I literally just posted my 2023 yearly wrap up, and now it’s time for the first monthly wrap up of 2024?!? I know I say this every wrap up but seriously I don’t understand the passage of time. But ANYway, I had a pretty good reading month!! And I actually watched a lot of tv and movies too. Let’s get into it so I can share all the things with you!

The Empire of the Wolf simmers with unrest. Rebels, heretics, and powerful patricians all challenge the power of the Imperial throne. 
Only the Order of Justices stands in the way of chaos. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is the most feared Justice of all, upholding the law by way of his sharp mind, arcane powers, and skill as a swordsman. At his side stands Helena Sedanka, his talented protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the Empire. 
When the pair investigates the murder of a provincial aristocrat, they unearth a conspiracy that stretches to the very top of Imperial society. As the stakes rise and become ever more personal, Vonvalt and Helena must make a choice: Will they abandon the laws they’ve sworn to uphold, in order to protect the Empire?

POV: you’re the emperor’s justice (a detective, judge, and executioner all in one) accompanied by your clerk and protégé Helena who’s writing a book about you and your travels together (you don’t know this).

One of the things I love about fantasy is the way it can seamlessly work with other genres. The Justice of Kings is a murder mystery thriller and character memoir rolled into one with a dollop of necromancy.

Hi friends! Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is Rewind, so I chose to go back to the old topic of Cozy Reads! I’ve been really enjoying the rise of cozy fantasy and sci-fi books lately. I mean, they’ve always been around, but they seem to be getting more attention lately. So I wanted to share some with you all!

Thank you to Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting/organizing Top Ten Tuesday! Find my past Top Ten Tuesday posts here.

Happy holidays, book lovers! I’m so excited to talk to you about a recent December release: Where It Rains in Color by Denise Crittendon! I’m still making my way through this book, so all I can say is that the worldbuilding is quite unique and I look forward to reading more. Sci-fi mixed with Afrofuturism? Sign me up 👀

Here’s the synopsis:

Colonized by the descendants of Earth’s West African Dogon Tribe, the planet of Swazembi is a blazing, color-rich utopia and famous vacation center of the galaxy. No one is used to serious trouble in this idyllic, peace-loving world, least of all the Rare Indigo.

But Lileala’s perfect, pampered lifestyle is about to be shattered. The unthinkable happens and her glorious midnight skin becomes infected with a mysterious disease. Where her skin should glisten like diamonds mixed with coal, instead it scabs and scars. On top of that, she starts to hear voices in her head, and everything around her becomes confusing and frightening.

Lileala’s destiny, however, goes far beyond her beauty. While searching for a cure, she stumbles upon something much more valuable. A new power awakens inside her, and she realizes her whole life, and the galaxy with it, is about to change…

It has such a beautiful cover too!

A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.
"Mom seems off."
Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.
She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.
But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.
To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

I absolutely loved this. First let me just say that I’m not a huge horror fiction reader – I scare easily and can’t watch horror movies… BUT I’m able to tolerate horror in books better, though they can still creep me out. Lately I’ve been wanting to dabble and read some horror because I haven’t read any in some time and I’m strangely in the mood for it. Seeing as what I read is hugely dictated by my mood, I jumped into T. Kingfisher’s A House with Good Bones and it was exactly what I was looking for.