Reduce the TBR Nov 25
I am on a quest to Read and Reduce my TBR list! I will pick out a few books at a time to give my attention to and decide if my passion for the book burns bright or has fizzled out. I will share my decisions and hopefully inspire others to add or cull it from your lists. The last post I did had me at 557 books, and I've been reading a lot recently!
I'm starting with 546 books on my list.
I. The Dead of Summer by Ryan La Sala
Two days before...
Ollie Veltman is finally coming home to the quaint island of Anchor's Mercy after a year away while his mom battled cancer. It should be a celebration -- his mom is cancer free, and she's determined to have the best summer ever -- but Ollie's (now ex) best friends think he abandoned them, and he's returning with a lot questions. Because for a place that's perfect on the outside, a secret rots inside. A secret that could explain his mom's illness, and the illness of so many other locals.
Ollie's desperate search for the truth turns life or death when a storm descends upon the island. In its wake, a long-sunken horror rises . . .
Three weeks after...
Ollie is being held in isolation aboard a military hospital ship in the harbor. They say he's a survivor, but they only know half the story. The truth is more dangerous than Ollie ever believed, and he suspects his saviors aren't here to save anyone. Only Ollie can stop what comes next, but that means getting back to Anchor's Mercy before it vanishes below the waves, taking with it everyone he has ever loved.
Dialogue & Destinies
I read a book I enjoyed similar to this recently. This is an author I've been interested in so I will keep it and give him a try.
II. The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole
Romantasy, Paranormal - 572 pages - Published in 2022
For a thousand years, the Etherworld has known peace.
Until now.
Many centuries ago, desperate to save her dying sister, Dianna made a deal with Kaden, a monster far worse than any nightmare. Locked in servitude to him, she is forced to hunt down an ancient relic held by her most dangerous enemies: an army led by Samkiel, the World Ender.
After the Gods War, Samkiel hid from everything, denying his crown and deserting his people. Now, an attack on those he loves sends him back to the realm he never wished to return to, and into the sights of an enemy he had hoped to forget.
With every world at stake, Dianna and Samkiel are forced to set aside their animosity and work together, before all is lost . . .
Dialogue & Destinies
I've heard a lot of good things about this book and it sounds interesting. I'm going to keep it.
III. Nina the Starry Bride, Vol. 1 by Rikachi
Nina had a rough start to life, stealing to survive—and eventually being sold into slavery by her own brother. But to her surprise, her captor, Prince Azure, ordained that she would live the life of a princess...specifically, that of the recently deceased princess-priestess, Alisha. But despite her changing fortune, Nina won't give up her old life without a fight...and Azure might just be the one to finally match her wits. But how much can she trust Azure? And can she stop the feelings budding in her heart, knowing she must eventually marry another...?
Dialogue & Destinies
I would like to try the first book. I'm not sure what it is but I feel like I will find some of the characters annoying. I will keep the first book for now.
IV. The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer
Fantasy, Romance, Retellings - 432 pages - Published in 2025
Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.
Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir—otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu—who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.
But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.
But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.
Dialogue & Destinies
I will keep this on my list for now purely because I have loved this author in the past. If I just so happen to see it's available when I'm looking for a new book, I'll read it. I haven't been in the mood to read a regular ol' teen book in a while but I would like to read this someday.
V. Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli
Romantasy - 464 pages - Published in 2025
A WITCH...
Rune Winters is on the run. Ever since the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe, revealed who she was and delivered her into enemy hands, everyone wants her dead. If Rune hopes to survive, she must ally herself with the cruel and dangerous Cressida Roseblood, who’s planning to take back the Republic and reinstate a Reign of Witches—something Cressida needs Rune to accomplish.
A WITCH HUNTER...
Apparently it wasn’t enough for Rune to deceive Gideon; she’s now betrayed him by joining forces with the witch who made his life a living hell. Gideon won’t allow the Republic to fall to the witches and be plunged back into the nightmares of the past. In order to protect this new world he fought for, every last witch must die—especially Rune Winters.
AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE...
When Rune makes Gideon an offer he can’t refuse, the two must pair up to accomplish dangerous goals. The more they’re forced into each other’s company, the more Gideon realizes the feelings he had for Rune aren’t as dead and buried as he thought. Now he’s faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.
In Kristen Ciccarelli's Rebel Witch, the exciting conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology, love has never been so deadly.
Dialogue & Destinies
I read the first book in this series. I thought it was fine, but I wasn't super interested in what happens next. I will remove this from my list.
VI. Blood Beneath the Snow by Alexandra Kennington
Romantasy - 416 pages - Published in 2025
Revna is no stranger to struggle. As the only member of the royal family without a magical ability, she is seen as an embarrassing mistake to her kingdom and a blight on her family tree. Luckily, Revna has found family in other outcasts in her kingdom. But when her two closest friends’ lives are put in danger, she is determined to save them by any means necessary, no matter the cost. The Bloodshed Trials—a competition where the last sibling in the royal family standing takes the throne—might just be the ultimate price.
