June Wrap-up

Well another month has come and gone and I didn't do bad at all with my personal goals for reading! Again, I didn't really set any other than reading 50 books on Goodreads, which I am currently at 46 for the year! I likely won't hit triple digits but I do usually pass up 50! The only thing that holds me back from setting it at 52 at the beginning of the year is when I pick up a massive book, like I am reading now and would've easily had 10 books read for this month if I hadn't of started it when I did. The big ones tend to take me longer to get through. 

No ARCs this month

New Releases

Lost Girls of Hollow Lake by Rebekah Faubion (1/27/26)
Dragon Cursed by Elise Kova (1/6/26)

TBR Reads

The Rebel and The Final Blood War by K.A. Linde (8/21/18)
For She is Wrath by Emily Varga (10/29/24)
Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot (9/5/23)
The Other Half of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (4/26/22)
Outtakes from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (12/22/15)
Both Feet in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (4/18/23)
Kill the Beast by Serra Swift (10/14/25)

Other Posts

2026 Mid-Year Book Freak Out!
Let's Discuss: Page Counts

Can't Wait Wednesday #255

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

To err is human. To avenge is Divine.
Every person Harlow Carrenwell kisses dies immediately, and that’s the way she likes it. The poison-lipped youngest daughter of Lunameade’s magical founding family has used her power to annihilate their opposition.

Her first husband is in the ground. Her new betrothed is next.

But the merry widow has a secret. When she’s not acting as an assassin at her parents' whims, she moonlights as a vigilante for abused women in their walled-off city.

Meet a man. Lure him in. Kill him with a kiss. Until one night Harlow kisses a mark and he doesn’t die.

Worse, her invincible partner in passion is her new betrothed, Henry Havenwood, and now he knows about her double life. Instead of selling her out and bringing the rival families to blows, he does something much more sinister—whisks her away to wed in his wild mountain fort.

Harlow doesn’t trust Henry, but the only way to protect her family and the city of Lunameade is to figure out what his family is planning.

Cursed with a husband she can’t kill and trapped in a fort miles of vampire-infested woods from home, Harlow’s survival requires her to do the impossible: Make the man who knows she’s a killer fall in love with her anyway.

The Poison Daughter is a standalone dark fantasy romance that combines the vigilante justice for abusive men of Promising Young Woman with a romantasy arranged marriage and a dash of vampires.

Honestly, once I saw this gorgeous cover and "vampires" I was in! Wish I would've found it when it first released but I am notoriously bad about finding indie books on my own these days.


TITLE: The Poison Daughter
AUTHOR: Shelia Masterson
PUBLISHER: Slowburn
GENRE: Dark Fantasy 
RELEASE DATE: August 18, 2026 

DELUXE EDITION—a beautiful hardcover edition featuring sprayed edges, a designed case stamp, and fully illustrated color endpapers.

From New York Times bestselling author Olivie Blake comes a tantalizing story of power, seduction, and the omens you’ll ignore when everything you’ve dreamed of feels just within reach.

The headlines are calling it the "summer of exsanguination" in LA—girls are being murdered, the Santa Ana winds are blowing a strange energy into the city, and all signs point to fire season.

More pressing for Anya Morris, though, is the drudgery of living at home, working part time at the family store, and contending with her mother's disdain for the acting career Anya knows she's destined for but that feels more impossible by the day.

It’s in this suffocating late summer heat that Anya receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an invitation to work for the de Witt family, one of LA’s most influential film dynasties. Soon, she’s spending her days and nights at their strange villa high in the Hollywood hills, where she meets Jude, a recluse who is both the family’s heir apparent and its most closely guarded secret.

There’s a magnetism to Jude that Anya cannot resist, despite warning signs that scream like sirens in the night. Because the villa holds generations of bloodstained history, and an occult family curse may even live within its walls—or within Jude himself.

In this city, everyone cuts a deal with the devil. When Anya comes face to face with a devil of her own, she’ll learn just how far she’s willing to go to get everything she’s ever wanted.

I still need to read the books I already own by Blake but this one sounded so good I had to at least put it on my watch list! 


