October Wrap-Up and November TBR

  Hey everyone!  It's been real October, but we're finally into the holiday season, which is easily my favorite time of year (as I'm sure most of you can agree).  I'm not really a Halloween person, so I basically just wait for it to pass until I'm free of it.  I'm really proud of myself for the amount of books I was able to finish this month.  I ended up reading 5 total, which is a huge surge in comparison to other months.  I ended up reading most of the books I wanted to, plus some I had to add for school.  I'm hoping to keep my reading game strong heading into November too.  As usual, I'll start with my October reviews and then move into my TBR for November.

(goodreads.com)

    The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski: This book was a fast read in comparison to the books I usually go for (400-500 pages).  This book pretty much met my expectations.  The world is interesting, but not that exciting.  It reminded me of ancient Rome or the Middle East at times with it's traditions and the war-torn setting.  The characters were standard; one main female character, her trusty side-kick friend and the lone mystery boy who grabs their attention.  There are other characters too, but they are less memorable.  The court scandal and backstabbing made this story interesting.  The ending of this first book in the series leaves plenty of room for an action-packed sequel in which Kestrel must keep up appearances to maintain her position.  I'm curious to see where the story goes from here, but not enough to jump into this world again so soon.  I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo:  This book was EVERYTHING that I wanted it to be.  Before I start with my review, can I just say that when I got my hands on this beautiful thing I was amazed.  The pages edged in red, along with the whole cover underneath the dust jacket, the black inside.  I was actually really upset with myself that I didn't just go out and buy this series, but I'm trying to save my money for Christmas shopping, so I'll be putting these books at the top of my list for my birthday.  Anyway, in Six of Crows, we left our gang of thieves reeling after a gut-wrenching betrayal and the kidnapping of one of their own.  It was so great to see these guys try to regroup after a devastating loss.  The characters and their motives are what propel this story, so it was interesting to see everyone change gears and adapt some different mentalities as the story progressed.  Jesper has a few breakthroughs in this book with a few different characters.  I loved the tension of this book as well, much stronger than the first book, especially from within the group itself.  The banter was also great and really lightened up the mood a bit, but not too much.  We stay in Ketterdam for most of this book, which was a nice contrast to the questing of the last book.  Seeing the crew work on their own turf obviously gave them an advantage.  The ending was so genuine and well thought out.  My only real critique with this book is that it should have ended a chapter early.  That's literally my only complaint with this book.  I thought the way Kaz and Inej dealt with their relationship was appropriate for them and their situations.  The whole book was heartbreaking and satisfying at the same time.  I obviously gave this book 5 out of 5 stars and I definitely plan on re-reading this again after I get my own copy.

(goodreads.com)

    Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman: This one I actually read for a class I'm taking.  I've always wanted to read this graphic novel, but never really felt that I had the right amount of time to devote to reading it.  It took me longer than I expected, but I flew through this.  This nonfiction graphic novel tells the true story of Vladek Spiegelman, retold by his son Art, in the manner of illustrations depicting mice as the Jews and cats as the Nazi Germans.  It's all in black and white, which adds to the morbidity and the seriousness of this book.  The fact that it's real is very humbling.  Art uses his father's own voice, a broken sort of English due to his father's status as an immigrant, which adds more to the story because you can hear him speak.  Art also depicts his own frustration with his father because of Vladek's old ways and customs he just can't let go of.  The book dragged at times, but overall the pacing was what it should be for this kind of in-depth retelling of history.  This book is definitely a must-read for fans of World War II literature.  I gave it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater: This is the second book in the Raven Cycle series, so I was worried that my memory of the first book that I read a year ago would be a little foggy.  I need not have worried because the book takes off right where we left off.  We learn more about Ronan's talent and about the way the mysterious forest of Cabeswater works.  We are also introduced to a new character, The Gray Man, who gives me the creeps, but is actually more than he seems.  Where the first book is definitely more on the paranormal side, this one adds more fantastical elements.  This book is also more exciting and has more action than the first book.  We learn a little more about each of our characters and it's nice to see the progression each character takes in their development.  I'm already planning on finishing this series sooner rather than later because I don't want to risk forgetting anything.  You really have to pay attention to this story because there are small hints and clues spread throughout.  The way Stiefvater writes is really enthralling and I appreciate her almost poetic version of narrating.  I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.  Only two more to go!

