Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson

Title: Dark Tales

Author: Shirley Jackson

Publisher: Penguin 2016

Genre: Horror Short Stories

Pages: 195

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season; Cover Lover -“Dark” in Title

Where I Got It: Library

After the publication of her short story “The Lottery” in the New Yorker in 1948 received an unprecedented amount of attention, Shirley Jackson was quickly established as a master horror storyteller. This collection of classic and newly reprinted stories provides readers with more of her unsettling, dark tales, including the “The Possibility of Evil” and “The Summer People.” In these deliciously dark stories, the daily commute turns into a nightmarish game of hide and seek, the loving wife hides homicidal thoughts and the concerned citizen might just be an infamous serial killer. In the haunting world of Shirley Jackson, nothing is as it seems and nowhere is safe, from the city streets to the crumbling country pile, and from the small-town apartment to the dark, dark woods. There’s something sinister in suburbia.

I have very much enjoyed many of Jackson’s stories in the past, but this collection fell pretty flat for me. Many of the stories seem to abruptly end without any satisfying conclusion. Or the stories have a twist that feels trite and boring in many cases. And then there are a few stories that are so confusing that I’m not sure what exactly happened. There are a few bright spots in the collection including the first story “The Possibility of Evil” and a later story called “A Visit.” In general I enjoy Jackson’s unsettling brand of psychological horror. I just prefer some of her other stories.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove

Title: Of Monsters and Mainframes

Author: Barbara Truelove

Publisher: Bindery Books 2025

Genre: Sci-fantasy Horror

Pages: 411

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season; Unread Shelf

Where I Got It: Afterword Books and Tavern, Kansas City MO - Bookish Retreat June 2025

Demeter just wants to do her job: shuttling humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Unfortunately, her passengers keep dying—and not from equipment failures, as her AI medical system, Steward, would have her believe. These are paranormal murders, and they began when one nasty, ancient vampire decided to board Demeter and kill all her humans.

To keep from getting decommissioned, Demeter must join forces with her own team of monsters: A werewolf. An engineer built from the dead. A pharaoh with otherworldly powers. A vampire with a grudge. A fleet of cheerful spider drones. Together, this motley crew will face down the ultimate evil—Dracula.

On a whim, I picked this one up during this year’s Bookish Retreat. Something about the vibes of the summary gave me pause. I wanted to understand exactly what type of book this was. Thankfully it was an utter delight and a wild ride. I loved every single page of it. We get a cross between the Universal Monsters and the Murderbot series with a mash-up I didn’t realize I needed. Demeter and Steward are great narrators as we span time, space, and realities. We get a beautiful found family story wrapped up in horror and blood. Every chapter felt like a surprising new adventure for me. I kept turning the pages with glee. Ultimately I sped through the book desperate to find out what would happen next. Definitely going to be going onto my year’s Top 10.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Title: Worth Fighting For (Meant to Be #5)

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series; Romanceopoly - The Highpoint (Workplace Romance)

Spice Rating: 3

Following one’s heart isn’t easy when family honor is at stake.

As the right hand of her father’s hedge fund company, Fa Mulan knows what it takes to succeed as a woman in a man’s world: work twice as hard, be twice as smart, and burp twice as loud as any of the other finance bros she works with. So when her father unexpectedly falls ill in the middle of a critical acquisition, she is determined to see it through. There’s just one hitch: the family company in question is known for its ultra masculine whiskey brand, and the brood of old-fashioned aunts, uncles, and cousins who run it—lead by the dedicated but overworked Shang—will only trust Mulan’s father, Fa Zhou, with the future of their business.

Rather than fail the deal and her father, Mulan pretends she’s Fa Zhou. Since they’ve only corresponded over email, how hard could it be to keep things moving in his absence?

But the email leads to a face-to-face meeting, which leads to an invitation to a week long retreat at Shang’s family ranch. One meeting she can handle, but a whole week of cattle wrangling, axe-throwing, and learning proper butchering techniques, all while trying to convince Shang’s dubious family that this young woman is the powerful hedge fund CEO they’ve been negotiating with? Not so much—especially as she finds it harder and harder to ignore the undeniable spark between her and Shang. Can she keep her head in the game and make her father proud, all while trying not to fall into a trough, or in love with Shang?

Rom coms are really not my jam right now. I mostly felt bored while reading this one. I got all the Mulan references, but they seemed very off-putting to me. I truly dislike the miscommunication trope and this entire plot hinged on that. I just kept yelling at the characters to talk to each other. And then there is the family. Patriarchal bullshit really makes me angry. Shang’s family was absolutely trash and I wanted all of them to go away. And then we get to the insta-love trope. I just couldn’t really understand why our main characters loved each other. Not the book for me.

