Alex
A massive thank you to Sourcebooks and Kamilah Cole for my e-arc of my most anticipated read! I first need to shout out how sweet Kamilah is. I met his at Worldcon in Seattle and told her how excited I am to read her book and she told me to send her a message and she’d get me an arc. What a life saver!
TLDR: I absolutely loved it!
An Arcane Inheritance is a part dark academia, minor plot of romance and fantasy. I had such a good time being in the world of Warren University in Ellory Morgan’s head. Ellory is a freshman at the prestigious and elite university. As a Black woman she is in the minority of this school and it doesn’t help that she’s not as financially stable as most of the students. Ellory is such a multifaceted character that I really felt every emotion she did. Betrayal, love, frustration, everything. The mystery was so good! I was enthralled from the first page. There is something about it Kamilah’s writing that really sticks with me and keeps me locked in the whole time.
The twist had my jaw on the floor! I can’t say too much but just know it was so good it had me wishing there were more books coming with this story. I definitely felt hints of Babel with less info dumping. I loved how Kamilah examined the themes of classism, elitism and racism within the scope of academia. I know it’s talked about fairly often now, but truly it felt like a new voice in this genre and I had such a great time with it. I can’t recommend it enough.
Originally posted at www.goodreads.com.
A massive thank you to Sourcebooks and Kamilah Cole for my e-arc of my most anticipated read! I first need to shout out how sweet Kamilah is. I met his at Worldcon in Seattle and told her how excited I am to read her book and she told me to send her a message and she’d get me an arc. What a life saver!
TLDR: I absolutely loved it!
An Arcane Inheritance is a part dark academia, minor plot of romance and fantasy. I had such a good time being in the world of Warren University in Ellory Morgan’s head. Ellory is a freshman at the prestigious and elite university. As a Black woman she is in the minority of this school and it doesn’t help that she’s not as financially stable as most of the students. Ellory is such a multifaceted character that I really felt every emotion she did. Betrayal, love, frustration, everything. The mystery was so good! I was enthralled from the first page. There is something about it Kamilah’s writing that really sticks with me and keeps me locked in the whole time.
The twist had my jaw on the floor! I can’t say too much but just know it was so good it had me wishing there were more books coming with this story. I definitely felt hints of Babel with less info dumping. I loved how Kamilah examined the themes of classism, elitism and racism within the scope of academia. I know it’s talked about fairly often now, but truly it felt like a new voice in this genre and I had such a great time with it. I can’t recommend it enough.
Originally posted at www.goodreads.com.
Updated a reading goal:
Read 150 books by December 31, 2025
Progress so far: 225 / 150 150%
Updated a reading goal:
Read 150 books by December 31, 2025
Progress so far: 225 / 150 150%
Thank you to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook.
B.K. Borison is quickly becoming my favorite romance author. I felt such a connection to Lucie. Most female leads tend to be petite girlies, a damsel in distress, if you will. I felt the complete opposite feeling about Lucie, she is a single mother in male male-dominated field, and she's 5'10.5. I never see women of my height and build being loved properly; it was such a delight to read about a woman like her. Seeing her being loved out loud and shown so much femininity without it having to be because she is dainty or smol. I loved that B.K. made a point to show her mental fortitude and physical strength, but not make her masculine. I feel like sometimes that can be lost. The romance between Lucie and Aiden felt so organic, and I was rooting for them. I really loved this story.
I know it's not the forefront of the book, but the relationship between Lucie and her ex was such a delight. I loved how they went to bat for one another. Being young and getting pregnant before you know who you are or what you want, for some, might be the defining factor in why someone might stay stuck. I love that they both did what was best for them and still have such a close bond.
I highly reccomend this one, it was the perfect combination of banter, growth, and spice. I can't wait to read the next in the sequel early next year.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook.
B.K. Borison is quickly becoming my favorite romance author. I felt such a connection to Lucie. Most female leads tend to be petite girlies, a damsel in distress, if you will. I felt the complete opposite feeling about Lucie, she is a single mother in male male-dominated field, and she's 5'10.5. I never see women of my height and build being loved properly; it was such a delight to read about a woman like her. Seeing her being loved out loud and shown so much femininity without it having to be because she is dainty or smol. I loved that B.K. made a point to show her mental fortitude and physical strength, but not make her masculine. I feel like sometimes that can be lost. The romance between Lucie and Aiden felt so organic, and I was rooting for them. I really loved this story.
