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Chanel ☾ She/Her; 30s 🌙 books but make it aesthetic recs & reviews

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🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Cristina and Clement Trudeau are sixteen year old twins and heirs to a powerful, Black magical family in New Orleans. But while they are focused on their grief for their recently deceased father and sickly mother, they discover that their mom isn’t ill but actually cursed! Now it’s Cris and Clem’s mission to find out who has cursed their family, and how a thirty year old murder is connected to their Generational magic all while tension mounts between the magical and non-magical communities that may end in another massacre!

If you want a book perfect for spooky season this is it! Blood Debts has family curses, betrayal, mystery, romance, necromancy, and so much more! This was my first time reading an urban fantasy (that I liked), and having magic in a real world setting felt so natural because of Benton-Walker’s great writing. The story wove together civil rights with magical prejudice effortlessly and kept me intrigued about the murder mystery throughout. I can’t wait to read the second book, and I recommend everyone listen to the audiobook!

Read if you love:

🔮Fantasy

🔎Murder mystery

👥Dual POV

💀Necromancy

✊🏾Black/brown rep

🌈LGBTQ+ rep

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🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Constanta was a peasant girl on death’s doorstep when she was saved by an undead aristocrat. Now not only is she transformed, but so is her entire life—luxury, connections, passion and deception are intertwined with Constanta and her Prince of Darkness. But when her beloved lures a new bride and groom into his web, Constanta begins to see the dark side of living forever and the secrets and web she and her consorts are trapped in!

This was such a vibe!! I am usually not a huge fan of historical fiction, but this take on Dracula and his brides and groom was so gothic, dark, and well written that I fell in love! Not only was the writing excellent, but the portrayal of a moody Dracula living an opulent yet secretive life with wives and eventually a husband that he controls and manipulates was so captivating. Anyone who loves a gothic, macabre romance needs to read this!

Read if you love:

📜Historical fiction

🧛‍♂️Dracula retelling

🪦Gothic vibes

🌈LGBTQ+ rep

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𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓑𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓱𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓜𝓪𝓽𝓽

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🪄𝙍𝙄𝙋 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙧🪄

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𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓑𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓱𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓢𝓪𝓶

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🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Gwen Jackson has always had a knack for the violin, and though she wasn’t educated at top musical schools her talent has landed her at the NY Pops Orchestra. Working along side her, is reclusive, arrogant Xander Thorne who is a master on the cello and a musical prodigy. Xander is not pleased when Gwen is offered the role of First Chair, especially since he has been wishing for it for years, so he takes his anger and criticisms out on Gwen! Their hostility towards each other has ripples throughout the orchestra, but the beautiful music they make together is undeniable (and so is their chemistry!).

This was a cute story. I had never read a rivals to lovers romance before, so I liked seeing how their relationship played out. And of course, Julie Soto is the queen of spice! The cello scene alone is enough to get anyone interested in a string instrument 🥵😂 While I will say her first book, Forget Me Not is still my favorite, (Elliot Bloom for life!) I did come around on Xander/Alex after I remembered that he is/was based on Kylo Ren and that’s why he’s such an a**hole the first half of the book and he still deserves love lol.

Read if you love:

💙 Rivals to lovers

🌶️ Spice

🎻Orchestra setting

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Found family

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𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓑𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓱𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓗𝓮𝓻𝓶𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓮

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𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓑𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓱𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓑𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓪

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🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

Sociopath by Patric Gagne

✨no rating✨

Ever since she was a little girl Patric has made the people around her uncomfortable. It was probably because she didn’t feel most things like others did..guilt, sadness, empathy. She has only ever felt a void, a big nothing where those emotions should be. So pretending to be normal was Patric’s way of fitting in, and when pretending didn’t work then lying and eventually stealing were the next steps to try to “feel” anything! As she grows up she looks for answers to why she is the way she is, and in college finally discovers that she is a sociopath. But with very little known about sociopathy, Patric is now determined to learn everything about herself and not be painted as a crazy and evil villain that pop culture has done with sociopaths for years. Following her love life, career, schooling, and all of the wild personalities she meets along the way, Sociopath is the story of Patric’s journey to prove that millions of people with her similar diagnosis are not the monsters that they are made out to be.

