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Fantasy

November Reading Round Up

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Thanks to NaNoWriMo and… life… I read basically nothing in November. I thought I would be able to squeeze in more but it just didn’t happen. One book I started in October then finished at the start of November. One book was one of my highly anticipated and turned out to be a temporary DNF. Then the last one was interesting but didn’t grab me enough to put down my writing and keep reading and ended up finishing at the start of December.


The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings #2) by Mackenzi Lee

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  • Genre: YA Historical/Fantasy (LGTBQIA+ rep)

  • Format: Hardcover

  • Rating: 4 stars

Quick Summary: Felicity tries to enroll in medical school but isn’t accepted, so she seeks out a childhood friend who is engaged to her idol to obtain her education.

First off, that summary doesn’t do the plot justice at all - but it was really hard to do when I wanted to keep it to once sentence. What can you do?

I adore the first book in this duology, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue a really ridiculous amount. Monty is my precious baby. Needless to say, I was excited for the second book.

In a sense, this could be a companion novel. You may be able to read this one without reading the first and still be able to follow the plot. I don’t recommend it though because you’ll miss out on SO MUCH extra context. Which, in a way was one of the downfalls of the book. I cared about Felicity and this story because I read the first book and I already went into it caring about Felicity. This book relied on trusting that the reader already cared a bit too much. Yes, it’s a sequel, but this is also it’s own story, and it let the first book do too much of the heavy lifting.

For me, the plot didn’t really pick up until about half way through. I enjoyed it the first half, but it wasn’t spectacular. Overall, that was my feeling the whole book. It was good, I loved what it was doing, I liked the themes of feminism and identity and exploring Felicity’s asexuality, etc. But it didn’t have that little extra… spark… Gentleman’s Guide had.

You’ll like this book if you also enjoy: Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, sea dragons, lady pirates, feminism, women in STEM, friendship themes, arranged marriages, historical, a hint of fantasy

Content warnings: addiction, violence, bloody wounds, medical procedures, racism, sexism

Lethal White (Cormoran Strike #4) by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling)

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  • Genre: Adult Thriller/Mystery

  • Format: Hardcover

  • Rating: Temporary Did Not Finish

Quick Summary: A disturbed man arrives at Strike’s office with the story of a child who was murdered he claims he witnessed, sending Cormoran and Robin on a twisting trail through Parliament.

UGH. I was so excited for this book. I loved the third Strike book, Career of Evil and it left the audience on such a cliffhanger and we had to wait TWO YEARS to find out what happened.

The resolution of said climax was handled in the prologue and it left me completely unsatisfied. But, I knew it wasn’t really resolved so I kept going. The rest of the book though?

Meh.

I honestly don’t even remember much of what happened of the little I did read. It didn’t grab me and pull me in. I’m definitely going to go back to this book, because when I talked to some friends they said they feel like all of these books are a bit slow but still end up being enjoyable. Also, I love these characters so much that I know I’ll want to read book five when it eventually comes out as well. I just have to come back to Lethal White when I have more time to focus on it.

You’ll like this book if you also enjoy: I honestly don’t know because I can’t remember what happened so far.

Content warnings: Reference to a child being murdered, PTSD, unhealthy relationships

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

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  • Genre: Adult Fantasy (Maybe YA… slightly unclear with this one.)

  • Format: Library Hardcover

  • Rating: 4 stars

Quick Summary: The daughter of a money-lender gets a reputation for turning pennies into gold and it grabs the attention of the king.

Technically I finished this in December (yesterday) but it was before this post went up so… there we go.

I liked Uprooted by the same author and with this being a retelling I was definitely intrigued. It followed the points of view of three different young women, (more were added through the book, but it mainly focused on them) which I really liked, particularly since my favorite element of Uprooted was the friendship. However, the reader never got a heads up of who’s POV we were in when, which makes it slightly confusing and takes me out of the book. After awhile I got used to it and I was able to get into the book more.

It’s a slower and quieter read, but still enjoyable. What I loved was how it truly captured the feeling of winter. If you want an atmospheric book for these cold months, this is definitely a good one! You read it and want to curl up next to the fire with some hot cocoa and a blanket.

Spinning Silver is a it slower to get into, but I’m so glad I stuck it through to the end. It really was wonderful and I loved how it all wrapped up.

You’ll Like This Book if You Also Enjoy: quieter fantasy, atmospheric books, incredibly slow burn romance, hate to love, winter, fairy tale retellings

Content Warnings: fire, death, burning, child abuse, alcohol abuse, kidnapping, demon possession, poverty

What did you read in November? Any other Cormoran Strike fans who are riding the struggle bus with this most recent installment?

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

October Reading Round Up

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October was a sightly different reading month for me than usual. Other years I’m all ready for Halloween and fill up my reading list with books about monsters, the paranormal, urban fantasy books I’ve been meaning to get to, etc.

That was not the case this year for a couple of reasons.

1) Five of my auto-buy/favorite authors had new releases this month. FIVE. I didn’t even get to read all of them. (Bummer, I know.) If the staff at Barnes & Noble didn’t know me before, they sure do now because I was there at least once a week to pick up a pre-order.

2) I want to become more familiar with recent releases for adult fantasy since…. you know… that’s what I write. So, I went to the library and picked up a few. I only got to one of them, and it took me longer than usual to read. I had to renew the others.

3) KINGDOM OF ASH IS LIFE.

So. Let’s get to it, shall we?

*=affiliated link

 

Vengeful* (Villains #2) by VE Schwab

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  • Genre: Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy

  • Format: Hardcover

  • Rating: 5 stars

Quick Summary:  A few years after the conclusion of Vicious a new EO wants to take power in Merit.

If it wasn’t for Kingdom of Ash, this book would take the top spot for my favorite of October. Unless something drastic happens, it will definitely make the list of my favorites for 2018. I read Vicious a couple of years ago and it is my favorite VE Schwab book. When I heard she was working on a sequel, I was ridiculously excited!

I loved the new characters/villains introduced in this one, the additional depth we got for the characters we already knew, and it was beautifully crafted. I was able to see the author speak at a local store and it was so awesome to hear her talk about the process of writing this book!

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  The first book Vicious, super villains, anti-heroes, pissed off women who want to take down the patriarchy, found family

Content Warnings: torture, violence, death (a lot of death), references to sexual assault

The Queens of Innis Lear* by Tessa Gratton

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  • Genre: Adult Fantasy Retelling

  • Format: Library Hardcover

  • Rating: 3.5 stars

Quick Summary: A fantasy retelling of King Lear where 3 sisters fight for the crown.

King Lear is one of the Shakespeare plays I’m not familiar with other than it was a tragedy. Which means don’t get attached to anyone since they’ll probably die a terrible terrible death. I debated if I should read a plot synopsis before diving into it. I decided to just read a quick run-down of the premise.

I truly loved the concept for this book. Three women of mixed race who all could take their father’s crown after he dies. The oldest is asexual, a total bad ass, and prepared to take the throne to be king. (Yes, king. Not queen. She won’t take that s***.) The second oldest is happily married and has this super fascinating arrangement to rule at her sister’s side, has great forest/tree magic, but is also dealing with infertility. Then the youngest is close to her father, is super sweet, and is this star priestess person.

The beginning, I loved. I was interested, it pulled me in, I loved the characters. The ending was also great. It wrapped up everything well, it was intriguing, I wanted to keep going and see it all through. But the middle… meh. It was a struggle to keep going. I had a hunch that the end was going to be better, so I continued on. But that middle section definitely brought down my rating. There was so much potential though!

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  Shakespeare, tragedy and death, stand alone fantasy novels, more pissed off women who want to take down the patriarchy, sisters, star cross lovers

Content Warnings: violence, infertility/miscarriages, a lot of death and blood

What If It’s Us* by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

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  • Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance - M/M relationship

  • Format: Hardcover

  • Rating: 4 Stars

Quick Summary:  Arthur and Ben randomly meet at a post office in New York then go on a hunt to find each other once again.

I love Becky Albertalli a ridiculous amount. (I’ve read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda at least six times.) As for Adam Silvera, I’ve read some of his books and I really appreciate him and his stories and I’m glad they exist, but they aren’t my favorite. When they teamed up to write a book together, I was cautiously excited.

There was no need for the cautious, apparently.

After how intense some of Queens of Innis Lear was, it was great to have this fun romantic book. A bit predictable, kinda corny, but I like those things. I mean, you don’t read a romantic comedy type of book because you want the end to surprise you, let’s be honest.

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  romantic comedy, meet cutes, summer romance, M/M relationships, a lot of Hamilton fangirling, NYC

Content Warnings: not a whole lot to be honest with you. There’s some friend fight, a bit of a divorce worry, cheating, homophobia

Kingdom of Ash* (Throne of Glass #7) by Sarah J Maas

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  • Genre: New Adult Fantasy

  • Format: Hardcover

  • Rating: 5 Stars

Quick Summary:  ITS THE FINAL THRONE OF GLASS BOOK WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

Yes. My most anticipated book of 2018. If not for the last several years. It’s actually here and I finished it. My heart… I don’t even have words.

This book was 992 pages.

I cried for 992 pages.

I’m writing this not even 24 hours after completing the last page and I’m almost ready to start crying again. I’ve been wallowing over how the Throne of Glass series is over ever since I put it back on my shelf.

Literally my only complaint is SO MANY BATTLE SCENES. Which, I can’t even complain about because the whole thing takes place during war so… there you go. It’s just that battle scenes aren’t my particular favorite and I have a hard time focusing on them. Beyond that - I LOVED EVERYTHING. This book also had the most “classic epic fantasy” feel out of all of them.

I’m not going to go on much more (I could if I wanted to- trust me!) because if I share anything about this book, it’ll spoil the entire series for those who haven’t read it yet. If you’re a fellow Throne of Glass fan, please feel free to reach out to me and we can talk and fangirl together. As well as cry.