Meant to Be:

#1 If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy
#2 By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
#3 Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova
#4 Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren
#5 Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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Romanceopoly 2025 Board Light Skin Brown Hair.jpg

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lore Olympus Vol. 8 by Rachel Smythe

Title: Lore Olympus Volume 8

Author: Rachel Smythe

Publisher: Inklore 2025

Genre: Fantasy Comic

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Where I Got It: Library

“You have no authority here.”

Revelations rock Olympus as Persephone’s trial ends, threatening to throw the gods into a new war.

Though Persephone and Hades become closer than ever after she opens up to him about all she has endured, their peace is shattered when another truth is revealed: Apollo is Zeus’s son. The announcement shocks the pantheon, and the king of the gods realizes that the would-be usurper wants Persephone’s power to take the throne.

Zeus banishes Persephone to the Mortal Realm and, out of fear, cuts it off entirely from the rest of the gods. This decree succeeds in undercutting Apollo’s plan, but also inadvertently begins a decade-long divine cold war when Hades strikes back by shuttering the Underworld. With the gods scattered and weakened, Kronos uses the ensuing bedlam to finally escape his imprisonment and begin staging his own coup.

Persephone has only one choice when she discovers all the realms on the verge of collapse: Descend into the Underworld to try to defeat the power-hungry Titan, claim her rightful place as queen, and reunite with her one true love.

Finally! We get to see Persephone as the Queen of the Underworld. I’ve been waiting for eight volumes to see her come into her power. After a terrible trial and a forced separation, we finally get some major movement in the larger storyline. And we get to see true communication between our main characters. I really despise when characters purposely keep important information from each other “for their own good.” It’s so incredibly annoying and drags out the drama. Thankfully we get to see characters talk and share the important information. And now we’ve set up everything for the last act of the story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Vol. 4

Title: Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Vol. 4

Author: singNsong

Publisher: Ize Press 2022

Genre: Manwha

Pages: 264

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series; Books to Movies

Where I Got It: Library

At this rate... Junghyeok Yu will die today. Dokja has his hands full dealing with relentless monster attacks, as well as the Landlord Coalition’s tyranny. But when Junghyeok disappears amid the chaos, Dokja is faced with a chilling question―when the main character of this universe dies, what happens to the rest of the world? Not wanting to find out, he ventures into the Cinema Dungeon to find the missing Regressor!

We finally get to see what happens with the Landlord Coalition and the monster scenario. I loved how the story has really started to pick up and movement is being made. I loved the addition of Jihye to the group and the move to the Cinema Dungeon. I cannot wait to see how this new scenario evolves and involves Junghyeok Yu.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Vol. 3

Title: Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Vol. 3

Author: singNsong

Publisher: Ize Press 2021

Genre: Manwha

Pages: 248

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series; Books to Movies

Where I Got It: Library

IF YOU HAVE A SHRED OF PRIDE LEFT, STAND UP AND FIGHT!Inside the ruthless scenarios of TWSA, something as simple as getting a meal is a life-or-death struggle. With all the food destroyed by the goblin, Dokja’s group is forced to venture into the dark tunnels full of vicious creatures. But in the cruel new world, monsters are not the most dangerous enemies...Fear and desperation among the survivors cause Geumho Station to erupt into wanton bloodshed. And amid the chaos, Huiwon’s true power awakens―the Time of Judgment is here!

I’m still really enjoying this series. We get to see the conclusion of a scenario involving a Death Warden. Also, we get to see characters level up and evolve in pretty interesting ways. I’m very interested to see how the group around Dokja changes as the scenarios get deadlier and more complicated.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens

Title: Is She Really Going Out with Him?

Author: Sophie Sousens

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER; Romanceopoly - Starlight Cinema (Group read)

Where I Got It: Kindle deal

Spice Rating: 3

Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.

From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman, and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?

Our in person book club selection this month. My reading has really been impacted with life and fan fiction, but I was determined to read this one before the meeting on Tuesday. I started on Sunday night and finished Monday night. So a very quick read for me. Unfortunately, this book was a little too predictable and bland for me. I found it to be reminiscent of Bridget Jones’s Diary. Which would have been okay, but it’s 2025. I just didn’t want to read about a beautiful woman who complains about how frumpy and disheveled she is. The conceit of the dates set up by her kids was kinda fun, even if it was aborted halfway through. I liked the glimpses of Anna’s columns, but felt like we spent too much time talking about how print media is dying. Yeah, it has been for decades… Will was a fine MMC, but didn’t find him particularly swoony. I didn’t hate this book, but it really was not for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Letter from the Lonesome Shore by Sylvie Cathrall

Title: A Letter from the Lonesome Shore (The Sunken Archive #2)

Author: Sylvie Cathrall

Publisher: Orbit 2025

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Former correspondents E. and Henerey, accustomed to loving each other from afar, did not anticipate continuing their courtship in an enigmatic underwater city. When their journey through the Structure in E.'s garden strands them in a peculiar society preoccupied with the pleasures and perils of knowledge, E. and Henerey come to accept—and, more surprisingly still, embrace—the fact that they may never return home.

