A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

TL;DR New Adult high fantasy

TBR #1091, added Nov 14 2014

finished 8/21/16

ACOTAR was the reason I started getting ebooks from my library again lol. I'd found some boards on Pinterest that made me super intrigued in the series, but I knew the hold queue for the physical library books would take forever and I couldn't justify buying it right before Otakon. So I placed a hold on the ebook and waited to see if I ended up buying it off Amazon first.

Luckily my patience won out and I managed to get the library ebook without too much of a wait. I'm really glad I decided to push through getting it instead of just waiting for a copy to fall into my hands, but I think I threw myself a little too into the series and burned myself out already lol.

The biggest reason for that is that Pinterest has a ton of spoilers, and because of the couple boards I looked at, I already knew a couple things that would happen over the course of the story. I also already know what's generally going to happen in the second book, which doesn't make me as [grabby hands] for it. I looked at a lot more Pinterest boards after I finished reading ACOTAR and got a little sick of it.

The whole book in itself is pretty good. The beginning is a little slow but once the plot started moving along I was invested in seeing how what I'd learned from the internet fit into the book overall. All the characters were pretty good, though at the same time I can also say I'm not as invested in them as I'd wanted to be. I'm more invested in the worldbuilding.

Like, my main interest in the second book now is seeing what more of the world looks like, not necessarily what Feyre's story is going to be. Which maybe isn't the best thing, because I should probably be more interested in the characters. Even in ACOTAR, I was a little more biased towards the worldbuilding and the whole setting outside of Feyre's story than necessarily Feyre's story itself.

Also, this is definitely not a book to read when there's a chance of someone reading over your shoulder. There are some ... steamy sections. I'd actually say the entire second half of the book is questionable reading in public. I'm still a little conflicted about the romance itself, because it's not quite insta-love, but I can't really otherwise say what attraction they really do have to each other. And also because Pinterest kind of ruined the outcome of the second book for me.

(Based on the romance and the fact that Feyre is nineteen, I'd classify this as more New Adult-ish than as a YA.)

(I'm the same age as Feyre. Holy crap.)

I am still planning on continuing with this series, and based on Goodreads' listings, it looks like it's going to be a long one. Which could be good or bad, I guess. I'm going to try and knock out a few other books on my TBR and get through all the currently-available ebooks at my library before I request A Court of Mist and Fury.

TL;DR I was too interested in this too quickly and burned myself out, but it's a good read and I think it's worth the popularity it currently has.

Fall Book Recs - Sept 2016

I'm back with another collection of book recs! This one is in honor of pumpkin spice season (even though it's been record-hot here the past few days). I'll also have another post coming in October focusing a little more about Halloween, with a few overlaps.

Most of these were based on how they feel -- a little cold, like good bonfire nights; a little creepy; set primarily in the fall; or a mixture of all of the above. I'm still trying to put into words how books have specific feels to me that can be separate from what the book actually is about.

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor  (my review)

This is probably the most out of place on this list, because technically Night Vale is in a desert, and would otherwise only be related to fall through Halloween. (The WTNV series can get creepy.) I associate the book a lot with fall because I associate the podcasts with Alaska and cold, foggy weather because that's where I listened to them first.

This is about a town in the middle of a desert which has a lot of ... interesting events transpire. The storyline is new to the universe based on where I left off listening to the podcasts (which was .... a while ago OTL) but I'm pretty sure the characters and storylines introduced in the book also make an appearance in more recent podcast episodes.

This is also really cool because it's a multi-media series. The narration is so on-point that I heard Cecil's voice the entire time I was reading, and it was wonderful.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl takes place over Cath's first semester of college, which means it takes place during the fall. I associate it a lot with the smell of heated air and how cold tends to seep through cinderblock walls. (I'm not sure if those have any relation to anything that happens in the book.)

I identified a lot with Cath when I read it in the spring of my junior year of high school. I've already been through my freshman year of college, so I'd love to go back and re-read this to see how my expectations of college (especially in comparison to the book) hold up against how it really went last year.

This is a standalone, but Cath's fanfiction also lives as its own book, Carry On, which could maybe be added to this list as well.