I will say this though: while I’m so sad that this series is over, I’m completely satisfied with how it ended. It was beautiful, and wonderful. My heart is heavy, but it is also full.

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  Sarah J Maas’ other books, epic fantasy, war stories, bad ass queens, witches, fae, shape shifters, romance, multiple points of view

Content Warnings: on page torture/breaking of bones (this was particularly difficult for me to read), a lot of violence and death, references to past abuse, PTSD, psychological torture/manipulation, loss of loved ones

The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky (Montague Siblings 1.5) by Mackenzi Lee

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  • Genre: Young Adult Historical- M/M Relationship - Short Story/Novelette

  • Format: ebook

  • Rating: 4 Stars

Quick Summary:  We check in on the Montague siblings and friends between The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue and The Ladies Guide to Petticoats and Piracy.

This was a freebie for those who pre-ordered The Ladies Guide to Petticoats and Piracy so sadly… I don’t have a link for you all to purchase it yourself. Hopefully it will be available for purchase at some point!

Reading TGTGL was the perfect cure for my “book hangover” after reading Kingdom of Ash. It was fun, light, and I was able to check in on some of these fabulous characters.

You'll Like This Book If You Also Enjoy:  The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, M/M relationships, navigating a new relationship, historical fiction

Content Warnings: references to homophobia, epilepsy, and past abuse

Currently Reading:

Kings of the Wyld* (The Band #1) by Nicholas Eames

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  • Genre: Fantasy

  • Format: Library Paperback

Quick Summary:  A former band of mercenaries reunite to save the daughter of one of their members.

I feel really bad for this book because it has to follow Kingdom of Ash. Nothing will be able to live up to that. I planned on reading a lighter book, or one of the other new releases that came out in October. However, I already had to renew this book and one other one from the library and I really need to get to it.

I’m not super hopeful about it though, because I was looking on Goodreads and apparently the author claims that the “only” way to get women in the book was to make them antagonists. This produced a lot of eye rolling from me even though he also claims that all of his characters have a lot of bad qualities. After most of the books I just finished are about pissed off women who want to take down the patriarchy… that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. But, I did see that the second book’s main character is a woman so maybe it’s better than I’m anticipating.

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

June Reading Round-Up

June's reads were full of fantasy! Which, fantasy is usually a staple in my reading lists as it is. But this month I read almost exclusively fantasy. (With a couple of contemporary romance novellas in honor of Pride this month.) Particularly of the epic variety! 

Some notes on how I do wrap ups:  I rate books on a 1-5 star scale. (1= worst book ever why did I read this?; 2= did not enjoy; 3= this was good!; 4= I really liked it! 5= OMG LOVED THIS IT'S THE BEST EVER!) For the most part, you're going to see 3-5 star ratings from me and not a lot of negative simply because if I don't like a book, I'm not going to finish it.

*This post contains affiliated links. 

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Song of Blood and Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles #1) by L. Penelope

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  • Genre: Fantasy Romance (Own Voices)
  • Format:  Library Hardcover
  • Rating:  4.5 Stars

Quick Summary:  When ruthless soldiers take shelter in Jasminda's home, she falls for one of the spies, Jack. Together they escape captors and save their homeland, Elsira. 

This book was somewhat on my radar and one day as I was picking up a hold from the library, I saw it on the new releases shelf and figured "why not?" Coincidentally, my friend Caitlin (BookChats on YouTube) recently picked it up from her library as well so we did a buddy read. Oh goodness! Both of us are OBSESSED.

Song of Blood and Stone definitely is a romance and has some of the same beats as others in the genre, but if you aren't a fan of romance don't fear - there is a great balance of the romance and the fantasy elements so you'll really enjoy it still! There's magic, adventure, a quest, royalty, secrets, plot twists - all of those things you want in an epic fantasy! The romance was wonderful, and I loved Jack and Jasminda. (There was one moment where Jack was slightly too possessive for my taste, but it was resolved well. I just hope it doesn't become a recurring thing in future books.) But, then you also have a lot of themes about black lives matter, refugees, family, and duty that really ring true. Particularly in the world today.

What makes things really interesting is that L. Penelope originally was a self-published author. She has some paranormal romance books (which I'm picking up ASAP) and then this one was picked up by a publisher, they edited it, then re-released it. So, if you see reviews from a few years ago - that was when this was self published. A lot has changed since then!

Now, I'm eagerly waiting the second book - but Goodreads doesn't have a release date yet! When is it coming out?????

You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  Romance, fantasy, African culture inspired fantasy, Black Lives Matter, secret relationships, royalty, independent female characters, inner-racial relationships

Trigger warnings:  On page sexual assault, violence (against adults and children), loss of parents, war, racism

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making (Fairyland #1) by Catherynne M. Valente (Re-Read)

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  • Genre:  Middle Grade Fantasy
  • Format:  ebook
  • Rating:  3.5 Stars

Quick Summary:  September is taken away by the Green Wind to Fairyland where danger and adventure awaits.

I read The Girl Who Circumnavigated... a couple of years ago because a friend of mine, (My Name is Marines on YouTube) LOVED it and gave me a recommendation. I know a ton of other people love this series as well. I liked it the first time around, but didn't love it. Then, another friend of mine a few weeks ago invited me to join our local library's book club and this was their pick for June. I said I'd give it a go. I liked it a lot more this time around! Maybe the first time I was in a weird mood? Who knows. But, I definitely see more of why so many people have been raving about this series.

It's so whimsical, September is strong and courageous while still being real, all of the characters are fun and unique (there's a wyvern who is actually a library), and I loved all of the author's plays on words and the thoughts about children, being courageous, losing your heart (and whether or not children have one!), and growing up. 

You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  The Chronicles of Narnia, The Wizard of Oz, and other books about children running away to magical lands, whimsy, fantasy, middle grade, adventure, 

Trigger warnings:

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang

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  • Genre:  Epic Fantasy (Own Voices)
  • Format:  Library Hard Cover
  • Rating:  5 Stars

Quick Summary:  Against all odds, Rin gains acceptance to the most elite military school in the country, is chosen by one of the gods, and must save her people. 

Oh this book was so fantastic! Everyone has been raving about this book and with good reason! 

Poppy War could have gone the Harry Potter route where Rin goes to school and each book covers one year of her time there. But, it didn't. The first half or so is when Rin is preparing to go the school and when she's there. Her school years somewhat are crammed together, but it doesn't feel rushed at all. Then the second half is focused on her time in the military during the war. 

Rin is such a headstrong and driven character - almost to a fault, and I love seeing the pros and cons to this aspect of her personality. The use of magic was unique and something you as the reader need to grapple with on how "moral" it is (Drugs... basically. Which I enjoyed that inner struggle, at least for myself. It made me think about the book more than I would have otherwise.) The other characters were complex and interesting. The world was intense. 

It took me longer to read this book than I anticipated, and it's not necessarily a fast read. But once I had the opportunity to sit and dig deep, I couldn't put it down!

You'll like this book if you also enjoy: Mulan... but A LOT darker, low fantasy, Chinese history, Chinese folklore, academy settings, military and war stories, feminism

Trigger warnings:  drug use and abuse, violence, sexual assault, rape, torture, child abuse,... basically ALL the trigger warnings. 

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J Maas (Re-Read)

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  • Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
  • Format:  Hardcover
  • Rating: 5 Stars

Quick Summary:  Celeana travels to a new land to confront the truth of her heritage. 

Continuing on with my Throne of Glass re-read before the final book in October!

Heir of Fire is one of my favorites of the series. We get introduced to awesome new characters. (Hey there, Rowan and Mannon.) We learn more about Celeana's past, and I love the journey Dorian starts on. As I was re-reading HoF, I realized that Sarah J Maas excels at writing books about emotional recovery. 

In the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, the best book is the second one where Feyre is struggling with PTSD, depression, and getting out of an abusive relationship. The heart of the book is her recovery and coming out stronger in the end. I would say HoF is similar in this way. Celeana is at one of her all time lowest points emotionally at the start of the book after all which has happened in the previous books. The heart of her journey in HoF is learning to face her inner demons and come out stronger at the end. Which is why it's one of my favorites.

Also- Mannon, witches, and wyvrns. The first time I read this book I was like "who are these witches and why do I care" but now I'm all "MANNON IS MY QUEEN."

You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  epic fantasy, witches, dragons (wyvrns to be specific), the other Throne of Glass books, stories about someone learning to use magic

Trigger warnings:  PTSD, demon posession, violence, abuse

Fearless by Shira Glassman

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  • Genre: Contemporary Romance Short Story
  • Format:  ebook
  • Rating: 3.5 Stars

Quick Summary:  A band mom falls for the high school's orchestra director. 

I realized about half way through the month I hadn't read anything in honor of Pride and I felt like a terribly ally. So, I found some novellas to read.

This one was cute! It gave me high school band flashbacks, but I loved that it was about the adult chaperones and not the students. It just felt a bit rushed at times. 

You'll like this book if you also enjoy: contemporary romance, F/F relationships, sweet/clean romance, novellas, snowed in plots, single moms

Trigger warnings: none I can think of? Being stranded in a hotel during a blizzard?

Knit One, Girl Two by Shira Glassman

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  • Genre: Contemporary Romance Short Story
  • Format:  ebook
  • Rating: 4 Stars

Quick Summary:  Knitter Clara teams up with local artist, Danielle, for a yarn project. Romance ensues!

I liked this one even more! It's the same author as Fearless and too cute! It didn't feel as rushed, but still would have loved even more!

You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  knitting, F/F relationships, own voices, cats, artists, sweet/clean romance, contemporary romance, novellas

Trigger warnings:  Again... none I can think of. Identity theft?

