Tag: Our Dark Duet

Spooky Scary Book Tag

I’ll be honest and admit that the only parts about the Halloween season that I really enjoy is the candy and 13 Nights of Halloween on ABC Family.. or is it FreeForm now? Who knows anymore, haha! However, I do enjoy all of the fun read-a-thons, challenges, and tags that go around this time of year. So big thanks to Heather @ The Sassy Book Geek for tagging me to do this one! Everyone go check out her wonderful blog!

Also, big thanks to Clever Fox for creating this tag!

What goes bump in the night? Name a book that has legitimately scared you while reading it.

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This book, y’all… I literally could not read it right before I went to bed because as soon as the lights went out, I was getting the heebie-jeebies. The villain will creep you out more than anything. I plan to reread this one and continue on with the series really soon!

Jack O’ Lanterns and Classic Costumes: A book you always reach for during Halloween time.

I don’t typically reread any books for certain holidays or seasons. I guess I’m just weird that way.

Black Cats and Magic Mirrors: A book you love that is laced with superstition and/or magic.

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Does it count if I’m currently only in the middle of it? Well I don’t care either way, because this book is full of magic AND superstition. I’m so into it.

Favorite witch character in any book/series.

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I could’ve gone with anyone from the Harry Potter series, but who wants to be so boring and unoriginal? Not me! So I’m going to choose both Simon and Baz for this one. These two are so full of sass and I can’t even with their relationship because it’s just too adorable… Damn, now I want to reread this one.

A book that still haunts you to this day (good or bad).

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Oh man, this duology shook me bad and I’m still reeling from that ending. How Schwab is able to completely capture our hearts and souls so easily, will always be a mystery to me. But damn, this one really got to me. SO, SO GOOD.

Haunted Graveyard: You’re all alone in a haunted graveyard, you get ONE book to give you comfort, which is it?

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I’m going to need something warm, fuzzy, and totally engrossing if I’m going to be stuck in a graveyard. And I know I can count on Rhysand to keep me all warm and safe! Well, I can pretend at least… jeeze.

The Undead: Favorite supernatural creatures to read about (i.e. vampires, zombies, werewolves, etc).

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VAMPIRES! What can I say, I’m a sucker for the undead.

In the dead of night: Pick a book with a black cover.

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I’m going with a book from my TBR that’s being released later this month. I’ve had my eye on this one ever since it was first announced and THAT COVER. Like, why haven’t I already preordered this beauty?!

I TAG…YOU!

(If you want to, of course.)

What are some books that still haunt you? Have you read any of the ones on my list? Are you excited for The Afterlife of Holly Chase?

 

The Fall Book Tag

Fall is one of, if not, my favorite time of the year! I’m also quite partial to winter because it’s when Christmas and my birthday is… though I promise it’s not all about presents, haha! Really, I just love cold weather. Give me sweaters and leggings all day, every day!

Anyways, big shout out to one of my faves, Lilly @ Lair of Books for tagging me to do this! If you haven’t followed her yet, I highly suggest you hurry your little butt over there to do so because she’s got such an amazing blog (not to mention, she’s such a sweetheart!).

The Rules:

  • Please link back to Bionic Book Worm, as the creator of this tag!! She wants to see your answers!!
  • Use the graphics – if you want 🙂
  • Have fun!

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A Million Junes by Emily Henry

I will never stop recommending this book. Emily Henry can write the most beautiful stories that will both lift you up and break your heart. If you haven’t picked up either of her novels, I highly suggest you do. No one can write magical realism like this woman can!

 

 

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Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity, #2) by Victoria Schwab

All I have to say is READ THIS SERIES. If you haven’t already, prepare for the perfect ending to such a dark and amazing journey. I literally died when I finished this one.

 

 

 

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Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey

This book is just so stinking cute. I can promise that it will make you smile while reading it. I mean, who can resist a sassy heroine falling in love with a sassy hero? I surely can’t!

 

 

 

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Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

This book is just so freaking awesome. Kate is one of the most badass heroines that you’ll ever come across and I want to be her best friend. Seriously, one of my top 5 reads of 2016. The companion novel comes out really soon too!

