Month: July 2017

Hype or Like Friday – BOTM Review: A Million Junes

This meme and Goodreads group were created by myself, Jill @ Rant and Rave Books, and Britt @ Geronimo Reads. To join our group and find out more information about what it’s all about, please go to our Goodreads page HERE.

The July BOTM is A Million Junes by Emily Henry.

RULES:

  • Answer the weekly discussion topic.
  • Optional: Discuss your chosen hyped book of the week.
  • Optional: Talk about your progress on the BOTM.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK: BOTM Book Review!

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I can’t tell you how impressed I’ve been with Emily Henry’s books. I fell in love with her debut novel last year, The Love That Split the World. When I heard about her second book being released this year, I was ecstatic. Now that I’ve finally read A Million Junes, I can fully say that this book is my favorite read of 2017 so far.

For as long as Jack “June” O’Donnell has been alive, her parents have had only one rule: stay away from the Angert family. But when June collides—quite literally—with Saul Angert, sparks fly, and everything June has known is thrown into chaos.

Who exactly is this gruff, sarcastic, but seemingly harmless boy who has returned to their hometown of Five Fingers, Michigan, after three mysterious years away? And why has June—an O’Donnell to her core—never questioned her late father’s deep hatred of the Angert family? After all, the O’Donnells and the Angerts may have mythic legacies, but for all the tall tales they weave, both founding families are tight-lipped about what caused the century-old rift between them.

As Saul and June’s connection grows deeper, they find that the magic, ghosts, and coywolves of Five Fingers seem to be conspiring to reveal the truth about the harrowing curse that has plagued their bloodlines for generations. Now June must question everything she knows about her family and the father she adored, and she must decide whether it’s finally time for her—and all the O’Donnells before her—to let go.

How can I even begin to explain just how beautiful Henry’s writing is? Magical realism is usually fairly lyrical in terms of prose, but I find that Henry is able to not only deliver that lyrical prose but also doesn’t alienate the reader. Sometimes I find that flowery language can take away from the story, causing it to move slow and lose my attention. However, I have never had that trouble with Henry’s writing. In this book, it only adds to the mystical setting and truly captures the tone of story. Basically, it’s just superb, alright?!

To say that I fell in love with June and Saul is an understatement. June has such a great personality and has some of the wittiest comments that I have ever heard. I absolutely adored her relationship with her best friend, Hannah. Ummm, can I get a hell yeah for such a positive and strong female friendship representation in a YA novel?!! HELL YEAH! But my favorite part about June was watching how she dealt with the grief of losing her father. There was so much depth and so many different layers to her grief that was I felt was realistic to watch her sort through and deal with. I truly felt like I was experiencing her loss as well. And Saul? Well let’s just say that I have a new book boyfriend and he is so precious.

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While at first this book may seem like just a magical realism retelling of Romeo and Juliet, which it is in some ways, this is really a story of grief. The main focus of the story is really how June is handling the death of her father ten years ago. June’s grief felt so real to me and if I said that this book didn’t make me ugly cry, well that would be a lie. I truly believe that everyone processes through grief in different ways, so don’t read this book thinking that this is a guide to dealing with grief or that this the way you should’ve acted, etc. This is merely one fictional character’s journey through processing the sadness of losing someone.

I would have to say that the pacing of this book was much quicker than most magical realism/contemporaries for me. I mean, I read this book in less than 24 hours! I never felt the story get too slow or find myself losing interest. I didn’t want to put it down at all. I couldn’t wait to learn more about the curse or the ghosts that haunted June’s home. I never thought I’d find myself wanting to move to Michigan (that weather, y’all!), but this book had me begging to move to such a magical little town like Five Fingers. Honestly, I just want to live in this farmhouse and eat magical cherries. Can someone make this happen for me?

Honestly, if you haven’t read and of Emily Henry’s novels, I highly recommend them both. However, I do think that A Million Junes is my favorite. If you love magical realism, romance, or contemporaries then you will love this story. Emily Henry has become my newest auto-buy author and I hope you will enjoy her too!

Final Verdict: 5/5 Stars

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Currently listening to: Celtic Woman – Voices of Angels

Have you read A Million Junes? What did you think of it? Have you read Henry’s first novel, The Love That Split the World? Which one do you like better? Do you like my newest change where I share what music I’m listening to while I wrote my post? Leave a link to your Hype or Like Friday post in the comments below!

