I’m Back! Books I Read and Review Requests (Part 1)

I know, I know. I never thought I would stop blogging completely but I will admit life got in the way for a few months. I definitely didn’t stop reading! If you are friends with me on Goodreads I’m sure you saw I still read quite a bit :). Everything is going well, but I’ve been so busy! Between the holidays, starting a new job and applying to grad school I put blogging on the back burner. I think, looking back, I came on a little too strong with my blogging in the beginning. I was posting almost every day and I quickly realized that was not sustainable with my busy schedule. Moving forward, I plan on posting more regularly even if that means I don’t post as frequently. Because honestly, I’ve missed my book blog community. I’ve been reading and reading and I haven’t had anybody to share my bookish enthusiasm with. And I seriously need to share my excitement for that new ACOWAR cover, RIGHT?!

Anyway, I read a lot of books over the past two months. Some great, some….not so great. And I need to discuss them! I plan on writing reviews for all of these books, but please tell me in the comments which books you want to see reviewed first.

 

 

Golden Son (Red Rising#2) by Pierce Brown  ★★★★

This series! I will admit Golden Son was harder for me to get into. It immediately throws you back into the intense Red Rising setting and jargon. I couldn’t quite remember where Darrow left off and who he was with, so it took me about 20% of the book to catch on again. While it was a exciting sequel to Red Rising, it did suffer second book syndrome for me. However this book was a necessary transition to the masterpiece that is Morning Star. Brown needed to show Darrow in the real world facing a very real war. Definitely recommend!

Morning Star (Red Rising#3) by Pierce Brown ★★★★★

Ah! This book was fantastic and probably the best in the series. All the violent, explosive action scenes are there, but there is also an incredible amount of character growth from our favorites. This book was an emotional roller coaster- we see friendships, betrayal, love. It was also an incredibly satisfying conclusion (after a lot of heartache) to an incredibly satisfying trilogy.

 

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider ★★

I was drawn to this book by the attractive cover and good reviews…but it was a huge disappointment. I would honestly give it one star but the writing wasn’t horrible. I wasn’t attached to the characters and I could not get into the romance.  Two things that bothered me most- 1. Do sanatoriums even exist anymore?! and 2. Why, why, WHY were kids with active tuberculosis running around in public. I understand they felt trapped…but that is a serious public health concern. I could not sympathize with that.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab ★★★★

Finally! I’ve been waiting to read this book. It was good. Not the most amazing book I’ve read, but solid. I loved the parallel Londons, the concept of magic and Kell and Delilah. This book is the epitome of an excellent fantasy series.  I’m reading AGOS right now and am thoroughly enjoying it!

The Fill-In Boyfriend, On The Fence, and The Distance Between Us by Kasie West. All ★★★★

So I read all three of these books in three days. I could not get enough! All of Kasie West’s books follow a similar formula, and all end happy but they are still so addicting. West is an excellent writer and creates likable, relatable characters with witty dialogue. I am a huge fan!

 

And that concludes my first list of books! It would be too wordy if I included all of my books in one post. Which books do you want to see reviewed first? I’m so happy to be back in the book blogging world!! 😀