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Michelle K. | Bookstagram

@a.novel.or.three

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Book reviews, book lists and other bookish things.✨
Los Angeles, CA

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Hello book bbs!!!! There are some new friends here and I needed a refresh on that intro, so here we go! My name is Michelle, I’m a wife, mom and stepmom in Los Angeles, CA! I’m a creative at heart and have loved reading my whole life, so this little bookstagram world has been such a joy to be a part of. I’ve met some of my very FAVORITE people on here and so many of you have become part of my daily life. I’m always down to chat books, life, anything really - my DMs are open. I’m a caretaker, an empath, a believer in heartfelt apologies and genuine connections. Here are some more random facts about me:
🎹 I just picked up playing the piano again after years away from it
💕 My hubs and I met on tinder and he’s my best friend. We jokingly call our first born our tinder baby.
⛰️I once did a session of past life regression and it was one of the coolest things i’ve ever experienced
📔This is the year I will finally start a book journal
👵🏼 I’m an old soul
🏡 I would 100% live on the same street as my parents if I could, I miss them all the time and wish we lived closer
👩🏻‍🍳 I love cooking to host, I hate cooking daily
🎨 I’m a crafty bitch and always have some kind of creative project going
🔨 I was in a doctorate program for Psychology before I decided to make the switch to Interior Design
✈️ Fave places I’ve visited: Sintra, Greece, Malta
🇰🇷 I’m half Korean, half Caucasian
🌹Fave flowers: peonies, garden roses, dahlias
💚🩵🖤 Fave color: green, blue, black
🍁 Fave season: fall
❄️ Cold over hot
🫖 Tea over coffee
📚Fiction over nonfiction
🏠Homebody
😁Extroverted introvert
🌉 I may live in SoCal, but I’m a NorCal girlie at heart

✨Do we have anything in common?? Tell me something about yourself!✨ by @a.novel.or.three

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a year ago

✨ SEPTEMBER READING RECAP ✨

What a month!! Completed a series, knocked out a few arcs, reread a classic....September was fabulous and AUDIO IS LIFE!!

⚔The Faithful and the Fallen ⚔
This series was definitely a highlight this month and I loved it SO much and had so much fun reading with my ladies @boetbooks @calliescoffeecafe @cassie.reads.alatte @serpentsintheshelves @jessletmeread

I had a lot of solid reads this month! I really enjoyed the Arthurian storyline of The Witch Below the Dreaming Wood and it definitely gets a standout audio award for me. I also enjoyed my reread of Sense and Sensibility. I think reading that through the lens of an adult this time around changed things for me and I don't know if I would have been as gracious and forgiving as the sisters were. LOL!

I am sooooo excited for some spooky October reads coming up, so if you have any recs, drop them below!!!

✨What was your top sept read?✨ by @a.novel.or.three

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15 days ago

Happy Release Day @lee_minjin!!!! Thank you SO MUCH @cardinalpublishing, this gift truly means the world to me and I am so thankful to have received this beautiful finished copy of American Hagwon!!! As soon as I heard Min Jin Lee had another book coming out, I knew I had to look it up and as soon as I read the blurb, I knew I had to read it- especially as a Korean American living in Southern California!!! Thank you a million times. Everyone go pick this up and read with me!!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

✨What’s a book that truly left you changed?✨ by @a.novel.or.three

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16 days ago

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨
Wrath by John Gwynne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🔹 SYNOPSIS 🔹
Everything has been leading to this. Gwynne has approximately 47 storylines to bring together and an alarming willingness to kill people we love. LET'S GO.

🔹 MY TAKE 🔹
Guyssss, I finished this and now I’m sad. What a freaking JOURNEY. I loved Wrath. I loved my time with these characters. I loved the ending. I loved this entire SERIES.

Four books and a couple thousand pages later, I cannot believe it's over. I became so ridiculously attached to these characters and this world and watching all of their stories finally come together was sooooo good!
But we did lose some VIPs in this installment. And I am big sad. Was I surprised? Absolutely not. Gwynne has spent three books teaching me that emotional attachment is dangerous and no one is safe, but I was still sad to see some of my favorites meet their end. It did make for a number of really touching, heart wrenching scenes, though, and I LOVED those!

