This was the month of disappointing sequels. A lot had bad ratings and a certain book I did give a high rating but it just didn’t live up to the book before it in the series.
A Curse of Roses by Diana Pinguicha
A Curse of Roses is based on Portuguese legend, it is also a #OwnVoices historical fantasy. This contains forms of religion-based self-harm, eating disorders and homophobia, be wary if you are triggered. The characters were very interesting to follow, they were all different and had all their own flaws. The plot was solid, the only issue I had was how fast the main problem was resolved. It was slow to build but fast to be resolved so it felt the pacing was off because of it. The magic in here was never the same and was explored in a way I’m not used to. The fact the magic needed to be fed is not a concept I am familiar with. It was a good read. There were just a few things that lowered the rating for me.
See My Full Review Here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/a-curse-of-roses-by-diana-pinguicha-review
3 stars
The Girl The Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young
This was such a disappointing read. I read Sky in the Deep last year and it was one of my favourite books of 2019. But this book was such a letdown. I found until the last 50 pages it was very boring and I didn’t like the characters.
2 stars
Falling Light by Crystal L. Kirkham
This book was not what I expected. From the synopsis, I thought this was going to be set in a medieval setting like a lot of fantasy books are, but it surprised me when it was set in the real world. I also didn’t expect the romance. At first, I was worried it was going to be an instalove romance, but it wasn’t. The characters were interesting and very different from one another. Overall it was a fun read but I did have a few issues with it.
See Full Review Here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/falling-light-by-crystal-l-kirkham-review
3 stars
Silver Brumbies of the South by Elyne Mitchell
I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into it as I didn’t like The Silver Brumby's Daughter very much. But it was good. I really enjoyed the introduction of a few different characters and their parts to play in the brumby kingdom. It still didn’t live up to The Silver Brumby though.
4 stars
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
This is the third book in the ACOTAR series and I really enjoyed it. I think the thing I liked the most about this book was how the side characters were developed more, in their personalities or their backstories.
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
I feel like this was a good novella that was able to wrap up Feysand as the main characters and set up the story for A Court of Silver Flames.
3 stars
A Heart of Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
This was such a disappointing read for me and I feel so bad at my feelings towards it. I just feel like the characters didn’t act how they were portrayed in the first book, and I felt like the whole plot could have been avoided if the characters had talked at the start. Sorry if anyone disagrees with me, this is just my opinion.
2 stars
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
Some of the characters were very different from typical YA characters while still having a few traits that are the same. The plot left me always wondering what will happen next. Maniscalco’s writing style was very descriptive without being dense. It made it very easy to imagine the characters and setting.
See My Full Review Here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/kingdom-of-the-wicked-by-kerri-maniscalco-review
4 stars
The Return of The King by J.R.R. Tolkien
I enjoyed this more than the Two Towers, the plot moved along more and was able to wrap up the trilogy very neatly. I am still disappointed that I didn’t enjoy the books as much as I thought I would.
4 stars
Northern Wrath by Thidle Kold Holdt
DNFed at 34%. I started this back at the start of October and as much as I hate DNFing because of the perfectionist in me, I had to call it quits. This was a very dense and slow-moving book which I am normally ok with, but I was bored and never wanted to pick it up. I didn't like some characters which made it even harder for me to continue reading.
Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu
This was the first book that I read from Marie Lu and I really enjoyed it. The thing I enjoyed the most about this book was the way Lu portrayed Bruce. I can’t say how accurate he was to the original batman but I found this was a great origin story.
4 stars
Full Disclosure by Kate Aster
This was the second book in this romance trilogy that follows the next brother in Sheridan’s family, Ryan. It was great. I loved the characters in here the way I felt like their relationship was very realistic in how they act and worry about different things. They both have children so that played a very large part.
4 stars
Silver Brumby Kingdom by Elyne Mitchell
I’m not sure what I can say about this that I haven’t already said with the previous books in the series. I love the kingdom we read about in this series. It still didn’t make the 5 stars though and I honestly don’t know why at this point.
4 stars
Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
This was a rollercoaster. Gemina had a lot to live up to and this is precisely the reason I hate hyping up books because it didn’t live up to it. Don’t get me wrong it was still a great book and I still loved my time reading it, but I wasn’t as attached to these characters and I found my enjoyment wasn’t nearly the same.
4 stars
Banshee Cry by Jen Katemi
In my opinion, this was not a good book, I had a lot of issues with it that rendered my enjoyment to nothing. I’m not saying it's right for someone else just wasn’t for me. The characters weren’t fleshed out, it had an insta-love romance and a cringy sex scene.
See My Full Review Here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/banshee-cry-by-jen-katemi-review
1 Star
Sisters of the Coven by Amelia Shaw
The main character Ava was relatable in the way she thinks and acts. She did do a few things that annoyed me which I felt like it could have changed how things turned out in the book. It was a slow-starting which I found boring but it did pick up real quick around halfway mark. I found the love interest real intriguing, in the way people including himself thinks of him one way but he has a whole different personality underneath that we got glimpses throughout the book.
See My Full Review Here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/sisters-of-the-coven-by-amelia-shaw-review
3 stars
The Dying of the Light by Derek Landy
This was the second time I read this book this year. But I loved it so so very much. This book was a comfort read for me, I love the characters, the plot, the humour and definitely someone’s pain and death made my day.
5 Stars
Moon Filly by Elyne Mitchell
This was a good filler book that helped set up the next book in the series. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t at the same level as some of the other books in the Silver Brumby series.
3 stars
Silver Brumby Whirlwind by Elyne Mitchell
This was a very, very emotional book for me. I had to say goodbye to my first ever and all-time comfort character. It was very hard for me to read this book, but it was also beautiful.
4 stars
Faking It by Kate Aster
This is the last book in the romance trilogy. It follows the last of Sheridan’s brothers, Dylan. This was good, it had a lot of dogs in it, had good hot sex scenes, relatable characters and a fake dating trope. I think I can say this is my favourite contemporary romance series.
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
This book took a very long time for me to read. Because it was high fantasy it took a lot more brain power than other books and my headaches would increase a lot more easily with this book. But I got through it and glad I did. It was a good book, it was full of depth in the magic system, the politics and the characters. I just found there were a few characters that we followed that I didn’t much care for so reading their POV was a bit tedious.
4 stars
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J Klune
I am so sad I didn’t read this book earlier because it would have definitely made my top 10 favourite books of the year. I don’t know how to explain why I loved this book as much as I did because I don’t know. I loved everything about it but the characters were so special and unique. It was so heartwarming and made me cry a few times at how beautiful it was. I loved it so so much, and I am experiencing my first ever book hanger because of it.
There you guys go, my chaotic December wrap up.
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