I will never get tired of saying this: Captain Phasma deserved better. When Phasma was introduced, I immediately gravitated toward her as a character. Her appearance is next-level with the chromatic armor she wears. The fact that she has such a strong presence in Finn’s backstory and could tell that his programming was wearing off shows how intuitive Phasma was. Captain Phasma should have lived into Rise of Skywalker, so Finn could have an epic showdown with Phasma, but I digress. When I heard about the Phasma novelization, I knew I wanted to read it eventually. The Star Wars novelizations have been a hit or a miss for me, but I’m happy to say that Star Wars Phasma was a hit.

Captain Phasma is a ruthless and formidable opponent. She uses her expertise to train Stormtroopers to fight for the First Order. Vi Moradi, a Resistance Spy, is sent to Phasma’s home world of Parnassos to gather useful intel about her. While heading to the rebel base, she’s captured by the First Order. She’s interrogated by Cardinal, a high-level guard who wants to take Phasma down, as he sees her as competition. Vi relays everything she learned about Phasma to Cardinal in the hopes of buying her freedom and helping Cardinal eliminate Phasma.

If The Mummy and Mad Max were combined into a Star Wars story, that’s what I felt Phasma was. I think this book gives Phasma an extra edge that I don’t think the movies did justice to. Phasma is a warrior and was seen as a leader by her tribe on Parnassos. She leads a group of people to Brendol Hux’s crashed ship, and the group has to fight their way off Parnassos to live a better life. An interesting scene involving a fighting arena shows Phasma’s capability as a brutal leader. In Star Wars novelizations like this, it’s easy for the side characters to be forgettable. This book created characters that all served a purpose in the group. There was Siv, who’s a warrior, but also a healer. Torben is the brute, and Gosta is the younger woman who doesn’t have Phasma’s edge but is still not someone to mess with. Brendol Hux was irritating and fit every stereotype about First Order officers. The Stormtroopers even had personalities and were given names by Phasma’s group. It was easy to keep everyone straight and care for everyone in the group.

The reason I read the Star Wars novelizations is to become more enriched with Star Wars as a franchise. I felt Phasma as a book had essential backstories for some of the characters in the sequels. I can’t reveal much without spoiling the book, but now that I have read Phasma, I feel like I could rewatch the sequels in a new light, knowing what I know from this book.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Phasma, but I enjoyed this book. This might be one of my favorite Star Wars novelizations that’s been published since Disney bought Star Wars. I was waffling between rating Phasma four or five stars. The only thing I’d add is that this book was a little slow at times; however, once I dedicated time to read multiple sections at once, I ended up reading 250 pages in one sitting. For now, I’m rating this four stars, but I could see myself changing this rating in the future.

It should come as a surprise to no one that I’m reading witchy books in spring. Why should I only read spooky-themed books in the fall? I discovered The Ex Hex series a few years ago, and it’s basically Charmed meets Gilmore Girls with a romance at the core of each book. I had The Kiss Curse, which is the second book of the series, on my TBR for far too long, so when I needed to make a last-minute switch to what I was going to read last month, I figured this would be a good choice. The Kiss Curse was as good, if not better than The Ex Hex.

Gwyn Jones is in a good place. She has formed a new coven in Graves Glen, she’s mentoring students from the local college, and she’s helping to run her business, Something Wicked. When Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow returns to Graves Glen and sets up a shop right on the street from hers, Gwyn can’t help but be ornery about it. Gwyn and Wells agree to a truce as they feel a dark source of magic brewing nearby. While investigating dark magic, Gwyn can’t help but develop feelings for Wells, especially because he isn’t everything she thought he was.

With romance book series, I think it’s essential that each book builds on the others. In The Kiss Curse, there’s more revealed about Graves Glen as a town and who has it out for Gwyn and Viv’s bloodline. I think it’s easy to discount The Kiss Curse as a smutty, witchy romance; I feel that doesn’t give the series enough credit. I did like Gwyn and Wells together as a couple. Wells is more serious; combined with Gwyn’s boisterous personality, they work well together as a couple. I thought this book had a nice balance between romance, sex, and plot.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I loved how this book was shorter. I’m all for believing that two people are the be-all/end-all, but sometimes I want things to cut to the chase. I feel like The Kiss Curse was perfect because there was build-up, the plot thickens, they have sex, and there’s an epilogue, all within 306 pages.