(goodreads.com)

    A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess:  This book caught my eye on someone else's TBR and it sounded interesting, so I decided to pick it up on a whim.  This was also not on my original TBR, so I'll summarize it briefly.  Henrietta Howel (cool name, right?) has the power to burst into flames.  In this alternate version of Victorian London, sorcerers and magicians are not revered, but hunted and killed for possessing magic.  After using her powers to protect her friend Rook from a creature called a Familiar, servants to greater beings known as the Ancients, Henrietta is found out and brought to London to train with other sorcerers.  She finds out that not only are sorcerers not murdered for their powers, but their trained specifically to protect London from the Ancients.  She also finds out that she's the first female sorcerer...or is she?  The premise immediately grabbed me, along with raves from some of my favorite authors.  The similarities to some of my favorite series, like The Infernal Devices and Harry Potter were obvious, and a little weird.  Wands are called "staves," an attack by an Ancient leaves you scarred, and the magic system was somewhat complicated.  Sorcerers and magicians are feuding factions of magic users.  Magicians apparently have the ability to manipulate space and time with their thoughts while sorcerers act as conduits for elemental magic.  It was interesting to see how both magicians and sorcerers use magic in different ways.  The setting was one I've seen and loved before, so that wasn't very difficult to picture.  The fact that Henrietta was the only female in this guild of sorcerers was also interesting.  I thought that, for all the male characters in the story, only two stood out to me.  The author used Magnus and Blackwood for the boys' names, which are obviously Shadowhunter related.  What irked me the most was that Henrietta named her stave "porridge."  I couldn't ever let that go.  The ending I think was the best part because it left room for more questions.  I ended up giving this book 3 out of 5 stars.

(barnesandnoble.com)

    *I also read an audio book this month, which is something I've never done before.  This was also for a class, so I chose a book I've read before and always wanted to re-read.  I've heard wonderful things about Jim Dale and his award-winning narration and I wasn't disappointed.  The story was brought to life in such a way that made me miss my childhood and wonder why it took me so long to re-read this series.  I was also pleased with the fact that the book and the movie are actually quite similar, more so than I had actually thought.  I loved listening to this on my way to work and this experience opened me up to reading more audio books.  How can you not give Harry Potter 5 stars?


Now on to the books I plan on reading during the month of November!

(goodreads.com)

    A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir is the second book in the An Ember in the Ashes series and follows Laia and Elias as they flee the Empire on a journey to free Laia's brother Darin.  This book was on my TBR last month, but I had to rearrange my reading list to make room for overdue library books, so I ended up finishing it this month instead.  You can check out my summary in my last blog post and my review of this book will be up soon!

(goodreads.com)

    Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is the first book in the Outlander series.  I've been watching the show and I'm intrigued by the premise and the setting so much that I decided it's time to read the book.  I've heard so many great things about Gabaldon's writing and this book seems perfect for November.  For those of you who aren't familiar with this series, it begins in 1945 at the end of World War II and follows a combat army nurse named Claire as she goes on a second honeymoon with her husband Frank in Scotland.  While out on a stroll through the countryside, Claire accidentally activates a portal through a standing stone circle to the year 1743 during the Jacobite rebellion.  Claire must use her knowledge of history to aid her in surviving in this time period so she can figure out a way to get back home to 1945.  She also meets the swoon-worthy Scotsman James Fraser, who helps her understand the unfamiliar Scottish court.  The series is great and the scenery is breathtaking, so I'm really excited to start reading the book!

(goodreads.com)

    Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater is the third book in the Raven Cycle series.  As I said before, I'll hopefully be able to finish this series by the end of the year and I don't want to forget anything from the first two books, so I'm reading this one straight away.  The synopsis doesn't leave much to be desired, but I'm assuming this book will take place directly after the events of the last book, where we left off on a cliffhanger.  The gang has trespassed over dangerous territory and now there be monsters, both human and inhuman.  The hunt for Glendower continues!

(goodreads.com)

    As Old As Time by Liz Braswell is another Beauty and the Beast retelling I've been eyeing lately.  This book is part of a series called "Twisted Tales" that tell fairy tales from alternative viewpoints.  This one in particular asks the question: What if Belle's mother cursed the beast?  The story seems to hold true to the original while sprinkling in elements of invention here and there to create a what-if scenario.  The fact that Disney is involved makes me feel hopeful.  This should be really interesting, if I can get to it before the end of the month.  Also, LOOK AT THAT COVER!

