Tag: Book Reviews

This is How You Lose the Time War: Book Review

This is How You Lose the Time War is filled with more hope and emotion than you’d think you could get in a 200 page book, but every word is sheer perfection and every moment of reading is spent in a kind of desperate longing and despair that culminates in the perfect twist.
Rating: 5 Stars

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The Night Country: ARC Review

The Night Country once again shows that Melissa Albert is a master at weaving the darkest of fairy tales with just the right dashes of humor and sincerity.
Rating: 4.5 Stars

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May Wrap Up & June TBR

Well, May was a month, wasn’t it? For one of the longer months it was painfully short. I’m not sure what happened in the time/space continuum that accelerated things so quickly, but I am now completely freaking out over the fact that it is JUNE and my best friend’s wedding is in less than 20 days and I’m not even sure what I’m going to be wearing yet. Pardon me while I go scream into the void…

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April Wrap Up/May TBR

Well, April was certainly a month. All I can think about is Game of Thrones and Avengers: Endgame. But, in between my love affairs with those pop culture behemoths, I read a few books. And I liked…most of them.

The Good
  • DEV1AT3 (LIFEL1K3 #2) by Jay Kristoff – 5 stars – This is my one true 5 star of the month. I’ll have a review posted soon, but for now, y’all need to go pre-order this book.
  • Scythe by Neal Shusterman – 4.5 stars – Holy heck, I loved this book so much! It had been sitting on my shelves for aaaaaaaages until one of my #booksta besties convinced me to buddy read it with her (it was a reread for her). The world in this one is super interesting to me because I am fascinated with immortality/extended life. Full review is here.
  • Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – 4.5 stars – Look, I’m just as surprised as everyone else that I didn’t give AR a 5 star. It really boils down to GIVE ME MORE ZILA! You can read my full review here.
  • Skyward by Brandon Sanderson – 4.5 stars – I’m writing my review for this on Thursday and I hope I can articulate my thoughts on it by then. For now, I’ll just say that M-Bot is a blessing to my reading life.
  • The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien (reread) – 4 stars – I’m just taking the rating from when I originally read this one. I didn’t enjoy it as much this time around, though that may be because I was on a reading schedule and had to read it quickly. You don’t read Tolkien quickly. Though, listening to the audiobook narrator sing the song a 2x speed was particularly amusing.
The Not So Good
  • Fire and Heist by Sarah Beth Durst – 3 stars – So, 3 stars isn’t necessarily bad, but I just felt weird putting this one up in “The Good”. I’m writing my review for this one later this week, so I can explain myself then. But this is basically a contemporary book that happens to have were-dragons (or wyverns. I forget the explanation about the difference or lack thereof…).
  • The Crown’s Fate (The Crown’s Game #2) by Evelyn Skye – 2.75 stars – This was such a disappointment for me. It lacked the spark that I loved so much in The Crown’s Game. You can read my full review of both books here.
  • Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy – 2.5 stars – *sigh* I wanted to like this one so much more than I did. It’s hard for me to summarize my feelings on this book here so I recommend checking out my review because it explains it so much better. You can read my full review here.
  • The Fever King by Victoria Lee – DNF – This one wasn’t a DNF because it was bad. It’s a DNF because I simply identified that I was in the wrong mood for it and if I forced myself to keep reading I’d hate it. I am giving this book another shot later in the year because it just sounds way too cool to not read eventually.
The Future

So, I’m terrible at sticking to planned TBRs but I have a few books that are definites because I’m reading them with reading groups.

  • Legendary (Caraval #2) by Stephanie Garber – This is the one book that is carrying over from April into May. I’m in the middle of a buddy read for it right now and I plan to have it done before May 7th. I am lucky enough to live in the same city as Stephanie Garber, so I’ll be going to the Launch Party.
  • The Alloy of Law (Mistborn Era 2) by Brandon Sanderson – My Sanderson reading group has been suffering through me chanting “ERA 2 ERA 2 ERA 2” every time the topic comes up in our chat since we formed last year. To say I am excited to jump back into Era 2 would be a VAST understatement. This’ll be the 3 time I’ve read them. I can’t wait to be back with Wax and Wayne and Steris and Marasi!
  • Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson – This is a Sanderson that I’m reading outside of my Sanderson group, but with someone from my Sanderson group…that’s too much Sanderson in one sentence.
  • Twilight by Stephanie Meyer – STOP JUDGING ME! A group of my booksta peoples decided to reread this, and I couldn’t say no. I need the cheesy vampire romance.
The Potentials

I’m also really, really hoping to get to the following books in May:

  • Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa
  • The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
  • Beyond the Black Door by A. M. Strickland
  • The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

How was your reading this month? What books are you hoping to read in May?