The Kiss Curse was short, cute, and witchy. For someone who loves Halloween as much as I do, this series caters to my spooky soul. I rated The Kiss Curse five stars on Goodreads.

I read Legends & Lattes, the first book in Travis Baldree’s series, last year, and I loved it. It felt like I was reading a TTRPG, except the players chose to open a coffee shop instead of fighting people at a tavern. Travis Baldree released Bookshops & Bonedust, a prequel to Legends & Lattes and details Viv’s prior adventures. This might be an unpopular opinion based on everything I have heard, but I enjoyed Bookshops & Bonedust more than Legends & Lattes.

During a battle with Varine, the Necromancer, Viv is injured and taken to the town of Murk to recover. Rackam’s Ravens, Viv’s mercenary group, leave her where they intend to finish Varine without her. While Viv recovers, she meets Fern when she stumbles into Thistleburr, Fern’s bookstore. Viv helps Fern redesign her shop and starts to develop a bond with both Fern and Potroast, Fern’s pet. As Viv makes herself at home, she sees signs that point her to the fact that Varine might return. Can Viv recover quickly enough to protect Murk?

One reason why I preferred Bookshops & Bonedust to Legends & Lattes is that there was more of a driving plot in this book. Varine is clearly evil, and there are signs of her return throughout the book. In Legends & Lattes, I found the pacing to be slower at times because it felt like I was reading about Viv brewing coffee, which is fine, but I wanted more going on in the background. In between Varine’s return, I liked the friendships she formed, especially with Maylee. I won’t spoil it, but I thought Viv and Maylee’s relationship was cute, which ended up tying into the book’s epilogue.

With Bookshops & Bonedust being a prequel, I think it helps to read Legends & Lattes first. There are several name drops, and this book illustrates how Viv met one of her party members. I thought her name was familiar, so I read the first chapter of Legends & Lattes. Sure enough, she was a friend and partner to Viv. There’s also a nice reveal about Viv’s sword and how she found it, which I think helps to provide more worldbuilding in Viv’s story.

Bookshops & Bonedust was such a delight to read. I don’t know if Travis Baldree will write more books in the series, but I hope he does. This has quickly become a series that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. I would be slightly offended if I recommended this to someone and they didn’t like it. I rated Bookshops & Bonedust five stars on Goodreads.

I am thrilled to announce that I will be taking a trip this month! I have been getting the travel bug since our trip to Europe last year. I have a note on my phone listing all the places I want to visit. I chose to do a road trip to New Mexico! I am not a stranger to road trips, and I find driving to be relaxing. To help get into the mindset, I picked books that I felt resembled where I was going or books that I thought would be quick reads to bring on vacation.

To recap last month, I ended up reading two books in March. The first book was Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree. It was lovely and cozy, which is what I anticipated the book to be. It took a bit longer to read Bookshops and Bonedust, so I only ended up having a week left in March to finish another book. I decided to swap out Vox Machina Kith & Kin and read The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling. This is the second book in The Ex Hex series. The Kiss Curse was only 306 pages, which I thought was more doable to read at the end of the month. While I ended up changing things last minute, I still felt that last month was a successful reading month. With that being said, I’m excited to share the books that I picked out to read this month.

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

Kate Thompson is out for blood. Her father is murdered, and the journal that he found is missing. The journal revealed the location of a hidden gold mine that many people are after. Kate goes off on her own, and in her quest, she meets several unsavory people who stop at nothing to get their hands on the gold.

I have had Vengeance Road on my Goodreads TBR since March 23rd, 2015. I thought the concept was neat; it feels as if Mulan and True Grit were in a book, that’s what I expect Vengeance Road to be. I thought this book felt fitting since I’m driving out west.