Recommendations Series #3: Science Fiction

Hi y’all! Today I’m back at it with some recommendations, but this time focusing on science fiction novels! I will admit that I’ve been slacking on this genre over the last year or so and I would like to apologize to all of the amazing looking science fiction books currently staring at my with annoyed faces from my TBR bookshelf. I see you, babies! I’m coming for you soon!

The Firebird Trilogy by Claudia Gray

This isn’t your typical science fiction novel, as it’s not set in space. However, there is cross-dimension travel involved and non-stop action that I promise you won’t be able to get enough of. Also, a swoony romance to warm your heart. Can we also agree how gorgeous these covers are? Um yes!

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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

A fairly well-known book, and soon to be movie directed by Steven Spielberg, this one is an epic adventure that is chock full of pop culture references from the 80’s. If you love video games and science fiction movies, you should enjoy this one!

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The Diabolic (The Diabolic, #1) by S.J. Kincaid

This story is definitely a great place to start if you’re looking for a YA science fiction novel. It’s got political intrigue, a socially inept MC (who kills me with her social skills), and a completely engrossing plotline. It was originally going to be a standalone but is now being turned into a duology with the sequel due to release this fall. TW: Death of a LGTBQA+ character.

The Illuminae Files Series by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

To say that I’m obsessed with this series would be an understatement. Illuminae may actually be one of the most original stories that I’ve read. The first novel also contains a character who will always be the greatest character that I’ve read. If you don’t become obsessed with AIDAN too, I’ll be very surprised.

Starflight Duology by Melissa Landers

Now don’t go into this series thinking that it will blow your mind, because it probably won’t. However, you will have buckets of fun and will fall in love with this adorable crew of outcasts. Pick this one up when you’re just looking for a good time! TW: drug addiction (Starfall)

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Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown

Oh, I’m sorry, did you really think that I wouldn’t list my all-time favorite series (with the exception of HP, of course!)? HA! The joke is on you, my friend, because I will never not recommend this series to someone. Also, the first book in a new trilogy set 10 years later is being released in January! My body is probably going to spontaneously combust with excitement. TW: violence

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Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1) by Michael Crichton

A classic, to be sure. The book actually delves quite deeper into the science behind the park that the film wasn’t able to cover. So if you like that sort of stuff, then you will appreciate Crichton’s writing. I haven’t read any of his other novels but I do believe that’s a common trait with his writing.

Across the Universe Trilogy Beth Revis

I will admit that it’s been quite a while since I read this series, but I do remember really enjoying it. I haven’t seen the movie but I assume based on what it was about, that this series is kind of like a YA version of the movie Passengers. Except better. Because I definitely heard that that movies was awful. Also, yes there was a cover change in the middle of this series. WE DON’T TALK ABOUT IT.

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The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I don’t tend to hate on the Twilight series because we all read it when we were teens and devoured it. It’s okay to admit these things, instead of acting like we were too mature for that. With that being said, this book is FAR superior to Twilight. I honestly wish more people would read this and see for themselves. I actually think I’ll be rereading it this fall! Also, there was a movie adaptation of it starring Saoirse Ronan.

Star Wars: Aftermath Trilogy by Chuck Wendig

Like I would do a science fiction recommendations post and not include something involving Star Wars! But seriously, I thought this was such a fun series, that just got better with each book. I know some people don’t like that Wendig writes this series in the present tense but I didn’t even notice it after the first book. If you like Star Wars, then these books are a must!

P.S. This post might have been written while listening to the Star Wars soundtracks.

What are some of your favorite science fiction novels? Which ones would recommend? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think of them?

WWW Wednesday – July 26th, 2017

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam!

The Three W’s are:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

  • The Song Rising (The Bone Season, #3) by Samantha Shannon
  • Parker by Jillian Quinn
  • The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley – audiobook

I’m still chugging along with The Winter Sea, but this audiobook is over 15 hours long so I expect it’ll be a while before I finish it. I’ve finally moved on to the third book in The Bone Season trilogy and so far it’s really good. There’s a map of Ireland in this one, which gives me hope that Paige and the gang will be heading there at some point. AHHHHHHH!!!

What did you recently finish reading?