    And there you have it, my wrap-up for October and my TBR for November.  It should be a good month for reading and I have a few more books I may add that I'm reading for my classes, so stay tuned for the reviews to come!  What books do you associate with fall or November specifically.  I'm always in the mood for a dark, gritty romance or fantasy series this time of year.  Let me know what you're reading down below in the comments or if you've read any of the books I've listed above.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

November Wrap-Up

    Hey guys, sorry I took an impromptu, (but not really), break from posting last week.  I figured it was Thanksgiving and I could use a little time off, plus I was able to finish the rest of the paperwork I needed to complete to finish my colloquium, FINALLY.  Fingers crossed I get the OK from my pseudo-adviser sometime this week that I'm officially DONE with this Masters degree.  I'm also preparing to start my new job at a local library!  I had hope that my commitment and determination would pay off and I'm glad that it did.  I can't wait to start this new chapter in my life!  I can't believe how fast November went by and in that time I read a whopping 12 BOOKS guys!  12!!  That's the most I've ever read in a month!  Granted, most of those, (9), were Shadowhunter related, but still.  I don't think I'll be able to repeat that list until probably this summer when I have more time.  Plus I'm still suffering from a slight book hangover after finishing City of Heavenly Fire...  That being said, here are all the books I read this month.  I will try to keep it as concise as humanly possible and leave spoilers out, but I'm not promising anything.  This is going to be a long one, so bear with me...

(goodreads.com)

    The Night Circus:  I was supposed to read this book in October for Halloween because it seemed like that type of book, but I ended up running out of time.  I'm kind of glad that I read this book at the beginning of November because it's still had that eerie vibe to it, but with some romanticism thrown in.  This story was beautiful and enchanting, to say the least.  As the only real stand-alone book I read this month, it brought something different to the table that the others lacked.  I really had no idea where the story was going the entire time.  As you read through each section, you only get snippets of each time line and from certain points of view.  The story also takes place over a 30-year span of time, so that added to the intrigue.  The writing style kept me wanting more and the way the author alternated between the past and present was really interesting and effective for the story.  Not one of the characters came out and just said what was happening; you had to figure it out and piece it together for yourself, which I appreciated.  After reading a lot of YA, you get used to that standard plot structure, so it was somewhat refreshing to not know what to expect.  Each piece of the larger plot was revealed gradually and casually over time, which added to the suspense.  All of the characters were dynamic and interesting, each having a part to play in this "game."  Although the beginning was a little slow for me, it picked up towards the middle and I couldn't stop.  I also really liked the setting, 1800s/1900s, all over the world, but mostly London and New York.  The love story was beautiful and very unique.  Everyone should want a Marco in their life.  I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess:  OH MY GOD THESE BOOKS.  I think I've mentioned this before, but one of my friends recommended The Infernal Devices to me after I tried and failed to get into City of Bones.  She told me this would hook me into the Shadowhunter world and SHE WAS SO RIGHT.  I read the first book, Clockwork Angel in October, so I wanted to finish the series this month.  Little did I know that this would spur the changes I made to the rest of my TBR list for November...  Clockwork Prince takes place after the events of Clockwork Angel, in which Will is attempting to rid himself of his "curse" through Magnus, who can summon the demon he needs to bargain with.  The book deals with Charlotte fighting for control of the London Institute, the Lightwood brothers training Tessa and Sophie to fight like Shadowhunters and everyone trying to figure out what Mortmain is up to.  I was actually moved by the introduction of Cyril, Thomas's brother, because he looks just like him.  I also really liked that Sophie had a chance to shine despite her deformity.  Because Will is still trying to figure out what's wrong with him, Jem and Tessa end up developing a connection that is apparently so strong that it results in engagement.  I think it's adorable, but I never saw Jem as a romantic interest for Tessa, at least at this point in my reading.  There is so much betrayal and heartbreak in this book!  Will wasn't as much of an asshole in this one, but he's still easily my favorite character in the whole series.  I will eventually make a list of all the Will Herondale quotes that amuse me and post it somewhere.  Tessa is also more tolerable in this book, which was nice.  The revelation about Will at the end was excruciatingly painful and my heart broke for him.  We also get to learn more about Will's family, which was a nice touch.  Overall I Clockwork Prince 4.5 out of 5 stars.
    Clockwork Princess DESTROYED ME emotionally.  Easily one of the best books I've read this year, on the same level as ACOTAR.  I can't even with this book.  I laughed and cried so much that I couldn't sleep.  Jem goes through hell in this book.  While Will is away trying to save Tessa after she gets abducted Jem apparently dies, leaving Will in inconsolable pain.  This is exactly how I felt: Jem dying and Will leaving him/saying goodbye...NO.  Will feeling Jem die and then going on a murderous rampage....NO.  Will saving Tessa and confessing his love for her...YES.  The battle where Brother Zachariah is revealed to be Jem and I COULDN'T KEEP THE TEARS IN MY EYES.  Saying goodbye to Jem a second time when he leaves to be a full-fledged Silent Brother...NO.  The worst part of this book, emotionally, was the damn epilogue.  I read the entire thing sobbing uncontrollably.  This book has action, romance, sabotage, sacrifice, secrets, family, etc.  It's everything I could have asked for in a book, and especially for the ending of a trilogy.  It caused the worst book hangover I've had since The Deathly Hallows.  5 out of 5 stars and then some.  ALL THE FOREVER FEELS.

