Here is my wrap up for October, after September I was in a bit of a reading slump so I took it easy and had a few rereads.
A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe
Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone—whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold—but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness.
The main character was different from the protagonists that I normally read about. She was very smart while being very naive at the same time. I also thoroughly enjoyed the side characters, I found them to be very entertaining. This was the first book I ever read about alchemy, and I found the concept very intriguing and fascinating. The plot is one of my favourite things about this book, I can hands down say I have never read a fantasy like this. (I am not saying there isn’t a book out there that is like it.) The pacing throughout was great and it was a very captivating book.
5 ⭐️
See my full review here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/a-golden-fury-by-samantha-cohoe-review-blog-tour
Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young (Reread)
Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.
This was a reread for me, and a really enjoyable reread. It was great to be back with the characters and the fast-moving plot. I gave it my original rating, but I didn’t love it as much as the first time. I think because I knew what was going to happen, the stakes weren’t as high. My favourite thing about this book is the relationships and the Viking element.
5 ⭐️
Ora and the Old God by Sarah Day
Life in the fae realm is no fairytale.
Wild and stubborn, Ora Widogast is determined to join her brother for the annual Tabas hunt. After a terrible mistake, her brother is turned into a pig, and Ora is taken captive in the fae realm.
I had mixed feelings on the main character Ora, I both liked and disliked her at times. I found the world hard to follow and to keep up with, the plot wasn’t strong and felt rushed at times. I found the author's writing style was a bit all over the place.
2 ⭐️
See my full review here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/ora-and-the-old-god-by-sarah-day-review
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass Synopsis - After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
Tower of Dawn is the 6th book in the Throne of Glass series and follows Chaol after the events in the 4th book. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, I had heard a lot of different things about it, but I really loved it. I found it interesting to see Choal’s character development throughout this book, being in his head. I also loved the perspectives of the other characters in here and found it was an important part of the series. But I can see why others wouldn’t enjoy it as much as the rest of the series.
5 ⭐️
Death Bringer by Derek Landy (Reread)
Skulduggery Pleasant Synopsis -
Meet Skulduggery Pleasant
Ace Detective
Snappy Dresser
Razor–tongued Wit
Crackerjack Sorcerer and Walking, Talking, Fire-throwing Skeleton —as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old.
These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil.
The end of the world?
Over his dead body.
This was a reread for me for my Skulduggery Pleasant readalong. I think we all know by now this is one of my favourite series of all time, and Deathbringer was no exception. I loved it as much as all the other times I have read it. It brought another level to it with its reveals and showed how close Skulduggery and Val’s relationship is.
5 ⭐️
Aster’s Good Right Things by Kate Gordon
"I can’t let go of them – the good, right things—because if I do I’ll turn into a cloud and I’ll float away, and a storm will come and blow me to nothing."
This was a really hard-hitting book, which I didn’t expect to come from a middle grade. Aster the main character was depressed and felt like she couldn’t tell anyone, and seeing her struggle was hard, especially when you see parts of yourself in it. Gordon did a great job handling the hard topic sensitively. This book made me feel a whole range of emotions but the main one was sadness.
4 ⭐️
See my full review here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/aster-s-good-right-things-by-kate-gordon-review
Malamander by Thomas Taylor (Reread)
Nobody visits Eerie-on-Sea in the winter. Especially not when darkness falls and the wind howls around Maw Rocks and the wreck of the battleship Leviathan, where even now some swear they have seen the unctuous malamander creep…
Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy – especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl.
I was a bit slumpy and wanted to read a book that made me happy and feel at home to pick me up in the month so I decided to reread Malamnder which I can say is one of my favourite middle grades. It is creepy, mystery filled and I love Herbie Lemon so much. He’s just this cinnamon roll character that makes me want to wrap him and protect.
5 ⭐️
Why I’m No Longer To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
In 2014, award-winning journalist Reni Eddo-Lodge wrote about her frustration with the way that discussions of race and racism in Britain were being led by those who weren't affected by it. She posted a piece on her blog, entitled: 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race' that led to this book.
This was my first ever non-fiction read so I didn’t know how to rate it like I do fiction. It was a very informative read, it made me sad, mad and taught me a lot. I hope I can do better now that I know more about the issue. This sentence stuck with me throughout the whole book ‘ I wondered how often history would have to repeat itself before we choose to tackle the underlying problems’
4 ⭐️
In Indelible Day by Cario Marques
The story accompanies a single day of John C., a man of about thirty. In this short passage of time, he has three dialogues with three different people. These dialogues, certainly, have shaped his day and, likely, will exist within him eternally.
The premise of this book intrigued me, so when I was approached by the author I said yes to reviewing this book. I found it interesting to see how one’s day can change through only a few conversations, but I had more problems with this book. I felt the conversations weren’t lifelike and didn’t flow well, the book was too smart. Overall the book wasn’t for me, but I don’t think that means it wouldn’t be a great read for the right audience.
2 ⭐️
My review is coming soon.
Gargantis by Thomas Taylor (Reread)
There's a storm brewing over Eerie-on-Sea, and the fisherfolk say a monster is the cause. Someone has woken the ancient Gargantis, who sleeps in the watery caves beneath this spooky seaside town where legends have a habit of coming to life. It seems the Gargantis is looking for something: a treasure stolen from her underwater lair.
This was a reread for me as well as this was one of the very first ARC’s I reviewed, earlier in the year. God, I love Herbie so much, I just want to wrap him in bubble wrap and protect him. He is such a beautiful human being. This book was atmospheric, creepy, had a great mystery and amazing quirky characters. I would definitely recommend picking up this series if these are some of the things you’re interested in with your middle grades.
Fortuna Sworn by K.J. Sutton
Fortuna’s brother went missing two years ago, she has never stopped looking for him, spending her time around the humans, until one day she catches the eye of a powerful faerie. He says he can take her to her brother if she marries him.
I liked the characters well enough but I wasn’t attached to any. The plot was engaging and the world was well explained. It was a dark book dealing with a few sensitive topics. I can’t say whether they were done well. Overall a good book, the thing is there wasn’t anything I disliked about this book, I just didn’t have strong feelings towards it.
3 ⭐️
See my full review here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/fortuna-sworn-by-k-j-sutton-review
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.
This book had great characters and a good villain that makes you question whether they are indeed evil. It was engaging and kept me intrigued throughout the whole book. It was really sad reading about Soraya’s life and how cut off she was to the rest of the world. I felt like it had a good message in the book. I also really loved the romance in here. I really adored this book.
4 ⭐️
So the wraps up all the books that I read in October. See you next time.
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