hey quick PSA but “reading before bed to wind down” only works if you’re normal about books btw. if you aren’t you are going to end up awake at 2:52am after finishing the whole book just trust me on this one

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@what-to-read
hey quick PSA but “reading before bed to wind down” only works if you’re normal about books btw. if you aren’t you are going to end up awake at 2:52am after finishing the whole book just trust me on this one
We Who Will Die
By Stacia Stark
This review may contain spoilers. Though I will keep them at a minimum.
Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️
Spice: 2/5 🌶 - there are not many spice scenes, but they are good ones.
Thoughts:
You're immediately thrown into a very complex world with a lot of lore. Dropped in the middle of it. The book was a little disorienting at first. But it doesn't take long for the plot to set in and the ball to start rolling. I would not call Arvelle a lovable character by any means. She's stubborn and makes really silly decisions despite how smart she really is. Despite that, I did find myself rooting for her several times throughout the book. There are several mysteries to uncover through the book, so many that I found myself wondering how they would all wrap up before it ended. Then I found out it's set to be a trillogy.
Overall, I had a good time reading it. Its been a while since I've been thrown into a fantasy world that I found completely immersive. The magic system is...interesting. It isn't hard to follow, but it is unlike anything I've read befire.
If you like: Mystery, Murder, Fantasy, Magic, Romance, Deception, and Found Family - this book is for you.
My texts to my partner are so fucking wild man. This is within the span of a few minutes. I'm so lucky they put up with me 🤭
I blocked the picture of said man for obvious reasons.
All of my texts conversations are this chaotic.
The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
The Hellebore Technical Institute is for the gifted: Anti-Christs, Ragnaroks, and monsters in the making. But on graduation day, the faculty feast on their students. Trapped in the school’s vast library, Alessa Li—kidnapped and forcibly enrolled—must lead her classmates in something they were never taught: how to survive.
Out July 22, 2025!
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab
From V. E. Schwab, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: a new genre-defying novel about immortality and hunger.
Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1532.
London, 1827.
Boston, 2019.
Three young women, their bodies planted in the same soil, their stories tangling like roots. One grows high, and one grows deep, and one grows wild. And all of them grow teeth.
Don't Sleep with the Dead by Nghi Vo
Nick Carraway has built a quiet life in 1930s New York. He's good at watching high society and pretending: pretending to be straight, to be human, to have forgotten the summer of 1922. But when a familiar face appears one dark night, he realizes Gatsby, dead or not, isn’t finished with him. In all paper there is memory, and Nick's ghost has come home.
Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame by Neon Yang
With an armored, oath-bound hero reminiscent of The Mandalorian and the Asian-inspired epic fantasy of She Who Became the Sun, Neon Yang’s Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a stunning queer novella about a dragon hunter finding home with a dragon queen.
Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender
Only an elite few are legally permitted to study the science of magic—so when Ash is rejected by Lancaster College of Alchemic Science, he is forced to learn alchemy in secret. Caught by brilliant apprentice Ramsay Thorne, Ash is sure he's about to be arrested—but instead she makes him an offer: help her find the legendary Book of Source, a sacred text that gives its reader extraordinary power, and she’ll keep his secret.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
In the small town of Thistleford, the Hawthorn family tends enchanted willows and honours an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. Sisters Esther and Ysabel are devoted to the trees, and even more to each other. But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor for a lover from Faerie, the bond between them—and their lives—are put at risk.
Notes from a Regicide by Isaac Fellman
After losing the parents who saved him from an abusive home, Griffon Keming is left with a single journal—his father’s, written from death row. Bloodstained and grief-soaked, it tells a love story between two artists on fire. Notes from a Regicide is a heart-wrenching tale of trans self-discovery with a sci-fi twist from award-winning author Isaac Fellman.
Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
Three years ago, Alice spent one night in an abandoned house with her friends, and her life has spiraled since. Memories of that night torment Alice, but when asked to return to the House, she knows she must go. Alison Rumfitt’s Tell Me I’m Worthless is a dark, unflinching haunted house story that confronts both supernatural and real-world horrors through the lens of the modern-day trans experience.
Not enough books? Check out our other list!