(goodreads.com)

    City of Bones, City of Ashes and City of Glass:  Because of Clockwork Princess, I immediately forfeited the rest of my planned TBR for November and ran out to borrow the first three books in The Mortal Instruments series because I CAN'T STOP.  These are the first three books out of the six in this series and takes place in 2007 and 2008.  City of Bones introduces us to Clary Fray, whose mother is an ex-Shadowhunter on the run from her ex-husband, the evil and deadly Valentine.  Clary, through a series of unfortunate events which result in her mother's kidnapping, ends up running into Jace Wayland and his team of Shadowhunters, Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, (all descendants of the original Shadowhunters from The Infernal Devices, which makes this series even more fun to read).  In the first 20 pages or so we see Church, an immortal cat who was saved by Jem in one of the other books, so I'm immediately hooked after that.  I went over the similarities and differences between this book and it's movie/TV show counterparts in a previous post, so if you're curious about my thoughts on those, go check them out.  Overall I loved the book, even though I pretty much already knew what happened from watching the movie.  The world building in the book was spectacular and the setting in New York City was an interesting perspective that gave the author a lot to work with.  I wish some of the scenes from the book had made it into the movie, but hopefully the TV show will do it more justice.  I gave the first book 4 out of 5 stars.
    The second book, City of Ashes, deals with the aftermath of the Shadowhunter showdown with Valentine and the revelation that Clary and Jace are actually brother and sister.  If I had to pick a least-favorite book in this series, (which I wouldn't), it would be this one, just because it does read like a middle book and focuses mainly on the conflict between the Clary and Jace trying not to be in love with each other.  This is the only book where incest is OK with me because it's NOT REAL.  I felt the worst for Simon throughout this book because he got dealt the worst hand.  We also get introduced to a bunch of new characters, mainly vampires and werewolves.  There is a lot of contact between the Shadowhunters at the institute and the Downworlders.  Jocelyn is still unconscious from the first book, so Clary is living with Luke.  Because of Clary and Jace's new relationship with each other, they try to stay away from each other, which results in Simon going after Clary.  Jace is on the outs at the Institute because of his involvement with his father Valentine.  Jace is implicated in a lot of stuff he didn't do and nobody trusts him, (as usual).  We see a lot more of Magnus in this book, which I love because I need more MALEC in my life.  Simon becoming a vampire was the hardest to read because I just felt bad for everyone, not just Simon, but Clary and Isabelle too.  Clary's growing into her powers and ends up saving everyone in the end.  One of the mysteries of this book was Jace's true parentage, which is revealed in the next book.  I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
    City of Glass was awesome to read.  It gave the first look into Idris, mainly the city of Alicante, the Shadowhunter home base, hidden to mundanes.  If you thought there was drama in the last book, this book tops that.  There's more incest, even real incest this time, with the introduction of Sebastian, who is revealed to be Clary's real brother and mostly demonic.  There was action, but we really didn't see much of it due to the focus on the lake scene.  I think reading how Clary has grown as a Shadowhunter through these three books in particular was enjoyable for me because at this point in the series, she's really come into her own.  I didn't particularly like how the author handled Jocelyn's return.  I thought Clary was a bit too dramatic and took out way too much on her mother at one time.  Everyone's self-loathing was at an all-time high in this book.  Again, Malec forever please.  At the end, Jocelyn reveals the truth about Jace's parentage and EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE.  I gave this book another 4 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire:  I thoroughly enjoyed these last three books in the series, more so than the first three I think.  Even though they are all connected and go together, I feel like they are split up three and three.  