Top Ten Tuesday [5]

 

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: The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection (or to your to-read list!)

1) I'm trying not to buy any more books until my physical TBR and NetGalley ratio are under control, but I made an exception for Onyx Storm (which still hasn't arrived yet). Hopefully I'll get to read it before I see any spoilers. 🤞

2) I also added one more book on NetGalley because I couldn't resist the synopsis. 😅

Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan: "For fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic and Ramona Emerson’s Shutter: a gripping retelling of Persephone and Demeter in the Mexicali borderlands

At the edge of the Salton Sea, in the blistering borderlands, something is out hunting. . .

Malamar Veracruz has never left the dust-choked town of El Valle. Here, Mal has done her best to build a good life. She’s raised two children, worked hard, and tried to forget the painful, unexplained disappearance of her sister, Elena. When another local girl goes missing, Mal plunges into a fresh yet familiar nightmare. As a desperate Mal hunts for answers, her search becomes increasingly tangled with inscrutable visions of a horse-headed woman, a local legend who Mal feels compelled to follow. Mal’s perspective is joined by the voices of her two daughters, all three of whom must work to uncover the truth about the missing girls in their community before it's too late.


Combining elements of Latina and Indigenous culture, family drama, mystery, horror, and magical realism in a spellbinding mix, Salt Bones lays bare the realities of environmental catastrophe, family secrets, and the unrelenting bond between mothers and daughters."

Doesn't that sound like it's going to be amazing??

3-10) The rest are books I've recently added to my Want to Read shelf on Goodreads:

The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw

Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews

The Scorpion Queen by Mina Fears

Infinity Alchemist (Infinity Alchemist, #1) by Kacen Callender

Caught Up (Into Darkness, #2) by Navessa Allen

Rewitched (Rewitched, #1) by Lucy Jane Wood

His Face Is the Sun (Throne of Khetara, #1) by Michelle Jabès Corpora

House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau

Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi 🎧 Narrated by David Aaron Baker [+ an arc giveaway]

Synopsis (via Goodreads):  St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys.Turn of the century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania.

Here, under the watchful eyes of several priests, thirty boys work, learn, and worship. Peter Barlow, orphaned as a child by a gruesome murder, has made a new life here. As he approaches adulthood, he has friends, a future... a family.

Then, late one stormy night, a group of men arrive at their door, one of whom is badly wounded, occult symbols carved into his flesh. His death releases an ancient evil that spreads like sickness, infecting St. Vincent's and the children within. Soon, boys begin acting differently, forming groups. Taking sides.

Others turn up dead.

Now Peter and those dear to him must choose sides of their own, each of them knowing their lives — and perhaps their eternal souls — are at risk.

The Exorcist meets Lord of the Flies, by way of Midnight Mass, in Boys in the Valley, a brilliant coming-of-age tale from award-winning author Philip Fracassi.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

“Some, I can tell, even find it exciting. As if it were a game, all this murder.”

The beginning of this book gave me chills. I had actual gooseflesh along my forearms as I was listening to Boys in the Valley, and thought my anxiety might send me over the edge. I don't like scary stories or movies, so I tend to avoid them, but I was curious about the religious undertones and its comparison to Lord of the Flies. Unfortunately, I think that comparison was a bit of an exaggeration. I haven't seen The Exorcist or heard of Midnight Mass, so I'm not sure if those are more accurate. 

I decided to listen to the audiobook since I was in the middle of a puzzle, but ended up disliking the narrator quite a bit. The adult men sounded okay, and I thought he did Johnson's voice really well, but the kids sounded too high pitched and there wasn't much variation between them. Their voices felt unrealistic, so their parts were a little off putting. It was hard to take the content seriously when the kids sounded - and I'm agreeing with another reviewer on this one - like Mickey Mouse. I think the spookiness of the book would have been better had I decided to read it instead. 

Speaking of Johnson, his character was my favorite. It's not because he was a good guy, or because he grew the most as a person, but because I felt his story was the most believable. He's not perfect or even nice, and he isn't at St. Vincent's because of religious reasons or a desire to seek forgiveness. He's basically there to do the head priest's dirty work, a person I absolutely hated for the entirety of the book. I can't remember what the kids called him, but he was an awful man that had no business being in charge of children at an orphanage. He's "redeeming" moment just made me hate him more.

I think Father Andrew was supposed to be his opposite. A kind man that cared about the children and their needs, but he was a spineless coward when it came to standing up for them against the head priest. He does have some commendable moments throughout the book, but I wish his character had been more bold. The religious themes only added to the direness of their situation, although I think those aspects could have been expanded on a little more.

