A New Look

Do you like what I’ve done with the place? It’s been over five years since I last updated the look of my blog, and it’s been over a decade since I actually changed the colour scheme, but here we are!

As much as I loved my former pink design, I felt like I was limiting myself to just one colour all the time. I’m less of a minimalist these days. These days I prefer chaotic colour, and the maximalism that comes with being a chronic trinket collector. With my shelves reflecting that in my bookstagram pictures, I figured I should update my blog to match.

The redesign also comes with a much more functional site for mobile, considering most of us read things on our phones. My old design was noooooot mobile friendly in the slightest, and it was a constant source of frustration for me, so I’m happy to finally have something that works!

I hope you enjoy the new design as much as I enjoyed the stress of putting it all together!

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5 Books For 2026

There’s nothing better to take away the New Year blues than to think about all the amazing books that lie in your future. Whilst there is a list as long as my arm of stories I’m eager to shove my nose into during 2026, I had to narrow it down somehow. So I’ve painfully whittled it down to the top five that excite me most. And by excite, I mean I’m tearing my hair out in clumps whilst waiting for them.

The Spell for Unraveling – April 28th

After the chaos of the summer solstice, elder hedgewitch Anne Sterling steps in to take Coven Blackthorn under her wing—and to enlist their help. There’s damage control to be done as threats of a fairy war loom and the upheaval in Elphame spills into the human realm. Leo, in particular, is uniquely positioned to influence the course of events.

But Aziza's top priority is to rescue her oldest friend and former librarian, Meryl, a selkie whose mysterious captor may have closer ties to Blackthorn—and Aziza herself—than she ever realized. To find him, Aziza will venture into the secretive community of witches hidden beneath the surface of mundane society and confront her deadliest foe yet.

Meanwhile, Tristan delves deep into the study of necromancy, certain it will be their best defense against the danger closing in on all sides. But mastery of the infernal arts is not without its own risks. And there are some things you can’t come back from.

I’ve been screaming from the rooftops about this trilogy since I first picked it up a couple of years ago because it is criminally underrated. It’s quite literally everything I want from a series, complete with a side order of emotional torture. This upcoming ending terrifies and thrills me in equal amounts.

A Prince Among Pirates – June 16^th

Kit Davenport is in trouble—not that this would surprise anyone who knows him. Headstrong, reckless, and utterly unsuited for the stodgy House of Lords, Kit has spent years dodging his father’s stern disapproval and delighting in clandestine rendezvous. But time is running out. With an arranged marriage looming and the confines of white wigs and stiff decorum closing in, Kit is desperate to escape a life that feels completely wrong for him.

His solution? A wildly impulsive decision that lands him aboard the Deliverance, a galleon captained by the infuriatingly charismatic Reggie Sharpe. With a devil-may-care attitude and a delicious grin, Captain Sharpe commands the waves with his crew of misfits…who all turn out to be pirates. Before Kit can say “wrong ship,” he’s trading ballroom etiquette for rum-soaked camaraderie, explosive gunfights, and, perhaps most excitingly, heart-stopping kisses under the stars.

But life at sea holds just as many secrets as treasures. And when Kit’s past catches up with him, he’ll have to decide who he truly wants to be: a gentleman or a pirate?

I’ll admit it was the cover that dragged me in, okay? I saw it posted on bookstagram because I already followed the artist and was immediately in awe. Luckily, the plot sounds exactly like my cup of tea. I’m a big pirate enthusiast. My only issue is that is has a different cover here in the UK and it’s just…nowhere near as gorgeous. I may have to spend more money that I’m comfortable with to get this version shipped over.

The Ballad of Ronan McCoy – June 18^th

Brendan's best friend, his only friend, is Ronan McCoy. He knows things about Brendan that no one else about his job washing the cars at Feeney’s Funeral Home, about the loneliness he sometimes feels even when surrounded by hundreds of others at school. But Brendan never told Ronan about the dark feeling that sits at the bottom of his stomach, the feeling that tells him something bad is coming. It never comes when Ronan's around.

Ronan is smart and sporty and popular, totally comfortable in his own all the things that Brendan himself isn't. But Ronan always makes him feel like a good friend, a good person, a better Brendan.

