Bookish AfroLatina's Library | My October Reading Wrap-...
My October Reading Wrap-Up
Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Nov 7 2025
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The fact that October is over already has me feeling discombobulated, but the fact that I read 9 books last month is next level! It's been another rough year and I've noticed that my reading pace has consistently been up to 6 books a month until now. My guess is that I got my hands on a lot of amazing new reads, felt the spirit of my fave season take hold, and my mood was cooperating with me (for once).
Anyway, let's get into my reviews:
(S)kin by Ibi Zoboi
YA Contemporary Fantasy • Novel-In-Verse
(S)kin is a vulnerable yet powerful story that blends Caribbean folklore w/ themes of colorism, self-image, & more.
This story has 2 POVs: 15-year-old Marisol & 17-year-old Genevieve. Marisol moved to Brooklyn w/ her mom who is a soucouyant, a creature who sheds their human skin & flies into the sky as a fireball to seek out a victim to drink blood from. Her mom is stern & controlling which adds to the isolating experience of being a newly arrived immigrant. When her mom suddenly gets a job as a nanny to Genevieve’s twin half-siblings, her behavior becomes stranger. Genevieve’s skin condition had been worsening until the nanny arrived which triggers suspicions too strong to ignore.
This story was short but punched me in the feels! As someone raised by Caribbean folks, I recognized the pain & confusion that can come from seeing an elder show more affection towards one child over another due to colorism.
I feel like (S)kin allows the reader to work through & release these emotions just as much as the characters do.
Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado
Queer YA Horror/Thriller
I didn’t want to put this book down! Burn Down, Rise Up is an ode to the Bronx & the people who made it home.
No one can explain the string of mysterious disappearances in the Bronx over the past year which isn’t surprising since Black & Brown folks going missing doesn’t seem to be concerning to the police. When a mold-like disease takes hold of Raquel’s mom & her crush Charlize’s cousin vanishes shortly after, she begins to think they are linked. As the teens question what is really behind it all, they learn that the folks who disappeared didn’t follow the rules of the Echo Game, an urban legend tied to subway systems. Terrifyingly, the friends have to play the game in order to save their community from an evil lurking in a twisted version of their home.
This story is spellbinding, in part because the characters feel so real. Raquel’s parents are divorced, she’s questioning her feelings, & trying to juggle a lot on top of school. I especially love the way Tirado brought the complicated feelings a lot of Caribbean folks have about Christianity vs. religions like Santería & Vudú into the story. There’s so much to explore here, so y’all should get your hands on this novel ASAP!
Blood & Brujas by Mikayla D. Hornedo
Queer Adult Dark Romantasy
Hot Hot Hot! Blood & Brujas is an amazing example of Romantasy done well! It took me a minute to start reading it because the text was a bit small, but the audiobook helped me get immersed in this world & I quickly became addicted.
Dayanara is a badass warrior woman but when an enemy army suddenly decimates the Caldera army of brujas & knocks her unconscious, her mother & Acna offers her hand in marriage to the vampire king to secure peace. Daya wakes to find out that she is bound by a spell that keeps her & the king from harming each other, as much as she would like to knock his head off. Now, they have to convince their kingdoms that this is the best way to preserve the peace.
This all sounds a bit like the typical marriage of convenience trope, but Hornedo is clear that this is a "why choose" story. Daya is headstrong, so she's not the type to just do what she's told, which makes for a really fun & twisted tale.
Lightning in Her Hands by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Contemporary Adult Romantasy
This follow-up to The Witch of Wild Things, delivers a spicy romance w/ depth & humor, & compassion.
Teal Flores reaches out to estranged bestie Carter in desperation because she needs a date to her ex’s wedding. The thing is, they are estranged because Teal hopped into a relationship w/ said ex almost immediately after making out w/ Carter a little while back. Of course, She’s incredibly stressed about this situation & hasn’t been able to control her gift for a while. Her emotions keep triggering volitile weather. Carter is aware of it all & decides to make a deal. Teal will become his (fake) wife so that he can receive his inheritance. What could possibly go wrong between 2 people w/ unresolved romantic tension?!
