Welcome to my monthly TBR post for the rest of December/the year! I kind of dropped the ball with these while dealing with a large project at work. This is also the reason why I’m publishing this post so late in the month as well! 2020 has been a tough year, and its effects have definitely been felt when it comes to my reading and review-writing schedules. Therefore, please don’t be surprised to see September TBR books on this list! I’m trying my best to finish all of my 2020 TBR books in 2020 and start 2021 all caught up. Do you have monthly TBRs? And what does your monthly TBR look like for the rest of this month/year?
⤖ September 2020 TBR ⬻
The Deck of Omens by Christine Lynn Herman
Note: This book is part of a series, and there are likely some spoilers in the synopsis below.
The teenagers of Four Paths must save their home.
Though the Beast is seemingly subdued for now, a new threat looms in Four Paths: a corruption seeping from the Gray into the forest. And with the other Founders preoccupied by their tangled alliances and fraying relationships, only May Hawthorne seems to realize the danger. But saving the town she loves means seeking aid from the person her family despises most–her and Justin’s father.
May’s father isn’t the only newcomer in town–Isaac Sullivan’s older brother has also returned, seeking forgiveness for the role he played in Isaac’s troubled past. But Isaac isn’t ready to let go of his family’s history, especially when that history might hold the key that he and Violet Saunders need to destroy the Gray and the monster within it.
Harper Carlisle isn’t ready to forgive, either. Two devastating betrayals have left her isolated from her family and uncertain who to trust. As the corruption becomes impossible to ignore, Harper must learn to control her newfound powers in order to protect Four Paths. But the only people who can help her do that are the ones who have hurt her the most.
With the veil between the Gray and the town growing ever thinner, all of the Founder descendants must put their grievances with one another aside to stop the corruption and kill the Beast once and for all.
But maybe the monster they truly need to slay has never been the Beast…
⤖ October 2020 TBR ⬻
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
⤖ October 2020 TBR ⬻
I’m a Gay Wizard by V.S. Santoni
You try magic once and it sticks to you like glitter glue . . .
When Johnny and his best friend, Alison, pass their summer holidays dabbling in magic, they never expect it to have consequences. Sure, it’d be great if they could banish bullies or change their lives for the better, and what harm could come from lighting a few candles and chanting a few spells? When they cause an earthquake that shakes Chicago to its core, they draw the attention of the Marduk Institute, an age-old organization dedicated to fostering the talents of young wizards.
Once there, Johnny and Alison are told they can never return to their previous lives, and must quickly adapt to a new world shimmering with monsters, fraternities, and cute boys like Hunter and Blake. But when they’re pulled into an epic, supernatural fight that could cost them both their lives, Johnny and Alison find strength they never knew they had as they battle for love, acceptance, and their own happy ending—all with the help of a little magic.
⤖ October 2020 TBR ⬻
In the City of the Nightmare King by V.S. Santoni
Note: This book is part of a series, and there are likely some spoilers in the synopsis below.
None of them expected the nightmare to continue…
In the sequel to I’m a Gay Wizard, V.S. Santoni imagines a world where Johnny, Hunter, Alison, and Blake are forced once again to prove that love and magic can save the day.
When Johnny wakes up, something isn’t right. It’s a blissful summer day, and Johnny’s father is taking him to begin a brand new life in Misthaven, and all his best friends, Alison, Hunter, and Blake, join him in the idyllic town.
Once reunited, Johnny and his friends discover that this Misthaven is actually Dreamhaven―the Marduk Institute’s mystical prison for wizards―and they’re trapped. But that’s the least of their problems when Hunter falls ill with a magical sickness, and his soul is thrown into the Night City, an underworld ruled by the Nightmare King.
Johnny will not leave Hunter. Vowing to stay together, he, Alison, and Blake enter the Night City, a domain of the dead where both their powers and trust in each other will be tested. But in a realm where the Nightmare King rules second only to Death itself, Johnny’s love for Hunter must continue to be his most powerful magic.
⤖ October 2020 TBR ⬻
Magic Dark and Strange by Kelly Powell
Catherine Daly has an unusual talent. By day she works for a printer. But by night, she awakens the dead for a few precious moments with loved ones seeking a final goodbye. But this magic comes with a price: for every hour that a ghost is brought back, Catherine loses an hour from her own life.
When Catherine is given the unusual task of collecting a timepiece from an old grave, she is sure that the mysterious item must contain some kind of enchantment. So she enlists Guy Nolan, the watchmaker’s son, to help her dig it up. But instead of a timepiece, they find a surprise: the body of a teenage boy. And as they watch, he comes back to life—not as the pale imitation that Catherine can conjure, but as a living, breathing boy. A boy with no memory of his past.
This magic is more powerful than any Catherine has ever encountered, and revealing it brings dangerous enemies. Catherine and Guy must race to unravel the connection between the missing timepiece and the undead boy. For this mysterious magic could mean the difference between life and death—for all of them.
⤖ October 2020 TBR ⬻
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
Kerri Maniscalco introduces her next series, a dark tale of a beautiful young witch, a troubled demon, and their epic romance, set against a 19th century Italian backdrop.
Emilia and her twin sister Victoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Victoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin…desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to discover who did this, and to seek vengeance at any cost—even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.
