So this summer, I’m taking a MASSIVE road trip that’ll have me in the car for almost 14 hours straight… yeah, it’s a bit daunting. Thankfully, I’m not the one driving! This leaves me with the task of finding something to do. I’ve officially decided that I’m going to take this time and read as many books as possible! This obviously means that I made an Amazon list so fingers crossed that I can get most of those books. Will it be expensive? Yes. Can I afford it? Absolutely not.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Date Published: August 2, 2016
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Goodreads Link: It Ends With Us
Summary: “Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up
— she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.” (Goodreads)
So I’ve only read one other Colleen Hoover book and it tore my heart out… I have the sinking feeling that this one with being SO much worse… my poor family is going to have to be stuck in a car with me sobbing for hours on end. I don’t know how they put up with me.
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
Date Published: January 29, 2020
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Goodreads Link: King of Scars
Summary: “Face your demons… or feed them.
The dashing young king, Nikolai Lantsov, has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war–and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, Nikolai must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.
Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried–and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.” (Goodreads)
So I’ve read every other book in the Grishaverse and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of them (especially the Six of Crows duology). I’ve been very excited to read this book because Nikolia quickly became my favorite character in the Shadow and Bone trilogy so I about died when I realized this series was about him. I’ve heard that he and Zoya become a couple so I’m really interested to see how Bardugo develops their characters to complement one another. Oooo I’m so excited!
A Magic Steeped In Poison by Judy I. Lin
Date Published: March 29, 2022
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult
Goodreads Link: A Magic Steeped in Poison
Summary: “I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is, “These are the hands that buried my mother.”
For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it’s her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her—the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.
When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom’s greatest shennong-shi—masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making—she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning’s only chance to save her sister’s life.
But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.” (Goodreads)
I’m going to admit that the main reason I bought this book was because of the COVER! I mean LOOK AT IT! I love Asian-based stories and representation because that culture is just so beautiful in my opinion. I’m so excited to read this book on my vacation!
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Date Published: July 8, 2014
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Godoreads Link: The Kiss of Deception
Summary: “She flees on her wedding day. She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor’s secret collection. She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father. She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.
The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can’t abide. Like having to marry someone she’s never met to secure a political alliance.
Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia escapes to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.” (Goodreads)
This book was recommended to me by my aunt and the minute she told me the plot, I LOST IT! This seems like a story that will absolutely destroy me and in the book world, that’s a good thing. This will most likely be a massive binge read!
Honestly, this is only a few of the books I’m bringing. I want to bring most of my physical TBR in case I have different moods while on the road. With my luck, though, I’ll end up not being in the mood for any of them…
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