A Throne of Books

*Disclaimer: I recieved this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway, my review is honest and all opinions are my own.*

I'll admit it; I'm woman enough. I saw this book and was just in the mood for a haunted house story. I didn't read the synopsis at all for once and went in completely blind. Turns out I am not the target audience for this book at all. Yes, I fit the age range and the horror angle but overall the romance didn't work for me. I have to be tricked into reading a romantic story like in Throne of Glass. She brought me into the story first, made me love Celaena and the world around her and THEN she did the lovey dovey stuff and I ate it up. Romance-centered novels too often, for me, feel forced. That's my opinion but if you like romance you might enjoy it more.

So, The House was a bit out there. It was...strange, but personally I enjoy strange and macabre. Unfortunately, as I said before, the whole romance just fell flat for me. It wasn't eased into at all, it was more of the entire world knew that they would be together since the day they were both born. And since the romance was the thing that kept the story moving the book overall started to fall flat for me. It did manage to be creepy at times, so I had no problem trucking through but when all was said and done I just found it alright.

I feel a bit bad in a way though, if I had read the synopsis I would have known right away that it probably wasn't the book for me. Note to future self: Pay attention you moron!

So looking back on my ratings from this year I've noticed several cases where I rated something higher than I actually felt about it. For instance if I didn't totally hate it they seem to have gotten 3 stars. I was new to the whole book blogging and rating game and I don't think I've done a great job of it. I think I want to go back and adjust it better but overall I don't think the choosing a rating on a whim is working for me. So I need help choosing a better system, maybe one with criteria and such, I'm not sure. What ways do you follow or have you heard of? I'm trying to find a new one but if I do do I need to go back through and adjust all my old ratings to reflect the new system?

HELP ME! Any idea you have is better than my lack of ideas.

"You can't change the opinions of small minded people."

Rose, our main character, has lived with her abusive Momma for the last 24 years. (I think Momma must be a southern thing, I've never read a book that spells it the way I do.) After seeing a psychic vision of herself lying dead she realizes how little she's lived. With the thought of her demise looming she stands up for herself, talks back, and decides to get a little freedom for the first time ever. Unfortunately this could not have come at a worse time, her mother has been murdered and this ill-timed arguement has given her the role of main suspect. Can they stop the real killer before Rose's vision comes true?

This was a fun book, Rose makes an on the spot bucket list of things she wants to do before she dies. The things on the list are unbelievably simple, but are things she hasn't got to experience while being her mother's servant. It has a bit of romance, a dash of mystery, some long-hidden secrets, and a young girl just wanting to be her own person. The author, Denise Grover Swank, did a great job of making me care. I had no trouble getting into Rose's shoes and feeling the same emotions she experienced, annoyance with her mother, guilt towards her sister, attraction towards her neighbor. And it was consistent, i read the book quickly and eagerly and can't wait to read the second book soon.

It's a free kindle e-book so if you're looking for something to read at least you won't break the bank by choosing this. There are some things that aren't the best crappy doodles and the occasional over the top look here we're southern, for example. I say pick it up and try, who knows you may have found a new series you love at the end of the day.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Let's start off with an important note: This book is definitely not for everyone. I know what you're thinking, literally all books aren't for everyone, someone is going to hate it. But no, to get into this book you will probably have to be a huge video game loving nerd AND enjoy a mystery novel where the detective is just as clueless as you are. If you can do both of those you'll also have to like the quirky writing style of Max Wirestone. Me, personally, I fall into all 3 categories.

So the plan was to have this book read before it was published for an early review and then I kind of fell into this pit of despair where it was too dark to read. But now that I finally got around to it I hate myself for not reading sooner. Dahlia and I think in the same ways, meaning we both go off on weird tangents constantly. To some people this could distract from the story at hand but for me it was so easy to read, it felt like I could have been reading my own journal. Actually it made me want to get back into keeping a journal and writing in general, so thank you for that.

I'm always worried I'll spoil something in my review and people will come after me with pitchforks. To avoid this I'll just end with if you think you meet the criteria above read the book and fall in love with Dahlia Moss. (Though to be honest I'm bursting at the seams to talk about this one with somebody!)

So two months have passed and not very much reading has been done by me. But I have kept myself entertained with video games. I've played way more hours than any normal person should as of late. Oh well, as long as I'm having fun in my off time I'm not too worried about it. How was Thanksgiving for everyone. Mine was uneventful, ate with the family and then slept for forever because I was still getting over being sick. Actually most of y'all on here that I have as friends aren't American so scratch that! Well I guess I'll do a quick rundown of the few books I did read and then go back to killing baddies.

