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Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan
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Oct 23, 2025 05:32AM
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Finished
, I enjoyed it, I loved the characters, the pacing was just a little bit off so it was kind of slow going to start and then the climax felt just a little rushed. I always enjoy Madeline Martin's books though-I think The Librarian Spy is still my favourite!Moving on to
as my next audiobook. I'm excited for an adult Stephanie Garber book, I loved the Caraval trilogy but I'd kind of outgrown YA by the time Broken Heart came out so though I have them, I've not read them. I'm intrigued to see what this one is like!
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Oh why is it so hard to be consistent with the updates? Anyway, here are my recent re-reads and new finds.
- 5 stars. This book was a definite highlight for me. I loved absolutely everything about it: the unique story, the unexpected turns, and especially the ending. It gives you just enough hints and clues to piece things together without spelling everything out. It’s the kind of story that feels both epic and intimate, and it has stayed with me long after I turned the final page.
- 5 stars. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but I was completely captivated from the very first pages. It's a fantastic read that pulls you into the glamour and secrets of old Hollywood. A truly great story that I couldn't put down.
- 5 stars. This one was a deeply personal and emotional read for me. It’s a powerful story about abusive relationships, and I found it to be incredibly realistic. The author handles the topic with such depth; I could feel everything the main character was going through because I’ve been in a similar situation myself. It’s one of those rare books that captures the confusing and heartbreaking reality of leaving a relationship that isn't healthy.
- 5 stars. If you need a book that feels like a warm hug, this is it. I can only describe it as an amazing and magical story. It has this wonderful, comforting quality that reminded me of my Harry Potter rereads. It’s a truly heartwarming fantasy that I would recommend to anyone looking for a hopeful escape.
- 4 stars. This book was an absolute riot! I can honestly say it was hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud and shaking my head at the wonderfully chaotic situations the characters get into. It’s a perfect blend of a fun romance and a completely wild mystery, driven by a cast of unforgettable aunties. So addictive and so much fun.
- 4 stars. Wow, this book is something else. It’s bold, direct, and completely unbelievable in the best way possible. It's simultaneously rude and hilarious, and just so unapologetically itself. I absolutely loved it for its sheer audacity and crazy story.
- 5 stars. I was a bit hesitant to re-read this one. I don't typically enjoy books set in mental hospitals as I often find the atmosphere depressing. However, it has been so long since I’ve read this book and I just wanted to remind myself that even uncomfortable topics can be manageable and even captivating. The mystery here was compelling enough to keep me hooked. While I did manage to guess the big twist before the end (once again), it was still a decent and engaging thriller.
- 3 stars. I revisited this classic recently. While it will always be an iconic piece of science fiction, I find it a dense read. The world-building is, of course, unparalleled, and diving back into this complex mixture of politics, twists and intrigues is always an experience. It’s a series I’ve spent a lot of time with, and even if this particular re-read didn't blow me away, it’s still great and I love it more than the adaptation.
- 3 stars. It’s October, thus I needed to read more horror. Actually I was craving it, but not that romanticized version of vampire stories, with all those sexy people, rather something really dark and even disgusting. And, well, this book is exactly that. Not too scary and definitely gross. I can say for sure that sometimes it’s refreshing to read something about gruesome vampires.
- 3 stars. This was a case of a book being perfectly fine, but ultimately unremarkable. Nothing much seemed to happen, and I found the story a bit shallow. It wasn’t a bad read by any means, but it just didn’t leave a lasting impression.
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I've had a week so there won't be a lot to update this week. 
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen ⭐⭐⭐I snagged this one for a challenge and it's one of the numerous books out there that is a continuation of a Disney property. This is of course a continuation of The Nightmare Before Christmas movie. Jack and Sally are now married and Sally is dealing with a whole lot of doubt about suddenly finding herself in the role of Pumpkin Queen. The biggest thing that I found interesting about this book was just the expansion of the lore. We get to see the world in some of the other trees and we find out that there are many other and older trees out there as well. Overall the book was fine but it didn't exactly wow me either. By the end of the book the biggest thing I was really feeling was an urge to go and watch the movie again.