I think that Gilliland handles Teal’s bipolar disorder w/ care & I’m glad it is never seen as something to fix. The focus of this story is on her relationships w/ Carter, her sisters, her mother, & herself. Despite how heavy that is, the author injects a lot of charm & perfectly timed (dirty) humor throughout the story, which I love! If this sounds like your vibe, I encourage you to read both of the books in this series!
Lucha of The Night Forest by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Queer YA Dark Fantasy
Lucha of the Night Forest was darker than I expected it to be but I loved it! Mejia writes characters with depth & never talks down to readers despite the themes of neglect, poverty, and drug abuse which I appreciated. Kids experience these things everyday & I hope they might feel seen/draw strength from books like this one.
Our MC is determined to keep her family afloat by taking some dangerous jobs. Just when she thinks she can finally walk away from it all, Lucha must make a decision that could lead to her own freedom or begin another fight for her and her little sister’s survival.
This book was addictive & I think there are a ton of things that made it great. I’m a big fan of plant magic in Fantasy, so that was super cool to see, but the lore of their goddess & world-building kept me locked in. The romance between Lucha & the mysterious acolyte was also really tender. I excited to read book 2!
BAIT by Adriana Herrera*
Queer Adult Dystopian Romance Novella
I’m obsessed w/ the novellas from After the End: A Dystopian Romance Collection! As a huge fan of Adriana Herrera’s books, I decided to start with her story BAIT & was not disappointed.
In this post-apocolypse story, a huge natural disaster sent people into bunkers for 3 decades.The bunker life is all 29-year-old Alma knows since she & her community have been told that the land & air outside are still lethal. Her world is flipped upside down when an act of defiance gets her pushed outside only to find that they had been lied to. Some of Alma’s loved ones rescue her & her libido goes into overdrive as they travel to their homestead through a once desolate landscape.
While there were a few problems w/ typos & the 2nd half of the plot could have been fleshed out more, I really enjoyed BAIT & would absolutely read a full-length novel version of it. Life in the bunker was vivid & I loved exploring the different versions of life “after the end.” This is a great short read for folks who want a super horny mash-up of Silo, Mad Max, & The Last of Us.
Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond
Adult Supernatural Horror & Alternate Hist. Fiction
Did you feel joy when you heard that the Nottoway Plantation burned down? Did you enjoy Sinners? If so, this is the book for you!
In the 1st novel of Markus Redmond’s Blood Saga, we follow the story of enslaved people on a Carolina plantation in 1710. After Willie’s failed attempt to run away, he finds out that his beloved Gertie is pregnant. Although the couple are excited to create their own family after being taken from theirs in West Africa, they are sobered by their reality; this baby will be born into slavery. Gertie believes that running is futile but Willie refuses to accept their circumstances after meeting Rafazi, a Ramangan (African vampire), who has a plan to revolt.
This novel is brutal but extremely satisfying! There’s so many themes thoughtfully woven throughout the story: We have folks who hope that “good behavior” will some day lead them to better lives while others can no longer submit. There’s discussions of colorism, what love should look like, & solidarity w/ a local Indigenous tribe.
Blood Slaves is a fantastic book that I hope y’all will pick up very soon!
Gabriela and His Grace by Liana De La Rosa
Adult Historical Romance
Gabriela And His Grace is a great conclusion to the Luna Sisters Series! I promise, I’m not just writing this because the MC & I share a name
The youngest Luna sister books a trip back to Mexico when a British suitor threatens to ruin her. Unbeknownst to Gabby, the infuriating Duke of Whitfield is heading to her homeland on the same ship. In a desperate attempt to save his family’s estate & regain financial security, Whitfield is visiting a mining project in Mexico that his good friend Sirius (Gabby’s BIL) invited him to join. Despite their years of contention, Gabby & Whitfield find themselves hating each other less & less as their journey goes on.
