I love reading and reviewing books so naturally I use Netgalley. It’s a wonderful way to get eARCs and for international bloggers sometimes one of the only manners of getting review copies. But even though I enjoy it and love using it, I’m so bad at it haha. I currently have 29 titles waiting for me to read them. My feedback ratio isn’t that great and I really hope to change that in the upcoming months. Maybe this post will help me a bit haha. Since there are quite some books, I will focus today’s post on the one in the ‘older than 3 months’ section. Let’s get into it!
The Unbinding of Mary Reade – Miriam McNamara
(June 19th 2018)
A clever, romantic novel based on the true story of a girl who disguised herself as a boy to sail with the infamous pirates Anne Bonny and Calico Jack—and fell in love with Anne Bonny.
I loved the premise for this one and was super excited to read it. And I did start it, probably a year ago or something haha. But so far it’s pretty boring and I have trouble getting into it. Hopefully I can finish it soon!
The Coven – Chrissy Lessey
(June 27th 2017)
The future queen awakens…
Newly single mother Stevie Lewis divides her time between raising Charlie, running a store with her best friend, and avoiding the meetings of her mother’s Beaufort Historic Society. Although her life has its challenges, it’s altogether average. Just the way she likes it.
When Vanessa, a ruthless dark witch, launches an attack against young Charlie, Stevie’s simple life derails, and her long-dormant powers awaken. A 300-year-old secret is exposed, revealing her destiny to one day rule the clandestine community of witches who hide in plain sight.
Now she must master her own magical powers before it’s too late. Because Vanessa’s on the warpath, and only Stevie can stop her.
This one was in the Read Now section and one of the first books I ever downloaded. Since then I kinda lost interest if I’m being honest. There are pretty good reviews for this one up on Goodreads so I do still want to give it a shot.
School for Psychics – K.C. Archer
(April 3rd 2018)
Teddy Cannon isn’t your typical twenty-something woman. Yes she’s resourceful, bright, and scrappy. But she can also read people with uncanny precision. What she doesn’t realize: she’s actually psychic.
When a series of bad decisions leads Teddy to a run-in with the police, a mysterious stranger intervenes. He invites her to apply to the School for Psychics, a facility hidden off the coast of San Francisco where students are trained like Delta Force operatives: it’s competitive, cutthroat, and highly secretive. They’ll learn telepathy, telekinesis, investigative skills, and SWAT tactics. And if students survive their training, they go on to serve at the highest levels of government, using their skills to protect America, and the world.
In class, Teddy befriends Lucas, a rebel without a cause who can start and manipulate fire; Jillian, a hipster who can mediate communication between animals and humans; and Molly, a hacker who can apprehend the emotional state of another individual. But just as Teddy feels like she’s found where she might belong, strange things begin to happen: break-ins, missing students, and more. It leads Teddy to accept a dangerous mission that will ultimately cause her to question everything—her teachers, her friends, her family, and even herself.
The title of this one is definitely what drew me in! And I’m still pretty excited about this one. The reviews are pretty mixed so my expectations aren’t super high. However it’s still a book about a ‘magical’ school and I’m always here for that!
Song of Blood & Stone – L. Penelope
(May 1st 2018)
Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive–an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart.
Jack’s mission behind enemy lines to prove that the Mantle between Elsira and Lagamiri is about to fall nearly cost him his life, but he is saved by the healing Song of a mysterious young woman. Now he must do whatever it takes to save Elsira and it’s people from the True Father and he needs Jasminda’s Earthsong to do it. They escape their ruthless captors and together they embark on a perilous journey to save Elsira and to uncover the secrets of The Queen Who Sleeps.
Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation.
The fates of two nations hang in the balance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war.
Another one with mixed reviews. However, this one some of my friends actually did read and they really enjoyed it so my hopes are pretty high. It’s a historical fantasy and I need more of those in my life so I’m excited to pick it up.
Outrun the Wind – Elizabeth Tammi
(November 27th 2018)
The Huntresses of Artemis must obey two rules: never disobey the goddess, and never fall in love. After being rescued from a harrowing life as an Oracle of Delphi, Kahina is glad to be a part of the Hunt; living among a group of female warriors gives her a chance to reclaim her strength, even while her prophetic powers linger. But when a routine mission goes awry, Kahina breaks the first rule in order to save the legendary huntress Atalanta.
To earn back Artemis’s favor, Kahina must complete a dangerous task in the kingdom of Arkadia— where the king’s daughter is revealed to be none other than Atalanta. Still reeling from her disastrous quest and her father’s insistence on marriage, Atalanta isn’t sure what to make of Kahina. As her connection to Atalanta deepens, Kahina finds herself in danger of breaking Artemis’ second rule.
She helps Atalanta devise a dangerous game to avoid marriage, and word spreads throughout Greece, attracting suitors willing to tempt fate to go up against Atalanta in a race for her hand. But when the men responsible for both the girls’ dark pasts arrive, the game turns deadly.
I did start this one months ago but something else caught my attention and I haven’t picked it up since. It’s based on mythology, something I really enjoy! Some of my friends rated it highly so I’m hopeful.
Charley Davidson #2-#12 – Darynda Jones
Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an entity who has been following her all her life…and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can’t she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?
With scorching-hot tension and high-octane humor, First Grave on the Right is your signpost to paranormal suspense of the highest order.
This is the synopsis for the first book in the series. The whole series up to date was on Read Now so I got the whole thing. I already read the first book and enjoyed it. These aren’t the books I normally read so I don’t feel like bingeing the complete series but I do want to continue reading these book!
Potency – Aubrey Hadley
(July 16th 2019)
The Maasai Mara Sleeping Syndrome has returned after a six-month hiatus. This time, it’s popped up in New York, and it’s wiped out an entire homeless shelter.
The same night of the outbreak, Harper, a seventeen-year-old girl, stumbles across a glowing figure in the desert outskirts of her neighborhood. As her suburb goes on lockdown, Harper finds herself isolated from her friends and family, and soon begins to suspect that the events — though thousands of miles apart — may have something in common.
Harper must find her bravery and embark on a plot-twisting adventure that will have her looking for answers in unexpected places… and worlds.
I believe I got an email about this one and thought it looked pretty interesting. The reviews however, are extremely low. I think this might be the lowest rated book I added on Goodreads actually. It might be a while before I pick this up.
Little Darlings – Melanie Golding
(April 30th 2019)
“Mother knows best” takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Grimms’ Fairy Tales.
Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.
A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley―to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies.
Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.
Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking―and rechecking―your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.
This is another one I already started. I was really planning on reading this before the release. It’s an adult thriller with great reviews. And I enjoy those books a lot, I just couldn’t get into the story at the moment. Hopefully I will once I pick it back up!
So these are the books on my Netgalley backlist! Have you read any of these? Or is there one you really want me to read? Let me know in the comments!
You gotta do Song of Blood and Stone <3 Just because that cover and synopsis sound interesting. That’s my vote! This is a good post to do! My ratio isn’t good as well because I took a break for a year and never looked at what I was getting but I’m trying to raise it back up. I know you can do it!
aah thank you! And I guess Song of Blood and Stone will now be one of the first one I’ll read 😉
Ahh I can’t wait to read your thoughts on it!
My dining room has stacks of books (I don’t do ebooks) waiting to be read. At least I pile them in order of pub date! I have a quickie review post with several books in the works too. Thanks for sharing these! (And reminding me to get moving!)
Kristin recently posted…Review: If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann