Karin

Please note: This review was drafted on June 19, 2024 but was held back from being posted in solidarity with the ongoing SMP boycott callin...

A collection of short stories that brings us back to the Celestial Kingdom and expands the world we already know and love. Told from the PO...

After Xander Thorne’s unsolicited critique of Gwen Jackson’s performance at his friend’s wedding, she wants absolutely nothing to do with h...

Ash Woods thinks it’s all over when he’s caught studying and learning alchemy illegally by Ramsay Thorne. But Ramsay instead turns to black...

Despite desperately pining after her best friend Ben for nearly a decade, Marcela Ortiz is not going to let anything get in the way of his ...

Marley Kamal is just weeks away from a life-saving elective double mastectomy and breast reconstruction when the opportunity of a lifetime ...

A high imperial officer seemingly dead of contagion elicits an investigation from brilliant and eccentric master investigator Ana Dolabra. ...

Still reeling after the death in book one, Calla and company are still stuck in the Neverending Forest and must figure out what their next ...

Actor Jake Newman has the chance to achieve his dream of landing the leading role in a huge action film. But he needs to get his abs in gea...

Holden James was ready to jet off to Los Angeles with his boyfriend to audition for his favorite game show, Madcap Market. But when he is u...

Kendall Walsh was on the path to becoming an Olympic skier, but the plan was scrapped after a career-ending injury. Now she’s pivoted...

Aurora “Rory” Evans didn’t exactly have a normal childhood. With the amount of time she spent away from school for ballet...

When Mina Lee created her web comic, the last thing she expected was to wake up as the hero of her own story—literally. But she wakes...

Delilah has secured a high-profile catering job that should help her restaurant get through the leaner, non-tourist months in Geneva Bay an...

It’s been a couple years since 17 year old Aisha has seen her sister June, but with a meteor heading straight for earth and the end o...

Lyndsay Murray is thrilled that her family bakery, Spice Isle Bakery, is a vendor at Brooklyn’s annual Caribbean American Heritage Fe...

Quill wants nothing more than to live a normal life, but even though he’s the first male dryad in existence, he doesn’t have ev...

American heiress Ruby Vaughn is content to leave the past behind her and focus on her life in Exeter working in a bookstore. But the past i...

Teenagers Chloe Chang and Daniel Kwak form an unlikely partnership to elevate Chloe’s art exhibit, Heartifacts, to the next level. As...

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst and Aspen Drake, the Duke of Greydon, were neighbors and childhood friends. But when he publicly snubs her during her...

As the only surviving Seer in existence, Harrow disguises herself as human and her abilities as part of her circus act. This has helped her...

Riley Wynn becomes an overnight sensation when her breakup album shoots to the top of the charts. But when her ex-husband claims that her h...

When Rooney Gao and Jack Liu meet randomly on a stressful day for both of them, they don’t really think too much of it—until th...

Please note: The following review may contain spoilers for the first book in the Song of the Last Kingdom duology, SONG OF SILVER, FLAME LI...

Please note: The following review may contain spoilers for the first book in the Letters of Enchantment duology, DIVINE RIVALS. Continue re...

Calladia Cunnington finds herself in a strange situation when she accidentally saves Astaroth the demon from an attack one night. Astaroth ...

Cameron thought that going to college would be when his life started, but he’s failing his theater classes, on the cusp of losing his...

The elegant city of Singapore is host to a variety of people looking for a variety of things. Dara is a workaholic lawyer who has been work...

When Inez Olivera receives word that her parents have gone missing and are presumed dead, she leaves behind her comfortable life in upper s...

Ten teen influencers agree to be a part of a reality show called “In Real Life” that forces them to unplugged for three weeks. ...

Sensory Time Warp Syndrome: a rare condition in which one of the five senses triggers the individual to time travel to a specific moment in...

Winnie Wednesday finds herself back in with the Luminaries and as the center of attention after the events of the first book. It is everyth...