Watcher in the Woods ⭐⭐⭐⭐The next Rockton book and this one is a bit different then the previous ones. While it did have a central mystery to it the main theme in this one was expanding the lore and mystery of Rockton itself. It doesn't feel like the series has moved into end game territory yet but there are some pretty hard lines getting drawn in the sand in this one. We are starting to see some divisions and what not going on. I mentioned in the first book that this series has a lot of potential since everyone has a secret past. It's an interesting solution to a small town mystery and this book was a great example of that. I won't spoil anything in this one but I legit did not see the ending coming. I'm really having fun with this series and I'm really glad I gave it a chance.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark ⭐⭐⭐⭐I snagged this one for a banned book challenge and, being honest here, I've been meaning to read this one for years. I can't say for certain if I've ever actually read this book before but I've been aware of this book since I was a kid. It was the art that stuck out with this one. The art is a thing on infamy at this point in time. As for the book itself, I'm kind of split. On one hand the book is very far from scary but I know that I am approaching this as a 40 something adult who has dabbled in his fair share of horror novels. That being said there is something just special about this book. The stories are all super short, 1-3 pages on average, and they feel timeless. Part of that is because they are based on folklore that has been around for ages but still. There are some absolute classics in this like the man with a hook hand, the call coming from within the house, the high beams story. These feel like corner stones of horror really. On top of all of that many of these story had just a flow to them that felt nostalgic. I remember sitting around campfires telling spooky stories as a kid and our stories flowed just how some of these did. This was a special read for sure.
The Geographer's Map to Romance ⭐⭐⭐This book feels weirdly flipped on its head. Normally for a book like this I'd be all invested in the main story and groan about the romance. Especially since most of the romance in this novel is based on my most hated romance trope, miscommunication. In this one I loved the main couple and a lot of that came down to the fact that they were just lovable idiots. The miscommunication stemmed from their personalities and them being just to wrapped up in their own thoughts. Everything outside of the romance though was absolutely boring. This book felt like trying to swim upstream in pudding. It was such a slog to get through this one.
Now for the single manga this week
Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐This is one of those manga that has been on my TBR for a while and I'm glad I finally picked this one up. It's a simple slice of life in a fantasy world with this creatures that are a couple inches tall. There is just something simply beautiful about this one. The story is simple but the world feels rich and deep. We get these little glimpses into the day to day life of these two young woman and it's so fascinating. I really want to read more now.
What's next
Yeah....... I can explain the first book. Curiosity. Horrible, horrible curiosity. I've been hearing about this book for over a year now and I have to figure out what all the chatter is about. To be clear, I'm listening to both. The first one is not something I will be listening to while I am at work for some obvious reasons.
These are the two main books I'm working on this week.
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I'm about 36% of the way into the book and it's not bad. I mean, it's a smutty book but it's not bad.
Time for that weekly recap and this week was another week of novels.
⭐⭐⭐⭐You are probably stunned by my rating for this book and I feel like this requires a whole lot of explanation. This book has been popping on my radar for about a year and a half or so. It was quiet for a while and then lately it has been resurfacing shall we say. It seemed like folks were rather split on it. There were of course those that felt it was the greatest book ever and then there were the those on the other side that really did not like this book. Claims of people being furries and stuff like that. Side rant for a second, furries really get a bad rap man. Any way, I was getting to Twilight levels of curiosity with this book and checked to see if my library would ever carry such smuttiness. They did, on Hoopla, my curiosity won, and here I am. Going into this book I had a lot of preconceived notions in my head. I didn't think it was going to be as bad as people were claiming and it definitely wasn't going to be as good as others were claiming either. I also had a bunch of ideas about what to expect from my dabbles in PNR and UF trying to pretend it was not PNR. Never once did I expect for me to be sitting here trying to explain a four star rating but here I am.
