23 Books to Read in 2023 Update 18

So I read my next books for the 23 Books to Read in 2023 Challenge! 

So I read The Body Market by Donna Freitas from the Edelweiss list!

Yep. Happy reading!

Here's the link to this year's post with my journey.

But to recap, I wanted to do a version of These Books Will Self Destruct in 12 months without the self destruct. I wanted to read books that I've had for a while, that I really needed to get read, but maybe I forgot about them or that I had them. So I made 2 lists, one for each way I have them, as physical books, and as ARC's, half from NetGalley, and half from Edelweiss.

   

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #719, March 17th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #718
Teaser Tuesday #726
WWW Wednesday #726
WOW #722
Will the Time Come #719
Third Sentence Thursday #709
Random Reads #695
First Lines Friday #722
Book Blogger Hop #388

Monthly ARC's Update 110
The Reward Challenge Update #704
Wheel of TBR #251
How Well I Stuck to It #556
Wrote that Review Update #553

Week 11 Reviews:

Shadow's Heart

The Executioners Three

His Mortal Demise 

You Don't Live Here

Writing Mr. Wrong

Go Luck Yourself

Lessons With the Mothman

Enchantra 

Pride or Die

Crown of Slumber

The Body Market

On a Quiet Street

Phase Out Your Seriesathon: 

Update 18

Update 19

Update 20

Magical Readathon: Orilium: 

Update 18

Update 19

Spring Into Reading-A-Thon: 

Update 3

Update 4

Update 5

Update 6

Update 7

Update 8

Update 9

Roll of Reads Readathon: 

Update 4

Update 5

OK, so I got 40 posts in 7 days, and it was a pretty decent week, I read some really good books, andI can't wait for this coming week! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read Sunrise of the Reaping!

When you've been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch's name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who's nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town.

As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

Week 11 Review: The Body Market

From Goodreads:
In the tradition of M. T. Andersons Feed and Scott Westerfelds Uglies, this heart-pounding sequel to Unplugged continues the series that Kass Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of The 100, called chilling and addictive.

Skylar Cruz found her sister in the Real World—only to learn that her sister has betrayed her and put everyone in the App World in danger. The Body Market is now open for business and everyone still plugged into the App World is for sale.

Shaken by the betrayal of everyone she trusted, Skylar is through being a pawn. She may be the only one who can stop what her family started. And she has to do it before the App World runs out of time.

My Review:


Author: Donna Freitas
Series: The Wired #2
Read: March 14th, 2025
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why:Sounded really good, and it's a 2025 Dystopia Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: March 28th 2017

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Spring Into Reading-A-Thon Update 8

So I read my next book for Spring Into Reading-A-Thon, and it was The Body Market which was for the prompt Spring Cleaning, and I'll be reading On a Quiet Street next! 

My Reading Journey:

Queen of Shadows and Ruin by Nisha J. Tuli

Prompt Fulfilled: Holi Festival of Colors

Started On: March 6th

Finished On: March 6th, 2:47 PM

Pages Read: 491

The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard

Prompt Fulfilled: New Life

Started On: March 9th

Finished On: March 9th, 7:28 PM

Pages Read: 348

His Mortal Demise by Vanessa Le

Prompt Fulfilled: Road Trip

Started On: March 10th

Finished On: March 10th, 10:52 AM

Pages Read: 400

Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong

Prompt Fulfilled: March Madness

Started On: March 11th

Finished On: March 11th, 5:26 PM

Pages Read: 336

Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch

Prompt Fulfilled: Luck of the Irish

Started On: March 11th

Finished On: March 11th, 11:07 PM

Pages Read: 320

Lessons With the Mothman by Kathryn Moon

Prompt Fulfilled: Wet T-Shirt Contest

Started On: March 12th

Finished On: March 12th, 7:58 PM

Pages Read: 295

Crown of Slumber by L. Perez

Prompt Fulfilled: Refresh Your TBR

Started On: March 14th

Finished On: March 14th, 11:05 AM

Pages Read: 510

The Body Market by Donna Freitas

Prompt Fulfilled: Spring Cleaning

Started On: March 14th

Finished On: March 14th, 3:42 PM

Pages Read: 432

On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass

Prompt Fulfilled: Read the Group Book

Started On: March 14th

Currently On: Page 0 of 320

Prompts Left: New Beginnings, Let it Shine, Spring Fashion, Rewind, April Showers, Self-Care, Spring Forward,  Love Is In The Air, Over The Rainbow, Spring Break, Aquamarine, Cherry Blossoms, Aries, Tiptoe Through The Tulips, Tiny Umbrellas

Read: 8

Pages Read: 3132

Spring Into Reading-A-Thon Update 7

So I read my next book for Spring Into Reading-A-Thon, and it was The Body Market which was for the prompt Spring Cleaning, and I'll be reading On a Quiet Street next! 

