5 Favorite Reads of 2021 & New Auto-Buy Authors
I read sooo many good books in 2021! By the time I finalize my “honorable mentions” (just essentially more favorites 😅), I’ll be at around 30 books. That seems like A LOT, but when you consider I read almost 100 books, it’s only about 30% …. so, it’s fine LOL. I’ve already concluded that I’m not good at selecting top favorites - I feel like it’s a very fluid and moody thing for me. But I can definitely get behind just general favorites - those that stood out to me, that left an impression, that I still think about and can remember vividly. I’m hoping this year I can button it up a bit better by keeping a reading journal and just generally staying more on top of it throughout the year.
But, I digress! Amongst all these favorite reads of mine, I discovered 5 that were not only my favorite, but their authors became classified as “auto-buy” for me! I feel like that’s kind of a big deal - when you read a piece of work by a new author to you, become immediately hooked, and then decide that you could read just about anything and everything they ever decide to publish. I had a few of those in 2020, too - K.A. Tucker, Sarah J. Maas, Jay Kristoff, and Scarlett St. Clair - and am happy to report, I had more in 2021! From a cozy cultural thriller and supernatural mystery to a dystopian, end of the world fantasy, a Rapunzel reimagining, and a paranormal, romantasy rom-com series, here are 5 of my favorite reads from 2021 and their authors who are now on auto-buy for me.
Tap on any book cover to be taken to Goodreads for more information about the books. All author bios and photos are from their websites (credited below) and/or their book cover inserts.
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1 // To Bleed a Crystal Bloom
BY SARAH A. PARKER
About The Book
*SIGH* This book is everything to me. It’s a Rapunzel reimagining that is dark, poetic, and heartbreakingly beautiful. Filled with so much secrecy and an angst filled, slow burn, stolen moments love story (unrequited love), this book will have you turning page after page after page and then dying for book number 2 (which is thankfully coming soon!). It made me feel ALL. THE. FEELS. and I’m ready for more. Check out my full blog post and review of To Bleed A Crystal Bloom here! It was one of my 2021 favorites and is definitely a forever fave.
Book Synopsis (from Goodreads)
What a pretty flower to keep locked in a big, rocky tower. Nineteen years ago, I was plucked from the heart of a bloody massacre that spared nobody else. Small. Fragile. An enigma. Now ward to a powerful High Master who knows too much and says too little, I lead a simple life, never straying from the confines of an imaginary line I've drawn around the castle grounds. Stay within. Never leave. Out there, the monsters lurk. Inside, I'm safe ... though at a cost far greater than the blood I drip into a goblet daily. Toxic, unreciprocated love for a man who's utterly unavailable. My savior. My protector. My almost executioner. I can't help but be enamored with the arcane man who holds the power to pull my roots from the ground. When voracious beasts spill across the land and threaten to fray the fabric of my tailored existence, the petals of reality will peel back to reveal an ugly truth. But in a castle puddled with secrets, none are greater than the one I've kept from myself. No tower is tall enough to protect me from the horror that tore my life to shreds.
To Bleed a Crystal Bloom is a dark Rapunzel reimagining full of immersive imagery and breathtaking angst. A unique new fantasy series perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout, guaranteed to grip you from the very first page.
PURCHASE: Amazon | Kindle Unlimited | Book Depository
Meet Sarah
Sarah is an international bestselling author who also writes under the pen name S.A. Parker. She lives in Australia with her husband and children, and spends her days with her nose in a book or her mind in a world of her own creation. Her genre of choice is epic fantasy romance, and she thrives off dreaming up complex characters and immersive worlds to get lost amongst.
I’ve also had the pleasure of connecting with and interacting with Sarah on Instagram and she’s just lovely and SO funny! She’s one of those authors who enjoys and strives to interact with her readers on the platform. That always means to the world! She’ll happily fangirl with you about Laith and Rhor, too, plus listen to and react to alllllll of your crazy theories!
