I had so much fun participating in the 24in48 readathon! I’d love to participate in more, so if you know of any let me know!
I read a total of 8 hours and 32 minutes. I wanted to hit 12 hours, but I did have my almost 3-year-old at home. Sunday he was more energetic than usual, and I was utterly exhausted. I got a lot of reading done after he finally passed out. I read about 4-ish hours a day, which I think is more than I read in a normal weekend! I really liked clocking my time. It also made me focus and just read – not check fb or twitter every 2 minutes. It worked so well for me I may try to start tracking daily time or weekly time!
As a reminder, here are the books I wanted to read –
Here’s how I did:
When I started, I was about 22% into We Are the Wildcats. I ended up finishing late 3/21!
As soon as I finished I started Music From Another World. I only got about 6% in before I fell asleep.
All in all, I am super proud of how I did! I think adding an extra two hours a day would have been pretty tough for me with my kid here. If he was at his grandparents I think it wouldn’t have been an issue at all!
Did you participate in 24in48? What’s your favorite readathon? Let me know in the comments below!
⚓ Title: All the Stars and Teeth ⚓ Author: Adalyn Grace ⚓ Publisher: Imprint ⚓ Publish Date: February 4, 2020 ⚓ Book Form: Ebook ⚓ Pages: 384 ⚓ Genre: YA, Fantasy, Pirates ⚓ DatesRead: Mar 11 – Mar 20 ⚓Rating: ⚓⚓⚓.5
Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice.
She will reign.
As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer—the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.
When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.
But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder—and more peril—than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.
I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.
– Goodreads
I first featured this book on First Impression Friday. I predicted it to be a 4-5 star read. I wasn’t too far off, but I was a little disappointed.
There were tons of magic systems in the novel, but surprisingly, I didn’t have trouble following. It was laid out in a way that’s easy to remember what magic does what. This is super important since magic is the focus of the story! To use the magic, you have to give something whether it be blood, hair, bones, etc. I loved all the systems! My favorite was Zudoh. I’d love to work with curse magic!
There was a love triangle, like in every great ya fantasy. I was rooting for Bastian from teh beginning. He’s the perfect bad(?) boy. Ferrick seemed to have a little bit of Tamlin from ACOTAR-esque feels to him. Like, I kind of hated him. Through the book he got better and maybe even found a love of his own!
I really liked Amora, too. She seemed down to earth and just wanted to be the best leader she could be. She got thrown a lot of set-backs, but she got up fighting every time. While she did have a love interest, her main goal was not overshadowed by cute boys 1&2 so that was really nice to see.
What brought the rating down was the fact that it took me 10 days to read this. I mean, this is short for a fantasy. Part of that was probably me. Work has sucked the life out of me and I don’t see it getting any better soon. Yay healthcare… But by the end I was just ready for it to be over. I’ll definitely read book 2. I’m excited to see what comes next. Maybe I will be in a better headspace and won’t feel like the book is taking years to read!
Have you read All the Stars and Teeth? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!
Ruby, where is your mother? Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she’s been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return. That’s how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn’t seen in ten years, and Cora’s husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future; it’s a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give? Best-selling author Sarah Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again.
– Goodreads
I remember reading Sarah Dessen as a high schooler and loving her. I wanted all her books. So when Lock and Key popped up on my TBR, I knew I would keep and give it another go. Unfortunately, I was pretty underwhelmed.
Lock and Key is almost like a day-to-day in the life of a high schooler. Sure, Ruby had some issues. Her mother left her, she lived alone for weeks, it’s hard for her to trust anyone. She’s been lied to more times than she can count. That’s the makings of a dark, interesting character. Ruby just didn’t live up to it. I was sorely disappointed in just… the lack of personality, I guess? I didn’t feel bad for her at all.
Nate was the love interest – if you can even call him that. Yes, there was flirting. Almost kisses. And Nate had some secrets of his own. However, there was so little romance I’m not sure it even should count as a romance book. I’m obviously not expecting smut, but they barely flirted. They were more like best friends.
My favorite characters were Jamie and Cora, Ruby’s brother in law and sister. They were fun to me and seemed like they really cared. They had the most personality of anyone.
Lock and Key is probably a great read for middle school to high school aged kids. I think I would have loved it back then, but there just wasn’t enough action for me now. If you have kids or siblings 13-18ish, I think they would love this book!
Have you read Lock and Key? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.