The kids are all there because they have nowhere else to go. Most of them have witnessed or done things no child should have to, and we can see how those experiences shape some of their personalities and relationships within the orphanage. A few of them really stood out, while others tended to blend together in the background, especially once things took a turn for the worse. 

Overall, Boys in the Valley was a deeply chilling story that made my heart race. The initial scenes that set the tone of the book left me feeling anxious and hovering on the edge of my seat. There are some very descriptive scenes with blood, gore, and other gruesome details that some might find it hard to stomach. It added to the creepiness of the book, but sometimes it was difficult to listen to. (★★★⋆☆)

Giveaway Rules:

This giveaway officially starts on January 20th and ends on February 3rd at 12 AM. The winner will be announced on February 4th on this post within the Rafflecopter form, and also notified via email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or I will have Rafflecopter select another winner (read my full giveaway policy here).

International friends -- your giveaway will be a little different! Instead the book mentioned above, you can choose one book (up to $15) from Amazon! Just make sure they ship to you. I know it's not the same thing, but I don't want to leave anyone out! If this happens, another winner will be selected for the ARC of Boys in the Valley. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Sunday Post [67]

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.

News:

Ahhh, it's so good to be blogging again! I've been consistently carving out time for it and it's made me ridiculously happy this week. I've met a couple of new bloggers and started following a lot of you on Bloglovin'. If you like my blog and content, please interact! Books are so much better when you have people to share them with.

We recently moved to Colorado! Its been a few months and we've settled in for the most part. The kids really like their new school and I'm enjoying my new job. They've had so much fun playing in the snow (we've never lived anywhere with snow before), and get so excited when there's enough for them to go sledding or tubing down the hill by our house. We're currently experiencing an artic storm and I could do without the negative temperatures. 🥶

We also have chickens now! As luck would have it, we ended up with seven hens and one rooster. It's so hard to tell what they'll be as baby chicks, so I'm definitely happy with how things turned out. We have two Rhode Island Reds, two Mystic Onyx, two Olive Eggers, and two Assorted Sapphires. For those of you who have seen Avatar: The Last Airbender, our rooster's name is Iroh. We weren't expecting eggs until the spring, but we've gotten several in the last week or so.

The hens are named Sarai, Clementine, Fire, Bellatrix, Luna, and The Acorns (they were two similar as chicks to tell them apart, but they also looked like acorns, lol). One of the acorns we now call "mohawk" because she has a little mohawk on the top of her head. 

Previous Week on the Blog:

Sunday: 💫

Monday: The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon (The Expeditioners, #1) by S.S. Taylor, Katherine Roy (Illustrator) *book review

Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday [4]

Wednesday: Lights Out (Into Darkness, #1) by Navessa Allen, Narrated by Elena Wolfe & Jacob Morgan *audiobook review

Thursday: Audiobook Challenge

Friday: The Monsters Among Us Series by Debbie Cassidy *book series review

Saturday: 💫

What I'm Currently Reading:

🎧 Lightlark (Lightlark, #1) by Alex Aster

A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

I'm about halfway finished with the audiobook for Lightlark and I'm really enjoying it so far! I definitely still have questions, but I'm hoping those get answered before the end. I'm 10% into A Language of Dragons and I'm not sure I'm going to like the MC. This one is an ARC I'm reading on my Kindle. Things We Do in the Dark is my Book club book that I need to finish asap (which I'm also not very far in 🫣). 

What I Plan on Reading Next:

She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke

The Encanto's Daughter (The Encanto's Daughter, #1) by Melissa de la Cruz

What I'm Watching: 

I'm still watching One Piece and I'm currently in the Wano Country Arc. I plan on Starting Demon Slayer soon! I finished Goblin Slayer but it was a little too dark when it came to the content and what the goblins wanted women for. 

Challenge Updates:

• Audiobook Challenge: 2 / 30
• Goodreads Challenge: 2 / 100
• Physical TBR: 1 / 50
• NetGalley: 0 / 50

I'm setting my Physical TBR and NetGalley goals to 50! I hope I'm able to make a dent in both this year.

The Monsters Among Us series by Debbie Cassidy

Goodreads synopsis for When Monsters Lie (The Monsters Among Us, #1): 

The world went to shit the day I was born.

They say fire rained from the sky for seven days signaling the arrival of the monsters.

They say humanity fought hard to beat them.

They say the celestials saved us.

They say a lot of things.

Me? I deal in the present. In scouting for useful things and keeping my team alive outside the protective walls of our base. I might not have a fancy monster-killing blade like the Sweepers do, but I’ve avoided getting my face eaten off so far, so I call that a win.

But when my base is taken by monsters, my scout skills are the only thing standing between imminent demise and survival.

