November TBR (Books)

    Hey guys!  It's already November, which is both good and bad news for me.  Good because it's that much closer to the holidays, which is always my favorite time of year.  Bad because I only have about a month to finish my colloquium, (yeah, it's still not done...).  I don't even have a solid due date for this thing, but I'm assuming the beginning of December since that's when the semester ends and grades need to be in for me to graduate on December 31st, (FINALLY).  That being said, I am almost done and I'm going to just pump this thing out and have it done hopefully before Thanksgiving.  I've found setting goals for myself really helps me keep everything in check.  Speaking of GOALS, (see what I did there?), I wanted my November TBR to have a theme so the theme this month is finishing series.  Most of the books I chose to read this month are series that I've started and want to finish, with only a few exceptions.  I've set my goals a little more realistically this month to only read 8 books, so we'll see if I can keep up with that.  Let's get started!

(goodreads.com)

    I actually started this book on October 31st, as it was supposed to be in my October TBR.  Since I ran out of time to finish it last month, I added it to this month because I've been waiting a long time to read this book and I wasn't going to wait any longer!  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is about two dueling magicians, Celia and Marco and all the lives that encompass their competition.  Although they are supposedly competing against each other, Celia and Marco can't help but fall in love.  The book takes place over the course of about 30 years and follows their lives together and apart through a circus constructed by them that travels over Europe and the Americas.  I am almost done, so I don't want to say too much more about it, but I love it!

(goodreads.com)

    Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess are the second and third books in the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare.  This series acts as a stand alone but also sort of a prequel to the Mortal Instruments series.  I read the first book I think last month and I really enjoyed it, so I immediately wanted to continue with the series.  As I think I explained before, I've tried to read the Mortal Instruments series in the past and couldn't get into it, which is why I started this series instead.  I had heard from multiple people that this series was a good introduction to the world and I was really drawn to the setting.  Clockwork Prince begins where the last book left off, with Tessa officially joining the ranks of the Institute of Shadowhunters in London after moving there from New York.  After the turmoil of the first book, we'll see a lot of political strife as the leader of Tessa's Shadowhunter faction, Charlotte, is being driven out of her post by instigators within the Clave.  As the Shadowhunters try to save their leader and their faction from demise, they are also trying to solve the mystery of the Magister, who has declared war on the Shadowhunters.  Should be an interesting middle novel.

    Clockwork Princess is the last book in the series and involves Tessa getting kidnapped and everyone trying to save her from the Magister.  Since I haven't read the second book I know very little about the third, obviously, but it should be a great lead.  I've found that although I'm not a huge fan of Tessa as a "heroine," I am intrigued by the relationships she's developed between Jem and Will, (especially Will), and the mystery involving Will's enchantment.

(goodreads.com)

    The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima is also one that I started last month with The Demon King, which follows two main characters Raisa and Han as they navigate their very different lives separately until coming together in the end to save the kingdom.  All together, I thought the world was very well put together and the characters were interesting.  There are magical beings like wizards working against clan members and other humans.  Towards the end of The Demon King, Han discovers something powerful about himself that he has to come to terms with and Raisa is sent into hiding by a powerful wizard's hold over her mother, the Queen.  They go into hiding together in the only neutral zone in the entire kingdom, where they hope to be safe.  In The Exiled Queen, Raisa attends a warriors academy in secret with her friend Amon, (SWOON), to learn how to become a better queen and Han attends the adjoining wizard academy to learn more about his gifts.  The Gray Wolf Throne sees Raisa attempt to ascend to her Queendom, only to be hunted and threatened with death.  She'll need Han's help to take the crown away from those who covet it for the wrong reasons.  In the final book, The Crimson Crown, Raisa attempts to keep the peace in her Queendom, but is met with hostility and the promise of war tearing her people apart.  She will need to work together with Han to restore balance to The Fells.  I'm invested in this world and I'd like to see this story played out to the end.  I've also come into possession of Chima's next series, based in this world and set a few years in the future, so I'm excited to follow it further!

(goodreads.com)

    The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen is the sequel to The Queen of the Tearling, which I read a few months ago.  This sequel takes place after the events of the first book, in which Queen Kelsea took back her throne from her uncle and grew into some astonishing magical powers, helping to thwart a shipment of slaves to a neighboring kingdom.  With war looming overhead, she must devise a plan of attack and protect her people from this growing threat.  Apparently she also ends up connecting with someone in a timeline from the past, (time travel?), in order to find answers for her future.  It seems slightly more interesting than the first book, which was just getting good towards the end, so I'm hoping to enjoy this book better than the first.  I'm also not sure if this series will continue, but I'm assuming it will with at least another book.

(goodreads.com)

    Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is another book that has been on my TBR shelf for awhile.  It is the first book in a new series I'll be starting set in a world similar to Eastern Europe and Russia, but with magical elements.  It takes place in a kingdom called Ravka, which has been overrun by the shadow realm by beasts that eat human flesh.  Alina Starkov is a member of a regiment that is sent to attack The Fold to prevent the evil from seeping into her realm.  By a series of unnatural and unforeseen events, Alina is recruited to become a member of the Grisha, a magical elite fighting team made up of people with similar abilities to Alina, lead by the Darkling.  Since her powers have manifested, it is up to her to determine how best to use her untamed power.  This has all the elements that I usually go for in a YA novel, so we'll see if I'm attracted to this series like I am to the cover art.

    So there you have it, my picks for my November TBR.  Have you read any of these books?  What did you think?  What's on your November TBR?  Let me know in the comments.  I was thinking about doing NaNoWriMo this year, (which would have seriously diminished my book count), but decided against it in order to finish my colloquium.  I think 8 is a manageable number, plus I've always found it easier to add books than to take them away.  Thursday I'll be going over my Comic TBR for November, which will also be themed "continuing series."  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.