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!

Books from the Backlog #192

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. This is a fun meme hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books!

Leslie van Dorn needs to make a major life change—getting away from the dog-eat-dog corporate world, as well as a personal loss, so she buys a large turn-of-the-century home in order to turn it into an inn.

She doesn’t care about the rumors that it’s haunted—she just wants a new life.

And she sure wouldn’t mind finding the missing gems that belonged to Red Eye Sal, a bootlegger who used to live in the house.

Blacksmith Declan Zyler, who has more work than he can handle working on historical restorations, has suddenly acquired a fifteen-year-old daughter he never knew he had. This turns his life upside down when he decides to take on the role of single father.

When Leslie hires Declan to restore the iron staircase in her inn, neither of them realize they are disturbing a spirit from days gone by…and until they determine how to put that ghost to rest, neither Leslie nor Declan will be able to move on with their lives.

Set in a small, touristy town filled with quirky characters, The Gems of Vice and Greed is a fun, fast-paced, sweet, sexy and spooky story for readers who love Nancy Drew, Barbara Michaels, or any intriguing mystery.

I added Colleen Gleason's Sinister Secrets to my TBR pile via Kindle in February of 2018. Now this would be after its original pub date...but again, I have the tendency to forget my kindle reads so it's possible I had it in 2016! Although I know these first two (I think it was the first 2 unless it was just the first one) were tweaked a bit at one point to fit the series as a whole better. I can't remember which version I had, maybe both! Lol. But yeah, it's Gleason and it's paranormal so I still want to give this a read someday!

 

Can't Wait Wednesday #254

 

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.

Sometimes, you just want to belong.
When Claire’s fiancé mysteriously dies of an unknown neurological illness, seemingly destroying her chances at the belonging she’s sought, she’s prepared to sink back into the lonely life she lived before. Orphaned by a freak boating accident in her childhood, she never expected to find connection like she did with Elias, anyway. Even if sometimes, that connection seemed more like something he felt obligated to than something he wanted.

Their relationship wasn’t perfect—his coldness, his secrets, his strange aversion to the ocean—but what relationship is?

When Elias’s family reaches out—his incredibly wealthy family, from whom he was estranged—and invites Claire to a wake at their family home on a private island, Claire is given the chance to have connection again. To belong to something, just like she’s always wanted. Just like Elias knew she was desperate to have.

Even if that family is a little strange. Even if their home built partially into the sea stirs up memories of the accident that killed her parents and sister. Even if Ash, Elias’s older brother, seems insistent on Claire leaving as soon as possible.

Claire can’t bring herself to be lonely again. And as the strange circumstances of Elias’s familial connection with the sea becomes more and more apparent, her window for escape is rapidly closing.

Does she even want to?

This one just sounded so spooky when I remember Hannah talking about it on tour last year! Definitely looking forward to this one!

TITLE: Reliquary
AUTHOR: Hannah Whitten
PUBLISHER: Orbit Books
GENRE: Horror
RELEASE DATE: August 11, 2026

She doesn’t believe in magic. He is magic. But when they meet, a spark is lit, and neither will ever be the same—in this charming new stand-alone in the Witches of West Harbor series from New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot.

Frankie

A trained therapist, Francesca Giovanni knows there’s a scientific explanation for everything. Unfortunately, she lives in West Harbor, CT, a town that’s recently exploded in popularity thanks to “witch tourism.” Suddenly, witches are everywhere, offering locals their psychic services. Frankie’s fine with this…until aspiring teenage witches begin to disappear, and strange things start happening in the lake house next door. Frankie begins to suspect not all newcomers to West Harbor have the good of the community in mind—especially not her new neighbor, Ash Merit.

Ash

Ash Merit finds lost things—and people—for a living. All he wants is to help his clients, and maybe get to know the stunningly beautiful (and newly single) Dr. Frankie Giovanni a little better. But thanks to some troublesome young witches—not to mention his often faulty psychic “superpower”—everything goes wrong. If only Frankie wasn’t so distractingly attractive…and so unwilling to admit there might not be a logical reason for everything, including the flames that ignite whenever the two of them kiss. Ash hopes to change that, but first he and Frankie have to find the missing girls, as well as the truth about what’s happening in West Harbor…a truth that could change everything they thought they knew about themselves—and the magic of love.

I still need to read the first book of this series (as I am writing this post, but likely, I still need to read it, but it's on my schedule!)! I love Meg Cabot's magical/paranormal reads so this sounds like it will be my kind of read!

TITLE: The Magic We Made
AUTHOR: Meg Cabot
PUBLISHER: Avon
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
RELEASE DATE: August 11, 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.

"'Lyssa, if you don't want us going in there, you have to keep it clean. I will not tolerate filth. The cobwebs, I mean--read whatever books you want to, dear.'" p 24

TITLE: Kill the Beast
AUTHOR: Serra Swift
PUBLISHER: Tor Books
GENRE: Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: October 14, 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 Books on My Summer 2026 To-Read List

*going in order of how I plan to read them starting at 10

10. DRAGON CURSED by Elise Kova--Elise is touring here at the end of July, so I am hoping to read this one and her other one before the stop!
9. ARCANA ACADEMY by Elise Kova
8. NIGHTWEAVER by R.M. Gray--I am attending the Forbidden Love event in Nashville, also at the end of July, so I am hoping to read a handful of titles before then too! We'll see how far I can get through this list!

7. STARCHASER by R.M. Gray
6. SPARKING FIRE OUT OF FATE by Brigid Kemmerer--somehow missed the announcement that Brigid was also attending as I had to rewrite my list just last week! Lol.
5. THE LAST LOST GIRL by Casey L. Bond--been wanting to read this one and hoping to pick up another of Casey's books there since this is already signed!

4. THE FIRST LOST BOY by Casey L. Bond
3. THE MIRROR IN THE MOUNTAIN by Dana Evyn--aching to read this one after the first book's cliffhanger, I may need to up it in this tentative queue. 3-9 on this list are interchangeable since they are all at the same event!
2. SHATTERED MIRROR by Dana Evyn--okay, now I may need to wait to read book 2 as this one doesn't release until July 10th but I'll have it in time for said event! Lol.

1. THE NIGHTSHADE GOD by Hannah Whitten--bought my ticket either last week or two weeks ago for her August stop here, and I just realized I never added this to my Goodreads list! Whelp! Still need to read it obviously!

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:

Outtakes from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (5 stars)
Both Feet in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (5 stars)
Kill the Beast by Serra Swift (4 stars)

Currently Reading:

Dragon Cursed by Elie Kova

What I Plan to Read Next:

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova

Other Posts of Interest:

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday #253
Books from the Backlog #191
Book Blogger Hop #416
Stacking the Shelves--The Ups & Downs Editions