I could never have foreseen the fact that I would be typing up this yearly retrospective for 2021 while I'm recovering from a mild case of COVID. I definitely didn't think I was doing to sit down and do this post this year after the last week, but the tradition runs too strong in my blood for me to resist the call. I like taking a minute to just sit and think about the year that's passed, and all the twists and turns that happened -- good or bad -- along the way. 

2021 was, despite certain moments, a very good year. (It was definitely an improvement on 2020.) We welcomed baby Greyson into our lives and hearts, and he's literally brought our tiny New York family so much joy from the moment he came into the world. I, along with many of my family and friends, got vaccinated, which meant it was ultimately safer for us to hang out in person (and also to go back to work at our office, in my case) and it definitely meant that I only got milder symptoms after catching COVID right at the end of the year. Two of my best friends got engaged! I got to go on two separate trips - one to Stowe, Vermont with Rachel to see the fall foliage (which was absolutely lovely) and one to Orlando, Florida with Macky and Danica (which ended up being such a wonderfully fun and relaxing trip). And my sister Rachel came back to New York for the holidays (speaking of things that didn't go according to plan...) because my other sister Mel got engaged! And in between all of the fun things, there were anime shows to inhale, movies to laugh and cry over, and virtual calls and hangouts to be had aplenty.

On the lessons learned front, all I can really think to share is that I'm grateful. I've been blessed in so many ways on so many fronts, whether it's getting an unexpected work promotion or being given the gift of compassionate endurance that allows me to soldier on with the day to day. I've had my world rocked quite a few times this year (the death of one of my grandmothers being one of those big things), but I've somehow been able to find the serenity to seek acceptance and peace. It helps that I have a pretty spectacular support system in place, that's for sure.

2021, cheers for all you brought into my life and for all that I've learned.

We've made it through one more year, friends, and here's to what comes next!

It's the end of October and you know what that means - my best friend Rachel & I are going to share our thoughts on a paranormal series that we read together during the year! We've hosted a BDB Party with our friend Kelly, held a Vampire Academy Gala and a Fallen Angels Fête, and last year, we had a Guild Hunters Ball. This year, we decided to read the Night Huntress series by Jeanine Frost together!

Half-human, half-vampire Catherine “Cat” Crawfield is hunting down vampires in order to find the deadbeat one who sired her and effectively ruined her mother’s life. She finds herself captured by vampire bounty hunter Bones and coerced into an unlikely partnership: she’ll train with him to hone her fighting skills and he’ll help her find her father. They’ll soon find themselves facing down a group of killers, the first in line of a series of enemies that they’ll have to work together in order to defeat.

The Night Huntress series by Jeanine Frost is so, so much fun. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so thoroughly when I was reading a novel, and I especially can’t remember the last time that every single book in a series had me cackling loudly while I was reading.

I love that there are many familiar tropes at play throughout the series; it’s generally twists and plot devices I’ve come across before in other series. But Frost has a deft hand at weaving it all together in a way that was entertaining and exciting. The author gives us plenty of action-packed moments, fun plot twists, and swoony romantic encounters, and I was here for every single second. There’s always some new obstacle or mystery or enemy that appears in each book, and it’s just so easy to roll with it.

My big love for the series is very much due to the fact that I adored the cast of characters, but most especially loved Cat and Bones. Cat is intelligent, determined, feminine and loyal; she’s an undeniably badass fighter who can totally hold her own whether it’s using her weapons or using her wits. Bones is a smart, equally badass vampire and bounty hunter who has a wicked sense of humor and an irresistible charm that will draw readers (and Cat, of course) in.

Personally, I do think that the earlier titles in this series -- specifically books one through four -- are the best. The last three books are still wildly entertaining and so easy to devour once you start them, but they felt more episodic and lacked a little bit of the magic that made the first four so compelling to read. Still, the Night Huntress series in its entirety is a really a stellar addition to the adult urban fantasy romance genre. It's funny, it's swoony, it's captivating and it's really just a whole heck of a lot of fun. I'm so glad we ended up reading this series for our joint spooky read this year, and definitely intend to check out more of Frost's work (including the series spin-offs that exist)!

As we've done every year, Rachel & I will be sharing our series favorites! I've gone out of my way to keep my answers non-spoilery, so you have nothing to fear by checking out my answers to our questions below.

Favorite book? This was a tough choice between two books, but I ultimately decided to go with the third book in the series, At Grave's End. I thought this installment balanced romance, action, tension and series reveals really well!

Favorite quote? "Life is a bitch and then you get stabbed." When I first heard this quote (I primarily listened to the series on audiobook), it made me cackle out loud. But it also feels really relatable for those times when life already takes a turn for the worse and then something else piles on top of that...

Favorite heroine? There's really only one answer to this question and it's our titular character, Cat Crawfield. When it comes to longer adult urban fantasy romance series like this one, the heroine we start off with has the tendency to make or break my interest in the series. Luckily, I immediately fell in love with Cat! She's sassy, smart, stubborn and capable of taking care of herself (and taking down some very badass supernatural beings to boot), and I just adored coming along for the wild ride that is her life after she crosses paths with Bones.