A year and a half later, Sophy and Vyerin finally discover one of the elusive Entries that will help them seek their siblings. As the group's efforts bring them closer to E. and Henerey, an ancient, cosmic threat also draws near...

I absolutely adored the first book in this duology. I loved how quiet the mystery was. I loved how atmospheric the writing was. I love the epistolary nature to the structure. I had such high hopes going into the second book. And for the most part, I really loved it. We get pick up right where we left off and dive into the mysteries. We catch up with E and Henerey in their new world. We see Sophy and Vyerin attempt to understand what happened their siblings. We get the same structure and atmospheric writing. But about halfway through the book, the revelations of the “mysteries” of the larger world starts getting a bit muddled. It became harder and harder to follow exactly what the universe was and the characters’ place in it. The book wraps up well, but I will admit to not loving parts in the middle.

The Sunken Archive

#1 A Letter to the Luminous Deep
#2 A Letter from the Lonesome Shore

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: The Bewitching

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publisher: Del Rey 2025

Genre: Horror

Pages: 357

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read Around the USA - Massachusetts; I Read Horror - Folk Horror

Where I Got It: Library

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.

Moreno-Garcia is such hit or miss author for me. I absolutely loved a few of her books and then I really really disliked a few of the books. The summary of this one really caught my eye. I love witch themed books and was looking forward to a fun spooky mystery book. The first few chapters were intriguing. But as the book went on, I was less and less interested. The story seemed to just drag and drag. There were a few spooky things here and there, but mostly nothing for the longest time. I just wasn’t compelled to keep reading. I kept at it because it was a book club selection, but mostly I was just really really bored.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 26

Title: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 26

Author: Junji Ito

Publisher: VIZ Media 2024

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 192

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna have been lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of jujutsu sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!

The battle between the two strongest sorcerers—Gojo and Sukuna—unfolds on a mind-blowing scale! The combatants repeatedly open their domains and repair burnt-out cursed techniques. Their back-and-forth clash continues, but when Sukuna summons Mahoraga, will the balance of power tip his way?

Ooof that one was rough! We basically spend the entire volume focused on the battle between Sukuna and Gojo. I could have used some more other story or at least more from the other characters. But I still enjoyed following along with the great battle.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Next up on the TBR pile:

Feathers So Vicious by Liv Zander

Title: Feathers So Vicious (Court of Ravens #1)

Author: Liv Zander

Publisher: Ink Heart Publishing 2023

Genre: Romantasy

Pages: 412

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: She Reads Romance - Fantasy

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 8

Perched between branches and shadows, We watch, we scheme, Fighting for a kingdom forgotten and forlorn.

Until we rip her away with our claws, Our prisoner, our pawn, our plaything.

She’s innocent and pure, Fragile and helpless… …but oh so guilty by blood.

She calls us beasts, Wicked and evil, Vicious and cruel.

We are all that and worse.

One of us offers her shelter beneath his wings, Whispering promises of pleasure, Seeking redemption.

The other longs to shatter her into a million pieces, Whispering promises of pain, Seeking revenge.

Caught between our feathers, She endures our deranged desires, Our secrets, our lies, Our twisted plans.

Will she surrender to our darkness, or fight for a destiny growing ever elusive?

Welcome to the Court of Ravens, little white dove.

While I loved the magic system and some of the world building in here, I just could not get behind the romance. The literal torture the FMC received from the two men was too much for me to suspend my disbelief and go with it. I guess I found my limit for dark romance.

Court of Ravens

#1 Feathers So Vicious
#2 Shadows So Cruel

Next up on the TBR pile:

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Vol. 2

Title: Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Vol. 2

Author: singNsong

Publisher: Ize Press 2020

Genre: Manwha

Pages: 240

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Books to Movies

Where I Got It: Library

THE ENDLESS TRAGEDIES OF THIS WORLD ALL BEGIN WITH THIS CHARACTER.Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse is Dokja’s favorite novel, or it was...until it became reality. Thanks to his knowledge of the story, he managed to survive the first chaotic moments of the new world. But the relentless scenario waits for no one, and Dokja finds himself in yet another life-or-death struggle. Isolated from his group and surrounded by horrific creatures, his story seems all but doomed to a premature ending...That’s when an unmistakable presence makes an entrance. It’s time for Dokja, the only reader of TWSA, to meet its main character―the Regressor Junghyeok Yu!