 

 

 

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Armada by Ernest Cline

I think it’s pretty easy to see where science fiction novels tend to be pretty action packed, and Armada is the perfect example of that. The book starts off with a bang and doesn’t stop once. You’ll never have to worry about getting bored with this one!

 

 

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Into the Bright Unknown (Gold Seer Trilogy, #3) by Rae Carson

Y’all, I cannot wait to get my greedy little hands on this beauty. This trilogy has been such an underrated gem. I just don’t understand how it’s been able to fly under the radar for so long. I just know this finale is going to kill me and I’m not even ready for it.

 

 

Tag, You’re It!

Lauren @ Wonderless Reviews

Yvo @ It’s All About Books

Stephanie @ Adventures of a Bibliophile

I tag anyone else who wants to do this fun tag! And if you’ve already been tagged, please ignore!

Happy fall, y’all!

What are some books that make you think of fall? Have you done The Fall Book Tag? If so, please leave a link in the comments below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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?

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?

WWW Wednesday – July 12th, 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?

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This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1) by Victoria Schwab

I won’t lie and say that I wasn’t confused for about the first 50 pages of this book, because I totally was. Confused but insanely intrigued. This book starts off with a bang and I cannot wait to see where it leads to next. Thanks to everyone who voted this book as my next read the other day on the Twitter poll!

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.

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Mischling by Affinity Konar

This is my current audiobook and it’s interesting so far. I’m having trouble focusing on actually listening to it lately so I’m going  a little slower than when I first started. Hopefully work calms down a bit so I can really get back into this story. I just hope I don’t end up crying at work!

Pearl is in charge of: the sad, the good, the past.

Stasha must care for: the funny, the future, the bad.

It’s 1944 when the twin sisters arrive at Auschwitz with their mother and grandfather. In their benighted new world, Pearl and Stasha Zagorski take refuge in their identical natures, comforting themselves with the private language and shared games of their childhood.

As part of the experimental population of twins known as Mengele’s Zoo, the girls experience privileges and horrors unknown to others, and they find themselves changed, stripped of the personalities they once shared, their identities altered by the burdens of guilt and pain.

That winter, at a concert orchestrated by Mengele, Pearl disappears. Stasha grieves for her twin, but clings to the possibility that Pearl remains alive. When the camp is liberated by the Red Army, she and her companion Feliks–a boy bent on vengeance for his own lost twin–travel through Poland’s devastation. Undeterred by injury, starvation, or the chaos around them, motivated by equal parts danger and hope, they encounter hostile villagers, Jewish resistance fighters, and fellow refugees, their quest enabled by the notion that Mengele may be captured and brought to justice within the ruins of the Warsaw Zoo. As the young survivors discover what has become of the world, they must try to imagine a future within it.

A superbly crafted story, told in a voice as exquisite as it is boundlessly original, Mischling defies every expectation, traversing one of the darkest moments in human history to show us the way toward ethereal beauty, moral reckoning, and soaring hope.

What did you recently finish reading?

  • King’s Cage (Red Queen, #3) by Victoria Aveyard – 4/5 stars, Review
  • Leviathan (Leviathan, #1) by Scott Westerfeld – 4/5 stars, audiobook
  • Starfall (Starflight, #2) by Melissa Landers – 4/5 stars, full review to come
  • The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead – 2/5 stars, audiobook

I think I did a good job catching up on my reading after slacking during the holiday weekend. I also really enjoyed these books for the most part. Unfortunately, I think the hype was just wayyyyy too much for me with The Underground Railroad. I had heard such great things about it, but I just did not enjoy any of the characters and the writing was a bit too much at times. I might try another of Whitehead’s books in the future though to see if I enjoy it more.

What do you think you’ll read next?

  • Bone Gap by Laura Ruby – audiobook
  • Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity, #2) by Victoria Schwab

My wait list is finally up on Bone Gap from Overdrive so that’ll be up next on my audiobook schedule. I’ve heard amazing things about this story and I’m really excited to dive into it. And of course, continuing with my Smashing Series July, I’ll finish up the Monsters of Verity duology. I can’t decide what series to start after that so I may be doing another Twitter poll. Make my decisions for me, social media peeps!

What have you read this week? What’s next on your TBR? Have you read any of the books on my list? If you read The Underground Railroad, what did you think of it?