Whew… November was A ride, y’all. I may not have matched my wild October numbers, but I still knocked out 14 books, and honestly? They were great books. Solid vibes, strong emotions, zero regrets.

From dark fantasy to spooky reads to political sci-fi chaos, this month had a little bit of everything — and my TBR absolutely did not survive the journey.

Here’s to another month of stories that consumed my entire personality, and to December for (hopefully) letting me breathe. Probably not, though. Let’s be real.

Wayward Children Books 1 – 5

• Every Heart a Doorway
  • Read this for the Fantasy Fanatics book club. I’ve always been a massive fan of Seanan McGuire, and someone who knows me really well repeatedly told me I needed to read this book.
    
    Absolutely no regrets. It was short and sweet and just what I wanted. McGuire does an excellent job of building up the characters and pulling the reader in. I will say that Nancy is a bit bland, but considering the world she wants to go to, it fits her.
    
    It definitely took a turn I was not expecting, but I loved every minute of it.
• Down Among the Sticks and Bones
  • So what I think was great about this one was that it followed Jack and Jill’s time on the moors before they came out. It was a prequel, and one I devoured, because after the ending of the previous novel, I needed to know exactly what went down.
    
    A lot of questions were answered, and it was interesting to see their upbringing and how that scared them. It certainly explained why the Moors called them.
• Beneath the Sugar Sky
  • We got Sumi back! I love that we got to go to the world of confection and see the pure nonsense and nonsensical logic that went into it. It was pure magic.
    
    I like that we’re going on adventures. I love the cast of characters, from Kade to Christopher and Cora. I think the cast of characters is so unique, and much like with book one, you’re emotionally invested in them. Honestly, it was such a delightful read.
• In an Absent Dream
  • Another prequel! This one follows Lundy in her time in the Goblin Market and the generational connection it had with her father. Now that was an interesting plot point I had not been expecting.
    
    I loved how Lundy had sort of the same upbringing as Eleanor, being able to go back to her world repeatedly. I love the way the story developed, and I just wanted to shout at Lundy half the time to stay with Moon and the Archivist and find a way to drag her sister along.
    
    She was always so sure, but not sure because she wanted to be with her family, too, with her little sister. It was heartbreaking to see her connection with the Goblin Market grow, flourish, and develop.
• Come Tumbling Down
  • And we’re back to the adventure! This time, we’re going back to the Moors to save them from Jill’s maniacal whims. Seriously, she needs to stay dead this time.
    
    I love the growth we see here in Jack, and I love that we get to see Alexis back. I love that she’s alive and that Dr. Bleak brought her back. Say what you will about this mad scientist, he was a good surrogate dad to Jack. He didn’t groom her like the master did with Jill; he treated her with respect and like a colleague, showing small moments of tenderness.
    
    It was great, and I can’t wait to keep reading this series.

The Rebel and the Rose

Such a great sequel. I think I liked this book more than its predecessor because the world-building is now done. We’re getting to see the magic come alive, and we’re seeing more development in the characters. Seraphine has magic now, but she doesn’t know how to control it. The new leader of the Order of Flames, who wields lightfire, discovers she has been made a saint by the magic and the gods above. Her power and skill with lightfire had put her in the path of the King, who wants the saints destroyed. This, of course, puts her once again within the crosshairs of Ransom, her enemy-turned-lover who is the head of the Order of Daggers.

I like the development of their relationship and the magic, and we’re getting more of the side characters shining here. The pacing was really well done, and I loved the plot twists, even if one of them I saw a mile away. It was excellent, and I’m excited to see what happens next.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror

I love Carissa Broadbent. The story follows Sylina, a human trained by a cult of the Goddess of Fate to be a killer. She is sent on a mission to infiltrate and assassinate Atrius, our vampire conqueror of the House of Blood, exiled by his Goddess Nyaxia, to conquer the human lands. I love the enemies-to-lovers element here and how it builds the tension.

This was a book that was hard to put down, and I can’t wait to see these characters in Septimus’s arc.

Death’s End

So, I may have liked this novel more than The Dark Forest, but it was still a struggle to read it. I loved The Three-Body Problem, but the books that followed lacked the momentum that kept me so hooked on the first novel.

Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but I was expecting more battle between the Tri-Solarans than what I got. It was a good book, and maybe it was part of readers’ fatigue, but it still didn’t recapture me the way the first book did.

Girl, Goddess, Queen

I absolutely loved this book! So happy I finally got to read this book. It has been on my shelves for 3 years now, since I bought it from Waterstones. I love the way Fitzgerald reimagined the story of Persephone and Hades as a girl who seeks refuge in the underworld to escape an arranged marriage by her mother and Zeus. I love the characters. Styx was my favorite, and I loved her. It was clever, it was funny, it was relatable, and the rising tension between Hades and her was brilliant.

Definitely a slow-burn novel, I appreciated how Fitzgerald established the friendship first and focused on it before delving into the romance. It was done in a way that made me invest in their relationship.

A Fate So Cold

I love Foody and Herman, and I loved their previous duology so much. I liked how this novel was different yet also set in a world of magic with wands. The wands were slightly creepy, one in particular, because they’re not just wands, they’re living wands, they are alive on their own, going into hibernation when they are not bonded with a mage.

I also love the friends-to-lovers-to-enemies thing that this novel has going on between Dominic and Ellery. These are our chosen ones here. One is a Summer Mage, the Chosen one, and the other is A Winter Mage, the first of her kind, and another Chosen One. I loved the twist the authors took on the Chosen One trope and the tension between the characters.

Can’t wait to see what happens next! Especially after that ending!

Impossible Creatures

This was such a good novel. I will say some moments broke my heart. I mean, I almost cried about Gelifin. I loved the characters and the pacing, and as I was reading this novel to my son at night, he also loved the story. It’s definitely bittersweet, and you will need tissues at some points. But it was cute, sweet, and magical.

The characters were fun. I think Christopher was such a cute kid. Honestly, he reminded me of my son, and Mal reminded me of my daughter with her fierce attitude and “I can do it” voice. They were such cute kids. My daughter is stubborn, just like her, and my son is sweet with animals, just like Christopher. The other characters, Irian Guinne, Nighthand, Naravirala, Ratatoska Ratwin, and Jacques, are all so memorable and add to the story. They add the energy and laughter.

It was so much fun to read, even the sad moments, because real life has them too. I’ve already started the sequel.

Golden Son

That ending! Needless to say, I’ve already started Morning Star. I loved this book. It was a wild ride that kept me on my toes and also broke my heart. Those plot twists? They just kept hitting me. I love these characters. I love the way the story developed, I love the way the story has evolved. I can’t wait to see how it ends and plays out.

Fuck the Jackal.

Yuli

I love how Jones continues to weave her culture, fairytales, and magical girls into a fun narrative. This one follows Yuli, who has been around since Zhara, and she’s our red riding hood against the wolves. Well, except for the Paper Wolf, who becomes her love interest.

This novel doesn’t have a happy ending like the previous two novels; it’s the group’s first partial failure, without a perfect ending. I like that, there should be some heartbreak, some burnout, some failures. My favorite magical girls definitely had some heartbreaking moments, and no hero story is perfect.

I just think the pacing is fantastic, and I love these girls, and can’t wait to meet our Snow White in the next novel.

Cardcaptor Sakura Collector’s Edition Vol. 2

Speaking of magical girls, I loved this volume. Um, there were some questionable moments between the teacher and student, but other than that, I love the story and the queerness here. Honestly, reading this makes me want to re-watch Cardcaptor Sakura. When am I gonna get my second season to clear card, eh?

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