I’m currently reading The Knight and the Moth and this might be the perfect book to deep read.

It's a gothic romantasy set in a more historical world (no phones, horse riding, all that) and HIGHLY detailed.

Earlier this year, I tried the audiobook first and had to DNF because I genuinely couldn’t follow 😭 the language is so dense that you HAVE to slow down and actually sit with it.

I honestly never 'deep read' fantasy books, but if I was, I’d be tabbing:
– foreshadowing ( I feel like she's dropping so many hints)
– little details that feel important
– imagery
– character growth

this is one of those books where everything feels very intentional. No detail is just haphazardly thrown in.

I lowkey wanna go back and tab the prologue because I just know there was a ton of important info there… it didn’t really make sense at first, but now that I’m deeper in the story, I can tell it’s one of those “it all comes together later” situations.

This book is very mysterious, you kinda just have to keep reading and let the details build until you get the full picture.

I’m reading it casually right now, but I already know I’m probably missing things that would’ve been so good to annotate 😭and I don’t think every book needs to be annotated or tabbed, but this one?? this would be SUCH a good series to do that with… especially since it’s a shorter duology.

I’m not even done yet and it’s already a 5⭐️ for me… I might even like it more than One Dark Window

Books I really thought I was going to love… but didn’t 😭

The Shield of Sparrows
I listened to the dramatized version on Hoopla, and it was okay. A solid romantasy, but nothing spectacular to me.

People were foaming at the mouth for this book on Tiktok!!! It's a good book for sure, but idk it just didn't connect with me.

The middle dragged a lot, and it honestly felt like the author kind of forgot the plot. It read like a slice-of-life anime for about 100 pages instead of the heart-pounding, tension-filled, corrupt political system, plot-driven romantasy I was expecting.

I’m on book two now (on audio), and it’s decent… but yeah.

Just Our Luck
This one just didn’t do it for me at all. It felt unrealistic, it dragged, and I ended up skimming the last 100 pages.

I didn’t really like the MMC, he came off as mean and even though the beginning had potential, the story lacked real tension.

Heat of the Everflame
Okay… books 1 and 2? AMAZING.

If you want high-stakes, crazy plot, slow-burn romantasy, this was IT. I was obsessed. Blown away.

Then book 3…

The author flattened all the characters. Our FMC is insanely powerful, but then she allows a man to literally spit in her face??? No, like that's literally a scene.

She can wipe out entire continents, but she lets herself get bullied constantly. It just didn’t make sense.

And the plot?? The solution is RIGHT THERE, but the characters can’t see it. It made me question their intelligence, honestly.

Not to mention, the MMC turned into a sappy, love-sick puppy instead of the powerful prince we got before.

Hated it.

Plated Prisoner series
I made it to book 4… and yeah, it was time to wrap it up.

Looking back at my Goodreads reviews actually makes me laugh, because by book 3 I was already like “I don’t know about this…” and by book 4 I was DONE.

The pacing slowed to a complete halt while the FMC processed her trauma. And I understand the themes, feminine rage, how patriarchy hurts everyone, but it was so heavy-handed.

It wasn’t woven into the story. It took over the story.

At a certain point, I was like… where is the plot? Where is the action?

It felt less like high-stakes fantasy and more like a very long trauma-healing narrative with magic in the background.

Fate of the Sun King
This series gave everything but the kitchen sink.

What started as high-fae fantasy somehow turned into a space odyssey… like there are literally aliens involved.

The first book was so good, and then slowly but surely… we lost the plot.

It started to feel like those old CW shows where anything goes by the end. Like… Dan Humphrey and Blair Waldorf dating.

Just chaos 😭

I really wanted to love these… but yeah.

What is yearning… and why does it hit so hard?

It’s that delicious tension in a book that has us all kicking our feet and giggling like children. It's that will they, won't there tension that makes want to scream and throw the book.

It's the almost-confessions. The “I want you but I’m not saying it” energy.

It’s longing stretched over time… and when it’s done right, it will have you staring at a wall after one scene.

I wrote a full blog post breaking down authors who really understand slow burn and yearning (and yes… I included anime too). But here’s a little taste:

• Uncovering Love - M. Monique

• The Proposal - Jasmine Guillory

• Just for the Summer - Abby Jimenez

…and plenty more.

In the full post, I break them down by the type of yearning they give because not all slow burns hit the same.

Click To Read -> Slow Burn Books & Anime That Actually Make You Feel Something

As you guys know, I am in a war with social media. Which is ironic given my brand. But I'm trying my best to limit the amount of time I am on social media, and one way I'm doing that is through my book journal, like I told you all before.

This year, I stopped using Goodreads the way I used to and started tracking my reading in a physical book journal instead. It feels good to track things in an analog way.

