Sniffing A Book

Author:  Sarah J Maas Read:  12/21/2017 Pages:  699 Rating:  5 Format:  physical Response:  A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas picks up with Feyre in Spring Court with Tamlin. There, she plays the perfect lady that Tamlin wanted her to be. Because of his "love" for her, he's blind to her destroying his court from the inside until it's too late. Feyre returns to Night Court, with Lucien, as the High Lady she is. Together, the Night Court and Lucien look for a way to win the war. They end up making unlikely alliances, and even more unlikely bargains. The war brings together old friends, and old beings. Though there were no *main* character deaths, the story wrapped up nicely and felt complete for the time being. The best part of the book for me was as all of the armies came together to save Prythian. As much as I love Rhysand and Feyre, their story felt complete at the end of A Court of Mist and Fury,  so I wasn'...

Through 2017, I did a good job of knocking off a lot of my TBR. I didn't end up getting through everything, but I did read additional books that weren't on my list. I'm going to be updating the TBR for 2018 once I have my list made.  I ended up finishing 52% of my list with 25/48. But I surpassed my reading goal of 20 by reading 38 books.  Books finished from TBR file: Cursed Child by John Tiffany, Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling Scrappy Little Nobody  by Anna Kendrick Talking as Fast as I Can  by Lauren Graham City of Ashes  by Cassandra Clare City of Glass by Cassandra Clare City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare The Son of Neptune  by Rick Riordan The Mark of Athena  by Rick Riordan The House of Hades  by Rick Riordan The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard Hu...

Author:  Rick Riordan Read:  11/6/2017 Pages:  471 Rating:  5 Format:  physical Response: The Hammer of Thor  is the second book in the Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan. This novel introduced us to Alex, and all the awesome snark they brought to the group. Together with Sam, they go on the hunt for Thor's hummer. They run into a few bumps in the road along the way that help them in the long run. In the end they have to fight a familiar face that they were hoping to avoid and didn't realize they fell directly into the plan of a mad man. This was a very fun book to read. It took you on adventures that you didn't see coming, which is what Riordan is best at in my opinion. It's like a slide of hand through the whole book and it was a great trip.

Author:  Leigh Bardugo Read:  10/29/2017 Pages:  376 Rating: 5 Format: physical Response: Wonder Woman: Warbringer brought the action I was expecting, as well as a healthy dose of badass from the female leads. Diana starts this adventure before the Justice League is formed, where is young and an outsider among her some of her own people. Diana travels to modern NY where she is both hilarious and adorable. Through the book Diana and Alia avoid death and fight their way to Alia's ancestors grave, Helen of Troy, to break the Warbringer cure. But they learn along the way that not all heroes are good, and monsters are better left dead. Diana and Alia make one hell of a team throughout their exploit. I personally loved this book and how strong the female characters were written. I will definitely be reading this one again!

Author: Seanan McGuire Read: 8/20/2017 Pages: 169 Rating: 4.5 Format: physical Response: Nancy comes back from her adventures to be sent to a school that is full with other children that have gone through similar adventures, though hardly ever to the same place. All each of them want, is to go Home - to the place they belong the most - in their stories. When Nancy arrives at the school, tragedy strikes and it's up to Nancy and her new schoolmates to find out who's responsible. Every Heart A Doorway  was a very cute book. It was short, but that didn't stop the story from feeling complete. The characters were interesting and easy to keep track of, which is always a plus. It would've been nice to have an additional couple of chapters for what happens after, but even without that, it was still a decent ending. After finishing this, I'm even more excited for Down Among the Sticks and Bones,  also by Seanan McGuire. From what I understand, th...

Author: W. Bruce Cameron Read: 8/12/2017 Pages: 319 Rating: 4.5 Format: physical Response: Toby's first life isn't eventful other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It shows the cold truth of what happens to dogs that are "unadoptable". His next life is his main life where he's Bailey. Bailey's human is a little boy named Ethan who he loves and stays by his side until the end. In each life, Bailey tries to learn what a dog's purpose in life is. It's not until he finds Ethan in one of his next lives, that he really understands his purpose. It's a cute book that'll make you cry and genuinely feel for the characters. I was so upset when Ethan was in danger and Bailey tried to go back and save him, and Cameron had me worried for a couple of minutes. I felt Bailey's anger when she bit the human hurting her boy, and I felt Ethan's grief at the end of Bailey's life. It was so sweet and perfect that I do...