We get to learn more! We get a fun situation in a sea serpent and the introduction of some new characters. I loved piecing together the folklore and mythology references (with the help from some notes at the end) along with speculating about the larger mystery of the worlds and especially the constellations. My son was reluctant to tell me spoilers (not that I necessarily want them), but he did give me some interesting teasers. I am excited to keep reading and see where Dokja goes next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes

Title: Cold Eternity

Author: S.A. Barnes

Publisher: Tor Nightfire 2025

Genre: Thriller/Horror

Pages: 293

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Cover Lover - Something you might see in a hospital; I Read Horror - Female Author

Where I Got It: Library

Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most fortunate citizens from more than a century ago…

The cryo program, created by trillionaire tech genius Zale Winfeld, is long defunct, and the AI hologram "hosts," ghoulishly created in the likeness of Winfeld’s three adult children, are glitchy. The ship feels like a crypt, and the isolation gets to Halley almost immediately. She starts to see figures crawling in the hallways, and there’s a constant scraping, slithering, and rattling echoing in the vents.

It’s not long before Halley realizes she may have gotten herself trapped in an even more dangerous situation than the one she was running from….

If I want a thriller/lite horror novel, I turn to S.A. Barnes now. I love her space horror books so much! We get creepy settings, unreliable narrators, and some lovely body horror all wrapped up in a tightly paced, easily read package. This one is no exception. Right away, we know that there’s something wrong on the ship, but we have to slowly and creepily encounter the truth along with Halley. The little odd occurrences and sensory jump scares add to the tension. And we are guaranteed a fast-paced ending full of horror! My only quibble with this book is the overly long passages about Halley’s previous political dealings. They didn’t blend seamlessly with her current story. I even found myself wanting to know more details of exactly what happened. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this space romp.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Vol. 1

Title: Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Vol. 1

Author: singNsong

Publisher: Ize Press 2020

Genre: Manga

Pages: 248

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Books to Movies

Where I Got It: Library

AT THAT MOMENT, MY LIFE TOOK ON A DIFFERENT GENRE. As a struggling office worker, Dokja Kim’s sole joy in life is an online novel so obscure that he’s its only reader. Then one day the story comes to an end…and so does the world. People all around the globe suddenly find themselves being massacred by horrific monsters or pitted against each other in sadistic scenarios straight out of the novel. However, only Dokja is aware that this is merely the first chapter of what is to come. Knowing that devastating plot twists are on the horizon, he can no longer afford to sit back as a reader―it’s time for Dokja to step up and write his own destiny!

After chatting with one of my sons during our travel back to Nebraska, he mentioned this series as one that I should read. I finally slotted it into my short list TBR and read the first volume. I immediately fell into the story and found myself hanging on each page. I loved falling Dokja’s growing realization of his new reality. And we get to have some fun cultural moments embedded into the story. I am definitely hooked on the series and will continue reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Geographer's Map to Romance by India Holton

Title: The Geographer’s Map to Romance (Love’s Academic #2)

Author: India Holton

Publisher: Berkley 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - New Year, New Love (Second Chance)

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 5

Professor Elodie Tarrant is an expert in magic disasters. Nothing fazes her—except her own personal disaster, that is: Professor Gabriel Tarrant, the grumpy, unfriendly man she married for convenience a year ago, whom she secretly loves.

Gabriel is also an expert in magic disasters. And nothing fazes him either—except the walking, talking tornado that is his wife. They’ve been estranged since shortly after their wedding day, but that hasn’t stopped him from stoically pining for her.

When magic erupts in a small Welsh village, threatening catastrophe for the rest of England, Elodie and Gabriel are accidentally both assigned to the case. With the fate of the country in their hands, they must come together as a team in the face of perilous conditions like explosions, domesticated goats, and only one bed. But this is easier said than done. After all, there's no navigational guide for the geography of the heart.

I just really enjoy India Holton’s writing style. She weaves together the stuffiness of characters and language from the 19th century with madcap adventures and witty banter of today. I enjoyed the first book in this series, but I think I might just have enjoyed the second book even more. Ellie and Gabe and the best odd pairing. Their romance is somehow far-fetched but believable. I love that they both are so invested in their field of study and true scholars. And then there’s the fun and silly magic thrown in. It made all the adventures seems like a great time. I cannot wait to see what Holton writes next.

