Tag: shelby mahurin

Swoon-Worthy YA Romances You Need to Pick Up! (Slideshow)(Recommendation Nation)

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Okay, I know Valentines day was a week ago and everyone has already made their list of favorite romances, but I want to do it to.

And to be extra special, I did it in slideshow form. Because I clearly have way too much free time.

Romance plot lines can make or break a book. The majority of YA books include one, but they’re not always great. So, I made a list of YA books with adorable romances (spanning a few different genres) that are perfect if you’re looking to be swept off your feet!

[ Related: Underrated YA Fantasy Books Everyone Needs to Read (Recommendation Nation)(Slideshow)]

Featured Books:

Keep reading for a few bonus recommendations!

I also include a transcript of the slideshow below for anyone with screen readers or trouble loading images!

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20 Book Releases of 2020

20 Most Anticipated Book Releases of 2020 (And 120+ More!) (Recommendation Nation)

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I feel like every year, there are just more and more new releases that I’m dying to read.

2020 has some impressive books lined up, and I would love to talk about all of them, but that would take days. Instead, I’ve decided to highlight my 20 most anticipated 2020 releases, and throw in an extra 140 amazing releases separated in lists so that you can check all of them out on your own!

Speaking of separate lists- I tried to organize these… somewhat. There are 4 different sections of releases:
New Series– the book is the first in a soon-to-be series
Sequels & Prequels– the book is a continuation of a series that has at least one book in it already
Standalones– the book has little to no affiliation with a series and can be read alone
The Untitled Section– can include any of those types of books above, but all of these books don’t have titles. I don’t know why I felt that needed a category, but I wanted to make one.

[ Related: 19 Best Debut Novels of 2019 (Recommendation Nation) ]

New Series

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Release Date: 2/4/2020
Series: All The Stars and Teeth #1
Genre: YA Fantasy (Pirates)
Publisher: Imprint
Page Count: 384
When Princess Amora’s demonstration to prove her mastery of soul magic goes awry, she strikes a deal with a pirate, Bastian. In return for helping her prove she is fit for the throne, she must help him reclaim the magic that was stolen from him. I’ve been so excited for this book for years now, and I can’t wait to finally read it! Also, it comes out on my birthday, so I can tell this year is gonna be a good one.

The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz

Release Date: 2/4/2020
Series: Queen’s Secret #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Page Count: 384
Caledon is the Queen’s only assassin, and the kingdom’s deadliest weapon. Shadow dreams of becoming an assassin like him, training to join the Guild, while also learning to control her magic that is forbidden in the kingdom. When an attack brings the two of them together, they must team up to hunt down Renovia’s newest threat.

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

Release Date: 3/3/2020
Series: The Last Hours #1
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Page Count: 544
Yet another new series in Cassandra Clare’s world of Shadowhunters. Chain of Gold takes place in Edwardian London, following the children of Will and Tessa Herondale- James and Lucie- as well as Cordelia Carstairs, whose name may sound familiar if you’ve read the The Dark Artifices series.

Read more for all of my most anticipated releases of 2020!! Trust me, you don’t want to miss them!

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19 Best Debut Novels of 2019 (Recommendation Nation)

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I honestly can’t even think about the fact that 2019 is almost over. What happened?! I’m not ready for 2020. At all.

2019 was a mixed year, full of both bad things and good things, but one thing that significantly brightened it was all of the amazing debut novels that were released. Reading debut novels is one of my favorite ways to discover new authors, and 2019 brought in a lot of amazing new authors. So, naturally, I wanted to highlight some of my favorites.

Now, this will be split into 2 sections. The first will include all of my favorite debut novels I’ve read that were released this year, and the second section will include 2019 debuts that I really wish I got to read, but unfortunately haven’t had the chance (yet).

Also, if you’re looking for a list of my top non-debut 2019 releases, stay tuned!! I should have that out to you guys soon. To make sure you don’t miss it, click the button (or enter your email) in the sidebar to follow my blog!

[ Related: Top 18 Best 2018 Releases ]

* these are in no particular order *

Books I’m Dying To Read

19. There Will Come A Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

Release Date: 9/3/2019
Series: The Age of Darkness #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 496
Purchase: Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

A multi-POV fantasy following five main characters: an exiled prince, a killer, a leader, a gambler, and a dying girl. The Seven Prophets guided humanity, until they disappeared, leaving behind one final prophecy that speaks of an Age of Darkness, and a new Prophet who could save them all, or destroy everything.

If you’re looking for some new books to read, keep reading for all of my recommendations!

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Victorious Songs As Books

Top 10 Victorious Songs as Books (Recommendation Nation)

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Since Victorious has hit Netflix, everyone has been binging it. Myself included. And what have I learned from it? Well, it was definitely a little more problematic than I remembered, but damn, that soundtrack is full of bops.

And because of that, I’ve had the music stuck in my head in a loop for the past couple of weeks. So, I thought, why not capitalize on it and share my 10 favorite Victorious songs, and recommend a book to go with each them!!

I will admit, some of these were a lot easier than others, but, if you’re looking for something to read once you’ve finished your Victorious marathon, I’ve got a few recommendations for you. Also, be sure to read to the end because I’ve linked to a spotify playlist of all of these songs for you to listen to!!

[ Related: 16 LGBTQ+ 2019 Releases – Book Release Round Up ]

10. Make It In America

You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Page Count: 304
Release Date: April 2nd, 2019
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Purchase At: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound
[ Click Here to Read My Review ]

See me wearing a smile, even if I’m broke
I’ll be singing the words from a song I wrote
And I called it Make It In America

Read more for the rest of my Top 10 Victorious songs, and the books I think they pair best with!!

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Writing Reviews: My Rating System (caitsbooks.com)

Writing Reviews – My Rating System

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The longer I’ve been writing book reviews, the more confused I get with my own rating system.

Rating are hard. I really struggle with them. Since I use Goodreads a lot (shameless plug- add me as a friend), I wanted to keep things consistent and rate every book out of 5 stars. However, with so many people rating books from 1-5 stars, everyone now has their own meaning behind what a 5 star/3 star/1 star book is. Even my own meaning has changed.

So, for the sake of clarification, I want to explain what my ratings mean, and give some examples for each!

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