Revna turns down her arranged marriage and commits to competing for the throne only to be kidnapped by the mysterious and terrifyingly powerful Hellbringer, the general of her country’s greatest enemy. He has the ability to rend souls with the flick of his wrist and is every inch as intimidating as the war stories say he is. But Revna wonders if there may be some humanity left in him—especially when he reveals there are other parties who want her on the throne for their own furtive reasons.
Dialogue & Destinies
This sounds right up my alley. I will keep it.
VII. The Gods Time Forgot buy Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez
Historical Fiction, Romantasy - 320 pages - Published in 2025
Manhattan, 1870. Rua knows only two things: her name, and that she has no memories. So when the wealthy Harrington family mistakes Rua for their missing daughter, Emma, Rua goes along with the charade, hoping for answers about who she really is. As she tries to blend into a society she doesn’t remember, she’s drawn to a firmly off-limits the Lord of Donore, a newcomer to Manhattan society who is somehow familiar to Rua.
Finn is new to this side of the Atlantic and knows that the best way to fit in as Lord of Donore is to make friends in high places and play by the rules of society. He knows he shouldn’t become involved with a mysterious, recently missing debutante, but he’s intrigued by Emma Harrington, and Finn has an uncanny feeling that this isn’t the first time they’ve met.
With societal pressures mounting on both sides, Rua is determined to discover the truth about the missing Harrington daughter and her own past. But when her memories begin to return, they’re of a world far stranger than New York and traced in dark magic.
As ancient secrets unfurl in Rua’s memory, Rua and Finn are forced to uncover the mystery of their past and try to save their future. In this gritty and glittering romantasy, nothing and no one is as they seem.
Dialogue & Destinies
This sounds right up my alley. I read When the Tides Held the Moon by Kelley and absolutely loved it. It was also historical fiction and romantasy. I will keep it.
VIII. Semantic Error, Vol. 1 by Soori Jeo
Manhwa, Romance - 328 pages - Published in 2024
Computer science major Sangwoo Choo values reason, routine, and rules above all, so when the rest of his teammates fail to contribute to the group presentation, he doesn’t hesitate to cut everyone’s names from the project entirely―including design major Jaeyoung Jang, which ruins his plans to graduate and study abroad. Jaeyoung is more than happy to return the favor and strives to be the biggest thorn in Sangwoo’s side―but as they spend more time together, a strange attraction begins to develop between them... Will Sangwoo be able to debug this semantic error from his life?
Dialogue & Destinies
This sounds like a lot of manga I have really enjoyed. I'll keep the first book and reevaluate after to see if I want to keep reading the series.
IX. The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
Science Fiction, Romance, Queer - 397 pages - published in 2021
Two boys, alone in space.
After the first settler on Titan trips her distress signal, neither remaining country on Earth can afford to scramble a rescue of its own, and so two sworn enemies are installed in the same spaceship.
Ambrose wakes up on the Coordinated Endeavor, with no memory of a launch. There’s more that doesn’t add up: Evidence indicates strangers have been on board, the ship’s operating system is voiced by his mother, and his handsome, brooding shipmate has barricaded himself away. But nothing will stop Ambrose from making his mission succeed—not when he’s rescuing his own sister.
In order to survive the ship’s secrets, Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together and learn to trust one another… especially once they discover what they are truly up against. Love might be the only way to survive.
Dialogue & Destinies
This reminds me of when I read every teen love story set in space when I was younger. I'll keep it.
X. Bad Things Happened in This Room by Marie Still
Horror, Thiller, Mystery - 304 pagess - Published in 2025
Trapped in a house where the walls whisper, and secrets fester beneath the garden soil, Willow Hawthorne teeters on the edge of reality and delusion.
In this haunting psychological horror, Willow’s life has become a fever dream, her days lost in a twisted loop where time no longer flows as it should. Is she held captive by her husband Liam’s iron rules—or by the insidious darkness of her own mind?
Her only connection to the world beyond her walls is a young girl named Sarah, whose unexpected visits to Willow’s garden spark a glimmer of hope. But as cracks form in her carefully controlled existence, horrifying truths seep through, twisting the familiar into something sinister. The floral wallpaper peels back to reveal haunting messages carved into the walls, and the house itself pulses with malevolent life.
When Sarah suddenly vanishes, Willow is forced to confront the dark shadows of her past and the horrors lurking within her fractured psyche. The question remains: is Willow truly a prisoner of her home, or of her own mind?
Some doors, once opened, can never be closed. And some truths are better left buried in the garden.
Dialogue & Destinies
This is the type of horror that doesn't really interest me. I don't like when it's hinting at "it's all in your head." I will remove it.
Results
I have 8 keeps and 2 removed. This puts me at 544 books. I'm loving the trending downward number! Getting to 500 books by the end of year is going to be tough but I'm still going to try.
Happy reading!
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