Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

Not only is our titular character, Amari, magical, but this entire book is magic! I fell in love with this book and it’s characters as soon as I read it. It’s such a fun and whimsical story with high stakes and a lot of heart. It also doesn’t shy away from issues of racism, but it doesn’t make the story all about The Struggle. I’m so excited to read the next book in the series when it comes out!

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

This book doesn’t make a lick of sense. Well… most of it doesn’t make a lick of sense. But the bits that are actually about the house are not only great, but quite nerve-wracking. I think that’s because the author does a great job of setting up an unsettling and spooky atmosphere. I can only imagine reading it at night would enhance that even more.

Changeling by Matt Wesolowski

Funny story with this one. As I was reading it, I had a thought… a guess about the end. But then I dismissed it because I thought it was too wild. Turns out, I was right! You would think that would make this less shocking, but the way my jaw hit the floor when the reveal came around would argue otherwise 😂 This remains my favorite of the Six Stories series so far!

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

In a book where a young man is battling against a ghost trying to possess him, you know there’s gonna be a dark and evil character. Sawyer is horrible and definitely consumed by darkness. And the way he becomes obsessed with Jake is just… *shudder* He was the first one that popped into my head when I got to this prompt.

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

I still haven’t recovered from this one 😭

I’m not gonna tell y’all which character, but this was, again, the first book that popped into my head when this prompt came up. The devastation aside, though, this was such a beautiful book. I loved my time with it and the conversations surrounded friendships, relationships, and grief.

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

The first thought I had when I finished this book was “I need more…” Not because the ending was unsatisfying. Oh no. Because I want to know what the main character, Vanja, gets into next! Luckily for me and everyone else that loved this book, Margaret Owen just announced the sequel! Though the Goodreads listing kind of spoiled that news awhile ago, lol.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

All the children that live at the Marsyas Island Orphanage MUST BE PROTECTED!! I love them (and the adults there, too) so much! I just want to visit them on their island and give them everything they’ve ever wanted ❤ This was such a heart-warming story and the characters are most definitely the best part.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

UUUUUUU
GGGGGGG
HHHHHHH

Is there a way to get the time I spent reading this book back? Because I would like to pretend that it never happened. This book sucked all life and joy out of me while I forced my way through it.

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

This book is currently haunting me because I am ✨struggling✨ 😩 I don’t think it would be weighing on me so much if I hadn’t been quite so hyped for it! I was expecting to be blown away and, so far, that’s not happening. But I refuse to DNF because I have heard it gets better. I can do this… and then it won’t be lurking over my shoulder anymore.

The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh

This is a story about a haunted lake and a girl with a podcast who is trying to prove it. Or disprove it, depending how you look at it. There was a particular scene in this book (the ceiling scene… 😣) that gave me a genuine shiver. That doesn’t happen a lot when I read horror! This one definitely nails the scare factor.

Lies Like Wildfire by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

I want to sit down pretty much all of the main players in this book and just have a little chat. Choices were made and they were all terrible. Not to say that I didn’t like this book… I quite enjoyed it! The flawed characters and their poor life choices definitely make this a very compelling read. But, yeah, I have several bones to pick with them 😒

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Well… the entire duology, actually. Perhaps I’ll wait until it’s collected into an omnibus (can it be an omnibus if it’s only two books?) and then preserve it. That’s neither here nor there, though! This series is an absolute delight and I want to be able to read and re-read it forever. When I think about a beautiful, hard, and satisfying character arc, Tarisai will always be the first character to come to mind. And that’s why I love this series so much!

Horrid by Katrina Leno

Look.

I have a thing about eyes. As in horror that involves someone’s eyes getting injured makes me squeamish. I don’t wear contacts because I can’t stand having my fingers near my eye. So this cover… *shudder* It’s not too scary, but it certainly gives me the creeps.