Standing at the school gates on the first day of term, the dark feeling begins to form in Brendan's stomach. And when Ronan doesn’t turn up, Brendan learns that something terrible happened to his best friend over the summer and he'll never be the same again. Over the course of the final year of school, Brendan will have to learn to navigate the new shape of their friendship and find a place for himself in the world without Ronan to protect him.

I’m cheating a little bit with this one because I have read it already, thanks to me pleading on my knees for a NetGalley copy. Finding out that Colin Morgan would be releasing a novel was THE jaw-drop moment of 2025 for me. Naturally, I knew I would be super annoying about it. And I will be making it my personal mission to get as many people to read this gorgeous story as possible.

Here’s me in my Merlin cosplay at a convention back in 2013. Imagine telling her she’d be reviewing Colin Morgan’s debut novel one day.

Espiritu – September 8^th

Julian used to be a ghost and now he can’t stop seeing them.

Ever since being sacrificed as part of a forbidden ritual, Julian has been able to see and communicate with the spirits of passed brujx. And that would be okay, if it allowed him to be part of his new boyfriend's community. But Julian’s also seeing other shadows in the corner of his eyes, glowing eyes in the dark, and “dark spots” on people – gaping, black gashes that are somehow wrong. He did ask his new magical boyfriend about it, but Yadriel has never heard of anything like it either, and he’s so busy with his new Brujx responsibilities, trying to figure out where all the new malingos are coming from, that Julian hates for his problems to ruin what little time together they have.

Then, a strange new brujx shows up. Ángel, as a nonbinary brujx, can heal the living and release the dead, but more than that, they can also see the same dark spots as Julian. Despite Yadriel’s reservations, Julian eagerly accepts their help. But, Ángel’s ruthless methods feel wrong to Julian, who wants to move away from hurting others.

With the shadows growing darker, and the discovery of a gaping dark spot on his friend Luca, Julian has to decide who he wants to put his trust in, and just how far he’s willing to go to save what is his.

I still can’t quite believe we’re getting a sequel to Cemetary Boys. Those characters carved a special place in my heart, so I cannot WAIT to see what happens to them in this new book. I don't think I can cope with them being made to suffer more though.

The Last King of Faerie – November 3^rd

It’s Drusilla Blackthorn's third year at Shadowhunter Academy when a chance encounter at a nightclub turns into a kidnapping. Dru finds herself held prisoner by Prince Ash Morgenstern in the land of Faerie, a place that proves just as dangerous as it is beautiful. Despite herself, Dru is drawn to Ash and the darkness that seems to surround him—but one false move could cost her life.

Meanwhile, a shocking disappearance rocks the foundations of the Shadowhunter world. Kit Herondale and Ty Blackthorn must set aside the bitterness that lingers between them and join forces on a perilous quest to save everything they cherish.

The first installment of the long-awaited concluding trilogy to the Shadowhunter Chronicles has all the nail-biting adventure, heart-pounding romance, and trademark humor that makes Cassandra Clare the reigning queen of YA romantasy.

To be clear: I will not be normal about this book. I actually feel like I’ve spent the past decade waiting for this. The Wicked Powers is Cassandra Clare’s final series in the Shadowhunter Chronicles, and I’m losing my mind just thinking about it. I’ve been reading books set in this world for more than half my life at this point, so I’m sure I will be inconsolable as we delve into the beginning of the end. I’ve also been DYING to see what happens with Ty and Kit since the end of TDA.

There are some books that I don’t have release dates for yet but I’m almost certain will grace our shelves in 2026 *cough* The Broken Cage *cough* but these are my most anticipated ones at the moment! I’m so excited for the reading year ahead.

What books are you looking forward to?

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REVIEW: Hazelthorn by CG Drews

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Hachette Children's Group

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Gothic

Release Date: October 28th 2025

TW: gore, abuse, eating disorders, ableism, murder

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

But when Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn’s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. There’s just one caveat: He must choose a new guardian from amongst Laurie's scheming, backstabbing relatives to help manage the estate until he turns eighteen.

Except Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next. Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family’s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he’s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.