New Heights by Quinn Anderson

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  • Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella
  • Format:  ebook
  • Rating: 5 Stars

Quick Summary: Opposites attract when two men meet at an airport and their flight is delayed.

And the novellas just kept getting better! This couple was so cute, I thought I was going to die. It was this great setting of being trapped in an airport due to delayed flights, opposites attract, prank war, and romance. I was rooting for them and shipping them before they even met! It was also longer than the other novellas, so it didn't feel quite as rushed. It was the perfect length.

You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  airports, opposites attract, M/M relationships, prank wars, hate to love

Trigger warnings:  Again... none really unless you have PTSD from delayed flights.

Currently Reading:

Dreamer's Pool (Blackthorn and Grimm #1) by Juliet Mariller

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  • Genre: Epic Fantasy
  • Format:  mass market paperback
  • Rating: 4.5-5 stars as of right now, unless something drastically changes in the next 100 or so pages.

Quick Summary: Blackthorn gets a chance at a new life as a healer and teams with one of her prison-mates. 

I was sucked into this book from the first chapter! The main character, Blackthorn, is so fierce! I don't always connect with characters whose main motivation is revenge, but she comes from it more from a justice perspective which I really liked. Then Grimm is one of those big terrifying criminal type of characters, but at the same time you just want to give him a hug and tell him everything is going to be okay. Oran was my least favorite point of view character. Which was odd because he was one of those "I'm a prince but I'm also a hopeless romantic and a genuinely good guy who wants to do good for my people" types. But, was a tad over the top for me where he kind of felt like an idiot. Yet, I was never not rooting for him. So, there's that. 

A lot of this book focuses on women's rights and rape culture which was hard to read at times, but I think was very well done. 

Unless something goes terribly wrong in the last 100 pages or so, I'll for sure be wanting to pick up the next book!

You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  Irish Folklore, Fae, Healers, fantasy that feels more historical, multiple POVs

Trigger warnings:  (As of the first 300 pages, most of these are off page but definitely talked about, sometimes in detail) rape, violence, torture, loss of spouse and child, prison

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee.

Ready to buy some books? Check out this coupon from Barnes and Noble good through July 4, 2018!

Death's Child

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It was so cold.

The young man clutched his frozen fingers into the icy ground and tried to pull himself up. With a groan, he collapsed into the snow again. His leaf and leather made clothing was soaked through and he couldn't find his fur-lined jacket anywhere. 

They always said Kutlaus was a benevolent father to his children, but the moment he fell into the ice filled stream, the young man knew the god who ruled the forest had turned his back on him. Or perhaps he had turned his back upon the god long ago. Who knew anymore?

But he wasn't going to let Kutlaus ignore him. He'd find his own way, frozen stream or no. He clawed his way up to the surface, breaking the ice as he went. He got himself up onto the shore. There was no need for Kutlaus to protect him. He could save himself if needed.

If only he could find dry clothing. 

Or a fire.

Anything to rid himself of the never ending cold.  How long had he been lying there now? A few minutes? An hour. He couldn't tell anymore. 

Perhaps it was Luana, the night and winter goddess, he should be cursing instead. Or all of them for that matter.

"Cursing all of us, are you, Rafe?" a light honeyesque, female voice said. 

A chill ran up Rafe's spine at the words, one entirely different from the water freezing into icicles in his hair. 

He gathered the strength to look up and saw before him, a black lace robe floating about her person, covering every bit of her, including her face, save for her pale as death bare feet. Everything around them stilled, as though the forest itself was holding it's breath.  She took silent steps toward him and knelt at his side, pushing aside the hood of her robe to reveal a ghost white face with haunting, unblinking, black eyes with black streaks running down her face like permanent streams of tears.

"Stula," he breathed.

Her black lips smirked. "You evaded me in the stream. I was to escort you from there."

"Save... myself..." he muttered, teeth chattering. 

Stula tilted her head to the side, considering him. "So young, yet so strong to escape your fate in the water," she mused. "Well, young Rafe, what would you like to do?"

Rafe stared at her. "What would I like to do?"

"Your heart is growing weaker as we speak. Your body cannot gather heat, and you have minutes, if that, left of your short little life. Once it is through, I can escort you to the next life, the one others have only wondered about but never seen. Or, you are strong. I can use someone strong to do my bidding. Find others like you who try to avoid my arrival," she explained calmly.

"Serve the goddess of death?" Rafe asked.

"And change and maturity," she said. "But yes, death."

"What do I get?"

"Immortality in this world, a new life, strength, magic, freedom when I do not need you."

Rafe shivered, then nodded his head once. 

That was all Stula needed. She placed a hand upon his chest a new blast of cold seared through him. He cried out as her magic pierced his body. Upon his arm, a black image of a skeleton's hand holding a rose etched into his skin and he groaned from the wound. When it was completed, a black glow hovered around it, then sank into his body. 

Stula stepped back and smiled. 

Rafe no longer felt the cold, but then, something cracked from inside of him. He cried out. It happened again, then again, then again, until he was writhing and screaming in pain. He didn't know how long it lasted, but once it was through, he found he now stood upon four legs, and a warm fur coat covered his body.

The clouds above parted and the bright full moon shone through the darkness. The pain subsided, and something else stirred within his chest. A calling.

"You'll get used to the transformation, and will be able to call upon it as you wish," Stula said. She opened her arms as though in invitation. 

From his mouth came a long, loud, howl, and he felt free.

And he was hungry. 

I wanted to write this piece for last month's flash fiction, but it never came to me! This character, Rafe, from my current work in progress has been swirling about in my head but I haven't been able to see him clearly until recently. This was fun for me to dig into his back story a bit, and to reveal one of the deities for this world's religion I hadn't explored much yet. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Also, if you're buying some books - check out this offer (and others) from Barnes and Noble, good May 9-15, 2018! (Yes, it's an affiliated link. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!)

Take 10% Off Your Order with code YESWAY

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee. 

February Reading Round Up

I hope you all are ready for an avalanche of romance books! Because what else would I read in February?

With Valentines Day and Black History month, I wanted all of my reading focused on either romance or books written by a black author. Bonus points if the book did both! (Because apparently it's a competition with points?)

We can officially say whatever issue I was having at the start of January with my reading focus is completely gone and I've read A TON of books this month! It's been a good time. I think I'm going to throw the whole "read less" goal out the door because reading a ton of books is who I am, and I like it!

Some notes on how I do wrap ups: I don't include plot summaries because the publisher can summarize them much better than I can. If you want to know the plot summary, I've left an Amazon affiliated link in the book title so you can check it out. I rate books on a 1-5 star scale. (1= worst book ever why did I read this?; 2= did not enjoy; 3= this was good!; 4= I really liked it! 5= OMG LOVED THIS IT'S THE BEST EVER!) For the most part, you're going to see 3-5 star ratings from me and not a lot of negative simply because if I don't like a book, I'm not going to finish it.

Life is too short to read books you don't like, right? Right. 

Let's get to it then and let me know if you've read any of these books and what you read in February!

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Amethyst (Chase Family Series #1) by Lauren Royal

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  • Genre: Historical Romance
  • Format: ebook
  • Rating: 3.5 Stars

In December I read Lauren Royal's novella A Secret Christmas and it was really cute. So, when I found that it was part of a series which all follows the same family line, I thought it would be fun to start from the beginning. 

I liked reading a full length novel by this author to get a better idea of how she usually plots and develops characters. There didn't seem to be a whole lot to the plot and premise, so it could have been condensed to a novella. But, I also didn't feel like it dragged at all. I would have liked a bit more development with the characters though, instead of stretching the plot. I liked the couple a lot, but they also didn't know each other very well and the first half of the book I felt like the tension between them was a bit forced and they'd start kissing and making out and I'd be like "that came from nowhere..." But it got much better as the book went on. 

What I appreciated a lot was that we got to see some of their lives after the "happily ever after" and how they overcame challenges as an established couple. You don't see that very often. 

It was a fun fast read, but not one of my favorites. But I'm still willing to give another book or two in this series a try. 

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy: Romance, history, falling in love with someone of a different class/station trope, falling in love but you're betrothed to someone else trope, big loud families
  • Trigger Warnings: fire, loss of parents, orphans, on page sexual assault/rape attempt, cheating

Binti: Home (Binti 2) by Nnedi Okorafor

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  • Genre: Science Fiction
  • Format: ebook
  • Rating: 4 stars

This was a great follow-up to the first novella, Binti! In this one, she returns home for her pilgrimage, and learns more about who she is and what she has become as a result of the events in the first novella. 

It was really good and I'm excited to read the third and final book in this trilogy, but it didn't pull me in as much as the first. Still fantastic, though!

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy: sci-fi, space, unlikely friendships, African inspired, coming of age, navigating changing family ties
  • Trigger Warnings:  PTSD

Wires and Nerve:  Gone Rouge (Wires and Nerve 2) by Marissa Meyer

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  • Genre: Science Fiction
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Rating: 3.5 stars

This was a really fun follow-up to Wires and Nerve and I believe it is also the conclusion of Iko's story. I'm glad it was longer than the first one, because we were able to see more of all of our favorite Lunar Chronicles characters and get more into the plot. I felt the first one went a little too quickly! But, I also don't read many graphic novels so I always feel as though they go by fast! 

You definitely need to read The Lunar Chronicles and the first Wires and Nerve book before this one! The first book wraps up what happens in The Lunar Chronicles but you won't get all of the nuances and backstories as much. If I wasn't a Lunar Chronicles fan already, I don't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. 