This was a brilliant book! First, I loved the audiobook because it was read by the author and it was so genuine and immersive, especially when she details being so alone and isolated dealing with her diagnosis. I loved how I felt like I was learning about people—Gagne literally has a PhD in psychology—and this book was so entertaining!! It never read like a memoir, but like a fantastical journey with wild antics, witty thoughts, and celebrity sightings. My biggest takeaway, which is probably the point of this book, is that a person’s diagnosis shouldn’t define them and sociopathy is much more nuanced than society has portrayed.

Read if you love:

📖 Great Memoir

🧠 Psychology

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𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓑𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓱𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂

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🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

@shashemwrites

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Sylvia is the lost heir of Jasad. A kingdom that was destroyed in a fire ten years ago that killed every member of her family, and had its magic banned. Now Sylvia must hide from the Nizahl army that wiped out her empire and is hunting her people. But when she accidentally exposes her magic and captures the attention of the Nizahl heir, Arin, Sylvia is forced to make a deadly deal with her greatest enemy. Arin must never know her true identity if she wants to live, but Sylvia learns a group of Jasadi rebels have emerged and their scorched kingdom needs a queen.

What an absolute 5 star read!! Like any first book in a fantasy series this story started a little slow with the world building, but once it got into the thick of it I was hooked! The banter, the tension, the plot—OH MY! Sara Hashem knows how to write enemies to lovers. Sylvia is the fiercest MFC ever, and my boy Arin is so stoic, and smart, but has a soft heart underneath and seems evil but it’s just a mask😩 Anyway, I loved that this story was Egyptian inspired (major Aladdin vibes), with a great deadly competition that kept the plot going. I 100% recommend this book if you’re into fantasy, and there is a sequel coming out next year!

*Also, this is my opinion (not facts!) I thought this book was Dramione coded! From Arin having white/blonde hair and daddy issues, being stoic and cold on the outside, and Sylvia being this outcasted and hunted girl fighting for her people, having to step up and use her brain and skills while being the underdog. 🫶🏽**

Read if you love:

💛Enemies to lovers

⚔️Fantasy

🕌High stakes competition

✊🏽AAPI rep

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🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

@xiranjayzhao

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Zetian is set on avenging her sister’s death. Which is why she volunteers as a concubine pilot in the Huaxian army with the hopes of pairing up with the male pilot that killed her sister! Fortunate is on her side when they are matched, and Zetian must learn how to operate Chrysalises, giant robots meant to battle aliens, while mentally fighting the psychic link to the male pilot that has decimated so many other girls. She gets her revenge by being the only one to survive the battle—but she is now labeled the Iron Widow—and with that title is paired with the strongest and deadliest male pilot, Li Shimin. Who will survive their next battle, and what happens when Zetian digs deeper into the pilot system and wonders why only females are sacrificed during battles?

This book was such a whirlwind! It was giving Handmaid’s Tale vibes but with a dash of science fiction and a Chinese setting. I loved how Zhao drew on Chinese history to paint the backdrop for this story, and it almost seems like Huaxia could be China hundreds of years from now. The main character Zetian is the epitome of a badass female character—strong physically (even with broken feet!) and mentally, opinionated, fierce, and willing to fight for the underdogs—while acknowledging that she needs help sometimes. I also liked that there was a little love triangle (spoiler alert✨) but it wasn’t cliche and felt very organic. This story showed how men/boys are prioritized over girls/women even when war and safety should be the main concern in this battle ravaged country. I loved listening to the audiobook because getting the hear the authentic pronunciation of each of the characters names and some of the dialogue was great! This was a total 5 star read and I’m anxiously awaiting the sequel

Read if you love:

🤖Science fiction

❤️Love triangle

🏳️‍🌈LGBTQ rep

✊🏼AAPI rep

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🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Nora Dash’s life has just gone from bad to worse when she finds out that her father has just died and has a legit family, meaning her and her sister were the second “secret” family. Now on top of the unraveling family drama, Nora and her free spirited sister, Yanne, discover they inherited a dilapidated beach house in Maine that they have to fix up. So when Bear Freeman finds out spoiled, city girl Nora is planning on making changes on his Native land, he writes her off like every other greedy person he knows trying to capitalize on Indigenous people. Will Bear and Nora realize maybe working together might benefit them both…and when their friendship heats up will it be the sexual tension or their dark secrets that set them ablaze?