After the abrupt death of Valentine at the angelic hands of Raziel, you'd think there wouldn't be another antagonist running around who's just as bad, but you'd be wrong.  Sebastian is our new villain for these three books and boy, does he give Valentine a run for his money.  Crazy shit is happening this time around!  Also, the sexual tension is ridiculous for the next three books, so get used to that.  There are also a lot more references to the past, (The Infernal Devices), especially with the introduction of Brother Zachariah, (I literally squealed with joy when I read that he had come back).  Clary gets to test out her improved fighting skills as well.  The premise of City of Fallen Angels is about Jace coming to terms with his vulnerable status after being brought back to life by Clary through the angel Raziel.  Jace keeps having nightmares in which he murders Clary, so although they can now be together without it being weird, it's still weird.  We get introduced to the Praetor Lupus, (Simon actually mentions Lupus as an autoimmune disease in this book and I couldn't believe it!), and one of it's members, Jordan Kyle.  Simon and Jordan become friends and it's so cute!  Everyone has to deal with Lilith, who is a raging bitch in this book.  In the end, poor Jace gets taken over by a now resurrected Sebastian, as if everyone's lives couldn't get any worse...  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
    City of Lost Souls was interesting.  Jace, under the control of Sebastian, ends up kidnapping Clary and taking her all over Europe, which is actually kind of nice.  Despite the fact that it's not entirely Jace in there, he still loves Clary and will do anything to make her happy and keep her safe.  I actually even kind of liked Sebastian for a minute in this book because he seemed almost normal.  All throughout this book, I really just wanted someone to tell Alec about Will because he kept coming up and I was like SERIOUSLY JUST TELL HIM I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT WILL AGAIN IT'S BEEN TOO LONG.  But it never happened...  Magnus was the star in this book, in my opinion, although the Malec breakup was torture.  The sexual tension was AWFUL in this book, like just BONE already, OK?  Towards the end of this book my heart broke, not because of anything to do with the main characters, but because of what Brother Zachariah, aka Jem, said about love and immortality, (I can feel my heart ripping apart again just thinking about it).  And JACE HAS WILL'S COPY OF A TALE OF TWO CITIES THAT WILL GAVE TO TESSA AND I'M SOBBING.  I can't even...  4.5 out of 5 stars.
    Last, but not least, City of Heavenly Fire.  I was torn reading this one because I really didn't want this journey to end.  I wanted to prolong my suffering until January when I can have more Shadowhunters and then March when Lady Midnight comes out, but oh well.  I cried in the first 200 pages of this book, again because of Brother Zachariah, when he saves Jace and becomes cured, thus returning to his mortality.  They talk about parabatai and Will and I cried real tears.  I wasn't expecting Brother Zachariah to turn back into Jem so soon, but I'm kind of glad it happened when it did.  There was a lot of action and danger in this book, which I appreciated.  Everyone is back in Idris because of demons overrunning other institutes.  We also get introduced to Emma Carstairs, Jem's descendant and a future member of the Los Angeles Institute, along with the young Blackthorns, (this book sets up Lady Midnight, which is the sequel book to this one and takes place in 2013, five years after the events of this book).  We get a lot of back-and-forth points of view, from Clary and the gang to Emma to Simon, etc.  Malec is everything!  Clary and Jace finally proved their love to each other, in a cave in the middle of a demon realm...how romantic!  A lot of characters died as well, which was so sad.  I cried again towards the end when Magnus and Simon were going back and forth to see who would sacrifice themselves so the group could go home.  The ending wasn't nearly as powerful and heart-wrenching as Clockwork Princess, but I'm glad Tessa got to talk to Jace and I'm glad Tessa and Jem ended up walking out together, (and taking Church with them).  I really can't wait until the next book comes out.  I haven't been able to shake the Shadowhunter fever out of me.  4.5 out of 5 stars.

