Ten Random Books On My TBR List

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 Ten Random Books On My TBR List

1. # 101 The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues, # 1) by Alwyn Hamilton
2. # 94 I Want to Trust You But I Don't by Lysa TerKeurst
3. # 54 When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke
4. # 131 Variation by Rebecca Yarros
5. # 116 The Seventh Champion (The Dragon Queen Duology, # 1) by Sylvia Mercedes
6. # 113 Phantasma (Wicked Games, # 1) by Kaylie Smith
7. # 48 Loving By Leading by Den A Trumball MD
8. # 90 The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic
9. # 110 Fallen City (Fallen City Duology, # 1) by Adrienne Young
10. # 85 Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by John M. Gottman

Are any of these books on your TBR list? Let me know!

Top Ten Summer 2025 TBR List

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 Summer 2025 TBR List

1. The Folklore of Forever (Moonville, # 2) by Sarah Hogle - I enjoyed book 1 in this series more than I expected, but I've been putting this one off for some reason.
2. Ex Marks the Spot by Gloria Chao - I actually forgot that I had this book for review. I need to knock it out soon.
3. Rules for Ruin (The Chrinoline Academy, # 1) by Mimi Matthews - I have loved Mimi Matthews, but this one has been one that I've struggled to get into. I'll read it eventually, but I'm struggling a little with the beginning.
4. Heart Marks the Spot by Libby Hubscher - A newly acquired book.
5. The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar - I never read Holes, but I'm familiar with the author. I thought I would check this one out.
6. A Kingdom to Claim by Sian Ann Bessey - Eesh, I've had this book way too long. I feel sure I'll enjoy it, but I've just not been in the mood for this yet.
7. Nothing Like the Movies (Better Than the Movies, # 2) by Lynn Painter - Ok, so I didn't research enough to figure out that this was book 2 in a series and I haven't read book 1 yet.
8. Til Heist Do Us Part (Simi Chopra, # 2) by Sara Desai - Same as the previous. I knew this was the 2nd in the series for this one, but I still haven't read book 1, so I keep putting this off.
9. A Touch of Shadows (The Lost Queen, # 1) by Jessica Thorne - I need to get around to this one. I keep seeing book 2 available for review request, but I feel unsure about requesting it since I've been putting this book off as well.
10. The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues, # 1 ) by Alwyn Hamilton - I really enjoyed Alwyn Hamilton's previous series, and this one was on my radar for a long time. I need to knock this out.

Which books are on your summer TBR list? Let me know!

Top Ten Authors (Books) to Read if You Like Jennifer L Armentrout

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 Authors (Books) to Read if You Like Jennifer L Armentrout.

When I think of Jennifer L Armentrout books, I think of fantasy, twists, romance, friendships, and stories where most of the pieces are connected and mean something. So that was my criteria for choosing other authors or books I think you should check out if you're a fan of Jennifer L Armentrout.

1. KA Tucker (specifically the Fate & Flame series)
2. Jennifer Anne Davis (all of her books, but Knights of the Realm series & True Reign seires)
3. Marissa Meyer (her Lunar Chronicles series)
4. Darynda Jones (specifically the Charley Davidson & Betwixt & Between series
5. Sarah J Maas (specifically the Throne of Glass series & A Court of Thorns & Roses)
6. Richelle Mead (specifically the Dark Swan series)
7. Robin LaFevers (specifically the His Fair Assassin series & Courting Darkness Duology)
8. Mary E Pearson (specifically the The Remnant Chronicles series & Dance of Thieves series)
9. Pierce Brown (specifically the Red Rising series)
10. Alwyn Hamilton (specifically the Rebel of the Sands series

Are there any books you'd recommend to me because I love Jennifer L Armentrout? What do you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for The Notorious Virtues

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues, # 1)

By: Alwyn Hamilton

Expected Publication: May 5th 2020 by Faber & Faber

368 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Bestselling Rebel of the Sands author Alwyn Hamilton is back with a glittering thriller about a glamorous media darling, a surprise heiress, and the magical competition of a lifetime.

At sixteen, Honora “Nora” Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in all of Walstad. Her family controls all the money–and all the magic–in the entire country. But despite being the center of attention, Nora has always felt like an outsider. When her mother is found dead in an alley, the family throne and fortune are suddenly up for grabs, and Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz, the ultimate magical competition for power that determines the one family heir.

But there’s a surprise contestant this time: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora’s aunt. When Lotte’s absent mother retrieves her from the rural convent she’d abandoned her to, Lotte goes from being an orphan to surrounded by family. Unfortunately, most of them want her dead.

And soon, Nora discovers that her mother’s death wasn’t random–it was murder. And the only person she can trust to uncover the truth of what happened is a rakish young reporter who despises everything Nora and her family stand for.