Favorite hero? There's also only one answer for me when it comes to this question, and of course I loved Bones. How could I not love the vampire who proves his loyalty to those he cares for and his love and devotion to Cat over and over again as this series goes on? The same vampire, mind you, who can be extra sassy and incredibly commanding (and terrifying) when the situation calls for it, who makes me laugh with his commentary and tear up with his sweet declarations and go "aww" when he does something sweet.

Favorite secondary character? One of the most enjoyable aspects of this series is that there are so many excellent secondary characters that we're introduced to along the way -- and it's all too easy to fall in love with most of them (despite some of them having rather obvious flaws). I'm rather torn on this one, because I actually enjoy quite a few of the secondary characters, but I ultimately had to pick Denise, who is Cat's best friend. She's brave, loyal and honestly just as kick-ass a lady as Cat is!

Favorite couple? Not to be a broken record, but obviously, the answer to this is Cat and Bones. While they have their fair share of a relationship learning curve (and it takes some major wild turns at times that turns it into a real roller coaster), it's clear to everyone that their love and devotion to each other is the kind of lifelong romantic bond many of us aspire to find. I loved watching them fall in love, and seeing their relationship evolve as the series went on.

Welcome to another Paranormal Book Club post! The Paranormal Book Club is a casual book club I do with my friends Rachel, Kristin & DJ, and it came into being because we decided we wanted to revisit (or experience for the first time) a few older YA paranormal/fantasy books together. Rachel, DJ & I picked up Unearthly as our most recent reread. It's been a hot minute (read: almost a decade) since the first and only time I read this series, so I was interested to see how I would like it now.

Summary: After learning about her part angel heritage, Clara Gardner begins to receive visions of her purpose, the thing she was put on earth to do. The clues in her visions lead to a move with her mother and brother to a new town and a new school where she begins to see the elements of her dream in real life. But as Clara hurries to figure out her vision and learns more about her angel heritage, she encounters more than she bargained for and finds herself questioning all she knows about her life and her destiny.

I was looking forward to revisiting Unearthly when we chose it as one of our book club reads for the year, as I hadn't read the series again after the first time I devoured the trilogy back to back. Luckily, the book held up pretty well! It was a bit slower paced than I remembered, but the novel in its entirety - the characters, the setting, the story, the lore - all come together beautifully.

“So often we only do what we think is expected of us, when we are capable of so much more.” When I read this line in the book, I felt a very strong personal resonance to it. It's such a simple statement, but it rings with such honest truth. We all are capable of so much more than we can imagine; it's just that we sometimes lose sight of that in the grand scheme of our lives and busyness.

Clara, primarily because I find her struggle to figure out, understand and fulfill her purpose so relatable. She really experiences the whole spectrum of emotions - joy, fear, doubt, anger, denial, awe - and I feel like I, along with many others, have the same experience at many points in our lives.

Since I know that this one is a series and that we do get more of the things I want (like Christian and the angel lore and Tucker), I'm going to say no, it's great as it is.

I'm so glad that we decided to revisit this book because it was a wonderful story to sink back into. I would definitely continue with the series (especially since I actually don't remember the details of the other two books, save for the romance and how that concludes), and the only reason I didn't was because I have a massive TBR threatening to topple over. I've actually read quite a few books by this author, and would certainly read more!

If you're interested in finding out what the others thought, check out their posts below:

I’ll point you in the direction of Macky’s clever review for the series, but I felt like it would still be appropriate to give you my personal thoughts on Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians too. This middle grade series starter centers around Alcatraz Smedry, who finds out on his thirteenth birthday that everything he knows about himself and the world around him is, in fact, a lie. Because the evil Librarians are out to take over the world by spreading lies and misinformation, and it’s up to Alcatraz and his up-until-this-point unknown family to help stop that from happening. As you might know if you’ve read my blog for a while now, I generally prefer to be able to connect with the characters I read about. That, unfortunately, did not happen when I read this book, simply because the characters felt crossed the line between real person and caricature for me. However, that didn’t stop me from enjoying this read! This is one of those rare instances where I was fully content to be dragged along by the plot (which is shenanigans piled on top of other shenanigans and shoved into a close with, you guessed it, more shenanigans) as it played out. I also enjoyed the humor of this story, which runs the spectrum from really out there zany to being patently sarcastic and witty (which Macky basically embodies). And the narration style, which might not work for everyone with the tongue in cheek remarks and the allusions to future plots, ended up working quite well for this book too! While I’m not really rushing to pick up the next in the series, I do eventually plan to because I so enjoyed my time with this book.