Other Books By Sarah
SPAWN OF DARKNESS | A dark, fae fantasy reverse harem available on Kindle Unlimited
HOW NOW DEVIL COW | A paranormal, humorous Halloween novella
2 // Winterwood
BY SHEA ERNSHAW
About The Book
I loved Winterwood immensely and haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished it. The story was gripping, magnetic, and mesmerizing. I was immediately hooked on every word from the opening page and by the end, all I wanted to do was curl up by the fire in a cabin somewhere in a snowy mountain range and never leave. You breathe in the words and out comes the vivid atmospheric and bewitching world of the deep dark wintery woods of Fir Haven. And oOoOoh THE PLOT TWIST at the end - SO GOOD. Check out my review on Instagram here!
Book Synopsis (from Goodreads)
Be careful of the dark, dark wood… Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even. Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing. Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago. For as long as there have been fairy tales, we have been warned to fear what lies within the dark, dark woods and in Winterwood, New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw shows us why.
PURCHASE: Amazon | Book Depository
Meet Shea
Shea Ernshaw is a NYT bestselling author and winner of the Oregon Book Award. Her books have been published in over twelve countries/languages, and her novels The Wicked Deep and Winterwood were Indie Next Picks. Her debut adult fiction novel A History of Wild Places will release in December of 2021. She lives in a small mountain town in Oregon, and is happiest when lost in a good book, lost in the woods, or writing her next novel. Read more here.
Shea is another author I’ve had the privilege of interacting with on Instagram! She’s another who takes the time to respond to DMs and comments. She’s great and I absolutely adore her feed and stories. They are always nature-based and cozy and have all the homestead, lost in the woods kind of vibes. They’re always so calming, thoughtful, and beautiful, too!
Other Books By Shea
3 // Walking in a Witchy Wonderland
BY JULIETTE CROSS
About the Book
Walking in a Witchy Wonderland is a swoony and magical holiday glimpse into the lives of our favorite couples (and couples to be) from the Stay A Spell series! We get 5 short stories that happen alongside and within the confines of the first 3 novels with the cleverest titles and the most bewitching moments. And I loved this anthology SO much! It was absolute perfection and the series is one of my all time favorites. If you love this series, do not skip this anthology!! Check out my full blog post review here.
Book Synopsis (from Goodreads)
Getting hexy for the holidays!
Mischief and mayhem dominate the holiday season for the Savoie sisters of New Orleans. Five sexy stories set in the STAY A SPELL world you don’t want to miss.
Bewitch You A Merry Christmas: Always the peacemaker, Evie conjures Christmas magic between a hexed hottie and his witchy neighbor, while Mateo and Alpha plan to do whatever it takes to get some alone time with their girl.
Rockin’ Around The Hexmas Tree: A Dirty Santa gift with a very special hex boosts Devraj and Isadora’s sex life from sizzling hot to scorching.
Jingle Bell Jock: On New Year’s Eve, a new man puts the moves on Charlie. Tired of pining for his best friend, he’s ready to move on. Fortunately, JJ’s jealousy is just the right ingredient to move them well out of the friend zone.
You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grim: Her first glimpse of grim reaper Gareth Blackwater evokes a major case of insta-hate in Lavinia. In that same moment, Gareth is hit with insta-lust. Fate is playing with them both, and neither one is happy about it.
Jingle Spells: Nico and Violet laugh their way through their first babysitting adventure. But laughter turns to lust when Nico’s “dad” vibes tug on Violet’s maternal heartstrings.
PURCHASE: Amazon | Kindle Unlimited | Book Depository
Meet Juliette
Juliette lives in moss-laden Cajun country in Louisiana where she lives with her husband, four kids, and black lab, Kona. She is a multi-published author of paranormal and fantasy romance with confident, persevering heroines and dark, sexy heroes. While she enjoys reading and writing the dark, broody types, she also appreciates the fun, levity of humor in a good love story, so she tries to give her characters both on their way to their HEA.