My one lingering question mark is Storm. There were all these little hints about her being extra strong and extra scary. I kept waiting for that thread to turn into something bigger. Unless I missed something, it never felt completely fleshed out. But just a minor thing there.

This series gave me everything I want from epic fantasy. The battles. The friendships. The found family. The quests. The villains I wanted to personally fight. The heartbreak. THE LOSSES. 😭 It has officially joined the ranks of my favorite fantasy series and John Gwynne has firmly cemented himself on my favorite authors list.

If you've been staring at Malice on your TBR thinking, I'll get to it eventually...THIS IS ME TELLING YOU TO GET TO IT.

I already miss the Banished Lands and all my darlings. Even the dead ones. Especially the dead ones. 😭

Thank you for the BR, dearest Wrathful Wenches @calliescoffeecafe @boetbooks @cassie.reads.alatte @serpentsintheshelves @jessletmeread!!!

✨ What's a series you wish you could erase from your memory just so you could experience it for the first time again? ✨ by @a.novel.or.three

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20 days ago

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨
Ruin by John Gwynne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🔹 SYNOPSIS 🔹
The Banished Lands are still a mess. Everyone is questing. Everyone is fighting. The dead are piling up. Some people are falling in love, which feels VERY ill-advised considering Gwynne’s track record. And a few characters desperately need to meet their doom.

🔹 MY TAKE (SPOILER FREE)🔹
THIS SERIES DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. Three books in and The Faithful and the Fallen is rapidly climbing the ranks to become one of my favorite fantasy series. I loved Malice, loved Valor even more and Ruin keeps the momentum going.

We're reunited with all our beloved characters as their various quests continue, while also getting some new POVs and watching more of these storylines start to collide. There are epic battles, heart-wrenching losses, reunions, betrayals and some BIG reveals that had me wanting to reach through the pages and punch a character or two directly in the face.

AND there are a couple of relationships unfolding that I am absolutely, wholeheartedly invested in. (Which seems like a terrible decision on my part because I have now read enough John Gwynne to know better.) But here we are and if anything happens to them, I WILL RIOT.

Several of the storylines in this book genuinely made my heart ache and some of the losses HURT. I have become so attached to these characters that I am now deeply stressed about the survival of at least 90% of them. Gwynne has made it abundantly clear that NO ONE IS SAFE, so heading into the final book I’m prepared for more emotional gut punches.

I had the BEST time buddy reading this with my Ruinous Ladies @jessletmeread @calliescoffeecafe @serpentsintheshelves @cassie.reads.alatte @boetbooks!! We’ll keep it going with Wrath because WE NEED ANSWERS. We need to know what happens. We need to know who SURVIVES.

And, Papa Gwynne, I AM BEGGING YOU. LEAVE MY DARLINGS ALONE.

Swipe through to see the quote at the end that made me sob. Four simple words that reduced me to a puddle.

✨ What series had you genuinely stressed about whether your favorite characters were going to survive the finale? ✨ by @a.novel.or.three

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a month ago

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨
Tempest by Victoria Aveyard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🔹 SYNOPSIS 🔹
Catrine is young, hot and trapped with a shitty husband in the middle of nowhere. Everyone is sweating and dodging pirates. Cat’s options are limited, but her love interests are not... until she finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place when saving her own head means giving up her love’s.

🔹 MY TAKE (SPOILERS)🔹
This is PEAK Victoria Aveyard!
The atmosphere is incredible. The descriptions are GIVING. This is the kind of writing that makes me want to jump right into this world.

And Catrine?! Obsessed with her name, obsessed with her. Aveyard captures the impossible positions women of this time are trapped in perfectly. When you're given no good choices, what do you even do? Cat is just trying to survive in a world made for men, shackled to a toad. Let our girl LIVE.

