January 2021 Reading Wrap-Up

Magic. Romance. Revolution. The sequel to the bold and gorgeous The Waking Land.

‘Bates is an author well worth watching’ Robin Hobb

Jahan Korakides is the hero who saved the life of the crown prince in battle, helped win the revolution in Eren and earned the heart of Elanna, the legendary Wildegarde reborn.

But Jahan Korakides is also broken; haunted by memories of the woman who experimented on him and his brothers as children.

So when the empire threatens war in retribution for Elanna’s illegal sorcery, Jahan leaves Eren to negotiate with the emperor on Queen Sophy’s behalf. But the world he left has changed – riots rock the city of Ida, his brother is missing and the crown prince refuses to speak to him.

Jahan’s only hope of success seems to lie with the rebels in Ida. Yet, if he joins them, he will merely spur on the war he’s desperate to avoid, and risk revealing himself as a sorcerer.

And then the witch hunters arrive at court, bringing Elanna in chains.

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Do you ever have moments while you’re reading a book where you just pause and think, “wow, this has been one long battle and I’ve processed practically none of it,” or is that just me?

The Memory of Fire is written from Jahan’s perspective after Elanna wakes the land. There are a lot of flashbacks from his terrible childhood and you feel the weight on his shoulders as he tries to fight the voices in his head, help win a revolution, and keep his brothers safe.

However, rather than feeling uplifted or stirred to keep reading, I found myself getting more and more bored as the story went on. This one felt repetitive and unnecessarily informational (as in, you had a lot of information tossed at you without feeling as though you were retaining any of it because it had little purpose in the first place).

I really adored Jahan in The Waking Land, but maybe I only liked him from Elanna’s perspective? I’m not entirely sure now. It could just be that this book had “middle book syndrome” and was necessary in order to lead up to a banger of a finale? Here’s hoping…

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords – and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

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Where should I even begin when it comes to this installment in the series? Honestly, I could sum up my review with the word, “WOW” and be done with it, but let me expound…

A Court of Thorns and Roses was painfully slow with little-to-no character progression or world building. I felt zero attachment to the characters and had no desire to continue reading. However, A Court of Mist and Fury took a completely different turn! I was impressed with the way the characters were written and even began to experience intense emotions as I read through the book because I connected to Feyre as she worked through anxiety, PTSD, and depression.

That leads me to A Court of Wings and Ruin. I didn’t think the characters could grow any more than they did in the previous book, but I was wrong. I felt like this one started off slow, but I actually didn’t mind because it was letting us have an in-depth look at the side characters and even what was going on as Feyre worked to protect her court and her mate.

By the last 200 pages, I found myself tearing up regularly. This was totally unexpected. The connections and “bonds” between the different characters, the way the story truly blossomed, it all had me so emotional. There were moments where I literally gasped aloud or even slammed my book down, saying, “OH NO!!!” In the end, it was a truly satisfying read and left me hungering for more.

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life.

When she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

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Read my full review here

The race for survival comes to a thrilling conclusion in the heart-stopping finale to the Darkness Rising trilogy, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they’re quickly running out of places to hide.

All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they’re so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control. But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And like it or not, she’ll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can’t keep running forever.

With all the twists, thrills, and romance that have made Kelley Armstrong an international bestseller, plus the surprising return of some fan-favorite characters, The Rising will hold you under its spell long after its breathtaking end.

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I have to admit that when it came to this finale, I was less than impressed. I had great big expectations for the way that this epic story would be wrapped up. Instead of experiencing something spectacular, there was a TON of world-building and character development, back-and-forths with relationships, new characters added, and more…. only to have it all quickly wrapped up and finalized in the last few chapters.

It left me with a lot of questions and some hope that the series would continue.

Overall series rating: 3 stars. This is because while the first book totally captured my attention, had great action and good attention to detail, the second one felt like there was very little plot, and the third one never really…. finished the story.

In this contemporary romance with a bit of magic, chronic overachiever Prudence Daniels is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, during a night out with her friends, she slips on a spilled drink and hits her head, only to wake up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her. Pru giddily makes use of the power, punishing everyone from public vandals to karaoke hecklers, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire — Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner and all-around mortal enemy. Over the course of a summer, Pru begins to uncover truths about Quint, her peers, and even herself that reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed… love and hate.

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This book had such a cute plot concept. It combined magical realism with animal rights and an adorable, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope.