Best of the two months: Just What Kind of Mother are You? by Paula Daly

Worst of the two months: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

(Okay it wasn't that bad but neither were the few books I read.)

Best Cover of the months: Ahh they were all so cute. I'm not picking you can't make me!

Reviews

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Just What Kind of Mother Are You? by Paula Daly

The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson

The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

The Elite by Kiera Cass

So much potential for an interesting dystopia dashed by this ridiculous and unnecessary love triangle. It was put it to add drama and conflict but all it does is detracts from the really interesting part. THE FRICKING PRINCE MEETS HIS FUTURE QUEEN THROUGH SOME REALITY TELEVISION SCENARIO! So I think the love triangle is useless literally every "purpose" Aspen and his "don't give up on me Mer" bullshit has is also easily explained in another way. Why did America enter in the first place? Well, if she was chosen she could milk the situation for as long as possible and send money back to her poor family. Boom no Aspen convincing her to enter, America just loves her family. But why is she so guarded around Maxon? Aspen doesn't have to not exist. She thought she was in love once and he left her, he hurt her and how can she ever trust again. (Yeah it's cliche, sue me.) Why isn't she sure if she should stay or go? She's gained new insight on the formation of Illea (is this a spoiler when up until now Cass has hardly adressed word building?) and isn't sure who to trust, besides that she doesn't see herself as a Queen when she sees the other candidates. All of that works and makes sense and is so much better than the back and forth between two "perfect" guys that seems to be the go-to for young adult lately. This book could have been so much more if it focused on the unique aspects it has rather than the overdone I love them both crap. /rant

Overall despite my misgivings I didn't hate it. I liked it when I wasn't ripping out my hair or sighing in contempt over her tennis game of boy preference.

The Land of Stories is the world I wanted to be real with all my heart when I was 10. Alright, who do I think I'm kidding, I still do. I was never a girly girl but I've always loved fairytales and that's something I won't outgrow.

Colfer's story is fun, whimsical even,while still managing to get across lessons the way fairytales originally intended. Biggest complaint for me is a tie between predictability and a writing style I didn't love. Predictability because halfway through the book I had correctly guessed 3 major reveals that came in the final chapter, granted I'm much older than the target age group. The writing style, while not my favorite, wasn't enough to ruin the book for me. Colfer had a habit of using short choppier sentences and telling emotions of everyone rather than conveying how they were feeling in other ways. But mostly no matter what calamity came their way they had it solved within 2 pages. Too much good luck and coincidence for my taste. Still, I found it to be a fun read and am planning on reading more of the series.

Ending thought: Holy crap Brandon Dormer can draw. I want him to come do a portrait on my bedroom wall, his art style is just, wow. Whatever he got paid triple it. Perfect choice of illustrator for such a fun middle grade book, it has one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen.

3/5 stars

*Disclaimer:I received a copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Ah the classic retelling dilemma. On one hand I read it because I love the original story so much and don’t really want things changed, on the other if it’s not unique enough it can feel like a waste of time. This version did a pretty good job of finding the balance between old and new. It’s not the same old story of Rapunzel being locked in a tower her whole life without much explanation as to why. But you still have some of the same well-known characters such as Rapunzel, Gothel, and the dashing knight. While I liked this one and didn’t have any trouble reading it and getting through it I also don’t have that much to say about it. It didn’t leave a lasting impression in the end.

I think making a lasting impression is a hard feat for a retelling to pull off. You have too much familiar territory that gets mixed in making things too common. So while this was a good story and Melanie Dickerson did a great job of writing it just falls into the general ‘it was good’ area that most stories of its kind do. Don’t let that discourage you though, if you like fairytales this is a good one to read and pass a little time with.

And the slump continues! I haven't managed to convince myself to read at all despite the stacks of great material all over my house. And they keep growing while I don't make a dent at all. So I've decided to mix my October & November recap together next month so there's at least something to write about.

On the upside though this month I made some major progress in my tv shows & video games! :)

4/5 stars
*Disclaimer: I received the book from Goodreads First Reads, all my opinions are my own.*

It's weird how easily I related to someone I have almost nothing in common with. Lisa is the kind of person who does her best but at the end of the day feels it isn't good enough. She drags through life tired, and run down and isn't like some characters in books where I envy their flawlessness. Lisa is human and in that respect I found an easy way to connect with the bok and enjoy the story, even not being a mother myself.