(goodreads.com)

    The Exiled Queen, The Grey Wolf Throne and The Crimson Crown:  After finishing The Mortal Instruments series, I didn't want to read anything else, but I forced myself to keep reading, if only to cure my book hangover.  Although I'm still sort of stuck on it, I've found that I'm slowly recovering due to this series.  I read The Demon King awhile ago and I was still interested in finishing the series, so I decided to read the rest of them this month to help get my mind off of The Mortal Instruments.  This series follows a young princess-turned-queen named Raisa as she tries to right the wrongs of past generations of Gray Wolf Queens.  She runs into a street rat named Han Alister, who discovers he's a wizard descendant from the Demon King himself, an ancient story that began the laws of the land they live in today.  Han and Raisa's paths cross more than once until they're hopelessly in love with each other.  The Exiled Queen takes place mostly in Oden's Ford, a neutral country where students go to learn either wizardry or military skills.  Raisa fled her homeland to escape an arranged marriage to Micah Bayar, a wizard with ulterior motives, fueled by his powerful father, The High Wizard.  Raisa is accompanied by her best friend and Captain of her guard, Amon Byrne, who was once in love with Raisa.  While Raisa is studying to become a better queen, Han and his best friend Dancer are trying to fit in with the other noble wizards, being ex-street lord and clan bred respectively.  I liked the change of scenery of this book as we leave Fellsmarch Castle in favor of traveling south to Oden's Ford.  I thought the back-and-forth of perspectives worked well for the story line.  Amon is King Awkward in this book, especially with Raisa and especially after he announces his betrothal to another woman.  I'm glad Raisa was able to make real female friends who won't stab her in the back like they do at court.  Han is all about magical revenge and learning as much as he can before he has to go on his secret mission.  There was a lot of tension between Han and Micah, as usual.  Crow was an interesting character, but he was very mysterious, which made me nervous for Han.  I had a hard time figuring out if he was good or bad.  Raisa ended up getting kidnapped, albeit not forcefully, and sent back to the Fells, with Han in close pursuit.  I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
    The Gray Wolf Throne saw Raisa fight for her life and her way back home as she's pursued by a million assassins.  There's a lot of traveling in the first half of this book, but not as much as there was in The Exiled Queen.  I don't enjoy the travel sequences, but understand they're necessary.  At least she gets shot at in this one.  Han rescues her at the cost of his own health, (as usual), and then he finds out that she's a princess and IMMEDIATELY gives her the cold shoulder.  I really wanted to hit him for being absolutely unreasonable to Raisa after it took her all that courage to tell him the truth.  Especially after she found out her mom was just murdered, I mean COME ON.  I have no idea what Han's plan really is, but he seemed confident enough.  The way Raisa just walked right up into her mom's memorial service like BAM.  The awkwardness was so rewarding, especially because I felt like I could see the look on Lord Bayar's face.  The tension between Han and Raisa was awful after her reveal.  Poor Amon too!  He's all alone now, the precious cinnamon roll.  Even though I knew Amon had no chance with Raisa, especially because he gets physically ill when he touches her, I was still somehow torn between him and Han.  Near the end, everything got really crazy really fast.  Dancer confessed about his father and I was like WHAT?!  Han gave Raisa a replica of Hanalea's betrothal ring and it was SO ADORABLE.  Raisa was crowned Queen of the Fells and all is great but NO WAIT it's not.  4 out of 5 stars for this book.
    The last book, The Crimson Crown, was a great ending to this series.  Everyone was all over the place.  There was action, romance, suspense, betrayal, (I think there was a chapter in each of these books titled "Betrayal" or something).  Han is one smooth operator in this book, even right at the beginning!  There isn't really a break from the action; everyone is always doing something.  The setting varied from the Clans to the castle to the battle to the slums to the wizard fortress.  Han threw some major shade towards the wizard council in this book!  At one point, I was like, "OH NO HE DIDN'T."  It was one of those things where you're reading it as it's happening and you're like OH NO, this is going to be so embarrassing!  Han's such a smug little POS that it works for him, which makes me love him even more.  Raisa really can't catch a break in this book.  At one point she's just like, "SCREW you guys, go kill yourselves for all I care," (seriously, she said almost those exact words).  I honestly didn't think Han could pull off his plan, especially after he got imprisoned.  Poor kid...  In the end, I'm surprised everything worked out.  It was almost too easy for everyone.  Dancer uses his power, which is apparently extremely rare, even among wizards, Han saves everyone and Raisa agrees to sacrifice herself for the millionth time.  The ending seemed a bit rushed to me, although I'm glad it was a happy one.  Like, where was Han when Raisa went to meet him in his warehouse?  Did he actually write the note that led her there or is Nightwalker just really good at replicating handwriting?  I didn't get that part at all.  This series got progressively better with each book and I appreciated the slow build to the end.  I gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.  Now I get to start the next series, which takes place a generation after the events of this one.

    OK, I think that's everything!  Believe it or not, this was me condensing these book reviews so that it's not ridiculously long, but I still don't think I did a very good job.  Thursday we'll chat about my December TBR, which will be a lot shorter, but won't include comic books this time.  Since I had to leave my job at the comic book store to start my job at the library, I won't have access to as many comic books, so it'll have to be on a limited basis.  They have some graphic novels at the library, so I'll have to take a look and see what I can come up with, but until I come up with a plan, I'll go back to just books for now.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

November TBR (Comics)

    I hope everyone had a great Wednesday.  Today I'm bringing you the second half of my TBR for November.  I'm keeping with the theme of "continuing series," so most of this list will consist of comics meeting that criteria.  Let's get to it.

