Anticipated Releases 2023

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is my most anticipated releases for the first half of 2023!

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (expected publication January 3rd 2023)

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert (expected publication January 3rd 2023)

Hellbent by Leigh Bardugo (expected publication January 10th 2023)

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire (expected publication January 10th 2023)

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (expected publication January 17th 2023)

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz (expected publication February 21st 2023)

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (expected publication February 28th 2023)

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (expected publication March 28th 2023)

Happy Place by Emily Henry (expected publication April 25th 2023)

The Only One Left by Riley Sager (expected publication June 20th 2023)

December Wrap Up

In December I had a pretty good reading month despite how busy it was with all the holiday festivities. I managed to complete 10 books which put me at the 100 books read mark for 2022 which I am thrilled about!

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher ⭐️3/5 stars

We Spread by Iain Reid⭐️2/5 stars

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan⭐️4/5 stars

Book Lovers by Emily Henry⭐️5/5 stars

Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher⭐️3/5 stars

All of Our Demise by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman⭐️3/5 stars

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware⭐️3/5 stars

The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa⭐️4/5 stars

My Best Friends Exorcism by Grady Hendrix⭐️3/5 stars

The Maid by Nita Prose⭐️4/5 stars

Goodreads Choice Awards Best Fantasy

Every year it seems that I’ve read less and less of the nominees for the Goodreads Choice Awards in the fantasy categories even though it is my favourite genre. This year in the adult category I’ve read 3 of the 20 which makes sense since I haven’t been prioritizing a lot of the fantasy books on my TBR which I want to change in the coming year. I think in the next month I want to try and get to at least two more of the nominees that are on my TBR and I would love to try and complete at least the top 10 books that are announced next year! For the full list of the nominees click HERE!

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Nettle & Bone Review

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra—the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter—has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself. Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince—if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning.

I quite enjoyed Marra’s character. I think at the start she came across as quite naïve at times and refuses to see the world for what it is hidden away in her convent but as she became more aware of what was happening to her family and the hold the northern kingdom has on them she evolves and decides to take action. She is very much devoted to her course and won’t let her fears of other people and how she is being perceived stop her from trying to help.

The gravewitch was definitely my favourite of the characters. Her rapport with everyone around her was very entertaining and I appreciated how candid and straight out she was with Marra. She didn’t sugar coat anything and would call each of them out respectively when they were pushing themselves to much. Her knowledge of the magic within this world was highly necessary and a great way for us as the reader to learn more about it but I do wish we could of seen her wield it a lot more throughout the course of the story.

Fenris was just an ok kind of character for me. He felt a little cliché but I can appreciate how his presence was necessary to the plot line and how the story played out. He was just a little too nice and placid for me, I think if we would of seen him in action a bit more I would of liked him better. Agnes on the other hand was a pleasant addition for me. I liked how upbeat and carefree she seems and the fact that she lied about doing curses because she didn’t want to be affiliated with them even though she could be very powerful.

Overall I just needed a bit more development and time with each of the characters and on the journey. If this had maybe 100 more pages with exposition I would feel so much more grounded in the world and create more of a connection with all of the different characters. I loved the premise and the quest portion of the story but I found that I didn’t really care about the outcome because I wasn’t all that invested.

⭐️3/5 stars felt like a classic fairytale with a demon possessed chicken lol