When your daughter's best friend disappears and it's all your fault how will you fix it? It was enjoyable and fast paced enough for me to get through even with the huge reading slump I've been in. I found the writing style engaging, the characters believable, and the storyline intruiging. It would have probably been more suspenseful for me if I was a parent myself.

In the end it was a solid read and an author I wouldn't mind reading again. The reveal worked for me and wasn't too bizarre or obvious, I've heard arguments for both. It fit well with the story Daly set out to tell. If you like psychological thrillers, flawed characters, and a bit of ill-timed drama then I'd say you should read it!

3/5 stars

Me and this book had major ups and downs. I found that while reading it I would get totally engrossed in the story, though at times I found it to be ridiculously dramatic. But when I would stop reading for the night it would be over a week before I cared to pick it up again. So how do you rate a book like this? I give it 3 stars, much lower than most people I know who've read it, sadly. It was good and fun but also frustrating and repetitive at times. I do definitely want to both read the next book and watch the Starz series though so maybe the rating being on the average side is unfair? I can't decide, all I know is that my feelings were too conflicting to give this book a higher rating. I think you should read it and decide for yourself, because I may just be being overly critical.

Well everyone I'm back home in Texas and had a blast at the concert and just exploring a new place. But since the trip wiped out all my extra money I've got to go back to work again. So looks like I'll be dropping back into my regular schedule again and should hopefully have time to read write those review that I've yet to get to this month. I hope everyone had a great weekend! :) And I can't wait to start interacting with everyone again soon!

Gosh I am so unbelievably behind this month with everything. I have no energy and all that stuff making me fail at geting things done. And I won't get them done very soon because I'm going out of town for a Twenty One Pilots concert this weekend. I'm so excited, and hopefully when I get home I'll magically be able to do things againlike write reviews, clwan house, go to the bank, etc. Haha I don't think that's how things work but I'll keep my fingers crossed still.

This month I managed to read 8 books but most were just good nothing that stood out as spectacular except for Heir of Fire. All of the books read were sequels which I did on purpose seeing as I participated in the September is for Sequels Challenge with a goal of 6 sequels read and reviewed. I met the goal with 7 sequels read and reviewed (though one I have not posted yet per the publishers request!) I hope everyone had a great month and read books they loved! :) I'm excited for October but I'm not sure how reading will go as I plan to be out of town, working a bunch when I'm not, and watching horror movies to get in the spirit of Halloween when I have free time! But I'll try to make time to read a little here and there! So have a great October everyone! And how do you feel about Halloween? Has where you live adopted it because I believe it used to be just a strictly American holiday. (Correct me if I'm wrong!)

Best Book of the Month: Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

Worst Book of the Month: Petals on the Wind by V.C. Andrews

Reviews:

The Race for Paris by Meg Waite Clayton

Glass by Ellen Hopkins

Messenger by Lois Lowry

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson (Review is set to post on Nov 10th)

Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

Petals on the Wind by V.C. Andrews

Son by Lois Lowry

As I said before all count towards the goal meaning I accomplished my goal for September is for Sequels! :)

Sadly I don't have much to say about this one. If you haven't read the prior books you won't understand what I mean because each book is so different. This one wasn't quite what I had hoped for the finale of the series. It did a pretty good job of tying everything up but it wasn't very exciting. Well all in all it was good and didn't feel like a waste of time. It would be a fun story to let your kid read that would get their mind thinking. It was a fun series and one that most should give a chance.

This book was horrible, I'm actually appalled at how highly rated this trainwreck of a sequel is. 

You'd assume in a book full of characters I'd have felt an attachment to more than just Carrie. I believe in a way that's the main reason I pushed through this crap. I had to know what happened to the only Dresden Doll that I could connect with.

Cathy is awful. You can only blame someone for your issues for so long before you have to take responsibility. Every bad choice you make can't be laid on someone else's shoulders. After 6 or so years you have to grow the fuck up. And that's a major issue with this book Cathy uses her mother's mistake to justify every bad choice she makes down the road. People use trama in different ways some become what they hate and some avoid it. Cathy had a chance to not be another version of her mother and she failed, though if you ask her I'm sure that's Mama's fault too.

Every man in this book was the same exact person just modified a tiny bit. I love Cathy but I'm an old doctor who raped my wife. I love Cathy but I'm a young doctor who's her brother. I love Cathy but I'm an abusive dancer. I love Cathy but I'm a lawyer married to her mom. You see the problem here. You don't write a good book by writing half the characters the same. People are complex and majorly varied and VC Andrews managed to forget that and wrote boring characters.

I think what pisses me off more than anything is how shitty the book was as a whole but that I'm still considering reading the 3rd book.