Sanctuary lies across the deadlands—monster infested territory, unmapped and uncharted even by the celestials. It’s the only route, and I have no choice but to navigate my people through it.

I’m a scout, a survivor. I got this.

Until I haven’t.

The last thing I expect is to be relying on three monsters for protection. But fate obviously has a sense of humor. Shemyaza and his scouts are intelligent, deathly, and lethal, and turns out they’re the only ones who can lead us to safety.

Only problem is, their aid comes with a hefty price.

Me.

Action, sizzle and multiple love interests for our lucky heroine in this paranormal fantasy romance.

*this is going to be a review for all five books in the series 

I devoured the first 4.5 books in a single day! I would have finished the entire series but sleep won out and I had to stop. The Monsters Among Us series was exactly what I was looking for. It starts off with a bang, has a lot of action, world building, and story development. The characters were decently fleshed out and didn't get on my nerves, AND there's a reverse harem situation happening (although I would have liked a little more from that). 

My only other complaint would be the length of the books. They're pretty short and I think the story could have benefitted from more character development (particularly with some of the secondary characters) and more time spent on exploring the world and relationships. I think Cassidy wrote something amazing, but I also think it could have been more than it was. Rue's love life is happening alongside the world ending, so a few aspects felt rushed, but it was still enjoyable to read about. 

As for the reverse harem situation... I feel like calling it that is a stretch. It's almost like she rotates between several different males as things happen to others. 😅 Rue's love life definitely isn't boring, lol. I was also a little frustrated that one of my favorites didn't really get any attention until the last book, and even then it was short and sweet. I would have preferred for the MC to have established relationships and dynamics throughout the books and not just have them tossed in seemingly on a whim. A budding bromance between some of them would have been nice also. They're all very different and don't really like to share. 

I also liked the last book, When Monsters Fight, less than the others. It didn't have the same feel to it and the story felt rushed to its inevitable conclusion. There's all this build up and then... semi-cliffhanger. I was left feeling unsatisfied with it overall, despite having an absolute blast reading the books up until then. The dystopian aspect, the world ending, monsters, demons, celestials, other worlds - there's A LOT going on in this series.

Rue is a likable MC that fights for her friends and the people she cares about. She also feels responsible for the other humans that are out there just trying to survive for another day. Despite failures and setbacks, she keeps pushing forward. She jumps from one thing to the next (and from one male to another) until the story's conclusion, so you're constantly left wondering what (or who) is coming next. 😉

Definitely not a deep or profound series, but one I enjoyed immensely and had a lot of fun with. What was it you said, Sam? Brain candy? That's exactly what The Monsters Among Us series was for me. 🧠🍭 (★★★★☆)

🎧 Audiobook Challenge

 

Hello lovelies! It's been a few years since I did the Audiobook Challenge, but I think my first one was back in 2019! I can't believe how much time has passed. I've always enjoyed doing this challenge and seeing if I can beat my number from the previous year. I believe 50+ is what I went with the last time I did this challenge, but I think I'm going to drop it down to 20-30 this year to make it more manageable. 

If you would like to sign up for your very own 2025 Audiobook Challenge, please visit Caffeinated Reviewer or That’s What I’m Talking About. All of the following information comes from Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer.

Challenge Details

• Runs January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025. You can join at any time.
• The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2025 than you did in 2024.
• Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
• All genres count.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, etc. I recommend creating a shelf on Goodreads titled 2025 Audiobook Challenge. You can keep track and link the shelf.
• Grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. You can post on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon, your blog etc. about the challenge.
• Updates plus a giveaway will be posted twice during the year. The first update will be July 5, 2025, and the last update will take place on December 27, 2025. You’ll have one week to link up and share your progress and enter giveaway

Achievement Levels:

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multitasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
• Marathoner (Look Ma No Hands) 50+
• Over-Achiever (Power Listener) 75+
• The 100 Club (Audiobook Addict) 100+
• I Can’t Hear You (earbuds always in) 125-150
• Audibly Addicted (listening to all the books 24/7) 150+

Lights Out (Into Darkness, #1) by Navessa Allen🎧 Narrated by Elena Wolfe & Jacob Morgan

Synopsis (via Goodreads): The viral TikTok stalker dark romance, burning with high heat, hilarious banter, and a love story like you’ve never seen before. Can you handle the ride?

I want someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it.

Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality.

I want things most people don’t, craving darkness and depravity instead of light and love.

Josh Hammond has spent his life avoiding the limelight, but his online persona is another story. At night, he posts masked thirst traps for his millions of fans to drool over, but one follower has caught his eye: Aly. After reading a comment begging him to break into her house wearing a mask, he decides to take her up on her offer.