Dead Space by Kali Wallace

Hester Marley works at a security company based in the Asteroid Belt. She spends her days investigating crimes, which in turn helps her company profit. One of Hester’s friends reaches out to her with information about an event that occurred in Hester’s past. Before she can learn more, her friend is murdered. Hester is motivated to figure out what happened to her friend and goes to a mining station to investigate. Secrets are buried, and now Hester is stuck in the depths of space with nowhere else to go.

Okay, so technically, this book is labeled as sci-fi/fantasy according to the library, but based on the premise, this seems more like horror. Being stranded on a space station knowing that someone killed your friend, talk about terrifying. I picked Dead Space for this TBR since there’s a lot of history with New Mexico and potential extra-terrestrial life. I think it adds to the TBR theme I’m going for.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

Rachel Krall is the host of a popular true-crime podcast that helped free an innocent man. Fresh off her popularity, Rachel is looking for the next case to cover. Rachel is drawn to a small town where a young boy is accused of sexually assaulting the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. While investigating, Rachel is harassed with mysterious letters that seem to point Rachel in the direction of another case. Rachel is investigating both crimes and feels that she’s asking questions without getting straight answers. Are both cases related, and will Rachel get caught in the balance of revealing secrets that have long been buried?

In picking the books I read on vacation, I usually lean towards thrillers or romance. The Night Swim might feel like an outlier on this TBR; instead, I figured it would be an easy book to read whenever I have downtime.

Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks

Alix plays hockey and finds that she is the target of bullies. Alix gets into a physical fight with Lindsay, which could hinder Alix’s invitation to a Hockey Summer Camp. Alix meets Ezra, one of the local theater kids at their school. Alix asks for Ezra’s help to control her anger. Alix and Ezra get closer, and their feelings for each other develop into something deeper.

I wanted to start tackling my graphic novel TBR on Goodreads, so when I pick out my books for the month from the library, I see if my library has any copies of the graphic novels that I want to read. I am the first one to admit that I purchase most of my comics and graphic novels brand new, but the issue with that (no pun intended) is that I might read something I’m not a fan of and end up donating it. I’m trying to stick to a budget, and I think it would be beneficial for me to rent more graphic novels and manga from my local library.

As a side note, all the books in this TBR came from the library! I have a few books from my shelf that I plan on reading later in the year, so I wanted to exclusively read books that I rented from the library. I am looking forward to reading everything I picked out, and I hope that with being on vacation, I will read everything on this TBR this month.

I have been on a roll when it comes to reading comics. I have settled into a routine where I sit in my comfy reading chair every Saturday after my workout class and read a graphic novel or a comic. It’s gotten to the point where I have read so much that I haven’t been able to write individual reviews for everything that I have read. I wanted to share what I have read and loved recently regarding comics.

Snotgirl: Green Hair Don’t Care Volume #1 – Bryan Lee O’Malley & Leslie Hung

Lottie Person is a fashion blogger based in LA. She has millions of followers and attends all the coolest events. Deep down, Lottie struggles with her allergies, and one of her friends calls her “Snottie”. After pushing her in anger, Lottie sees that her friend hits her head. Believing that she killed her, Lottie flees the scene. Lottie juggles the guilt of potentially murdering her friend, balancing her fashion blog, and trying to find a way to cure her allergies.

The best part about Snotgirl is the art. I’m a big fan of Leslie Hung. This book is so aesthetically pleasing. The way the art perfectly aligns with Lottie’s internal thoughts, I loved the layout of everything. I would read Snotgirl simply for the art alone. Besides the art, I think the story was easy to follow. There’s a big cliffhanger at the end of the volume that helps set up future issues. The only thing that I would say is that Lottie, as a character, is really unlikable. She is the epitome of the worst of influencer culture. I think that there’s potential for Lottie to develop into a better person, but sometimes she is aggravating to read about. I rated Snotgirl Volume #1 three stars on Goodreads.