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy: graphic novels, cyborgs, romantic comedy, sci-fi, werewolves
  • Trigger Warnings:  prejudice

Size Matters (Perfect Fit #1) by Allison Bliss

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  • Genre: Contemporary Romance
  • Format: Library Mass Market Paperback
  • Rating: 3.5- 4 stars

Super fun and fast read! I got through this book in only a few hours. It's the first in a new trilogy all focused on heroine's who are plus size. Which, I think is fantastic because women of all shapes and sizes can be beautiful and have amazing love stories! Personally, I think we could have seen more of our main character, Leah, outside of the fact that she was overweight. Her learning to overcome it and get past her insecurities was a big part of the plot, so I understand why the focus was how it was, but at the same time it sometimes felt like it was her whole identity. Looking at the future books in this trilogy though, it doesn't appear as though we'll have the same focus for the other characters which makes me feel better. 

Size Matters definitely took on the vibe of a romantic comedy where there's a lot of miscommunication and situational comedy where the characters get into ridiculous situations and chaos ensues. At first, I didn't mind some of the miscommunication because it was very relateable. How many times do words get twisted around or you're nervous and don't say what you really mean? It happens all of the time! But after awhile, it was simply frustrating. JUST USE YOUR WORDS.

In spite of those things, Size Matters was still really fun. It has it's flaws, but still compelling and enjoyable. 

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy: heroine's who aren't you're typical stick-thin models, situational comedies, romantic comedies, the "be in a fake relationship than fall in love for real" trope. 
  • Trigger Warnings:  Fat phobia/hate, critical parents, body image insecurities

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

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  • Genre: Contemporary Young Adult/New Adult Romance, #ownvoices
  • Format: Library Hardcover
  • Rating: 4 stars 

Let's Talk About Love started out rough for me. I'm not a huge fan of Kann's writing style, and I personally felt you could tell this was a book that had been published because the Internet liked it. (This was from a site called Swoon Reads where people post their manuscripts, people vote on them, and the most popular books get published.) One of the big culprits is her overuse of parenthesis. As someone who also overuses parenthesis, as well as ellipses, I totally get that it was a "voice" and stylistic choice. But at the start of the book it was WAY over the top that even I wasn't a fan. Another reason it was slow for me was because I felt very old when reading it. I could very much tell that while this is a YA, or more of a New Adult book, and a 31 year old is not the target audience. 

Both of these things got better the longer I read, though.

I loved that the main character is both bi and asexual. Both of these types of representation is pretty rare, so I really enjoyed just "listening" to that point of view and learning about it more. I for sure saw how much I still need to learn.

The more I read, the more I enjoyed the friendships and the relationship between our main character and the love interest. They were adorable! 

What's a bummer is that this book is marketed as young adult. It should absolutely be considered new adult. All of the main characters have completed their first year of college or have even graduated college. They have an apartment together and a lot of the story is about paying rent, figuring out the next steps for your future, and dealing with picking a major. People lately have been begging for the new adult genre to go beyond what's considered "trashy" romance novels. As much as I love romance novels, I too would love to see this group of books expand beyond that because it's definitely an age group that needs great books. Books such as Let's Talk About Love for sure fit the bill and I hope we see more of this style.

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy: contemporary romance, LGTBQIA+ rep, new adult, young adult, stories about college, friendship goals, ownvoices
  • Trigger Warnings:  aphobia, creeper guys at parties, mediocre parenting

Relationship Goals by Christina C. Jones

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  • Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella, #ownvoices
  • Format: ebook
  • Rating: 5 stars

THIS NOVELLA WAS SO GOOD.

First of all, it's written by a black author, it's a romance, AND has disability rep because our hero has Sickle Cell Disease. So... that's a win!

One of the things I loved about this novella is how "normal" it felt. When I read YA romance, most of the time (or at least the ones I like the most) feel like real life. I can see these events actually happening in reality and I appreciate the real world and real people more. While I love adult romance, I don't get that vibe. I get more of the "I wish that would happen in real life" vibe. While there's a bit of the over the top romance in Relationship Goals, ultimately I could see this love story actually happening.

There's the social media element, but it's not done in a way that makes your eyes roll the way so many books have it done. They have a long distance relationship, they deal with past mistakes, there's a ton of feminism, and both characters are fantastic.

I loved how they handled his SCD. It was a vital part of who he was, but you for sure did not see him as just the guy with a chronic illness. He was a fully fleshed out character. When he talked about it, I loved how he pointed out the way most people at first aren't phased by it. When he first tells them, it's not a big deal. But when they're faced with the long-term reality of being fatigued easily and how he could randomly go to the hospital at any time, it's a totally different story. These are SO MANY of the thoughts I have too, even though I have a completely different condition.

I was rooting for them from page one and read this in just a few hours. So great!

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  romantic comedy, books that feature social media, realistic romance
  • Trigger Warnings:  hospital visits, cheating, being lied to in a relationship, a lot of swearing

Take My Hand (Take My Hand #1) by Nicola Haken

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  • Genre: Contemporary New Adult Romance 
  • Format: ebook
  • Rating: 3 stars

Usually, I'm not one to complain about covers of books. I love it when a cover is GORGEOUS of course. But when I'm not a fan, I don't care a whole lot. That being said, I really hate the covers  for this series. I think it's mainly because I hate wife beater tank tops and the mix of the American and British flags in the background give me a very "'Merica vibe"... even though a majority of the book takes place in London and the author is also British.

I also want to say, I'm in this series for Rachel. I discovered a blog called Sense and Disability where she reviews romance books which feature characters with disabilities. It's fabulous. She reviewed a book in this series which is about Rachel who has paraplegia.  It looked really good, but it's the third in the series and she said that while it can stand alone you need to read the other books to see how this couple met. Therefore, I started with book one. 

At first, I was very turned off by how the main character, Emily (go figure!), talked about Rachel. The intro paragraph about Rachel was "Rachel is a paraplegic" and hardly any of the characters at first could even talk about her without mentioning the wheelchair. In fact, a character even called her "wheelchair girl" or something along those lines. NO THANK YOU. But, it did get better as the book went on and Rachel is a pretty bad ass character, so I let it slide.

As for the main love story which was about Emily... it was good. I was always rooting for them and liked the progression of the relationship. It's very bad boy meets good girl which can be fun. The hero has a very sordid past, and adds another layer to their relationship that plays a big part. But, they became a little too "I'm going to fix you and I need you to survive" for my taste. Again, I was always rooting for them. It just felt a bit unhealthy for me. 

I also wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. A lot of times the characters would break the fourth wall and talk to the reader which unless you're Zach from Saved by the Bell... no thanks. There also were many times when I got "hetero-normative" vibes. It wasn't shaming LGTBQIA+ or anything, but also didn't sound supportive of it either. While, I get this wasn't an LGBTQIA+ story, if all you're going to do is throw shade at it... don't put it in your book. 

This book was enjoyable, but not a favorite. I was looking at book two and it seems like I might be able to just skip ahead to Rachel's story in book three. If I can, I'm definitely going to go with that and not read the remainder of the series, unless something changes where I'm enjoying it more.

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy: bad boy/good girl trope, guys with piercings, a more dramatic romance vs. comedic, books that take place in the UK
  • Trigger Warnings:  excessive alcohol use, addiction recovery, loss of parents and siblings, reference to past drug use, reference to past abusive relationships, hetero-normative vibes, a lot of swearing

Tessa Ever After (Reluctant Hearts #2) by Brighton Walsh

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  • Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
  • Format: ebook
  • Rating: 5 stars

Now this is what I'm talking about! I can't get over how great this couple was. I read the first book in this series, Caged in Winter, and it was good but not a favorite. We meet the couple for Tessa Ever After in Caged in Winter, but you don't have to read the first book to follow what happens in this one. I was a bit hesitant about this couple. I knew I liked Tessa, but the love interest, Jason, I was like "him.. really?"

But it didn't take my long to see why Jason was so great. He had me from the moment he stepped on the page! Jason is the rich guy who wants to get out from under his parents thumb and make his own way (they were very Richard and Emily Gilmore) as well as a notorious play boy. He also is funny, and completely adorable with Tessa's daughter. Going back to the Gilmore Girls references, think Logan with a bit more heart. As one of the only "Team Logan" people in the world - I loved Jason. 

Tessa was an awesome character too. I loved getting to know her and her daughter better, and seeing all that she deals and struggles with as a young single mom. (She's about 22, her daughter is about 3 or 4.) Again, with the Gilmore Girls comparisons, she's kind of like a Lorelai where she makes it out on her own with her daughter at a young age, is honest about how difficult it can be, but still a really strong person. She and Jason were so good for each other, and I can't stop flailing over them.

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  single mom meets guy who is good with her kid, player meets good girl, childhood friends turned to lovers, guy falls in love with best friends sister, adorable kids, realistic romance, romantic comedy
  • Trigger Warnings:  single mom struggles, awful parents

An Extraordinary Union (The Royal League #1) by Alyssa Cole

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  • Genre: #ownvoices Historical Romance
  • Format: ebook
  • Rating: 5 Stars

I thought Tessa Ever After  was going to be my favorite book of the month. THEN I READ AN EXTRAORDINARY UNION. Just... it was so perfect. I'd heard great things about this book, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. 

First, we have our heroine, Elle who was born into slavery but escaped with her parents as a child and is now a spy for the Union and is undercover at a southern mansion. She's a total bad ass, smart, sassy, educated, and has an incredible photographic memory. I loved learning how she sees the world because most Civil War stories are from the perspective of the swooning Southern belles. Elle was completely fantastic.

Then we have our hero, Malcom, whose family endured hardships in Scotland and he is now a detective for the Union. He was very Jamie Fraser from Outlander, but better, because there wasn't that really warped abuse/manipulation/possessive thing that Jamie has. I found his perspective fascinating too because we see how much he's had to go through in life as well, but still seeing him learn how privileged he was.