After finishing Don’t Let The Forest In over Halloween, I knew I had to get my hands on Drews’ newest novel, so the release day couldn’t have worked out better. This was an absolutely delicious story, and perfect for this time of year. The setting drew me in immediately because there’s nothing I find more enticing than a crumbly old house with mysterious residents. Not to mention an even more mysterious garden. Whilst slow to start with as we get to know our main character and his situation, the story is fittingly paced, with more and more clues unfolding as time moves on.

 

Evander, my sweet boy. I fell completely in love with him. Most of the book leads up to discovering the truth about who Evander is and how he came to be under the care of the unhinged family who owned the house. It was fun to try and makes guesses about him and end up being completely wrong. Though it’s not written on page, we can see from the author acknowledgements that Evander is an autistic-coded character, so I very much related to his struggles of acting a certain way and not understanding it.

 

The complicated and evolving relationship between Evander and Laurie, the boy he’s grown up hating, is a core part of this story. I was living for their interactions, which managed to be tense, funny, and emotional all in one. Finding out the truth about the childhood friendship was such a treat.

• Gothic vibes. The setting for this book is everything and it gives such an intense overall atmosphere.

• Characters to love AND hate. Whilst Evander and Laurie warmed my cold heart, the rest of the characters in this story are a NIGHTMARE. In the best possible way.

• Magical yet bloodthirsty garden. Need I say more?

 

Finishing Halzelthorn had me craving more books with similar vibes so I’m eagerly awaiting whatever C. G. Drews has planned next. This was easily one of the most fascinating stories I’ve been able to read this year.   

Royal Rating:

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Halloween Wrap Up 2025

Happy Halloween to everyone who celebrates! 🎃 And if not, I hope you’re having a cozy Autumn evening. I only set myself a small reading goal for spooky season because life has been crazy, but I managed to finish them all so let’s discuss…

Sad Girl Hours by Anna Zoe Quirke

Saffron struggles with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and is dreading autumn and winter. She took time off in her first year at university and can’t afford to do the same this year if she’s going to achieve her dream of being an astrophysicist. She’s managed to keep it a secret from her friends – fearing that they won’t want to spend time with her if they see her at her lowest – but it’s getting harder. Especially when she meets Nell. 

Nell – wannabe poet, autistic and proud, and lover of autumn and winter – is determined to show Saffron everything these seasons have to offer. The two grow close, and when Saffron confides in Nell, romance blooms. But with Saffron struggling to keep a lid on her mental health and Nell figuring out her own sexual identity, things soon spiral out of control. 

A dual-perspective sapphic rom-com perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Alice Oseman.

This was the perfect autumn read, really. I read this as part of Sapphic September and it was full of queer joy, whilst also dealing with some complex issues. I’d never read a story that focused on Seasonal Affective Disorder before, so I appreciated that this book gently fed me more information about the condition that Saffron struggles with each year.

Then there was Nell, who I absolutely ADORED. Since my autism diagnosis at the start of this year, I’ve been on a mission to discover more books with autistic main characters, so that’s what initially drew me to this story. It was super refreshing to see that autism wasn’t the focus of Nell’s plot because we need more casual neurodiverse representation. I was also pleasantly surprised by the acespec rep!

Royal Rating:

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever

When Paul and Julian meet as university freshmen in early 1970s Pittsburgh, they are immediately drawn to one another. A talented artist, Paul is sensitive and agonizingly insecure, incomprehensible to his working-class family, and desolate with grief over his father's recent death. Paul sees his wealthy, effortlessly charming Julian as his sole intellectual equal - an ally against the conventional world he finds so suffocating. He idolizes his friend for his magnetic confidence. But as charismatic as he can choose to be, Julian also is volatile and capriciously cruel. An admiration isn't the same as trust. 

As their friendship spirals into an all-consuming intimacy, Paul is desperate to protect their precarious bond, even as it becomes clear that pressures from the outside world are nothing compared with the brutality they are capable of inflicting on one another. Separation is out of the question. But as their orbit compresses and their grip on one another tightens, they are drawn to an act of irrevocable violence that will force the young men to confront a shattering truth at the core of their relationship. 