TITLE: Dreamland
AUTHOR: Olivie Blake
PUBLISHER: Tor Books
GENRE: Thriller
RELEASE DATE: August 20, 2026

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"'I do hope she clings to me,' Kaelis says, eyes on them even though he takes a step closer to me. His attention drops to my face with a look that threatens to devour me whole. 'After all, she is my bride.'" p 149

TITLE: Arcana Academy
AUTHOR: Elise Kova
PUBLISHER: Del Rey
GENRE: Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: July 22, 2025

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026

*in no particular order

10. CURSEKEEPER by Alexandra Christo--still need to get caught up on some of her backlist titles, but loved her first few books I read, so eager for something new!
9. MONSTERA by Delilah S. Dawson--her horror novellas have been a highlight for my fall! Although I remember one being a little slow but it had a great ending, I am hoping this one will be great throughout!
8. RELIQUARY by Hannah F. Whitten--eager to see her take on horror after a round of fantasy!

7. PINFEATHERS by Christina Henry--always up for a Henry horror novel!
6. THE SIXTH FACTION by Veronica Roth--I LOVED the Divergent series, ending and all! So I am DEEPLY curious to see if Tris will still have the same fate even if she chose another faction! It's going to be SO interesting!
5. THE BONE SINGER by Abigail Owen--the cover drew me in, the author had me excited, and the first blurb line had me hooked!

4. DIVE BAR AT THE END OF THE ROAD by Kelley Armstrong--always behind with her books, always excited to add more of them to my TBR!
3. THE POISON DAUGHTER by Sheila Masterson--yes, I could read the ebook now, but this cover and edges are just SO pretty!
2. THE WOLF QUEEN'S CURSE by Kaylee Archer--super excited to continue this series!

And we all know what #1 is right? Say it with me...

1. THE MIRROR OF INFINITE ENDINGS by Stephanie Garber--naturally!

Let's Discuss: Page Counts

 

Ironically, I was just writing a comment on another blogger's post when this idea popped up for a random discussion break! 

What Page Count is Daunting?

Basically, I wanted to see what page count you find daunting? I mean, I still read them anyway, even if it takes me years to get around to putting them into my queue (I'm looking at you FBAA series that I am still midway through somewhere. I mean I finished a book, but there are still plenty more books to read that are published! Lol). I feel like when a book gets to be 500+ pages that's when I think "OH BOY..." like this is going to be a long one! In fact, I just started a 500+ page book over the weekend and had a rough start, mainly because my niece and nephew were visiting, so quiet time was non-existent! Lol.

But yeah, I feel like when I start seeing page numbers in the 500s I start getting that overwhelming feeling in my chest. Still thoroughly invested, but also just wondering how long will it take me to finish this one? Will it effect my Goodreads Challenge? Obviously, now it won't, but it could possibly effect my person challenge which I never put into writing because I don't want to be overcome with guilt if I don't make it! Lol. 

So what's your number? What page count do you see that fills you with that tiny feeling of...not quite dread, but just you feel that little bit of overwhelmingness?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

Dragon Cursed by Elise Kova (3.5 stars)

Currently Reading:

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova

What I Plan to Read Next:

Nightweaver by R.M. Gray

Other Posts of Interest:

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday #254
Books from the Backlog #192
Book Blogger Hop #417
2026 Mid-Year Book Freak Out!
Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves

 

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Reading Reality.

Another week and I don't even remember what happened! Work is more of the same. Still no clear answers as to what's going on with work and the possible layoffs or whatever. Guess it's a wait and see game at this point but it's weird that the "volunteers" would be leaving near the height of our busy season. Well, I guess it's busy season for my team and our "greater" team of the company. So yeah, we're all just taking it day by day at this point. Summer has officially wreaked havoc in the Midwest. We're getting into the uppers 90s for our high with extremely high humidity rates putting our heat index levels in the triple digits with multiple heat warnings belting out...just in time for some signings I plan to attend this week! I have one on Tuesday, which is a day we get a break from some much needed rain apparently, but will be hot hot hot, so I will likely need both of the fans I purchased last year! Lol. Then I've another signing to attend on Wednesday but that's at a library, so here's hoping that I can wait it out inside the nice cool AC filled building! Fingers crossed!

As for books this week...I was actually "good." Lol. Yeah, no. I guess I didn't have that many releases this week, but ohhhh the damage I did during the B&N sale! I think I preordered books through October! I was almost going to go into November but cut myself off as I figure that we should have a sale before then. Hopefully at least. They've been 3 months apart give or take a few days these last few times, so let's hope that pattern holds and we actually get another one in September or October! Lol.

