Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Are Fun to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is “Books That Made Me Laugh Out Loud.” I don’t read enough books that make me laugh. I am the kind of reader that likes to be tortured a little bit. So I need to tweak this week’s topic a bit and instead of naming books that make me laugh, I’m listing books that were fun to read. Sometimes tears were involved, but in the end, I just had a great time reading these books. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

If you are able, please consider donating to 805 Undocufund here which is providing support for families during this pandemic who aren’t currently eligible for stimulus checks.

1. Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez – The first book I thought of when I first saw this topic was Sal & Gabi. If there is any book on this list that did make me laugh out loud, it was this one.

2. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas – I had so much fun reading this book. You know those books where the rapport between characters is just so good you can’t help but love them? This is that kind of book.

3. The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow – On the surface this is a sci-fi book about an alien invasion, but what makes this one stand out to me is how quietly sweet it is and the cinnamon roll lead characters made this one a really fun read.

4. Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz – This is the first book I thought of when I decided I wanted to do fun books instead of funny ones. I had a blast reading this one. It was just so adventurous.

5. Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert – One of the things that stands out to me about romance books is how much fun I get out of them. They manage to be light and at the same time feel like these great character-driven stories. This is my personal favorite romance novel.

6. Wicked Fox by Kat Cho – I didn’t get a chance to write a review for this one last year, but one of the books that sticks out to me as a fun read is Wicked Fox. It reminded me of the YA books publishing used to acquire before it began to push more grim books.

7. Jade War by Fonda Lee – This is one of the books I was talking about when I said there may be tears, but you’ll still really enjoy the journey. I am still thinking about THAT scene, but Jade War was such a fun and entertaining read.

8. The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson – I can’t think of anything more fun than a book full of amazing banter. If you are a fan of rivals to lovers, this needs to be on your TBR.

9. Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes – This is one of those novels that excels at being both funny and action-packed. It really was the epitome of a sci-fi romp.

10. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson – One of the first graphic novels I read was Nimona and I had such a wonderful time reading it. I am actually about to gift this one to my nephew and am really excited to introduce it to him.

What’s the first book you think of when you think of a fun book? Let me know in the comments and be sure to leave me a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday: The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings where bloggers share which upcoming releases they’re most looking forward to. Join us every Wednesday and watch your TBR list multiply.

I an eagerly awaiting Anna-Marie McLemore’s upcoming release, The Mirror Season. Just in case you weren’t aware, I am a big fan of Anna-Marie McLemore, having fallen in love with their writing starting with their debut six years ago. There is something always so lovely and vulnerable about their writing that just brings me to tears every time I pick up a new book by them. I am ready for this one to break me and put me back together again. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

Title: The Mirror Season
Author: Anna-Marie McLemore
Series: N/A
Pages: 320
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: March 16, 2020

      “When two teens discover that they were both sexually assaulted at the same party, they develop a cautious friendship through her family’s possibly-magical pastelería, his secret forest of otherworldly trees, and the swallows returning to their hometown, in Anna-Marie McLemore’s The Mirror Season…
      Graciela Cristales’ whole world changes after she and a boy she barely knows are assaulted at the same party. She loses her gift for making enchanted pan dulce. Neighborhood trees vanish overnight, while mirrored glass appears, bringing reckless magic with it. And Ciela is haunted by what happened to her, and what happened to the boy whose name she never learned.
      But when the boy, Lock, shows up at Ciela’s school, he has no memory of that night, and no clue that a single piece of mirrored glass is taking his life apart. Ciela decides to help him, which means hiding the truth about that night. Because Ciela knows who assaulted her, and him. And she knows that her survival, and his, depend on no one finding out what really happened.”

Are you participating in Can’t-Wait Wednesday or Waiting on Wednesday? Is this book on your TBR? Be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments and I’ll visit!

Top Ten Tuesday: Yellow Book Covers

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is “Purple, Yellow, and/or Green Book Covers.” I would like to start a petition to have publishers commission more yellow book covers. I just love how bright these books are, but I realized while making this list that I didn’t own too many books with yellow covers which is a shame because look how lovely they are together. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

If you are able, please consider donating to 805 Undocufund here which is providing support for families during this pandemic who aren’t currently eligible for stimulus checks.

1. Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

2. I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee

3. Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

4. Peluda by Melissa Lozada-Oliva

5. Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

6. The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert

7. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

8. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

9. Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson

10. By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery

Do you like yellow book covers? What’s a color that you would like to see trend in publishing? Let me know in the comments and be sure to leave me a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit!

We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal

Title: We Free the Stars
Author: Hafsah Faizal
Series: Sands of Arawiya, #2
Pages: 592
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: January 19th 2021

TW: mentions of physical and emotional abuse by a parent

**Includes spoilers for We Hunt the Flame**

      “The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return.
      As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made.
      Lush and striking, hopeful and devastating, We Free the Stars is the masterful conclusion to the Sands of Arawiya duology by New York Times–bestselling author Hafsah Faizal.”

“He melted into the night, his feet barely touching the ground as he sprinted along the edge. Her heart crammed half a croak into her throat as he leaped at the end, arms spreading, a falcon in flight for the barest of moments before he tumbled onto the next rooftop, silhouetted against the night.”

Hafsah Faizal concludes her duology We Hunt the Flame with We Free the Stars, a chunky sequel with heartstopping action at every turn. At the conclusion of We Free the Stars, Zafira, Huntress of Demenhur, found herself joining forces with unlikely allies to defeat the Lion of the Night and restore magic to Arawiya. But facing off against a foe far more powerful comes at a cost. Forced to leave behind one of their own in order to escape, Zafira, along with Nasir and Kifah race to restore the hearts of Sisters of Old and usher Arawiya into a new era. Meanwhile Altair is held captive by his own father, the Lion of the Night, a revelation that has sent him reeling and which will test the bonds he has formed while on Sharr.

Faizal builds on her universe with this sequel, diving deeper into the world of Arawiya and a story of revenge that’s been brewing for generations. We learn in this sequel that Arawiya’s fate will be shaped by both mortal and immortal beings. The Lion of the Night has dark plans for this world. He is cunning and secretive. The small glimpses we get of his humanity make him an interesting, but still terrifying character. Though restoring magic is Zafira and company’s ultimate goal, we learn just how much magic can be influenced by darkness. The Jawarat, a book that promised a way to restore magic, has its own goals. It has become sentient and has begun to dig its claws into Zafira. It pushes and whispers to her, clouding her judgment.

As much as I love the world building in this duology, it’s the characters who have kept me glued to the pages. Both their personal journeys as well as the shifting dynamics between them. Zafira has gone from hiding who she is to embracing it, but in so doing, she also must confront the darkness inside her, a darkness the Jawarat continues to call to. Nasir was raised by his father to be a cold-blooded killer. He’s done his best to stomp out the empathy his mother once fostered. While on Sharr, he developed an unexpectedly connection to Zafira which made him question his own objectives as his father’s assassin. He also grew closer to Altair, who is later revealed to be his half-brother. The relationships Nasir has forged are changing him and his new purpose pits him against his own father. Zafira and Nasir’s interactions are so delectable. I loved seeing them navigate this connection between them when neither of them are very good at being open with others. Every look they exchanged, every conversation, and every interaction was torturous, but in the best possible way.

Faizal also expands on Altair’s characterization in this sequel. Though he often comes off as frivolous, Altair has been playing the long game, working behind the scenes. I loved seeing a more vulnerable Altair in this one. He’s used his charm to cover up the ways he’s been hurting. He has both loved and hated his brother, resented and craved the attention of his mother. I would have loved to have seen chapters from Kifah’s POV, but still appreciated the bond she forms with the others, Zafira in particular. Kifah’s always wanted to prove her father wrong, but has found another purpose and another family where she least expected it.

We Free the Stars is a daring conclusion to one of the most memorable fantasy series I’ve ever read. I look forward to devouring everything Hafsah Faizal writes and am hoping we might see a spin-off series in the future.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
(5/5)