Top Ten Tuesday: (First Ten) Books I Reviewed

The theme of this week’s Top Ten Tuesday is the first ten book I’ve reviewed. Considering my one year anniversary of book blogging is this week (the 24th, if my terrible memory isn’t lying to me), this topic is an awesome one. I never knew that consumer reviews were so important to authors before I found #bookstagram and the book blogging community. And now that I’m here, I live for reviewing. Even though I may scream about how hard it can be sometimes…but that’s a whole different post for later. So, without further ado, my first ten reviews on this blog:

  • Caraval by Stephanie Garber – I’m actually about to start read Legendary tomorrow! I’m hoping for more sumptuous writing from Garber.
  • Kingdom of Ruins by D.C. Marino – I’m actually due for a reread of this one! The author is re-releasing the book soon, so I’ll probably pick it up again then.
  • Rule by Ellen Goodlett – This was my first ever ARC! I still remember losing my damn mind when I got the package with this book.
  • The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell – I just reread this book and damn do I LOVE IT! I need to read the sequel, The Devil’s Thief soon.
  • Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young – This book was good…but not that good. But I might have a slight bias against this one so ¯_(ツ)_/¯
  • The Wicked King by Holly Black – To this day, this is still my most popular review. For a few months, I was getting 2-5 views of it a day. I loved being able to review this one!
  • The Confectioner’s Guild by Claire Luana – This was my most favorite review to write! Not only did I love this book, but the review has Great British Bake Off gifs sprinkled through the whole thing and it MAKES ME HAPPY!
  • Secrets of the Tally by Halie Feweks – This is one of the first books I ever reviewed for an indie author! It was such an interesting concept!
  • Sea Witch by Shelley Henning – Oh boy, this book is infamous in my #bookstagram book club. #teamkingwhale forever!!
  • The Backlist: Jay Kristoff – So, with my new knowledge of the importance of book reviews, I started a thing where I do short reviews of books I’ve read in the past but never reviewed. I kinda love that Jay Kristoff books were my first Backlist reviews.

Cheers to a year of book reviews and book blogging and buying more books than I’ll ever be able to read!

A Disheartened Goodbye to February and a Happy Hello to March

Raise your hand if you feel personally victimized by February 2019?

I don’t know what it was, but this little month of February left me feeling empty and forlorn. Which is odd for me because I love the winter months. But March is bringing me the Emerald City Comic Con, so I am shedding my February frowns and prepping for an awesome vacation.

February Wrap Up!

Books Read: 7

Ignore The Fever King in this wrap up. I was a little over zealous when I took this photo a week before the end of February…
  • Enchantée by Gita Trelease – Rating: 4 Stars. Beautifully written debut novel by Gita Trelease. Set in revolutionary Paris, the story follows Camille Durbonne as she uses her magic to save her and her sister from their drunkard brother. Though slow at times, I was consistently enchanted by the prose and setting. Read my full review here.
  • Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (audio reread) – Rating: 4 Stars. When I originally read this book in March of 2018 I gave it 4 stars for reasons that can be read here. While I leave the story at 4 stars, I have to mention that the audiobook gets 5 stars from me. Once I can find myself a proper list of all involved with the amazing audiobook versions of The Illuminae Files I will be writing a very lengthy THANK YOU blog post. Seriously, best audiobooks I’ve every listened to.
  • The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (audio reread with my Sanderson Sisters) – Rating: 5 Stars. Y’all, this book is hard, but so damn good. I am working on a backlist review of the original Trilogy Mistborn books, so keep your eyes out for that. If you’ve never read Brandon Sanderson, I highly suggest starting with the Mistborn books.
  • Last of Her Name by Jessica Khoury – Rating: 3 Stars. This was a fun, Anastasia inspired space adventure. You can read my full review here.
  • Heartless by Marissa Meyer – Rating: 4 Stars. I’m still mulling over my full feelings on this one and there shall be a review soon. In general, the writing was superb and the story was interesting.
  • The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell (audio reread) – Rating: 4 Stars. Ah, I do love this book. It is one of the few time travel novels that I love. I missed my grumpy Harte Darrigan. I did this reread so I could finally start the sequel, The Devil’s Thief, and I am so glad I did. I 100% forgot many important twists. I recommend this book if you are interested in early 1900s New York, snarky magicians, and plot twisty betrayals.
  • The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye – Rating: 5 Stars. This rating may go down when I write my full review, but holy heck did I love this book. WHY AREN’T THERE MORE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK??? Like, damn. I really hope I find the time to read the second book in March.

