September was a hectic month, but it always is when you consider that it’s back to school for me as a teacher. However, I also was taking a course, which was wrapping up, and then I started another one, which overlapped with that first one. It makes for a busy time of year. Fortunately, I was still able to get some reading in. I also picked up some books that I am very excited about.
Books hauled in September:
- Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman
- Loveless by Alice Oseman
- The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- Nothing Left to Lose by Karen M. McManus
- Belladona by Adalyn Grace
- The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
- I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers
- The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
- The Depths by Nicole Lesperance
Books read in September:
1. Salmon Boy by Donna Joe
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a re-read for me, but I really enjoyed the experience of revisiting this story. It’s a really interesting story about the balance in nature and not taking more than you need from the world. I liked the local aspects of it. I also really enjoyed learning one of the stories of the shíshálh nation. The art that goes along with the story is really nice.
2. Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I read this quite quickly, but it was hard to read because of how dark the content was. The speculative fictions aspects came across a little too real, which I am certain was the author’s intention in writing the story. I could, unfortunately, see something like the events of the novel happening. I hated reading the choices that Frenchie had to make, because they made me sad for him as a character. He wasn’t faced with good options, and it was hard to read the struggle when we were left with some hope at the end of the first book. I did enjoy that we got to read more of the other characters’ perspectives.
3. In Mercy, Rain by Seanan McGuire
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: I really enjoyed this short story. Jack is a really interesting character, and I find her really well written. The story was very well written as well. I liked that we got to go back into Jack’s world and life and see more of her origin story of how she came to be the way that she is. I liked reading about the first time she met the girl that she loves. They have a rather unique meet cute.
4. Where Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I liked getting a book from Cora’s perspective after reading her other adventure with some of the other characters we encountered. She’s a really interesting character, and the way she interacted with the world and dealt with her trauma was really well done and interesting. I liked seeing the other school for these children. It seems like a truly awful place and I felt horribly for the students who were stuck there. I also liked that we got to see Regan again. I just love these books so much.
5. All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I’m glad that I finally finished this book. I really enjoyed listening to it on audiobook. I liked how different all of the point of view characters were, and how they each seemed to have such a unique perspective on the tournament they were forced to participate in. I thought that the world building was really interesting, and unique. I also liked the premise of the tournament and competing for the control of high magic. I thought that it ended in a really good way as well because it makes you want to have the next one immediately.
6. Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I had so much fun reading this story. Seven wasa really great character, and I really appreciated the growth that she had over the course of the book. I liked the twists, and how there were hints dropped throughout the story that became obvious once the big reveal happened. I really enjoyed the friendship elements, and how the friendship grew and developed over the course of the story within the spare coven. They were all really interesting to me.
7. This Place by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoyed reading this collection of stories. I appreciated the ones based in history the most, because I liked reading about historical moments and seeing the Indigenous perspective on those events. It was well written and quite interesting overall. The speculative one at the end was probably my least favourite, but it was still interesting. I really enjoyed the different art styles that were included. It was a valuable read.
8. Someday by Drew Hayden Taylor
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a re-read for me, but it was enjoyable to revisit. I liked the characters and the ways they interacted with each other. The complicated emotions that they were feeling came across quite clearly in the story, and it was understandable why things were so hard for them to cope with. I liked how it addressed the Sixties Scoop, and the complicated way that family was depicted. I also appreciated the inclusion of humour to lighten the mood.
9. The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I always have so much fun with this series and this one did not disappoint in that sense. It was well written, and still contained all of the twists and turns that one would expect from this series. The romance elements were interesting to me, and I loved the chosen family aspects. The dynamic between Avery and the Hawthorne brothers is so great, and I like how different her relationship is with each one of them. This might have been my least favourite in the trilogy, but I still loved it.
10. The Witches of World War II by Paul Cornell
Rating: 2 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: I really liked the idea of this graphic novel, but the execution didn’t personally work for me. It was just a bit too weird and confusing. I had a hard time understanding what exactly was happening, and I felt that it was trying to do a bit too much. Part of this may stem from my own stubborness when it comes to reading graphic novels but this just didn’t work for me. However, I really liked the art style and how the characters were drawn (except for the main character’s hair.)
11. I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I love the way Courtney Summers writes. She is fantastic. This story was just as hard hitting and difficult to read as the other books that I’ve read by her. I found Georgia a very empathetic character, and I really felt for her as she was put into these difficult situations. I found the story compelling, and the way it was written made it very hard for me to put down. I needed to know what was going to happen to Georgia, and what happened to the girl that she found and how all of these things were connected.
12. Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was such an interesting read. The characters were well written and I found them very empathetic. It really hit me in the feels. I was reading this for silent reading with my classes and I kept finding myself tearing up in class. It was well written, and well paced. I really enjoyed seeing Ava grow as a character, and heal from the mental wounds she was left with after the fire.
13. The Depths by Nicole Lesperance
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and creative. I really enjoyed the main character and her perspective and thoughts. She was a great narrator. I loved the atmosphere of the story. It was very creepy and eerie, which made me really want to figure out just what was happening on the island. The characters were interesting, and the premise of the story felt really unique. I was definitely intrigued by the whole concept of it.
14. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and had a rather unique premise. I kept trying to guess what was going to happen next and found myself rather wrong in the best way possible. The main character was really interesting to me, and I liked seeing her deal with the things that had happened to her. I found myself shocked by the big reveals in the story.
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