I wasn't sure how the author would deal with the dynamics of a bi-racial relationship during this time period, but from my limited perspective and knowledge I thought Cole handled it perfectly. She didn't shy away from the challenges, dealt with the power struggle of their different social classes, and had the characters thoroughly think through the choices they were making. 

On top of a super swoony (and really sexy!) love story, you also have all of the spy and detective elements and the Civil War that took up a lot of the plot!

I'm officially becoming an Alyssa Cole fangirl and I definitely want to read her other books!

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  historical romance, Civil War stories, spies, bi-racial couples
  • Trigger Warnings:  depictions of slavery, references to sexual abuse, loss of parent due to suicide, references to war violence

Glamour in Glass (The Glamourist Histories #2) by Mary Robinette Kowal

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  • Genre: Historical Fantasy/Romance
  • Format: Library Hardcover
  • Rating: 4 Stars

This is the second book in The Glamourist Histories which is basically a series that feels like a Jane Austen book but with magic. Awesome, right? 

Because it has a Jane Austen feel, it took me a bit to get used to the writing style since it's very different than the other books I'd been reading in February.  Once I did though, I really enjoyed this book. 

What was really great about it is that since it's the second book in the series, the couple is already married. You don't get to read about already established couples often, and I love seeing them navigate the early stages of marriage. Another thing that was really great about this book is she focused more on the political goings on of the time in this book and went beyond just the parties, balls, and other social aspects of Regency society. 

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  Jane Austen, historical romance, political intrigue, stories about already established couples
  • Trigger Warnings:  miscarriage, gunshots

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

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  • Genre: Urban/Contemporary Fantasy
  • Format: ebook
  • Rating: Currently Reading

I first tried this book as an audio because I had a credit from Audible to use. It was the first time I hated the narrator so much I ended up returning the audiobook for a full refund. The main character is in her 20s, but the narrator sounded like a bratty 10year old. But, I learned Audible does do refunds as long as the purchase was within the last year. Sweet!

However, I could tell that the book and writing itself was good and I did own the ebook and switched to that. 

So far, it's significantly better. 

I read a couple Robin McKinnley books when I was younger (particularly, Beauty her Beauty and the Beast retelling) and I remember really enjoying it. I had no idea she had written a vampire book too! It was high time I read this one. Although, it's been slow going. Not because it's not good, but because I had other books I wanted to finish in February. I'll definitly be finishing this one soon though!

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

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  • Genre: Young Adult Fantasy and #ownvoices
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Rating: 3 stars

I had such high hopes for this book, and I know a ton of people on Goodreads loved it. And rightly so. The writing is lovely, it's an #ownvoices narrative, has a powerful and poignant message about beauty standards, there's tiny teacup animals (adorable!), some awesome throwbacks to the story of Snow White which was really cool, and rich world building. 

The thing is, everyone always mentions in their trigger warnings about the sexual assault scene. Which is good! But, no one talks about how there are several scenes depicting their painful beauty routines and procedures. A large part of the world building is how the Belles can alter your appearance and make you more beautiful, and while you can drink this special tea to dull the pain, it's still painful. These scenes happen nearly every other chapter. Some of them even have characters who go under these procedures unwillingly and are screaming in pain, and one scene they don't even administer the tea. So... basically it's torture. Usually, I can handle violence and such in books without a problem. But when a book talks about breaking bones and really experiencing severe pain the way this book did, it's too much for me because of my own experiences with extreme pain. There were several times I wanted to stop reading the book because of these scenes and they distracted me from the characters and the story. 

If it weren't for that I probably would have enjoyed this book much more. But, this is why I include trigger warnings in my reviews so that other people don't have to go through what I did while reading. 

I fully support this book, and I think there are women and girls who'll really connect with what this book is saying about beauty and culture and will love the story and characters. However, that's not me and I will not be continuing with future books in this series.

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  French/New Orleans inspirations, fantasy, commentary on beauty, own voices, adorable tiny pets, awesome friends groups, stories where everyone isn't what they appear, 
  • Trigger Warnings:  sexual assault, torture, painful beauty regiments, loss of parent 

What did you read in February? Have you read any of these books?

For March, it's Women's History Month! I don't have any articular reading goals because I basically read almost all female authors already. But, I'm thinking of sharing some Women's History Month recs on my Instagram throughout March! (@eehornburg and @coffee_book_love_!)

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee. This simply helps me to offset costs (ex. paying for my website domain) so I can continue to create quality and professional content - along with you receiving my lifelong love and appreciation!

January Reading Round-Up and February TBR

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This year started off pretty slow for me reading-wise. The first few books I read I enjoyed... but my focus just wasn't there. I could tell you basic plot lines and the general feeling of each book. But details? Nope. It felt slow for me. On the one hand, it was good because I wasn't reading as much and that's a goal of mine for the year. (I need way more life/reading balance!)

On the other hand, it feels odd to me. I can tell something is off because even though I read far less books than usual, my focus on them wasn't there at all. Even for writing, I can't seem to focus on anything. I blame winter. 

It got better the last few days though.

Anyway.

Here's what I read this past month. 

*This post contains Amazon affiliated links.

 

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

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  • Genre: YA Fantasy
  • Format: paperback
  • Rating: 4 Stars for the whole series

I've literally had this series sitting on my shelf for years. I heard a ton of hype for the first book, Shadow and Bone so I picked up the paperback. It took me at least three years to finally pick it up. I'm not sure why because I knew I'd like it. When I did at the end of 2016 I was blown away! WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG? Which meant I immediately ran to the store to buy the next two. 

Then... they sat and gathered dust on my shelf for at least another year. 

I decided the first thing I would read in January was this trilogy. Give the first book a re-read then jump into the next two right away. 

The Grisha Trilogy is a sold four-star series. Which, was slightly disappointing to me. So many people rave about these books I for sure thought I was going to jump on the bandwagon and make it five stars as well. But... it just wasn't there for me. I cant think of a single thing which is particularly "wrong" or done "badly." The characters were good and I liked the relationships Alina built, the Darkling was interesting, and the friendships were great particularly in the second and third books. The world building and magic were good and I liked how it had a historical Russian feel. The plot was fine, and it ticked all of those usual boxes I usually LOVE in a YA fantasy series.

But, it didn't have that particular "extra" I need in order to be a complete fan-girl over them and give a full five stars. Even the first book which I remembered LOVING so much at first, upon my re-read I was like "oh... it was good but... NOT BEST BOOK EVA" the way I had originally. 

I do want to read the spin-off duology, Six of Crows, but I'm going to take a break from this author for a bit, then go back to it. 

If you enjoy YA fantasy, you'll enjoy this series.

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy: Other young adult fantasy books, love triangles, adventure, Russia, magic
  • Trigger Warnings: violence, mutilation, manipulative relationship, harm to animals, orphans, poverty

Wives of War by Soraya M. Lane

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  • Genre: Historical Fiction (WWII)
  • Format: ebook
  • Rating: 4 stars

The start of this book was a bit slow for me, but once I got to part two - I was all in! My favorite part was the friendship between the three nurses. They're definitely #squadgoals! They had their ups and downs, and had to stick by each others side even when the world seemed to be ending around them. Each woman was fantastic and powerful in her own way, and I was a fan of all three of their romances. 

The writing style, I'll admit, wasn't anything remarkable. She got repetitive and would talk over and over again about how they wanted to take a warm bath and drink real tea. Which, I'm sure those were thoughts nurses during WWII had repeatedly during their service. But, as a reader, I don't need it to be told to me every other page. 

There was one character who had significant injuries toward the end of the book and had paralysis. I wasn't a huge fan of how she handled that particular character, but she also kind of wrote herself into a hole in regards to them, and there weren't many other options for them. But, there was another character who also ended up with significant injuries and could be considered disabled and I thought they were handled much better. 

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  Call the Midwife, WWII stories, books about friendship, historical romance, multiple points of view
  • Trigger Warnings: graphic war injuries, PTSD, unplanned pregnancy, trauma, burning, cheating, suicide, depression

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

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  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Format: ebook
  • Rating: 4 stars

Under normal circumstances, Uprooted is a book I would have LOVED. But, as I stated at the start of this post, my focus has been lacking the last few weeks. It took me far longer than usual to read this book, and there were a lot of times I'd read a page then be like "what did I just read?" then have to go back and read it again. I remember the gist of the book, and was able to follow the main plot points. But details? Not so much.

It was a weird reading experience for me. But I don't think it was the book's fault, just my brain not working how it usually does.

It's not you, Uprooted, it's me.

When people talk about Uprooted, usually I hear about how it has a fairy tale feel and the romance between Agnieszka and "the dragon." These are both true things, and I enjoyed both. But, the true heart of the story is the friendship between Agnieszka and Kasia. The romance was much more in the background than I anticipated. Just... OH MY GOODNESS talk about #friendshipgoals. They were by far my favorite part of this book. In fact, I want some fanfiction about them being the real romance. Can I have that please? Thanks. (Not that I didn't like the romance between her and the dragon, that was good too.) The world building was fine, the magic was fine, and I liked the fairy tale feel. But seriously, the friendship was what sold me. 

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  epic fantasy, fairy tales, romance, friendship
  • Trigger Warnings: sexual assault/on page rape attempt, graphic magic violence 

Relinquished Hood (Red Hood Chronicles #2) by Kendrai Meeks

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  • Genre: Urban Fantasy (could be considered New Adult)
  • Format: ebook
  • Rating: 3.5 Stars

After not being able to focus on anything, I decided I needed a bit of a lighter read and something I could get through quickly and have fun. For me, that usually means an urban fantasy. I read the first book in this series, Reluctant Hood, over the summer and really liked it, then downloaded the second one once it came out. But I haven't read it yet, and the third book is coming out in February. I decided it was high time I read book two. This was was exactly what I needed because I finished it in a single day.

