Tag

In honor of Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought I would complete the Conversation book tag created by That Bookie on Youtube. In the video, she pulls out conversation hearts and chooses a book that relates. Since I don’t have any conversation hearts nearby, I decided to look up some phrases and create some of my own! Here are my answers:

One book that I Purchased recently based on the cover was Ice Breaker by Hannah Grace. I thought the cartoon cover was cute and I heard a lot of positive buzz surrounding the book. Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t a huge fan of Ice Breaker. For me, the plot wasn’t very well developed and it was a little too long for a contemporary book. While I do still think the cover it cute, I’m not a huge fan of romances that are just a series of cute moments strung together.

One love at first sight book that I enjoyed this past year was Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood. Typically, I don’t enjoy the miscommunication trope, but this book was a fun and easy read. Even though we don’t really get to see the love at first sight on page in this book, I still overall enjoyed the romance.

One group of friends which I enjoyed recently was the cast of characters from Throne of Glass. Many of these characters didn’t like each other when they initially met, but they grew to respect and fight for each other. The cast of characters and friendships in this book are one of the reasons which I loved this series so much.

I would love to have a conversation with Holly Black, the author of many popular faerie books. Recently, I have seen a few different interviews of Holly Black pop up on my TikTok and I really enjoyed how she described creating the world of Elfhame, particularly how she imagines the appearances of the faerie characters. I am also a huge fan of her writing style and I love how she describes different things in her books. I think she would love to her more about her writing and world-building process.

When I think of a musical character, I have to think of Colton Wheeler from A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams. Colton is a country singer, which typically isn’t my favorite genre. However, I really enjoyed him as a character in A Very Merry Bromance and he seems really proud of the direction which his music makes at the end of the novel.

While they aren’t my favorite couple ever from a book, I did believe by the end of the novel that they were soul mates. Since Love & Other Words has a dual timeline, readers really get to see how Macy and Elliot’s relationship develops and changes by the end of the year. At the end of a romance novel, you want to believe that the love interests will be together forever and I definitely believed that for Macy and Elliot.

Have a great Valentine’s Day! 

Recent Library Books (January 2023)

One of my reading goals for 2023 was to visit my library more frequently, rather than just borrowing books from the virtual library. While I do prefer reading books on a device, I have noticed that my physical library has more of the books on my TBR than the virtual library, so I decided to request some books that have been sitting on my TBR so that I could finally read them. Here are five books that I recently borrowed from my physical library location and the virtual branch:

• The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

I was excited that my library had a copy of The Stolen Heir available right after its release… and there was no wait! The Stolen Heir was the first book that I borrowed from the library in 2023. The Stolen Heir is the first book in a duology which occurs after The Cruel Prince series. This duology follows a teenage Oak who recruits Lady Suren from the mortal realm to rescue his imprisoned father. I read The Stolen Heir back in January. For me, The Stolen Heir was too plot-driven in comparison to the original series, although it has an interesting premise which could make the second novel in the duology more successful.

• Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade

Ship Wrecked was the first book which I borrowed from Cloud Library, the virtual system which my library uses. I have borrowed this book in the past, but I didn’t read until I re-checked it out this year. Ship Wrecked is the third book in the Spoiler Alert series, which follows two co-stars as they film a popular television series on an isolated island. While I think Olivia Dade’s covers and synopses usually draw me in, I usually find her pacing to be inconsistent. Unfortunately, I had similar issues with Ship Wrecked.

• Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Every Summer After was the next book that I checked out from my library. Every Summer After has been on my TBR and I have been waiting for it to come onto the virtual library. However, I recently read Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren, which Every Summer After is frequently compared to online. As a result, I didn’t want to wait to read it any longer so I could read these two books close together in order to see the comparisons. Every Summer After follows Persephone “Percy” Fraser when he returns to a lake town where she spent her summers as a teenager, in order to attend a family friend’s funeral. There, she runs into Sam, the boy next door. Since this book is so hyped, I was expecting this to be a five star read, and while I like some aspects of this novel, the last act wasn’t my favorite as it seemed inconsistent with the rest of the book.