  • The Wicked & The Divine, Vol. 2: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen –  4/5 stars, graphic novel
  • The Bone Season (The Bone Season, #1) by Samantha Shannon – 5/5 stars
  • Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman – 3/5 stars
  • A Million Junes by Emily Henry – 5/5 stars
  • The Mime Order (The Bone Season, #2) by Samantha Shannon – 5/5 stars

You can thank the 24in48 Readathon for why I had such a good reading week. I really enjoyed all of the books that I read this past week, though I was let down by Gaiman’s newest novel. I think my expectations were just too high.

What do you think you’ll read next?

  • Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1) by Leigh Bardugo
  • Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Yes, that’s right – I have not read this extremely well-loved duology! But you know, better late than never, right? And if you’re wondering if I had these books on my shelves since their release…well, you might be right. Oops?

What books have you read this week? What are you currently reading? Do you have anything exciting up next on your TBR? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think of them?

Book Review: Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity, #2)

After finishing the amazingness that was This Savage Song, I was super excited to dive right into Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity, #2) by Victoria Schwab. And… OH. MY. GOD. Why is Schwab such a goddess at writing?

THE WORLD IS BREAKING. AND SO ARE THEY.

KATE HARKER isn’t afraid of monsters. She hunts them. And she’s good at it.

AUGUST FLYNN once yearned to be human. He has a part to play. And he will play it, no matter the cost.

THE WAR HAS BEGUN.

THE MONSTERS ARE WINNING.

Kate will have to return to Verity. August will have to let her back in. And a new monster is waiting—one that feeds on chaos and brings out its victims’ inner demons.

Which will be harder to conquer: the monsters they face, or the monsters within?

What can I say about Schwab’s writing that hasn’t already been said many times before? She knows exactly how to engage you from the beginning and pull you completely into the story, even before you’re entirely sure about what’s going on. From page one, you are thrown immediately into this dark world that Kate and August are trying to navigate and survive in. I never once found myself bored or wishing for it to be over already. Instead, I was savoring every moment of it. From start to finish, I was on the edge of my seat with worry over what was going to happen next and if my sweet babies were going to have a happy ending. Needless to say, this is a Schwab book so I should have known better…

To say that our two protagonists have gone through some changes, would be an understatement. Kate is now a battle-hardened monster hunter – think Buffy Summers but with more of an attitude. I really liked seeing how much she’s been affected by what happened in Verity. You can see that she’s fighting monsters as a way to fight her own personal demons, especially the guilt over what happened in the previous book. She’s even become more closed off than before. August is no longer the same as well. He’s embraced being Sunai and is now leading his father’s troops. He has brushed aside his humanity in order to take control and try to live up to the expectations of everyone else, or at least what he believes to be their expectations. He’s also carrying his own inner demons and unfortunately, they’re winning. I loved seeing how the events in This Savage Song have profoundly changed the MCs. I hate how in some series you can barely see anything affect how the characters behave, but that’s not the case here. Yay!

“You don't need to be gifted with a blade. You are your own best weapon.”

Truthfully, I actually enjoyed the action much more in this book than I did in the first one. It came across much more intense and I could really feel how high the stakes were. Every scene felt like it was life or death and could possibly be the end for our characters. Schwab really was able to amp up the battle scenes. They were liberally spread throughout the story, never leaving us with a moment’s rest from the action. I loved it.

However, I think the strongest part of this book was the ending. Schwab always knows how to deliver the perfect ending that isn’t full of rainbows and sunshine, but one that is realistic and bittersweet. And she doesn’t disappoint here! It never felt rushed or left me feeling like anything was missing. It gave me everything I look for in endings – strong emotions, a clear and concise conclusion, and left me wanting more! It’s actually sad knowing that this story wrapped up so nicely that you know there’s nothing else coming afterwards. Yes yes yes, I do realize that it’s a duology but a girl can dream right?!

If you haven’t read this series yet, you definitely need to. It might just be Schwab’s best work yet.

Final Verdict: 5/5 Stars

Have you read Our Dark Duet? What did you think of it? Do you think it’s Schwab’s best work?

A Personal TBR of Books You Might Not Have Heard of

Hello, lovelies! I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write about today, so thanks to those of you who voted in my Twitter poll and decided you wanted to hear more about my underrated TBR list.

As I was putting all of my books up in my new shelves a few weeks ago, I noticed how many books on my TBR shelf that I owned but haven’t really seen mentioned anywhere else. I know we all tend pick up books that we see on blogs, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. It’s easy to get your interest piqued by seeing a book somewhere. I tend to buy popular books too sometimes, instead of taking the time to just browse the racks. However, there are still some days where I just spend hours browsing the bookstore or BookOutlet. This ends with me finding some hidden gems that I might not normally have heard about and now I have way more unread books than is probably healthy, haha! But I can say that I cannot wait to finally pick these beauties up!

