One Dark Throne – Wonderfilled Reads

The Wonder Woman Book Tag

As always, big thanks to the lovely and lively Lilly @ Lair of Books for tagging me in this. I absolutely loved this movie and am so excited to do this fun tag!

Wonder Woman: Your favorite badass female book character…

Victra from the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, then you’re probably tired of hearing me talk about Victra. Well sorry, not sorry! Because I will never stop talking about the biggest badass that I’ve ever read about. I will go down swinging if you dare disrespect my favorite. Just kidding!…. (sort of.)

Fantasy Island: A book setting you want to escape to…

The Zodiac from the Zodiac series by Romina Russell

Yes, I’m one of those people loves obsessing over what people’s astrological sign is and if they match its personality. I have no shame to admit that. Which is why I absolutely love the world that Russell has created with each sign having its own planets and people that reflect that sign’s attributes. As an Aquarian, I would have amethyst eyes. HOW COOL IS THAT?!

London: A hyped book that let you down…

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress, #1) by Julie C. Dao

Antiheroes are awesome. However, they need to have nuances with them to help us sympathize and form a connection with them. Well, Xifeng is completely lacking in any qualities that made me want to root for her. In fact, I just wanted for someone to kick her ass! She treated everyone awful and the only reason she thought she was supposed to be queen was because her aunt said so and because she’s pretty. Yeah, hard pass.

Steve Trevor: A book that has a beautiful cover and a great story (i.e. good personality)…

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1) by S.A. Chakraborty

My favorite book of 2018 is an absolute gem! I finished this book and immediately wanted to reread it, which never happens! I don’t know how I’m going to survive waiting until the sequel is released. Seriously, if you haven’t picked this book yet then you’re really missing out. IT. IS. AMAZING.

Lasso of Truth: A book you hated…

The Midnight Star (The Young Elites, #3) by Marie Lu

I was completely in love with this series and dying to see how it would all end with this finale book. And well… all we got was a load of crap. This is without a doubt the worst series finale that I’ve ever read. I truly believe that Lu was just writing some nonsense to finish off this series so she could focus on her other books. Most of the characters lost all of their depth and personality traits and the climax was so rushed, it just felt completely jumbled and lacked any sort of importance. I’ve never finished a book so pissed off before. The only good part was the epilogue which was beautiful but only like 4 pages long.

Wonder Woman’s Shield: A book so sad that you need a shield…

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

This book gets some hate from some people, but it literally killed me. I was not prepared for what happened and ugly cried for a good hour. You’ve been warned!

Ares: a villain that is scary, but you can’t seem to hate them…

Katherine from the Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake

I know you’re supposed to hate her because she’s a Poisoner, but I can’t seem to do it. I’m just too intrigued by her to hate her. She’s really just a fascinating character and I love the growth her character has done.

The Amazons: A book that you wish had more/better LGBT+ representation…

Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes

I’ve only just finished the second book in this series so maybe we get some LGBT+ representation in the later books. Because in my head cannon, Lucia is bi and that’s all there is to it. I need her to have a relationship with another girl like immediately! I’m also rooting for Nic to fall for a guy. I can totally picture him falling for someone in the army.

Do you agree with my choices? What would you pick for the different questions? I’m tagging anyone who wants to do it, so be sure to link back to this post so I can see all of your wonderful posts!

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

Welcome to yet another glorious month of reading and blogging. October was full of horror and mystery books, which if you have followed me for a while, probably realize isn’t my usual cup of tea. Luckily, it ended up being pretty good for me this time!

Books Read

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody – 5/5 stars
A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge – audiobook, 2/5 stars
The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen, #1) by Alison Goodman – 5/5 stars
The Cutting Season by Attica Locke – 4/5 stars
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – audiobook, 3/5 stars
Stars Over Clear Lake by Loretta Ellsworth – audiobook, 4/5 stars
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue – 4/5 stars, review to come
One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns, #2) by Kendare Blake – 5/5 stars
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss – 5/5 stars
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus – 4/5 stars
Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1) by Kendare Blake – 4/5 stars
Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero – 4/5 stars

Total Books Read: 12

Overall in 2017: 71

Reading Challenge Updates

POPSUGAR

A Book with a Red Spine – Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
A Novel Set During Wartime – Stars Over Clear Lake
A Book with a Family Member Term in the Title – The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter
A Book About a Difficult Topic – The Cutting Season

Beat The Backlist

The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen, #1)
The Wonder
Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1)
The Cutting Season

Goodreads Challenge

Total: 71/100
Previous Total: 59/100

Blog Posts

Book Reviews

WWW Wednesday

Hype or Like Friday

Discussions/Misc.