Jackaby by William Ritter  (my review)

This is a supernatural-historical fiction (which in retrospect I'm learning is a good combo for me). Supernatural books tend to be a little creepy, or at least unsettling, and historical fiction has almost a similar aesthetic in its age. Maybe it's just me that finds old things easily creepy in the right lights.

For its creepy / unsettling aesthetic at times, it's actually pretty light-hearted. The aesthetic was perfect for me in that it got the point across but was never enough to deter me from reading.

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld  (my review)

If I remember correctly, Darcy's part of the book takes place as she's writing Afterworlds, which would put it during November. I associate this a lot with cold, rainy weather (maybe because I read this during February). It's also a little creepy with the side of the story that's Darcy's writing since that plot deals a lot with life and death.

I didn't particularly enjoy this book as much as the others in this list, but I think it's a good mention in case anyone else will find it enjoyable.

This is also a standalone, but technically it's got two stories within it, so it's like getting two for one?

Devil and the Bluebird by Jennifer Mason-Black  (my review)

I'm not sure whether to classify this one as urban fantasy or magical realism. It definitely doesn't sugar-coat anything, which for whatever reason makes it feel like fall weather to me. I know that at least part of the story takes place during the winter, which may have accounted for a little bit of that.

I had some trouble getting through the middle of the book because it was fairly depressing, but I'm happy with my decision to stick through it and read to the end.

This is a standalone book.

The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Gray  (my review)

... I don't remember why I added this to the list, but I feel like it fits. I think it's also that urban fantasy / magical realism thing. This one's also a little depressing, but I don't know that it was as hard for me as Devil and the Bluebird.

In re-reading my review I found my comparison between The Girl at Midnight and the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. I think the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series is a little more winter-ish, or closer to the fall-winter transition in November and December, but that it's also worth noting here.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black  (my review)

This had a very similar feel to the Modern Faerie Tales series of Black's that I read back in elementary school, which was creepy to me back then. (In a good way. I know I tried to read the books more than once.) Just the title alone suggests a cool and isolated location, like wandering so far into a forest that you're hopelessly lost and have no sign of civilization left.

(I'm a city person.)

This also explores various character motivations and human nature, and within the context of the story it's pretty somber. It's almost like kicking up leaves that have been on the ground for a while and have started to decompose (if that makes sense).

This is a standalone book, but if you like the aesthetic I'd point you to Tithe.


So there we go! Hopefully you found some interesting new books to read in the next month or two. Like I mentioned at the top, I'll have another similar post next month about more Halloween-specific books. I'm hoping to make a trend out of themed book recs and right now my plan is to make a new post next year instead of coming back to retroactively update this one.

Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

TL:DR Dracula but with werewolves, too

TBR #1262, added Jun 17 2015

library Kindle copy, finished 8/19/16

I got a lucky break again with the library catalog in that the ebook for Silver in the Blood didn't have a wait! In fact, I think there were two copies available when I nabbed mine. It's kind of surprising to me considering now long the hold lists can be on newer books -- but then again, I've see the hardcover copy pretty consistently on the shelves at my branch.

Which I think is a shame, because Silver in the Blood was so good. I'd downloaded a sample from Google Play and was intrigued by the aesthetic, even though it cut off before anything good could really happen. I'm not usually one for historical fiction, but dang am I on board for some more of this.

I'm going to admit right here that I waited two and a half weeks to write this review from the time I finished reading. I don't remember a lot of clear details anymore because I've finished four other books in that span of time -- a lot of this review is my lingering feelings and they're probably amplified.

(You'd think I would learn not to do this. And yet I have yet to really touch the drafts for the other four books I've finished. Forgive me.)

The premise and execution were unique, even for toeing the line of common supernatural YA tropes. It took directions I wasn't expecting (based on the tropes of the genre) and stood out wonderfully by going back to the roots of Dracula. The setting was great, too, but I'm going to admit that it looked a lot like Paris in my head instead of Romania.

(I've been to neither. I don't know if this was specifically a lack of imagery on the books' part or an abundance of Parisian imagery from other books that completely overshadowed it.)

Dacia and Lou were such great main characters. They seemed pretty standard for late 19th century girls at first, but their character arcs were amazing. I was surprised by how they changed (ha) and I appreciated that they were strong but also vulnerable. There were also some interesting dynamics with the rest of their family, and I wish we could've seen more of it.

