50% off Sale + Books Read in November

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

I have a 50% off sale in my shop through Monday, so now is a great time to pick up Ultimate Book Blogger, Tweak Me v2 or any other product!


It’s been ages since I’ve posted anything here, so I thought I’d also highlight some of the books I read this month.

Kingdom of Ash

Kingdom of AshKingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #7
Published by: Bloomsbury USA Childrens on October 23, 2018
Genre: Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Pages: 980
Source: Purchased
Book Details
Rating: ★★★★

Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

I’m sad I wasn’t crazy obsessed with Kingdom of Ash. I certainly liked it—I gave it 4 stars after all—but I wasn’t OBSESSED with it. I feel like I’m always a bit let down if the last book in a series isn’t my favourite. Honestly it may have even been my least favourite in the series. I think I gave all the other books 4.5 stars or higher.

Truthwitch

TruthwitchTruthwitch by Susan Dennard
Series: The Witchlands #1
Published by: Tor Teen on January 5, 2016
Genre: Fantasy, Magic
Pages: 416
Source: Purchased
Book Details
Rating: ★★★

In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

I first started Truthwitch back when it came out and stopped reading after only a handful of pages. It just didn’t grab me. I decided to give it another shot because I LOOOVE the cover and that always makes me want to love the book too. This time I did get through it, but I didn’t really enjoy it that much. I skimmed a lot towards the end.

The world wasn’t explained well at all. Clearly A LOT of thought went into it and there are all these unique ideas like Heart-Threads, Thread-families, Cleaving, etc. but none of them are actually explained. They’re just mentioned in hopes that you’ll figure it out on your own??? So I feel like there was this interesting world with so much potential, but I had no idea what any of it actually meant. There needed to be much better explanations.

The main character sometimes annoyed me.

I didn’t understand why being a Truthwitch was so valuable. Yes, it’s a cool power, and certainly useful, but it doesn’t really seem worth going to war over wanting to claim one. They acted like if you had a Truthwitch you had all the power in the world, but I guess I have a hard time really seeing that as true.

In the end it was only okay for me and I don’t think I’ll be continuing with the series.

Skyward

SkywardSkyward by Brandon Sanderson
Series: Skyward #1
Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers on November 6, 2018
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 528
Source: Purchased
Book Details
Rating: ★★★★★

Spensa's world has been under attack for hundreds of years. An alien race called the Krell leads onslaught after onslaught from the sky in a never-ending campaign to destroy humankind. Humanity's only defense is to take to their ships and combat the Krell. Pilots are the heroes of what's left of the human race.

Becoming a pilot has always been Spensa's dream. Since she was a little girl, she has imagined soaring above the earth and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with that of her father--a pilot himself who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, leaving Spensa's chances of attending Flight School at slim to none.

No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, but she is determined to fly. And the Krell just made that a possibility. They've doubled their fleet, which will make Spensa's world twice as deadly . . . but just might take her skyward.

Finally! A book I ADORED! Skyward was everything I hoped it would be. It was exciting and the main character was awesome. I loved rooting for her. Plus the book had a lot of that funny Sanderson humour.

Light Years

Light YearsLight Years by Kass Morgan
Series: Light Years #1
Published by: Little Brown Books for Young Readers on October 9, 2018
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 384
Source: Gifted
Book Details
Rating: ★★★★½

Reeling from the latest attack by a mysterious enemy, the Quatra Fleet Academy is finally admitting students from every planet in the solar system after centuries of exclusivity.

Hotshot pilot Vesper, an ambitious Tridian citizen, dreams of becoming a captain - but when she loses her spot to a brilliant, wisecracking boy from the wrong side of the asteroid belt, it makes her question everything she thought she knew. Growing up on the toxic planet Deva, Cormak will take any chance he can get to escape his dead-end life and join the Academy - even if he has to steal someone's identity to do it. Arran was always considered an outsider on icy Chetire, always dreaming of something more than a life working in the mines. Now an incoming cadet, Arran is looking for a place to belong - he just never thought that place would be in the arms of a Tridian boy. And Orelia is hiding a dark secret - she's infiltrated the Academy to complete a mission, one that threatens the security of everyone there. But if anyone finds out who she really is, it'll be her life on the line.

These cadets will have to put their differences aside and become a team to defend their world from a cunning enemy - but the danger might be lurking closer to home than they think...

After Skyward I was super hungry for more space books, so I picked up Light Years. I thought this could be hit or miss because it sounded great, but if I remember rightly I don’t think I loved the book The 100 (despite loving the TV show). I think I started it but didn’t finish. However, Light Years was AWESOME! There are several different characters to follow and I loved all of them. They each had some kind of issue or significant reason for being at the academy and I loved learning more about each of their stories. I’m really excited to continue this series!


November Book Haul

Here are a few of the new books I bought in November:

This Mortal Coil and This Cruel Design

I already owned This Mortal Coil but I bought This Cruel Design. I’m looking forward to reading book two because the first one was awesome! Hopefully I remember it well enough…

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Everyone seems to prefer the UK edition of Skyward, but I prefer the US edition. I think just because I’m obsessed with this style of digital art. The UK edition may be a better representation of what the book is all about, but I think this artwork is just so pretty! ♥

Throne of Glass Collector's Edition UK

I bought the collector’s edition of Throne of Glass. I couldn’t resist!

Golden Son by Pierce Brown - Subterranean Press Edition

I was so thrilled when Golden Son finally arrived today! It was stuck in customs in Heathrow for 20 days! I thought it was a goner because tracking completely stopped. That was frustrating. I’m glad it finally came through. It’s gorgeous!

I also got these books, which I couldn’t be bothered to photograph:

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I'm a 30-something California girl living in England (I fell in love with a Brit!). My three great passions are: books, coding, and fitness. more »

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5 comments

    1. Yes, I saw! It looks wonderful! I preordered mine already. 🙂

      I’m so glad to hear that about Girls of Paper and Fire! Yay!

    1. I’m glad to hear you loved This Mortal Coil too! I’m a little nervous about This Cruel Design just because it’s been over a year since I read This Mortal Coil and I’m afraid of how little I remember. I find I don’t enjoy book #2 as much if book #1 isn’t fresh in my mind.

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