Just like that, the first month of 2019 has come and gone. I am so happy with my reading for this month. I actually set a new personal record and completed 17 books! This is just insane to me. I was one book short of completing my TBR Challenge for the month, as well, but I will write more about that in a separate post.
Without further ado, let’s get into the books I read this month:
- An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen – This Adult Thiller received a full 5-stars from me for keeping me at the edge of my seat!
- The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox – This Adult Historical Fiction brought me all I wanted in creepy, gothic atmosphere, 4.5-stars!
- The Wicker King by K. Ancrum – I read this YA Contemporary with the Dragons & Tea Book Club on Goodreads. We completed it in 5-days. I found it original and hard-hitting and ended up giving it a full 5-stars.
- Blood of Wonderland (Queen of Hearts Saga #2) by Colleen Oakes – I read this book to complete my ‘read a sequel’ challenge for the month. I thought this was a great continuation to this YA Fantasy series which tells the origin story of the Queen of Hearts; full 5-stars.
- White Stag (Permafrost #1) by Kara Barbieri – I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher, Wednesday Books, and took part in the ‘Blog Tour’ to help celebrate its publication. This is the start to an all-new YA Fantasy series involving goblins and a goblin king. Overall, I found it interesting and ended up giving it 3.5-stars.
- Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch – This YA Contemporary set in Italy follows 16-y.o. Lina as she tries to navigate the world after the devastating death of her mother. Even though that sounds very sad, this was actually a funny and heart-warming story about found friendships and love. I gave this a full 5-stars as well.
- She Lies in Wait (DCI Jonah Sheens #1) by Gytha Lodge – I received this Adult Crime Thriller as an ARC from the publisher, Random House Books, and really enjoyed reading it. I would definitely continue on with this series. I gave this book 4-stars.
- Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King – My favorite author. A short-story collection I am kicking myself for not picking up earlier. This is now my all-time favorite short-story collection full of tales of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Absolutely horrific! 5-full DARK stars.
- Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee – I received this Middle Grade Space adventure as an ARC from the publisher, Rick Riordan Presents, an imprint of Disney Books. I had so much fun reading this story. One of my favorites of the month! 5-out-of-this-world stars.
- Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand – This YA Horror took me the longest to read. Not really because of the story. The story was really unique and I was surprised, pleasantly, by how dark it was. This book is a chuncker though – 450 pages in the hardcover format. I gave this one 4.5-stars.
- The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon – I listened to the audiobook for this Adult Horror novel. It was such a great experience. Walking my dog at night, listening to this, with no light but from my headlamp, in the cold of winter on a desolate island. It doesn’t get more atmospheric that that. I loved the mysterious horror elements of this. Just the whole vibe was really cool and well-done. I look forward to reading other books from this author; 4-stars.
- The Lonely Dead by April Henry – I received this book as an ARC from the publisher, Henry Holt and Co. Unfortunately, this book and I did not get along. We were scratching and biting and pulling each others hair. Nope. Just did not work for me; 2-stars.
- The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer Trilogy #1) by Michelle Hodkin – This was one of my TBR jar picks for the month of January. This is a YA Paranormal Romance. There was mystery in this. There was a lot of witty dialogue and a male lead to totally swoon over. I hella enjoyed this one and was so happy that I finally read it; 4.5-stars!
- Truly Devious (Truly Devious #1) by Maureen Johnson – I am so happy that I finally picked up this YA Mystery. Set at a boarding school in rural Vermont, this book literally checked all of my boxes. I loved this so much and actually just received the long-awaited sequel, The Vanishing Stair, in the mail today! This one received a full 5-star review from me.
- Hell: The Possession and Exorcism of Cassie Stevens by Tom Lewis – I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This book was hella creepy and actually had an interesting take on possession. Unlike any other possession stories I have ever read, this one is told mainly from the perspective of the person who is possessed. I thought it was really a fun little read overall; 3.5-stars. Thank you, Tom!
- The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding (The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding #1) by Alexander Bracken – This Middle Grade adventure was steeped with creepy, Halloweenie vibes and I adored it. The sequel is being released next Tuesday, February 5th, and I have an ARC from the publisher, Disney Book Group. Starting that one tonight and really looking forward to continuing on with this story; 4-stars.
- The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff – I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Park Row Books, and am so glad that I got the opportunity to read this early. What a book! This Adult Historical Fiction novel tells the tale of a group of female spies during WWII. Told in 3-perspectives this book drew me in from the very beginning and never let go. Vivid, poignant and heartbreaking, I would recommend this book to all; full 5-stars!
That is it, folks! That wraps up my month. Have you read any of these books? What was your favorite book of the month or least favorite? I want to know. Leave a comment below or you may contact me through any of my social media links.