It took me a second to remember the details of the first book, but as I got into this one it all came back to me. I really love the whole vampires who are also scientists twist this book has and how Geri is a biology student. The twists on fairy tales and the lore is also really fun. I can't go too much into detail about what happens in this book and my thoughts because I don't want to spoil the first one. But, there is this whole thing where werewolves and hoods can spiral into madness which is really interesting, but I don't think it was shown enough in this book and we were only told that Geri could go down that spiral. I didn't actually see the potential for her too, and if I had, I think it would have bumped up my rating for this book because it could have been interesting to see. 

That being said, I'm still pretty excited for the third one to come out at the end of February and already have my copy pre-ordered.

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  fairy tale inspired, werewolves, vampires, STEM, Dracula/Van Helsing lore, urban fantasy that has some romantic elements but they are more in the background
  • Trigger Warnings:  loss of a loved one, graphic violence

Illuminae (The lluminae Files #1) by Amie Kauffman and Jay Kristoff

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  • Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Rating: 5 Stars

Then I read Illuminae.

I have been attempting to read this book for over a year. I've picked it up and put it down at least two or three times. Not because I wasn't enjoying it or I didn't like it or wasn't interested. I simply didn't have the focus for it. After I finished Relinquished Hood, I thought that perhaps the unique format would be good for me so I could get into a different head space. 

What makes this book (the the other books in this series) so unique is that it is not your typical novel format. The entire book is a collection of "files" compiled together to form a narrative. It's multi-media, has notes, pictures, name lists, diagrams, emails, instant message conversations, etc. Which, is pretty awesome, and creative. I've also heard that the audiobook is amazing. I do have the audiobook and I wanted to listen to it as I read because it has a full cast and a friend of mine said it's a great reading experience that way, but when I listen to audiobooks it's in the car on my way to work which means that I wouldn't be able to actually read along. Maybe someday I'll go back and listen to it. 

I definitely needed to switch my mind into a different gear to read, but once I got used to it ... WOW. Just... wow. Part of me doesn't even want to tell you more about it because the more I read the more I loved it and I got so invested in the story... and I kind of loved not knowing a whole lot about the story. It's space, and artificial intelligence that turns against you, and people getting sick, and action packed (much more brutal and dark than I originally thought, but I shouldn't have been since one of the authors wrote Nevernight). Just go read the book! It was amazing and I need to go get the second one, Gemina right now!

The only complaint I'd have about this book is that due to the format, I had a hard time keeping track of characters who weren't our two main protagonists, and I couldn't get to know them quite as much as I would have in a more traditional book. But, I was still very attached to them.

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  space, Firefly, unusual/unique book formats, dark Sc-Fi, artificial intelligence
  • Trigger Warnings:  mass killings/attacks, space warfare, PTSD, loss of loved ones, madness, graphic/brutal violence, creepy children
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  • Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi Graphic Novel
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Rating: 4 Stars

After re-reading all of The Lunar Chronicles in December, and with the second Wires and Nerve graphic novel being released this week, I decided it was time to re-read the first graphic novel in preparation. 

If you like The Lunar Chronicles, you'll like Wires and Nerve. Particularly if Iko is one of your favorite characters because this is all about her! I'm glad she finally got to be in the spotlight because she's just so delightful. You definitely need to read the other books first because the first five pages of the graphic novel give you a summary of the series and will definitely be filled with spoilers. I don't think it's quite as good as the novels, but still really fun. 

  • You'll like this book if you also enjoy:  graphic novels, space, sci-fi, squad goals, androids, action, The Lunar Chronicles
  • Trigger Warnings:  on page violence (but all of the images are in blue, and are very cartoon-esque, so it's pretty tame)

What I Want to Read in February

I decided for February, I'm going to have two specific themes for the books I'll be reading. 

It being Valentines Day, it's the perfect excuse to dive into all the cheesy/trashy/wonderful/and light-hearted romance books I have sitting on my Kindle. There's so many taking up space that I haven't had the chance to read yet. Then, after reading all of the holiday romances in December, I've still been in the mood for those types of books. This is the perfect time for me to binge read some. 

Here are some of the ones I'm thinking about:

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But then... it's also Black History Month, and as of late, I've been doing an awful job of being sure that I'm reading more #ownvoices books. Therefore, I also want to read books which are written by black authors. I have yet another "stack" of them on my Kindle begging to be read!

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What's even better? When the books fit with both goals.

Such as these:

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Then, in preparation for the final Throne of Glass book by Sarah J Maas being released later this year, I'll be re-reading each book leading up to that day. Which mean, in February I'll be re-reading The Assassin's Blade and cry for forever. 

We'll see which of these I actually read!

What did you read in January? What are you planning to read in February?

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee. This simply helps me to offset costs (ex. paying for my website domain) so I can continue to create quality and professional content - along with you receiving my lifelong love and appreciation!

The Living Porcelain Doll

Photo on <a href="https://visualhunt.com/re/bde3d6">VisualHunt</a>

Photo on <a href="https://visualhunt.com/re/bde3d6">VisualHunt</a>

The chair wheels rattled along the path and a lion roared through the red and white fabric walls before me, followed by the familiar frustrated grunt of his young tamer, Oscar. I pulled aside the tent's flap in time to see him throw a whip to the ground and toss off his top hat. His shoulders relaxed when he saw me.

"What are you doing here, Grace?" he asked, but didn't hide his smile.

I held up a battered deck of cards. "I practice better here and I had time before I needed to do my makeup."

Oscar offered a quick nod. "Of course."

"Thanks."

I maneuvered myself  onto one of the stands, my skirt scandalously hitched around my legs to reveal the metal braces upon them, and straddled the bench. I'd quickly learned that modesty wasn't a high value at the circus. I couldn't help but notice Oscar's careful eye being sure I didn't lose my balance.

"You know, the sign for my act isn't true when it says I could break at any moment. I'm perfectly capable of moving." I spread the deck of cards across the bench surface.

"The Living Porcelain Doll" was the side act name. I originally auditioned to be the world's smallest magician. However, when I told the ringleader I was not only small, but also had fragile bones, he ignored my card tricks and concocted an entirely different plan. My arms and face were painted to look like a doll with the illusion of having cracks and gaps as though I had fallen off a shelf. I sat upon a stool in a long skirt which covered my braced legs as the audience members ogled. It was the only thing he could think of to showcase my "uniqueness."

The key, the ringleader told me, was to exaggerate the truth just enough so it was remarkable, while still being believable. I did have to be careful, but could at least move from the wheelchair to a bench on my own. Still, some of the other circus members treated me more like an actual porcelain doll than human.

Oscar cleared his throat and picked up his whip and hat. "Yes, but we don't need any injuries."

He returned to practicing and I spread the deck into a line face down. With a single nudge at the end they all flipped over to show the faces, diamonds, spades, hearts, and then clubs. Another nudge and they flipped back. One more nudge and they now were clubs, hearts, diamonds, and then spades.

The lion roared again while I shuffled, and the cards spilled across the bench and floor.

"Sorry," Oscar said and rushed over to help me pick them up. "He's having a bad day today."

I gave the lion a look and he lay down on the ground as though I had commanded him.

Oscar smiled and set the remaining cards on the bench. He took a seat and reclined against the taller bench behind it. "Sometimes I think you should be the lion tamer, and not me."

"You're both just tired."

I shuffled the cards again, spread them out on the bench between us, then focused on one. Slowly, it rose over the rest of the desk.

"You're getting better," Oscar said. "How did you do that?"

I shrugged. "I've always had a knack for it and I've been practicing a lot. It's a lot better in this tent though. I wish I could come in more often."

"With the exception of today, I tend to do better when I practice in here too." He looked between me and the lion, who was focused on the cards. "What else can you do with those?"

"There's one thing I've been trying out when I can sneak in here, but I haven't shown anyone yet." I wasn’t sure if I was ready. But, just maybe…

I hovered a palm over the deck, and the card which had slid over the others floated into the air. One by one, the others followed and created a flying circle. Oscar straightened himself as he watched with interest. The lion seemed to mimic his actions and watched as well. The cards circled around and floated higher in the air as they moved toward the center of the ring. The lion sat up straighter, its eyes intent on the cards.

Oscar's jaw dropped. "Amazing."

I felt my cheeks warm. With a twirl of my finger the cards spun around the lion and he circled, following them around the ring.

"Have you shown the ringmaster this?"

I sent the cards back to us and they collapsed onto the bench. I hadn't perfected getting them into a neat stack yet. Other than that, it worked.  "We already have a magician, remember? But, I’ve been meaning to ask... I was wondering if you could help me with something."

Oscar's eyes sparkled as a mischievous smile crept across his face.

***

For once I was glad I couldn't walk, because my legs wouldn't stop shaking underneath my skirt. We had to improvise a costume at the last minute, but Oscar had found a red jacket and a top hat for me to wear over my usual white dress. If we didn't pull this off, we were going to be in so much trouble.

"You're going to be amazing," Oscar whispered as he pushed my chair toward the tent entrance.

"This was a bad idea," I said. "We've barely even practiced."

"You're going to be amazing," he repeated.

The ringleader announced Oscar's act while the crowd stomped and cheered. My fingers tingled around the deck of cards as we entered the ring, and the lion waited for us, positioned on a red stool in the center. It almost looked as though he were smiling.

I'd always dreamed of being in the spotlight, and here I was.

And I was going to be amazing.

Author Note: It may come as no surprise to anyone that I LOVED the movie, The Greatest Showman. So, when I was stuck on what to write about for this month's Flash Fiction, a friend suggested "something circusy?" To which I joked:

"You realize this may become Night Circus or Greatest Showman fan-fiction, right?"