(goodreads.com)

    "Remember, remember the fifth of November..."  Obviously I had to add V for Vendetta by Alan Moore in here since I haven't read it yet.  I will be watching the movie tonight as well, but I wanted to read the comic to get a different perspective on the film.  It's similar to what I did with Hellboy last month.  Similarly, the comic differs from the movie, but the plot remains the same: in a totalitarian version of a future England, fascism runs rampant and the city begins to rebel against the authoritarian rule of Parliament.  I can't wait to read this!

(goodreads.com)

    Fables is the first series I'd like to continue this month. Vol. 9 is where I left of in this series and I've been meaning to continue for ages but I've always been distracted by other things.  I'm really looking forward to picking this back up and finishing it.  I believe we will see conflict between Pinocchio and the other Fables as he continues to work with his father, who is also the evil Adversary.  We will also see Bigby come to terms with his father, the North Wind, as he and his family set off to find him.  It should be a good time.

(goodreads.com)

    I left off in Saga on volume four, which isn't too far behind I think.  I believe this is where Alana and Marko go into hiding (in plain sight?) while their daughter Hazel grows into a toddler.  I am in love with this series, so if you haven't picked it up yet, DO IT NOW.

(goodreads.com)

    East of West is one series I wasn't initially drawn toward, but was recommended to me by many friends.  Although I didn't like the first volume as much as the other comics on this list, I still want to give the second volume a try to see if I can keep going with it.  This volume will continue the story line from the first one, where Death will set out on a quest to find his son and prevent the Apocalypse from transpiring and the other three horsemen from succeeding.

(goodreads.com)

    Although I've already read the first two volumes of Wayward, (up to issue #10), issue #11 comes out on November 18th, so I plan on reading that one once it comes into the shop.  The perks of working at a comic store is that you get dibs on all the new stuff when it comes in without having to buy it outright!  I just wish this series would hurry up and put out more than one issue a month...  Plus, LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS COVER ART!!

    There you have it, my November comic book TBR.  Have you started any of these series?  Do you remember the fifth of November?  What series, book or comic, are you trying to finish?  Let me know in the comments below.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

Looking Forward to November

    Hey guys, sorry to post on a Friday, but I was desperately in need of a break this week.  The first three days were awful and long, so it felt nice to just sit and relax for a night without having to do anything.  I've also spent little to no time with my husband since he's been working so much, so it was great to get that alone time with him.  Needless to say I'm beyond ready for a weekend and a chance to sleep in tomorrow!
    Health-wise I've been feeling great.  Still no obvious side effects from the drugs and no pain in my joints or anywhere else.  The only thing I've been noticing lately has been cramping in my hands and feet.  I don't think it's supposed to be as frequent as it has been and that is a bit concerning, seeing as it can get quite painful.  Hopefully it's not a side effect but a lack of water consumption on my part, which I've been trying to improve on.  You wouldn't think it would be that difficult to down about 6-8 bottles of water a day, but it's definitely a struggle for someone like me who's always doing something.

    We are also still in the process of moving.  It's full-force now so we're packing up everything we can as quickly as we can in order to get everything out within the next two weeks.  We have been house-sitting for my parents this week, so neither of us have been at the apartment, but I'm going over there today after school to work on packing up the living room and our bedroom.  My short term goals are to have the living room and bedroom done by next weekend so we can start on packing up the kitchen, which will probably take us the longest time because of all our large and breakable items.  There is also a serious lack of newspaper and other packing supplies, so hopefully we are able to wrap everything properly.  Next week will be a bit crazy, but I feel confident that we can have everything out of our apartment by the 22nd.  We'll see how that goes, but right now we seem to be right on track!  It'll be nice not to have to worry about too much anymore after Thanksgiving break.  Then I can finally start planning to save up for the things I need!  I can't wait!
    As far as teaching goes, I had a meeting yesterday with my cooperating teacher and my professor about starting the transition back into a leadership role in the classroom for the start of Trimester 2, which starts in two weeks.  I believe I'm more ready and confident now than I was at the beginning of the year and that's partially due to the way my health has improved over the last month or so.  I'm feeling better, so I feel more focused on what's going on in my class rather than what's going on outside of school.  I've been giving myself little pep talks and trying to remember everything I've learned and observed so far from my observations, so hopefully that will help me discover what kind of teacher I will become as I try taking control again.  We'll be starting our "Poetry Out Loud" unit after exams, which I will be following with my cooperating teacher.  After that, I will be creating my own lessons and running a unit on my own, so I'll be prepping for that in the coming weeks.  I'm actually excited about planning again because I feel like I have some good ideas and I have easy access to other teacher's ideas as well, so I'm looking forward to teaching my own stuff soon.  I have a colloquium planning day next Thursday, which is a mandatory workshop for interns in the teaching program where you learn more about educational law, practice and your subject area.  I plan on taking full advantage of the day so I can better prepare myself for what's to come.  One of my previous professors is running the English seminar, so I'm excited to see and learn from her again.