How did you do during the month of October? Did you have a good reading month? Did you participate in the Halloween Read-a-thon? Have you read any of the books that I read this month?

WWW Wednesday – October 11th, 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?

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge – audiobook
Daughter of the Burning City – Amanda Foody – physical book

Still slowly listening my way through A Face Like Glass. This audiobook is so dang long and I can only listen to it while there’s nothing else going on because it’s so detailed. I only have about 4 hours left though, so I’m finally coming up on the end!

I started Daughter of the Burning City last night for my first read for the Halloween Read-A-Thon. I’ve heard great things about this book so I’m really excited to finally dive into it. Thanks to all of my Twitter followers who voted in the poll and chose it!

What did you recently finish reading?

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero – 4/5 stars, Review
The Cutting Season by Attica Locke – 4/5 stars, review to come
One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns, #2) by Kendare Blake – 5/5 stars, Review

I had a very good reading week. I really enjoyed all 3 books that I read, especially One Dark Throne. If you had any issues with the first book in the series, this one will take care of ’em. Don’t put this one off any longer than you have to! I absolutely loved it from start to finish and could not put it down. FOR REAL. The Cutting Season was a real pleasant surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed getting swept away with. I definitely recommend it for an atmospheric mystery. While Meddling Kids was a kooky read from start to finish that had me laughing out loud.

What do you think you’ll read next?

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss – Hype or Like Friday October BOTM

Continuing with my TBR for the Halloween Read-A-Thon, I will be picking up one of these two beauties next. I’ve heard some really good things about One of Us is Lying, while Alchemist’s Daughter hasn’t been talked about much. Both sound so intriguing though and go perfectly with October. Can’t wait to get started on them!

What books have you read this week? What are you currently reading? What’s coming up next on your TBR? Are you participating in the Halloween Read-A-Thon? Leave a link to your WWW Wednesday in the comments below!

Book Review: One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns, #2)

The first book in this series left me with mixed feelings. The story took a lot longer to reach the darkness that I was first expecting from reading the synopsis. However, there was no wait needed in One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns, #2) by Kendare Blake. This sequel was dark from start to finish, just how I like ’em.

The battle for the Crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail?

With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.

In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn’s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.

The Good

Plot Made for a Black Heart – If you had issues with missing all of the dark and twistedness that the synopsis for the first book promised, fear not! This book starts off dark and never stops there. Our three sisters are out for blood and on a mission to win the crown. Yes, there’s still a little bit of romance peppered throughout the plot, but it never erases any doubt that things could get ugly really quickly. I LOVED IT.
Killer Katharine – I think it’s safe to say at this point that Katharine is just plain evil. I mean, ***SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE FIRST BOOK*** she’s definitely not the same girl that she was before crawled out of the chasm. ***END SPOILER*** She might be awful and cruel and just a tad bit unhinged, but I have to say that I’m living for it. I cannot get enough of her chapters and watching her slowly mentally unravel before everyone. I really appreciated how Blake was able to truly allow the readers to get a taste of it by following Natalia’s POV, as she tries to navigate how to deal with this new Katharine.
Non-Stop Action – There was a little bit of pacing issues in the first book, but this sequel is chock full of action. I never found myself growing bored or waiting for something interesting to happen. Instead, I couldn’t put the book down! I had to know what was going to happen next, as there was something interesting or important going over in every chapter.
Arsinoe Takes the Stage – My favorite “good” sister was finally brought to the spotlight in this second book. While I felt she was pushed a little to the wayside in favor of Jules in Three Dark Crowns, we are finally able to truly experience her POV here. She is such a badass, too. Pretty sure that we would be best friends.
Another Fantastic Cliffhanger – Oh, Kendare Blake, you just want to ruin me with anticipation for the next installment, don’t you?

The Bad

NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING!

I’m going to be honest here and say that I didn’t really have any issues with this book. I thought it was well-written and entertaining, almost drugging me with it’s awesomeness. Overall, this book was a fantastic read and sets the bar extremely high for other series’ second books. It was dark, full of action, tension, and all pulled together by amazingly independent and strong women. If you’re looking for a book with some strong heroines, this series just might be the answer.

Final Verdict: 5/5 Stars

Have you read One Dark Throne? If so, what did you think of it? Did you enjoy it more than the first book? Do you like to read books with dark plot lines?