I ended up not doing exact fan fiction. While there's some vibes going on for sure...  it became an accidental "own voices" piece. When I think about The Greatest Showman, as much as I love it and as much as the movie talks about celebrating differences between people, the characters who represented marginalized groups didn't really have as great of roles as I had hoped. Which, that's another topic for another blog post.

But, it did help to inspire what I wanted to write if I were doing a piece about the circus. Thus, the own voices. I've never shared anything fictional in public about someone with the same condition as me before. (Read this blog post to find out more about my having Osteogenesis Imperfecta.) I tried to write one during NaNoWriMo a few years ago, but it was atrocious and will never see the light of day. I've also written about characters with other disabilities, but they weren't specifically what I had, and I only have shown them to a few other writer friends. The idea of sharing this is kind of terrifying to me. However, once the idea popped into my head I couldn't get it out. In fact, I love these characters, and my friends who reviewed this story before I published it also said they loved them, and I'm considering coming back to Grace and Oscar in a future story. 

So... I hope you liked it too.

And if you haven't seen The Greatest Showman or read The Night Circus, what are you waiting for? 

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee. This simply helps me to offset costs (ex. paying for my website domain) so I can continue to create quality and professional content - along with you receiving my lifelong love and appreciation!

Tips for Getting A Rough Draft Done

Currently, I'm in the middle of finishing my first draft of Vampire Snow White with the goal of having it completed by the end of February. Let me tell you - it certainly is rough!

As of late, the drafting part of writing has been more challenging than usual. It's when I realize that perhaps I didn't plan my novel as well as I thought I did, I'm noticing where all of the holes in my plot/characters/world are, and I'm anxiously waiting to get it done so I can get into editing and revising to make everything all pretty the way I imagined it. 

But, drafting is also a fun part of the writing process. All of the brainstorming and outlining has been happening and now it'll all start to come together and become an actual story - not just ideas in your head. Here are my tips for getting that draft finally done.

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Just Start Writing

A lot of writers talk about writing, but never actually put words to the page. They make excuses of needing inspiration to hit, or they have to figure out a certain aspect of the book first, or their computer doesn't have the program they want, etc.

While sometimes these are all valid, there comes a point where you just have to stop making excuses, sit your ass in the chair, and put words on the page. You don't need to have a fancy writing program or wait for inspiration to hit. Experienced writers who have been doing this for awhile know that you don't wait for your muse to arrive. 

You train your muse to come to you. 

Use your computer, a notebook, a tablet, your phone, ANYTHING. Just sit down and get to work. Sometimes, you have to write a bunch of nonsense or even simply "I don't know what to write" over and over again but eventually the words will come. (Full disclosure:  it's about half way through January and I've barely written a word. Clearly, I need to take my own advice.) Which, brings me to my next point.

The Rough Draft is Going to be Bad

This is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome. Writers will get discouraged that scenes aren't coming out the way they want them to, there's plot holes, and the words don't sound as pretty as they thought they would. But at this point, it's okay.

That's why it's called a ROUGH draft. 

It's supposed to be terrible. 

One of my favorite quotes about writing is from Terry Pratchett. At least according to something I saw on Pinterest, he says, "The first draft is just you telling yourself the story."

The purpose of the rough draft isn't to show it off to people and have others read it. The purpose is to get words on the page and letting yourself discover the story. When you get to editing and revising, you can worry about having it ready for others to read. 

Create a Routine

This is hard for me sometimes, because my work schedule changes from week to week. But, I try to create a routine for myself as best as I can. This is how you train your muse to come to you. Your brain will start to recognize the cues for when you're getting ready to sit and write. And a routine doesn't always have to be a specific time and place. 

Sometimes, your routine is that you always go for a walk before going to write. I've heard Brandon Sanderson say this is what he does, and it helps to clear his mind and get his focus where it needs to be when it's time to sit at the computer. 

Or maybe you have a specific writing playlist you have to listen to when you write. Your mind will start to associate that music with your writing and your muse will wake up upon hearing it. 

Maybe you have a cup of coffee or tea each time you write and that's what helps to get your mind going. 

Whatever it takes, find that sweet spot that helps you get into your writing mode.

Be Flexible

For all of my talk about routine, I'm also a firm believer in being flexible. In an ideal world, I'd have specific days and times I could sit at my computer for hours with a cup of coffee and I could fall into the world and characters for as long as I like.

I don't know about you - but my life isn't like that. Even when I have a day off there's distractions and other things to do. 

Which is why I've trained myself to be flexible. I have Scrivener downloaded on my phone so when I have an idea, or when I'm interrupted in the middle of a scene, I can go ahead and jot it down on the go. Is it ideal? Nope. But it gets the job done.

A lot of times I also end up using Google Docs to get some drafting done because I can get to it anywhere there's a computer and get my word count in for the day. 

A friend of mine who is a new mom had to adjust her routine as well, and train herself to know that when the baby is napping, it's time to write. 

Writing isn't a perfect, ideal, clean, clear-cut, process. As much as I would love it to be, it just isn't.  Being flexible I've found to be essential.

Set a Deadline

There's a reason why National Novel Writing Month works so well for so many people. It has a set deadline. Get 50,000 words done by this date. The end. A deadline is an incredible motivator.

People always say "someday I'll..." but it never happens because "someday" is an obscure time frame. If you say "On this date I'll have 'x' amount done" that's much more concrete and attainable. It's an actual goal, and not just a dream. 

But be sure it's a goal you can attain, or is realistic. For me, if I set a goal to write 100,000 words in one month, I'd get overwhelmed and quit. But, I was able to do 50,000 in November, and I know I'll need roughly another 40-50,000 to finish Vampire Snow White. This means getting that done within two months, is very much a doable goal. 

It can be hard to stick to a deadline you set for yourself if there aren't any consequences. So, I always suggest giving yourself rewards when you reach milestones. "When I have 'x' amount done, I'll get to buy a new book or take myself out to eat somewhere I usually wouldn't go." Or even a small goal like "If I get this chapter done, I can binge watch something on Netflix the rest of the day."

Whatever it takes to get it done, do it!

 

Those are my suggestions for getting a rough draft completed. What tips and tricks do you have to get a task done? 

Like what you read? Consider buying me a coffee. This simply helps me to continue creating content and I really appreciate your support!

My 17 Favorite Books of 2017

Over the course of 2017 I read 113 books. (That's including re-reads!) In 2016 I read 124, and I had actually made it a goal to read fewer this year so I could make time for other things. Technically, I did read fewer books, but I still need a bit more life/reading balance. 

As the year came to a close, I took a look at my Goodreads page and the books I rated 5 stars which I read for the first time, and was able to narrow down which ones I wanted to feature for my favorites of the year post. (Even if it is a tad late. But better late than never, right? Right.) In no particular order (because I can't decide on a ranking) here are my 17 favorites of 2017!

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You'll find a good balance of young adult, adult, fantasy, sci-fi, non-fiction, series, romance, contemporary, historical, and stand alones! So, there should be a little bit of something for everyone on this list. 

(Note: books which come in the middle or end of a series I made a note of which number they were so you don't just jump right into the middle of the series. In the genres, I do mention if a book is own voices or not. While, I know this is not technically a "genre" it was simply the best place to mention it. Own voices is a movement for marginalized groups to share books written about them, by them. Example: a character identifies as being Latinex and the author is also Latinex. There also are Amazon affiliate links in this post.)
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  • Genre: YA Historical Science Fiction/Fantasy/Own Voices
  • Format: Hardcover

I could go on and on about how completely delightful this book was but it would pretty much be all incoherent squealing!

It's basically a 18th century road trip across Europe filled with spoiled rich boys (who are in love!), romance, magic, and pirates! I read it twice and both times was wonderful. I love Monty, Percy, and Felicity. They make my heart happy. Then, even with how light-hearted it is, there's also fantastic deeper moments about forgiveness, acceptance, and love. It's one I could read over and over again and never get tired of it, and I know she has both a sequel and a companion novella in the works. I can't wait to read them!

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  • Genre: YA (arguable) Epic Fantasy
  • Format: Hardcover

I always feel like when I talk about books by Sarah J Maas, I have to explain myself a bit. So, bear with me. 

The Throne of Glass books (and her Court of Thorns and Roses series) can be pretty divisive in the book world. People either love them, or they hate them. I happen to love them. I'm a ridiculous Sarah J Maas fangirl. 

A big reason why people haven't been a fan of Sarah J Maas' writing has been because they feel she doesn't represent marginalized groups well. Which, I can definitely see what they're saying and there is for sure room for improvement. As big of a SJM fan I am, at first, I was nervous about reading Tower of Dawn. The premise was about a character who had lost the use of his legs and was traveling to another continent to be healed. I am very picky about representation of disabilities in books. I was so scared I was going to be disapointed the way other people in other marginlized groups had been in the past. 

I was so happy and proud of how SJM handled it all, I cried. You can tell she really listened and thought through every single detail of how the character's disability was portrayed. If you want a spoiler-filled review, click here for my thoughts. I wish I could have more references for POC and their thoughts on the representation since a majority of the characters in this book were POC, but from the few I have seen it was all positive. I'm so stinking proud of SJM. 

I also know some people thought it moved too slow and it was boring. I didn't find it to be the case at all. No, it's not action-packed, but the entire book was compelling and I couldn't put it down. 

LOVED this book and I definitely want to re-read it. And if you're thinking you can skip Tower of Dawn simply because it doesn't have Aelin as the main character - you're wrong! You'll want to read this one after Empire of Storms!

Girl Meets God by Lauren F Winner

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  • Genre: Christian Non-Fiction/Memoir
  • Format: Paperback

Technically, this was a re-read for me. But it's been at least 10 years since I've read this book, I decided it counts. A friend of mine in college who was a little older than me had recommended this to me and let me borrow her copy. I remember I liked it, but didn't love it.

