-A.M. Aguilar

Top 5 Jan & Feb Reads

YA Fiction, Paranormal Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, & a Romance Novel

Helloooo my dear book lovers, it’s been a while since I’ve posted and I apologize for it. Second year of college + online classes = not the best combination. I’ve been really busy with assignments, exams and group projects, so I haven’t had time to sit down and write much. But I finished exams yesterday 🙂 so I thought today was the perfect chance to write this short wrap up!

The biggest thank you to all of you for being patient with me and for keeping up with my posts! I have so many ideas and blog posts that I want to write so I can’t wait for spring break to arrive 😀 Also, if you’ve been following me on Instagram ( @thebookssmugler), then you may have noticed we’re so close to 1.3 book lovers!! I couldn’t’ be more grateful.

Bookstagram has become my safe space and I love spending hours talking to you guys about our favorite books and meeting people from all around the world! Thank you for making me the happiest! If you aren’t following me there already, go ahead, I’ll love to talk to you guys. Don’t hesitate on DM ‘ing me <3

I’m amazed at how fast 2021 is going, we’re in March already. 1 year since quarantine started 🙁 I hope you’re all doing okay, staying safe and healthy. Wear your masks if you’re going out and dedicate some time to yourself whenever you can, doing whatever makes you happy. Your mental health matters and spending time doing the things you love, is more than worth it 🙂 .

January and February have been a kind of hectic after beginning second year of college, but I always do my best to try to read a few chapters of my current reads at night. Reading is truly my escape from everything going in this reality 😉 I always try to share my reading updates on my instagram stories, so make sure to check those out.

During the first two months of 2021 I had the chance to read 10 incredible books. Unfortunately, I can’t share all of them with you, this post would be huge lol, so I will be focusing on my top 5 reads. I hope you’ll like this mini-reviews and possibly add some amazing new books to your TBR 🙂 I can’t wait to share these with you guys, some of these have become my all-time favorite books!!

These last few months I’ve read a lot of V.E. Schwab, one of my favorite authors ever; I’ve read some romantic comedies, and also focused on Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy Fiction books. I promise you will truly love many of these.

If you want to, you can also check out my Top 5 December Reads !

With nothing more to say, let’s get started…

Top 5 Jan & Feb Reads

1. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

If you’ve seen my IG stories then you know I was devastated after finishing this book, but I also started looking at life with a new perspective. It’s a beautiful book with an easy writing to follow, and will surely get you out of a slump if you’re feeling like this. Though I recommend preparing your tissues first 😉

This book takes place in a dystopian reality where a company called “Death-Cast” is in charge of calling all the people that are set to die during the next 24 hours at midnight of said day. It’s a very depressing job to have, but that’s how it works. They Both Die at the Ends starts when a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.

Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day and end up meeting each other. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure; to live a lifetime in a single day.

It is a book that teaches you so much about appreciating life and valuing every single moment of it. It reminds us that there’s no life without death and no love without loss; in this devastating yet inspiring and uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day, you will learn so many valuable lessons and appreciate this well written story. Definitely recommend!

4/5

2. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

TW: attempted suicide, overdosing, self-harm, drug use, murder, animal death, abandonment and panic attacks.

Last year, I loved V.E. Schwab’s series Shades of Magic and I decided tor read more books by her. This was my first option and I was not disappointed. V.E. Schwab is incredible and the worlds she creates, the character’s personalities and even their backstories… wow. I love them.

In Vicious, V.E. Schwab brings to life a comic-book-style world with vivid adventures and makes you question what makes a hero good, or a villain bad. It’s a book you can’t have enough of, and I personally can’t wait for book two 😀

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates; brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the ex-best friends have set a course for revenge, but who will be left alive at the end?

Beware of all the trigger warnings if you decide to read this one, though. Really recommend it :))

4/5

3. Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Two sisters, one brutal murder and a quest for vengeance that will raise Hell itself. I feel like this book was exactly what I wanted to read. Fantasy Fiction with everything I love from the well written settings, to the forbidden and dark magic with demons and witches. Not that I have a type though ;))

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin… desecrated beyond belief.

Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost; even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden. Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked Princes of Hell, who claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island and helps her solve her sister’s murder. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems.

I really enjoyed this one! My favorite part was seeing the personification that Kerri wrote for each Prince of Hell; Pride, Lust, Greed and more. It was wicked, intriguing and captivating! If you’re into fantasy, magic and witches plus murder mystery; perfect choice 😀

4/5

4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I swear this book is one of my favorites. I saw it around bookstagram a lot and decided to give it a ty without knowing a single thing about it. It broke my heart but made me loved it so much.

Taylor Reid wrote it so well that you feel like the characters are real when they are entirely fictional. I loved everything, I loved Evelyn’s story so much that I cried nonstop for the last half of the book :D. If you’ve had this one in your TBR this is your sign to READ THIS BOOK <3.

This book follows the story of the aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo who is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. When she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way.

As Evelyn’s life unfolds, revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love, Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress (as well as the reader). But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

To me, this book was a masterpiece and Evelyn’s story, even if fictional, is a full of lessons to value, truly a story worth telling. I hope you will love it too!!

5/5

5. Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan

If you are a fan of greek mythology this series is a great choice of books for you. And if you’ve read the iconic Percy Jackson series than you may know this book is the last one in the Camp Half Blood series 🙁

Rick Riordan has created some incredible action-paced books with relatable and brave characters that will captivate your heart. “Tower of Nero” is the finale of the bestselling “Trials of Apollo” series.

After being punished by Zeus and sent to the mortal world, Apollo has to complete a series of trials to save his oracles and finally defeat his enemy, Python. Will the Greek god Apollo finally regain his place on Mount Olympus? With the help of his demigod friends at Camp Jupiter and Camp Half Blood they will have to defeat an evil Roman king and his army of the undead at the Tower of Nero, back in New York.

I really enjoyed this conclusion to the series and I can’t wait to see the rest of companion books Uncle Rick will publish starring side characters like Will, Nico and Thalia 🙂 I really recommend starting with Percy Jackson and the Olympians, you won’t regret it!!

4/5

I hope you’re excited to read some of these incredible books I’ve shared with you today. As I told you guys in one of my Instagram posts, I’ve been finding incredible books and author this new year, and I love sharing this memorable and beautiful books with you guys!!

If you decide to read any of these, please don’t hesitate on letting me know 😀 It would make me the happiest to know you’ve decided to read any of these or add them to your TBR, and of course ranting about them together!

If you’ve already read any of these please let me know too and tell me about your current reads! Thank you to all of you who stay up to date with my posts & have been following me through this journey. Your love, support and passion for reading is what keeps me going and makes me literally the happiest 🙂 I don’t have words to express how grateful I am!

Spread love always, dear book lovers. I hope you enjoy yourselves this weekend and begin the week excellently too. Please stay safe and healthy. Stay tuned on my Instagram, I’m always active there on stories, posts and DMs 😀

Happy reading book lovers!