We all know the story of PRIDE & PREJUDICE , but what if the story was told from the perspective of the youngest Bennet sister? And wha...

Despite her abundance of confidence in real life, Kiki is forced to adopt a male persona and play anonymously online in order to avoid hara...

Mingshin used her brains to get Ren, the man she loved, onto the throne, only to find herself lying in a pool of her own blood due to his b...

When music prodigy Pearl Wong’s perfect summer goes up in smoke, she needs to find a place to lay low and rebuild her image. Enter Ch...

When Lily’s beloved grandmother passes away and leaves her with cryptic clues to find the missing family fortune, she finds herself t...

Sadie is having a Very Bad Year. She has lost her job, her boyfriend, and her apartment—all because of her big mouth. Despite her lac...

Athan hasn’t had it easy in life, but he’s managed to scrape by on his good looks, his charm, and by leaning on family friends....

After a childhood traipsing around the world, Hannah has finally found her home as the co-owner of Carrigan’s All Year. But her mind ...

Eighteen-year-old Sunny Lee had it all—she was a Kpop star on the rise alongside her two best friends Candie and Mina—until a s...

Please note: This review was drafted on September 22, 2023 but was held back from being posted in solidarity with the ongoing WGA/SAG-AFTRA...

Fritzi is a witch and the only survivor of a wicked attack on her coven lead by Kommandant Dieter Kirch. She is determined to find her miss...

Rat Evans is heir to one of the oldest magical bloodlines, but they don’t cast spells any longer. They have seen mysterious passages ...

Sixteen-year-old Ivy is shocked when the plus sign appears on the pregnancy test. She meant to spend the summer working to save up money fo...

Mackenzie Carter is tired of her grandmother trying to set her up on dates and, without thinking, she blurts out that she’s met someo...

Sorority house mom Becca Fairfield is no stranger to the dumpster fire that is dating men. She thought things were starting to look up afte...

In a world where the rich have the means to stay young forever and the poor are barely scraping by, orphaned Zilan has lofty dreams of risi...

June Farrow is the last of the Farrow line - and she means to keep it that way. Upon her grandmother’s death (and with the family cur...

Four years ago, Owen, Madeline, Emerson, Dax, and Ian entered a cave and discovered a card game. A little fun turned quickly to terror and ...

The following review will contain spoilers for BARELY MISSING EVERYTHING by Matt Mendez. Continue reading at your own discretion. It&rsqu...

Logan Gray is the Hollywood bad boy to Mattie Cole’s Hollywood golden boy. When the two are cast opposite each other as leads in a ne...

Socialite Lexi North is your typical rich girl: spoiled, entitled, and has never had to work for anything in her life. Mechanic Evan Bailey...

After a terrible breakup from the man she believed to be the love of her life, Penny Marquez decides to run to England and pursue a master&...

Ursula Caraway wants nothing more than to have her happily-ever-after in her small hometown of Freya Grove. But when her fairytale romance ...

Cara Tang has been able to see ghosts her entire life, but she made a promise to her mother that she would never let anyone (living or dead...

After the loss of her mother, Flora Maxwell is adrift, unmoored, and uncertain as to what comes next. Her family expects her to go to unive...

The following review may contain spoilers for all previous books in the Secret Shanghai series by Chloe Gong (THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS, OUR V...

When Stella Blackthorn disappeared without a trace, her younger sister Iris, frustrated that the police didn’t seem to be doing a goo...

Though Franny’s mother suffered from a pain pill addiction, she is now sober and makes do with odd jobs here and there to keep them a...

After a disastrous first date, Mia and Alex are prepared to move on with their lives, never expecting to see each other again. But, as luck...

Michael and Bitsy couldn’t be more different if they tried. All Michael wants to do is stay locked up in his study conducting scienti...

We all know that behind every (supposed) great man is an even greater woman and the power of a strong woman should never be questioned. Dig...

After a terrible incident at his home in Washington DC, Douglas Jones and his mother are whisked away to Regent Academy in Vermont to begin...

