Kathleen Haagenson

A deliciously dark and morally ambitious dark academia vampire story steeped in West African culture and morally grey characters.

An adventurous exploration of the resilience of a female archeologist who's faced a severe tragedy and is in the process of piecing her life together until her past comes back to haunt her leaving her no choice but to confront her fears and set things right. 

This emotional and thought-provoking read explores the boundaries of a new marriage and the extent of loyalty and responsibility when it comes to sacrificing one's best interest in favor of another's. It also explores the consequences of racial profiling, false imprisonment, and the emotional and mental toll this can have on a person ultimately destroying their life. 

An atmospheric read with beautiful prose exploring the grief of a young woman who's lost her twin brother in a freak accident yet still feels a bond drawing her to him. The character development was a little weak and the resolution felt rushed and thrown together. Also the plot dragged especially in the middle. 

A super fun romantasy with a fun twist on gender roles with the FMC being the assertive dominant one and the MMC being the less assertive and sensitive one. A fresh take on vampires without the romanticization and the massive age gap. 

An emotional, dark, and challenging read exploring ecological collapse in a post-apocalyptic world as the remaining survivors struggle to survive and find a sanctuary while battling the elements and a depraved society

An emotional romance that explores the complications of losing your identity in a relationship and underlying childhood trauma regarding fear of abandonment and emotional manipulation. How two people must overcome these emotional and mental obstacles to find their way to each other 

Equal parts self-help book and memoir. Keke provides a wealth of wisdom and insight from her lived experience within the entertainment industry while empowering readers to become their own master and discover their authentic voice and purpose. 

The mysterious bonds and attachments the Haddlesley siblings had to the bog, their family legacy and each other was such an interesting topic to explore in regard to family legacies, sibling dynamics and the quest for individuality. 

This story is a bleak and honest exploration of a dying water-laden world in which the grief and childhood trauma of three estranged sisters following the death of their father leads them to the discovery of long-hidden secrets that threaten to rip them apart in more ways than one. 

This was an interesting an honest account of one woman's struggle to come to terms with her husbands pursuit of an army career and how it impacted their relationship. 

We see the beauty of community as Simone connects with other army wives as they help and support each other with accepting and loving with husbands that had difficult and dangerous professions. 

We also see the challenges of marriage when placed under extreme conditions such as a spouse or partner being continually deployed and not present in the home and how that impacts marital relations. 

At its core Give Her Credit is an inspiring story of what happens when women work together to topple misogyny and sexism in the male-dominated industry of business, banking, and finance. And I'm all for learning more about women's place in history and how feminism and the women's rights movement paved the way for women to occupy places and spaces they were once denied. 

I would've enjoyed learning more about the experiences of the Black women who were a part of the Women's Association and how this bank opening not only helped White women when achieving equality and financial freedom but minorities and marginalized people as well. We didn't get enough of these stories and insights which would've expanded this story and highlighted why Colorado's Women's Bank was different because it supported people from these communities. Marking it as one of the few banks that truly sought to pursue equality for all. 

Homeseeking by Karissa Chen had me bawling like a baby and staring at the wall debating the meaning of life. It was such a touching and heartbreaking Historical Fiction. One I believe just may be added to my top favorite books of the year. I truly enjoyed this story and can't believe it's a debut novel! Can't wait to read more from this author. 

Upon finishing Colored Television I had to take a couple of days to truly digest and comprehend what I read. There were so many emotions and thoughts swirling through my head that I couldn't decipher how I felt about this book and whether I even liked it or not. I'm so glad I allowed myself to truly contemplate this book because after reflecting for a bit I realized that I truly loved and appreciated this book. Even though it was a challenging read due to its unnerving ability to challenge my perspectives and beliefs and expose me to an opposing reality and lived experience. And in my opinion, only a good book written by a talented author can do that.  

I found this novel to be a heartwarming story focused on female empowerment and the importance of taking ownership of your narrative, nurturing your passions, and knowing your identity. 

While there were a few hiccups with the plot and character development this was a spectacular read. 
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot is a badass and I want to learn more about this woman and her impact on the history of the wine industry. And somehow I need to get my hands on a bottle of Veuve Clicquot!

For my full review check out my blog!
https://www.kathleenhaagenson.com/the-champagne-letters-by-kate-macintosh/

I really enjoyed this book and found it so exciting to read. I was anxiously turning the pages eager to see what would happen next.

I loved Seraphine and how stubborn, willful and steadfast she was especially in light of the tragedy and trauma she experienced.

Her friends at the Order of Cloaks were the perfect found family. They supported her always, never judged and had her back. Love them.

Ransom well I liked him in the beginning but towards the end yea I'm good on him and his whack friends too.

This story is mildly predictable but still entertaining with a clever magic system. The world building isn't epic by any standards and borders on a tad bit generic but that's ok because the characters, action and magic made up for it.

4.25 ⭐️

This book has me feeling some type of way. Here are my problems. While I found the writing style jarring and disjointed and I wished for a more fleshed out in depth look at the FMC and her life. I felt there was so much left out in between these vignettes and I was only able to experience Izumi in fits and starts which i found frustrating.

Additionally, as a character I felt Izumi was stagnant and had no arch or growth. There was no greater meaning or purpose for all that transpired. This left me feeling like the story was incomplete.

That being said there's a part of me that enjoyed the emotional journey and thought-provoking aspects of the various themes and topics explored in this short work. I just wished there was more of it.

2.5 ⭐️

What a bittersweet story of political espionage, the rise and fall of kingdoms and rulers and how war and discord between powerful rulers creates chaos and disharmony for the civilians and citizens of these kingdoms.

Liang's writing style was the perfect blend of beautifully written prose that's simultaneously simple and effortless making it easy to read.

A truly enjoyable experience.

I'm a sucker for slice-of-life character-driven novels and Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop is a complete vibe and I'm soaking up every bit of this cozy warm hug of a story.

I appreciated the cast of characters and how they had such impactful relationships helping each other navigate difficult life challenges, circumstances, and phases of life. I loved the thought-provoking conversations concerning work-life balance, finding joy and purpose in your life outside of career aspirations, and overcoming past insecurities to become present and confident in the life you live now so you can bravely pursue a better future.

I seriously feel reading this book at the end of the year was perfect timing as I feel so inspired and motivated to pursue my life with full abandon and chase my dreams and passions creating a life that makes me joyful and content. An amazing piece of literary fiction!

6

This book is everything that 15 year old me was craving and desired to see in Fantasy. The representation in this book alone is a dream come true for a blerd that was desperate to see and read about more people that looked like me in Fantasy and Sci-Fi books and entertainment.

The cherry on top was that this was so excellently written. The plot was plotting, the world building was immaculate, the magic system superb and the twists were so well thought out and executed.

Queen Deonn gave us everything with this book and she did the damn thing. Cannot wait to read the next installment and continue following Bree's story.

6

This was a highly intriguing read following the production of the famous dance of Salome set in 50's Hollywood.

We see this story from multiple viewpoints including the actress set to play Salome the disgruntled extra Nancy whose anger over not being cast as Salome eats away at her and Salome who's dance leads to a deadly outcome.

Garcia does a brilliant job showcasing the reality of 1950's Hollywood including the blatant racism and discrimination BIPOC and women entertainers faced in the entertainment industry.

Additionally she provided a rich story about Salome and the various machinations that led her to that fateful dance and climactic moment.

3.5 ⭐️

I am enamored with this story it reads like a fairy tale and is lyrical and full of purple prose.

This story is hauntingly beautiful and explores a marriage built on smoke and mirrors and a fragile friendship made up of fairy tales and youth.

We see how secrets when left to fester can either tear you apart from those you love or forge a new intimacy and depth built on trust, honesty and accepting the darkness that exists within each of us.

Such an enchanting book!

I'm speechless. This beautiful macabre story has left me utterly brokenhearted in the best way possible.

And the prose was perfection! It pulled me in from the first sentence. CH Drews crested this rich dark atmosphere that reads like a grim fairy tale.

And Andrew and Thomas. The love and angst that exist between them is so palpable and intense it makes my heart ache. How they were able to complement each other and make space for their darkness and inner demons was so tender and raw.

There's so many different themes explored in this story from sexuality, identity,and grief. The way this story was woven to encompass these themes and craft such a mesmerizing and dark tale is exquisite. Love love LOVED this book!

What did I just read? Because I'm shook, gooped and gagged. Just when I thought I had this story figured out that twist slams into me like a Mac truck.

And not only was it an amazing freaking twist it's quite possibly one of my favorite tropes ever. Definitely not a trope I'd think to see in a romance but I like it. And it was soooo well done.

This was truly a heartbreaking and dark crime thriller following a young woman that's targeting homeless men and torturing and murdering them in a horrific manner.

We follow as the police are scrambling to solve this case before Christmas.

I found the police procedural aspect of this story lackluster as I felt their investigative skills did nothing for the case. And the ending was a little too convenient.

Definitely check your trigger warnings because some heavy themes are discussed in this novel.

2.5 ⭐️