Together, Aly and Josh live out their darkest fantasies, unaware that Aly has captured the attention of someone else. Someone with far more sinister intentions than a little light stalking. As Josh turns from predator to protector and the stakes heighten, he must ask himself how far he’s willing to go for the woman he’s obsessed with.

“I thought we could spend some quality time together as a family. You, me. Our maladjusted son who just scooted his butt across the carpet behind you.”

I genuinely enjoyed this book! The trigger warning list at the beginning had me worried (and had my husband looking at me funny for a few days after I let him listen to it), but it really wasn't that bad. Most of what's on the list is just alluded to or mentioned and not described in great detail. Honestly, Lights Out didn't even feel like a dark romance, just a regular kinky romance with some darker aspects tossed in. 

For starters, Josh is adorable and so stinking cute. I love his relationship with Fred (her cat) and the ridiculous, off-the-wall comments he makes. His humor and snark had me smiling throughout this book. He's also incredibly self-aware and owns his kinky sexuality. He knows what he likes and just wants someone to share it with. Josh is also very protective and the way he takes care of those he loves is endearing, if a little overbearing at times. It makes sense when you learn about his history and get his backstory. The way he watched Aly to make sure she was actually into it (and not just all talk and bravado on the internet) was sweet in a weird way. His intentions were good at least.

Tyler was a solid friend. Was he full of himself? Absolutely. But he had Josh's back and I can respect that.

Aly was a likeable main character as well. She's responsible, capable, and has the ability to work through her emotions rationally and without freaking out (externally). We do get some inner monologue about her questionable decisions, but I like how the author handled it. It felt believable if you can get behind a cute stalker romance. Her experience as a trauma nurse means she's seem some things most of us only hear about. I think that added to her believability as a character engaging willingly with a stalker and how she was able to "trust her gut" when making decisions. 

I also liked that the "reveal" wasn't left until the end. They're able to develop an honest relationship in addition to their kinky one. The story that revolves around them was a tad unbelievable at times (like her family ties and what ends up happening to her one night at work and after), but it does play into the overall story and helps it progress. Now I'm not saying these things are impossible, but they were very convenient for the story.

Overall, Lights Out was an immensely enjoyable read. It had me smiling from ear-to-ear and pausing the audiobook when the smut was smutting and the kids or husband were around, lol. Both narrators were phenomenal and I can't wait to listen to more books by them. Caught Up is the second book in this series, and June 10th can't come fast enough. (★★★★★)

Top Ten Tuesday [4]

 

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: Bookish Goals for 2025

1. Read at least one book a week (52 books for the year). I used to read hundreds of books every year, but then I had kids and they require a significant amount of time and energy. My husband also likes seeing my face and interacting with me instead of the backs of my books. 😅

2. Get my NetGalley ratio up to 85%. My NetGalley ratio has been garbage for a few years now because I see something and immediately request or accept it. I need to catch up on what I already have before taking on anything else. My plate overfloweth. 

3. Read the physical books on my TBR that are currently just shelf trophies. I am really bad about seeing a book and buying it on a whim and then never picking it up again. In my defense, they look amazing on my bookshelves and I don't want to disturb them. Honestly though... I need to make them more of a priority so I can donate the ones that I don't like and clear up some shelf space.

4. Be a more active blogger. I have missed blogging so, so much, and I want to make it more of a priority this year. I'm hoping for a minimum of two posts a week. 🤞

5. Review the books I've already read. During my blogging hiatus I read a lot of books that never got reviewed. I have them marked on my Goodreads and want to make sure I take the time to review them this year and get caught back up.

6. Read more nonfiction. I don't dislike nonfiction, but it's not my go-to whenever I pick up a new book. However, there are several that I want to read and conveniently already own, so there's no reason for me not to. I keep telling myself I'm not in the right headspace or mood for them, but now I think it's more of an excuse to skip them for something else that's "exciting" or fantastical. 

7. Finish series I've started and forgotten about. I know we've all probably done this... where we've started a series and then just forgot to finish it. Or maybe the next book wasn't out yet and then we never went back to it. I want to track down those forgotten series and finish them.

8. Prioritize my Book Club book. Some friends and I have been in a Book Club for a few months now, and I always seem to put the Book Club book on the backburner, even when it's a book I've recommended. It's like as soon as I have to read a book, I no longer want to. 

9. Keep a reading journal to help with reviews. If I don't immediately review a book after I finish reading it, all of my key points and thoughts go out the window. I want to be better about journaling and writing down my thoughts as I have them in order to write better and more specific reviews. 

10. Engage more in the book blogging community. It made me sad when I realized a lot of people I used to blog with no longer have active accounts. I want to engage more and make new friends and form new relationships with the people in the community now. (If that's you, let's be friends!)