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Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Jan 7
my top books of 2025!
it is time to talk about THE BEST BOOKS I READ IN 2025! aka my top 25 books of 2025! I read so many amazing books and this was so hard to do but these are some that really stuck out to me and ones that i really enjoyed.
manifesting we all have a phenomenal reading year in 2026!
4
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Jan 2
aaaand the winner for our first bookclub book of the year is …..\
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Jade City by Fonda Lee !!\
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this is going to be a reread for me (i loooove the greenbone saga) but i’ve been meaning to reread it for a while so this is perfect! i hope you all love it as much as i do (or are joining me for a reread👀)
JANUARY BOOKCLUB PICK💚
1 book
3
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Dec 30 2025
[Poll:\
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january book\
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my bookclub (diverSCIFI your reading) is making a comeback for 2026!! please vote on our first book of the year and i’m so excited to read with you all🧚\
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book options:\
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- a song of legends lost by m. h. ayinde\
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- jade city by fonda lee\
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- the gilded abyss by rebecca thorne\
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- to be taught, if fortunate by becky chambers \
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tbh i don’t even know which one to vote for!](https://alyssaslibrary.binderybooks.com/item/JJul0sjANxZKRZzU14AE/)
JANUARY BOOKCLUB VOTE
4 books
7
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Nov 6 2025
october reading wrap up🧛🏻♀️
i forgot to mention that i also (reread) the tea dragon society. one of my fav graphic novels <3 here are all the books i read in october & my thoughts on them #booktok #octoberreads #octoberwrapup #readingwrapup #monthlyreadingwrapup
12 books
2
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Oct 30 2025
ANNNNDDD we have a winner!! our november book club book is ….\
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the isle in the silver sea by tasha suri !!!\
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tasha suri is one of my favourite authors and i just know im gonna love this one. sapphic lady knights let’s gooo⚔️
NOVEMBER BOOK CLUB PICK⚔️
1 book
5
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Oct 27 2025
[Poll:\
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november read\
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i can’t believe it’s already almost november y'all, time is genuinely flyingggg. here are four options for our november bookclub read! \
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options:\
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- cursebound by saara el-arifi (sequel to faebound)\
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- the isle in the silver sea by tasha suri\
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- eternal ruin by tigest girma (sequel to immortal dark)\
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- to bargain with mortals by r. a. basu\
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as always if you want to read along with everyone, join my discord <3](https://alyssaslibrary.binderybooks.com/item/Jll6VXprmnkOdw0YvDAg/)
november book options!
4 books
6
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Oct 7 2025
september wrap up!!
the 8 books i read in september, hopefully in october we get some 5 star reads 🥲 #booktok #readingwrapup #septemberrecap #septemberreads
8 books
6
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Oct 1 2025
i’m sooo excited to announce that our october book for diverSCIFI your reading is ….\
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immortal dark by tigest girma !!!!\
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immortal dark features an all black cast, TRUE enemies to loves (like they actually want to kill each other), and a cool ass unique magic system. i read this book last year and i loooved it so i can’t wait to reread it in preparation for book 2 🤭\
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join my discord to chat with everyone about our bookclub book (& more!)
OCTOBER BOOK🧛🏻♀️
1 book
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Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Oct 1 2025
[THE BINDERY APP HAS ARRIVEDDDD!! now it’s easier to see all of your favs posts (including mine) and it’s in the IOS app store (don’t worry android will be coming soon). hope you all get it and join me over there!!\
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BINDERY APP!!