Then Emilia meets Wrath, the outlier among the seven demon brethren, always choosing duty over pleasure. He’s been tasked by his master with investigating a series of women’s murders on the island. When Emilia and Wrath’s fates collide, it’s clear this disturbing mystery will take a bewitching turn…
⤖ November 2020 TBR ⬻
The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige
Kappa Rho Nu isn’t your average sorority. Their parties are notorious. Their fundraisers are known for being Westerly College’s most elaborate affairs. But beneath the veil of Greek life and prestige, the sisters of Kappu Rho Nu share a secret: they’re a coven of witches. For Vivi Deveraux, being one of Kappa Rho Nu’s Ravens means getting a chance to redefine herself. For Scarlett Winters, a bonafide Raven and daughter of a legacy Raven, pledge this year means living up to her mother’s impossible expectations of becoming Kappa Rho Nu’s next president. Scarlett knows she’d be the perfect candidate — that is, if she didn’t have one human-sized skeleton in her closet…. When Vivi and Scarlett are paired as big and little for initiation, they find themselves sinking into the sinister world of blood oaths and betrayals.
⤖ November 2020 TBR ⬻
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.
⤖ November 2020 TBR ⬻
How the King of Elfhame Learned
to Hate Stories by Holly Black
An irresistible return to the captivating world of Elfhame.
Once upon a time, there was a boy with a wicked tongue.
Before he was a cruel prince or a wicked king, he was a faerie child with a heart of stone . Revealing a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame’s enigmatic high king, Cardan, tis tale includes delicious details of life before The Cruel Prince, an adventure beyond The Queen of Nothing, and familiar moments from The Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan’s perspective.
This new installment in the Folk of the Air series is a return to the heart-racing romance, danger, humor, and drama that enchanted readers everywhere. Each chapter is paired with lavish and luminous full-color art, making this the perfect collector’s item to be enjoyed by both new audiences and old.
⤖ December 2020 TBR ⬻
The Fever King by Victoria Lee
In the former United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of the viral magic that killed his family and made him a technopath. His ability to control technology attracts the attention of the minister of defense and thrusts him into the magical elite of the nation of Carolinia.
The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear.
Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good.
⤖ December 2020 TBR ⬻
The Electric Heir by Victoria Lee
Note: This book is part of a series, and there are likely some spoilers in the synopsis below.
Six months after Noam Álvaro helped overthrow the despotic government of Carolinia, the Atlantians have gained citizenship, and Lehrer is chancellor. But despite Lehrer’s image as a progressive humanitarian leader, Noam has finally remembered the truth that Lehrer forced him to forget—that Lehrer is responsible for the deadly magic infection that ravaged Carolinia.
Now that Noam remembers the full extent of Lehrer’s crimes, he’s determined to use his influence with Lehrer to bring him down for good. If Lehrer realizes Noam has evaded his control—and that Noam is plotting against him—Noam’s dead. So he must keep playing the role of Lehrer’s protégé until he can steal enough vaccine to stop the virus.
Meanwhile Dara Shirazi returns to Carolinia, his magic stripped by the same vaccine that saved his life. But Dara’s attempts to ally himself with Noam prove that their methods for defeating Lehrer are violently misaligned. Dara fears Noam has only gotten himself more deeply entangled in Lehrer’s web. Sooner or later, playing double agent might cost Noam his life.
⤖ December 2020 TBR ⬻
The Royal Wedding by Melanie Summers
Note: This book is part of a series, and there are likely some spoilers in the synopsis below.
When most girls get engaged, at most they face a disapproving mother-in-law, but in Tessa Sharpe’s case, it’s a disapproving nation. No one in the tiny kingdom of Avonia wants the former anti-royal blogger to wed Prince Arthur. The anti-royals haven’t forgiven her for abandoning ship and swimming over to the Prince’s yacht, and the royal watchers won’t ever forget all the horrible things she wrote about their beloved Royal Family.
Up against all odds, Tessa has only six months to prove herself worthy of the title of Princess. Her nasty father-in-law is going to throw every obstacle in her way, including the beautiful, poised, and highly accomplished Lady Doctor Brooke Beddingfield. But Tessa is determined to make this work and keep her fledgling career as a reporter intact.
Will Tessa manage to fight her way down the aisle and find her Prince Charming waiting? Or will one of them succumb to mounting pressure and run the other way before they can say I do?
⤖ December 2020 TBR ⬻
The Royal Delivery by Melanie Summers
Note: This book is part of a series, and there are likely some spoilers in the synopsis below.
After one year of marriage, Crown Prince Arthur and his lovely, albeit accident-prone wife, Princess Tessa, are preparing to bring an heir to the tiny kingdom of Avonia. With all eyes on Tessa, she’s determined to be one of those fabulously fit pregnant women. She could do it too if it weren’t for all the freshly-baked scones. Soon dubbed the Cowntess of Camembert, Tessa wants to go into hiding until after the baby is born, but royal life won’t wait, and she needs to figure out how to make the best of a desperate situation and win the people over once and for all.
Prince Author never thought he’d find himself involved in horribly awkward conversations about the first day of his wife’s last period, but that’s precisely what happens after that plus sign shows up on the pregnancy test. With a baby on the way, Arthur’s overprotective streak comes out in spades, and he finds himself attributing ill-intentions to everyone he meets, from the vagina-fixated obstetricians to the potential pedos everywhere.
Will Arthur calm down in time to welcome the baby? Will Tessa manage to figure out how to be mother to the kingdom’s next heir? And most importantly, will the happy couple still be happy when the baby arrives?
appeciate you prefacing about the previous months tbr because I accidentally scrolled down too far and saw September and thought I was losing my mind hahah. good luck!
Hahahaha sorry for the scare! Yes these pairs are mainly for me to shame myself I think by seeing how far behind I can fall
savage! I like it. accountability is key though. really kicks you in the butt.
True that!