Happy 2023 all! It's been quite a long time since I've written anything for this blog. Life has taken up most of my time and it's been spent on other things that have definitely kept me pretty busy. However, that doesn't mean that I've stopped reading. So, to get back into the blogging spirit, I thought it would be fun to share my *hopefully* first 5 books of 2023! I do have plans to share my last few monthly wrap up's that I never got the chance to share, but I will get to those soon, I promise. So, let's jump right into my first 5 books of the new year!
1. Saint by Adrienne Young (The World of the Narrows #0)
This is officially my first book of 2023. I was so excited to start this book that I knew I needed to read it as soon as possible. Originally, I wanted this book to be my final book of 2022, but I ran out of time to try to finish it (I only got about 74 pages in before 2022 was over), so I decided that this book was going to be my first finished book of 2023. It's so good and I cannot wait to see what happens next!
Synopsis:
"As a boy, Elias learned the hard way what happens when you don’t heed the old tales.
Nine years after his lack of superstition got his father killed, he’s grown into a young man of piety, with a deep reverence for the hallowed sea and her fickle favor. As stories of the fisherman’s son who has managed to escape the most deadly of storms spreads from port to port, his devotion to the myths and creeds has given him the reputation of the luckiest bastard to sail the Narrows.
Now, he’s mere days away from getting everything his father ever dreamed for him: a ship of his own, a crew, and a license that names him as one of the first Narrows-born traders. But when a young dredger from the Unnamed Sea with more than one secret crosses his path, Elias’ faith will be tested like never before. The greater the pull he feels toward her, the farther he drifts from the things he’s spent the last three years working for.
He is dangerously close to repeating his mistakes and he’s seen first hand how vicious the jealous sea can be. If he’s going to survive her retribution, he will have to decide which he wants more, the love of the girl who could change their shifting world, or the sacred beliefs that earned him the name that he’s known for―Saint."
Nine years after his lack of superstition got his father killed, he’s grown into a young man of piety, with a deep reverence for the hallowed sea and her fickle favor. As stories of the fisherman’s son who has managed to escape the most deadly of storms spreads from port to port, his devotion to the myths and creeds has given him the reputation of the luckiest bastard to sail the Narrows.
Now, he’s mere days away from getting everything his father ever dreamed for him: a ship of his own, a crew, and a license that names him as one of the first Narrows-born traders. But when a young dredger from the Unnamed Sea with more than one secret crosses his path, Elias’ faith will be tested like never before. The greater the pull he feels toward her, the farther he drifts from the things he’s spent the last three years working for.
He is dangerously close to repeating his mistakes and he’s seen first hand how vicious the jealous sea can be. If he’s going to survive her retribution, he will have to decide which he wants more, the love of the girl who could change their shifting world, or the sacred beliefs that earned him the name that he’s known for―Saint."
Add Saint on Goodreads
2. Belladonna by Adalyn Grace (Belladonna #1)
As a Christmas gift, my amazing twin sister, Jordan, got me a few books and this gorgeous edition was one of them! I've seen so many good things about Belladonna and I'm hoping that this book will live up to those expectations. I had originally DNF'ed her first duology, All the Stars and Teeth, but I'm really hoping that I can get swept away by this book.
Synopsis:
"For as long as Signa Farrow has been alive, the people in her life have fallen like stars...Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being – and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy.
Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger, and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.
Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer, though, is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful – and more irresistible – than she ever dared imagine."
Add Belladonna on Goodreads
At the moment, I'm completely tied between 2 book: The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin or Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young! Both of these books have been on my radar for quite some time and I know I want to read both of them in 2023!
Synopsis:
"For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It's wild and volatile, and the price of her magic―losing the ones she loves―is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.
In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she's the only one who can make a difference.
In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she's terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.
In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves... before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos."
Add The Nature of Witches on Goodreads
4. Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
This was another Christmas gift that I got from Jordan and the one I said I was tied with in spot #3, but I have been dying to get my hands on a copy of this book! When I heard Adrienne Young was releasing an adult novel, I was completely intrigued by it! I love books with magic and based on the description, shared below, I know for sure that I'm going to love it!
Synopsis:
"Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings. But when the island, rooted in folklore and magic, begins to show signs of strange happenings, Emery knows that something is coming. The morning she wakes to find that every single tree on Saoirse has turned color in a single night, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that the town has tried desperately to forget.
August knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night everything changed. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from his past that has never healed—Emery.
The town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises spanning generations threaten to reveal the truth behind Lily’s mysterious death once and for all."
5. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows #2)
With Shadow and Bone Season 2 coming out in mid-March, reading Crooked Kingdom and finishing this duology seemed like a no-brainer. To be completely honest, I've put off reading this book because not only was it super long, I've heard people get upset over this book when it comes to a particular character. I'm not sure who, but I guess I will soon enough...
Synopsis:
Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.
Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties.
A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets - a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world."
No comments:
Post a Comment