June TBR:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins
Sunrise on the Reaping -Suzanne Collins
Something to Talk About - Meryl Wilsner
You Again - Kate Goldbeck
I decided to round out the month with two lighter mood books since all of May and the first half of June's books are Hunger Games and heavy. Let me know if you've read any of them! What did you think?
In May, I finished the original Hunger Games Trilogy, however, I didn't get to make it to Ballad or Sunrise, so those will be added to my June TBR! I'll post that soon!
I did not finish my April TBR. I didn't finish reading "Best Hex Ever" by Nadia El-Fassi. Not because it was not a great book! It was, but it gave me much more cozy, autumn vibes and I wanted to save it for my October/November TBR.
I did read the other three to completion and I'll try to dedicate a post for each of them in the coming days.
May TBR
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
MockingJay
(Hopefully, if I have the time and energy)
A Ballad of Sonbirds and Snakes
Sunrise on the Reaping
I didn't include blurbs about them this time, because most people know what they are and have read them! I'm really excited to reread series I held dear to me once. Its been years, I wonder if it will hit different.
Let me know if you have or haven't read these! What are your thoughts and takeaways! I can’t wait to share my reading experience with you.
What should I read in May?
the entire Hunger Games series
something else/I'll suggest in the comments
If you see this you’re legally obligated to reblog and tag with the book you’re currently reading
A Bone in His Teeth by Kellen Graves
Potential Spoilers Ahead:
Book review/final thoughts:
Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This book is a lot of fun. I loved Kellen Graves's Rowan Blood series, so I was completely on board for this.
This book has a few typos and funny little editing mistakes, but I don't really mind that. However, of you're someone who is taken out of the story by a few mistakes, avoid it.
Alba is a lovable character. He often tries to be strong and brave despite his own harm. You never forget for too long that he's disabled, but he pushes through and shows strength in the face of that adversary. He's also desperately childish at times, but it's no wonder with his backstory.
Eridanys is harsh and sometimes cruel. But he also has really tender and vulnerable moments that you would not expect at the start of the book. He becomes feircly protective. His character seems flat at times and extremely complex other times. I wish there was a little more balance in his shift from murderous merrow to doting and loving siren.
Moon Harbor is a terrifying and mysterious place. The people are strange, the deep mystery of Edythe (Alba's mother) and where she grew up leaves you on the edge of your seat. You know something is off the second Alba arrives, but the book really takes a few twists and turns that left me flabbergasted.
Now, I do think the book dragged on a little at the end. Alba and Eri found out what happened to the other merrow of Moon Harbor, the mystery of what happened to Edythe was solved and there was still an hour of the book left.
Now, the ending was very satisfying, don't get me wrong. I loved seeing Moon Harbor get what it deserved and be burned to the ground and washed away, but I feel like the added hour of drama of the the Warren guy finding Alba again and trying to take Eri to hang off a ship was unnecessary at best.
I think having the other three Merrow be found but unable to survive their deep hypnotism made my eyes roll. I think the multiple times Alba beat someone to death beyond recognition was overkill. And some of the gore was unnecessary.
However, despite all of that, I genuinely enjoyed this book. It took me about a week to read, but I ate it up. There were so many times I'd finish a chapter and just have to know what happened next and keep reading. There were other days that I just didn't have the energy to deal with whatever Alba and Eri had going on at the time.
Is it the best book on my April TBR? No. I think it's solidly 4/4. But it was still fun, and I still adore Kellen Graves and their writing so much, that I will devour their next book too! I hope they write more things like this. The horror aspect was a fun twist, even when it fell short or laid it on too thick.
Going to share my April TBR and follow up as I finish the books and maybe as I read them. (Spoiler, I actually already finished two and am reading the 3rd. Oops!)
1. A Bone in His Teeth by Kellen Graves
Horror Fantasy Romance between a trans ex-sailor and an enchanting/terrifying merrow/siren
2. Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
Romantasy Mystery about a necromancer entering a dangerous game and maybe finding forbidden love with a phantom
3. We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian
Queer Period Newsroom piece about a gay reporter and the son of the newspaper
4. Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi
Contemporary Paranormal Romance about a witch who owns a café but has a cursed love life.