• The Happily Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

The Happily Ever After Playlist was one of the books that I have borrowed from the library in February, but have not read yet. I have read two books by Abby Jimenez and loved them, so I wanted to read her two other books currently published before her new book releases later this year. From the description, this book seems to be about a woman who lost her fiancé and then finds a lost dog who connects her with a famous musician. Abby Jimenez writes such excellent realistic relationships and this book seems like it will address many real life topics, so I definitely looked forward to reading this book during February.

• The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Last year, I read mostly contemporary books, so I’ve been wanting to pick up more fantasy novels in 2023. I’ve frequently seen The Atlas Six online, with people either loving it or hating it. I don’t have much an idea of what this book is about besides the synopsis, but when I saw this familiar title on my library’s website, I decided to check it out. It looks like The Atlas Six is about six magicians who want to be initiated into an academic society, but only five will make the cut. With this book, I am interested to see where my feelings will fall.

What books have you recently borrowed from the library?

Taylor Swift Lover Book Tag

Taylor Swift’s Lover is the perfect album for Valentine’s Day, so it makes for the perfect book tag for Blogentine’s Day! This book tag was created by Nish and Ngoc.

• I Forgot That You Existed: A book that you want to forget you ever read

I don’t necessarily wish that I could forget this book, but a recent book which I didn’t like was Ice Breaker by Hannah Grace. I initially was interested in this book because of the cover and a lot of positive reviews which I saw on TikTok. However, for me, the plot of the book felt very disjointed with unmemorable characters. I also found that the synopsis of this book didn’t necessarily match the contents inside. Overall, it was a very disappointing and unenjoyable read for me.

• Cruel Summer: A book that you turn to when things get tough

If I’m ever in a reading slump, I usually pick up one of the books from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I really love the characters in that series, so it is definitely one of my comfort reads!

• The Man: Favorite female protagonist

A female protagonist who I enjoyed recently was Maria from Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade. While I wasn’t extremely impressed with the book itself, I really liked Maria as a main character. Maria was outgoing, positive, and always stood up for herself. Throughout the book, Maria dealt with awful producers who attempted to shame her for her body and tried to make her change her body, but Maria always stood her ground.

• The Archer: A book with good mental health representation

As I mentioned earlier, Ice Breaker wasn’t one of my favorite reads, but there was one aspect which I did appreciate in the book. In Ice Breaker, the female main character is constantly criticized for her weight. While the text doesn’t explicitly state that she has an eating disorder, she does have a very unhealthy relationship with food. I think this book brought up a huge issue in women’s sports where women who excel at their sport are often criticized for their appearance, despite needing to eat healthily and maintain muscle in order to perform well in their sport.

• I Think He Knows: Favorite fictional crush

One love interest who stood out to me this past year was Daniel from Part of Your World by Abby Jiminez. Daniel was a patient and kind love interest who supported the female lead in becoming more independent. This was one of my favorite books of 2022 and the healthy relationship featured in this book was a huge factor in that decision.

• Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince: Favorite angsty romance

One angsty romance which I read recently was Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood. The miscommunication trope plays a large role in novels by Ali Hazelwood which causes a lot of angst to appear throughout her novels.

• Paper Rings: A book with an ugly cover that you absolutely adored

I’m actually not a huge fan of this series, but one series which I think needs an update for covers is the Off-Campus series. This series was published several years ago and it looks like it is still stuck there. Since this series has gained a lot of popularity in recent years due to TikTok, I think it would be a good idea to update the covers.

• Cornelia Street: A book or series you never want(ed) to end

One book that I never wanted to end was A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams. This was an unexpected five star read for me. I was a huge fan of the romance in this book and I loved the main couple featured. The Bromance Book Club books aren’t usually my favorite, but this book makes me want to read whatever Lyssa Kay Adams writes next!

• Death by A Thousand Cuts: A book or series that deserved a better ending

This is an oldie, but it is one that has stuck with me for years after reading. The Divergent series definitely went downhill for me after the first book and the ending of Allegiant just destroyed everything else that I liked about this book. While I appreciate Veronica Roth tried to write an ending that would stand out in a sea of YA dystopian at the same time, I dislike when an end of a series makes the rest of the series seem pointless. Unfortunately, that is how I felt at the end of the Divergent series after I finished reading it.