My Reading Journey:

Queen of Shadows and Ruin by Nisha J. Tuli

Prompt Fulfilled: Holi Festival of Colors

Started On: March 6th

Finished On: March 6th, 2:47 PM

Pages Read: 491

The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard

Prompt Fulfilled: New Life

Started On: March 9th

Finished On: March 9th, 7:28 PM

Pages Read: 348

His Mortal Demise by Vanessa Le

Prompt Fulfilled: Road Trip

Started On: March 10th

Finished On: March 10th, 10:52 AM

Pages Read: 400

Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong

Prompt Fulfilled: March Madness

Started On: March 11th

Finished On: March 11th, 5:26 PM

Pages Read: 336

Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch

Prompt Fulfilled: Luck of the Irish

Started On: March 11th

Finished On: March 11th, 11:07 PM

Pages Read: 320

Lessons With the Mothman by Kathryn Moon

Prompt Fulfilled: Wet T-Shirt Contest

Started On: March 12th

Finished On: March 12th, 7:58 PM

Pages Read: 295

Crown of Slumber by L. Perez

Prompt Fulfilled: Refresh Your TBR

Started On: March 14th

Finished On: March 14th, 11:05 AM

Pages Read: 510

The Body Market by Donna Freitas

Prompt Fulfilled: Spring Cleaning

Started On: March 14th

Currently On: Page 0 of 432

Prompts Left: New Beginnings, Let it Shine, Spring Fashion, Rewind, April Showers, Self-Care, Spring Forward,  Love Is In The Air, Over The Rainbow, Spring Break, Aquamarine, Cherry Blossoms, Aries, Tiptoe Through The Tulips, Tiny Umbrellas

Read: 7

Pages Read: 2700

First Lines Friday #722, March 14th

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. We encourage all of our fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

-Grab your current read(s)
-Share the first line(s)
-Include the title and author so that other FLF participants can add the book to their TBR Lists!

"I adjusted the scarf around my head. Only my eyes were visible. I stepped into the crush of tourists heading inside. A great canopy stretched over us, blocking out the cold winter sun. The floor was polished marble, and it shined so clean and new it was slick as ice. To my right, people emerged from the lobby of the tall, glittering hotel, with its carefully trimmed topiaries lining the entrance. All around me were voices."-The Body Market by Donna Freitas

Well that doesn't sound too bad! I wonder how the conflict is going to arise! Must read more now! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Waiting on Wednesday #380, August 22nd

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

Lionheart by Thea Harrison
Expected Publication: October 8th, 2018
From Goodreads:
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Thea Harrison comes the final story in her spellbinding Moonshadow trilogy…

King Oberon reigned over his Dark Court in Lyonesse for centuries, until an assassination attempt laid him low. Now he lies unconscious in his snow-bound palace, while his Power battles the enchantment that threatens to end his life.

A skilled trauma surgeon and magic-user, Dr. Kathryn Shaw reigns at the top of her profession in New York. Then comes a challenge she can’t resist—she is asked to cure the uncureable. Just getting close enough to try healing Oberon is a dangerous proposition. When she does reach him, he awakens too soon.

Roused from darkness by Kathryn’s presence, Oberon confronts the beautiful stranger who claims she wants to save his life. But the enchantment has frozen his emotions. How can he learn to trust her when he can’t feel anything?

Oberon’s desire is icy, devoid of all tenderness. Not only must Kathryn match wits with him, she must also fight her reaction to his touch, because there is so much more at stake than her own endangered heart.

For the Dark Court faces its most deadly peril yet. Its ancient enemy Isabeau, Queen of the Light Court, is obsessed with its annihilation, and Oberon must be brought to remember his loyalty and affection for his people.

Because if he won’t fight for them, Lyonesse itself may very well be destroyed…

Consumed by J.R. Ward
Expected Publication: October 9th, 2018
From Goodreads:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the popular Black Dagger Brotherhood series comes a brand-new novel about arson investigator, Ann Ashburn, who is consumed by her troubled past, her family’s scorched legacy, and her current case: chasing a deadly killer.