She also co-hosts the romance podcast Smart Women Read Romance with her niece, Jessen, where they love to fangirl about their favorite books, authors, and characters and are challenging people to think of romance novels as more than just "mommy porn" -- though there's nothing wrong with a copious amount of sexy times.
Other Books By Juliette
4 // Firekeeper’s Daughter
BY ANGELINE BOULLEY
About the Book
This was such a beautiful story. On the surface, it's a thrilling YA murder mystery with shocking twists that will keep you guessing until the very end. At its heart, this is a story of family, community, strength, love, and tradition filled with the richness and celebration of Ojibwe culture. I was moved by so many things and tiny moments in this story. Angeline just has a way with words. I would encourage everyone to pick up this book! Check out my review.
Book Synopsis (from Goodreads)
As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, certain details don’t add up and she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into the heart of a criminal investigation. Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, but secretly pursues her own investigation, tracking down the criminals with her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicine. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home. Now, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she'll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.
Debut author Angeline Boulley crafts a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.
PURCHASE: Amazon | Book Depository
Meet Angeline
Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She is a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Angeline lives in southwest Michigan, but her home will always be on Sugar Island. Firekeeper's Daughter is her debut novel, and was an instant #1 NYT Bestseller.
5 // Unchosen
BY KATHARYN BLAIR
About The Book
Unchosen is ultimately about choosing your own fate, making your own life, and forging your own path. For me, it was the ultimate page-turner filled with all the apocalyptic, survival, and on-the-run vibes. I couldn't put it down. You've definitely gotta like that end of the world setting and the virus-turns-people-into-monsters-trope (it’s an all time favorite trope for me), so if that's your jam, you’ll like this too! Check out my review here.
Book Synopsis (from Goodreads)
For Charlotte Holloway, the world ended twice. The first was when her childhood crush, Dean, fell in love—with her older sister. The second was when the Crimson, a curse spread through eye contact, turned the majority of humanity into flesh-eating monsters. Neither end of the world changed Charlotte. She’s still in the shadows of her siblings. Her popular older sister, Harlow, now commands forces of survivors. And her talented younger sister, Vanessa, is the Chosen One—who, legend has it, can end the curse. When their settlement is raided by those seeking the Chosen One, Charlotte makes a reckless decision to save Vanessa: she takes her place as prisoner. The word spreads across the seven seas—the Chosen One has been found. But when Dean’s life is threatened and a resistance looms on the horizon, the lie keeping Charlotte alive begins to unravel. She’ll have to break free, forge new bonds, and choose her own destiny if she has any hope of saving her sisters, her love, and maybe even the world. Because sometimes the end is just a new beginning.
PURCHASE: Amazon | Book Depository
Meet Katharyn
Katharyn Blair is a novelist, screenwriter, and author of The Beckoning Shadow. She graduated with her MFA in 2015 and MA in literature in 2018. She’s been a social media coordinator for several films at 20th Century Fox, an intern at her city’s parks and recreation department (it wasn’t like the show, unfortunately), a gymnastics coach, and most recently, a writing professor at Azusa Pacific University. She lives just outside Los Angeles with her husband and three kids
Other Books By Katharyn
She also has a new book on the horizon by Penguin that’s coming in 2022 called Like Lighting.
Who are some of your auto-buy authors? Or tell me about a 2021 favorite that was a new author for you!
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I’m Leah. Cozy connoisseur and bountiful book buyer. I have a minor obsession with getting lost in the pages of a good book, guzzling coffee, and thriving at home. Leggings, wine, and essential oils are also my jam. I'm truly just a bookworm and homebody at heart with a knack for content creation & cozy shots. This is my creative space.
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When the nights are longer and darkness falls sooner, having a tale of magic to dive into makes all the difference for my mental health and well-being. There’s nothing better than an immersive fantasy read in the heart of winter and I’ve got 15 winter fantasy book recommendations lined up here – for every type of fantasy reader — to keep your spirits bright this chilly, cozy season.