It started off really strong with an intense focus on the enemies: Pru (our MC) and Quint. Pru wasn’t a particularly likable character from the get-go. She’s pretty arrogant and rude. However, you feel for her because she uses these traits to cover up for her anxiety. Quint is “teenage boy annoying” with his lackadaisical outlook and ability to charm despite his flaws. He gets on Pru’s nerves, but it’s pretty clear from the start where this story is going…

…enter the magical realism. Pru hits her head after a wild karaoke rendition of Instant Karma and suddenly she has the ability to inflict her own version of karma on others. For quite some time, she uses this power to only get back at those who have done wrong, but she finds out later on that she can reward people as well, and you start to see a different side of her.

I think that I felt conflicted about halfway through this story. It was cute, sure, but it felt like it was trying to have more substance than it actually did? Pru begins to involve herself in saving sea animals and she volunteers with Quint, causing her to see the good in him and they end up falling for each other (blah blah blah kinda predictable) buuuuut her character progression from snotty schoolgirl to animal rights activist felt a little contrived to me, considering she was so young (they mention that they’re sophomores soooo like 15 years old?) And simultaneously, there are about 5 other subplots that are going on which I never felt were actually resolved in the end. Maybe I’m just getting old.

I’m gonna blame it on getting old. This is a great, true, YOUNG ADULT book. Like… for teens or even preteens. But I had a hard time really getting into it in the same way I have with Meyer’s other books. And believe me, her other books (specifically Renegades but also The Lunar Chronicles) are some of my favorites OF ALL TIME. So, I guess this just wasn’t so much for me.

The forest is a dangerous place, where siren song lures men and women to their deaths. For centuries, a witch has harvested souls to feed the heartless tree, using its power to grow her domain.

When Owen Merrick is lured into the witch’s wood, one of her tree-siren daughters, Seren, saves his life instead of ending it. Every night, he climbs over the garden wall to see her, and every night her longing to become human deepens. But a shift in the stars foretells a dangerous curse, and Seren’s quest to become human will lead them into an ancient war raging between the witch and the king who is trying to stop her.

Epic, heartbreaking, and darkly atmospheric, Into the Heartless Wood is the story of impossible love between a monstrous tree siren and a boy who lives at the edge of her wood.

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Read my full review here | Read the author interview here

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy.

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I realize that I’m super late to the game when it comes to Shadow and Bone, but last year I made the decision to read Six of Crows (thinking that was a prequel or something??) and I didn’t care for it. I felt like it was slow-paced and almost overly-detailed. However, I didn’t want to let that dictate whether or not I gave S&B a try. When a friend of mine (a huge fan of Bardugo’s work) offered to buddy-read this, I agreed! I went into it with an open mind, despite my previous experience with the Grishaverse.

That being said, I absolutely loved Shadow and Bone. From the moment it began, I was totally hooked. I’ll admit that I’m not usually one for The Chosen One trope, but I feel as though Alina is a unique character. She doesn’t come into her own readily and even fights her abilities throughout the story, which intrigued me. She’s a pretty intricate character and while this is only the first book, I like her a lot and I’m looking forward to seeing how she progresses.

On the matter of The Darkling. I knew bits and pieces about this character because of bookstagram. There’s a “love to hate” emotion that comes with reading about him. He’s toxic. A heavy combination of possibly wicked and definitely seductive. I can see why he’s so often discussed. I will say that the plot twist was well done (and that’s all I’ll say because I want this to be as spoiler-free as possible).

There are a lot of characters to keep track of and right now my feelings are mixed because this is only my introduction to this cast. I don’t like Mal. I do love Genya. I know that it’s going to be a roller coaster from here on out, but it’s a roller coaster I’m excited about.

A whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, soon to be a Netflix original series starring Austin Abrams and Midori Francis!

Lily left a red notebook full of challenges on her favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. Dash, in a bad mood during the holidays, happens to be the first guy to pick up the notebook and rise to its challenges. What follows is a whirlwind romance as Dash and Lily trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City. But can their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions, or will their scavenger hunt end in a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

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Sometimes you just need to sit down and enjoy a total fluff read. That’s what this is. It’s a fluff read. It’s like a marshmallow: all squishy and gooey and sweet.

I watched the Netflix adaptation of Dash & Lily over the holidays – and then watched it again. It was adorable and I loved every minute of the wholesome cuteness. I often reminisce on the late 90’s and early 00’s romcoms with their upbeat, whimsical goodness that’s suitable for the whole family. It’s rare to find that now – but Dash & Lily fits in that category perfectly. I had no clue it was based on a book until after I watched the show. So, obviously, I had to get the book ASAP.

