Here is my massive and late September wrap up. I read a whole of 30 books. Which is definitely my best reading month by a lot. I had 25 books on my TBR, so I could fit in all the prompts I needed to for all the different readathons I participated in. So I thought it would be a good idea to just try and read 30.
PSYCHO HOSE BEAST FROM OUTER SPACE BY C. D. GALLANT
Gale Harbour hasn’t seen any excitement since the military abandoned the base there thirty years ago, unless you count the Tuesday night 2-for-1 video rentals at Jerry's Video Shack. So when a dead body turns up floating in the town water supply, all evidence seems to point to a boring accident.
Psycho Hose Beast From Outer Space is the first book in the Gale Harbour series. It is set in Newfoundland, Canada, 1992. This book was very different from what I normally read. I found Gallant-King’s writing very easy to read and kept me engaged throughout the story. It was creepy, dark and imaginative. The characters were all different and realistic. The plot was great, a creepy beast on the loose killing everyone, a crazy old lady and a mystery that does in fact get resolved. I will be picking up the next book in the series when it comes out and would recommend it if you want a quick, creepy read.
3 ⭐️
Check out my full review here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/psycho-hose-beast-from-outer-space-by-c-d-gallant-king-review
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - First in a series
Mammamiathon - Money Money Money
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING BY J. R. R TOLKIEN
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit.
This is the first book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I have been wanting to read this trilogy for the longest time but I never got around to it. I can definitely see why some people would not like J. R. R Tolkien’s writing style, it is very dense, very detailed and uses a lot of brainpower to understand and keep up with everything that happens. I can also see why this is one of the fantasy classics. I did find it hard at the start to get into the story but once I did it was great. I love the world Tolkien has created, it’s so thought out and so imaginative. This was a great read and hope to continue with the series soon.
4 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Community Shelf (Read a book from my 2020 list)
Mammamiathon - Dancing Queen
SEASONS OF WAR BY DEREK LANDY
Wow just wow, Seasons of War is the 13th book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series. This book was action packed, full of humour and was an amazing book. I loved every second of reading this book and just reminded me why this series is one of my all-time favorite series. I really can’t wait until the next book comes out and see where it takes us.
5 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Fire on the cover
Mammamiathon - Super Trooper
CITY OF ASHES BY CASSANDRA CLARE
'CITY OF BONES SYNOPSISE' - When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air.
City of Ashes is the second book in the Infernal Devices series. I still had problems with this book and found some of the characters annoying, but I enjoyed the book more than the first book, City of Bones. The main reason I had a problem with City of Bones was Clary and Jace annoyed me. But in City of Ashes, we spent more time with the side characters which made the book more enjoyable. I also enjoyed the plot more. Saying that this was still an average read for me.
3 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Mammamiathon - Does your Mother know
WILDSPARK BY VASHTI HARDY
A year after the death of her older brother, Prue Haywood's family is still shattered by grief. But everything changes when a stranger arrives at the farm. A new, incredible technology has been discovered in the city of Medlock, where a secretive guild of inventors have developed a way to capture spirits of the dead in animal-like machines, bringing them back to life.
This book took me by surprise. I found the start to be very boring and dragged on for me, but as the story went on it was a lot more engaging and I liked it more. I enjoyed the characters and how I didn’t see the bad guy coming until the very end. I found a part of the book to be really sad and I thought about how the main character Prue, dealt with what happened very well.
3 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Mammamiathon - I had a dream
Adventures Through Wonderland - Down the rabbit hole
SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT BY DEREK LANDY
Meet Skulduggery Pleasant
Ace Detective
Snappy Dresser
Razor–tongued Wit
Crackerjack Sorcerer
and
Walking, Talking,
Fire-throwing Skeleton
This was a reread for me for my Skulduggery Pleasant readalong. I loved it so much and was able to pick up the foreshadowing, and noticed things I didn’t with my last reread.
(When I talk about the other books in the series I have read, I won’t be going into any sort of detail because I will be just repeating myself.)
5 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Mammamiathon - Slipping through my fingers
Adventures Through Wonderland - Flower Garden
QUEEN OF SHADOWS 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.