Books Acquired: 7 (14 if you count the different edition books I bought…)

  • AURORA RISING eARC by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (I’m still freaking out that I got this)
  • Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
  • Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey (ARC from a Goodreads giveaway!)
  • The Binding by Bridget Collins
  • Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond
  • The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye (technically I already owned this on my Kindle but I wanted a hard copy. I’m not counting it towards my aquisition number…because that’s how I roll)
  • Vengeance Road by Erin Bownman
  • The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson
  • Seven new editions to add to my LOTR/Hobbit collection

I am irrationally disappointed with myself for not reading more this month. I’m not sure what I expected from a short month where I’m working 9-10 hour days, but my dumb brain thought I should have done better. I’m currently 3 books behind on my Goodreads challenge and I want to get back on track. Which is why I have a decently ambitious March TBR…

March TBR

  • Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
  • The Fever King by Victoria Lee
  • To Best the Boys by Mary Weber
  • Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
  • Never Contented Things by Sarah Porter
  • Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (buddy read with my Sanderson Sisters)
  • Scythe by Neal Shusterman (buddy read with @theanimagusblack
  • A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab (audio reread)

I’ll be in Seattle for Emerald City Comic Con from the 13th-18th, so my only planned book for that time is Never Contented Things because it’s on my Kindle. If I somehow manage to finish it during all the con chaos, I’ll start one of the 80+ unread books I have on my Kindle. But I am truly hoping to get the first 4 books on this list done before I leave on my trip. Oh, and on top of all this reading, I will be working 10 hour days and trying to complete my rewatch of Game of Thrones before the final season premieres in April.

Happy March, y’all!

January Wrap Up and February TBR

Well, bookish peoples, we have completed the first month of 2019. WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HECK? HOW IS TIME DOING THIS? *cough* Okay, I’m good now.

I’ve always been bad at keeping track of my book reading and buying, so I’ve never been one for monthly wrap ups, hauls, and TBRs. But this year I am trying to be more mindful of my consumption of books. So, welcome to my first attempt at a wrap up/haul/TBR on this little blog of mine.

January Wrap Up
Books Acquired: 11

Books Bought:

ARCs Recieved:

  • Enchantée by Gita Trelease
  • The Fever King by Victoria Lee
  • To Best the Boys by Mary Weber
  • The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
  • Smoke and Summons by Charlie N. Holmberg (I got this through the Amazon First Reads program)
  • Blood Heir by Amélie Wen Zhao (I just found out last night that this book is being pulled from publication at the current time so I won’t be counting it towards my stats for the month)

Books Read: 6 + 3 in progress

  • Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty | ALL THE STARS! Read my review here
  • The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner | 3 Stars! Read my review here
  • Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa | 4.25 Stars! Read my review here
  • Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller | 1.5 Stars! Read my review here
  • The Armored Saint by Myke Cole | 4.5 Stars! Read my review here
  • (Audio Reread) Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | 4.5 stars for the story, 5 stars for the audiobook performance (review for book is here, I’m actually working on a separate review of the audiobooks because holy hell are they good!)
  • In Progress – Enchantée by Gita Trelease | I am enjoying this book so damn much. Good chance this will be a 4.5 or 5 star read for me. As I said to Sabreena over at Books and Prosecco: The writing is so decadent, and it literally makes me want to drink champagne while I read.  
  • In Progress – (Audio Reread) Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Since this is a reread I can still hold true to my 4 star rating of the book. I am confident in saying that I’ll be giving the audiobook performance a 5 star for this one as well.
  • In Progress – (Audio Reread) The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson. I’m doing this as a buddy read with my Sanderson Sisters. Two of them haven’t read this one before and one has. Really, I can consider myself as having not read it either because with the exception of a few random moments (and one BIG MOMENT from the end), I don’t remember much at all.

So, I’ve read six books and am in the process of finishing 3 more. Darn, I was hoping to read more than I acquired this month. Oh well, at least it’s not a huge gap in numbers. I wonder how I’ll do next month since it is a short one…

February TBR

My original plan for February was to read only books with tragic love stories. But then ARCs happened and I have a few that I need to get read and review ASAP. So, I have some heart breakers and some ARCs (which may also be heartbreakers *crosses fingers*)…and some books to finish from last month…

So, that’s the plan. I am pretty notorious for never sticking to a strict TBR, but I think I might be able to do it this month. GO TEAM TBR!

How did y’all do this month?