September Wrap-Up: Reviews, Reading Challenges, etc.

September saw the end of a crazy reading slump and a renewed urge to gobble up every book in sight. Woohoo!


Books Read

  • Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2) by Leigh Bardugo – 5/5 stars
  • Lost Stars (Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens) by Claudia Gray – 5/5 stars, REVIEW
  • Hunted by Meagan Spooner – 4/5 stars, REVIEW
  • American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse – 4/5 stars, REVIEW
  • Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1) by Jane Lindskold – 3/5 stars, REVIEW

Total Books Read: 5

Overall in 2017: 59

Reading Challenge Updates

POPSUGAR

  • A Book with a Subtitle – American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land
  • A Book with a Cat on the Cover – Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1)

Beat The Backlist

  • Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)
  • Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1)
  • Lost Stars (Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Goodreads Challenge

  • Total: 59/100
  • Previous Total: 54/100

Blog Posts

WWW Wednesday

Discussions/Misc.


How many books did you read in September? Did you have a good reading month? How are you doing with all of your reading challenges? Which book was your favorite read?

WWW Wednesday – October 4th, 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?

  • Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero – physical book
  • A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge – audiobook

I’m almost finished with Meddling Kids, probably by tonight actually. While the cover is what originally caught my eye, this book has turned into such an entertaining read! If you’re a big Scooby Doo fan and find yourself wondering what might’ve happened to the gang once they grew up, you’ll love this. It is an adult horror retelling so be aware that it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. Also, the image doesn’t do the cover justice – it’s so vibrant and gorgeous up against the white background. Cover porn, for sure!

I’m still listening to A Face Like Glass and am only about a fourth of the way through it. This is a really long audiobook and it’s been a little hard for me to focus on while listening to it at work. It’s very strange and whimsical, which requires a bit more attention than I’ve been able to give lately. Hopefully things will slow down so I can get back to it!

What did you recently finish reading?

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Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1) by Jane Lindskold – 3/5 stars, REVIEW

This book was purchased on a whim from BookOutlet, but luckily it turned out entertaining enough to validate spending the money on it. I do own the sequel and plan on getting to it in the next couple of months.

What do you think you’ll read next?

  • One Dark Throne (One Dark Crown, #2) by Kendare Blake
  • One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

The next book I plan to pick up is going to be One Dark Throne. The first book in the series was alright, but I loved the cliffhanger it ended on and so I can’t wait to see where the story goes next. Then for my first read to start off the Halloween Readathon, I decided to go with One of Us is Lying. Sounds like such a page-turner!


What are you currently reading? Did you finish any good books this past week? What books do you have planned on your TBR? Are you participating in the Halloween Readathon? Leave a link to your WWW Wednesday post in the comments below!

Book Review: Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1)

You know when you’re browsing BookOutlet and find a book the piques your interest that you’ve literally heard nothing about, but you say screw it and buy it anyway? Yeah, that’s basically how I came to pick up Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1) by Jane Lindskold.

Artemis is a pleasure planet created by a technologically advanced human empire that provided its richest citizens with a veritable Eden to play in. All tech was concealed and the animals (and the humans brought to live there) were bioengineered to help the guests enjoy their stay…

But the Empire was shattered in a horrific war; centuries later humanity has lost much of the advanced technology, and Artemis is a fable told to children. Until young archeologist Griffin Dane finds intriguing hints that send him on a quest to find the lost world.

After crashing his ship, he encounters Adara the Huntress and her psych-linked companion, the puma Sand Shadow. Their journey with her will lead Dane to discover the planet’s secrets…and perhaps provide a key to give unimagined power back to mankind.