Queen of Shadows is the 5th book in The Throne of Glass series. I loved this book a lot, like the rest of the books in the series. What I loved the most about this book in particular was how the characters interacted with each other, and the plot. There were definitely a few surprises that I didn’t see coming, and people got what they deserved.
5 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Friend Pick
Mammamiathon - Lay all your love on me
PLAYING WITH FIRE BY DEREK LANDY
It was a strong second book in the series. I love Landy’s humour and his writing style.
5 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Mammamiathon - Chiquitita
Adventures Through Wonderland - The White Rabbit's House
THE FACELESS ONES BY DEREK LANDY
I honestly love the cliffhanger at the end of this book.
5 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Mammamiathon - The name of the game
Adventures Through Wonderland - The queen of hearts palace
SPOILED ALICIA BY JAMES STARVOICE
With her father gone on business, young Bavarian princess, Alicia, is determined not to sit idle awaiting his return. She will fill the gap he has left behind by carrying out her duty to her people as a noble.
This book took me by surprise. It didn’t have much of a plot but it was very character-driven. I really enjoyed the characters, Alicia was my favourite, she was cute and hilarious. She was definitely spoilt, but I did not think for a second that she knew she was being spoilt. It was the ending that let this book down for me.
4 ⭐️
My full review will be coming soon
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Standalone
Mammamiathon - Take a chance on me
THE WIZARD OF RONDO BY EMILY RODDA
THE KEY TO RONDO SYNOPSIS - There are three rules to the old painted, music box: Wind the box three times only. Never shut the box when the music is playing. Never move the box before the music stops.
Leo wouldn't dream of breaking these rules, but does his stubborn cousin Mimi listen? She winds the box four times -- and suddenly the paintings on its side come to life and a powerful witch is released.
The second book in the Rondo trilogy, which follows Leo and Mimi when they return to the magical place called Rondo. This time they have to go looking for an old wizard that has gone missing. I found this book to be too slow and a tad boring at times. I still enjoyed being back in Rondo with its people.
3 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - TBR VET
Mammamiathon - Mamma Mia
Adventures Through Wonderland - Cheshire Cat
MR NOBODY’S EYES BY MICHAEL MORPURGO
Things have been difficult for Harry since his mother remarried. With a new baby at home, and only trouble at school, life is unbearable. Ocky the chimp, escaped from the circus, offers Harry a chance for a new life. With his friend, Harry runs away from all the people who seem so hard on him.
This was a reread for me, I read it years ago, I found I didn’t love it as much as when I first read it. I found the problem was too easily resolved, but this was written for a younger audience, so I can’t fault it for that especially when I read it and loved it when I was the targeted audience. Also Ocky is so so cute.
4 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Sad Book
Mammamiathon - Gimme Gimme Gimme
GIANT DAYS VOL 1 BY JOHN ALLISON
Susan, Esther, and Daisy started at university three weeks ago and became fast friends. Now, away from home for the first time, all three want to reinvent themselves.
I liked the rep in here, but the only thing good about this book was when I finished it. I never DNF a book, as I am a completionist, but if I didn’t need to use it for a marathon prompt I would have. I found the characters very annoying, I couldn’t follow the plot if there was one. I just felt like it was a waste of my time reading this.
1 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Mammamiathon - Voulez-vous
DARK DAYS BY DEREK LANDY
A new character gets introduced in here, and all I can say is why Val why.
5 ⭐️
CATCHING CADEN BY SAMANTHA CHRISTY
It was my home run ball that shattered her face.
Right along with her modeling career.
Now it's my mission to help her rebuild her life.
But when the lines of our friendship become blurred, I worry she'll just be another casualty of my three-strikes rule. The rule I have to protect my money, my future, my heart.
No girl has ever broken it.
I've never wanted one to.
Until now
This was an enjoyable read, I picked it up wanting something quick and easy to read and that’s what I got. There wasn’t anything special, but I liked the slow burn romance.
3 ⭐️
THE GIRL OF HAWTHORN AND GLASS BY ADAN JERREAT-POOLE
Eli isn’t just a teenage girl — she’s a made-thing the witches created to hunt down ghosts in the human world. Trained to kill with her seven magical blades, Eli is a flawless machine, a deadly assassin. But when an assignment goes wrong, Eli starts to question everything she was taught about both worlds, the Coven, and her tyrannical witch-mother.