Effy Sayre has been an ardent fan of Emyrs Myrrdin ever since she was a child, holding close to her heart the story of Angharad which she f...

1944. Berkeley, California. Detective Al Sullivan finds himself the lead detective on a murder case involving former presidential candidate...

Clara has always been fated to die according to the fortune-telling cards pulled by her grandmother. Despite that, she makes the choice to ...

After the death of his older brother and basketball superstar Jaxon, Tre Brun is set on making the varsity basketball team and helping the ...

Channi was not born a monster, but when her younger sister Vanna is born, their father chooses to sacrifice Channi in Vanna's place to the ...

Sadie has always kept people at a distance, a result of wanting to protect her magic from a curse that says she will lose it after sufferin...

There are a lot of things wrong in this country and one of them is the Troubled Teen Industry. Liz Ianelli, known around the world as Survi...

Este Logano is joining the ranks of Radcliffe Prep, following in the footsteps of her deceased father. It is rumored to be the third most h...

Heidi Heckelbeck is back and she has a crush…on the same boy as her former enemy-turned-roommate Melanie Maplethorpe! A first crush ...

Célie Tremblay has been through a lot . But that didn’t stop her from joining the ranks of the Chausseurs as the first ever hu...

Mia Tang is back with another tale of overcoming obstacles and reaching for her dreams! This time, we follow her to San Francisco where she...

Audrey Cameron has lost her spark and her art is struggling because of it. But after being dumped by her first love and waitlisted for her ...

Quell has been on the run and in hiding with her mom for years. But when someone finds them, she runs to Chateau Soleil, a magical boarding...

Cassie is a struggling artist and the eviction notice on her apartment is proof of that. So when an apartment listing pops up on Craigslist...

Princess Imogen of Goslind has been shut up in the castle with the king, her sisters, and other nobility for years in order to keep them sa...

In 2016 Miami, twins Defli and Lela have been followed by malicious magic and a love curse their entire lives, leading to them trying to su...

Tessa Miyata has never really fit in anywhere. Add in the fact that she sees things that no one else does and it’s a recipe for no fr...

Two months ago, Benjamin Morrison sat his mother and stepfather down and came out as gay, which it why it comes as a huge surprise when he ...

Delilah Harlow has always had a brilliant mind, able to recall anything in an instant. But in the six months since she was hit with a super...

Jake Davenport was at the top of his game in the English Premier League until his actions off the pitch leave him suspended indefinitely. H...

Before we begin, I’d like to acknowledge the fact that my last review and this one are literally the same two books that Mandy just...

Evie Sage is the sole provider for her ailing father and her younger sister so when a chance encounter with The Villain, the scourge of Ren...

Viola Marek is a real estate agent…and a vampire. While the whole vampire thing is a bit of an inconvenience, her biggest problem ri...

Phoebe Whitford has never been one to ask for anything, not wanting to be greedy, but she has found her way into a career she loves and a g...

If you’ve been following along, you’ll remember that I created a monster recently. My daughter is definitely a reader and she a...

Earlier this year, I picked up DATING DR. DIL by Nisha Sharma on a whim and adored it. So when the sequel TASTES LIKE SHAKKAR became availa...

Remember when I went to YALLWest and got a ridiculous number of ARCs to bring home? Well, one of those was kind of on accident, but I freak...

Do you ever see a book and immediately want to read it even though you know nothing about it? That was exactly me when I saw RANA JOON AND ...

From the moment that my besties over at Forever started talking about FORGET ME NOT by Julie Soto, I knew that I would need to read it. Luc...

After absolutely falling in love with Sarah Ainslee and her debut novel, I decided to sign up for the ARC team of her publisher, Bow’...

It seems that I have been in a bit of a thriller mood because the next ARC that I picked up to read is NORTH OF NOWHERE by Allison Brennan....

Next up on the YALLWest ARC list is one that I have wanted to read since the moment it came on my radar - THEIR VICIOUS GAMES by Joelle Wel...