Earlier this year I was thinking about this book and realized that many of the problems I had with it back then, I've changed my views on now that I'm older. So, I gave it a re-read.

I am so glad I did! I could relate to Winner on so many levels in this memoir. I've gone through many phases of my faith, and this book spoke to me in this current phase. The one where I know what I believe, but I don't always have the passion and feelings I did when I was in high school or college. It was so comforting, and I loved reading about her transition from conservative Judaism to Christianity. 

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

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  • Genre: YA Fantasy
  • Format: Hardcover

For some reason, Laini Taylor is one of those authors where I know I like them, but when I pick up her books I'm completely blown away and I think "how did I forget how much I love her?" Maybe it's because her Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy came out a few years ago and it felt like it took forever for this one to be released.

But it was well worth the wait.

If you aren't a fan of long descriptive writing, this may not be for you. But, I don't always enjoy those books either, and I loved this one. Each sentence was more beautiful than the next. The world was amazing, and I completely fell in love with Lazlo Strange. The title of the book perfectly describes the experience of reading it. This is a wonderful, strange, dream-like story, and I can't wait for the next one. 

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

  • Genre: Science Fiction/Own Voices
  • Format: ebook

Anyone who says that novellas can't have excellent world building, plot, and character development because they're too short haven't read Binti. I'd heard rave reviews about it last year but for some reason it took me a long time to download and read it.

Why did I wait so long? I need to read the next two books ASAP.

This is a fantastic sci-fi, coming of age, survival story about Binti who is on her way to university. It's about getting out of your comfort zone, facing your fears, and finding friendship in unusual places. 

The Diviners by Libba Bray

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  • Genre: YA Historical Paranormal
  • Format: Audiobook

For literally years, people have been telling me to read The Diviners and I did start it last year then put it down, intending to pick it back up again. Why it took me until now to read it, I have no idea. But I'm so glad I finally did!

I listened to this book on audio (the narrator is AMAZING) in October and it was the perfect thing to get me into the Halloween mood. It's creepy enough to feel like it's Halloween, but not so scary that I had nightmares at night. The main character Evie is delightful and I loved all of the different narrators and how they weaved together. The 1920s New York setting was really fun, and the paranormal mystery was to "die" for!

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  • Genre: Urban Fantasy
  • Format: Paperback

This is the final book in the Chicagoland Vampires series, so this is really more of a review for all 13 books. (Plus the extra short stories and novellas!) These books follow the main character, Merit, and roughly her first year as a vampire. It's a world where vampires have just "come out" into society and the world is adjusting to their presence.

First, it takes place in Chicago. So, clearly it's awesome. Merit is one of my favorite protagonists. Ethan Sullivan is... well... there are no words for him, but trust me that you won't be disappointed! I loved how the series was about Merit becoming more than she ever could have imagined, all of the fun supernatural elements, strong friendships, and of course the romance! I gave the first book, Some Girls Bite (the link above will lead you to that book so you can go right to the start of the series) a re-read in December and it meant so much more now that I know how everything goes down. I binge-read the whole series in 2016 and this final book came out in March of 2017. I can't believe it's over! But this conclusion was perfect.

Chloe Neill is writing a spin-off series to Chicagoland Vampires and I'm very excited to read it. But, I'm going to miss this series!

Seeking Mansfield by Kate Watson

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  • Genre: YA Contemporary Retelling
  • Format: Library Paperback

This one took me by surprise! It's a modern-day young adult retelling of Mansfield Park and it was so stinking cute. It moved a bit slow at first, but by the end I was smiling from ear to ear! Kate Watson did an awesome job of keeping the heart of a Jane Austen book, while also updating it appropriately and making this it's own story at the same time. If you want something to make you smile and go "awwwwww" then you'll want to pick this one up.

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  • Genre: YA (Maybe?) Thriller/SFF
  • Format: ebook

Another book which took me by surprise! I'm not into horror or thriller much, so I wasn't sure what this book was going to be like. But, Dan Wells is a co-host of one of my favorite podcasts (Writing Excuses) and I want to read at least one book by each co-host. 

This book blew me away. 

More than anything else, it was a character study of a teenage boy with serial killer and sociopathic tendencies. If you ever wanted to learn about the psychology of a serial killer, without ever having to read about a serial killer, this is the book for you. It's completely fascinating (partly because he lives in a morgue and I grew up in a funeral home, so that was really fun for me) and I loved learning how his mind worked and seeing the spiral he goes down when a serial killer plagues his home town. 

I read this book in one sitting and at the end the word that came to mind was "incredible."

Written in Red by Anne Bishop

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  • Genre: Urban Fantasy
  • Format: Mass Market Paperback

I've heard so many good things about this book. so it really was about time I started this urban fantasy series. What makes The Others series unique, is that this doesn't have the typical feel of an urban fantasy book. This genre tends to be more fast-paced and have shorter length novels. Written in Red is more character driven and significantly longer than most urban fantasy.

It's urban fantasy for people who don't like urban fantasy.

I loved how "the others" were portrayed because you can tell they truly aren't human. Most of the time when I read about shifters, they have more of the feel of they're normally human with some animal tendencies. With the others, you can tell being an animal is for sure their natural state, and human is not. It's a very fine line, but I could tell the difference, and it made it much better. I also really liked the small town feel of the setting.

Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans

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  • Genre: Christian Non-Fiction/Memoir
  • Format: ebook

I've read a few other Rachel Held Evans and thoroughly enjoyed them both. This book made me feel like Evans' relationship with the Evangelical church is similar to mine with the Lutheran Church, which was comforting. As I said with Girl Meets God, I've gone through a lot of phases with my faith, and this one really connected to the phase I'm currently in. 

Kindred by Octavia E Butler

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  • Genre: Science Fiction-Fantasy (Time Travel)/Historical/Own Voices
  • Format: ebook

As is what feels like the theme of great books I read in 2017, but once again it took me far too long to get to this science fiction/fantasy legend. Octavia E Butler was the the first black woman to have been published in SFF, and wow, is she amazing! It was one of the first books I read in 2017 and it stuck with  me throughout the rest of the year.

Kindred is about time travel, but don't worry! It's not one of those weird, confusing, wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey type books if you aren't a fan of those. Dana and her husband go back and forth between modern day (which was the 70s when the book was written) and pre-civil war era. It's a fascinating look at slavery, inter-racial relationships, and how people are complex. I want to tell you more, but it would spoil it and I don't want to do that! Just go read it for yourself. I know for sure I'll be reading more of Butler's works and have several waiting for me on my Kindle already.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

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  • Genre: YA Contemporary
  • Format: Hardcover

If you haven't heard about this book yet, what rock have you been living under? It has broken records for length of time on the NYT bestseller list, it has a movie currently being filmed, and it's freaking amazing. 

The Hate U Give is about the Black Lives Matters movement, but also about finding your place in the world when you don't feel like you can ever be yourself, first love, family, figuring out who your real friends are, and standing up for what's right. This book is heartwarming, funny, and one of the most important books of the year. 

Go read it. Right now. Go. 

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  • Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Own Voices
  • Format: Library Hardcover

Again, this is another review which is more for the whole trilogy since this is the finale.

I completely adore this young adult urban fantasy trilogy! In the first book, it reminded me a lot of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, but as the story goes on you'll find they are very different! I loved the war going on between the two fictional races and the impact it had on the characters. There's a lot of different points of view to follow and relationships to fall in love with, and the world and magic are fantastic. 

Part of me refuses to believe this trilogy is over. The way this one ended... it's definitely an ending. But I also have a hunch there could be more coming. PLEASE LET ME BE RIGHT, I NEED IT!

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

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  • Genre: YA Contemporary Romance/Own Voices
  • Format: Hardcover

Becky Albertalli is another author whom I'm a massive fangirl for. I can't get enough of her books. The Upside of Unrequited is her second novel, and a companion to Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. You can read this one without having to read Simon, she did a great job of keeping away any major spoilers, but I personally think you should read Simon first.

I've never connected to a character when it comes to relationships and dating the way I did to Molly in this book. She might be a teenager, but even as a 31 year old adult, I knew exactly what she was talking about, and I wanted to cry. No one ever talks about people who don't date a lot, haven't had many boyfriends, and having that perpetual unrequited love and crush. I connected to it on such a deep level, it was almost painful. This book was so cute, and so sweet, and I love it to pieces. I may love Simon more, but only by a slight amount. 

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  • Genre: Urban Fantasy
  • Format: Library Mass Market Paperback

I will never stop obsessing over the Kate Daniels series. Never ever ever. After reading this book (and some of the others) I stand by my statement that this is urban fantasy as its best. Anyone that tells you urban fantasy doesn't have great character development, world building, and compelling storylines has not read Kate Daniels. I will say, the first few books I liked, but didn't LOVE. The longer the series goes on, the better it becomes, and the more obsessed I am. 

Kate is one of the best protagonists ever. Hands down. The relationship is one of my all time favorite OTPs. The use of fables, lore, and legends is amazing. All of the characters are well developed and compelling. This book had me hooked from start to finish. The seventh book is almost just as good, but I had a hard time following the first half. But honestly, both books six and seven are excellent. 

Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger

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  • Genre: Historical/ Paranormal/Comedy of Manners/Romance
  • Format: ebook

Gail Carriger books are ridiculous, sexy, charming, and downright hilarious. When was the last time you literally LOL'd while reading a book? For me, it was Romancing the Inventor. 

This is a short F/F romance novella set in the world of her Parasol Protectorate series (but can be read alone if you like) and it was so fun to revisit the world and see the characters. I loved the romance in this novella and was rooting for them the entire time. It was a perfect quick read for a quiet afternoon that needed some livening up! 

 

What were some of your favorite books you read in 2017? Anything that I should put on my "to-read" list for 2018?

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