It did not disappoint! I wondered how close the show would be to the book and I can say that it was pretty darn close. There are a few key differences, like the language in the book: I was NOT expecting to hear them swear and the first time I did, I actually laughed! Also, some of the “dare” scenarios play out a little differently, and the ending is spectacularly different. There were a few parts of the show I enjoyed a LOT that I wished had been part of the book, but overall, I was pleased.

If you’re looking for something light, quick, and cheerful – this is a great read. I’m looking forward to checking out the next few books in the series as well!

Kyle and Kimberly have been the perfect couple all through high school, but when Kimberly breaks up with him on the night of their graduation party, Kyle’s entire world upends—literally. Their car crashes and when he awakes, he has a brain injury. Kimberly is dead. And no one in his life could possibly understand.

Until Marley. Marley is suffering from her own loss, a loss she thinks was her fault. And when their paths cross, Kyle sees in her all the unspoken things he’s feeling.

As Kyle and Marley work to heal each other’s wounds, their feelings for each other grow stronger. But Kyle can’t shake the sense that he’s headed for another crashing moment that will blow up his life as soon as he’s started to put it back together.

And he’s right.

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** spoiler alert ** Whew. I’m not really sure where to begin with this one. I had to talk it out with a friend right after finishing it because I have some THOUGHTS. Let’s narrow them down, shall we?

1) The beginning of this book is tough. Like, totally naive and smitten Kyle gets into a car crash with his girlfriend immediately following their super intense break-up and she DIES kind of tough. He’s faced with a reality where she isn’t alive AND he finds out that his best friend was in love with her the whole time. Woof.

2) Then he meets Marley. At his ex-girlfriend’s cemetery. Marley is super moody and withdrawn because she thinks she killed her twin sister. But it’s okay because he draws her out of her shell and they fall in love. That’s most of the book. Them falling in love. It’s sweet (kinda weird, but sweet) and you start to have some hope.

3) ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT HE’S BEEN IN A COMA THIS WHOLE TIME. What? He “wakes up” a “year after the crash” (which turns out is 8 weeks after the crash) to learn that his ex-girlfriend is definitely still alive and this Marley girl is a figment of his coma-state imagination. At this point, I was kinda mad at the book. That’s a lot and I was finally starting to really like Marley. Plus, they’d just adopted a Yorkie puppy so…

4) Kyle decides Marley actually IS real and proceeds to go a bit nuts and even goes so far as to stalk a child, thinking it’s “his Marley”… OH, and then proceeds to creep on a visitor at the hospital who actually IS his Marley. This chick’s been sitting in his room and reading him stories that fueled his coma dream life for the last 8 weeks (or year in his mind). Is your head spinning? My head was spinning.

5) They finally begin to talk and they start to fall in love (again, sorta? for real this time?) and then SHE GETS HIT BY A CAR AND GOES INTO A COMA. What even!? So of course, Kyle has to try and save her just like “she saved him.” He goes into her coma-state imagination and tries to convince her to come back to him but she’s like “nah, I kinda wanna go be with my dead sister.” So he’s all bummed and he comes back and then suddenly the heart monitor starts beeping and she wakes up and is like “PSYCH. Just messing! I only wanted to say bye to her. Okay, we’re good now, let’s go back to being in love.” And that’s the end.

I… am reeling. If you want to be dreadfully confused and frustrated, this is a great book. The first half is kinda good and I liked the magical realism aspects. But the second half gave me whiplash.

Four Kingdoms, One prophecy, and a race to save thousands of lives. Divergent meets Lord of the Rings in this fantasy novel filled with magic.

For hundreds of years, the Kingdom of Anaratha has waited for the Heir of the Prophecies, condemning their most promising royals to a Testing Day, where they journey through the sinister Jyre Forest. As Michale’thia prepares for her own test, everything begins to unravel: her maid begins to show signs of having the ancient magic in her veins, a legendary Botani warrior descends the mountain to appear at her Testing Day Ball, and the Northern Brends Kingdom makes a shocking declaration that may catapult the lands into war.Can Michale’thia ascend the throne as Queen and save the land of Elharren from utter destruction, or will she lose the race against time and condemn them all?

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I was gifted an e-book by the author in exchange for a review

There was SO MUCH packed into this creative fantasy novel that I barely even know where to begin when it comes to writing out all of my thoughts.

