City of Deja

2025 has been an interesting reading year for me. Though I’ve read less in terms of quantity, I have thoroughly enjoyed the vast majority of the books that I did pick up. Here’s an overview of what I read during the second half of the year.

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

I finally read my first novel by Jesmyn Ward, and I had so much to say that I wrote a stand-alone review for it. Let’s just say that I understand why she is one of the most celebrated contemporary writers right now. I can’t wait to read more from Ward.

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Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (The Dark Artifices Book #1)

Lady Midnight was a re-read for me, and is my way of trying to keeping a promise to my younger self who swore that she would catch up–and eventually finish–Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles. 2026 marks the year that Clare will begin releasing the final trilogy in the Shadowhunter world, so I figured that it was nigh time to make good on that promise I made.

Though I’m going to stick with my original three star rating, I did enjoy Lady Midnight a lot more upon a re-read. The cliffhanger is still a bit confusing rather than anticipatory, but it did its job in getting me interested in reading the sequel. I did read this after having read The Last Hours trilogy by Clare which I found to be a lot of fun as a second generation series, so while this one is still brewing for me, I hope that the series will only continue to get better.

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The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel by Maggie Stiefvater

Suddenly I’m 17 again, but somehow it’s better because now I have the feelings of 17 year old me combined with the joy of re-reading The Raven Boys in a new format so many years later and still loving it to pieces. A huge thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me a finished copy.

I tabbed so many pages in The Raven Boys Graphic Novel where the visuals seemed to be pulled right out of my head (!). I don’t know if it was just the fact that I‘ve spent years devouring TRC fanart or not, but the settings and each of the character illustrations just felt right, which made for an extremely immersive read. Though I’ll always be partial to Maggie’s prose in the novels, the visuals and adaptation choices secured this one a spot on my re-read list. 

I also loved how most of the essential lines made the final cut (“Excelsior,” “That’s all there is,” “He’s more raven than the others,” “It’s starting,” “Safe as life”). This contributed to the spirit of the first installment being wholly intact. 

I will say that this adaptation is more geared toward those who are already fans of the books—I would have definitely been confused if I wasn’t familiar with the source material. And the books themselves already include illusive and vague scenes, which, for me, is part of their appeal. I honestly might be due for a series re-read now. I can’t wait for the remaining books to release over the next few summers.

Oh yeah, and I got to meet Maggie Stiefvater for the first time during the latter half of this year at Texas Book Festival! I got my copy of The Raven Boys (the novel) signed and personalized.

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Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn (Legendborn Cycle Book #2)

Bloodmarked was another strong installment in a series that has grown very close to my heart. 

I can’t tell if my long reading journey with this book was my mood or the pacing, but once I got past the 50% mark, I was hooked. I loved how Deonn began to complicate the idea of an ancestral gift/curse and played in the gray area over the course of the novel. We see this through Bree and Sel, so I look forward to seeing this theme expand more in book 3. I also enjoyed reading about Bree still learning about herself—if not done well, this can sometimes be a drag to read in YA as an adult reader, but Deonn crafts Bree’s journey as one that feels natural and seamless. 

My only gripe was how much the ending felt like an editing decision. I would have much preferred to read another 50 or so pages than having key events explained to the reader after the fact. It felt clunky and misaligned with the book, but who knows, it may not bother me upon a re-read. I’ve absolutely loved spending time in this world (and I’m so happy that reading this series essentially counts as thesis research!!), and I can’t wait to see what happens next. 

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And here’s a fun bonus, my best friend and I got to meet Tracy Deonn twice (!) while attending Texas Book Festival just a few months after finishing Bloodmarked. It all felt quite kismet.

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Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (Supernatural Investigations Book #1)

Amari and the Night Brothers was such an immersive, fast-paced, magical, and heartfelt read. It has all of the beats you’d expect from a middle grade supernatural camp and quest story, but it also feels fresh as we see it all through the eyes of a young Black girl. I loved reading from Amari’s perspective; her narrative voice made this book such a page-turner. This first installment has me excited to see where this story will go over the next few books.

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Thanks for reading.

Until next time,