Movies, mansions, and murder in the Golden Age of Hollywood! Teri Bailey Black’s Chasing Starlight is a historical mystery from the award-winning author of the Thriller Award for Best Young Adult Novel.
1938. The Golden Age of Hollywood. Palm trees and movie stars. Film studios pumping out musicals, westerns, and gangster films at a furious pace. Everyone wants to be a star—except society girl and aspiring astronomer Kate Hildebrand, who’d rather study them in the night sky. She’s already famous after a childhood tragedy turned her into a newspaper headline. What she craves is stability.
When Kate moves to Hollywood to live with her washed-up, ex-silent film star grandfather, she walks into a murder scene and lands on the front page. Again. Suspecting someone living in her grandfather’s boarding house is the killer—one of the young men or maybe even her grandfather—Kate searches for clues. Kate’s too sensible to drop out of high school to work at a movie studio, hunt a killer on her own, and fall for a penniless actor with a head full of dreams. But that’s exactly how her stars are aligning.
Part Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, with a dash of Veronica Mars.
– Goodreads
Okay, first. This cover. I love the black and white, with gold writing, and the red hair. Omg. I saw it and immediately wanted to know what it was about. It just popped!
I did a twitter thread of my thoughts while reading! You can see it here! It was my first one, but I’m hoping to continue. It was fun to live react to the book!
Okay, let’s get into this review! The book had sort of a slow start for me. I was excited about an old Hollywood murder, but the first 30% was Kate moving in with her silent movie star granddad and his “unsavory borders”. Her granddad isn’t so famous anymore, and it shows. Kate eventually comes around, but man it takes a while.
At 30% the murder happens. I think it’s about to pick up! Which it did, but it was still a little slow. Also I found it weird the guy was murdered in their house, and they just cleaned up and kept living there like it was no big thing? Like, I would move. I would have to. That didn’t make a lot of sense to me.
The investigation was a little slow going, and at one point it felt like there was more than one mystery. I kept up fine, but it was just a lot happening, but not a lot happening at the same time? I don’t know how else to explain it.
Chasing Starlight is set in the 1930s. I know at that point in time, women were supposed to look pretty and be homemakers. But multiple things were said by men AND women that just made me cringe. Like, don’t talk about your astrology. You’re only as important as your husband. Like I said, I KNOW this is typical for that time, and Kate does fight against it, but it still just made me mad!
The characters were all okay. None of them really stuck out to me except Ollie, the granddad. He was super fun! I would love to hang out with him one day. There was romance, but it didn’t really stick out to me either. I would say it was like a slow burn, enemies to lovers, but like, it’s SUPER SLOW.
I did honestly enjoy this book. If I hadn’t been playing Overcooked 2 all weekend, I’m sure I could have finished it in a day. It’s a quick read that’s a standalone with a nice, wrapped up ending. I loved that I knew who dunnit, why they did it, and where everyone ended up! It’s a super easy mystery to read, and I think it’s worth a try, especially if you like old school Hollywood!
Below is a giveaway hosted by the author! You should definitely enter!
Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsury YA for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.
In a sealed-off city, it begins with a hunt. A young woman, Lena, running for her life, convicted of being a mage and sentenced to death. Her only way to survive is to trust those she has been brought up to fear – those with magic.
On the other side of the locked gates is a masked lady, Constance, determined to find a way back in. She knows only too well how the people of Duke’s Forest loathe magic. Years ago she escaped before her powers were discovered. But now she won’t hide who she is any longer.
A powerful and terrifying storm cloud unites them. It descends over the dukedom and devastates much in its wake. But this is more than a thunderstorm. This is a spell, and the truth behind why it has been cast is more sinister than anyone can imagine … Only Lena and Constance hold the key to destroying the spell. Though neither of them realize it, they need each other. They are the blood and they have the thunder within.
– Goodreads
So many mixed feelings on We Are Blood and Thunder. Parts I loved, and parts I felt I would never get through. It did take me 9 days to read.
This was told in Dual POV – Lena and Constance. I liked Constance more. I could never tell if she was good or bad. I was questioning her thoughts and actions throughout the whole book, which I love. Lena was more one-dimensional to me. She was just always very flat. She never showed a ton of emotion, and when she did (or tried) I didn’t believe it. There was also a boy – Emris. He loved Constance once, and now loves Lena. It was a weird love triangle.
In the first 50% I loved Constance’s pov. I just wanted to keep reading her. At a little over the halfway mark Lena’s story picked up and gained some action. The last 20% or so was just hard for me to get through. I’m not sure exactly what it was. Everything was resolved. It just couldn’t keep my attention.