Exquisitely plotted, unfolding with propulsive ferocity, These Violent Delights is a novel of escalating dread and an excavation of the unsettling depths of human desire.

Maybe one day I will finally except the fact that dark academia is a genre I prefer to enjoy the aesthetics of rather than read. I love watching dark academia movies and the overall vibes of the genre, but whenever I delve into a book, it never ends well for me. After having an exceptionally complicated relationship with The Secret History and If We Were Villains (and don’t get me STARTED on A Little Life) I really should have been more cautious before picking this one up. But in typical me fashion, I blinded trusted my bookstagram mutuals’ praise of this one and thought that maybe, just maybe, the dark academia would hit different this time.

It didn’t.

I will say I enjoyed it more than 90% of the others I’ve tried, but I still wanted to bash my head against the wall multiple times whilst reading it. The growing tension throughout the story was perfect though and it did keep me hooked in the second half. But I’m still not fully sold.

Royal Rating:

Don’t Let The Forest In by C. G. Drews

High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality―Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more. 

But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won't say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork―whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew's wicked stories. 

Desperate to figure out what's wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster―Thomas's drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator...

Okay, so I know I’ve literally just said I don’t mix well with dark academia, but this is an exception. This was actually the highlight of my Halloween reading. It’s dark academia mixed with fantasy, so it’s a much better combo for me.

I adored the characters, the mystery, the gory monsters, not to mention the illustrations. AND there was a fantastic plot twist that left me reeling. The only reason this book juuuuust missed out on five stars for me is because the characters stuttered a little too much, to the point that it grated on me after a while. And when I say stutter, I don’t mean they have a speech impairment because I would absolutely understand that. It was just them being too terrified or anxious to talk and it seemed to be happening on every other page. But that simply comes down to personal preference.

I’ve just picked up the author’s next book, Hazelthorn, and I’m diving into it immediately because I’m eager to see what they come up with next.

Royal Rating:

So these were my Halloween reads for 2025! Not as many as I wanted to get through because I’ve had some personal issues going on throughout October that have left me with less time to read, but I’m happy with my little pile.

What have you been reading during spooky season?

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DESKTOP WALLPAPERS: October 2025

It's officially spooky month! 🎃 I love this time of year - the colours, the crunchy leaves, the crisp air, the cosy hot drinks, it's perfect for my sensory-seeking brain. I'm always outside with my camera during the autumn months, making the most of things before the weather turns too cold for me to be snapping pics without gloves making things difficult. So, please enjoy some of the photos I've picked out for October's wallpapers!

October Trees Wallpaper

Click below to open full-size pic and save! 

With Calendar / Without

Trees look so much more beautiful during golden hour at this time of year. And since the sun sets earlier, I can take golden hour pictures AND be back at home with a cup of tea by 8pm. Heaven. 

October Crunchy Leaves Wallpaper

Click below to open full-size pic and save! 

With Calendar / Without

It's a tradition for me to snap pics of my feet walking through crunchy leaves every autumn. I just can't help myself.

October Red Leaf Wallpaper

Click below to open full-size pic and save! 

With Calendar / Without

LEAVES!! COLOURFUL LEAF SEASON!!!! I love making the most of the wide array of leaves strewn all over the floor in October. 

October Mushrooms Wallpaper

Click below to open full-size pic and save! 

With Calendar / Without

Nothing beats spotting some mushrooms on an autumn walk. It's all fun and games until I get my jeans covered in mud because I'm on the floor trying to photograph them. 

October Spooky Books Wallpaper

Click below to open full-size pic and save!

Here's the bookish entry for this month, courtesy of my mum's horror shelf. She a huge lover of all things creepy when it comes to books, so I often snap a pic of her well-loved copies for Halloween. 

October Autumn Pattern Wallpaper

Click below to open full-size pic and save! 

Of course I had to draw up a little autumnal illustration for you all! I've been having fun learning how to make patterns on Procreate and here's the result. This ended up being my personal wallpaper for the month because I love it so much.

I hope one of these wallpapers meets your desktop needs this October! Do you have any plans for spooky season? What books are you planning to read? Let me know in the comments. I'll see you in November for some chillier wallpapers...

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