I’ll start with our protagonist: I’m a sucker for a strong, female MC and that’s precisely what I got, but not in the way you might expect. Sure, Michale’thia is a firecracker, but she’s also an intellectual and someone who is ready to put herself in harm’s way in order to protect her friends. She also sees the injustice surrounding her and wants to make a difference. I appreciated that from the very beginning of the story.

This is a really great cast, in general! Syra is ABSOLUTELY my favorite character and her quiet wisdom and fierce compassion for her best friend, Michale’thia, is so admirable. They’re almost more like sisters than anything else, even though race and class separate them in so many ways.

However, while the character progression is incredible, the world-building is just as intricate. There were so many issues discussed throughout the story. From racial injustice to legalism to the massive errors in the different kingdoms and how they rule. There was a LOT to unpack here, but Brandsma did a great job and handled it all with such grace.

Through the Dark has a Chosen One trope that’s really well done and a bunch of fun twists throughout (plus a GREAT cliff-hanger ending). There’s not a ton of romance, which I missed to some degree. However, I didn’t find that it impacted the story negatively at all. There’s such an emphasis on family and friends that I wasn’t just wishing it would “hurry up and get to the romance already.”

I’m seriously looking forward to the sequel!

Two worlds are poised on the brink of a vicious war. By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera’s rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her.

When the brutal angel emperor brings his army to the human world, Karou and Akiva are finally reunited – not in love, but in a tentative alliance against their common enemy. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people. And, perhaps, for themselves.

But with even bigger threats on the horizon, are Karou and Akiva strong enough to stand among the gods and monsters?

The New York Times bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy comes to a stunning conclusion as – from the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond – humans, chimaera, and seraphim strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

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Have you ever read a book that’s so unremarkable that you forget nearly everything about it the moment you finish it? That’s how I felt about this book. That’s how I felt about this series overall, which is such a shame.

I absolutely loved the first book. It was magical and mysterious and it totally sucked me in. The second book bored me to tears. This third book was scary the moment I laid eyes on it. It’s HUGE! So, rather than reading the physical copy I had picked up from my library, I decided to listen to the audiobook on a road trip. I listened to four hours of it – 30 chapters on 1.8x speed – and I had only finished 34%. I felt exhausted just thinking of continuing, but I pushed forward.

This book was like a never-ending battle that introduced way too many new characters and new storylines, considering it was the final book. I was confused, mixing up the plot, and then just felt myself zoning out… practically not listening to the final couple of hours of the audiobook. I wanted to love it. I wanted it to redeem itself. I hoped the second book was just a fluke and this one would be epic and exciting and romantic like the first one… but it fell flat.

I think I’ll stick with the Strange the Dreamer duology. Meep.

Giving the full trilogy 2 stars as a whole. That first book ROCKED, but… it was downhill from there.

A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

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“Do you know how you live three hundred years? she says.
And when he asks how, she smiles. “The same way you live one. A second at a time.”

A little over halfway through reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, a friend asked me if I got the hype surrounding it or if I was feeling underwhelmed. I began to explain that while I was certainly not underwhelmed, I hadn’t discovered the elements that created the hype. As I was talking through the plot, I began to realize more and more that I had, in fact, already discovered those elements without even becoming aware of them. They were slowly sinking in and making an impact and I hadn’t noticed until I stated them aloud. But isn’t that what a truly good book should do? Sometimes the impact hits like a train – a really good quote or moment that just stands out above the rest – but other times it just seeps in like a steady IV drip of profound knowledge.

What I loved most about this book wasn’t the beautiful story (though yes, it was hauntingly beautiful), but it was the way it made me FEEL. It was a book of emotions in the form of words. It carried you to new places and made you experience everything Addie, Henry (and even Luc) did as they experienced them. You felt their pain, their joy, and when they were the most emotionally vulnerable, you felt stripped down to your rawest self as well.

Though moments of it were slightly predictable, I didn’t mind. They were written in such a way that while I saw them coming, I also wanted that outcome (and not because the outcome was always “perfect” or “good” but because it was REAL). Yes, this book may have been written about a girl who lived to be 300 years old, trapped in the body of a 23-year-old, but it was still relatable in many ways I wasn’t expecting.

I don’t annotate books. I just can’t make myself take a pen to a book, however, I can see myself wanting to reread this and learn from it (and yes, maybe even annotate) time and again because there’s so much to gain from it. It is one of the most profound books I’ve ever read. Leave it to Schwab to create another pure masterpiece.