I do try to journal creatively, looking up Pinterest inspo and trying to recreate it in my own style. But I’m not going to lie… it’s not super aesthetic. Well, not all of it.

Some pages are creative, feel like me, and are super pretty. Other pages are… flops. And it’s okay.

The picture above is one of my favorites.

I’m learning to just accept it and move on instead of trying to make everything perfect. I’m taking the layouts I don’t like as learning curves and trying to do better next time.

Currently, I think I finally found a layout that works for me. But more than that… I’ve found joy and peace in slowing down and just getting my thoughts out on the page.

I don’t know how to explain it, but sitting at my table, cutting papers and picking out different colors, printing images I think would go well on the spread… it’s healing something in me.

And after I finish decorating and journaling, I feel calm. Like… really calm.

And I’m lowkey proud of myself for creating something with my hands again. It feels like my own little masterpiece. Both the nice aesthetic spreads and the not-so-nice ones.

This year I've read 17 books far.

This is for the those who feel a little… disconnected from themselves lately. Not fully lost. But not fully you either.

These books helped me reconnect in different ways 🤍

Only for the Week — Only for the Week by Natasha Bishop
Janelle is a BIG people pleaser who never puts herself first. But with the help of Rome, she starts learning how to center herself and prioritize her own needs. Rome is gentle but still authoritative… literally exactly what she needs.

Sweet Heat — Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola
This is book two, and we find Kiki in a completely different headspace than she was in college. Life has happened. She’s more unsure, a little lost, trying to figure out her path. Kiki feels like a fully realized, complex person here, and Malakai reminds her that she’s Kiki Banjo… she can do anything she puts her mind to. This book lives in my rent free.

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store — The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
Our girl is the manager of a cozy bookstore and a complete bookaholic… but she’s not really living her life. That changes when she meets fisherman Noah, who shows her that life is bigger than books, and a little spicier too. I really enjoyed this one.

Restore Me — Restore Me by L. J. Segars
Our main character has been touch-deprived for years after losing her husband.
She hasn’t allowed herself to open up to love again. But her late husband’s best friend helps her remember what it feels like to be touched… and eventually, to be loved again.(This book is super messy, but healing.)

If You Stayed — If You Stayed by Brittainy Cherry
Kierra is someone who has accepted that life doesn't have to be amazing. Just good enough. On the outside, her life looks perfect. But inside, her marriage lacks warmth, and she’s weighed down by guilt from her past. Then someone she thought wanted nothing to do with her comes back into her life… and helps her realize she deserves the world, not just what she’s been settling for.

My May hopefuls… and by hopefuls, I mean we’ll see because I’m a mood reader 😭

I’ve said before that TBRs are basically a crime against humanity… and yet here I am making one anyway.

• The Neighbor Favor by Christina Forest
  This has been on my list for a while, so I really want to get to it.

• The Rite of Starling by Devney Perry (Book 2)
  I need to continue this series, like… it’s time.

• Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen
  This just feels like the perfect seasonal read.

• Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
  I already know this one is going to be emotional… I just need to be in the right mood.

Will I read all of these?
Who knows.

Will I randomly pick up something completely different instead?
Also yes.

I just finished If You Stayed, and I’m not even going to lie… this book had me in TEARS. 😭

Like, it was so emotional, but in a way that actually sticks with you. I kept thinking about it days later.

Definitely check your trigger warnings, because there is some domestic violence and themes of grief, but it was amazing.

I think what got me the most is how much I’m moved by character growth. Seeing someone truly do better? That will get me every single time.

And Kierra… she was really just living on autopilot until Gabriel came back into her life and kind of woke her up in a way.

I loved the pacing too. This was one of those books I could not put down. It moves fast, but still gives you everything you need.

And there are SO many plot lines in this book. Everything is woven in so nicely. But somehow, she wraps everything up so neatly.

I know some people might say it wrapped up too nicely, but honestly? I loved that. No loose ends, no confusion, just a complete story.

Also, the way the tension is built??? Because you know Kierra caused something in Gabriel’s life, but you don’t get the full story until later. And those flashbacks mixed with present day???

Yeah… chef’s kiss.

And the writing is less on the flowery side, but it still hits emotionally.

This was such a good read for me. Easily one of those books that reminds me why I love reading in the first place.

Is anyone else a little hungover after finishing the last season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians… or is it just me? 🥲

Like I love it, but why does it feel like it’s moving sooo slow??

But it got me thinking… there are actually SO many Greek mythology books out there that hit just as good as Percy Jackson & the Olympians.

So I put together a full list on my blog with book recs for when you’re craving that same chaos, humor, and mythology energy.

If you’re not ready to leave that world yet (because same), this is for you:

New Blog Post: Books to Read If You’re Hungover After Watching Percy Jackson

Let me know if you’ve read any good mythology books lately because I’m always adding to my TBR 🤭📖