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Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Sep 29 2025
in honour of a certain book coming out and just the state of the world, here are some books with trans, non-binary, and genderqueer characters that you should read. it’s so incredibly important to continue to uplift these voices and i hope you all enjoy these and feel free to comment some more recommendations!\
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fantasy & sci-fi\
- the spirit bares its teeth / compound fracture by andrew joseph white\
- the unbroken by c. l. clark\
- the blighted stars by megan e. o’keefe\
- pet by akwaeke emezi\
- faebound / the final strife by saara el-artifi\
- these burning stars by bethany jacobs\
- she who became the sun by shelley parker-chan\
- lakelore by anna marie-mclemore\
- hammajang luck by makana yamamtao\
- the witch king by h. e edgmon \
- the city beautiful by aden polydorous\
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-her majesty’s royal coven by juno dawson\
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-light from uncommon stars by ryka aoki\
- a bone in his teeth by kellen graves\
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-brighter than scale swifter than flame by neon yang\
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-mistress of lies by k m enright\
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-cemerety boys / the sunbearer trails by aiden thomas\
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-sorrowland by rivers solomon\
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-seven devils by laura lam and elizabeth may\
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romance\
- a gentlemans gentleman by tj alexander \
- make room for love by darcy liao\
- love & other disasters by anita kelly\
- i wish you all the best by mason deaver\
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-felix ever after by kacen callender
TRANS BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
27 books
9
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Sep 28 2025
[Poll:\
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octotober pick:\
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october is around the corner so it’s time to pick out our october bookclub read!! this month i chose four options that are spooky, atmospheric, gothic, and include some creepy creatures. i can’t wait to see what we’re gonna read, i dont know how i’m going to choose just one!\
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the options are:\
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- the maiden and her monster by maddie martinez\
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- house of the beast by michelle wong\
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- someone you can build a nest in by john wiswell\
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- immortal dark by tigest girma\
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join my discord to chat about the book we’re going to read! can’t wait to read with you all again <3](https://alyssaslibrary.binderybooks.com/item/2rew96WmvX20xqpxGkxU/)
PICK OUR OCTOBER BOOK 🍂👻
4 books
5
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Sep 4 2025
it’s time to talk about all the books i read in august! i read a total of 12 books and so many of them were amazing so let’s get into it:\
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TOP THREE READS:\
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Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (5⭐️) -> this is one of my new ALL TIME favourite books ever. i think this book is so important to read (especially now) because of the themes surrounding oppression, resistance, protests, and the state of the world as a whole. this is one of the best dystopian books i’ve read and this will stick with me for a long time (probably forever).\
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My Friends by Fredrick Backman (5⭐️) -> WOW. this book put me through all the emotions and i haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since i finsihed. the way fredrick backman created such a layered story with discussions surrounding life, death, mental illness, and friendships was absolutely spectacular. this was funny, heartwarming, and absolutely devastating all at the same time. highly recommend this one!\
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Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone (5⭐️)-> one of my new alllll time favourite romance books! sometimes with romance i have a hard time not getting bored throughout if nothings happening lol BUT THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE ROMANCE!! the tension, the yearning, the ACTUAL SLOW BURN friends to lovers??? absolutely ate this up. the exploration surrounding grief and loss was spectacular. definitely a new fav!\
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EVERYTHING ELSE:\
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An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson (3.75⭐️)-> this was my first book by this author and definitely not my last! this was the perfect dark academia, spooky, creepy read that i was looking for and i adored those aspects of the book! the only issues i had with this was the pacing (sometimes sooooo many things happened and sometimes nothing happened) and the romance. i didn’t feel connected to the characters enough to care about it but overall i enjoyed myself!\
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Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (4.5⭐️) -> i don’t read a lot of literary fiction but this book was absolutely spectacular! i felt so deeply for cyrus and his story, and i was hooked from the first page. i can see why this book is so loved in the book community, it was so beautiful and definitely one i’ll be thinking about for a long time.\
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Between Broomsticks & Beating Wings by Marissa Serrao (4.25⭐️) -> this is an indie sapphic fantasy book that absolutely delivered! in this book we follow a human witch and a valkyrie where they strike a deal and have to venture into the underworld together. i thought the romance was so sweet and i loved the two characters individually and together. my favourite character was definitely the ghost cat tho :)\
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The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas (4.5⭐️) -> after reading the vampires of el norte, i knew i had to read this one and i loved it even more! this one was definitely more focused on the horror aspects than the romance but i thought both were so well done. the yearning was impeccable and i was so scared throughout most of the book lol. loooved this one sm!\