BTW I'M SHIPPING FELL AND CAT. Maybe an unpopular opinion but their contentious relationship is THE most interesting thing. There's something about these two circling each other that I simply can’t get enough of?! They're two of a kind and I am rooting for them?? Our sexy pirate captain Valerian has a heart of gold, but Cat's heart is a few shades darker...and better matched to Fell's, IMHO.

A couple more things:

First, I think this might have benefited from being a standalone. For all the gorgeous atmosphere and character work, I didn't feel like the plot itself drove us forward enough. I finished the book still waiting for something big to happen.

Second, the reveal surrounding what happened to Cat's husband felt fairly obvious to me early on. Because so much of the book centered around finding out the circumstances of his demise, the eventual reveal fell a little flat. And if it wasn’t really meant to be a big reveal/was meant to be kind of obvious, then we circle back to my first complaint that not a lot actually happened in this first installment.

BUT, I absolutely plowed through the book/immediately wanted MORE, so Victoria still has me exactly where she wants me.

I will 100% tune in for book 2 and will cry for Fell when he ends up heartbroken or dead.

✨ Who is an unlikely couple you are shipping? by @a.novel.or.three

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a month ago

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
Valor by John Gwynne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🔹SYNOPSIS🔹
Kingdoms are at war. Corban is trying to find his sister. Everyone is fighting and just trying to survive. Vengeance keeps them going.

🔹MY TAKE🔹

THIS SERIES IS EVERYTHING.

I thought I loved Malice, but I LOVED Valor. And @stormbornarchive says Ruin is even better??? HOW?!

Do you like having your heart ripped out? Do you like epic battle scenes? Do you love a good quest? Snarky talking birds? Ancient prophecies? Chosen ones slowly finding their way? Found family? Characters you become hopelessly attached to only to realize that their continued existence is VERY MUCH NOT GUARANTEED??? Well, this is the series for you!

I am now regretting EVEN MORE that I didn’t buy @thebrokennbinding special editions when I had the chance. REGRETS. So many regrets.

But I digress.

One of the tough things about starting Malice was that Gwynne introduced approximately 2,723 characters and expected me to remember who all these people were. Well. I understand now.

HE NEEDED TO START WITH THAT MANY SO THERE WOULD STILL BE SOMEONE ALIVE AFTER HE KILLED EVERYONE ELSE.

NO ONE IS SAFE.

My god. My heart. MY DARLINGS. *sobbing*

This was SUCH a fabulous buddy read with my girls @boetbooks @calliescoffeecafe @cassie.reads.alatte and we WILL be convincing @thank.thegods.for.smut to pick the series back up. This is no longer optional. 😂

Onward to Ruin. I’m sure everyone will be completely fine!!! RIGHT?! I fear I will never be ready (but I’m also so ready and so obsessed).

✨What series has completely captured your heart and made you ridiculously attached to its characters?✨ by @a.novel.or.three

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a month ago

✨ AUGUST READING RECAP ✨

August was hectic and I didn’t get as many books in as I hoped, but here are the ones I did get to:

📖 A Forsaken Prophecy️
You already know how I feel about this one. Being reunited with Patty was SUPREME. Such a fun ride, and I cannot wait to see how this series closes out! It didn’t hit QUITE as hard as book 1, but it was still a very enjoyable read.

🪷 Reflections of Lilje Damselfly️
This one was definitely outside my normal reading lane and came to me courtesy of my book girlies annotation swap! I don’t think I was quite in the right mood for this one. It felt a little slow and meandering for me, but the writing and descriptions were really lovely.

💘 The Hating Game️
A very fun surprise! I read this for my Smut Sluts Book Club and had such a good time with it. Cute, funny, enemies-to-lovers entertaining romance.

🌹Mortal Things
Buddy read this one with @boetbooks and @calliescoffeecafe on our girls trip! I freaking love Marie Lu’s writing, but I think this one is probably a better fit for YA readers. The bones of a great story are absolutely there, but I found myself wanting a little more of the depth I’ve loved in her adult books. I also had a galley with a few mistakes that made parts of the story more confusing than they probably will be in the finished copy, so take that with a grain of salt!