Goodreads is telling me that Silver in the Blood is currently a standalone with a possible potential to be expanded on. I'm sooo crossing my fingers for some more of this world and these characters in the future. Like, I need it. I love the fact that it's such a great standalone but I am craving the development into a series so much.

TL:DR it's a supernatural-historical fiction YA, two genres that are normally somewhat off-putting to me, and somehow combined like this they were perfect. I need more people to discuss this book with. Please try it out.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

TL;DR blurring childhood fantasy and reality together

TBR #970, added Sept 5, 2014

finished 8/20/16

I read bits and pieces of Holly Black's Modern Faerie Tales back in elementary school. It probably wasn't what I should've been reading back then (not that it ever stopped me) but what I remembered of the series stuck around with me all this time. I was actually a little hesitant about The Darkest Part of the Forest because I knew what her aesthetic tended to be, and I wasn't sure I was in the mood for it once I got my hands on the library Kindle copy. 

I took the plunge anyway and managed to knock it out in about 24 hours. It was such a compelling read and the story unfolded so wonderfully and so much more complexly than I was expecting. The mystery of the story is great and kept me intrigued, and it was woven so wonderfully and wrapped up even better than I was hoping for. 

The characters were all great and all so varied. They all had their own motivations and I loved seeing how all of them affected the progression of the story. They all felt like real people. (I'd say they all felt human, but some of them aren't, so I guess that's a bad analogy.) 

The setting and worldbuilding was great, and even though this August has been sunny and humid, I got lost in the feeling of a small town in the woods and the faerie realm. (It was a nice relief from the weather lol, even if it was all in my head.) I also liked the glimpses of how their town fit into the world as a whole almost like a Pennsylvania version of Night Vale. With a little less death and destruction. 

I would totally love to revisit this world at some point, but The Darkest Part of the Forest is also a great standalone. I'll totally jump on the chance of a sequel but I'm also going to enjoy its status as is; I feel like urban / fantasy standalones are rare and a totally under-utilized subgenre. 

TL;DR this was a great read for the end of the summer and has a good mystery aesthetic without being creepy, and the story and characters are so good. 

CWs: injuries, (probably blood, too), death, neglect, unreality, and maybe a few other things along these lines. It can get pretty dark at times. 

Google Play Samples - July / August

I didn't think I would have another one of these posts for a while, but I somehow got through a small number of them over the past two months.

I've figured out how to get e-books through my library, so I think the frequency of these posts is going to die down in the future, at least until I catch up with the available books. (The wait lists on ebooks can be 60+, which is weird, because it's not like we're all vying for a single physical copy.)

The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash, TBR #1625

Never Ever by Sara Saedi, TBR #1362

Cure for the Common Universe by Christian McKay Heidicker, TBR #1626

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson, TBR #1282

Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George, TBR #1262 ^

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, TBR #1101 ^

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, TBR #939 ^

The last three on the list were ones I placed library holds on after reading the samples, and so far I've actually read Silver in the Blood. (I totally recommend it.) I've got my copy of An Ember in the Ashes but haven't touched it yet, and I don't expect to get my hands on Red Queen until at least December ...

One thing I do have to say is that reading the sample actually put me off of Never Ever. I really like the story of Peter Pan but the narration didn't work for me and I wasn't very impressed by what was included in the sample. (Which is strange, because Google's sample is lengthier than the one on Goodreads ...) The narration felt very MG and way too young for the characters. I don't know if this was to try and feel like fairy tale/childhood story narration or if it just missed the audience mark. And maybe it's just me. Most of the first-page reviews on Goodreads are positive.

This was actually my first experience where reading the sample made me question my decision to add something to my TBR. As a general rule I don't delete books off my TBR, and I'm probably going to read it regardless if I can get my hands on it, but it was still strange for me. I guess that's the downfall of sampling books - I was bound to encounter one that didn't agree with me eventually.

I changed around my class schedule for this semester, so I won't have much down time on campus. I don't know that I'll be going through a lot of samples like I did in the spring. (Though I read most of those samples waiting for the bus, and I have my car now, so that's still a moot point.) I guess we'll see what happens.

If you guys have any opinions / experience with any of these books, let me know! I'd love to hear more thoughts about them.