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Blood Moon by Brittany S. Lewis (3.75⭐️) -> this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and i had a fun time with this one! this one felt so nostalgic and it very much reminded me of twilight lol. i thought the plot was so interesting (even though it was a little predictable) but i wasn’t invested in the romance that much. hopefully book 2 is even better!\
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An Unlikely Coven by A. M. Kvita (4.5⭐️) -> this debut cozy fantasy was SO ADORABLE! this is one of my new favourite cozy fantasy books with such an adorable cast of characters! joan was such an intriguing character to read from and i loved her little found family that she found <3 i HIGHLY recommend you get this one when it comes out in October!\
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Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R Weaver (3⭐️) -> unfortunately this was my least favourite book of the month. this is a scifi thriller that started off so strong but the farther i got into it, the less i started caring about the characters. i felt that this was very predictable and i wasn’t connected to anyone in this book. i was sad this didn’t work for me but you may enjoy it more than i did!\
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I, Medusa by Ayana Gray (4.5⭐️) -> one of THE BEST medusa retellings i’ve ever read! the writing was absolutely phenomenal, and i felt so much for medusa as a character. it was so interesting to see how she went from maiden, to mistress, to monster, and finally to myth. this was so hard hitting and I can’t recommend this one enough! definitely buy it when it comes out in October :)\
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Climate of Chaos by Cassandra Newbould (3.25⭐️) -> i’m so sad i didn’t like this one more. this is a YA dystopian that follows a disabled protagonist (AMAZING!!) where she will do anything to get her sister back. i loved the representation in this, but i thought the plot was lacking. i also was not a huge fan of the romance lol because its lowkey second chance (ish?) but the mmc was not justifying cutting off the mmc. unfortunately this didn’t work for me :/
AUGUST READING WRAP UP
12 books
4
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Aug 30 2025
the votes are in and our september book club read will be ….. FAEBOUND BY SAARA EL-ARIFI!!\
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faebound is a sapphic romantasy following two elven sisters navigating the seductive fae court. i’m really excited to read this one with you all!\
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if you want to follow along for my thoughts and feelings / talk about each chapter, join my discord where we’re going to be chatting about the book!\
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https://discord.gg/NnjRYh3V\
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and remember, all of you will get an exclusive reading vlog for this book! stay tuned for my thoughts and feelings 🤭
SEPTEMBER BOOK CLUB PICK
1 book
4
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Aug 26 2025
[Poll:\
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september book\
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i’m sooooo excited to announce that it’s finally time to launch my bookclub and pick our first read together! \
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my bookclub is called “diverSCIFI your reading” where each month we will pick from a selection of diverse fantasy & scifi reads. reading diversely is so important and i want to continue to amplify diverse voices through our bookclub reads each month!\
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all members of my bookclub are welcome to join my discord where we can chat about each book we pick AND members of my bindery will get an exclusive reading vlog from me for our pick that month!👀\
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without further ado, let’s choose our first read together! the options are:\
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- godkiller by hannah kaner \
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- the two lies of faven scythe by megan e. o’keefe\
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- this ravenous fate by hayley dennings\
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- faebound by saara el-arifi\
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can’t wait to read one of these with all of you <3](https://alyssaslibrary.binderybooks.com/item/paOMqcRZ7xmFKY1WJ2g9/)
pick our first bookclub book
4 books
4
2
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Aug 18 2025
some sapphic fantasy books you need to read this fall <333
some sapphic fantasy books you need to read this fall <333
14 books
2
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Aug 1 2025
[hello hello hello!! welcome to my bindery page where we will be focusing on diverse stories (specifically fantasy & sci-fi books). this is the page for you if you:\
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- prioritize reading diversely ALL YEAR\
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- are against book bans\
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- support your local library\
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- think reading is political \
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i hope you all enjoy this journey and i can’t wait to just yap about books with you all! thank you for being here and stay tuned for some content soon <3](https://alyssaslibrary.binderybooks.com/item/cm6O611gy1Rb2oT6eLJd/)
WELCOME!!
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Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Jul 31 2025
I cannot believe we're already over halfway through the year and in AUGUST! Absolutely bonkers to me, this year (especially this summer) is just flying by. These are all the books I read in July with some of my thoughts. It was definitely a slower month for me but I enjoyed most of the books I did end up reading!\
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TOP 3 READS OF THE MONTH\
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Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan (5/5 stars) -> i am a firm believer that kennedy ryan can do NO WRONG. this was absolutely phenomenal and everything i wanted in the last in the 'skyland' series. mav and hendrix connected on so many levels, physically and mentally. the way they grew together and individually was absolutely beautiful and mav was SO DOWN BAD FOR HER!! i also adored how this book handled having an aging parent with alzheimer's and the struggles that came with that. highly recommend all the books in this series!\