Cheers & Happy Reading~
The Dead Ringer (Agatha Raisin #29) by M.C. Beaton – I have loved reading Agatha Raisin books since I was a tween. In fact, I continue to read cozy mysteries to this day because they remind me of that time, of home. Agatha Raisin, in my memory, was one of those fun-loving, if be it a little wild, female amateur sleuths who always had a good mystery to solve; like Jessica Fletcher or Miss Marple. However, apparently over the years, Ms. Raisin has grown into a horribly negative and bitter old codger. I just did not enjoy this at all and was so disappointed with the writing and characters. It was nothing like the stories I remembered.
A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro – This is easily the most popular book on this list and hopefully, if this is one of your favorite books, you don’t take offense. The thing is, I really expected to love this YA Mystery that follows teenage descendants of Holmes and Watson. I just didn’t. I was so bored. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters. I didn’t like them. I didn’t care what happened to them and I found nothing intriguing about the mystery. The only good thing for me is that I was able to take the rest of the series off my tbr list. Again, I generously gave this 3-stars. The writing was perfectly fine it was just the content that disappointed me.
The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty’s Prince (Villains #2) by Serena Valentino – This is the second book in Disney’s, Villains series, which essentially tells the origin story of some of the world’s best known villains. I read the first book in the series in 2017 and really enjoyed it. That one told the origin of the Wicked Queen and although I did find the writing a bit immature, there were some really cool, original ideas added to her story. That’s what I expected going into this one as well. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairytale and man, did this one disappoint me. It was SO terrible. Beast’s character was awful! I felt like writing an anonymous, heartfelt letter to Beauty and telling her to stay away from him. He had no redeemable characteristics whatsoever. I hated him. The end. Moving on.
Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard – This was actually one of the last books I read in 2018 and again, major disappointment. The synopsis for this sounded so good. A psychotic serial killer type person, a missing girl, did he do it, did he not. It sounded trippy and creepy and I got that for about the first 25% of the book and then it just got too weird. Think of the plot lines of like As The World Turns circa 1987 and then add some bullshit to it (ahem, more bullshit). I mean, just blah. It lost my interest with it’s ridiculousness and never gained it back. The writing, again, was good. It wasn’t the writing, for me it was what I consider to be very weak content. I’m not sure what the author was thinking for this one. But, you know what, it has worked for a lot of people because the overall rating on Goodreads is currently 3.81, so what the hell do I know? Take it with a grain of salt.
King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo – This is a BIG one. Probably one of the most hyped books of the year. Leigh Bardugo is an incredible writer and I’m sure this book is going to be sensational. Someday, I will read this, however, I have NEVER read a book set in the Grisha Verse (Bardugo’s fictional world). I need to read the Grisha Verse trilogy and the Six of Crows duology before I can even think about picking this one up. The good news is that I do own them both, so I am set up to someday be reading this book. It just may take a while, therefore I give zero F*s about it now.
Everless by Sara Holland (Release Date: January 2, 2018) – The premise of this YA scifi/fantasy story is one where a world is run on a currency of time. The rich are able to tax the poor into the ground, extending their own lives by centuries. It sounds a bit like the 2011 movie, In Time, starring Justin Timberlake but more fantasy world focused as opposed to dystopian. As you may recall if you follow my reviews, I am a sucker for any story that examines time, whether it be in creative ways like this or more mundane uses such as time travel, jumps or loops. Either way, I was so excited for this book to be released and got it almost right away. Did I ever pick it up? No. No, I didn’t. Also, it is important to note that the next book in the duology, Evermore, is releasing on December 31, 2018, and yes, I have preordered it.
Children of Blood & Bone (Legacy of Orisha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi(Release Date: March 6, 2018) – This debut YA Fantasy novel was easily one of the MOST hyped books of 2018. I had preordered a copy well in advance of the March release date with the full intent of reading it directly upon receipt. Well, it made this list so I think you can see how well that plan went. This story follows Zelie as she tries to bring magic back to her world. Based on Nigerian folklore, I have really heard nothing but good things about this one. I can’t really explain why I never ended up picking it up. It is quite large, coming in at 525-pages, so maybe subconsciously I was avoiding that commitment. Either way, I definitely NEED to read this in 2018 before the sequel releases in March.
Truly Devious (Truly Devious #1) by Maureen Johnson (Release Date: January 16, 2018) – This is another book that I purchased right around its release date. This is a YA Mystery book that is set at a private school in Vermont. If you follow my reviews at all, you may recall that boarding school or private school stories are some of my favorite. I’m not sure what it is about them. Something about the teen dynamic in an environment with fairly minimal adult supervision that I find extremely entertaining. Basically you know some messed up stuff is going to go down when kids are left to their own devices. This story sounds so interesting. It basically involves a cold case from the time the school first opened. A new student, Stevie Bell, a true crime lover, decides she is going to solve the case but once she starts looking into it, the killer apparently returns. This book has a sequel releasing next month (January 2019) and I have already preordered it so I definitely need to pick this one up ASAP. I know I am going to love it. I have heard great things about the audiobook so I am end up reading this first one via that format.