I really liked the premise but there were parts of the execution that let this book down. I liked the characters well enough, they all had very different personalities and their banter was fun to read. The main problem with the book was I found it extremely hard to imagine what the author was trying to envision, which made it very hard for me to enjoy the book. I like to imagine the book in my mind as I read it. If I can't do this I then find it difficult to immerse myself in the story.
See my full review
2 ⭐️
Check out my full review here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/the-girl-of-hawthorn-and-glass-by-adan-jerreat-poole-review
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Nature on the cover
I DON’T DATE SUPERHEROES BY S.D. ROGUE
Hana is your average 20-something nurse—except for one small detail: she is responsible for the care of the world’s best kept secret: superheroes—who are known as Paladins. Hana has one very simple rule when it comes to her love life: she doesn’t date superheroes! She’s been there, done that—never again
Hana was just having a normal day when Bashir, a Paladin, comes to her for help, someone is after him and he didn’t know who else to come to. They go on the run, not knowing who to trust. This was a fun read, it had a fast-paced plot from chapter one and kept me hooked the whole way through. I liked the characters, I found the antagonist very easy to spot, but he made a good villain. The ending wrapped up too quickly for my liking, and I didn’t get enough romance in a romance book.
3 ⭐️
Check out my full review here - https://bookishequestrian.wixsite.com/mysite/post/i-don-t-date-superheroes-by-s-d-rogue-review
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Set in the present
THE BINDING BY BRIDGET COLLINS
Books are dangerous things in Collins's alternate universe, a place vaguely reminiscent of 19th-century England. It's a world in which people visit book binders to rid themselves of painful or treacherous memories. Once their stories have been told and are bound between the pages of a book, the slate is wiped clean and their memories lose the power to hurt or haunt them.
Emmett Farmer is sent to become an apprentice to an old binder. There he meets Lucian Darnay who he has a connection with, that he doesn’t understand. One day he finds a book with his name on it. This novel surprised me, I found the first part to be very boring and struggled through it, but once I did I absolutely loved it. What I wasn’t expecting was this book to be a romance novel. That was my favourite part of the book. I found the relationship so heartwarming, while being heartbreaking. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of the open ending.
4 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Standalone
MORE, PLEASE BY KATE ASTER
I know exactly what I want. And it has nothing to do with the hot Navy SEAL I picked up in a bar.
Really... it doesn't.
Even though the pressure of his lips on mine fires me like a hot kiln, and the feel of his ripped chest beneath my hungry fingertips...
Wait... I'm digressing. Focus, Allie.
This romance book stood out to me more than the others I read in this month. I really liked the two main characters, and how they interacted with each other. There was rep in here for PTSD and ADHD which both I can’t say how accurate it is. This wasn't insta love which made my enjoyment higher. There was a good plot, some steamy scenes and a resolved ending.
4 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Disability REP
UNTAMED INSTINCT BY TAMSIN LEY & AURORA SHIFTERS
Born to a family of wolves, mountain lion shifter Adrian Stone has never fit into the shifter community. He's resolved to live out his days alone, prowling the Alaskan wilderness and hunting down rogues. When he rescues a stunning, determined human who smells like catnip and makes his inner animal purr, he's shocked, because his mountain lion insists she's his mate - even though she claims to be a witch…
I have very mixed feelings about this book. There were parts I enjoyed and didn’t. I liked the paranormal elements that were in here. I enjoyed the characters, they were both sweet and deserved each other but it was an insta love that brought this book down for me. I understand the mate connection is strong but like loving each other the day you met them, was just not for me.
3 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Poll Pick
NOT YOU, IT’S ME BY JULIE JOHNSON
When a random radio call-in contest lands her courtside tickets to the hottest playoff game of the season, Gemma’s luck may finally be on the upswing — even if it doesn’t exactly seem like it when the dreaded jumbotron kiss-cam lands on her and her date, who’s too busy ignoring her to notice…
I liked that there were a few dark themes in the plot I wasn’t expecting, it added something to the romance to make it stand out. The main issue I had with the book was the love interest was controlling, and most of the time Gemma let him. I had an enjoyable time reading it, but once I looked back at it, there wasn’t much I liked.