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians #1) by Brandon Sanderson

Pub Info: February 16, 2016 (or. October 2007) by Starscape

Even though I’ve now read quite a few adult fantasy books, I still found the idea of starting The Stormlight Archive series very intimidating. After all, The Way of Kings is just about thousand pages long – and the rest of the books that have been released in the series so far equal or surpass it in length. But I couldn’t help being curious after seeing so many folks I follow on BookTube rave about it (and even more curious after my friend Kristin told me how much she loved it), and so, I finally took the plunge. The Way of Kings introduces us to three narrators: Dalinar, a decorated general in the King’s army beset by unexplained visions; Kaladin, a slave who works as a member of a warlord’s bridge crew despairing over the curse that causes him to fail all those he wants to protect; and Shallan, a young woman who aims to be apprenticed to a master scholar in order to steal the relic that the master possesses in order to save her family. Each of their perspectives is distinct from the others, and the lengthy page count ensured that there was ample time for the formation of a solid character-reader relationship with each of the three. I never once felt lost or bored no matter who I happened to be following at any given moment as well! I also appreciated how each main character (and a couple of other secondary characters too, specifically in the interludes) offered a different view of the world, and that contributed to the world-building right alongside actual descriptions and the insertion of sketches and maps. In terms of plot, while I normally do not gravitate towards war stories, it worked really well here. It’s probably got a lot to do with Sanderson’s writing and the way he gave human faces to people involved in the conflict. I’m glad I finally picked this tome up because I really enjoyed the time I spent reading it, and I’m looking forward to the next installment.

The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive #1) by Brandon Sanderson

Pub Info: August 31, 2010 by Tor Books

My original experience with Howl's Moving Castle was, of course, the iconic Studio Ghibli film (which I enjoyed, though it's actually not one of my Ghibli favorites). I'd heard from many folks over the years that the novel that was the source material for this whimsical tale was equally incredible, and I'd been curious about it for ages so I finally took the plunge and read it this year. And friends, this book was so enjoyable! In Howl's Moving Castle, Sophie finds herself cursed by the Witch of the Wastes. She decides to make her way to the moving castle owned by the wizard Howl in order to find a way to break her curse, only to find herself swept up in a series of adventures with Howl, his apprentice Michael and the fire demon Calcifer. It was fun to pinpoint the details that made an appearance in the film, but it was equally entertaining (and a wonderful surprise) to discover that there was more to this story. I really enjoyed being swept up in this adventure with Sophie, Howl and the rest of the cast of characters, though I did feel like I wasn't as connected to it in a personal way as I would've liked. Still, I was entertained, charmed and engaged completely from start to end, and if that's not the sign of a good read, I don't know what is. I'd definitely recommend reading Howl's Moving Castle (and if you haven't yet, you should totally watch the film too)!

Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle #1) by Diana Wynne Jones

Pub Info: April 22, 2008 (or. April 1946) by Greenwillow Books

In Huaxia, boys and girls are paired to pilot Chrysalises, the giant robots that make up their country's main defensive force against the mecha aliens beyond the Great Wall. Zetian offers herself up as a pilot concubine, not for glory or honor, but for the chance to assassinate the pilot who was responsible for her sister's death -- and she succeeds at her mission of vengeance by killing him through the psychic link while in the Chrysalis and emerging from the cockpit unscathed. Dubbed the Iron Widow for what she's accomplished, Zetian is paired with the strongest, most controversial male pilot in the force, Li Shimin. There are many who would see them both dead despite the unquestionable asset they happen to be in the war. But driven by her determination to understand and overturn the misogynist pilot system and prevent the needless deaths of more girls, Zetian won't go down without a fight.

I had an inkling that I would, at the very least, enjoy Iron Widow. (And I say that as someone who rarely, if ever, reads sci-fi.) As it turns out, it's so, so good, and very much unlike anything I've read previously despite some familiar elements and tropes! I'm rarely able to just sit back, relax (or stress, depending on what the characters are going through) and let the author lead me where she will with her words, so this was a pleasant surprise. With her debut novel, Xiran Jay Zhao has done something really interesting here; she's taken a historical figure (Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history), planted them in unique circumstances and let her imagination run wild with how it all comes together. The plot is the main driving force behind Iron Widow, and while I normally prefer more character-driven tales, I didn't mind it at all in this case.

There are, however, a few elements of Iron Widow that could have used a little bit more development (though I anticipate that happening as the series continues). Like the world, though it's understandably limited considering the position Zetian is in and the heavy focus on the war effort. And the characters, who we only get a limited perspective on and usually through the lens of limitations or trauma. (And yes, this includes Zetian, who readers will mostly identify as an angry young woman who is reckless after losing the person who matters most to her; someone who will do whatever it takes to keep herself and her own safe.) And the character relationships too, especially the romance that blossoms in this story (though I'll definitely give it props for surprising me in a good way).

The thing is, however, that despite my reservations, I really enjoyed Iron Widow. The beginning hooked me immediately, the story was compelling and refreshingly different from anything I've recently read and it totally gave me anime vibes (which is always a good thing in my book). I'm so glad that I ended up reading it and I'm very much looking forward to the sequel!

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Pub Info: September 21, 2021 by Penguin Teen

Source: e-galley received from publisher via NetGalley