Anne Ashburn is a woman consumed...

By her bitter family legacy, by her scorched career as a firefighter, by her obsession with department bad-boy Danny McGuire, and by a new case that pits her against a fiery killer.

Strong-willed Anne was fearless and loved the thrill of fighting fires, pushing herself to be the best. But when one risky decision at a warehouse fire changes her life forever, Anne must reinvent not only her job, but her whole self.

Shattered and demoralized, Anne finds her new career as an arson investigator a pale substitute for the adrenaline-fueled life she left behind. She doesn't believe she will ever feel that same all-consuming passion for her job again--until she encounters a string of suspicious fires setting her beloved city ablaze.

Danny McGuire is a premiere fireman, best in the county, but in the midst of a personal meltdown. Danny is taking risks like never before and seems to have a death wish until he teams up with Anne to find the fire starter. But Danny may be more than a distraction, and as Anne narrows in on her target, the arsonist begins to target her.

From the creator of the bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood, get ready for a new band of brothers. And a firestorm.

Dagger and Coin by Kathy MacMillan
Expected Publication: October 9th, 2018
From Goodreads:
Soraya Gamo was meant to be queen of Qilara, until an Arnath slave rebellion destroyed the monarchy and the capital city. Now, improbably, she sits on the new Ruling Council beside her former enemies, finally holding the political power she always wanted - but over a nation in ruins. As she works to rebuild Qilara, she can, at last, use what everyone once told her to hide: her brain.

But not everyone is ready to accept the new equality that the Ruling Council has decreed between the Arnathim and Qilarites. So when a slave ship arrives in the city, full of Arnathim captured before Qilara fell—the civil unrest that has been bubbling since the rebellion erupts.

Forced to confront her own prejudices, Soraya struggles to gain the trust of the Arnath people she once disregarded and establish peace in what has become chaos. With the threat of attacks high, Gelti, a former guard captain, trains Soraya in self-defense. As the two grow close, tension within the city ramps up, with danger, betrayal, and deception meeting Soraya everywhere she turns. Friends become foes, adversaries become companions, and the clashing of classes threatens to unravel all the good Soraya has been trying to do. Can Soraya, raised to be a proper Qilarite lady, learn to be a true leader? Or will the sins of her past forever haunt the footsteps of her future? 

The Healer by Donna Freitas
Expected Publication: October 9th, 2018
From Goodreads:
Marlena Oliveira has—mysteriously, miraculously—been given the power to heal all kinds of ailments. People around the world believe she is a saint. But her power comes at a price: she can’t go to school, she can’t have friends her own age, and she certainly can’t date.

Then she meets Finn, a boy who makes her want to fall in love. For the first time, she begins to doubt whether her gift is worth all that she must give up to keep it. 

Some 3 awesome books coming out! Really excited for them! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday #334, October 4th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

Beautiful Lawman by Sophie Jordan
Expected Publication: December 26th, 2017
From Goodreads:
From the wrong side of the tracks and with most of her family in jail or dead, Piper Walsh is used to everyone in town thinking the worst about her. It doesn’t seem to matter that she’s worked hard to build a good life for herself. So she isn’t surprised that when she comes into contact with Sweet Hill’s wildly irresistible, arrogant sheriff, Hale Walters, they’re instant adversaries. Piper has nothing in common with the town golden-boy-turned-lawman—and she refuses to be a notch on his bedpost.

Despite rumors, Hale avoids fooling around with the women of Sweet Hill, many of whom are hoping to get him to the altar. But staying out of Piper’s path is proving near impossible. 

The infuriating troublemaker clearly has no respect for his badge. As she continues to push his buttons, it becomes clear to Hale that he must either arrest Piper—or claim her as his own.

Into the Night by Cynthia Eden
Expected Publication: December 26th, 2017
From Goodreads:
Two FBI agents are caught in a merciless vigilante’s crosshairs in New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden’s electric Killer Instinct series

Lives will be ravaged as two FBI agents confront a mastermind serial murderer in New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden’s new Killer Instinct novel

Sheltered in the shadows of the Smoky Mountains is the suspect who’s summoned FBI agent Macey Night’s fears to the surface. Every day that the “Profiler,” a vigilante serial killer, escapes justice is another day she’s reminded of what it is to be a ruthless predator’s prey. Capturing him is a craving deeper than anything she’s felt in a long time. But Agent Bowen Murphy, equal parts sexy and volatile, seems hell-bent on changing that. Working together—needing, living, and breathing each other—they’re entwined to distraction.