P.S. I only included the books that I already own and only chose a handful from my shelves. Maybe I’ll post another list at a late date! 🙂

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The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson

I received this book in my Book of the Month Club box back at the beginning of the year. I think it’s basically about a rich school where all of the kids are horrible and torture a new teacher. I’m really interested in seeing how dark this one gets.

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The Child Thief by Brom

Think pyscho evil child-snatcher Peter Pan, and you basically have this really dark retelling of the boy-who-never-grows-up. This one has been tempting me a whole lot lately and I may have to bump it up to my TBR for next month. And yes, I know I’m a scaredy-cat and don’t usually read horror. I’ll be sure to only read this one during the day!

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Shadow Run (Kaitan Chronicles, #1) by Adrianne Strickland & Michael Miller

Y’all know I can’t resist a good novel set on a spaceship. SIGN ME UP.

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Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix

A mystery romance set in the Regency but with magic, yes, magic. I feel like this will be a nice fluff book, perfect for a day when I’m feeling something light and cute. This will be my first Garth Nix book and I’m interested in seeing how I feel about his writing.

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A Song for Ella Grey  by David Almond

This one is a contemporary retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. If you don’t know that myth, it’s a tragedy. I expect a lot of tears to be shed during this one.

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Where Futures End by Parker Peevyhouse

From the synopsis of this book, I’m getting some serious YA version of Cloud Atlas vibes. While I absolutely hated Cloud Atlas (I shudder just thinking about it), Emily Henry recommends this book and I’m kind of obsessed with her books so I hope this one doesn’t disappoint.

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The Cutting Season by Attica Locke

This is a murder mystery set on an old plantation in southern Louisiana. I think this book is also a commentary on modern politics and race relations, and if that’s the case, count me in. This is also a #ownvoices novel too, which makes me even more excited!

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Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire, #1) by Michael Sullivan

This epic fantasy novel has really awesome rating on Goodreads right now, which makes me really excited to hear. I think the sequel was actually released recently too, so I may end up binging them sometime soon. I cannot wait!

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Every Man a Menace by Patrick Hoffman

This book sounds like such a trip (pun intended!), as it follows a shipment of MDMA from the making of it to its distribution in the United States. This is a straight crime novel, where no one is the hero. I don’t usually pick up books like this so we’ll see how it goes.

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The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates

I’ve never actually read any of Oates’ book (I know, I know!!), but this one sounds incredibly intriguing. It’s set in 1905 Princeton, New Jersey where a bunch of real-life famous people get caught up in curse and fall under the control of a paranormal force. Sounds intense, right?

What books do you have that might be under-the-radar of the book community? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think of them?

24in48 July 2017 Readathon Wrap-Up

This weekend was the 24in48 Readathon and y’all, it went so well! I didn’t complete the full 24 hours because Larkin likes to take breaks and sleep (I’m old, I can’t help it!). However, I did complete every single one of my goals that I set in my TBR post on Thursday! And isn’t that what these readathons are all about?

Total Hours Read

  • 15 of 24 hours – I was really hoping to read the full 24 hours, but things happen and that’s okay. I still think 15 hours is pretty damn good. I also go to see Dunkirk during one of my breaks and that movie was freaking amazing, so I think it was time well spent.

Books Read

  • A Million Junes by Emily Henry – 350 pages
  • The Mime Order (The Bone Season, #2) by Samantha Shannon – 510 pages
  • Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman – 281 pages

Goals

  • Read at least 600 pages. – FREAKING NAILED IT. I ended up reading a total of of 918 pages. Yes, you read that right! I actually almost 1,000 pages in 15 hours and that is way cool to me. I would’ve even hit the 1,000 mark if I hadn’t started A Million Junes Friday night before the readathon started. But sue me, I was eager to get to it!
  • Read 3 different books. – You bet your ass I did! I was a little worried that I might not make it to even picking up my third book, as I’ve been reading a tad slower than usual lately. However, not only did I make it to the 3rd book, I finished it! I gave myself a little pat on the back for that one.
  • Complete the Hype or Like Friday July BOTM, A Million Junes. – As I mentioned a moment ago, I was able to finish all three books on my TBR, including this one! If you haven’t read this book yet, I really encourage you to do so. This book is definitely one of my favorites of 2017 so far, and is certainly the most beautiful. It broke my heart but in the best way possible. I could go on and on about how much I loved it, but I think you just need to read for yourself and I’ll save my gushing for the review.