Author: Rick Riordan Read: August 10, 2017 Pages: 516 Rating: 4.5/5 Format: physical Response: As a final book in the Heroes of Olympus series, it was a good conclusion that tied up the lose ends very well. We met Pegasus, which I've been waiting for since The Lightning Thief. 10 books ago. It was well written and action packed. A lot was foreshadowed or you just knew what was going to happen... to an extent. Team Leo and Calypso and Nico and Will all the way. Nico has had some of the best character development over the course of this series, and The Blood of Olympus just pounded home the feels for him. While the first 4 books were okay for the most part, I would highly recommend the series if only so you can get to The Blood of Olympus.

Author: Diana Gabaldon Read: 8/9/2017 Pages: too damn long (743 pages = just shy of 39 hours) Rating: 3.75/5 Format: audio Book Description: 20 years later Claire Randall returns to Scotland with her full grown daughter. It's there with Brianna and Rodger, that Claire tells them the truth of the events that led up to Brianna's birth. Including an ancient circle of standing stones, a love that crosses time, and about Jamie Fraser. Her story picks up where Outlander left off, with the Pairs court and Charles Stuart  to contend with, Jamie and Claire are in a race to change history. Response: I picked this book up right after I finished Outlander and was extremely confused about the time jump to the 1960s and how we got there. It's eventually explained after a couple of chapters, but it would've been nice to just continue on from Outlander and save, what could've been a realization that Clarie's telling the story, for the last f...

Author: Victoria Aveyard Read: 7/28/2017 Pages: 444 Rating: 4/5 Format: audio Book Description: Hunted by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Newblood fighters to join in the struggle against the crown. But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. Response: In the first book Mare is trying to figure out what she is, as well as revenging her brother's death. The second book has less uncertainty and focuses on finding Newbloods. It kept me interested like Red Queen, even if it had parts that were slow and felt like they didn't have real purpose at times other than to fill the page. The Mare and Cal scenes had purpose and were perfectly implanted in the story. The ending stabbed my heart with a piece of metal and I'm not sure how the Aveyard will make up for it. The last comment I have is that Maven is more psychotic in this book, and the leash sc...

Hello! August is my Birthday Month, so I went a little insane and bought myself a couple of books. I'm so excited to read all of these. My first stop was Powell's since it's on my way home from work, which is very convenient, but also inconvenient for my paycheck. I ended up going on a payday with a friend from work, so I had no self control, especially with her helping me pick out books. Most of the books I buy from there are used, and cheaper, which is nice. 3/4 of the books I bought this time were used and reasonable prices, and the one that was new wasn't that much of a jump from the used books, so I'm happy with my purchases. *For those of you who don't know what Powell's is, it's like a Boarders, which I'm assuming is like a Barns & Nobel (I've never actually been in one before). The only real difference that I know of, is that Powell's will buy your books and then resell them used. City of Bones  by Cassandra Clare  I ...

Author : Michelle Moran Read : 7/30/2017 Pages : 429 Rating : 5/5 Format : physical Book Description : At the dawn of the Roman Empire, when tyranny ruled, a daughter of Egypt and a son of Rome found each other... Selene's legendary parents are gone. Her country taken, she has been brought to the city of Rome in chains, with only her twin brother, Alexander, to remind her of home and all she once had. Living under the watchful eyes of the ruling family, Selene and her brother must quickly learn how to be Roman - and how to be useful to Caesar. She puts her artistry to work, in the hope of staying alive and being allowed to return to Egypt. Before long, however, she is distracted by the young and handsome heir to the empire... When the elusive 'Red Eagle' starts calling for the end of slavery, Selene and Alexander are in grave danger. Will this mysterious figure bring their liberation, or their demise? Response : This book was hard for me to get...

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick Read: 7/29/2017 Pages: 391 Rating: 4/5 Format: physical Book Description: Nora has never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment. After a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life. - goodreads Response: This was my book for "read a book in 1 day" and "read a ...

Hey everyone! This week starts BookTube-A-Thon over on YouTube, but there will also be things going on on Instagram as well. I'll be participating, and while I'm not a fast reader, I'm hoping to be able to get through 3 full books and maybe get some others knocked off my TBR list. Wouldn't that be nice haha. BookTube-A-Thon is being hosted by Ariel Bissett and there are video challenges and reading challenges (from what I've gathered). I will be participating in the reading challenges, which can be mixed together, or done separately. It starts at 12 am July 24th (whatever time zone you're in) and goes until  July 30th. Challenges: 1. Read a book with a person on the cover 2. Read a hyped book 3. Finish a book in one day (this one's going to be a hard one for me) 4. Read about a character that is different than you 5. Finish a book completely outdoors 6. Read a book you got because of the cover 7. Read 7 books I know I'm personally not goi...