Bowen’s used to operating on impulse: act, don’t feel. Now Macey and the controlled terror behind her beautiful eyes has him rethinking everything, including his rule to never get close to a colleague. He’s willing to fight for a future with Macey, but the consequences of love could be deadly.

The Mind Virus by Donna Freitas
Expected Publication: December 26th, 2017
From Goodreads:
Skylar Cruz’s heart is shattered. But even though everyone has betrayed her, Skylar was able to negotiate a way to open the door between the Real World and the App World. Now Skylar must help the people who left the virtual world behind as they become refugees in the Real World.

And for everyone who remained plugged in, a new danger has become evident. Their bodies are mysteriously dying, and it’s because of events Skylar’s sister, Jude, set in motion. A virus has been unleashed that could mean total extinction of the App World—and everyone in it.

Skylar and Jude must set aside their differences and work together if they are to defeat the mind virus before the App World fades away into oblivion. 

Well, I've kinda read both Beautiful Lawman and Into the Night, but they were so great, and I can't wait to read the final one, and have thema ll out for everybody! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Donna Fretias Author Page

The Story: I got Unplugged, and then The Body Market, from Edelweiss, and I've enjoyed the former, and I can't wait to read the latter!

Website

Series: The Wired.

The Wired: Unplugged and my review, The Body Market and my review.

Stand Alone's: The Tenderness of Thieves and my review.

Week 2 Review: Unplugged

From Goodreads:
In the tradition of M. T. Anderson's Feed and Scott Westerfeld's Uglies, Unplugged is the first in a provocative and compelling new series from acclaimed author Donna Freitas.

Humanity is split into a dying physical world for the poor and an extravagant virtual world for the wealthy. Years ago, Skylar Cruz crossed over to the App World for a chance at a better life, and her family stayed behind in the Real World. Now Skye is a virtual teenager, surrounded by glamorous apps and expensive downloads—yet she's never felt like she fits in, and all she wants is to see her mother and sister again.

Skye is desperate and ready to risk everything to unplug from the App World. But she soon learns that the only person she can trust—in either world, including friends and family—is herself.

My Review:
I really enjoyed this book! There have been books with similar worlds, with electronic versions of ourselves, but the details were very interesting, and I wanted to know more! And yeah that I do get more, because this is a series!

Having read this book, right now, the big comparison I'm making is to the Crewel World series by Gennifer Albin. It's this thing of you have this world, but then there's the real one hosting yours. And yeah, I enjoyed both that series and this book!

I really enjoyed Skye, she's lived most of her life in the App World (which I can't decide if I would want to live there or not, myself) and yeah, she wants to see the real world. But just before she can, plugging in and out is suspended because of the tensions of the various groups. Because of course humanity is split in regards to views on App World!

Really enjoyed her journey, and all the discoveries she makes (even if some of them aren't quite good) and the people that she met along the way! And that there's going to be a 2nd book, because that ending left a number of threads to deal with, and I can't wait to see how that's going to happen!

Loved this book, it was really awesome, and I can't wait to read more!

Author: Donna Freitas
Series: The Wired #1
Read: January 13th, 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a 2017 Dystopia Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2017 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: June 21st 2016

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

4.5/5 Stars

Waiting on Wednesday #263, May 25th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

Unplugged by Donna Freitas
Expected Publication: June 21st, 2016
From Goodreads:
In the tradition of M. T. Anderson’s Feed and Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, Unplugged is the first in a provocative and compelling new series from acclaimed author Donna Freitas.

Humanity is split into a dying physical world for the poor and an extravagant virtual world for the wealthy. Years ago, Skylar Cruz crossed over to the App World for a chance at a better life, and her family stayed behind in the Real World. Now Skye is a virtual teenager, surrounded by glamorous apps and expensive downloads—yet she’s never felt like she fits in, and all she wants is to see her mother and sister again.

Skye is desperate and ready to risk everything to unplug from the App World. But she soon learns that the only person she can trust—in either world, including friends and family—is herself.

Another amazing book coming out in June! I want them! What about you guys? Happy reading!