January Wrap-Up

    Hello everyone!  It's been awhile and I apologize, but with school back in session for the Spring semester, I haven't had much time to get to post.  I've also decided that, because I have rarely stuck to my TBR each month, I'm going to try not posting a TBR each month and just do a wrap up.  That way I don't have to read something I don't feel like reading and I can still write about the books I did manage to read each month.  I will occasionally do a "My Favorites" list each year at the end of the year, or a "Most Anticipated Releases" each month, but we'll see what my schedule allows.  That being said, I read a whopping 4 BOOKS last month guys!  I knew I would have a lot of time to read over the winter holiday and I'm proud of staying in time with my reading goals for the year.  Here are the books I ended up finishing last month.

(goodreads.com)

    Tales from Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, etc.:  I have had my eye on this book for at least a year, but didn't have an e-reader to read the electronic copies, so I had to wait until the hardcover edition was released.  It was totally worth the wait!  Although there was no discernible plot and the story moved a bit slow at times for my taste, I really enjoyed getting to know this new version of Simon as he struggled through his training at the academy.  I really liked the side characters as well, especially my Scottish BFF George.  If you've been following me at all, you'll know I've been on somewhat of a Scottish kick since I finished Outlander.  The ending was a bit surprising because it was so abrupt.  I feel that because the book is supposed to be a bunch of short stories put together that the ending might have been different if this was a traditional book.  My favorites parts were towards the end as well as those that included the Herondale children.  I felt like they could have done a lot more with the characters with a few extra pages.  Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

   










    Passenger and Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken: These books were amazing!  Duologies are my new favorite thing; they are so concise with their story lines but they still pack a huge punch when it comes to plot.  In this short series, we follow Etta, who is a violin prodigy readying herself for her concert debut when she is unceremoniously shoved (literally) into the world of time traveling by a family who wants to use her to get a valuable object that her mother has hidden.  This story was a whirlwind full of traveling, history, adventure, romance and manipulation.  I honestly had no idea what was going to happen until the end and I really liked that I couldn't guess the chain of events.  Etta was a great protagonist and Nicholas is my precious cinnamon roll and they are straight up couple goals.  I loved that I started off not feeling too kindly towards certain characters, but ended up liking them in the end.  There was a lot of character development, especially with the female characters spread across the story.  I also really liked the ending Bracken gave her characters because it felt real and not rushed at all.  The whole second book moved a bit slower for me than the first, but I liked the result.  Full marks at 4.5 out of 5 stars!

(goodreads.com)

    The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi: This book wasn't even on my radar until I saw the cover of the second book by this author and saw that they were related.  Maya is our main character and she is cursed by the stars to have death follow her wherever she goes.  Although Maya favors reading over marriage and other female duties, her father makes a bargain with a neighboring kingdom for her hand.  Maya and her new husband Amar rule together over Akaran, an otherworldly realm where anything seems possible.  Maya soon realizes the fate of the world is in danger of plunging into eternal darkness and it will be up to her to save not only her kingdom, but also her husband from falling into the wrong hands.  This story reminded me so much of ACOMAF that I was instantly hooked by the synopsis.  I guess this book was based loosely on an Indian myth about the realm of death and a different take on the Persephone myth (obviously because it isn't Greek).  The imagery in this book was stunning, the way the author paints each scene as if you are looking out at crumbling ruins, lush forests, or an elaborately decorated castle.  I really liked the Night Bazaar and all the creatures that utilize that space.  I'm really excited that her next book is going to be released next month, so I can follow more of her characters.  I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

    There you have it!  I read a lot of great books last month.  This month is actually shaping up to be just as good.  With all these snow days we keep getting here in New England, I suppose I'll have many more opportunities to read in the coming weeks.  What are you reading this month?  What are some books you can't wait to get your hands on this year?  Let me know in the comments below.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

December Wrap Up and January TBR

    Hey everyone!  Welcome to 2017!  I thought it would never get here, but here we are.  I'm proud to say that I stuck to my reading goals for the last month of the year.  I'm trying to stay realistic when it comes to reading goals for the coming year and I think 40 books is a reasonable goal to set for myself.  I'm confident that I'll be able to stick to this while completing my Spring coursework.  That being said, here are the books I finished during the month of December.