Here's what I got this week:

Night Witch by Jaymin Eve

That's it for me this week! What did you get? Did you score any good deals throughout the internet with all the sales going on? Besides B&N, I think I made one order at Target and Kohls but otherwise, that was it for me! Lol.

2026 Mid-Year Book Freak Out!

Okay, so I saw this post a few times this week and it reminded me that June is almost over, so we're nearly halfway through the year! Wow. Sadly, I still lack skills to create images...I don't think I'll ever get that technical know-how and I wasn't seeing too many images for this post either, so I'll have to do without this year.

Best Book I've Read So Far in 2026

I'd say The Other Side of the Mirror was a great fantasy that was both compelling and a little chilling at times. What We Did to Survive got straight up chilling and that ending was wild! I oddly suspected something about it and even caught onto a clue, I just couldn't put things together and I was laughing at myself at the end for not getting it!

My Favorite Sequel of the Year So Far

The Raven at the Ash Door is book 3 of 5 in the series and it was definitely my favorite sequel of the books I've read so far this year. I screamed bloody murder at the end...but I'd still say it was my favorite. Lol.

Favorite Series Finale

I've read a handful of finales I suppose you could say, a few duologies, a few "last for maybe now" type books. The Rebel and the Final Blood War is definitely the finale of the Blood Type trilogy and I did quite enjoy it! I liked that we still got to see the couple again in The Raven at the Ash Door as well since these series are interconnected!

A New Release I Haven't Read But Really Want To

Really want to read these but I feel like for the majority of this year so far I've been reading books towards events I plan on attending. I mean my TBR is composed of books I want to read! So the events basically just up the books into my queue sooner rather than later. Just wish I could squeeze one of these in as well as five dozen others! Lol.

Most Anticipated Release for the Second Half of the Year

I mean, no one's surprised by this right?

My Biggest Disappointment

I feel like disappointment isn't quite right for this one. I guess I had different expectations for this book based on its premise and they just didn't meet each other. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't the exact fairy tale horror show that I was expecting either. It was just a book that fell somewhere in between.

Biggest Surprise of the Year

Looking over the books I've read so far this year, this one is still the biggest surprise! THAT ENDING! I cannot get over that ending! Lol. Why I--ME--didn't put it all together! This was a total ME theory and for whatever reason I dismissed it!

Favorite New to Me Author

Dana Evyn for sure! I loved this book and cannot wait to dive into the next ones soon! And I get to meet Dana at the end of July so I am super excited!

Newest Fictional Crush

I felt like I wanted to choose a series that's new and fresh instead of picking one of my TBR reads from earlier this year! Lol. Tin was definitely a surprising character that I grew to like. Granted, I liked him more in the sequel that releases in November of this year, but you get the idea! Lol.

Newest Favorite Character

I'm choosing Raine because she's a Jeaniene Frost heroine! Lol. Plus I really did like her character and this new world of Jeaniene's! I'm excited for more of it!

Book That Made You Cry

I'm not a big-big crier with books. It usually takes a major character death in a brutal and gut-clenching way (or an animal death) to get me anywhere near weepy! And NO! There was no character or animal death in this one! By "crying" at the end of this one, I mean crying out a choice set of expletives and spluttering. I was just aghast! Like what? What did you just say? And then it's THE END?! So yes, no tears of sadness...just the crying out of some choice words. This was the closest I could get to answering the prompt!

Book That Made You Happy

I do question what it says about me that a story about revenge makes me happy. Lol. This was a gender swapped YA version of The Count of Monte Cristo--one of the very few classics I read and loved! But yes, I do just love when villainous people get their comeuppance! Plus there was some magical twists and a little bit of love story, so there was some truly happy moments in this one too!

Most Beautiful Book You've Received So Far this Year

Two recent books I bought were Shadow Reaper and Thistlemarsh and I just love their covers! I love the sprayed edges of Shadow Reaper and just the look of the cover! Thistlemarsh is one I recently stumbled upon while at B&N and the cover was SO pretty even without any fancy edges! So yeah, I bought it because it also sounded amazing and it was the hardcover sale that day so I needed to buy 2! Ironically these weren't bought together!

What Books Do You Need to Read By the End of the Year

Honestly, I could list a dozen or so here, but I don't want to overwhelm myself! I am truly hoping to read Iron Flame! Yes, I am THAT behind! I didn't want to pick this one up when I got it because I thought 2 books in 1 year, this cliffhanger was going to be torturous while Fourth Wing's was sort of predictable to me. Lol. But yeah, I hear Onyx Storm's is a doozie too! lol.

