Monthly Wrap Up – September 2021
Life has been crazy this month! My oldest kiddo started kindergarten, one of my younger brothers got married, and my husband and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. Somehow, with all the chaos, I still managed to read more than I usually do. I am super happy with the progress I have made on my new blog so far this month. I am really enjoying building this collection of reviews and sharing all of it with other people who love reading as much as I do. It has been so wonderful for my mental health to have this outlet and purpose in my life.
This is my first monthly wrap-up post, but I plan to make it an email newsletter that I post on the blog and also send out at the end of every month. I thought I would share a little about what I have been working on, all of the books I read this month and some of the books I plan to read in October.
Book related projects/events
I was able to attend a virtual book release party for A Dabblers guide to Witchcraft this month. Fire Lyte sent me an advanced reader copy of it to read before the launch party. The book was released on September 28th and I highly recommend you check it out. It was my favorite read of September.
An up-and-coming fantasy romance author asked me to be a beta reader for her next book. It is about a witch that lives in Memphis and runs a magic shop with her family. She gets possessed by a demon and has to find a way to expel him, while searching for the person who killed her best friend. I have never had the opportunity to beta read before. It was a fantastic experience and I hope that I get to beta read some more in the future.
Books I Read This Month
Ranked In order of how much I enjoyed and would recommend each book.
#1) Dabblers Guide to Witchcraft by Fire Lyte
Spiritual Non-Fiction – 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A guidebook to ethical magical practice and critical thought in pagan studies.
Check out my review of a Dabblers Guide to Witchcraft here!
#2) House of Eclipses by Casey L. Bond
YA Fantasy – 5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Coming of age, Romance, Sun/Moon Kingdoms
Check out my review of House of Eclipses here!
#3) A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas
New Adult Fantasy (18+) – 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Third book in the ACOTAR series, Spicy Romance, Faerie Realms, War
Check out my review of A Court of Wings and Ruin here!
#4) The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
YA Dystopian Fiction – 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Prequel to The Hunger Games, Post War Politics, Young Love, Decisions
Check out my review of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes here!
#5) Fable
YA Fantasy – 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pirate Adventure, Coming of age, Romance
Keep an eye out for my full review of Fable, coming soon!
#6/7) Daughter of the Pirate King (Duology) by Tricia Levenseller
YA Fantasy – 3.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐
Pirate Adventure, Romance, Fantasy Creatures
Check out my review of Daughter of the Pirate King here!
#6/7) Daughter of the Siren Queen (Duology) by Tricia Levenseller
YA Fantasy – 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pirate Adventure, Romance, Fantasy Creatures
Check out my review of Daughter of the Siren Queen here!
#8) A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas
New Adult Fantasy (18+) – 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book 3.1 in ACOTAR Series, Spicy Romance, Like a long epilogue for ACOWAR.
Check out my review of A Court of Frost and Starlight here!
#9) Savage Beauty by Casey L. Bond
YA Fantasy – 3.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐
Sleeping Beauty spin off/re-telling, Fae witches, sibling rivalry, romance
Keep an eye out for my full review of Savage Beauty, coming soon!
#10) Toxic Lover by Carrie Jan
Adult Romance – 2 Stars ⭐⭐
Explicit romance, relationship drama
Check out my review of Toxic Lover here!
Currently Reading
A Court of Silver Flames
New Adult Fantasy – 5th in the ACOTAR series, Spicy Romance, overcoming trauma
Check it out on goodreads!
A Darker Shade of Magic
YA Fantasy, First book in the series, London, Magic
Check it out on goodreads!
Namesake
YA Fantasy, Sequel to Fable, Pirate adventure
Check it out on goodreads!
October TBR Hopefuls
A few of the books I hope to get to next month:
The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin
YA Fantasy
Check it out on goodreads!
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout
New Adult Fantasy
Check it out on goodreads!
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
Adult Fantasy, Prequel to Practical Magic
Check it out on goodreads!
Upcoming releases I am excited for:
Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Adult Fantasy, Part of the Practical Magic Series (Release on October 5th)
Check it out on goodreads!
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
Adult Fantasy, Persephone & Hades retelling.
Webtoon comic finally coming to print! (Release November 2nd)
Check it out on goodreads!
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco
YA Fantasy, Sequel to Kingdom of the Wicked (Release October 26th)
Check it out on goodreads!
I had a pretty crazy, but wonderful month and I am looking forward to October, celebrating Samhain and the cozy fall weather.
-Jacqui
Books and Magick 