With everyone against her, Lotte’s last hope is hunting for the identity of her father. But the dangerous competition–and her feelings for Theo, one of the Holtzfalls’ sworn protectors–turns her world upside down.

Incredible tests, impossible choices and deadly odds await both girls. But there can only be one winner.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know! (*There's conflicting release date information. I think May is for the US and August is for the UK. But I could be wrong.)

All Things Halloween Review - Hero at the Fall

Hero at the Fall (Rebel of the Sands, # 3)

By: Alwyn Hamilton

Publication: March 6th 2018 by Viking Books for Young Readers

464 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy,

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--When gunslinging Amani Al'Hiza escaped her dead-end town, she never imagined she'd join a revolution, let alone lead one. But after the bloodthirsty Sultan of Miraji imprisoned the Rebel Prince Ahmed in the mythical city of Eremot, she doesn't have a choice. Armed with only her revolver, her wits, and her untameable Demdji powers, Amani must rally her skeleton crew of rebels for a rescue mission through the unforgiving desert to a place that, according to maps, doesn't exist. As she watches those she loves most lay their lives on the line against ghouls and enemy soldiers, Amani questions whether she can be the leader they need or if she is leading them all to their deaths.

Ugh you guys, I got Hero at the Fall from the elibrary. Well my loan expired when I was 40% finished with reading it, and when I went to go check it out again, I was 7th!!!! in line. So I had to put it down for quite a while before getting to finish it. I will say that the first 40% was really slow for me which is why it took me 14 days to read just that much of it. Yet the last 60% went by fairly quickly.

One of my frustrations with this book and even this series is that I felt like things heated up quickly between Jin and Amani, and then they just kind of stalled if not even went a little cold. The two were very slow about moving forward and through the series they were apart for large portions. Thankfully they weren't apart for too long during Hero at the Fall, but even when they were together the romance didn't exactly drive the story forward...at least until the very end.

Where Amani and Jin might have been together for the majority of the book, we were missing some very major characters instead--Ahmed & Shazad namely. I was actually okay with this because at times Ahmed could slightly annoy me, and Shazad's absence forced Amani to step up into a leadership position she never would have done otherwise. I really appreciated at the end seeing the difficulties Ahmed faces as a leader. There are always hard questions leaders face and they will never make everyone happy. We would do well to remember that in our culture today.

At first I thought Hero at the Fall was going to end up disappointing me. I worried everything was going to be predictable. And even though I won't say there were any twists I didn't see coming, I can say that I was ultimately satisfied with the ending.

Favorite quote:

-"All that I am I give to you."

Hero at the Fall was a slow start for me. It didn't help that my library copy ran out of time and there were 7 people ahead of me before I could finish it. I worried that I would be disappointed with this series ender given the beginning, but I ended up being satisfied with the ending even if not blown away. Hero at the Fall gets 4 Stars. Have you read Hero at the Fall ? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

All Things Halloween Review - Traitor to the Throne

Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands, # 2)

By: Alwyn Hamilton

Publication: March 7th 2017 by Viking

518 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Rebel by chance. Traitor by choice.

Gunslinger Amani al'Hiza fled her dead-end hometown on the back of a mythical horse with the mysterious foreigner Jin, seeking only her own freedom. Now she’s fighting to liberate the entire desert nation of Miraji from a bloodthirsty sultan who slew his own father to capture the throne.

When Amani finds herself thrust into the epicenter of the regime—the Sultan’s palace—she’s determined to bring the tyrant down. Desperate to uncover the Sultan’s secrets by spying on his court, she tries to forget that Jin disappeared just as she was getting closest to him, and that she’s a prisoner of the enemy. But the longer she remains, the more she questions whether the Sultan is really the villain she’s been told he is, and who’s the real traitor to her sun-bleached, magic-filled homeland.

Forget everything you thought you knew about Miraji, about the rebellion, about Djinn and Jin and the Blue-Eyed Bandit. In Traitor to the Throne, the only certainty is that everything will change.

I broke my rule of only allowing 48 hours in between finishing a book and writing the review. I also finished a book and a half since finishing this one and that's another rule I have. Whoops. That being said, I'm honestly having a hard time remembering where Rebel of the Sands ended and Traitor to the Throne began. I do remember that Traitor to the Throne didn't pick up immediately where Rebel of the Sands left off. I actually appreciated this. Usually I enjoy when a book picks up immediately where the previous one left off, but I thought this was a unique approach to the story, and it actually provided some distance and conflict for Amani and Jin to overcome without having to throw in some forced conflict.

Because Traitor to the Throne picks up further in time than Rebel of the Sands ended, events have taken place that the reader doesn't get to experience first hand. Namely, Amani is injured in a mission and Jin can't handle the possibility of her dying so he goes on a mission that takes him away from her so he won't have to watch if she dies. Just when Amani and Jin reunite, Amani is whisked away to the palace where she plays spy against and hostage of the Sultan.

