Ok readers.. you may be wonderiing where the December and January R&Rs are. I am going to be brutally honest with you.. I am ashmaed to say it but I was in a reading SLUMP. The holidays were busy and I did not get to read as much as I wanted to... and the bokos that I did manage to read were just... meh. 

However, since then I have read some of the best books that I have ever read! I am so excited to share these titles with you.. they a earned 5 star reviews from me.

The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Linus Bakeris a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, and spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to an Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days. As Linus and the children grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

Amari And The Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

Quinton Peters was the golden boy of the Rosewood low-income housing projects, receiving full scholarship offers to two different Ivy League schools. When he mysteriously goes missing, his little sister, 13-year-old Amari Peters, can’t understand why it’s not a bigger deal. Why has Quintons left her a nomination for a summer tryout at the secretive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs?  Amari must compete against some of the nation’s wealthiest kids—who’ve known about the supernatural world their whole lives  but Amari is given an illegal ability. With an evil magican threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.

The Captive Kingdom by Jennifer Neilsen (#4 in the Ascendance series aka The False Prince series)

After three books worth of adventures, twists and turns, Jaron leads as the Ascendant King with Imogen beside him -- but the peace he fought so long for is not destined to last. On a routine sea voyage, Jaron's ship is brutally attacked, and he is taken hostage. The mysterious captors and their leader, Jane Strick, accuse Jaron of unthinkable acts. They are also in possession of some shocking items -- including the crown and sword that belonged to Jaron's older brother, Darius. The items unearth a past Jaron thought he had put behind him. Though it seems impossible, Jaron must consider: Could Darius be alive? And what does Strick want from Jaron? Against his will, Jaron will be pulled back into a fight for the throne -- and a battle to save his kingdom.

King And The Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family. It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy. But when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies. As King's friendship with Sandy is reignited, he's forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother's death.

*summaries modified from Goodreads.com*