December 2023 Wrap-Up
🎉 HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎉
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season filled with lots of good books and good memories. 2024 just came out of nowhere! Has anybody set any goals for the new year, bookish or otherwise? I made a bingo vision board for all the things I want to accomplish in 2024. I’m thinking of making a separate post for all my bookish and career goals, just so I’ll hold myself accountable 😂 Anyhoo, I participated in the 10 Before the End reading challenge in December, and I managed to read 7/10 books! I only thought I’d read 4 or 5, so I’m very happy with how that turned out, especially since most of these were ARCs that I’ve had for quite some time.
Regarding my editing availability, I’ll be going on vacation soon and my January schedule is packed, so I’m currently booking into February. Since February is the month of love, if you’ve got a romance manuscript that needs editing, I’d be very excited to check it out 😍 I do edit a variety of genres, though. Find out more info about my services here, and contact me today! Moving on to my wrap-up.
My Library
Malamander by Thomas Taylor
Review:
I’m so glad I bought the entire series! I only finished the first one so far, and I absolutely LOVED it. It’s such a fun, fantastical middle-grade mystery. The characters are all very eccentric, and there’s honestly never a dull moment. Herbie was my favorite because he was just full of sass! I honestly thought the Malamander character would be something like a villain from Scooby-Doo, but this book really is fantasy, The world-building was so creative, and I would totally visit this world to eat some fish and chips and get a book recommendation from the mermonkey. I also really loved the eerie seaside aesthetic of the setting. I highly recommend this and I think kids will really enjoy this read!
5/5⭐
Netgalley eARCs
I haven’t gotten a chance to read any of my Netgalley eARCs yet, especially since I’ve been so focused on my 10 challenge. I am excited to read the graphic novel, Ruined this month, though. It looks like such a great Regency romance 😍
Other (e)ARCs
From Candlewick Press
How to Love: A Guide to Feelings & Relationships for Everyone by Alex Norris
Review:
This graphic novel. OMG. I have no words. I just really, really recommend this to everyone. This was honestly such a validating read, and it made me feel like I wasn’t odd for liking what/who I like 😅 I think the advice in this book is very open-minded, relatable, and mature. I’m glad the author talks about how not everyone needs to be in a relationship, and how you can be happy with your own company. I love how it talks about loneliness and break-ups, and even brings up different types of relationships people may have, like polyamory. The analogies in this novel are so creative, and I think they do a good job of helping the reader understand the message they are trying to get across. Overall, I really have nothing but good things to say about this book, so go check it out!
5/5⭐
The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo
Review:
I didn’t think I’d be sitting here borderline crying because of a book about puppets, but here I am. Tearing up because of a wolf and her teeth. Honestly, this book was nothing like what I expected, but it’s definitely one of my most surprising books that I’ve read this year. I really loved how everything in the plot just worked out so well. The ending was so satisfying, and it was so clever how everything connected. Everything happens so subtly, so I almost missed the connection of the characters at the beginning and end of the book. Definitely pay attention when you read this! I'd probably recommend this for older children because of the intricacies of the plot, but younger kids would enjoy the puppets and illustrations!
5/5⭐
Wicked Marigold by Caroline Carlson
Review:
There wasn’t much that stuck out to me regarding this story aside from the world-building. It was just a fun and magical vibe for the entire story, and it was fun to see the adventures and chaos Marigold got herself into. Pettifog was one of my favorite characters because he had such a surprising personality for an imp. I thought the world-building was very creative with the Cacophonous Kingdoms and the society of evil wizards. The fact that even the old, retired wizards attend this was a fun element to the plot. I think kids would definitely enjoy this story, and I highly recommend it!
4.5/5⭐
Three Tasks for a Dragon by Eoin Colfer & P.J. Lynch
Review:
This was probably one of the most wholesome children’s books I‘ve read this year. i wasn’t sure what to expect with this read, but I definitely didn’t expect to be tearing up at the friendship between the dragon and Lir 😅 I loved seeing the progression of their relationship after each of the tasks are completed. The vibe of the book kind of reminded me of Dealing with Dragons, but had a more serious tone. I really enjoyed the plot as well, and I thought every element and reveal fit together seamlessly. This book was a work of art, especially with those gorgeous illustrations! I highly recommend checking this out!
5/5⭐
From Frenzy Books
How to Kill Men and Get Away with It by Katy Brent
Review:
Content Warning: Eating disorders, casual drug use, suicide ideations, domestic violence, sexual assault, pedophilia, gore, and a miscarriage.
I had conflicted feelings about this book. It reminded me of Black Sheep by Brynne Weaver because of the sassy MC and the female serial killer, but I think this book needed just a bit more tweaking. I thought this book really hit home about the dangerous situations women face in their day-to-day lives, and I thought the situations were relatable. This book also has quite a few trigger warnings that I think should have been listed at the beginning, especially with the way some of these topics were discussed in the story. I was enjoying the book until maybe the halfway point, and then I just started feeling uncomfortable because of how these dark topics, like the miscarriage and sexual assault, were being handled. i think the author could have taken a bit more care regarding the miscarriage, because I felt this was a bit unnecessary. The plot didn’t seem very realistic regarding the murders, because with the way Kitty was doing things, I’m surprised she wasn’t discovered sooner. Also, the way she disposed of the bodies was a bit unnerving, especially because she didn’t separate the human meat from the animal meat. I thought Kitty came across as a bit entitled, so I wasn’t a huge fan of her and wasn’t really rooting for her by the end. Overall, this book does have the potential to be great, but I don’t think it was for me.
3/5⭐
All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley
Review:
I loved this book! Couldn’t put it down. I was binging this at work because the plot and characters were just so captivating. This book has such an eerie and gothic vibe, which I absolutely live for. I don’t usually enjoy reading books with the undead trope, but this trope was so well written in this story! The children gave me the creeps, but I loved how their relationship with Marin evolved throughout the story. I loved Evie and Marin’s relationship, and immediately thought they gave off pride vibes when they first met 😂 OMG the plot reveals, though! I can’t even. There were so many plot reveals in the second half of the book, and I thought every single one worked really well with the story. The pace was really well done in this story, and the ending was satisfying too. I really recommend this if you like gothic reads about the undead.
5/5⭐
Audiobooks
I’m currently almost finished with Their Vicious Darling. It’s such a great story, but I took a break from audiobooks to listen to Christmas carols 😅 Regularly scheduled content will be back in January lol.
I hope everyone had a great holiday (for those who celebrate, anyway) and I hope everyone got lots of reading and relaxing time in! If you got any exciting reads over the break, let me know which one you want to read first in the comments! Here’s to a fantastic reading year in 2024!
🎉 Have a great 2024 🎉
