I loved it! It didn’t hook me in right away. The first couple chapters went through the six main characters point of view first to set up their background and the world. It was a little slow going and I was nervous the whole book was going to be like that. I was wrong and glad that I was. It picked up pace and I became invested in the story. I fell in love with these characters; Bardugo made me care for all of them! I’m so excited to continue on with this series. Jesper & Wylan are OTP!
my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Middle Grade
my thoughts:What a fun book! Very easy read, only took one day to finish. I love that the book is authored by Newt Scamander. There were a lot of fun facts and information about the magical creatures from the Harry Potter series. Recommended for Harry Potter series lovers.
my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 genre(s): Middle Grade, Horror, Mystery
my thoughts:Mary Downing Hahn is one of my favorite childhood authors. I have been reading her books since elementary school and the stories are always interesting and fun. I recommend this book if you like middle grade stories and want an interesting and easy read.
Finish date: 06/15/18
38. A book with an ugly cover – Hidden Meanings by Carolyn Keene
Finished 06/11/18
Okay so this one was a little difficult because most covers don’t seem ugly to me or if they were I already used them for other prompts (see #29). I chose this one because it’s super cheesy 90′s cover.
This was not the greatest Nancy Drew book I’ve ever read. Nancy’s characterization here was so off from what I’ve previously read that I looked into the series and publishing dates. This book is from a completely different series from the others I’ve read. The whole book revolved around Nancy’s jealousy of Ned and in the end there was no point, it added nothing to the plot. Ned was depicted as a boyfriend with a wandering eye and a bad temper but in a weirdly positive way. I’m not interested in reading from this particular series. I’ll be sticking to this series for any future Nancy Drew reads.
I’ve never been good at figuring out mysteries so I don’t even try anymore, I didn’t catch on until 70% into the book. I was surprised with the twists and turns. I know a lot of others found this book lacking because of the predictable plot but for me personally I wasn’t expecting it. I just don’t read a lot of mystery books and I’ve never read anything set at sea so I was able to really enjoy this story. Lo Blacklock, the main character, could be a little annoying at times.
One thing that really bothered me was a non-con groping scene that is just brushed over because they’re exes and drunk. That scene really made me uncomfortable with the way it was depicted, non-con is never okay no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a relationship or had a previous relationship with that person or are drunk, it’s not okay.
39. A book that involves a bookstore or library – The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Finished 06/02/18
Vampires and werewolves and dragons, oh my! There were also Fae and mechanical monsters. Amazing.
I had a lot of fun reading this book. Twists and turns everywhere, what a ride. I loved the idea behind the Library and I loved that it took place in a library. It reminded me a little of the show The Librarians (and I love that show). You may think all those mythical beings, a little much no? No, it didn’t feel overcrowded with all the different types of characters. The Invisible Library is also a steampunk book and that was fun, I’d never read this genre before and I really enjoyed that aspect. I try not to judge books by their covers but this cover, so pretty! I’ve added this book to my wishlist. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series as well as looking for other books in the steampunk genre.
I hadn’t realized there was a second book after 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I read the first book back when it first came out, 2005 and thought that was that. I found out about the sequel this year and immediately put it on my TBR list early this year, before I had decided to start the PopSugar Reading Challenge. When I was looking for a book, I searched my bookshelves and this book came up, perfect. My favorite color is blue and I’ve been wanting to read this book.
I really enjoyed the overall story and feel of this book. I’m a homebody, I don’t like leaving my house and I have no interest in traveling. It’s draining just to think about it, I get stressed just going on a 3 hour trip. I love books like this! They give me a sense of adventure and a way to travel without leaving the comfort of my home. They also give me a little hope that one day I’ll be able to get out there and travel (but let’s be honest, the chances of that happening is close to 1%). In my opinion this sequel far surpasses the first in the series. It has a nice conclusion to the first but it’s still open ended with that contemporary life keeps going, keeps moving forward.
As is typical of Young Adult Contemporary books, there’s romance, heartbreak, and closure. I think this book handled it well and realistically. I’m sad to see Ginny’s story end here but very glad I read this book.
my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 genre(s): YA, Fantasy, Romance
my thoughts: under the cut for spoilers
Finish date: 05/25/2018
I love fairies. Anything fairies I will give a chance. I really enjoyed this book and I loved the whole fae aspect. The romance was eh, I liked Tamlin a lot but then they introduced another High Fae. When Rhysand was introduced my first thought, oh here we go again with a love triangle. It wasn’t prominent in this book and I’m hoping it doesn’t go there. I’ve seen the ship on tumblr so I am wary but I’ll read and see for myself.
It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling and I thought that was really cool. Although that did make some parts predictable; that didn’t bother me too much in this book. I also liked that it was a fast paced book, very easy read. I will be continuing on with the series.
note: Depending on how I manage the rest of my time, I may end up including this book for my pop sugar reading challenge.
I loved it! I really enjoyed reading about Jenny Lawson’s life and her experiences with mental illness. I could definitely relate to some of her experiences dealing with depression and anxiety. This book brought some light and life into a very heavy and dark conversation. I would recommend this book to friends I know that would enjoy Jenny Lawson’s style of comedy.
This book was just too slow paced for me. It took me over a month to finish, I just couldn’t stay interested. It also seemed like the author tried too hard to be different, to try and distinguish this book from other witch/vampire books. There was so much information that in my opinion seemed unnecessary to the plot. I mean whole pages dedicated to wine tasting that in the end was only used to show how refined Matthew’s (the vampire) tastes are and how old he is. This book was just not for me and I won’t be continuing on with the series. When I finally finished I was honestly relieved to be done with this book.
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