• London Boy: Your favorite British male protagonist

Although the Bridgerton books often have insufferable male love interests, I do enjoy how they change their characters to be less toxic in the show. Jonathan Bailey played an excellent Anthony Bridgerton in the show and it made me interested in watching other television shows and movies where he appears because he was such a strong actor for the role.

• Soon You’ll Get Better: A book that your heart will never recover from

I don’t typically read books that make me sad, but I wasn’t expecting Love & Other Words to be as emotional as it turned out to be. However, that was one aspect of Love & Other Words which I thought made it stand out for me.

• You Need to Calm Down: A book with a powerful message

Recently, I have been rereading the Lore Olympus series through the published book versions. One aspect of Lore Olympus which I really appreciate is how it tackles difficult subject matter in a thoughtful way. Additionally, I have always appreciated that Rachel Smythe gives warnings to this content at the beginning of the book in order to be mindful of readers who pick up her book.

• Afterglow: A book you want to give a second chance

It’s not that I want to give this book a second chance, but I do want to give this duology a chance for redemption after the first book. Recently, I read The Stolen Heir by Holly Black which is a duology taking place several years after The Cruel Prince series that follows Oak, Jude’s brother, and Lady Soren from The Court of Teeth. I had high expectations going into The Stolen Heir because I loved The Cruel Prince series so much. While The Stolen Heir wasn’t the worst book that I’ve ever read, it didn’t have the same magic as the original trilogy for me. That being said, I do plan to read the next book in the duology and I hope it is a little stronger than the first book.

• Me!: Best character development

One of my favorite character developments in a book is Manon from Throne of Glass. Due to her upbringing, Manon suppresses her emotions and doesn’t believe that she could ever love another person. A lot of pressure is placed on Manon to follow very rigid rules and orders, as there is a swift and brutal consequence for disobedience, so she will typically follows the rules set by her grandmother as opposed to her own heart. However, throughout the series, Manon slowly opens up to other people and begins to make her own choices, often due to her love for other people.

• It’s Nice to Have a Friend: Fave friends-to-lovers story

This isn’t necessarily my favorite friends-to-lovers romance, but I was impressed with how Love & Other Words was able to build such a successful friends-to-lovers romance through flashbacks. Typically, I am not a huge fan of dual timeline books. While I did have some other aspects of this book which I didn’t enjoy, I did think the scenes that readers get to see of the development of the relationship in book really reinforces that the main characters are soulmates, which is what I like to see in a romance book.

• Daylight: If you could read one book or series again and again, what would it be

If I could read one series again and again it would have to be A Court of Thorns and Roses. Like I mentioned earlier, I love the world and the character inside, so I could read it again and again without being bored.

Reading Journal: January 2023

This year, I decided to create a reading journal in order to be a little more creative with how I track my reading progress throughout the year. In January, I posted some of my set-up pages which I included at the beginning of my journal in order to give an overview of my year. Every month, I plan to give updates on what my pages look like for the month.

Below, I have included my video from TikTok where I showed all of the pages which I created in January:

@beautyandthebeanboots

my january book journal pages ☃️ #booktok #books #bookjournal #journalideas #goodnotes

♬ Cool Kids (our sped up version) – Echosmith

January Overview

Every month, I would like to do a monthly overview where I track different statistics, list books on my TBR, and document other important information (such as new releases). For January, I did a blue, mint green, and purple color scheme to go with the cold temperatures in January. While I really liked my calendar, next month, I plan to put a larger difference between the colors in the key so it is easier to differentiate how much I read in a day. One of my goals this year is to check more books out of the library, so I created a graph to document my progress.

The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

I had so much fun creating my first book spread! The cover of at first, I was going to stick with my January theme colors throughout the month, but I decided that I liked it much better when I leaned into the colors on the cover of the book. The American Roommate Experiment is pink and blue, so those were the colors that I utilized. That being said, in later spreads, I started to include a song that I associate with the book, which I didn’t do for The American Roommate Experiment. I thought it would be fun to make a playlist at the end of the year. Even though it isn’t documented on the page, I plan to use Dancing Queen by ABBA.

Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren

With Love & Other Words, I started to develop some consistency. For each book spread. I want to include a synopsis, statistics, a review, and likes/dislikes. I feel like these mini-reviews and lists help me when writing longer reviews for my blog. With this spread, I decided to start including a song with the book. This song, like many others this month, is by Taylor Swift. My goal in February is to include more artists for my end-of-the-year playlist.

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade

Ship Wrecked was one of my easier to spreads to complete. After finishing the first two layouts, I had a pretty good idea of the pattern I wanted to follow with Ship Wrecked. I also liked how the cover of Ship Wrecked brought in a different color palette than my previous two designs.

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

The Stolen Heir is probably one of my favorite spreads of the month. On this page, I started to experiment with more textures and different layouts. I also liked how this page had a different color scheme than many of my other spreads, which tend to be more colorful. For this page, it was hard to narrow down which quotes I wanted to use since Holly Black often has several stand-out quotes in her works.

Lore Olympus, Volume One by Rachel Smythe

My Lore Olympus spread is definitely my favorite for January. Like with The Stolen Heir, I started to experiment with a different layout and including more embellishments. I liked adding a flower theme because I thought it was a nice nod to Persephone, the main protagonist of the series.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Every Summer After was one of the hardest layouts for me to make this month! I had to keep moving around different parts of the layout until I came up with one that I liked. I was very excited to find pierogi clip art on Etsy to reference the restaurant in the book.

How do you document your reading progress?

February TBR

One month down, eleven to go!

First, let’s see if I finished my January TBR. Here were the books that I wanted to read in January (any books with reviews will be linked to the book’s title):

• The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
• Lore Olympus, Volume One by Rachel Smythe
• Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren

During January, I managed to read all of the books on my TBR! Overall, my reading experiences with my January TBR books were positive. I rated The Stolen Heir as three stars, Lore Olympus as four stars, and Love & Other Words as 3.5 stars. Out of the three, Lore Olympus was my favorite.

Now onto my picks for February:

• Lore Olympus, Volume Two by Rachel Smythe

I really enjoyed reading Lore Olympus Volume One in January so I hope to continue reading the series in February. It is my goal to read at least three graphic novels in 2023, so this will keep track of my goal. I have previously read most of this series on WebToon, where it was originally published, but I don’t remember all of the details. I am hoping this volume has more interactions between Persephone and Hades compared to the first volume.

• Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey

I’m not a huge Tessa Bailey fan. However, this seems like it could be a fun, quick read for the time around Valentine’s Day. This book will be the first book in a new duology by Tessa Bailey. It doesn’t surprise me that she is releasing a new duology after the success of It Happened One Summer. That duology was only average for me, so I’m hoping that I will like this duology better than her previous one. Secretly Yours appears to be an opposites attract/childhood friends romance which takes place at a vineyard.

• The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren*

I received an e-ARC of The True Love Experiment via NetGalley. Even though this book won’t be released until May, I like to read books that I receive on NetGalley quickly in order to keep my review rating high on the website. I am also excited to read this in January during the premiere of The Bachelor. I’m not too invested in the current Bachelor season so far, but the synopsis of this book has a similar feel as it focuses on a filmmaker who casts a romance author as the new lead for a reality dating show.

What books do you plan to read in February?

*ARC was obtained via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

January 2023 Reading Wrap-Up

This month, I started off the year strong by reading the most books that I have read in a month in quite awhile. This month, I focused on reading one new release, as well as some other books which have been on my TBR. Overall, I would describe my reading month as average. While I didn’t have any one star books, I didn’t have any five star books either. Additionally, I found some books that I was really excited to read were too hyped up for me before I read them. Below, I included some of my monthly reading statistics:

Books Read: 6

Number of Pages Read: 2,222 pages

Average Rating: 3 stars

Now, onto the books! Any book with a review will be linked to the book’s title.

• The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

I was not a huge fan of the debut book by Elena Armas, The Spanish Love Deception, but I hoped to see a decrease in the amount of cringeworthy scenes and dialogue in comparison to the author’s first book. Unfortunately, many of the aspects which I did not enjoy from the first book which I read by Elena Armas also appeared in The American Roommate Experiment. I found the characters to be inconsistent, the plot to be repetitive, and the dialogue to be incredibly cringeworthy. I have The American Roommate Experiment 2.5 out of 5 stars.

• Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren

While Christina Lauren can be hit-or-miss for me, I went into Love & Other Words with high expectations because this book is extremely popular. While there were some elements that this story that I enjoyed, such as the dual timeline, the ending brought down my rating. At the end of the book, there is a major plot point which occurs, but then the story ends too quickly to process the emotional impact of that reveal. Since this event caused the two love interests to stop speaking for around a decade, I think this aspect of the plot needed more of a resolution. I gave Love & Other Words 3.5 out of 5 stars.

• Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade

I want to love books by Olivia Dade, but they often fall flat for me. Unfortunately, my experience with Ship Wrecked as similar to my experiences reading the first two books in the Spoiler Alert series. While I did enjoy the characters in this novel, particularly Maria, the female protagonist, there were several aspects which I did not enjoy. The pacing of this novel is off and would have benefitted from a different structure, such as a dual timeline, to keep up the energy throughout the story. Additionally, while I liked the characters, I didn’t fully believe in their relationship, which I need to be in order to enjoy a romance book. I gave Ship Wrecked 2.5 out of 5 stars.

• The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

I was a huge fan of The Cruel Prince series, so I was hopeful to enjoy The Stolen Heir. However, I was also wary because sometimes series continuation books can lack the magic of the original series. I think The Stolen Heir has the potential to have an interesting conclusion in the second book of the duology, but the first book wasn’t interesting enough on its own. The Cruel Prince is a character-driven story which focuses on court politics. Additionally, it possesses many twists and turns. The Stolen Heir, on the other hand, was primarily adventure-driven with one predictable twist at the end of the story. While it was a decent book, it didn’t live up to the original series for me. I gave The Stolen Heir 3 out of 5 stars.

• Lore Olympus, Volume One by Rachel Smythe

I’m a huge fan of the Lore Olympus series so I enjoyed re-reading the first 25 episodes which are featured in the first published book of the series. For me, the major standout for Lore Olympus is the beautiful artwork which uses color beautifully. That being said, the story itself featured in the first book feels incomplete as it ends with many unfinished plot points. I give Lore Olympus, Volume One four out of five stars.

• Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

I was eager to read Every Summer After as I recently read Love & Other Words which often draw many comparisons from readers. Plot-wise and story structure-wise, I did find Every Summer After and Love & Other Words to have striking similarities, which I will detail in an upcoming Battle of the Books post. That being said, I did enjoy the realistic characters in Every Summer After as well as the writing style. However, I found the beginning to move slowly and I wasn’t a huge fan of the twist at the end of the novel, as it seemed very inconsistent with the characters inside the novel, despite the heavy foreshadowing. I give Every Summer After four out of five stars.

Favorite Book: Every Summer After

Least Favorite Book: The American Roommate Experiment / Ship Wrecked

What was the best book that you read in January?

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black Review

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black is the first part of a new duology in the Folk of the Air series which takes place years after the events in the original trilogy. This novel focuses on Lady Suren, who escaped the Court of the Teeth after her family lost the Battle of the Serpent. Now, Lady Suren lives as Wren, hiding away in the mortal world. When she is chased by a storm hag, Prince Oak comes to Wren’s rescue and recruits her on a mission to save his father and to destroy her mother.

I was excited, but nervous for the release of The Stolen Heir. While I loved the original Folk of the Air trilogy, I am always skeptical of new releases in the same world as they may not live up to the other books in the series. Although The Stolen Heir did have some successful moments throughout the book, it did miss the mark in several areas for me.

In The Cruel Prince trilogy, I enjoyed the many twists and turns driven by the characters and politics of their court. However, I found this area to be lacking in The Stolen Heir. I found that this novel takes more of an adventure-based approach which results in most of the novel being event-driven as opposed to character-driven. While there are some strategical elements throughout the book, readers are mostly kept in the dark as Wren, the main character, is not directly involved in most of the scheming compared to Jude, who narrated the original trilogy. The Stolen Heir lacks many of the twists and turns which made The Cruel Prince so fun to read. I predicted the major plot twist of this book fairly early on in the story, so the reveal at the end wasn’t as surprising for me. While the end does promise an interesting premise in the second book of this duology, it wasn’t entirely worth what I put into reading for me.