This book does not shy away from what it is at all. It's monster smut and it leans into its smuttiness but not like I expected. The first two thirds of the book was lewd but I didn't really think it was all that bad. It was just a lot of descriptions of what is offered at a milking farm and the services rendered. It just wasn't "hot" really. The final third of the novel is more what I would expect from a smutty novel with spicy dates and what happens at the end of those dates. Here is one of the big selling points for me. The male lead in this novel. I've dabbled in a few PNR novels or various levels of spice and from some of the out of context snippets I was hearing about his book I was expecting the bog standard, cardboard cutout, toxic as hell, alpha male douchebag kind of character. This kind of character is honestly why I stopped reading as much UF/PNR as I used to. There are only so many master vampires/alpha werewolf leads who treat women in general as inferior beings to be dominated that I can take. I get it, for some folks this is a fantasy that they want but meh, not something I enjoy reading. Imagine my surprise when this male lead is just none of that. Yes, he is stern at times and has a "CEO voice" (whatever the hell that is) but he was never mean to our lead, he was never demeaning to our lead, and let her set the pace for things. It felt like this breathe of fresh air after wading through a sewer for decades.
The other thing that really won me over was the world building. I can already see your surprised face but yes, I'm going to talk about world building in a smut novel. Don't get me wrong this was no Tolkien level of world building with it's own languages and thousands of years of history but it had more then enough that I wanted to go wander about and see what was happening in the world. I was curious about things outside of the story happening between our two leads. Now yes, I am a fan of integrated societies where nonhumans and humans exist in the same place. Usually in things like manga and anime where we explore more then just the bog standard vampire/werewolf hiding amongst us. We are talking about societies where there are creatures that are openly and visibly different from us. How do you build a cafe to accommodate clients from pixies to minotaurs and centaurs? How do you build a rail system? Cars? What about creatures with different life spans? Dietary needs? Integrated societies like this raise all sorts of interesting questions. I'm not saying that this book tackled any of that but it set the foundation for a society like that to exist. Where creatures can openly exist that are different. Plus it wasn't just monster men roaming about so the author could have an excuse to write about overly large packages. There were women, children, families in general walking about and living their lives. I wanted to go and visit Cambric Creek out a genuine level of curiosity.
This book is definitely a novel designed to tap into a female fantasy. For some folks it's going to be gross and disgusting. For some folks it will be hot as hell. While I might not have enjoyed all the package descriptions in the novel shall we say I can respect what this novel is. It's smut, there is no hiding that, but the author has sprinkled in so much more. There are moments of humor that had me chuckling. There was world building elements that had me wanting to crawl into the pages to go exploring. The romance itself, outside of the spice, was pleasant to read and I wanted these characters to get together outside of what happened between the sheets or on top. This was hands down one of the biggest surprises I've had in a while. I'm not sure if I will read on but I'm not entirely writing it off either. This is probably going into the mood read bag. Especially since each book seems to be a self contained novel that just happens to be set in the same world as the other ones.
Terminal ⭐⭐⭐I feel that this book was another course correction for the series and one that I felt was needed. The first couple books leaned into more of a horror vibe. The last one really tried to be UF and it was very distracting. The whole flirting with a hot fireman in the middle of an investigation into a deadly spirit just felt really weird. This book felt like the happy medium between these two different directions. There was the main case and it was spooky with all sorts of grumpy ghosts. Then we had the more personal moments in the down time and it felt like a good balance. Overall this book was just alright. I've got one more book in this series before everything else is locked away in Amazon jail so I'll get to it at some point.
Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories ⭐⭐⭐⭐This was a book I stumbled across in the new section of the online library and I was sold on the concept. A mystical eatery that is everywhere an no where. It's a location full of elders and traditional food with a kind word and some guidance if you need it. I realized, very late in the book, that in many ways this is similar to books like Before the Coffee Gets Cold and other books of that vein. This is a collection of short stories by various authors about Native characters. The characters inevitably find their way to the drive-in and it offers them guidance on what is currently plaguing them. The drive-in is ran by various elders and offers a wide selection of traditional and nontraditional food and drink. There was something just special about this novel. While not every story might have smashed it out of the park the overall experience was fantastic. It's also a great example of diversity in the written space. This is definitely one I would recommend if you are at all curious.
The Unsleeping Witch ⭐⭐⭐The final book in this duology and it continues a lot of themes from the first one. Flipping classic fairy tale stories on their head, figuring out who you are, etc. Much like the first one I enjoyed the novel but it didn't exactly rock my world either. Not something I regret reading but not something that is going to stick in my memories either.