It’s time for another YALLWest ARC! This time, it is P. Djèlí Clark’s middle grade fantasy adventure ABENI’...

I know it may not seem like it considering all the romance that I read, but I’m actually a big fan of thrillers as well. So when the ...

Remember back in September when I read Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune’s Hades and Persephone retelling THE MAIDEN & THE UNSEEN ?...

It’s July which means we are right in the middle of Beach Read Season™️ and I scored an ARC and an ALC of THE SUMMER GIRL by El...

We spend a lot of time on the podcast talking about the importance of representation in the media. So I’m sure absolutely no one is s...

Listen, if the synopsis reads “ Firefly meets The Breakfast Club ,” I really don’t even need to read anything else to kno...

Next up on the list from the bundle of ARCs I won from Fierce Reads is Shannon C.F. Rogers' debut novel, I’D RATHER BURN THAN BLOOM ....

Mummy Darlings by Emily Hourican follows the three Guinness girls (Aileen, Maureen, and Oonagh) at the dawn of the 1930s. Each sister is no...

Okay, I am a long time removed from being in the ideal age group for a middle grade read, but my daughter is right at the lower end of that...

Sometimes, I will open NetGalley just for fun to see if there’s anything new that looks interesting. When my eyes fell upon Sunshine ...

Long time listeners will remember when I received my first ever physical ARC from my favorite local indie bookstore, Linden Tree Books . Si...

During the month of May, Fierce Reads ran an AAPI Heritage Month giveaway and I obviously had to enter. I never expect to win giveaways, bu...

Even if you are just a casual listener of the podcast, you would know that I am the biggest Chloe Gong fangirl there is (the proof is in th...

I don’t usually go seeking out cozy mysteries, but when I find one up next on my ARC reading list, it’s a pleasant break. It&rs...

The moment I saw the cover for Pamela N. Harris’ newest novel This Town Is on Fire , I had to have it. The cover is fierce, the title...

Generally speaking, when people think of bookish people, they probably don’t think of them as sports fans as well. Well, I am happy t...

Anna May Wong. Chances are, even if you don’t know who she is, you’ve heard the name before. And for good reason. When The Brig...

I don’t know that I believe in fate or destiny or anything like that, but I do believe that things happen for a reason. Like when a b...

If you’ve followed the podcast, then you know that I am a huge Stephanie Hsu fangirl. When I heard she was going to be in a new movie...

Are you a murder mystery person? How about logic and puzzles? What might connect these things? Well, a fun little internet-based game calle...

Sometimes, I daydream about getting on a plane and flying away from all the craziness that is my regular, everyday life. So when I read the...

Who among us hasn’t gotten drawn into the drama that is reality TV? Avid listeners of the podcast know that we had been discussing Sc...

When I attended YALLWest in April, I also attended the Friday preview night, which was just a bunch of early signings for select authors. W...

This may seem like a books-only kind of blog since most of our reviews are for books we've read, but I promise we watch movies as well! I r...

A little while back, I attended the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. I was only expecting to get some books signed, meet podcast bestie...

I know Goodreads giveaways are supposed to be random, but I started to question that reality when I received an email saying that I had won...

It’s no secret that I’m not really a non-fiction reader unless the book in question is a celebrity memoir. But when Last Call a...

Long time listeners of the podcast will know that I didn’t figure out that I was bisexual until I was 30 freaking years old . The sig...

Long time listeners of the podcast will remember that I was an ARC reader for Melissa Grace’s last book and absolutely fell in love w...

If you’ve been following the podcast, then you know I had a blast attending YALLWest in late April - and that I came home with quite ...

It’s no secret that a stunning cover design will immediately draw my attention. I know, never judge a book by its cover, but I do, ok...

Good food, queer love, and some classic romance tropes - all things that make me immediately swoon over a book. So is it any surprise that ...

Every night before I go to bed for the past 8+ years, I have rested my hand on my daughter’s chest to make sure she is still breathin...