Another aspect which made The Cruel Prince so successful were the dynamic characters. Often times, Jude and Cardan weren’t necessarily likable, but they were very true to their characters and this was very clear in their words and actions. In The Stolen Heir, many of the characters remained flat throughout most of the novel. The choices they made weren’t extremely dynamic and didn’t raise the stakes as much as I would have wanted. Throughout the novel, I felt like I was being told who these characters were instead of being shown through their words and actions. For example, readers are told by many characters frequently throughout the novel that Oak is extremely charming and manipulative, but I don’t see it to the level that I have seen it previously in this series. Ultimately, Wren and Oak came across as watered down characters of other characters which readers have previously seen in this series.

That being said, there were some aspects of The Stolen Heir which I enjoyed. In the original series, readers spend most of their time in Elfhame. While other places and people are mentioned, they aren’t fully explored. In The Stolen Heir, readers learn a lot more about the fae world, including different monsters and courts. Another reason why I’m such a fan of the Folk of the Air series is that I typically enjoy Holly Black’s writing. I think she often does a great job of selecting precise words which clearly describe ideas and places. At the same time, I don’t think the writing as smooth in The Stolen Heir. Sometimes, it felt like there were strong quotes surrounded by weaker writing in order to have a memorable line.

Overall, The Stolen Heir was a decent book with potential. Unfortunately, most of this book felt like a set-up to me for the next book in the series and lacked many of the elements which I enjoyed from the original trilogy. I give The Stolen Heir three out of five stars.

Every Book that I Read in 2022

This year, I read 39 books, which was over my reading goal of 24 books. Overall, I enjoyed many of the books that I read in 2022, especially some of the series that I read. Here’s everything that I read in 2022 (any book with a review will be linked to the book’s title):

• The Wall of Winnipeg by Mariana Zapata
• An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (read 2x)
• All the Feels by Olivia Dade
• The Goal by Elle Kennedy
• The Deal by Elle Kennedy
• The Score by Elle Kennedy
• The Mistake by Elle Kennedy
• King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
• The Singles Table by Sara Desai
• The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
• The Marriage Game by Sara Desai
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
• House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
• Book Lovers by Emily Henry
• Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
• Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
• Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
• The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas
• Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
• Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
• Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter
• Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood
• Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
• Stuck With You by Ali Hazelwood
• Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready
• The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Brocka
• Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
• The Chase by Elle Kennedy
• Birds of California by Katie Cotugno
• Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
• Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood
• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
• From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
• A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
• Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca
• Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

What are some of the books that you read in 2022?

Goodreads Year in Review 2022

Goodreads provides a good general sense of your reading year. I have been logging my Goodreads Challenge since 2016 and I always look forward to seeing my statistics at the end of the year. Here are my statistics for 2022:

Looking at my statistics, one thing that I immediately notice is the pages read. I recently did my StoryGraph wrap-up and I noticed that StoryGraph and Goodreads each counted a different total number of pages that I read. I think this falls on me though: I don’t pay particular attention to which edition I select when I mark a book as read. Different editions can have a different number of pages, so this is most likely the reasons these numbers differ. Either way, I was happy to surpass my reading goal of 24 books by reading 39 books during 2022!

This year I read three novellas, each written by Ali Hazelwood, so I suspected that one of these books would rank as my shortest book this year.As for the longest book, I read many Sarah J. Maas books so I assumed one of them would take the title. However, I wasn’t sure iif it would be Kingdom of Ash or a book in the Crescent City series. Since I typically read books around 429 pages according to Goodreads, it’s interesting to see that my longest book of the year was twice as large as books that I normally read.

The A Court of Thorns of Roses series has made a resurgence due to BookTok, so it makes since that it was the most shelved book out of the books that I read this year. I haven’t heard much surrounding Josh and Gemma Make a Baby on social media, so it isn’t too surprising to see it as one of my least shelved books this year.

Like I mentioned earlier, I am never surprised to see an A Court of Thorns and Roses book on my list due to its resurgence in popularity. As a result, it doesn’t surprise me that A Court of Mist and Fury was the highest rated out of books that I read as A Court of Mist and Fury is typically regarded as the favorite books by fans of the series.

What were some of your Goodreads stats for 2022?