Now, I’m sure that tons of people were able to read more hours, books, pages, etc., but I’m not going to compare myself to anyone else. I completed the goals that were important to me and I hope that everyone else who participated was able to achieve that as well. And if you had a great time this weekend, then I think that’s all that matters.

Everyone should give themselves a round of applause for having such a fun weekend of reading! I hope to see all of you during the next readathon!

Did you participate in this round of 24in48? What were some of your goals? Did you complete them? Did you enjoy the books that you read? Will you be participating in future readathons?

Hype or Like Friday – Small Town Living

This meme and Goodreads group were created by myself, Jill @ Rant and Rave Books, and Britt @ Geronimo Reads. To join our group and find out more information about what it’s all about, please go to our Goodreads page HERE.

The July BOTM is A Million Junes by Emily Henry.

RULES:

  • Answer the weekly discussion topic.
  • Optional: Discuss your chosen hyped book of the week.
  • Optional: Talk about your progress on the BOTM.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK: Small Town Living… What books set in small towns do you recommend?

As someone who was born and raised in a small town, I always have a soft spot for books set in such a place. I smile at how everyone knows everyone and are into each other’s business. Such is the life of small town folks…

No matter if you’re from a small town and enjoy reading about similar places or are from a big city looking for a different way of life, the above books are good places to start!

Are you from a small town? Do you enjoy reading books set in small towns? Have you read any of the books that I recommended? Leave a link to your Hype or Like Friday post in the comments below!

24in48 July 2017 Readathon – Personal Goals & TBR

Hello to all of my lovely fellow book lovers! It’s that time of year again when readathons are plentiful as everyone gears up for going back to school or are just celebrating the upcoming end of summer (for all of my fellow Northern Hemisphere peeps) and winter (shoutout to my Southern friends!). I don’t get to participate in very many readathons as having a full-time job really cuts into my reading time, but luckily the 24in48 Readathon is perfect for those of us with 9 to 5’s.

Basically, the 24in48 Readathon is really simple – all participants have to do is read 24 hours in a 48 hour time period. ACA-EXCUSE ME?! Yes, you read that right. There are no challenges and no other requirements! This is basically just focusing on you setting aside some time from 12:01am on Saturday morning until 11:59pm on Sunday night to read. You can read for a full 24 straight hours, perhaps 12 hours each day, or any which way you want. There are also some seriously amazing gift packages up for grabs for those who participate and complete the full 24 hours… and I mean AMAZING. The readathon will be running from 12:01am Saturday the 22nd until 11:59pm Sunday the 23rd. If you’d like to learn more and sign up, just go HERE. You can also follow along on Twitter @24in48readathon.

As soon as I signed up for this weekend’s readathon, I decided that I wanted to set some goals for myself to really help me focus. Fingers crossed right?

1. Read at least 600 pages.

Now you may be thinking that thinking that seems fairly easy for a 24 period reading, I won’t disagree with that. However, I have noticed that my reading pace has slowed down recently and I don’t want to try to push myself so much that I can’t fully enjoy what I’m reading.

2. Read 3 different books.

Now I won’t be picky or anything with this one, so as long as I get to read at least parts of 3 different books then I will be satisfied. If I finish 2 books and get to start on a third one then I think that makes for a damn good 24 hours of reading. Like I said, I don’t want to kill myself trying to reach such lofty goals. This is supposed to be fun and chill after all!

3. Complete the Hype or Like Friday July BOTM, A Million Junes.

Our reviews for this month’s BOTM are scheduled for next Friday and I really don’t want to push this book to the side any longer. I’ve only heard amazing things about it and I think this will be the perfect read to stay up late and binge on. If Emily Henry’s debut novel, The Love That Split the World, taught me anything last year, it’s that I will definitely need to keep tissues close by!

My Readathon TBR

  • A Million Junes by Emily Henry – 350 pages
  • The Mime Order (The Bone Season, #2) by Samantha Shannon – 510 pages
  • Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman – 281 pages

To at least give myself a chance to complete all of my goals, I decided to break up my Smashing Series July TBR for a moment and add Gaiman’s Norse Mythology to the mix. This book is on the shorter side page-wise and should be a quick read which are always appreciated during readathons. Plus, Gaiman just kicks major ass and I’m way overdue picking this one up.