Trying not to give too much away but I appreciated that even though Amani might not be 100% certain of where she stands with Jin, but she knows what she feels. And I was grateful that she never really questioned her own feelings despite all of the other things that she did begin to question.

I know I'm not doing this review justice. It's been too long since I finished the book to remember all of the things that I wanted to share with you all. I do remember that there were twists and turns. I wondered how our characters were going to escape several situations where there seemed to be no out. I was anxious for Amani and Jin to reunite (again). I will say that the cliffhanger was definitely a twist, but not one that couldn't have been predicted. Still a bit heartbreaking.

Traitor to the Throne kept me digging in and wanting to read more and more. Even though Traitor to the Throne felt a bit long to me, all of the pages and information were essential to the entire story, and I'm stoked to see where the story, characters, and world go in Hero at the Fall. Traitor to the Throne gets 4 Stars. Have you read Traitor to the Throne? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

Rebel of the Sands - Review

Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands, # 1)

By: Alwyn Hamilton

Publication: March 8th 2016 by Viking Books for Young Readers

314 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic

Source: Borrowed from the e-library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--She’s more gunpowder than girl—and the fate of the desert lies in her hands.

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from.

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him... or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

I remember seeing Rebel of the Sands available for review on NetGalley when it originally released, but the cover didn't appeal to me at all. I mean so much so that I didn't even read the book description until the re-released covers came out. These new covers are so much better to me and intrigued me to the point of checking out the description. And of course reading the description made me add this to my TBR list. So much for not judging a book by it's cover, but let's be real, with as many books as pass my line of sight for potential reading I HAVE to first evaluate the cover to see if it appears to fit my reading preferences before I read the description. It would be impossible to read the description to every book that I'm exposed to. So book covers are my first opportunity to say "yay or nay."

I've only read one and a half books that feature a dessert setting. I never thought that I would enjoy this setting. Yet I did in the previous books that I read, and it was also true for Rebel of the Sands. Potentially this is exactly because I've not read many other books in this setting so it feels unique. Alwyn Hamilton did a wonderful job creating a world that I could picture and even though it seems quite complex, I never really felt like I was overwhelmed by her creation. There are unique mythical beings, lore, and history. It was beautifully crafted and explored in just the right places to avoid information dumps.

Amani and Jin meet early in the book which for me added the desire to keep reading and see where their relationship would go from the very beginning. These two have an antagonistic relationship at first. They have similar desires which cause them team up as allies temporarily and then they ultimately have to decide how to proceed. I wouldn't exactly say they have a love/hate relationship, but I really enjoyed the development of their need to help each other out for their own causes in the beginning to being indebted to each other to then wanting to help the other and beyond.

Rebel of the Sands has a rather large cast of characters. Not all of them are constant throughout the entire book, and I felt like they were each introduced (for the most part) slowly enough not to get too confused. Well that is until we meet the rebels and several characters are introduced at one time, even a few that have similar names. Speaking of name, so many of the characters have names that I'm utterly unsure how to pronounce. While I don't mind this with a character here or there, I do find it a bit annoying when I don't know how to pronounce so many characters' names.

Considering I read Rebel of the Sands while nursing a newborn, I'm highly impressed with the speed that I read this one. Of course, when you're nursing at 2 am there's not much else to do besides browse Facebook or pick up a book. Regardless, I can't say that I felt feverish with trying to get this one read, but I certainly wanted to keep reading. I connected to Amani and her desire to escape her dreaded fate. And the early connection to Jin gave me something to look forward to. Rebel of the Sands gets 4 Stars. Have you read Rebel of the Sands? What did you think? Let me know!

Can't Wait for Hero at the Fall

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

Hero at the Fall (Rebel of the Sands, # 3)

By: Alwyn Hamilton

Expected Publication: March 6th 2018 by Viking Books for Young Readers

464 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy,

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--When gunslinging Amani Al'Hiza escaped her dead-end town, she never imagined she'd join a revolution, let alone lead one. But after the bloodthirsty Sultan of Miraji imprisoned the Rebel Prince Ahmed in the mythical city of Eremot, she doesn't have a choice. Armed with only her revolver, her wits, and her untameable Demdji powers, Amani must rally her skeleton crew of rebels for a rescue mission through the unforgiving desert to a place that, according to maps, doesn't exist. As she watches those she loves most lay their lives on the line against ghouls and enemy soldiers, Amani questions whether she can be the leader they need or if she is leading them all to their deaths.

I typically don't like to feature books in a series for Can't Wait Wednesday when I haven't reviewed them on the blog first, but I have featured the previous two books in this series in my Sunday Post/Stacking the Shelves and the reviews will come. However, there's no way I can get the reviews posted before this book publishes and I didn't want to miss featuring it for you guys. What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!