The Good

  • Engaging Story – I think plot line of this story was really fun. Most science fiction novels can get very heavy into the spaceships, battles, and aliens. However, Lindskold takes this story down a different path by focusing it more as an action-adventure. I actually would say it has more of a Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones type vibe. And this is more based on what the plot entails, rather than just one of the main characters being an archaeologist. You know, just to clarify. 😉
  • Strong Female MC – I really enjoyed Adara. I thought she was strong and independent, even considered stronger than the other two male characters. You can definitely tell that she doesn’t need anyone to help her, she just does what needs to be done. I love that Lindskold didn’t just make her some damsel in distress, who is strong but makes dumb decisions. Adara is clever and is able to make plans that are smart and well prepared. Y’all know it would be extremely annoying if she was constantly making stupid decisions like most heroines are prone to do.
  • Puma Humor – Sand Shadow is an animal who can’t even talk, and yet she has more personality than most human characters I’ve read about. I just need more puma!
  • World Building – I think the author did a great job on the world-building. Artemis was well-fleshed out, including its history and creation. I had no trouble visualizing it as fantasy world-like setting. This was a planet created for an almost primitive living experience, and you are definitely able to get that feeling.

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The Bad

  • Same Ol’, Same Ol’ – While the story is engaging and entertaining, the overall plot points are quite typical to any adventure story. Once or twice during “big plot twists”, I just found that I wasn’t surprised or impressed. These twists are actually common plot points in many novels or movies, which is quite disappointing. There was really only time that I found myself thinking, now this is actually interesting.
  • Romantic Side Plot – I’m usually all for having a little romance going on in my novels. However, it just seemed so forced in this story! I mean, the characters conflicting feelings is continuously thrown in your face at least once a chapter. And the best part about it? NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENS. It’s such a useless and unneeded side note, that I am racking my brain trying to figure out why it was even included. It’s almost like the editor thought, needs more love triangle!… No, no it doesn’t.

Overall, this was a decent read. It wasn’t anything special or groundbreaking, but I was engaged in the story and found it fairly entertaining. This is also the first book in a series, so it quite possibly could go in a completely different direction in the next book. I was able to snag the sequel from BookOutlet, so I do plan to continue on with the series. The ending gave me hope that things will really get interesting in Artemis Invaded. Fingers crossed!

Overall Verdict: 3/5 Stars


Do you ever read books where you find yourself thinking that you’ve already read the story before? Are you still able to enjoy the book? Have you read Artemis Awakening? If so, what did you think of it? 

WWW Wednesday – September 27th, 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?

  • Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1) by Jane Lindskold – physical book
  • A Face Like Glass by France Hardinge – audiobook

I just realized that I had 2 credits available on Audible, so I decided to start up listening to audiobooks again. I loved Hardinge’s The Lie Tree, when I first read it last year, so when I saw that they had another one of her whimsical fantasies available, I jumped at the chance. I’m really enjoying it so far too, if it is a little strange (which I’ve realized is Hardinge’s M.O.).

Artemis Awakening is fairly interesting so far. It’s very easy to read and I’m really enjoying the characters so far. The story is a little predictable so far, but I’m hoping that’s only the case because it’s still very early on in the book.

What did you recently finish reading?

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Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2) by Leigh Bardugo – 5/5 stars

I don’t think I’ll be writing a review for this book, as I never did write one for Six of Crows. However, I will say that I had a bit of an interesting relationship with it. Mostly, this book put me into the worst reading slump when I was about 75 pages into it. The beginning just took too long to really engage me and I finally just had to toss it aside. But once I made it through my slump, I was able to dive back into it and really ended up loving it. I do think I may end up docking a star from this one, just because the pacing was really rough there for a while.

What do you think you’ll read next?

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The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

I read the first 20 pages of this book for the Try a Chapter post I did yesterday, and it has really left me wanting more. I honestly can’t believe I’ve had this book for about a year now and am just now finally picking it up. The last few books that I’ve read from Book of the Month Club have really been amazing, so maybe I should stop being such a procrastinator and actually read them when I get them! Here’s hoping, right?!


What are you currently reading? Did you finish any good books this week? What do you have next on your TBR? Leave a link to your WWW Wednesday post in the comments below!

