We're a little over halfway through the house cup reading challenge, so I thought it was time to do an update of what I've read so far. As I always, I changed my tbr a bit. What a surprise. I'm very much a mood reader, so I'd say it was unavoidable that I'd switch it up instead of following what I planned to read. It has been a very productive readathon for me this far. I've already read 8 books. Most of them are really great, and a couple have even become new favorites. Main Challenges (20p) I've completed five out of seven main challenges, which are the ones that are worth most points. I feel very on top of schedule, even though I mixed up my tbr a bit as I've already … [Read more...]
The Dollmaker of Krakow by R. M. Romero
The Dollmaker of Krakow took me completely by surprise. I was already hooked after the first few chapters. The story begins in The Land of the Dolls where Karolina is happily living her life as a seamstress until the day the rats invade. One day she is transported to our world by the kind wind and wakes up in The Dollmaker's shop in Krakow. The Dollmaker is a lonely WWI veteran, who struggles with the pain of losing his parents. But the appearance of Karolina in his life sets a series of fortunate events in motion. The fog he's been living in starts to lift as he meets a welcoming Jewish family of two, who makes him feel wanted and appreciated. The story follows The Dollmaker and Karolina's … [Read more...]
Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
Nyxia is the most racially diverse book I've ever read and it does it so well. The diversity creates an understanding of different cultures while also showing that we're all the same no matter color or culture. The story follows Emmett, an African-American teenager from Detroit. He wants to free himself and his family from the harsh reality of poverty. Along with nine other kids his age, he is selected by The Babel Corporation to board a lightship bound for an earth-like planet called Eden with the hope of returning home with the economical means to support his family. But in the search for a better life does freedom actually exist and who controls it? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Comes out … [Read more...]
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding follows soon-to-be thirteen year-old Prosper, who comes from a rich and enormously influential family in New England. But their success does not come from hard work. No, it comes from a deal with a devil, or more specifically a so called Malefactor by the name of Alastor. Due entirely to circumstances beyond his control, Prosper becomes possessed by that same Malefactor, who made the contract with Prosper's ancestor, Honor Redding. What comes next is a tale of change, trust and fiendish affairs. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Comes out TODAY! Alexandra Bracken is one of my favorite young adult authors, and her first leap into middle grade does not disappoint. … [Read more...]
Odd & True by Cat Winters
Let me startoff by saying, I have never read a book by Cat Winters and boy have I been missing out. More than once, the story was so gripping that I cried. I am fond of historical fiction with paranormal elements and this book fits perfectly. Going in, I was expecting a quick and fun paranormal novel, but it's so much more than that. First and foremost it's a story about family. There are lots of secrets, which causes misery as secrets tend to do. That's not all though. It also deals with hope. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars. Comes out 12 September. Odd & True focuses on the close relationship between two sisters. I find it refreshing to read about sisters who stand up for each other, … [Read more...]
Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
Mask of Shadows is the story about a genderfluid main character, Sal, who enters an audition to become part of the Queen's Left Hand. The Left Hand is a team of assassins whose identities are secret. Going in, I was excited to read a new fantasy with a diverse main character. But it just did not live up to my expectations. ⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Comes out August 29th. I wanted it to blow my mind, but it's nothing new or groundbreaking. To me, it is a very average young adult fantasy. The fact that it follows a genderfluid thief is what drew me in, but Sal is boring and unlikeable. Sometimes unlikeable characters are great, but in this case because of the utter lack of character development … [Read more...]
Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast
Zero Repeat Forever is the first book in The Nahx Invasions series. The novel follows a girl called Raven. As a result of a rebellious streak, she lands herself in a summer camp in the Canadian wilderness along with her boyfriend, his twin, and a couple of other teens. Along side Raven, we also follow Eight who's a 'Nahx', a soldier who's part of the invasion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Comes out August 29th. Zero Repeat Forever is action-packed and the plot is engaging. It's a slow burn, and it took me a good while to read because of the density at times. The first 150 pages or so were rough to get through. The writing style threw me off, but it either became more complex after the … [Read more...]
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first book in an extremely popular high fantasy new adult series. It follows a human girl called Feyre, who while hunting to provide for her father and sisters, comes across a wolf that she kills. It turns out the wolf was actually a faerie and as you can imagine drama ensues. ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. The pace of the book is rather slow, not a lot happens in the first three quarters of the book. Though I still liked reading even the slow parts, which is, as I just said, the majority of the book. Most of the time the worldbuilding and descriptions flowed smoothly, but there were a couple of times where I was thrown out of the story because I had to roll my eyes … [Read more...]
The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead
The Glittering Court is the first instalment in a trilogy of companion novels. In each book we follow the story from the perspective of each girl individually. The first book follows Adelaide, the second follows Mira and the third and last book follows Tamsin. At the time of writing the first two books are out, while the conclusion to the trilogy has yet to have a release date. ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. To be honest, I had a hard time deciding what to rate this book. The reason is that I enjoyed it immensely, even though the pacing is weird. It's both very fast and slow at the same time, which I believe is because it's a long and expansive story crammed into 400 pages. Some parts are great and I … [Read more...]
Drinks with Dead Poets by Glyn Maxwell
*I received an arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review* ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars. I'm usually intimidated by poetry because I generally don't understand it. It has always been either hit or miss for me, and sadly mostly miss. Then came along this peculiar novel. A professor, who shares the author's name, finds himself in a mysterious village, where he's expected to teach a poetry class. The story plays out over the course of the fall semester where each week is about a new poet. The poets, though dead, arrive in their corresponding week to perform a reading and have drinks with the class while answering questions from the students. The first thing that was clear to me … [Read more...]