One of my favorite reads of 2023 was the fanfiction Manacled by SenLinYu. It is a dark fantasy that reimagines the world of Harry Potter mixed with The Handmaid’s Tale. I haven’t read a lot of fanfiction, but one of my instagram friends said it was her favorite book EVER (not favorite fic – book!), so I had to give it a try. I ended up reading it in just 3 or 4 days – no easy feat since it is around 1,200 pages. My eyes hurt, I’m not going to lie, so don’t tell my optomotrist. It is also extremely dark – please check trigger warnings and take care of yourself while reading!
I am so excited that Manacled is going to be traditionally published, according to the Bookseller website. It will be coming in two parts, the first part will be published in 2025 by Del Ray.
SenLinYu posted to Tumblr today with some information about changes to Manacled and how she is attempting to keep its essance. Manacled will remain available on AO3 for the rest of 2024.
If you haven’t yet read Manacled, and want to learn how to send AO3 fanfiction to your kindle, tablet, or smart phone, I posted a how to on Instagram and TikTok today!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
Image 1: My physical reads
I started out January feeling a little slumpy after binge reading 9 books in a week, but I ended up having a good reading month! I honestly felt like I was just reading out of habit, but half of my brain was just counting down the days until HOFAS.
Image 2: Reading Goal Check in
Reading Goals: ❄️ Physical TBR: 6 of 6 ❄️ Total read: 13 / total brought into my house: I don’t want to talk about it, it was my birthday month. More than 13. Thank you all so much for your generosity!!! ❄️ Diverse Authors: 8 of 7 planned ❄️ ARCs: 7 of 8 planned ❄️ BOTM: 0 of 1
Image 3: ARCs
Image 4: Diverse Author / Book breakdown (could be diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, physical difference, neurodiversity, or something else!)
Star Breakdown:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🎧📓🖋🗣️ Out on a Limb: link to review 😍📖🎧📚🗣️ House of Sky and Breath 📖🎧📓 The Fury: link to review 📖🎧📚🖤 the Marriage Game 📖🎧📚🗣️ House of Flame and Shadow
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 📖🎧📓🖋🖤 Say You’ll Be Mine – link to review 📖🎧🖋📚 The Bone Season – link to review 📖🎧📓 Bride 📖🎧📚 Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
The Fury By Alex Michaelades 🎧 Narrated by: Alex Jennings Book 7 of 2024
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Celadon Books for my review copies!
The Fury follows a group of unlikable actors and writers to a private Greek island for a twisty “whydunnit” mystery. It’s told in five acts like a Greek tragedy.
I’ve been gravitating towards mysteries and thrillers more in the winter months – the fast pacing, short chapters, and darker themes just fit the weather so well.
The big question about whether or not you will like The Fury I think depends on how much you enjoy reading about unlikable characters. I personally found the characters to be unlikable in a fun way – think the side characters in Only Murders in the Building – but without the humor of OMITB. I thought it was a lot of fun and devoured it in one sitting. I don’t remember how surprised I was by the twists and turns, but I really enjoyed watching them unravel.
[ book synopsis ]
A masterfully paced thriller about a reclusive ex–movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder ― from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient.
This is a tale of murder.
Or maybe that’s not quite true. At its heart, it’s a love story, isn’t it?
Lana Farrar is a reclusive ex–movie star and one of the most famous women in the world. Every year, she invites her closest friends to escape the English weather and spend Easter on her idyllic private Greek island.
I tell you this because you may think you know this story. You probably read about it at the time ― it caused a real stir in the tabloids, if you remember. It had all the necessary ingredients for a press a celebrity; a private island cut off by the wind…and a murder.
We found ourselves trapped there overnight. Our old friendships concealed hatred and a desire for revenge. What followed was a game of cat and mouse ― a battle of wits, full of twists and turns, building to an unforgettable climax. The night ended in violence and death, as one of us was found murdered.
But who am I?
My name is Elliot Chase, and I’m going to tell you a story unlike any you’ve ever heard.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
Do you enjoy reading graphic novels? Have you ever read an online comic or graphic novel? Lore Olympus is, so far, the only one I’ve gotten sucked into, but I love it so much!
Lore Olympus Volume 2 & 3 By Rachel Smythe Book 168 & 169 of 2023
This is the last of my 2023 reviews! Unless I post out of order from my current plan, which could honestly happen.
I read Lore Olympus like 6 years ago on Webtoons. There were probably 100 episodes at the time? 50? I don’t know, there were a lot and I binged them all in one or two days. I *think* I ended up around Volume 2. For me, I couldn’t keep up with it once I had to read it on a weekly basis instead of a huge binge. I had a hard time keep track of the plot from week to week, and it seemed like such a small taste of the story to read just one episode!! I was so happy when I found out they were being published and I could go back to bingeing them 25 episodes at a time. Or in this case, 50, since I read Volumes 2 & 3 back to back.
I do feel spoiled by all the romances I read – so this will they won’t they that I’m used to seeing on TV doesn’t do it for me quite the way it used to. But I cannot put these down! The artwork is so rich and gorgeous, and I love how Smythe characterizes all of the Greek gods and goddesses and plays with their traditional stories.
If you haven’t read these yet, I highly recommend giving them a try!
The week of Christmas I read 5 amazing Christmas books, putting my total Christmasy reads for this year at 7, which I think is a record! Do you like to read Christmas books or other holiday reads? Will you only read them during the holiday season, or will you read them anytime? Did you have a favorite you want to recommend to me?