Love’s Academic

#1 The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love
#2 The Geographer’s Map to Romance

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25

Title: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 25

Author: Junji Ito

Publisher: VIZ Media 2024

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 208

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna have been lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of jujutsu sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!

In order to assume complete control over Fushiguro’s body, Sukuna schemes to kill Tsumiki, whose flesh Yorozu has possessed. Meanwhile, Itadori and the others attempt to use the power of Kurusu and the Angel, who have barely escaped death, to bring back Satoru Gojo! Sukuna is the strongest sorcerer in history, and Gojo is the strongest sorcerer of the present day… These two heavy hitters will finally clash!

Everything really feels like it’s coming to a head in this volume. Gojo has been released. Sukuna has taken over Fushiguro’s body. They are locked in combat. Kenjaku is still lurking around. And the rest of our crew is on the sidelines watching everything go down. I was on pins and needles the entire volume.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 24

Title: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 24

Author: Junji Ito

Publisher: VIZ Media 2023

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 192

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna have been lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of jujutsu sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!

Military forces from foreign countries invade the culling game, seeking to harness the unlimited potential of cursed energy. However, the soldiers soon find themselves facing off against a horde of cursed spirits! While the merger with Tengen forges on, Fushiguro tries to help his sister leave the culling game and its endless cycle of killing…

Bringing the military into the story was a bit of a strange choice, but I understand that we needed to acknowledge the rest of the world at least. Japan does not exist in the world by itself. I was much more interested in the storyline featuring Fushiguro. And goodness! What an ending! I did not see that coming at all.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 23

Title: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 23

Author: Junji Ito

Publisher: VIZ Media 2023

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 192

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna have been lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of jujutsu sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!

Sukuna reveals that he is the Disgraced One whom the Angel wants to kill. While Itadori grapples with this terrible news, Kenjaku has set in motion plans involving various nations, throwing the culling game into further confusion! To make matters worse, Kenjaku then shows up at the Tombs of the Star Corridor where Master Tengen exists in seclusion!

Our larger plot moves forward a ton in this volume. We do a big check in with our major players and see what happens when Itadori realizes who is inhabiting his body. I enjoyed learning more even if Gojo is still missing from the story.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 22

Title: Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 22

Author: Junji Ito

Publisher: VIZ Media 2023

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 192

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna have been lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of jujutsu sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!

A mysterious cursed spirit with a grudge against Maki flies into Sakurajima Colony. It evolves with incredible speed from cursed womb to adult form and threatens to overwhelm Maki and Noritoshi. Just then, two more combatants join the battle…

Very excited to see a volume focused more on Maki. She’s become one of my favorite characters in this entire series. And after the development with her sister, I am more and more intrigued. We get a great extended action sequence showing off her revelations and new skills. I cannot wait to see how see fits back into our motley crew of heroes.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Next up on the TBR pile:

Seoulmates by Susan Lee

Title: Seoulmates

Author: Susan Lee

Publisher: Inkyard Press 2022

Genre: YA Romance

Pages: 314

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Lotus and Lei (AAPI Author); Cover Lover - POC

Where I Got It: Library

Hannah Cho had the next year all planned out—the perfect summer with her boyfriend, Nate, and then a fun senior year with their friends.

But then Nate does what everyone else in Hannah’s life seems to do—he leaves her, claiming they have nothing in common. He and all her friends are newly obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas, and Hannah is not. After years of trying to embrace the American part and shunning the Korean side of her Korean American identity to fit in, Hannah finds that’s exactly what now has her on the outs.

But someone who does know K-dramas—so well that he’s actually starring in one—is Jacob Kim, Hannah’s former best friend, whom she hasn’t seen in years. He’s desperate for a break from the fame, so a family trip back to San Diego might be just what he needs…that is, if he and Hannah can figure out what went wrong when they last parted and navigate the new feelings developing between them.

Two friends recommended this book because of my love of K-Pop and K-Dramas. I went into it knowing very little. One of those things is that I didn’t realize that it was YA until I got the physical book. Not my usual cup of romance tea, but I thought I would try it. And overall, it was good. Not great, but good. There is some teenage angst sprinkled, but not too much. Mostly I was annoyed by the whole “let’s pretend to be dating to make my (IMO worthless) ex-boyfriend jealous so he takes me back.” UM, girl. Step away from the bland boy who clearly does not see you at all. I did want to see more adventures between Hannah and Jacob around San Diego. There was a lack of fun! I wanted to really buy them as a couple. So ultimately, I ended up giving this one 3 stars. Good, but nothing to get super excited about.

Next up on the TBR pile: