Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

So it's like...a retelling of the origins of the Tang dynasty, but it's in the future, and not everything is accurate, and there's fighting robots (did my brain think of Voltron--yes)
Me appreciating the content notice at the beginning of the book. chef's kiss. 

If by Christmas, you mean "life."

....My brain also thought of The Cutting Edge. 
Hey look. An actual triangle. 
....Ok so the epilogue...that... umm...huh.
400 Pages

Jade War by Fonda Lee

"and I've been given no thanks": Alexa play the cat scene from The Godfather
This book series is so fricking stressful because it's about crime bosses which means that literally anyone can die. And it's not helping my anxiety. Because now I care about the characters and their well-being....it's really rude. 
I feel slightly concerned that I see this character that's the crime boss, and I'm like...he's adorable: 

I thought the like..time-span of the book was going to be a short period of time, but it spans a couple of years...which I'm here for.. Like I appreciate that we didn't sit and watch paint dry. 

(cough: it's a good thing the last book is coming out at the end of the month because I. Am. Stressed.)
624 Pages

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

So this is the second book to make me cry today..and it's the beginning of the book. 
As soon as I found out there was a school on Mars:

So like....am I the only one who's like....this has Attack on Titan training camp energy...just me...cool. I'll just listen to the soundtrack with this...
Ohhhh some of these things are sketch and problematic
Ok so more than some of these things are problematic....
Did my brain compensate for the gruesomeness and trauma by saying "God, it's brutal out here" yes.
Alexa play Teenagers.
If you can get past the violence and like...despicable things that are happening to the characters--it slaps. 
It's like Hunger Games but with less direct killing, and more violence/cruelty against women and scheming and some teamwork involved.
416 Pages

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

So this makes me uncomfy. Just like...War... But I guess it's good that war is making me uncomfortable.
Kitay is the best, and I love him. He's just a little nerd who loves to strategize and I love him.
And Nezha. I will always love Nezha.  
No one talk to me. I don't. I can't. I just like....
Rin's development throughout the book. Just. like. Wow.
Talking about the way that civil war ravages a country and how much it affects the innocent bystanders who are just simply trying to survive. Do I want to get on my soap box about the civil wars in the 1960s-80s. Yes I do. 
Did someone walk up behind me as I was finishing the book and see my crying.....yes. 
640 Pages

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 11: Immortals After Dark

These books keep getting longer and longer as the world building becomes more and more complex. I really like that. The plots have also become a lot more interesting, and the characters have become more multifaceted.

This is Regin's story, and she's one of my favorite characters, outside of Nix.

Pages: 515

"Salvation" by Sloane Kennedy

Book two in The Protectors Series features Seth Nichols, whose parents were murdered and he was tortured when he was 14.  Now 21, he's trying to run his father's shipping company and deal with his PTSD and self-doubt.  He once had an older brother, but he died while serving in the military.  Out of the blue, his brother's fiance, Ronan Grisham, appears and throws Seth's life into even more turmoil because he's had a crush on the man since he was a teen.  Now someone is after Seth, and Ronan will do everything he can to protect him even if it breaks both of their hearts.  Like the previous book in this series, there was a ton of angst, terrible traumas in both men's lives, guilt, and suspense.  I was annoyed at how often Seth and Ronan pushed each other away then changed their minds, but it was still an interesting story.  367 pages (Kindle edition.)

Overwatch by Marc Guggenheim

Posted for Paul Mathews

A lawyer's investigation leads to poisonings, kidnapping, torture, and murder in the CIA.

Audio:  9 hrs. 44 min.
Print:  304 pages