Try A Chapter: Round #2

I first did this back in February when I wasn’t really sure what book I wanted to read next. After finishing up Crooked Kingdom the other night, I was having the same mini-crisis as I stared at my TBR bookshelf and wanted to read ALL THE BOOKS! Everything sounded so good that I just didn’t know how to pick only one. Luckily, I remembered this awesome tag created by BookParadise on Youtube. Praise the book gods!

RULES:

  • Pick 5 (or more) books from your tbr
  • Read the first chapter of all of them (including the prologue if there is one)
  • Tell your readers if you’re sold on the book and what you thought of the first chapter.
  • Are you going to finish the book this month?

I picked 5 fairly different books this time around, just like I did before. I actually let one of my guy friends choose from like 25 different books based on their spines and this is the list he came up with, haha!

My Choices:

  1. Fuse (Pure, #2) by Julianna Baggott
  2. Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire, #1) by Michael J. Sullivan
  3. Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1) by Jane Lindskold
  4. The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
  5. The Clockwork Dynasty by Daniel H. Wilson

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To be a Pure is to be perfect, untouched by Detonations that scarred the earth and sheltered inside the paradise that is the Dome. But Partridge escaped to the outside world, where Wretches struggle to survive amid smoke and ash. Now, at the command of Partridge’s father, the Dome is unleashing nightmare after nightmare upon the Wretches in an effort to get him back.

At Partridge’s side is a small band of those united against the Dome: Lyda, the warrior; Bradwell, the revolutionary; El Capitan, the guard; and Pressia, the young woman whose mysterious past ties her to Partridge in way she never could have imagined. Long ago a plan was hatched that could mean the earth’s ultimate doom. Now only Partridge and Pressia can set things right.

To save millions of innocent lives, Partridge must risk his own by returning to the Dome and facing his most terrifying challenge. And Pressia, armed only with a mysterious Black Box, containing a set of cryptic clues, must travel to the very ends of the earth, to a place where no map can guide her. If they succeed, the world will be saved. But should they fail, humankind will pay a terrible price…

Option #1: This one included a small prologue where we are introduced to a new character, who kind of creeped me out a bit, not gonna lie. However, this series in general is just a tad creepy anyways. But the opening chapter was very engrossing jumping right into the story a few months after the end of the previous book. It was Pressia’s POV chapter and I loved how it ended on a cliffhanger with her. I’m really intrigued to see what happens next with her.

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Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever.

Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer; Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom; and Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over. The time of rebellion has begun.

Option #2: This one started off immediately, with the catalyst to the main conflict happening within the first 10 pages. I really enjoyed Raithe as a main character, even in just the short amount of time. He was funny and his sarcastic interactions with another character, Malcolm, had me laughing aloud. I definitely could tell by the writing that this is going to be a true epic fantasy tale.

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Artemis is a pleasure planet created by a technologically advanced human empire that provided its richest citizens with a veritable Eden to play in. All tech was concealed and the animals (and the humans brought to live there) were bioengineered to help the guests enjoy their stay…

But the Empire was shattered in a horrific war; centuries later humanity has lost much of the advanced technology, and Artemis is a fable told to children. Until young archeologist Griffin Dane finds intriguing hints that send him on a quest to find the lost world.

After crashing his ship, he encounters Adara the Huntress and her psych-linked companion, the puma Sand Shadow. Their journey with her will lead Dane to discover the planet’s secrets…and perhaps provide a key to give unimagined power back to mankind.

Option #3: I think the premise for this story sounds so interesting. It’s part science fiction, part action-adventure and has me really intrigued. I actually wanted to be an archaeologist when I was in high school, so I was able to easily connect with Griffin. I appreciated that this story immediately starts off with action. It’s so much easier to become engaged with the plot and story immediately when that happens. I also liked how the writing was easy to follow along with, whereas some science fiction novels can leave you scratching your head with so much terminology.