Now for the single manga
Prophecy, Tome 1 ⭐⭐⭐After finishing Manhole I was curious about what else this author might have out there. I discovered that my library had this trilogy and decided to check it out. This story is about internet crime basically. Someone is releasing videos claiming that a bad thing will happen to a bad person. Once that video hits a certain amount of likes the video is deleted. Of course the bad thing happens in the real world and the police cyber crimes unit gets involved. It's an interesting setup for a story and the first part of this manga does a really great job setting up the premise and starting to unravel this mystery. I really didn't like the ending of this manga though. The POV shifts to the bad guy and is flashback to how the plan got started. It felt like the author basically showed all his cards in the first chapter. I'm hoping for, and expecting, many more twists but this just felt really weird. I'll continue on of course since this is only a trilogy but that was an odd way to end the first volume.
What's next
A couple of short audiobooks while I wait for the next chonker audiobook that should be here "soon"
Outside of that I have a giant stack of manga to get through this week. Cardcaptor, Sakamoto Days, Jojo, etc.
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And so the curiosity spreads. I'm not going to lie, it is smutty, in its own way. Like I said, there are a lot of descriptions of packages, a lot.
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I really enjoyed this one! I loved the mix of horror and Japanese mythology! Plus, I really liked the friendships between all the characters. 
I am still enjoying this series, and I think at this point I'm caught up, sadly
I liked the setting of this one, but otherwise it was boring 😬
this one was vile... and not in a good way horror can sometimes be. I liked the story, but the violence directed at certain characters was uncalled for and disgusting. To be fair, this was my first splatterpunk novel, and I love horror so I thought I would be okay with it. But the thing is, I was ready for all the gore and violence, and that actually wasn't even the problem. The problem was that this book had no limits and it targeted two types of people with its gore and violence that I was just not okay with. I don't know if this is just an issue with THIS book, or if the genre generally pushes these limits in the way this one did. Idk. But I will be more cautious around this genre now.
was a really good nonfiction book with a bunch of "anti-affirmations". Lol. Exactly the reminders I needed right now 😌
a couple of days ago I finished this one and I liked it! Not as much as Project Hail Mary, but it was still good! It had lots of action and the MC was super snarky, which was fun.
this one was AMAZING though!! It reminded me so much of Supernatural, which I love! At the recommendation of the author, I actually started with this book, but a couple days ago, I went back and started the first book,
, which I am also really enjoying!
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Oh boy, this is going to be a long one as this has been a strong week of vacation reading. I did have a lot of three star reads this book but that is not a bad thing. These were all interesting reads in their own way. 
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Volume 5 ⭐⭐⭐More of this story. In this one we get to the coast and all the seafood cooking that comes with it. Not a lot to really say about this one.
The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Reading the source material for this series is really interesting. The first season of the anime, 24 episodes, is just the first two volumes of the novel. It was very interesting to see how the animation studio could take something like "she walked to the store" and flesh it out into an actual scene in the anime and in a way that didn't feel like filler. It was fun to get back to this series again after a longer then intended break and now that I can get the physical books I've got that motivator to keep reading.
Wolves ⭐⭐⭐Maybe it's just me being influenced by everything else I have been reading lately but I really felt like this one flowed like a light novel. Instead of this book being a self contained story that was part of an overarching narrative it was more like part one of a larger story. This book basically took us up to this large narrative point and instead of giving us the big epic climax to the book it just kind of ended with the story being continued in the next one. This one had a narrative, it took a giant side quest (that helped the main story), returned to the main story and then just kind of ended before it got the big explosive climax. That being said the narrative that is being built towards does feel really big. I don't want to spoil to much with this series but it's interesting to see where things are heading.
Reincarnated as a Sword notebook: vol 4 ⭐⭐⭐I finally made progress with this series and got to the next novel. This book had a lot of stuff going on in it. We had a new city, a cooking contest, hunting, a plot to overthrow the local government, and I think a couple other things. I really appreciate Fran as a main character because she is so blunt and straight forward. There is a concealed door here and we need to find the trigger to open the door. Not Fran, she just kicks the door off it's hinges and if it takes the whole wall with it, meh, whoopsie. Talking to the most political powerful noble in the city, just answer questions with a simple "hm". This was a fun read and I am excited for the next one as we are getting back to the dungeons and maybe a fight tournament.
Now for the manga and oh boy, there is a lot
Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 6 ⭐⭐⭐For a cozy series about the everyday life of monster girls this series will sometimes take a real sharp hard turn into really in depth scientific explanations for supernatural experiences. The first part of this one got into this whole theory crafting explanation about multi dimensions and how the explains things like ghosts, the space between a dullahan's neck and their body, and other such hard to see experiences. The manga then hard pivots into a romance plot line. It's a hard pivot and I won't lie, kind of jarring.
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 26 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 27 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Instead of talking about these three volumes specifically I want to talk about the series as a whole. These are the final three volumes of this series and the end of my reread journey. It has been so much fun to come back to this series after so many years and experiencing everything again. It truly is a classic in the manga world and deserves the praise that it gets. The odd thing that I noticed is that the ending was not what I remember. I am not sure where my memory comes from but it doesn't 100% line up with the ending of the manga. I'm not sure if I read something else, my memory is faulty, or some other thing. Regardless, if you are new to the manga world and looking for something, this is a great story to start with.
Heroine? Saint? No, I'm an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! (Manga) Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐I am really puzzled by this series. As I've mentioned before, this series is all the manga ideas tossed into a blender at once. We are getting fantasy, slice of life, isekai, villainess, romance, yuri, and a few other things all at once and it kind of works. We got three different story lines in this one. There is the masters daughter wanting to be a maid for a day and all the coziness of that. Then we switch over to the otome game story line for a bit before ending the volume in the elite "high schools" new dormitory. This series just throws a lot at you and it can a bit much at times.
One Piece, Volume 10: OK, Let's Stand Up! ⭐⭐⭐⭐The big fight part of this story arc building up to the big battle between Arlong and Luffy. Not a whole lot to say about this volume really.
My Kitten is a Picky Eater Vol. 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐More cute kitty slice of life story. In this one we have the MC's first time traveling away from home for a couple of days, finding a pet sitter, and new kitties needing rescue. Just a cute little slice of life story.
You Can't Live All on Your Own!, Volume 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐More of this slice of life about four adult woman living together. A large chunk of this one is about a misunderstanding that leads to a fight and then the process to make up with each other. There is also progression on their own individual story lines as well and their own journeys. It's kind of hard to explain the appeal of this but I really enjoy the whole slice of life aspect of it.
Hirayasumi, vol. 6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Another slice of life that is hard to explain why I like it so much but I just do. Not a lot to really say about this one either as it just continues the story we were already on. I kind of have some mixed feelings about the romance in this one but I don't hate it.
Wash It All Away 04 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Yet another slice of life story. This one is really growing on me and I am curious to see where things are going to go.
Silver Spoon, Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐This was another fun read this week and more growth for the MC.
Flying Witch, Vol. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐More chill slice of life vibes in this cute little story.
Dandadan, Vol. 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐Jennifer Lopez Anaconda. Nope, not explaining that one at all. If you know, you know. You also know where I am in the series.
Case Closed, Vol. 5 ⭐⭐⭐More Detective Conan and this was an interesting one. We have a couple murder mysteries as you would expect and then it ended with a story that ties into the overarching story line. I'm fairly new to this franchise but I feel like we are seeing an iconic villain in this one. That mask looks really familiar. I could be wrong and mixing it up with something else but I swear I've seen it somewhere before. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the next one.
This Place Kills Me ⭐⭐⭐This was a random snag for me and I have some mixed feelings about this one. Long story short this is a teen detective murder mystery in a private school setting but there is more to it then that. Long story short, I liked it but I wish things were a bit more fleshed out or explored. Since this a new release, spoiler wall, I will be talking about a lot of details about this story and the ending.
(view spoiler)
Now, what am I working on next
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceI'm about 25% of the way into this audiobook right now and enjoying it.
Asylum HotelThis is going to be my main physical book this week and I am interested in this one. I know the author from one of her cozy mystery series and I'm interested in seeing what she can do with a more traditional mystery.
YA Addicted Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Asylum Hotel (other topics)Reincarnated as a Sword notebook: vol 4 (other topics)
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Volume 5 (other topics)
Wolves (other topics)
The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 2 (other topics)
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