Critical Role Vox Machina Origins Volume #2 – Mercer, Houser, Samson, Msassyk, and Maher

Vex, Vax, Grog, Scanlan, Keyleth, and Tiberius are drinking at Stilben. Tiberius takes off on his secret mission while the rest of the party sleeps. In the morning, they notice that Grog is missing. Upon further questioning, they meet Pike, who agrees to help locate Grog. In their quest, they find Grog, but he’s part of a mysterious ritual by a lich. The lich is defeated, but it’s clear that the threat is still looming over Grog’s body and soul.

I am amazed at how good these graphic novels are. It feels like I’m returning to the first campaign, and I can hear the cast in my head as I read each of their lines. I loved how Pike and Percy were introduced and how they met the rest of the group. I liked how Grog was the center of this story, as I feel that he can sometimes be a background character to the other character arcs within Vox Machina. I’m looking forward to reading the future volumes. I rated Critical Role Vox Machina Origins Volume #2 five stars on Goodreads.

Punisher: The Complete Collection Volume #1 – Ennis, Robertson, LaRosa, and Fernandez

From 2003 – 2008, Garth Ennis worked on The Punisher, and the stories he wrote have been bound into collected volumes. In Volume One, Frank’s military career is documented when he finishes his service in Vietnam. The story flashes forward to when Frank is taking down various crime bosses, along with partnering with British intelligence. Frank’s mission is always the same: kill those who mean harm to others.

I loved everything about this. I think Garth Ennis’s take on the character is spot on. He creates these violent stories, but also highlights why Frank does the things that he does. I think what makes Punisher so interesting as a character is how he is willing to cross the morality line while others do not. He is going to use the same tactics that the gangs use, and the gangs start to fear him. I found myself reading several issues in a row because I couldn’t put the book down, which I think says a lot about Garth Ennis and the way he writes his stories. I rated Punisher: The Complete Collection Volume #1 five stars on Goodreads.

I’m looking forward to reading more graphic novels and comics in the months to come. I still have quite a bit of a graphic novel backlog, but I’m motivated to keep chipping away at my collection.

I am thrilled to announce my TBR for March. I had this month pre-planned for a while, and I’m looking forward to reading the books I picked for this month. I decided to make March’s TBR themed around books that could be linked to a TTRPG (tabletop roleplaying game). These books could either be books that are linked to a TTRPG or books I think would make for a great TTRPG game. For each book on this list, there had to be some element of fantasy, gods, and suspense. I think all the books that I picked fit this theme.

As per usual, I wanted to share a brief recap of last month, when I solely read romance. I read four out of the five books in my pile. The only book I didn’t read was Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez. I ended up running out of time since it took me longer to read Wildfire by Hannah Grace. I haven’t fully decided if I will write a review of Wildfire, but I have so many thoughts. Hannah Grace’s books are making the rounds on BookTok (the book-reading community of TikTok). I like reading hyped books from BookTok, although I find that I hold them to a higher standard as a result. I liked Wildfire, but I’m not sure if it was worth the hype. It was nice to read romance last month, but I am so ready to dive into Fantasy in March.

Boneshops & Bookdust by Travis Baldree

Viv is employed by a mercenary company called Rackam’s Ravens. After being seriously injured by a necromancer, Viv seeks shelter so she can safely recover. She wanders into Murk, a small town, and spends her time at a bookstore nearby. While Viv can do what she can to avoid adventure, adventure always seems to call for her.

Boneshops & Bookdust is a prequel novel to Travis’s first book, Legends & Lattes. Legends & Lattes feels like a TTRPG adventure if the players didn’t do anything chaotic and opened a coffee shop instead. This series has been described as a cozy mystery, which I would agree with. It’s a low-stakes fantasy series, which is a nice breath of fresh air compared to other series I have read.

Vox Machina Kith & Kin by Marieke Nijkamp

Vex and Vax are twins who have always tried to keep a low profile. They are pulled into a situation by The Clasp, a thieves’ guild that Vax used to be associated with. Vex and Vax are forced to fulfill their debt and are pulled into the corruption that The Clasp brings.

