Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs was on all sorts of best fantasy lists for 2023. I picked it up in the hopes it might be a good comp for my book, although it ended up not being what I expected at all. 

As the title suggests, the book is about two sisters, Esther and Joanna. They were raised among a collection of magical books, which can enact spells if read by Joanna, but not Esther. Joanna inherited the job of protecting the books, while Esther became a nomad and starts the book in working in Antarctica. However, Esther begins to notice strange events around the research site, which she suspects is magic. Someone else must have magical books, and it seems they want the sisters' collection as well. And will do anything to get it.

This book had interesting settings, such as Antarctica, and even the more mundane locales had a clear sense of place and atmosphere. I liked the tension in the sisters' relationship, which felt organic.

Unfortunately, this book really struggled to keep my attention. I suspect it was a pacing issue; it felt like everything too far too long to get going.


Overall, this book is for you if you want a sister-focused fantasy, a sapphic subplot, or a book-based magic system. It may not be for you if you prefer faster paced stories, more epic-scale fantasy, or if you're not in the headspace to read a book where the characters' father recently died.

Have you read Ink Blood Sister Scribe? What did you think? Let's discuss in the comments!

The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton is a romcom arguably in the STEM romance subgenre. I picked it up as a palate cleanser after some fantasies I read felt like they were all hitting the same note. Since its main trope is fake dating, a trope I'm trying to use, it doubled as research. 

Amerie is a struggling event planner, recently single and about to be homeless. When she runs into her ex with his impressive new girlfriend, she basically grabs the nearest stranger and pretends he'd her new beaux. Somehow that worked out to be Vincent, an astronaut. He's open to the rouse if its a two way street, his overbearing family wants him to be in a relationship before he leaves on a mission to orbit. In exchange, Amerie can live in his house rent-free, even while he's in space, and put that money toward her business instead. But like any good fake dating scenario, the lines begin to blur.

This book was exactly as advertised, a romcom, a character who worked in STEM, The romance was fairly sweet, not too chaste and not too erotic. It was the palate cleanser I was looking for. 

On the downside, there was a touch of the miscommunication trope, after all there was no reason the characters couldn't actually date. I had also hoped for both characters to work in STEM, but that's not really a strike against the book, that's more of me not paying attention as I shopped.


This book is for you if you're looking for a nice popcorn romcom, if you want a love interest in science, or if you're a lover of the fake dating trope. This book is not for you if you're looking for high spice romance, a firmly STEM romance, or if the miscommunication trope is a no-go for you. 

Have you read The Kiss Countdown? What about Easton's other book, The Love Simulation? Let's discuss in the comments!

I read a lot less in 2025 than I wanted. However, I still managed to read 30 books, over half of which were fantasy. Despite not making my page count goal (to beat least year), I'm happy that I enjoyed so many books.

Have you read any of the same books that I read this year? Which was your favorite? Let's discuss in the comments!