Read Books 2025 (late...like very late, sorry)

 I've debated on just getting rid of this blog. Going back to teaching middle school, raising my boys, and trying to write at the same time just feels impossible some days. I'll have fits of productivity where I literally have to force myself through bouts of discouragement. I'll send out another query letter for The Séance Crew, then write several paragraphs of my fantasy The Shrouded World, time ticking away in the background, while my sons run around the house screaming. This blog has hung over my head the entire time. 

Like, do I need it? With the constant pressure to also be on social media, which also takes a ton of time and emotional investment, I've just thought about deleting the entire blog. I did delete several short stories I'd posted on here. My reasoning at the time was that maybe I'll send them back out into the void of short story magazines, again.  

2025 was rough for me. My oldest son started kindergarten, and that was a hard transition. Especially since he inherited my ADHD brain, which I so desperately hoped had skipped him. So a lot of my 'reading' was listening to audiobooks. This helped distract me during the monotony of chores, the carpool line, and much-needed general escapism. 

So without further ado, here are my 2025 reads and some general comments on how I thought about them (if I managed to write it down during all the chaos of life). 

January 2025:

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (Kindle)

Hmm, I didn't feel compelled to read the second one. 

Spells for Forgetting (Audible)

It was fine. 

February:

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

I loved this one so much more than Iron Flame. But having just finished, I appreciate Iron Flame for what it is. A stepping stone to the greater plot!

Crush me. Now I don’t know what to do with myself…

In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros

I needed a quick romance fix, and this was it. I loved the parallel to Lady Hawke.

March:

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

The world-building was a lot of fun. I very much enjoyed this book.

April:

Quicksilver by Callie Hart

I liked the world-building. I didn’t like the love story all that much. Super formulaic once the MMC was introduced. I didn’t like how easy the love story was either. I would have liked more yearning, maybe? I also didn’t like how no one died. Someone should’ve died— the stakes weren’t high enough? There was a lot of girl hate as well…pick me girl vibes. Drama for drama’s sake that didn’t get resolved.

 Several problems got solved “off-screen” or weren’t foreshadowed well. I didn’t like how Saeris was just amazing with a sword. Though her trouble with the quicksilver was rewarding, that did feel earned at least. There were a lot of cringe moments for me, and then a lot of eye rolling. So, this was a meh. It was okay. But the characters really bugged me.

I ended up hate reading this.

 

May:

It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (kindle)

The pacing and plot points kept throwing me off. Like if I were writing it, I would’ve had more sexual tension or longing or yearning or almost having sex scenes when they were looking for the Jewels. And when they finally got caught…nothing seemed to happen? I suppose Gareth’s character arc resolved, but what about the fact that Hyacinth was out unchaperoned? Thank god she gave us a double epilogue because I was very disappointed Hyacinth didn’t find the jewels at first. However, I found myself enjoying the formula of the historical romance. And Julia Quinn is very reliable in that context.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett (Audible)

I love Emily and Windell. I just do. They are both so fun. Also, the narrator for these audiobooks is just such a delight.  I love how she enunciates, “What?”  I smirked every time. So cute.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (Audible) DNF/ will probably finish later:

I’m about halfway through, and I do not understand how I have 6 hours of listening left…

I always seem to expect something different. Maybe because of how he structures his titles? I feel like they’re supposed to be comedic horror, which never turns out to be true anymore.

I think I just wanted the main characters to go all pregnant Craft or something. Maybe I’m expecting too much. I’ll probably finish it. My two favorite books of his were Horrorstör and My Best-Friends Exorcism. Southern Vampire was entertaining too; however, I wanted more female friendship or camaraderie or something between the women. Nevertheless, I feel like it was pretty accurate for Southern Christians…

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher (Audible)

I enjoy a lot of her novels, but I think right now I’m in the mood for something faster-paced. I’ve got 8 hours left, apparently…

June:

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazlewood (Audible)

So good!

Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazlewood (Audible)

Ugh. I hate read this. 

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

DNF (Physical Book) I’ll probably have to put this on Audible to finish. The world build is fun, and I love Bartholomew. But I got bored.

July:

House of Flame and Shadow Crescent City 3 by Sarah J Maas (picked back up with audible)

Eh. I finished it.

Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry (kindle)

The ending ended so abruptly. Like ??? At least finish an arc or have some sort of resolution?

August:

The Pelican Brief by John Grisham (audible)

Entertaining. I can see why it got a movie. The FMC was definitely written by a man and didn't feel real.  It was fun seeing the landscapes of Louisiana.

The Deep by Nick Cutter (audible)

The grotesque descriptions began to be repetitive. This book felt like it was gross and gory for the sake of being gross and gory.  

September:

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith (Audible)

Some great smut! 

Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi (Audible)

I didn't enjoy the ending. 

October:

Alchemised by SinLenYu (Audible)

This book had me conflicted. I was just hoping for more heroics on the main characters' parts near the end. They just escaped, and the bad guy was taken off-screen? Like I realized why she wrote it that way...for the realism of war and trauma. But it was just so unsatisfying after everything that the main characters went through.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley (Audible)

I read most of Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Feeling of Falling in Love. This was a completely different book. I was hoping for the same plot points. I still enjoyed it, though. Her vocabulary was beautiful.

November:

Mate by Ali Hazelwood (Spotify)

Entertaining and Campy. But like, the most unrealistic thing for me was: how on earth was the main character not pregnant by the end? 

December:

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna (Spotify)

This was cute and cozy and everything that was advertised. I just hated the ending with a passion. I feel like Albert being turned into an animal would’ve been better. I also hate this kind of “magic has a consequence” trope. Like okay…then what’s the point of having magic?  Also, where are Albert’s consequences for being a jackass? 

The Wicked King by Holly Black (Audible)

Finished this finally. I got so frustrated with Jude’s imprisonment that I DNfed this a while ago. The ending was actually really satisfying! I’m not going to lie; I wanted her to murder Cardan. I also feel like Cardan was justified. Looking forward to The Queen of Nothing.

Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (Audible)

Satisfying all the way through.