    TV was sparse again this week, partially because I have to wait for my husband to watch most of our shows, but also because half of them didn't air this week.  I have Once Upon a Time and Arrow for this week, which were both pretty intense.  We finally find out that Elsa's mother had not one, but TWO sisters, Ingrid and Helga, at least one of which had the same ice powers as Elsa.  We also find out what Ingrid, (the Snow Queen), has been trying to plan this whole time- a chance to have her perfect family.  She wants to use the evil mirror to turn everyone in Storybrooke against each other, except for Elsa and Emma, (whom Ingrid believes would be a perfect replacement for Helga, since she apparently doesn't have the time to try to look for her too).  Those scary movies where the creepy stalker is dead-set on constructing his or her perfect family out of people they pull off the street at random really makes my skin crawl.  Despite the Snow Queen's plot to destroy everyone in Storybrooke being revealed, this episode was mainly focused on Belle and her relationship to Anna, as well as her role in her disappearance.  After Belle's mother is killed in the Ogre Wars and Belle loses her memory of the attack, she goes on a mission to Arendelle to find a way to get her memories back from the Rock Trolls, which Anna helps her do.  Unfortunately, through a series of events, Belle ends up choosing her memories over saving Anna from falling to her doom, causing Anna to be taken by the Snow Queen.  Belle is wracked with guilt over causing her disappearance, so she seeks out the Snow Queen to see if she can redeem herself, with the help of her lying, deceiving husband.  I still think everyone in Storybrooke is lying to each other, which bugs me, but I guess that's the theme in this season, so we'll have to go with it.  We still haven't found Anna, (it might just take the whole season), but at least we might get to meet Helga this Sunday.  We'll see!

    Arrow was pretty interesting this week, focusing on my favorite character, Felicity Smoak and her mysterious past as a "hacktivist" back in college.  Obviously Felicity's special skills were needed to solve this cyber terrorist attack on Starling City, but it wouldn't be that easy.  We got to see Felicity as a Gothic rebel with a fellow hacker boyfriend and awkward roommate.  This set up made me think of the Ted/Marshall/Lily dynamic from How I Met Your Mother.  Anyway, Felicity's sleazy mom stumbles into town unexpectedly, (which is all part of the plan, we later find out), Diggle gives her his baby to watch, (a complete stranger?!), and spends the whole episode basically in the dark while Felicity tries to help both her bosses tackle this cyber bully, who is using her own virus from five years ago to steal money from Starling.  Although this episode was great because we see a different side of Felicity and a reconciling between Ollie and his sister, (who now has a sweet new apartment), the REAL mind-blowing moment of this episode comes at the end, (figures), where we find out WHO killed Sara.  It was ROY!!  In a mirakuru-filled stupor he literally threw arrows into Sara's chest, which is weird because he should have it under control by now.  I don't think he's working with anyone in secret, but I do think he needs help, so who knows when everyone else will find out the awful truth and eventually turn on Roy.  Didn't see that coming!
    That's all for this week!  It's finally November, so that means I've slowly been turning into a holiday-crazed lunatic trying to find any excuse to buy Yankee Candles.  With moving into a more comfortable home, more school vacation days and Thanksgiving so close now, it's hard not to get excited about the holidays coming up.  It puts me in a great mood, so I'm not complaining!  I'm looking forward to everything I have coming up in the weeks to come, so hopefully that propels me forward to achieve everything I want to get done this month.  I'll be moving pretty much all weekend, both for myself and my uncle, who just bought a new house, so I'll be working my upper body strength this weekend.  What are you looking forward to this month, if anything?  Let me know in the comments below!  I also posted a new Book Review in my review tab, so check that out as well!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.