I know it's not the forefront of the book, but the relationship between Lucie and her ex was such a delight. I loved how they went to bat for one another. Being young and getting pregnant before you know who you are or what you want, for some, might be the defining factor in why someone might stay stuck. I love that they both did what was best for them and still have such a close bond.
I highly reccomend this one, it was the perfect combination of banter, growth, and spice. I can't wait to read the next in the sequel early next year.
Donut Summer Review Author: Anita Kelly Genre: Queer Romance YA debut Release date July 28, 2025 Length: 8 hours, 44 minutes🍩 5/5 🍩 Thank you @harlequinaudio for the #gifted audiobook Donut Summer is an adorable young adult romance set in a small donut shop in rural Oregon. Penny, the oldest of four (including triplet six-year-olds!), is an overachiever working hard to save for college. When Mateo walks into her life, she enlists their help to save the family donut shop from being bought out by a big corporation. Anita Kelly is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. This book is a tender coming-of-age story filled with heart, growth, and self-discovery. Mateo is learning to stand up for themselves and assert their pronouns, while Penny is exploring her sexuality, her college choices, and what it means to recognize her privilege. Their connection feels honest and vulnerable, showing how young love can be both transformative and healing. This story had me smiling, tearing up, and craving donuts all at once. It's soft, affirming, and full of hope. I can't recommend it enough. 🍩💗
Donut Summer Review Author: Anita Kelly Genre: Queer Romance YA debut Release date July 28, 2025 Length: 8 hours, 44 minutes🍩 5/5 🍩 Thank you @harlequinaudio for the #gifted audiobook Donut Summer is an adorable young adult romance set in a small donut shop in rural Oregon. Penny, the oldest of four (including triplet six-year-olds!), is an overachiever working hard to save for college. When Mateo walks into her life, she enlists their help to save the family donut shop from being bought out by a big corporation. Anita Kelly is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors. This book is a tender coming-of-age story filled with heart, growth, and self-discovery. Mateo is learning to stand up for themselves and assert their pronouns, while Penny is exploring her sexuality, her college choices, and what it means to recognize her privilege. Their connection feels honest and vulnerable, showing how young love can be both transformative and healing. This story had me smiling, tearing up, and craving donuts all at once. It's soft, affirming, and full of hope. I can't recommend it enough. 🍩💗
“She is the reason no one goes in the water. And she will make them pay”
The writing took a bit to into the flow of, the POV switches between Anais and Bronwyn. They are cousins who are estranged because their fathers had a falling out that is not spoke of, but sept under the rug. (That seems to be a theme throughout the book. Putting the band-aid on an event that needs to be aired out). Anais and Bronwyn's grandmother is placed in hospice, Bronwyn's family moves to a small town in Arkansas. The town has a motto - we don't swim here. There are rituals and sacrifices to be made, but no locals will tell Bronwyn these rules. The mystery was so intriguing, I found myself picking this up every spare moment I had.
Once I got use to the prose that switched between the cousins, I was even more locked in. We Don't Swim Here pulls from Black folks' complicated relationship with swimming the real violent history of how white folks dealt with desegregating pools, and how history can be white washed to the point the event becomes a distant memory and an urban legend.
“She is the reason no one goes in the water. And she will make them pay”
The writing took a bit to into the flow of, the POV switches between Anais and Bronwyn. They are cousins who are estranged because their fathers had a falling out that is not spoke of, but sept under the rug. (That seems to be a theme throughout the book. Putting the band-aid on an event that needs to be aired out). Anais and Bronwyn's grandmother is placed in hospice, Bronwyn's family moves to a small town in Arkansas. The town has a motto - we don't swim here. There are rituals and sacrifices to be made, but no locals will tell Bronwyn these rules. The mystery was so intriguing, I found myself picking this up every spare moment I had.
Once I got use to the prose that switched between the cousins, I was even more locked in. We Don't Swim Here pulls from Black folks' complicated relationship with swimming the real violent history of how white folks dealt with desegregating pools, and how history can be white washed to the point the event becomes a distant memory and an urban legend.