Is “suburban murder” a trope? Because, if so, it’s one that I’m a fan of. Something about the picture perfect ideal...

If you’ve listened to the podcast for more than two seconds, you know that the Fire and Starlight saga by Amber D. Lewis is required ...

I am not usually a historical romance girlie, but I’ve yet to be disappointed in a Berkley selection for me yet so I went into The Du...

When talking about representation in books, I never imagined I meant more than Asian American and/or queer. Well, Kristyn J. Miller’s...

One of the fun perks of being a podcaster who also lives on Bookstagram is that sometimes you make friends with authors who will send you a...

Anyone who knows me knows that Crazy Rich Asians is one of my comfort movies. So it should come as absolutely no surprise that a book pitch...

Listen, when someone says a book gives off queer Asian Glee vibes, I need to be there. Immediately. Every part of that description is a par...

Do you ever find yourself scrolling Instagram, minding your own business, when all of a sudden you see a post for a book you’ve never...

When I heard the description of Farah Heron’s Jana Goes Wild , I knew I had to have it. And I am so glad I was proved right. Jana S...

I am a strong proponent of reading whatever you want regardless of the grade level. So when a young adult author breaks into the middle gra...

When I found out that there was going to be a companion book to Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley, I almost literally jumped ...

There is little in this world that could get me to DNF a book. That being said, I came close to doing that with Dennis Lehane’s lates...

Sometimes, I get sent books to read that otherwise would not have been on my radar. That is the case with Mindy Quigley’s Ashes to As...

Have you ever wondered how much information about you just exists out in the world? How easy that information would be for anyone to access...

When Berkley sends me a new ARC to read, I know I’m about to have a good time. This time was triple the fun because I received book t...

I recently read a book that said “mental health is a luxury” and it really hit home. It is a luxury to think about your mental ...

There are many book-to-film adaptations, but we see film-to-book adaptations less often. Damsel by Evelyn Skye is one such book, though it ...

I tend to read mostly fantasy and romance, but every now and then, something else will catch my eye. That’s exactly what happened wit...

Mythology and folktales have always fascinated me, so when I stumbled upon Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake and found that it ...

Betrayal, a second chance at love, and a revenge plot? Sign me up! When Mandy talked about the plot of Queen Bee by Amalie Howard, I was re...

My eight year old is getting to the point where she is right on the verge of being ready for middle grade books, which means that she is wa...

If you’ve been following along with the podcast, you will remember that Mandy was supposed to get an ARC mailed to her after YALLFest...

I can’t be the only person who is constantly entering Goodreads giveaways, right? I never expect to win, but it’s nice to dream...

Picture it: I’m sitting around, minding my own business. Open up my email app on my phone and there’s a new email…from B...

One thing about me is that I will always jump at the chance to read a new Robbie Couch book. So it should come at no surprise that I fell h...

Who among us hasn't daydreamed about meeting our favorite celebrity, falling in love, and living happily ever after? That's not  exact...

How would you feel if the big promotion you’ve been working toward your entire career thus far would be decided by…whether you...

“Be the change.” People say it all the time. But what does it really mean? That’s what teens Jax, Yas, Han, and Spider - ...

One thing about me is that I will never shy away from a good romance novel. And an especially steamy romance novel? Complete swoon. That's ...

Whenever I have the opportunity to read books from Asian authors, I jump at the chance. This time, it happened to be a small town romance t...

There is an awful epidemic in this country of missing brown and Black girls. We don’t always hear about it, but we know it’s ha...

What would you say to a book with The Princess Diaries vibes, but with two gay princes? I know, I was also immediately in. Please Note : ...

I don’t know about you, but when Berkley calls (or, rather, emails), I come running. And when they come calling with an ARC of a book...

When your bestie and one of your favorite authors sing the praises of a book loudly, you have to listen. That’s exactly why I had to ...

Early last year, I picked up Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz because, to be completely honest, the cover was beyond stunning. Though...