Review--Dragon Cursed by Elise Kova

 

The moment you see a dragon is usually your last…

Since the dragons emerged–along with the scourge that ravaged our lands and people–there’s only one human city that remains standing: Vingard.

But the hellfire from above is nothing compared to the threat from within. For there is no worse fate than being dragon cursed. Slowly and excruciatingly, you’ll be transformed into a mindless beast who destroys everything–and everyone–you love.

Any of us could be tainted. Any of us could be lying. Any of us could be caught and killed by the authorities.

And I’m terrified that I might be next.

There’s only one other person who might suspect my secret. He’s like my shadow, following me wherever I go. Part protector, part tormentor, fully annoying. Sometimes I think I am just one of the million unfathomable secrets he keeps hidden.

Because Lucan definitely knows something.

And if I’m dragon cursed, death might be the only mercy I get.

Dragon Cursed is the first book I've read by Elise Kova, but clearly won't be my last! As a lover of dragons, I was eager to dive into a new fantasy mythos and seeing Kova's take on them. This was an intriguing start to a new series, but I will admit there were bouts of confusion from time to time. Mainly with the explanation of this new world and magical system. Usually it came to terms that were frequently used but were hard to place at times. I kept checking for a glossary thinking this would clear things up, but alas none was to be found.

Isola believes she is dragon cursed, which is basically a fate worse than death. She was attacked by a dragon six years ago, but survived. In this world, dragons are the enemy and must be killed upon sight whenever possible. Isola's father has been training her to participate in the Tribunal which is a competition of survival among other teenagers her age. To survive means to win and find a place in society. 

In the Tribunal she teams up with her best friend, Saipha, as there are no rules against it. Together they hope they can both come out alive on the other side. Joining their team is also Lucan, the man of mystery! He is the Vicar Darius' (the big honcho in charge) adopted son and lapdog/lackey, you could say. Isola holds a grudge against him for ratting her out one time when she went to visit her mother, which is not something she is usually allowed to do. So there's tension between them as he's been "watching" her ever since. But he too wants to survive the Tribunal and with other teams forming among them, it's better to be strong in numbers.

This was an interesting story for sure, I just wish maybe a glossary could've been included. I read this one in bouts over a few days, so trying to remember what these "magical" like terms were became a struggle after the second time around. They aren't usual terms either, so when they get tossed about regularly, I just wish I had a bit more context as to what it was again to help my brain form the bigger picture. But alas, no such glossary existed, so I had to do my best with my frail memory! Lol.

The romance was expected. There's so much tension between Isola and Lucan, some of it was bound to turn into the romantic kind. It did take time to build, which I appreciated. There were trust issues to work through, troubled pasts to be understood, past events to be looked at through another's eye. A lot needs to be said, but then there wasn't much time for deep explorations of their feelings.

There was a great deal of secrets to be had in this book as well. Isola harbors one or two as do some of the other characters. It made for a certain kind of tension and suspense throughout the story. By the ending, we're left wondering what the next course will be. There's an air of mystery to it, but at the same time, things are somewhat settled for the moment. It's not a big cliffhanger per se, at least not the type to drive you insane! Lol.

Dragon Cursed was an intriguing fantasy for sure with good dragon lore built into the story. Some of the other more magical aspects I felt like needed a little more detail to them to help make them easier to recall as one reads over a prolong period of time. But all in all, this was a fun story that kept me entertained and gasping at the right moments. While I may have struggled in some of the world-building aspects, the characters are what kept me going and the mysterious storyline as well. Definitely looking forward to seeing where this series will go!

Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars

Book Blogger Hop #417

 

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

This week's question is: Do you prefer writing long, detailed reviews or quick, punchy ones? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee-Addicted Writer)

MY ANSWER: Honestly? I'm going to have to say somewhere in between! Lol. I try to write one that's a little more detailed than just "I loved it. It was great." But I don't want to be over the top on details. Honestly, I still try to fall back on "write the review you want to read." When there's a book I'm on the fence about and I turn to reviews, I try to stick to the details that I would want to know about. So sometimes my reviews might be lengthy in comparison to others, but for me? I could honestly write a LOT more! Lol. So I hold myself back on going into EVERY little detail. Hence my, I feel like I am somewhere in between!