Are you participating in this month’s 24in48 Readathon? What books will you be reading? Do you like to set personal goals during readathons? Have you read any of the books on my TBR?

Book Review: This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1)

I still don’t know why I put off picking up This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1) by Victoria Schwab. Actually, I might blame it on the fact that I heard it involved music and that reminded me of the most boring book I picked up and ultimately DNFed last year, Passengers. But I will never doubt goddess Schwab ever again, because this book was just amazing.

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

I’ve come to recognize Schwab’s writing style to almost be soothing. You’re probably like, Larkin has lost her mind and must be thinking of a different author. But fear not readers, I have not lost my mind… YET. Just kidding! Anyways, what I mean when I call her writing style soothing, I mean that it reads at a steady pace (or it does for me anyway). Even when there’s tons of action going on, the pacing never changes for me but just continues along. I think that really emphasized the darkness of this book, almost giving it a surreal quality while reading it. It made the tragedy of the situation that much more terrible and basically highlighting the fact that it can only end one way, tragically.

It’s time to just all agree that Schwab is the queen of strong and independent female characters. If you loved Lila Bard, then Kate Harker is going to be your next obsession. She’s incredibly strong, cunning, and full of enough snark and attitude to keep you grinning through the entire book. Yet, you can see how vulnerable she is. She’s just a typical teen looking for her father’s approval. Then you have August, who is in constant battle with himself to stay in control and not lose any of the little bit of humanity that he does have. He refuses to be the monster that he is. I found August to be one of, if not the most, complex character that I’ve read about so far this year. I really enjoyed being able to experience his struggles along with him. At times he seemed even more human than the actual humans. I especially loved his interactions with his fellow Sunai and being able to see the differences between each of them.

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The world-building in this book was amazing. Schwab took the typical dystopian setting and completely turned it into something unique and engaging. The idea that our negative actions actually morph into physical monsters is such an interesting concept. You can see that Schwab was actually using this metaphor to commentate on the evil that occurs every single day. I love it.

I think my only issue with this book was that I struggled in the beginning to understand what was going on. You’re immediately thrown into the story and are not really explained as to what is happening until further on. I found myself confused by all of the different terms used to describe the monsters. Luckily, things do eventually get explained but I don’t think that happens until after about 50 pages into the story.

I totally recommend this book. It’s dark and isn’t full of rainbows and sunshine, but it will make you think and have you hooked from the very first page. If you haven’t read any of Schwab’s novels before now, I do recommend starting off with this duology to get a feel for her writing style. You will not be disappointed!

Final Verdict: 4/5 Stars

Have you read This Savage Song? What did you think of compared to Schwab’s other novels? Did you like August or Kate better? 

WWW Wednesday – July 19th, 2017

Welcome to WWW Wednesday which is currently being hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. It’s really just a place to do little update on what all you’ve been reading lately. Anyone is welcome to join, just leave a link to your post in the comments and be sure to give the appropriate credit to Sam!

The Three W’s are:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

  • The Bone Season (The Bone Season, #1) by Samantha Shannon
  • The Wicked & The Divine, Vol. 2: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen – graphic novel
  • Parker by Jillian Quinn
  • The Winter Sea (Slains, #1) by Susanna Kearsley – audiobook

Don’t ask me how I got to be reading/listening to 4 different books. I honestly have no idea, because this isn’t typical for me at all. I do plan on finishing The Wicked & The Divine tonight though, so that should cut it down to a more acceptable amount… I hope so at least.

What did you recently finish reading?

  • The Wicked & The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen – graphic novel, 4/5 stars
  • Bone Gap by Laura Ruby – audiobook, 2/5 stars
  • This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1) by Victoria Schwab – 4/5 stars
  • Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity, #2) by Victoria Schwab – 5/5 stars

What do you think you’ll read next?

  • The Mime Order (The Bone Season, #2) by Samantha Shannon
  • The Song Rising (The Bone Season, #3) by Samantha Shannon

The most logical choices as I continue on with Smashing Series Summer. I’m really excited to see where this series is going next as I’m falling in love with The Bone Season all over again!

What are you currently reading? Did you finish any good books this week? Have you read any of the books on my list? What did you think of them?