This was a great second novel by Nikki Payne! Set in the same world as Pride & Protest, SL&S was such a fun and funny book. Although, the original novel is not my favorite of Austen’s I really liked how Payne brought in basic plot points from the text but made it modern and new. Nora and Yanne were loveable characters, but honestly Bear is MY MAN!!!!!🫠🥵🤎 Why does Nikki Payne write Brown men so well? She truly did her research with the Abenaki tribe and culture, giving little details to make Bear, the reservation, and the story feel authentic. I also highly recommend the audiobook!!

**ngl I’ve been in a Jacob Black mood ever since this book! If anyone wants fanfiction recs for JB/wolf pack hit me up 🐺**

Read if you love:

🧡Friends to lovers

👒Sense and sensibility retelling

👥Dual POV

🌶️Spice

✊🏾Black/brown rep

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🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

What happens when a world has no hunger, no disease, no war, and has even conquered death? Scythes, and their order, are the only ones that end life to maintain the population of the world. Now Citra and Rowan are chosen has apprentices to join the order of Scythes, although neither want the position. They must learn how to take a life or else their own might be on the line…

This book within the first 50 pages hooked me, and by the end it become not only one of my favorite books of the year but one of my top books ever! The premise is so interesting—I love dystopians—but the way Shusterman writes and gives life to Rowan, Citra and this society that seemingly has no problems was mind boggling. Would there be no issues if death was conquered? The answer is of course yes! Because once you put power in the hands of humans (especially controlling who gets to live or die) then evil takes over. I loved how the story showed how easily this could become our future…everyone relied on AI, they were only a few years out from the “age of mortality” when people died from disease or mass shootings or old age. Although it is categorized as a young adult book, because it talks about death and life and humanity in a such a realistic and honest way it never felt like a YA book. I’m so excited to read Thunderhead the second book in this series!

Read if you love:

🔪Dystopian

📖YA

🔍Mystery

👥Dual POV

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𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓑𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓱𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓗𝓪𝓻𝓻𝔂

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🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

The sequel to Butcher & Blackbird follows Rowan’s brother Lachlan Kane, a leather worker (and side contract killer). Lachlan wants a quiet, simple life, but is haunted by his gruesome past through his debt to his eccentric boss. His only hope of paying it off? Marrying Lark Montague, daughter of a wealthy business partner, who he can’t stand.

Lark, sassy singer for an indie band, has had a silver spoon in her mouth and glitter on her hands her whole life. But now a dangerous threat is coming after her family and her, and the only way to protect them is to marry Lachlan Kane?! As Lark and Lachlan are forced together not just through their circle of friends/family, but also through marriage, they learn the hard way that dealing with death is tough, but a fake marriage is killer!

This book was a fun follow up to B&B! I love a fake marriage trope and like when the main pairing is forced together in an interesting way. This story had Weaver’s usual toxic/crazy trigger warnings (so I would advise everyone to read them before diving in) mixed with funny quips and sassy banter between Lark and Lachlan. My only hang up, and why I didn’t like it as much as B&B, was that I felt the relationship was rushed. Yes, it’s forced proximity/marriage of convenience but there still has to be a build up/slow burn for a random stranger!! It was a little insta-love…still a good romance book and definitely recommend the audio to hear Lachlan’s sexy Irish accent 😚

Read if you love:

💍Marriage of convenience

👥Dual POV

🌦️Grumpy/sunshine

🌶️Spice

🩸True crime/serial killers

⚠️Check trigger warnings

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🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

In 1920’s Shanghai, the city is caught between two feuding gangs who are out for blood. The Scarlets, ruthless criminals who are trying to keep control of their native city, and their vicious rivals the White Flowers, who having been grappling for power for generations since their immigration from Russia. At the helm of each side are teenage heirs, Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, former lovers and now bitter enemies. But with a string of mysterious deaths (in both the Scarlets and Flowers) linked to a contagious madness, Juliette and Roma must band together to save their gangs and their city.

So…this book was just an OK 3 stars. I love Romeo and Juliet, and I was so excited for a retelling especially set in China with a roaring 20s twist but this fell a little flat. The actual plot with the madness/mystery was interesting, but the romance was boring!! Maybe it’ll pick up in book 2, but there was no sexual tension, no smut, barely any backstory…I needed something more than one kiss!

Anyway, I’ll eventually read book 2. But I was definitely disappointed. How did you guys feel after reading this book?

Read if you love:

🥀Romeo and juliet retelling

🇨🇳China setting

✊🏼AAPI rep

🔥Slow burn

🔍Mystery