🏰 The Castle and the Cloister ️
BOOK OF THE MONTH. Literally cannot say enough good things about this one. Epic fantasy at its FINEST. Trust me and read it.

🏒 The Deal ️
I was determined to read this before I watched this and have been listening to everyone scream about the Off Campus series forever and...OKAY, I GET IT NOW. 😂 I loved this. So fun, ridiculously bingeable, definitely spicier than I realized I was signing up for! Needless to say, I will be continuing and binge watching the show that my girl @amandak_thomas worked on!!! (She’s so coool)

Swipe through to see a years worth of recaps!

✨ What was your best read of August? ✨ by @a.novel.or.three

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a month ago

Doing all the catchup this week! My mid year reading review! These are the books I read Jan-June. Looking back, there have been some awesome reads!!!

✨What has been a standout read for you this year?✨ by @a.novel.or.three

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2 months ago

Lollllll I totally forgot to post my July recap after I made it, so better late than never, right?! I’ve been trying really hard to keep up on my reviews but I still need to write ones for Happy Place and Mad Mabel (definitely do the audio for Mad Mabel- it is SOOOOO enjoyable). Even though I didn’t get as much read in July, the books I did read were for the most part really good. I am still thinking about Malice. Mad Mabel had me cackling. The Young Will Remember touched my heart and I even enjoyed Happy Place more than I thought I would based on the polarizing stances people seem to take with it. The only major miss was The Stargazer of Nantucket and, well, you’ve already heard about that.

Swipe through to see a year’s worth of monthly recaps!

✨What’s up next on your tbr??✨ by @a.novel.or.three

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2 months ago

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
The Castle and the Cloister by Laura E. Weymouth
♾️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🔹SYNOPSIS 🔹
In a richly woven world of political power, faith and destruction, Fia and her infant daughter fight to find a safe haven. When Fia finds that safety in the Cloister of Raea, she has no idea that it might cost her what she loves most.

🔹MY TAKE 🔹
INFINITY. STARS. This is EVERYTHING I love in a Fantasy book. Epic. Immersive. STUNNINGLY written. Political intrigue. Flawed characters. Ancient religion. Romance. Give me ALL OF IT.

I read the first page and immediately thought, Yes! Ok. YES. This is what I need.

@lauraeweymouth writes THE MOST gorgeous prose. But this book is not just pretty writing. It is a masterclass in worldbuilding and compelling storytelling.

And Fia??? MOTHER. I am OBSESSED with her. One of my favorite FMCs EVER. She is fierce, imperfect, deeply loving and absolutely terrifying when it comes to protecting the people she considers hers. DON’T. MESS. WITH. MAMA. BEAR.

The political intrigue is LEGIT. The characters are wonderfully flawed and their flaws and choices ACTUALLY MAKE SENSE within their motivations. You KNOW I hate when things characters do just don’t make sense!!!

And the LOVE STORIES. The yearning. The heartbreak. The complicated history. My hearttttttt.

I loved the way magic and mysticism are woven subtly through the religion and belief systems of the world. It never overwhelms the story, but it’s always there beneath the surface, making the whole world feel layered and actually real.

I’m not even going to be remotely reasonable about this one: EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT. Put it at the top of your TBR. Put it on every fantasy recommendation list. Hand it to the person next to you. In fact, I’m tagging some of you that I know would love this.

This is easily the best thing I’ve read in a long while. Huge thank you to @thank.thegods.for.smut for the rec and to Laura for gifting me this copy!!

✨What was the last book that made you think, “YES. THIS is why I love reading”?✨ by @a.novel.or.three

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2 months ago

I was just chatting with my girls @lennylovesbooks3, @the.one.with.all.the.reading, @thank.thegods.for.smut about some recent reads that didn’t quite hit the mark and how we all need a six star read. I’m happy to report that my current read THE CASTLE AND THE CLOISTER by @lauraeweymouth is a freaking SIX STAR read and everyone needs to go freaking pick it up immediately. And if you’re looking for more of my favorite favorite reads, swipe through and take a look!!

✨What’s a six star read you’d add to the list?✨ by @a.novel.or.three

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2 months ago