October was a great month. I always enjoy the excuse to read all kinds of spooky books among other things. I suppose, I dont’ really need a reason to read spooky books but it’s fun to have one. I also got in some pretty great books this month. Let’s dive into it!
Books I Hauled in October:
- The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones
- I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong
- Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio
- The Hunger Games (Illustrated Edition) by Suzanne Collins
- Bridgerton 5+6 by Julia Quinn
- Bridgerton 7+8 by Julia Quinn
- Faeries Never Lie by Various Authors
- Lore Olympus, Volume 7 by Rachel Smythe
- The Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan
- The Collective by Alison Gaylin
- Dearest by Jacquie Walters
- The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling
- Spectacular by Stephanie Garber
- Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon
- The Stars are Dying by C.C. Penaranda
Books I Read in October:
1. Big Jim and the White Boy by David F. Walker
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers. This was a really well done graphic novel. The art was really food. I also like the way it reimagined the classic that is the story of Huckleberry Finn. The non-linear timeline was interesting, along with the other character aspects.
2. Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a fantastically atmospheric book. I liked the characters and the way that all the characters interacted with the world. I liked the structure of the story and how it was non-linear and also switched points of views periodically. I really enjoyed the narration style.
3. Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a fantastic book. It was very well-written and I found the main character very empathetic It would be really awful to be treated the way she was by her family. I loved the spooky atmosphere and elements of the story.
4. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a re-read with one of my classes. I had fun.
5. Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This novella was really, really good. It was very well constructed. I found it a really interesting read. I liked the premise, and how it was structured in all different points of view. They all brought something interesting and different to the book. I especially enjoyed the realization/twist at the end of the book.
6. Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was an excellent continuation of the series. I liked our two main characters a lot. It was really un to read them falling in love over the course of their fake marriage. Fake marriage is an excellent trope. It was also interesting to learn that Lark from the first book was also a serial killer just like her bestie, Sloane. It was well-written and really fun.
7. Merciless III by Danielle Vega
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: It was interesting to go back and read the prequel for the Merciless series. It was definitely a dark read. I did not love all the teens making out with adults though. That is seriously questionable and definitely gross.
8. Lore Olympus, Vol 7 by Rachel Smythe
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I love this series so much. The art is gorgeous. I really like the way the characters are drawn and designed. They are so lovely.
9. Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This is a chonker of a read, but I definitely found it to be an interesting one. The non-linear timeline was kind of fun and made it interesting when all of the pieces came together. I somewhat liked the main character. I think I will likely continue this series.
10. Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I have been meaning to finish this series for quite a bit of time. I’m glad I did. The main characters are interesting and I like their dynamic together. The setting of LA is very different than the rest of the series, but it still had that lovely Stiefvater feel to it. I was decently happy with the end, though it did feel a bit rushed.
11. The Inventor, Vol 2 by Lars Henrik Eriksen
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review:**I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers. This is such a cute series. I really love the world the author built, and how it played out. The main character is really interesting. I like how he sees the world. I also liked that he found his grandpa, but that there was still a cliffhanger ending to keep you interested.
12. Lost in the Future, Vol 1 by Damian
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review:**I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers. This was interesting. I liked the art style but it wasn’t my favourite story. I found the characters a little one dimensional, but the premise was interesting.
13. Dreamover by Dani Diaz
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers. This was an interesting look at relationships and youth friendships. I really liked the art and the way the story played out. It definitely had a powerful message for young people about the importance of not burying your entire self in your relationship.
14. Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a cute little romance. I liked the main characters and their dynamic together. I liked the discussion of video games and how the two characters cam together. There was some miscommunication trope, which isn’t my favourite, but I had a lot of fun reading it.
15. The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I loved a good Lucy Foley mystery. The characters are always so compelling and interesting. I like how she structured the story with multiple points of view. I also like how you have to figure out who was killed and why they were killed. There were lots of twists and turns. It was so well-plotted.
16. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Another re-read for school. Always fun to read it.
17. Silent Sister by Megan Davidhizar
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was a really interesting novel. It definitely kept me fooled all the way until the end of the story when the big twist was revealed. I liked the writing style as well. It was a great book for a debut author. I would read more by her in the future.
18. Genesis by Nick Roberts
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: In my opinion, this wasn’t necessarily a necessary sequel. I felt like the way the first book wrapped up was satisfying enough. This wasn’t a bad book though; it just wasn’t my favourite book. On the whole, I just preferred the ambiguous ending of the first book.
19. One Last Breath by Ginny Myers Sain
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was an interesting book. I really liked how the story had mystery and fantasy elements. The concept of reincarnation is a fun concept to explore. I was interesting in the characters and their development. I also found the plot really interesting.
20. The Champions by Kara Thomas
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: While I didn’t love this as much as I loved The Cheerleaders, I still ended up enjoying it. The mystery was compelling and kept me guessing. My favourite part was the main character and how driven she was to solve the mystery. She was a great character.
21. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a very well-written dark academia book. I liked the main characters and the premise of it. They had a really interesting feel to them. I enjoyed getting to read from all the different perspectives and seeing how they thoughts and felt.
22. The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a compelling read and very hard to put down. I really enjoyed the storyline and how the plot played out. I needed to know what was going to happen next. I liked the main character/detective. I also really liked the character of Ellie Black. She was quite intriguing.
23. Baggage by Wendy Phillips
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was an interesting character study. I liked the main characters and how different they were. They all approached the conflict in the story in different ways. It was also an interesting discussion of performative activism.
24. Prez, Vol 1: Corndog-in-Chief by Mark Russell
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book had such a strange vibe to it. I liked the art style a lot, but I wasn’t sure about the actual premise of the story. I have to admit that it wasn’t the best graphic novel I’ve read.
25. Medieval Cats by Catherine Nappington
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review:**I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers. This was a quick and cute read. I liked the Medieval art included throughout the story and found it really interesting. I enjoyed reading about the historical context about cats that was included.
26. Karma is a Cat by Farrin Jacobs
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review:**I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers. This was a cute read for a younger reader who loves both Taylor Swift and cats. The art was cute, and it was fun to read.
27. A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoyed this book though it was very different than her other book on time slips. I liked the mystery element and how the main character didn’t suspiciously know a for about the Victorian Era. That was really fun.
28. This Beautiful, Ridiculous City by Kay Sohini
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers. This was well-written and quite interesting. It was a neat perspective of New York City and what it might be like to move there. It was also an interesting study of human nature. Definitely a worthwhile read.
29. Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I was really glad to finally read this series concluder. I loved reading all the different character’s perspectives. They are each so different and unique in what they bring to the narrative. I just love them all so much. It was definitely a bit frustrating at times because I just wanted them to talk to each other.
30. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Another re-read for school. I always love re-reading this.
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