I also see on Goodreads this is book #1 in a series. I’m not sure what book #2 would entail – the story was very nicely wrapped up like a standalone. Maybe it will be in the same universe with different characters? I kind of hope so because I don’t know where else this trio could go.
I gave this 3 stars because I honestly liked a lot of the book. There were nice action scenes, magic, fighting. There wasn’t much of a love story, even with the triangle. But the last 20% or so really kept me from giving this over 3 stars. I was just ready for it to be over.
Have you read We Are Blood and Thunder? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.
Their reunion just became a crime scene . . .
June Moody, a thirty-something English professor, just wants to get away from her recent breakup and reunite with girlfriends over summer break. Her old friend and longtime nemesis, Sadie MacTavish, a mega-successful author, invites June and her college friends to a baby shower at her sprawling estate in the San Juan Islands. June is less than thrilled to spend time with Sadie–and her husband, June’s former crush–but agrees to go.
The party gets off to a shaky start when old grudges resurface, but when they wake the next morning, they find something worse: Sadie is missing, the house is in shambles, and bloodstains mar the staircase. None of them has any memory of the night before; they wonder if they were drugged. Everyone’s a suspect. Since June had a secret rendezvous with Sadie’s husband, she has plenty of reason to suspect herself. Apparently, so do the cops.
A Celtic knot of suspense and surprise, this brooding, atmospheric novel will keep you guessing as each twist reveals a new possibility. It will remind you of friendships hidden in the depths of your own past, and make you wonder how well you really know the people you’ve loved the longest.
– Goodreads
What to say about The Girls Weekend? It was a solid three star. Nothing bad, but nothing grand either. It was a typical mystery/thriller.
June gets talked into going to a girls weekend with her four best friends from college. She only talks to one of them nowadays. Once there, she starts having fun, until the second night. Everyone wakes up with no memory of what happened and one of their friends is missing.
I never guess who did it. Ever. I am the literal worst. But I guessed it in this book! About 30ish percent in I was like, yeah, this one did it. I don’t know how I feel about guessing it. I’m kind of like, yay, I actually got one! But then I wonder how good it actually was if I could guess the killer. Of course there were clues to lead you astray, red herrings, all that sort of thing. But I found it pretty obvious.
June and the other cast of characters were all good. I liked who I was supposed to and disliked who I was supposed to. My favorite was Kimi, though. She seemed super fun! I want to hang out with her.
What brought it to a three star for me was the ending. I felt like it could have ended a chapter or two earlier. It was basically just what happened in the aftermath, but it wasn’t anything interesting! I was pretty disappointed.
If you’re a thriller fan, you’ll probably like this one. I will definitely recommend it to my thriller reading friends!
What do you think about The Girls Weekend? Is it going on your tbr?
Yall, this was NOT my month. I said I wanted to read 15 books a month. Well. I only got to 9. I was in a super huge slump for a majority of the month and I’m not sure why.
Anyway, I’ll tell you what books I read, my monthly stats, and how my Goodreads goal is looking!
EBOOKS READ
Grey by EL James – 3 stars. Not my favorite. Took me almost a week to read.
First off, my Goodreads goal. 9/165. I’m 4 books behind schedule. I already have a plan for next month and I’m hoping to hit it!
I read 1697 pages and did 14 hours, 32 minutes of listening! My average rating was 3.88 stars. I read three nonfic, two contemporary, two erotica, one horror, and one thriller. There were seven adult books and two YA. I only read one ARC this month. One of my books was #ownvoices!
What does your monthly wrap up look like? Did you read any of these books! Let me know in the comments below!
Ginny’s life suddenly comes to a screeching halt one fateful Monday when a shooter shows up at Southwestern High School during first period. In lockdown with both the homeroom sub and her secret crush Owen badly wounded, Ginny finds herself teamed up with Kayla, one of the “barbies.” Together, they must try to keep their classmates alive amid terror and pain. As the chaos continues, Ginny is plagued with questions. Has she judged Kayla too harshly? Will she ever have the chance to ask Own to prom? Will the fight she had with her mom before school been their last interaction ever? With the uncertainty of everyone making it out alive growing with every minute, there’s only one thing Ginny knows for sure: no one is making it out unchanged.
– Goodreads
I don’t know why I love such tragic books. I love true crime. I love disaster books. So when I saw this book on Netgalley, I wanted to read it. It goes through the harrowing hours while a high school in Canada is on lock down due to a school shooting.