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The Lies of Ajungo by Moses Ume Utomi (5/5 stars) -> this was such a pleasant surprise. i was not expecting an 86 page novella to hit this hard oh my godddd. the premise was so intriguing, i loved how we followed a 13 year old boy on a quest in the forever desert in search for water to bring back to his city and save his mothers life. the companions he made along the way, the revelations he had, EVERYTHING about this hit for me. i cannot wait to read the next two in the series!\
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Voidwalker by S. A. Mclean (4.5/5 stars) -> as a monster romance lover, this hit every box i wanted it to! this was such a fun time and i was absolutely hooked from beginning to end. fi was such a badass fmc who took no shit from anyone, and antal just gives 'looks that they could kill you but is a cinnamon roll'. their dynamic was absolutely hilarious and their banter was everything! this book was such a fun ride and i loooove my bi4bi couple. highly recommend this one when it releases this month!\
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EVERYTHING ELSE\
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Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young (4.25/5 stars) -> i absolutely ate this one up! this follows characters that you meet in 'out on a limb' which is one of my favourite romance books ever. this one also has one of my favourite underrated tropes (marriage in crisis) and it was done soooo well. i loved the couples camping retreat, it was so funny especially because both our main characters are so nature adverse lol. i loved the way they grew individually and together as a couple and were able to work through the issues they were having. \
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Try Your Worst by Chatham Greenfield (3.75/5 stars) -> this was such a cute sapphic cozy mystery! this is rivals to lovers with our two main characters who ALWAYS prank each other, but when someone else starts pranking them both and our two main characters must work together to figure everything out. the characters were so cute and i loved the representation in this as well. one of my only complaints is that i felt like the ending was a little underwhelming and wrapped up too quickly for my liking. \
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Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore (4/5 stars) -> i didn't know what i expected going into this, but i liked this soooo much! this book focuses so much on identity, and mental health and i felt so seen by both of these characters. the talks about therapy, ADHD, anxiety, and dyslexia were embedded with such care and it was definitely the highlight for me. i wish there was a little more depth to the fantasy aspects of the underwater world and that was incorporated more but i highly recommend this one!\
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When Among Crows by Veronica Roth (3/5 stars) -> this one was a little disappointing to me. the premise was so interesting and i really with this was a full length novel. i think the magic system and the way it worked was soooo incredible and so much more could be done if it we had more time. the relationship went too fast for my liking and i felt like it wasn't very necessary to the story. i didn't really understand their attraction to each other and i wasn't too connected to the characters but i am interested in reading book 2 when it comes out. \
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Fate of the Five by Niamh Rose (4.25/5 stars) -> this was suchhhh a great debut! this year i've been wanting to read more books by indie authors and this one was so much fun. the political intrigue, the court dynamics, and the characters were all soooo good. i loooved the potential romance set ups, especially the slow burn MM romance brewing. the YEARNING was top notch and i can't wait to see what happens in the next book! my only gripe is that i felt like there were too many pov's (there were 9) and i definitely had my favourites to read from.\
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The Gryphon King by Sara Omer (3.75/5 stars) -> okay wow this one was sooo good in so many aspects! i loved how there were monstrous pegasi, gryphons, and so many animals. i wish we got into the lore a little more and saw more of the pegasi specifically but i adored how only women rode them into battle. the romance setup is so intriguing because the sapphic yearning was sooo good but i also think it may turn polyamorous??? sooo intrigured about that! this was action packed from beginning to end with lots of history and i had a great time!\
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Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (4/5 stars) -> don't be fooled, this definitely leans more into historical romance than horror. despite that, i had a great time with this one and i was sooo invested in the relationship! néstor and nena's relationship was so tender and i loved how you could feel the love they had for each other from beginning to end. the exploration about the United States invasion in Mexico was so brutal and i felt every emotions the characters were going through. i cannot wait to read more books from this author!\
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The Lure of their Graves by Laura R. Samotin (4/5 stars) -> This is the sequel to The Sins on their Bones and it did not disappoint! This duology has become one of my favourites to recommend because of it's intriguing / atmospheric setting, the top tier character work, and the mental health representation. I love how it focuses on a main character finding themselves again after a mentally / emotionally / physically abusive marriage. I felt so deeply for Dimitri and everything he was going through with his ex-husband, and how draining that is on your mind and your body. I loved the support system he had as well, you can tell that his friends truly cared about him and his well being. I highly recommend this series but look up trigger warning first!
July Reading Wrap Up + Ratings
11 books
4
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Jul 30 2025
Physical TBR Challenge: Week 14
a (slower) week of reads for me but i did read one of my favourites of the month so i call that a win #booktok #physicaltbrchallenge #tbrchallenge #readingvlog
4 books
2
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Jul 30 2025
Unsettling / Gothic Summer Reads
been loving some spooky / unsettling reads for the summer recently, i have so many on my tbr that im excited to read 👀 #booktok #summerreads #gothicbooks #spookyreads
9 books
1
Alyssa’s Library\
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alyssa\
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• Jul 30 2025
Queer Adult Indie Fantasy Book to Add to Your TBR
one of my goals this year is to read more indie books and this one was perfectttt!! we have lots of great queer rep, disability rep & intriguing characters. fate of the five by nimah rose wasn’t perfect but i loved it regardless! #booktok #fantasybooktok #indiefantasybooks #queerbook #mmromance
1 book