If you’re like me and only read Christmas books in December, Save this post for your next holiday season!
(Two not mentioned: Kiss Her Once For Me & Wreck the Halls, which I have longer reviews of on Goodreads!)
Amor Actually By Adriana Herrera, Alexis Daria, Diana Munoz Stewart, Mia Sosa, Priscilla Oliveras, Sabrina Sol, Zoey Castile 🎧 Narrated by: full cast Book 166 of 2023
A reimagining of “Love Actually” with a diverse Latinx cast! I don’t know if I could pick a favorite, but I think I especially loved the stories based on plot lines that I didn’t like in Love Actually. I don’t usually gravitate towards novellas because I don’t feel like the book is going somewhere specific. These novellas are loosely tied together by a party they are all attending at the end, and since I’ve seen Love Actually a million times, it felt more tied together than other novella collections I have read. This is the spiciest of the Christmas books that I read. Highly recommend the audiobook!
A Merry Little Meet Cute By Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone 🎧 Narrated by: Joy Nash & Sebastian York Book 165 of 2023
Funny, sweet, spicy, and surprisingly heartfelt. An adult film star and an ex-boyband member are cast together in a Hallmark-esque Christmas movie. Bianca is trying to keep her less wholesome identity a secret, Nolan is one of her biggest fans, and she used to have his poster on her wall. The two try to keep it professional but are absolutely smitten with each other. I devoured this book and loved the entire cast of characters. Also highly recommend on audiobook!
I loved hanging out with the Wallflowers for a Christmas novella. The plot revolves around Rafe Bowman, brother to two of the wallflowers, whose parents are arranging a marriage to Natalie Blanford.
Read if: you have already read The Wallflower series (which I loved except for the first book)
Skip if: you can’t handle a man kissing a woman with dubious consent. Which is reasonable and I question myself for being able to side eye it and still enjoy the book.
All of the lovely historical romance vibes of The Wallflowers, none of the dubious consent! I loved The Captain’s Midwinter Bride so much I read it WITH MY EYES!
The Daltons have been married for over two decades, but barely know each other. Captain Philip Dalton is now retired, and has decided to get to know the woman he married so long ago, and the mother of his children. I loved watching the two of them get to know each other. They are also preparing for the marriage of their daughter, and I loved watching Philip explore his relationship with his children as well. I’m excited to continue this series.
Same Time Next Year By Tessa Bailey 🎧 Narrated by: William LeRoy and Carmen Vine Book 175 of 2023
Ok, this is a New Year’s romance, not a Christmas romance, but I’m including it anyway. This is a delightful green card marriage romance if you like Tessa Bailey’s writing. She’s kind of kooky, but I love how absolutely head over heels her men are for her women on like page one. And after TWO books in a week where no meant yes (ew), I love that enthusiastic consent is also part of her romantic scenes. I loved the narrators.
Did you read any of these? Have any I need to add to my next Christmas TBR?
Happy New Year! I had a great time reading in December but am now desperately in need of a 5 star, can’t-put-it-down book! I’m hoping this month’s reread of Crescent City 2 does the trick!
❄️ Long Covid Update❄️
In December I started working with a physical therapy program that specializes in chronic fatigue and other Long Covid issues. Exercise with LC is extremely difficult because most people with fatigue symptoms get Post-Exercise Malaise (PEM) – basically you feel worse and can’t do anything else for some time after exercising. And by time, it could be days. So, definitely needed some professional help! It’s going really well overall – some days I feel amazing after PT and others I feel drained – but overall I am learning how to manage my symptoms more so I don’t have extreme energy crashes. I’ve regained a lot of mental clarity and have started to actually make plans and follow through with them! I cannot tell you how much I’ve missed feeling like an adult who can handle adult responsibilities.
Reading Goals:
❄️ 23 for ‘23: 6 of 4 planned ❄️ PopSugar: 3 of 3 planned (finished the 2023 challenge!) ❄️ ARCs: 6 read, 2 December ARCs missed ❄️ Physical TBR backlist: 6 of 4 ❄️ BOTM: 1 of 1 (finished the 2023 challenge!) (Ok I DNFed it but that counts.)
Key: 😍 Reread 📖 physical/ebook 🎧 Audiobook 📖🎧 = mix of both 📓 ARC / ALC 🖋 Reviewed on instagram, goodreads, TikTok 📚 Series If it doesn’t have a 🖋, the review will be coming next month!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📖🎧📓🖋📚 Undercover Bromance 📖📓🖋📚 Wreck the Halls 📖🎧📓🖋📚 A Lady’s Rules for Ruin 😍📖🎧📚 House of Earth and Blood 🎧 Long Way Down
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 📖🎧📓🖋 The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed 🎧 Amor Actually 😍📖📚 Lore Olympus Vol. 2 📖📚 Lore Olympus Vol. 3
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📖🎧📚 The Forest Grimm 📖🎧📚 A Lot Like Adios 📖🎧📓📚 A Merry Little Meet Cute 📖📓📚 Second Duke’s the Charm 🎧📚 A Wallflower Christmas 📖📚 The Captain’s Midwinter Bride 🎧📚 Tastes Like Shakkar 🎧 Same Time Next Year
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 📖🎧📓🖋📚 Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🎧📚 Playing the Odds (I read this just to finish the PopSugar Challenge)
What was your favorite read in December? Do we have any books in common? Do you have any goals for January?
Jana and Books 