It was interesting that this was set in Canada. They have much different laws than we do – which are shown in the book. I know their gun control is much stricter.
The novel is told through the eyes of Ginny. She’s a typical teen girl. She had a blow out fight with her mom before school. Honestly though, what teen girl doesn’t? It normally wouldn’t matter, the fight would be forgotten about by dinner. Only today, it does matter. What if Ginny never gets to see her mom again?
Throughout the story, you are told of teens texting their parents and loved ones. Last ditch efforts to say they love them. You are told of the killer at the door. Will he get in? Teachers are trying everything they can think to save the kids. It’s honestly a haunting novel. My son is 2.5 years old. I can’t imagine him going through this. It’s getting all too common in America. During the story, you are shown parts of Ginny’s past. It was a nice reprieve from the horror that was occurring.
#NotReadyToDie was a quick read. At 200 pages, I could have read it in an afternoon if someone wasn’t so distracting -cough-child-cough-. The novel moved at a nice pace, it never seemed rushed. You got to know all the kids in the class with Ginny – including her crush and a girl she thinks hates her. They both have surprising ends. However, I did have a problem with some of the dialogue. The actions of the teens totally fit, but I felt their conversations were somewhat juvenile.
I do wish the ending gave me a little more. You didn’t find out who the killer was or the motives. As a true crime buff I just HAD to know! I think that was my biggest gripe about the book.
If you are like me and are a fan of true crime/tragedy books, I think #NotReadyToDie is definitely worth picking up!
Have you read #NotReadyToDie? What were your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you to Netgalley and KCP Loft for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.
Grace Carter’s mother — the celebrity news anchor GG Carter — is everything Grace is not. GG is a star, with a flawless wardrobe and a following of thousands, while Grace — an aspiring astrophysicist — is into stars of another kind. She and her mother have always been in different orbits. Then one day GG is just … gone. Cameras descend on their house, news shows speculate about what might have happened and Grace’s family struggles to find a new rhythm as they wait for answers. While the authorities unravel the mystery behind GG’s disappearance, Grace grows closer to her high school’s golden boy, Mylo, who has faced a black hole of his own. She also uncovers some secrets from her mother’s long-lost past. The more Grace learns, the more she wonders. Did she ever really know her mother? Was GG abducted … or did she leave? And if she left, why?
– Goodreads
I don’t know what it is with me and 500+ page books this month. First Grey, now this! After this I will read some shorter books for sure.
I’ll admit, I stalk reviews for books before I read them. I like to know what I’m getting into. I used to be scared that they influenced me into liking or not liking something I normally would. I read so many 5 star reviews for this book, but it just fell flat for me.
Gracie, the main character, was somewhat flat to me. A lot of people said she was relateable because she was normal. Sure, she was normal, but there wasn’t anything special about her. And I’m not talking about powers, or being super pretty, or anything like that. Just, nothing sticks out to me about her. I thought her best friend, Iris, and her boyfriend, Mylo, were way more interesting. I think Mylo should have his own book, but I won’t tell you why because ~spoilers~.
The Center of the Universe takes place in Canada and is written by a Canadian author, which I think is awesome! This past year I have become really good friends with some Canadians in Words & Whimsy. It was nice to read a story set in their lands! I think this is the first book set in Canada I’ve ever read.
So a little about this book. It’s 506 pages. It has 100 chapters. It’s a little intimidating. I mean, the chapters are short, which is great since I like to stop reading at the end of a chapter. However, some chapters were only half a page or so long, and I couldn’t really find a reason for them being there. There were also 7 space analogies in chapter 1. Yes, I counted. Yes, I thought it was a little much. Like, I understand this is a space book. I promise. That did get better throughout the book. There were less, but I still didn’t really understand them since I don’t know much about space.
However, there were some great things about this book! It did not read like a normal 500-pager. It was a quick read. I loved the mystery of why her mom was abducted. Or did she go voluntarily? Some of the descriptions were so.beautiful. Like this one –
“Mylo talked into my ear, his voice rolling and pitching like a sea made of sound…”
It’s so beautiful and romantic! Also, this book features a real astrophysicist, Dr. Elizabeth Tasker. There is even a Q&A with her in the back of the book! I love that it brought in a real astrophysicist.
So, this book got 3.5 stars from me. I felt there were a few too many space references when other things could be used. However, it was a quick read with a great mystery! I’d recommend it to anyone who likes ya mysteries and especially anyone who loves space!
Mithah Reads 