The tension between these MCs is palpable but their banter & barbs entertained me the most! I loved seeing them put down their verbal weapons and get to know one another. The intrigue surrounding Mexico’s fight against French control grounds the story in facinating history, as well.
I highly recommend this series to readers who love enemies to lovers, period dramas, & revolutionary women.
All Superheroes Need Photo Ops by Elizabeth Stephens ( Out Nov 25, 2025)
Adult Contemporary Monster Romantasy
I got an ARC of All Superheroes Need Photo Ops by Elizabeth Stephens & I just wanna start this review by saying...hot damn!!!
Book 2 in the Supers in the City series focuses on Monika, the badass photographer from book 1, & Taranis, the superhero who used to be everyone’s favorite. Taranis hires Monika after seeing her popular photos of the Wyvern but his image becomes the least of her worries when an accidental recording implies that Taranis isn’t actually a “good guy.” Despite this, she is drawn to him. The former golden boy hates humans, but Monika is the 1 person who stirs something inside him that isn’t loathing.
Y’all, this couple is spicy on a whole other level! They’ve got that love-hate relationship w/ undeniable chemistry, mutual respect, & matching kinks. Their dynamic isn’t really my vibe, but I know folks who would eat this up. I enjoyed the action sequences a lot & it was cool getting to know Monika through her interests & family. I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes next!
Here's to another month of good reading!!
*BAIT is a part of the After the End: A Dystopian Romance Collection.
Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Nov 7 2025
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Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Jan 20
\ \ I'm finally ready to share my pics for my 2025 bookish awards! These are some of the books I was most entertained by last year and I hope y'all will give them a try.\ \ The award for "Book I Couldn't Put Down" goes to You Should Have Been Nicer To My Mom by Vincent Tirado!\ \ \ \ The drama was delicious and I felt so seen by the storytelling. For those who have read my previous reviews, this probably isn't surprising to you!\ \ ......\ \ The award for "Book I'm Still Thinking About" goes to A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera! \ \ \ \ Some folks may be surprised by the fact that I chose a Romance novel for this award, but IYKYK. This Historical Romance uses the context surrounding our MC's stories in such a powerful way that you might have to sit with yourself for a little while when you finish reading it.\ \ ......\ \ I've got a three-way tie for the "Spiciest Romances" of 2025:\ \ I Accidentally Hooked Up With A Vampire by Jessica Cage, Blood & Brujas by Mikayla D. Hornedo, and All Superheroes Need Photo Ops by Elizabeth Stephens. \ \ \ \ This was a hard decision to make and I almost threw in I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming for good measure. These novels had me speechless (many times)!! If you haven't read anything by these authors (and Kimberly Lemming), I suggest you add their backlogs, babes.\ \ .......\ \ My indecision plagued me for my "Most Fun To Read" books of 2025, too. I ultimately went with A Man for Mrs. Claus by Rebekah Weatherspoon, A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, and The Princess and The P.I. by Nikki Payne.\ \ \ \ These authors had me kicking my feet, giggling, and getting butterflies all story long! They gave me mystery, yearning, and safe spaces.\ \ .........\ \ Despite that, I have to say that my choice for "Coziest Novel" of the year goes to Only Lovers in the Building by Nadine Gonzalez.\ \ \ \ I'm a sucker for found family, but add in the location, the romance, and the beautiful writing and I'm sold. This Afro-Latina represented us so well!\ \ ......\ \ Last but definitely not least, my award for "Most Surprising Stories" of 2025 goes to:\ \ Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond, When The Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley, Lucha of the Forgotten Spring by Tehlor Kay Mejia, and Beasts of Carnaval by Rosália Rodrigo.\ \ \ \ These were the stories I didn't know I wanted! They were original, vivid, and kept me hooked. They may not be everyone's cup of tea but they hit just right for me.\ \ ..........\ \ Thank you to all of the authors who worked so hard to write these books and get them out in the world. They've brought readers (and librarians) like me outlets to rage, feel safe, and find ourselves. Keep doing what you're doing because it matters!](https://bookish-afrolatina.binderybooks.com/item/LrOsz1CACPDfE6bhjcc3/)
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Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Oct 22 2025