2 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Community Shelf (Friend Pick)
MORTAL COIL BY DEREK LANDY
This book frustrated me in the best way. Skulduggery Pleasant fans who have read the series up to date will know what I am talking about. There is a character that is introduced in this book that does something unforgivable later in the series. But Derek Landy makes the character so likeable that even though I hate their guts, I have a hard time hating him in this book..
4 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Big Book
EMPIRE OF STORMS BY SARAH J. MASS
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.
Empire of Storms is the 5th book in the Throne of Glass series. What can I say without repeating myself? I loved this book, there was a lot of action in here, betrayal, love blooming and a very unforgettable cliffhanger.
4 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - Sad Book
THE TRAIN TO IMPOSSIBLE PLACES BY P.G. BELL
A train that travels through impossible places. A boy trapped in a snow globe. And a girl who’s about to go on the adventure of a lifetime.
This was a very sweet, atmospheric, magical story. I just adored it. The plot was great, and I really liked the characters, I found them to be funny and cute. I just fell in love with Wilmot, he could have my whole heart; he was just adorable.
4 ⭐️
WHEN AN ALPHA PURRS BY EVE LANGLAIS
A lion’s pride isn’t defined only by those he commands but also resides with his hair, so when a human dares to butcher Arik’s mane, he gets his revenge—and claims her as his mate.
I had the same problems with this book, as I did with Not you, It’s Me. The man was being too controlling, but I felt like the female love interest handled it a lot better, as she didn’t let him boss her around.
3 ⭐️
THE BATTLE FOR RONDO BY EMILY RODDA
THE KEY TO RONDO SYNOPSIS - There are three rules to the old painted, music box: Wind the box three times only. Never shut the box when the music is playing. Never move the box before the music stops.
Leo wouldn't dream of breaking these rules, but does his stubborn cousin Mimi listen? She winds the box four times -- and suddenly the paintings on its side come to life and a powerful witch is released.
I found this to be a great conclusion to the Rondo trilogy. It was filled with adventure, danger and I felt like the characters understood each other a lot more than in previous books.
3 ⭐️
THE CUP AND THE PRINCE BY DAY LEITSO 4 STARS
One prince wants her out.
Another wants her as a pawn.
Someone wants her dead.
Zora wants to win the cup and tell them all to screw themselves.
I liked Zora, she was stubborn, smart and doesn’t like men telling her what she can and can’t do. This book was full of mystery, royalty rivalry and it was very engaging. There was a cliffhanger at the end that will make me pick up the second book when it comes out.
4 ⭐️
My full review will be coming soon
HATING ALISON ASHLEY BY ROBIN KLEIN
Erica has always believed herself to be the star of her sixth grade class. But then Alison Ashley shows up, and right from the start, seems to threaten Erica's position. Can these classmates ever see past their difficulties and find friendship?
This was a one star until the very end. I found the characters to be insufferable, the plot to be very boring and overall just didn’t have a good time reading it.
2 ⭐️
FENCE VOLUME 2 BY C.S. PACAT & JOHANNA THE MAD & JOANA LAFUENTE
FENCE VOLUME 1 SYNPOSIS - Nicholas, the illegitimate son of a retired fencing champion, is a scrappy fencing wunderkind, and dreams of getting the chance and the training to actually compete. After getting accepted to the prodigious Kings Row private school, Nicholas is thrust into a cut-throat world, and finds himself facing not only his golden-boy half-brother, but the unbeatable, mysterious Seiji Katayama...
I liked this volume more than the first, I think the reason was because it had more action, whereas the first volume was setting up the story. This was an average read, I didn’t dislike but didn’t love it.
3 ⭐️
PROMPTS
Becca's Bookoplathon - LGBTQ + REP
FENCE VOLUME 3 BY C.S. PACAT & JOHANNA THE MAD & JOANA LAFUENTE
I had the same feelings towards this volume as the second, I also read them back to back.
3 ⭐️
I have decided to add a part where I say what my favourite and least favourite were.
My Favourite Book
I couldn't decide between Seasons of War & Empire of Storms
Least Favourite book
Shouldn't be a surprise it’s Giant Days Vol 1
Hidden Gem
The Train to Impossible Places
Over Hyped
Giant Days Vol 1
There was my massive wrap up. Hope you enjoyed it.
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