It's that time of year again! Fall is most definitely in the air and that means darker reading material. I'm hoping to put more of a dent in my reading goals this month, considering it took me almost an entire month to finish
Empire of Storms (more on that later). I've been trying to get my schoolwork under control as well, which also includes some reading, so making time to read has been difficult with everything else going on. Let's get into the books I managed to finish last month and the books I plan on reading this month.
(goodreads.com)
The first book I finished last month was
And I Darken by Kiersten White. This book is a historical fiction gender-bend story about the life of Vlad the Impaler. I haven't read historical fiction in awhile, so I wanted to try and branch out and away from fantasy literature for a whole two minutes. This book was better than I had anticipated. I am not familiar with the author's other works, if there are any, but I found her writing style to be pleasant and easy to read, but still complex in its world-building and description of the characters. It's a familiar story, but White twists it so that it is also unfamiliar, by making Vlad into Lada, a blood-thirsty warrior princess who's out for revenge against her father and her Ottoman captors. I also found the portrayal of Islam to be fascinating. I'm very interested in religion and the history of religion so this was an interesting presence to see in this book, especially with its historic context. I also really liked Radu and his conflicting emotions about turning on his own religion, his family and his feelings. It was a really satisfying read and I will be looking out for the sequel whenever it comes out. I gave this book a
4 out of 5 stars.
(goodreads.com)
The second and last book I managed to complete (in the nick of time) was
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. This is the 5th book in the Throne of Glass series and IT WAS AMAZING as usual. There isn't really much I can say about this book without spoilers because it's the second to last book in this series (cue the waterworks) but I can tell you that the continuation of the story was a little more hectic that before. I wasn't necessarily drawn to the main characters as much as I was the side characters, and that pretty much seems to be the theme with other readers who have reviewed this book. We spent a lot of time on the coast and barely any of it in Adarlan, where we spent the last few books. The character development in this book was its strong point, as Sarah has a way with writing fabulous side characters and romance. A lot of my favorite ships have docked in the harbor or flown away on top of a Wyvern, so we'll wait and see what happens in the finale but I'M STILL NOT READY SARAH. I gave this book a
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Now for my over-reaching reading goals for the month of October:
(goodreads.com)
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski is book one in
The Winner's Trilogy and follows our main character Kestrel as she attempts to avoid joining the military in a militarized society. Kestrel ends up purchasing a slave at auction by accident (?) and immediately regrets her decision. Arin, the slave in question, is indifferent towards his new master and really doesn't listen to orders. Because of their unique personalities, Kestrel and Arin begin to bond and form an unlikely friendship, but when it turns into something more, Kestrel and Arin must sacrifice everything for the betterment of their people. I have already read this book (I finished it in four days) but I'll save my extended thoughts for the wrap-up.
(goodreads.com)
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo is currently in my possession and I CAN'T HANDLE THE EXCITEMENT. I didn't think I would be this excited about a book, especially since I wasn't expecting to love this first one as much as I did. This book is the finale in Bardugo's duology about a rag-tag team of thieves and criminals as they attempt to complete the heist they started in book one. Everyone has debts to settle, revenge to exact, and money to earn. I hope we get some closure for our characters in this book, but all I'm expecting is heartbreak and death. Should be a fun ride!
(goodreads.com)
The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater is the second book in
The Raven Cycle series. It's been about a year since I finished the first book and it seems like a great series to continue with this month considering its spooky nature. Our friends are still working out the mystery of Glendower as they also deal with Ronan's revelation about his dream-thieving. But Ronan isn't the only one who's interested in his abilities. I have no idea where this story is going, so I'm excited to find out!
(goodreads.com)
Lastly, I want to try to get to
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir. Since I finished the first book a few months ago, I've been dying to read the next installment. This second book this series follows Elias and Laia as they run from the law, including Elias's best friend Helene, who is now the new Emperor Marcus's Blood Shrike. It looks like it will be a test of survival and loyalty, which I can't wait to read.
This is actually a pretty ambitious TBR for me, so we'll see if I can get to everything. So far I'm on book #2, so if I can keep up the pace, I may make it! What are you reading this month? If you've already read some of these books, what did you think? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