\ \ I'm currently reading Blood Slaves by Marcus Redmond and it got me thinking about the numerous books out there with "blood" in the title. So I pulled together 12 BIPOC books with "blood" in their titles that I thought would be fitting reads for spooky season!\ \ Let's get into them:\ \ Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond \ \ For fans of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and readers of Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, and Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, this ingenious reimagining of the vampire origin story set during the early days of American slavery blends alternate history with supernatural horror, as the last surviving member of an ancient African vampire tribe meets a slave desperate for freedom, and together, they lead an army of enslaved people in a cinematically blood-soaked battle for freedom and revenge.\ \ -Penguin Random House\ \ The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le \ \ Nhika is a bloodcarver. A coldhearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch.\ \ In the industrial city of Theumas, Nhika is seen not as a healer, but a monster that kills for pleasure. And in the city's criminal underbelly, the rarest of monsters are traded for gold. When Nhika is finally caught by the infamous Butchers, she's forced to heal the last witness to a high-profile murder.\ \ As Nhika delves into the investigation, all signs point to Ven Kochin, an alluring yet entitled physician's aide. Despite his relentless attempts to push her out of his opulent world, something inexplicable draws Nhika to him. But when she discovers Kochin is not who he claims to be, Nhika will be faced with a greater, more terrifying evil lurking in the city's center...\ \ Her only chance to survive lies in a terrible choice—become the dreaded monster the city fears, or risk jeopardizing the future of her kind.\ \ -Macmillan\ \ Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi \ \ They killed my mother.\ \ They took our magic.\ \ They tried to bury us.\ \ Now we rise.\ \ Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.\ \ But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.\ \ Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.\ \ Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.\ \ -Bookshop.org\ \ Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun \ \ A brilliant new voice brings us a brilliant new epic fantasy novel: Ehigbor Okosun’s first book in an action-packed, poignant duology inspired by Nigerian mythology—full of magic and emotion and set in a highly atmospheric, complex world in which a young woman fights to survive a tyrannical society, having everything stripped away from her, and seeks vengeance for her mother’s murder and the spilled blood of her people.\ \ -Harper Collins\ \ Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury \ \ A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him.\ \ -Simon & Schuster\ \ Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams \ \ A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical. Enroll in the debut of a fresh fantasy series unlike anything you’ve seen before.\ \ -Penguin Random House\ \ The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport \ \ Blending fantasy and science fiction, N. E. Davenport’s fast-paced, action-packed debut kicks off a duology of loyalty and rebellion, in which a young Black woman must survive deadly trials in a racist and misogynistic society to become an elite warrior.\ \ -Harper Collins\ \ Blood & Brujas: An Elements of Iteria Novel by Mikayla D Hornedo \ \ From the moment Dayanara could wield a blade, she's been used as a weapon for Caldera, a kingdom of fierce brujas. Whenever her mother, the all-powerful Acna, points her in the direction to kill, Dayanara follows.\ \ After centuries of war against the vampire kingdom at their border, her mother offers their king Dayanara's hand in marriage as a truce. Their agreement is bound by magic, and Dayanara must decide if she wants to kill the king, seduce the king, or embrace the union.\ \ On the bright side, the marriage is set to make her the next Acna, granting her all the power that comes with the role. Depending on how much the Goddess Naom gifts her, it could be enough to regain control of her life. Or maybe everything will crumble beyond repair.\ \ -Bookshop.org\ \ Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis \ \ Legendborn meets The Vampire Diaries, in which an 18-year-old girl is mysteriously accepted into a university in a midwestern town known for its legends about werewolves and vampires...\ \ BLOOD MOON is a dark and thrilling, intensely romantic ride, a fresh take on a werewolf love story for a new generation of paranormal romance readers, and is the first book in a series. It is set against a high-stakes paranormal backdrop—a world ripe with secret identities, rich supernatural lore, and a forbidden romance... that comes with a deadly bite.\ \ https://www.britneyslewis.com/bloodmoon\\ \ \ \ Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn \ \ Book 2 of the Legendborn Cycle\ \ The shadows have risen, and the line is law.\ \ All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:\ \ A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.