There is no book more fitting to this month’s theme than Kith & Kin. Vex and Vax are two characters from Critical Role’s first campaign, Vox Machina. Played by Laura Bailey and Liam O’Brien, these half-elf twins had some incredible story arcs throughout the campaign. I knew that I had to read this when I first read the announcement that this book was being developed. I love reading all the lore that came out of Critical Role, so it was no surprise that this book would pop up on my TBR eventually.

Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Calista is granted protection by the Baron of Archwood in the world that she lives in. Before Calista’s time, gods ravaged the world but spared nine cities. Each city has a ruler who encourages royalty to take advantage of the mortals. Calista coincidentally saves a prince, whom the Baron takes special interest in. The prince is fascinated by Calista, and Calista agrees to be the prince’s companion. As the events of the book unfold, it’s clear that a rebellion is coming from the cities that were initially spared.

I have never read a Jennifer L. Armentrout book, but as I scanned her Goodreads profile, it’s clear that she’s written quite a few series. When I read the plot summary for this book, I was immediately intrigued. From a TTRPG perspective, Dungeons & Dragons has plenty of gods to worship. For example, one of the characters in our campaign has pledged allegiance to The Raven Queen due to several in-game events that occurred. Gods are a constant theme in TTRPGs, so I felt that Fall of Ruin and Wrath would fit perfectly in this TBR.

I think this is such a great theme for the month. I don’t read as much in fantasy as I do in other genres, so I think it’s going to expose me to books that I may not have normally selected for myself to read. If anyone has any fantasy books that they would like to recommend, I’d love to hear more series recommendations!

Barnes & Noble has really stepped up their game when it comes to their graphic novel and manga sections. When I was debating what I wanted to read in February, I found myself browsing the shelves at Barnes & Noble, looking for ideas for books to rent from the library. It was a happy surprise to see that Barnes & Noble had a display of romance comics, graphic novels, and manga for readers to enjoy. I ended up selecting Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon Volume #1 by Shio Usui and If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie to purchase. I loved both of these so much, and I feel inspired to start trying to find more romance in graphic novels and manga to read for the future.

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon by Shio Usui

Uno Hinako is trying to figure herself out. She works a corporate office job, she tries to be feminine with the hope of dating and falling in love, and she doubts herself often. Uno has always felt off. She tries to date men but finds that she doesn’t fall in love with them. She starts to think that something is wrong with her. Uno bumps into one of the new employees at her office, Asahi Sato. Uno starts to look forward to seeing Asahi more often, especially because Asahi brings her doughnuts from a cute doughnut shop. Eventually, Uno and Asahi’s friendship grows as Uno realizes that maybe there’s nothing wrong with her after all.

This was so stinking cute. I thought Uno and Asahi hit it off right away, and I liked how this doesn’t go straight into a romance. Instead, it shows Uno and Asahi getting to know each other and becoming friends. I loved Asahi’s sister, Subaru, as she quickly picked up on Asahi’s growing crush on Uno. I am glad I discovered this series, and I can’t wait to read more about Uno and Asahi’s story. I rated Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon four stars on Goodreads.

If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie

Momo Gardner is a selfless person. Her friends know that they can rely on her whenever they need something. Momo is introverted, geeky, and enjoys being by herself. Momo meets PG, who is the exact opposite. PG is social and has a reputation for being a player. Momo and PG meet up and start dating. Momo and PG’s relationship is tested due to Momo’s insecurities about PG’s past. Will these two make it through?

Momo and PG were so cute together. They are different people, which I think makes them better together. PG brings Momo out of her shell while PG listens to Momo when she wants to stay in versus go out. I liked their breakup because I thought it was a way for them to realize that they weren’t listening to each other. I liked how this played out and how they ended up being stronger for it. The art in this was gorgeous! Once I finished reading If You’ll Have Me, I found myself paging through the novel to look at the art. I’m going to be on the lookout for Eunnie, as I hope they will continue making comics in the future. I rated If You’ll Have Me five stars on Goodreads.

I can’t wait to read more romance graphic novels and manga. There is probably so much out there that I don’t even know exists yet.