Our annual, spoiler-free Reading Wrap Up is here! We each share 3 favorites and 3 flops of fantasy and romance books that we read this year, along with our DNFs & reading stats!

🤍 CTB Links: ⁠⁠ ⁠https://linktr.ee/checkthisbookout⁠

📖 Books Mentioned:

• Onyx Storm - Rebecca Yarros
• The Knight and the Moth - Rachel Gillig
• Scythe and Sparrow - Brynne Weaver
• Tourist Season - Brynne Weaver
• Off To The Races - Elsie Silver
• Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo
• The Blood Traitor - Lynnette Noni
• The Will of the Many - James Islington
• Blood Over Bright Haven - M. L. Wang
• Morning Star - Pierce Brown
• Good Spirits - B.K. Borison
• Eldritch - Keri Lake
• Anathema - Keri Lake
• Nocticadia - Keri Lake
• Never Keep - Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
• Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson
• The Emperor Sol - Brandon Sanderson
• Say You’ll Remember Me - Abby Jimenez
• The Strength of the Few - James Islington

The Strength of the Few was a chaotic & suspenseful sequel & we discuss it all in this review! 🏛️ We dive deep into the layered world building, complex character development, political tension, & that unforgettable ending. We ponder theories & what’s to come, so tune in to hear our honest thoughts! (P.S. this review contains spoilers!)

🤍 CTB Links: ⁠⁠ https://linktr.ee/checkthisbookout

📖 Books Mentioned:

• The Strength of the Few - James Islington
• The Will of the Many - James Islington

The Strength of the Few Synopsis:

"OMNE TRIUM PERFECTUM.

The Hierarchy still call me Vis Telimus. Still hail me as Catenicus. They still, as one, believe they know who I am.

But with all that has happened—with what I fear is coming—I am not sure it matters anymore.

I am no longer one. I won the Iudicium, and lost everything—and now, impossibly, the ancient device beyond the Labyrinth has replicated me across three separate worlds. A different version of myself in each of Obiteum, Luceum, and Res. Three different bodies, three different lives. I have to hide; fight; play politics. I have to train; trust; lie. I have to kill; heal; prove myself again, and again, and again.

I am loved, and hated, and entirely alone.

Above all, though, I need to find answers before it’s too late. To understand the nature of what has happened to me, and why.

I need to find a way to stop the coming Cataclysm, because if all I have learned is true, I may be the only one who can."

Timestamps:

00:00:00 the strength of the few review!

00:01:50 our ratings & initial thoughts

00:05:00 split POVs, time skips & confusion

00:19:00 obiteum plot walk & giggles

00:27:00 hannah's fav obiteum scene

00:30:00 mad's fav obiteum scene

00:33:00 thoughts on ka

00:37:00 crazy theories - caeror, ostius & will

00:50:00 luceum plot walk & sweet little deaglan

00:54:30 vis's dad makes us cry

00:58:00 hannah's fav luceum scene

01:00:00 mad's fav luceum scenes

01:05:00 res plot walk

01:08:05 the most shocking death

01:14:00 ostius analysis

01:17:00 hannah's alupi theory

01:20:50 mad's fav res scene

01:22:10 the truth of the concurrence

01:35:00 final thoughts

Romance author M. J. Hughes is joining us on the pod to talk all things writing & publishing of her spicy, college, hockey romance standalone series, A River Road Series! 🏒 From behind-the-scenes writing stories to navigating indie-publishing, this episode is packed with honesty, inspiration, & all the bookish chaos we love.

M. J. shares how she went from passionate reader to self-published author & the reality of balancing work full-time with writing & content creation. Also expect the full scoop on her hockey romance world of Barker University & future stories & audiobooks releasing soon!

Whether you’re a hockey-romance lover like us or just curious about what it takes to be indie-published, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss!

🤍 CTB Links: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/checkthisbookout⁠⁠

🤍 M. J Hughes' Links: https://linktr.ee/mjhughesauthor

• https://authormjhughes.etsy.com?coupon=CHECKTHISBOOKOUT Use code CHECKTHISBOOKOUT for $5 off!

📖 Books Mentioned:

• What If - M. J. Hughes
• What Now - M. J. Hughes
• What Next - M. J. Hughes

#booktube #romancebooks #romancereader #bookrecommendations #bookreview