\ \ But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak. And Nick, the Legendborn boy Bree fell in love with, has been kidnapped.\ \ Bree wants to fight, but the Regents who rule the Order won’t let her. To them, she is an unknown girl with unheard-of power, and as the living anchor for the spell that preserves the Legendborn cycle, she must be protected.\ \ When the Regents reveal they will do whatever it takes to hide the war, Bree and her friends must go on the run to rescue Nick themselves. But enemies are everywhere, Bree’s powers are unpredictable and dangerous, and she can’t escape her growing attraction to Selwyn, the mage sworn to protect Nick until death.\ \ If Bree has any hope of saving herself and the people she loves, she must learn to control her powers from the ancestors who wielded them first—without losing herself in the process.\ \ -Simon & Schuster\ \ Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye \ \ Following one girl’s journey of magic, injustice, power, and revenge, Deborah Falaye’s debut novel, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, is a magnetic combination of Children of Blood and Bone and An Ember in the Ashes.\ \ This is what they deserve.\ \ They wanted me to be a monster.\ \ I will be the worst monster they ever created.\ \ Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods.\ \ Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.\ \ -Harper Collins\ \ Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker \ \ Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and New Orleans saw the greatest magical massacre in its history. In the days that followed, a throne was stolen from a queen.\ \ On the anniversary of these brutal events, Clement and Cristina Trudeau—the sixteen-year-old twin heirs to the powerful, magical, dethroned family—are mourning their father and caring for their sick mother. Until, by chance, they discover their mother isn’t sick—she’s cursed. Cursed by someone on the very magic council their family used to rule. Someone who will come for them next.\ \ Cristina, once a talented and dedicated practitioner of Generational magic, has given up magic for good. An ancient spell is what killed their father and she was the one who cast it. For Clement, magic is his lifeline. A distraction from his anger and pain. Even better than the random guys he hooks up with.\ \ Cristina and Clement used to be each other’s most trusted confidant and friend, now they barely speak. But if they have any hope of discovering who is coming after their family, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other and their family's magic, all while solving the decades-old murder that sparked the still-rising tensions between the city’s magical and non-magical communities. And if they don't succeed, New Orleans may see another massacre. Or worse.\ \ https://tjbentonwalker.com/blood-debts](https://bookish-afrolatina.binderybooks.com/item/CQj2mSuPhTXp7uyXlZni/)
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Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Sep 22 2025
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30 Book Recommendations for Women’s History Month & Beyond!
💜I’ve got 30 book recommendations for Women’s History Month & beyond!💜
Activism: How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
An Abolitionist's Handbook: 12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World by Patrisse Cullors
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race by Jesmyn Ward
Be A Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World—and How You Can, Too by Ijeoma Oluo
Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and The Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis
Historical Romance: Women Who Dare Series by Beverly Jenkins (& the rest of her books) Rebel Wild Rain To Catch a Raven
Las Leonas series by Adriana Herrera A Caribbean Heiress in Paris An Island Princess Starts a Scandal A Tropical Rebel Gets The Duke
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
The Luna Sisters Series by Liana De La Rosa Ana María and The Fox Isabel and The Rogue Gabriela and His Grace
History: Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler by Ibi Zoboi
A Curious History of Sex by Kate Lister
Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall
A Black Women's History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry & Kali Nicole Gross
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals by Saidiya Hartman
Girl in Black and White: The Story of Mary Mildred Williams and the Abolition Movement by Jessie Morgan-Owens
The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family by Kerri K Greenidge (REVIEW COMING SOON)
Historical Fiction: 'Til the Well Runs Dry by Lauren Francis-Sharma
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The Gilded Years by Karin Tanabe
The Taste of Sugar by Marisel Vera
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler
#WomensHistoryMonth #BookRecommendations #History #HistoricalFiction #SocialJustice #HistoricalRomance #BlackBooks #LatinxBooks #QueerBooks
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30 books