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In the latest masterpiece by Emma Donoghue, bestselling author of Room, an English nurse brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle-a girl said to have survived without food for months-soon finds herself fighting to save the child’s life.

Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O’Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale’s Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl.

Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, THE WONDER works beautifully on many levels–a tale of two strangers who transform each other’s lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.

Option #4: I was a little unsure how I was going to feel about this one. I don’t typically pick up mystery/thrillers very often, but I have to say that this one surprised me a bit. I was immediately intrigued by what was going to happen next. I couldn’t wait to flip the page to learn more about the situation that Lib found herself in. I also really liked the writing style, it flowed very well but was also straightforward. I also like how I didn’t really care for Lib. She’s a bit full of herself and quite judgmental towards the Irish, which I thought was a good choice that reflected the feelings of that era.

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Present day: When a young anthropologist specializing in ancient technology uncovers a terrible secret concealed in the workings of a three-hundred-year-old mechanical doll, she is thrown into a hidden world that lurks just under the surface of our own. With her career and her life at stake, June Stefanov will ally with a remarkable traveler who exposes her to a reality she never imagined, as they embark on an around-the-world adventure and discover breathtaking secrets of the past…

Russia, 1725: In the depths of the Kremlin, the tsar’s loyal mechanician brings to life two astonishingly humanlike mechanical beings. Peter and Elena are a brother and sister fallen out of time, possessed with uncanny power, and destined to serve great empires. Struggling to blend into pre-Victorian society, they are pulled into a legendary war that has raged for centuries.

The Clockwork Dynasty interweaves past and present, exploring a race of beings designed to live by ironclad principles, yet constantly searching for meaning. As June plunges deeper into their world, her choices will ultimately determine their survival or extermination.

Option #5: Out of all of my choices, this one was originally calling to me the most. It had a little bit of everything – steampunk, action, history, etc. And why is it that I feel like steampunk has a fall feel to it? Am I the only one who thinks that? Either way, I thought this one started off pretty good. Nothing really exciting happened, though I thought the prologue was very well done. I am very interested in seeing where the story will go from here though!

And The Winner Is…

Artemis Awakening (Artemis Awakening, #1)

I think I’m really in the mood for science fiction right now. It’s one of my favorite genres and lately has just really been speaking to me. I also was really intrigued by the premise of this story, as well. It looks like it might almost venture into some sort of Indiana Jones-style adventure story and that excites me. It’s also less than 300 pages long which means it should be really quick to get through, which might leave me enough time to pick up another book before October! (I’m looking at you, The Wonder!)


Do you ever have trouble deciding on just one book to pick up? How do you determine what book you’ll read next? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think about them?

Musing Mondays – December 12th, 2016 (A Very Large Book Haul)

Musing Mondays is a weekly theme, now being hosted by Ambrosia @ The Purple Booker, that asks you to answer one of the prompt questions and that week’s random question.

PROMPTS:

  • I’m currently reading…
  • Up next I think I’ll read…
  • I bought the following book(s) this past week…
  • I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I can’t wait to get a copy of…
  • I wish I could read ___, but…
  • I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Does reading help you to release stress during stressful times? If it does do you have a favorite book that you return to for calm?


I bought the following book(s) this past week…

So I actually purchased these books from Book Outlet during their Black Friday Sale, but they finally arrived last week. Needless to say, I got way too many books. However, for only spending $60 on all hardbacks except for three, I think I got an insane bargain. I don’t even feel bad about it.

See, I told you that I bought a lot!

Does reading help you to release stress during stressful times? If it does do you have a favorite book that you return to for calm?

I would have to say that reading does help me relax when I’m feeling stressed. I think it’s because my mind becomes focused on what I’m reading, and not what is bothering me. However, I don’t have any particular book that I turn to. I’ll just pick up whatever book I’m in the middle of.


What books did you buy recently? Have you read any of the ones from my haul? Does reading help you release stress? Leave a link to your Musing Monday post in the comments below!