Have you ever wondered what would happen when you force together a grumpy historian and an optimistic paleontologist? Yeah, me either, but ...

Is there anything more comforting than a romcom with a happily ever after? I think not. And there is something even more comforting when it...

Sometimes, I like to venture out of my comfort zone. In this case, that translated to an ARC of Courtiers: Intrigue, Ambition, and the Powe...

It has been a long time since I have felt personally attacked by a book, but that is exactly what happened with The Year of Cecily by Lisa ...

I can't imagine a better way to end 2022 and ring in 2023 than reading a Chloe Gong book, which is exactly why I started reading my ARC of&...

Chances are that you know what your astrological sign is, but did you know there is also a Chinese zodiac? It is based upon the year and ho...

I have arisen from my frantic book-a-day holiday reading challenge to bring you a long overdue review! Earlier this year, I picked up ...

If you don’t know by now, let me tell you - I am an absolute SUCKER for a pretty cover. Go look up the cover for Amélie Wen Zh...

This is going to come as a shock to you, but I attended a virtual launch event for Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong (where she was in conver...

In case you somehow didn’t hear about it, I went to a Chloe Gong book signing last month. At that event, Chloe was in conversation wi...

The People We Hate at the Wedding is a new comedy from Amazon based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Grant Ginder. The story revolves ...

I'm a sucker for a pretty cover and when I saw the cover for  Lumara by Melissa Landers, I hit that request button so fast that I gave...

I’ve been giving a lot of attention to NetGalley (for good reason!) of late, but I have also receive ARCs from Book Sirens. My latest...

If you weren't already aware, I have a massive crush on both Florence Pugh and Gemma Chan (among several other celebrities, obviously). So ...

In case the name of the podcast didn't tip you off, I am kind of a nerd. When the opportunity came up to read an ARC of  The Wrong Kin...

I know we've primarily been writing about ARCs we've received and read, but I just read  The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Sha...

It's the first day of November which means that it is officially time to celebrate ME, not Christmas (despite what Mandy will tell you). It...

I had seen the cover of  Strike the Zither by Joan He for so long that I didn't realize it hadn't actually been released yet when I st...

It's been awhile since I've been able to talk about a movie. Advanced screenings in my area are usually in San Francisco (aka 45-60 minutes...

Have you ever had a one night stand? Did you regret it in the morning or did you continue on your normal day? In  Mistakes Were Made b...

The Picture Bride is a novel written by Lee Geum-yi and originally published in March 2020 in Korean. It has been translated into English b...

If there is one thing in this world that we can all agree on, it's that we love a good Hades and Persephone retelling, amirite? With that i...

How about a lightning fast (or maybe so not fast), three for one book review? Because that's what this blog post is gonna be. Pro tip: if y...

One day awhile back, I was walking through the books section at Target and spotted a book called  Dial A For Aunties . There was no wo...

At the beginning of this week, I was expecting to regale you all about my experience attending an advanced screening and Q&A for  ...

Have you hopped onboard the K-pop and K-drama train? I'll be honest, I haven't. Not for lack of interest - I just have so much other stuff ...

What would you do if your ex-boyfriend wrote a movie about your breakup? That is what Callie Dressler has to figure out in Andrea J. Stein'...

I had the pleasure of receiving an ARC for indie author Erin Thomson's sophomore novel  Five Dates Between Friends . Before I received...

When I found an email in my inbox from NetGalley, my breath caught in my throat. As soon as I opened it, I had to suppress a scream while m...

Let's talk about Jessica George's debut novel  Maame . I received a digital ARC to read and review via NetGalley and I am so incredibl...

Oh look, a review that isn't for a book! I received a pass to attend a virtual screening of  Don't Make Me Go a day ahead of the offic...

We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu was released into the world on May 17, which also happens to be the day t...

I am still shaking with excitement over the fact that I was able to read an advance reader's copy (ARC) of Chloe Gong's upcoming new novel,...