October Wrap-Up and Mini-Reviews

Happy almost November peps!

Its been a very busy month but also a very epic reading month. I read a total of 6 books and DNF’d 1 in October. In consideration to my TBR, I finished 5 out of 7 on that list and added one, which is pretty good and “Well done me”.

Let have a look at what I’ve read.

As a reminder:

• 5 ivy leaves is an amazing book that stuck with me, surprised me, one I could stop thinking about, I got lost in, etc.
• 4 ivy leaves is an enjoyable read something I really liked, but that’s it.
• 3 ivy leaves are either a disappointing read, or the book is just OK.
• 2 ivy leaves are a disliked read
• DNF = Did Not Finish

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The Lantern’s Ember by Colleen Houck

ARC – NetGalley

The Story: Jack O’Lantern has been a Lantern for over 500 years when his path changes course as Ember O’Dare enters his little crossroads. Ember journeys into the Otherworld dragging both Jack and her friend Finley with her. In the Otherworld, she encounters vampires, pirates, witches, and even the boogie man. But not everything is as it seems. Why did Ember really feel the need to go to the Otherworld?

My Opinion: I wrote a full review here, but in short I really enjoyed this whimsical Halloween read. It’s a fun-filled adventure which will explain several Halloween things.

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What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

ARC & Physical book – NetGalley & Owned

The Story: Arthur is in New York for an internship at his mother’s law firm while she works a case. Originally from a small town in Georgia, Arthur feel New York is one amazing place. Ben, on the other hand, is doing summer school because his ex-boyfriend convinced him studying was not for him. Not only does he have to pass summer school to be able to move up to the next grade, but his ex-boyfriend is also in his class too. On his way to the post office to mail a box of his ex-boyfriend’s stuff, he bumps into Arthur and the adventure begins.

My Opinion: I love this! I wrote a full review here, but in short, I really love this! It was the cutest thing I’ve read in a while and I really needed this dose of love.

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Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

ARC – NetGalley

The Story: This Asian inspired fantasy follows the main character Lei in her journey to become a Paper girl aka concubine for the Bull King. However, Lei does what she should never do; fall in love. Not only that, she falls in love with another girl. Underneath it all lays the embers of a rebellion against the king and Lei has to make some difficult decisions about herself.

My Opinion: I wrote a full review but I haven’t published it yet (I’ll do that early November, so very soon 😊 ). In short, this story has been on my radar since May this year and I was very excited for it. I really enjoyed the characters, the romance and the story as a whole.

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The Three-body Problem by Cixin Liu

Physical book – Borrowed

The Story: A Chinese based sci-fi novel exploring the effects on our past experiences and how they affect our actions, with the added sci-fi element of aliens. The book starts in chinas Cultural Revolution in the 1960’s and explores the direction physicists take after that. It then starts following a present-day character has his accidental involvement with an international science group and a virtual reality online game purely for intellectuals, and a murder plot.

My Opinion: I did a full review here, but in short I very much enjoyed this science-filled adventure and a lesson on Chinese history wrapped up in one package.

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The Deepest Blue by Mindy Tarquini

ARC – NetGalley

DNF’d

The story: I don’t even know what his book is about, but according to GoodReads this is the main synopsis: For fans of Paulo Coelho and Neil Gaiman comes a magical story by critically acclaimed author Mindy Tarquini. In Panduri, an enchanted city seen only at twilight, everyone’s path is mapped, everyone’s destiny decided, their lives charted at birth and steered by an unwavering star. Everyone has his place, and Matteo, second son of Panduri’s duca, is eager to take up his as Legendary Protector–at the border and out from under his father’s domineering thumb. Then Matteo’s older brother pulls rank and heads to the border in his stead, leaving Panduri’s orbit in a spiral and Matteo’s course on a skid. Forced to follow an unexpected path, resentful and raw, Matteo is determined to rise, to pursue the one future Panduri’s star can never chart: a life of his own

My Opinions: I gave up … Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I was thoroughly confused throughout and I did not like the writing style of the book. The premise sounded really good but it didn’t live up to it in my opinion. Maybe I’ll try Mindy Taquini again at a later stage as there seems to be a lot of people really liking her.

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Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

ARC – NetGalley

The story: A Japanese inspired fantasy where the future empress has to fight for the right to rule while the emperor has a born right. A world where humans control creatures with more powers than them. A world where females don’t always need men to be happy.

My Opinions: I wrote a full review here, but in short, this book had me caught after the first paragraph and I really liked the main character and the ending. It was different than all other ending and I fully respect and enjoyed that.

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Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7) by Sarah J Maas

Audiobook – Owned

The story: The last instalment in this long epic series is finally here.

My Opinions: I won’t spoil it for anyone, but I found the ending satisfying and complete though long, hence the 4.5 stars and not 5 stars. That’s all I will say 😁 I feel I need to reread the entire series now.

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That’s it! Have you read any of these?

What was your favourite book this month? Which book were you least impressed by this month?