State of the ARC [42]

 

State of the ARC is a monthly meme hosted by Avalinah at Avalinah's Books and Sarah at All the Book Blog Names Are Taken! It's an opportunity for readers to catch up on their long overdue ARCs, but right now I'm using it to keep up with my upcoming ARCs instead. It helps me stay organized!

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer; Tamara Moss (4/7)

Bloodsinger (The Fire That Binds, #2) by Juliette Cross (4/9)

Morsel by Carter Keane (4/14)

Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai (4/14)

Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West (4/14)

Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe (4/14)

Dark Is When the Devil Comes by Daisy Pearce (4/28)

Burnout Summer by Jenna Ramirez (5/12)

First and Forever by Lynn Painter (5/12)

Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth (5/12)

Strange Familiars (The Seamere College Duology, #1) by Keshe Chow (5/19)

The Final Target by Nora Roberts (5/26)

Man of My Dreams by Olivia Worley (6/2)

The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (6/2)

The Children by Melissa Albert (6/2)

Dhampira by Amy Pennza (6/16)

Forever is the Sweetest Con by Joanna Thurlow (6/16)

Winner Takes All by Emily Martin (6/23)

The River She Became by Emily Varga (6/30)

Witch Season (Broken Coven, #1) by Julia Blanco (6/30)

Every Version of You by Natalie Messier (7/7)

Sea of Charms (Spellshop, #3)  by Sarah Beth Durst (7/28)

Reign by Bethan Croome

It looks like June is going to be a busy ready month! I'm behind on my April reviews, but I'm hoping to catch up soon. 🤞🏼

What are you reading right now? Are any of these on your TBR? Let me know!

The Sunday Post [87]

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.

News

Happy Sunday! My life has been too busy for books the last few weeks, and I really miss getting to sit down and read. I've been able to squeeze in some audiobooks, but not many. It's usually only doable while I'm cooking or picking up around the house. 

Last week we had family in town for Easter. The kids were baptized, confirmed and received First Communion. I was confirmed and received First Communion as well! It was such a beautiful Easter Vigil, and I'm so thankful we were able to have family there for this special moment. The kids only have a handful of classes left, but we're able to fully participate in the Mass now. 

At work we had CMAS all last week, and we'll continue to have CMAS this week. State testing isn't fun for students or teachers. We're all exhausted and just want to be on the other side of it. Thankfully, we're down to about 25 days left of school (not counting weekends or holidays), and that seems super doable.

We're also still prepping for our upcoming move. Please pray for my sanity. 

Previous Posts on the Blog

• The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
• Booked for Spring: My 2026 Reading Lineup - Top Ten Tuesday [23]
• Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
• Green Covers for Book Lovers - Top Ten Tuesday [22]
• The Sunday Post [86]

What I'm Currently Reading

We Won't All Survive by Kate Alice Marshall

Bloodsinger (The Fire that Binds, #2) by Juliette Cross

What I Plan on Reading Next

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer, Tamara Moss

Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe

What I'm Watching

The kids and I binged season two of the live-action One Piece. We all loved it! 

Challenge Updates

• Audiobook Challenge: 10 / 30
• Goodreads Challenge: 31 / 100
• Physical TBR: 3 / 25
• NetGalley: 75 / 50
• Discussion Post Challenge: 1 / 20
• Beat the Backlist Challenge: 21/50

I hope you have a wonderful week! Happy reading!

The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst

Synopsis (via Goodreads): After a devastating heartbreak, a teen girl decides to spend her summer helping her eccentric great aunt manage her quaint Vermont inn--but this fixer-upper is hiding a magical secret--in this cozy and irresistable new fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop.

Sixteen-year-old Calisa is desperate for a change of scenery after her lying ex ruins her perfect Brooklyn summer. When her parents suggest she head to rural Vermont to help her great-aunt run her cozy bed and breakfast for a few months, she jumps at the chance.

But when Calisa arrives at the B&B, she's shocked to find a rundown inn with only a handful of guests. And to make matters worse, upon meeting with her great-aunt it quickly becomes clear that Calisa was not invited. Auntie Zee is determined to keep anyone from messing with her beloved inn…even if it is clear she needs the help.

To earn her keep, Calisa sets to work fixing up the inn, enlisting extra help from the groundskeeper's (handsome) son. But the longer she stays, the more it becomes evident that there is something strange about the B&B—and its residents. Something almost…otherworldly.

The inn is keeping a magical secret—but to protect the place she's come to love, Calisa must unravel the truth of it, and her aunt, before it's too late.

I went into this one expecting a cozy fantasy, and that’s mostly what I got. I really enjoyed the B&B setting and the wide variety of guests who passed through. They were all unique, and I liked Calisa's interactions with them. I also think The Faraway Inn still has a lot of potential, especially when it comes to expanding on the magic of the world and teaching us more about how it works. I'm curious if this will remain a standalone, or if Durst plans to write more books that connect to this one. Personally, I'm hoping for the latter.

It felt like the author only scratched the surface of both the worldbuilding and the character development. Because of that, Calisa came across as a bit immature for her age. The way she would think or feel about something occasionally felt off. She was also really quick to accept the wild explanations Jack gave her whenever something weird happened at the inn, and I kept expecting her to push back or at least freak out a little more. She never really seemed to react to how strange everything was, and her lack of awareness was alarming. She tried to rationalize everything, when it was clear from the start that the B&B was anything but normal. Her thoughts about Jack also felt a little rushed, especially considering her reasoning for being at the inn in the first place. 

The concept of the B&B as a place that connects worlds—a space where others can come to rest and reset—is honestly such an amazing idea. I loved it, but found myself wishing it had been explored a bit more. We’re introduced to so many cool characters, but we don’t get to spend enough time with them or really learn about the worlds they come from. Calisa helps solve some of their major problems, and then they kind of just fade into the background.

A few other thoughts: 

1) I found the story to be a bit predictable at times and wished it had surprised me more. 

2) Auntie Zee wasn't the nicest person, despite everyone saying how wonderful she was, and her treatment of Calisa felt a little unfair and not fully addressed beyond a somewhat grumpy apology. 

3) The B&B is full of magical trinkets that definitely deserved more page time and explanations. PS: Where can I get a magical teapot?

Overall, I did enjoy The Faraway Inn and the story it told, but I think there was room for a little more depth to really make it stand out. (★★★⋆☆)

I received an ARC from Booktrovert in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Booked for Spring: My 2026 Reading Lineup Top Ten Tuesday [23]

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together!

This week's topic: Books on My Spring 2026 To-Read List

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer; Tamara Moss

Bloodsinger (The Fire That Binds, #2) by Juliette Cross

Morsel by Carter Keane

Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai

Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West

Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe

Every Version of You by Natalie Messier

Dark Is When the Devil Comes by Daisy Pearce

Dire Bound (The Wolves of Ruin, #1) by Sable Sorensen

My Blade, Your Back (Dark Forces, #2) by K.M. Moronova

That’s the plan for my spring reading! We’ll see how closely I stick to it, but for now, these are the books I’m excited to pick up in the coming months.