(goodreads.com)

    Outlander was everything I hoped it would be!  I am also glad that I got the next three books in the series for Christmas so I can read the next few books at my leisure.  Jamie and Claire's story reads a lot like my favorite YA novels, so I enjoyed the pacing and the conflict.  The mixture of science fiction and historical content was absolutely entertaining.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well the TV series kept to the same story as the books.  I'm looking forward to starting again where I left off and watch the TV series simultaneously.

(goodreads.com)

    Crystal Storm is the fifth book in the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes.  Honestly, I enjoyed the change of pace from the last novel.  There was a set agenda and plot line which all of the characters adhered to.  I really enjoyed Jonas's story line much better in this book than I had in all the others.  I also really liked all the side characters, especially the hired guns accompanying Jonas.  I wish their stories were more developed, but maybe we'll learn more about them in the last book.  Probably not, but I'm sure the last book in the series is going to be BANANAS.

(goodreads.com)

    A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray was a great read for the beginning of winter.  It was dark, paranormal and full of back-stabbing teenage girls which is always a show.  As anticipated, I did enjoy the beginning of this series more so than the Diviners series.  It gets a bit confusing at times with the flashbacks and dream sequences, but overall I followed along just fine.  I really liked the Secret Garden-esq beginning of the novel and the Indian setting, which I wish they spent more time on.  I'm curious to see how the second novel expands on the first.

    January is going to be a good reading month for me I think:

(goodreads.com)

    Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, and Robin Wasserman: I have been waiting to read this for quite some time and I'm happy to say that I'm enjoying it so far!  It's been so nice to see not only Simon's journey to becoming a Shadowhunter but also the children of the 1900s, including James Herondale, Matthew Fairchild and the other offspring of the Infernal Devices.  It just gets me even more excited for The Last Hours series coming out next year!  I'm about half way through at this point and I can't wait to see what else is in store for Simon and all the new initiates.

(goodreads.com)

    Passenger by Alexandra Bracken: I believe I've had this series on my TBR before now, but never found time for it.  My interests have been restored as of late.  I really enjoyed Bracken's dystopian series The Darkest Minds, so I was very pleased to find that she had a time-traveling series as well.  This story follows a young violin prodigy named Etta (LOVE that name) as she ends up on a mysterious ship with the power to plow through time and space like water.  Nicholas is a crew member aboard this ship and it will be his help Etta needs to find the mysterious object coveted by the Ironwoods, the notorious family hunting for Etta and her lineage.  This synopsis hooked me from the start and with the sequel coming out weeks from now, I can't wait to start this series.

(goodreads.com)

    Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon: After finishing the first book in the Outlander series, I immediately wanted to pick up the second installment.  I'm going to be honest and admit that I don't think I'll finish the book this month, but I can at least put a substantial dent in it in the coming weeks.  This book takes place directly after the events of the first where we see Claire and Jamie make their way to France in order to sabotage the Jacobite rebellion and prevent the deaths of many Scots.  I will be watching the TV series at the same time to compare and contrast both versions.

    There are also two novels coming out in the month of January that I would like to get my hands on:

(goodreads.com)

    Caraval by Stephanie Garber:  This new release caught my eye because of its similarities to The Night Circus, which I loved.  This story follows two sisters, Scarlett and Tella, as they make plans to escape their cruel father and attend a once in a lifetime nightly circus.  When Tella is kidnapped for the show, Scarlett is forced to find her or risk losing her forever.  This story sounds both mysterious and magical, so I can't wait to see if it meets my expectations.

(goodreads.com)

    The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova:  This new release has a steam punk-fantasy vibe that I couldn't look away from.  In this story we follow Ari, a clockwork engineer who specializes in black market organs in a society ruled by the Dragon King.  Eventually Ari encounters Cvareh, who is looking to restore his family's honor in the underbelly of Loom.  Both of them will have to venture to see the Alchemists of Loom in order to grant their deepest desires of vengeance and justice.  This book has a heist vibe to it, so I'm curious to see how the author incorporates the black market/planetoids/ rich-man-poor-man thing into this plot line.  Plus, that cover is stunning!

    There you have it!  I'm hoping to get to either one of the last two books before the end of the month, but we'll see how it goes.  This list, as always is subject to change on a whim, but thus is the uncertainty of reading habits.  What are you guys planning on reading this month?  What were your favorite books of 2016?  Let me know in the comments below.  As always, I remain your faithful correspondent.