October Wrap Up

I have been blogging for about a month now and I'm still going strong. I can honestly say I'm proud of myself because every other time I tried to start a random blog, I usually would have stopped posting by now.

I got a little off schedule last week but I'm back on it now. This month has been really crazy for me. I finally started working at the job I was offered the position for at the end of August. Since I work overnight Fridays and Saturdays for now, I have been trying to adjust and make sure I get everything for the blog done ahead of time.

With all of that said, let's get to the actual content for this post! It took me most of the month to get through the only book I finished so it was a slow month for reading.

Books I Read

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

My Review

Books I Reread

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My Review

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My Review

Currently Reading

Tainted by Alexandra Moody

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout (reread)

2015 Reading Challenge

Since I only finished one book this month, now I have read 30 books so far. Goodreads says I'm 11 books behind. I really want to finish my goal this year so I'm going to do everything I can to get to reading. I will probably try to find a few shorter books to read so I can get the amount of books I read up.

Like I said before, October was a rough month for reading but I'm trying to get back on track now.

What were some of your favorite October reads?

Waiting on Wednesday | The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Expected Publication Date: November 3, 2015
Pages: 304
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description

Artist Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she's spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Leonardo da Vinci’s footsteps, she's ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.


Jack is charming, wildly attractive . . . and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who Jack really is—and tries to uncover what he’s hiding that leaves him so wounded. But will these secrets come back to haunt him? Or will the skeletons in Beatrix’s own family’s closet tear them apart?

Why I'm Waiting

The Anatomical Shape of A Heart was a book that immediately drew me from the first time I saw it. I think it was a mix of the title and the cover, I'm not really sure, but it made me interested in what the book was about. After reading the summary I was immediately intrigued. Although it sounds like a basic plot that has been visited before, the little details given about the characters makes it something unique.

Since I have been reading a lot of fantasy/paranormal fantasy/urban fantasy books lately I have been wanting to read some contemporary. This book is contemporary but also realistic fiction. Not only does this summary interests me, I have seen some really positive reviews from people who have received ARCs. I'm excited to get my hands on this book!

Any opinions on this book?

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking the Spine. Head over to check out other Waiting on Wednesday posts.

Top Ten Tuesday #7

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at Broke and Bookish.

This week is a Halloween freebie and the theme I chose is :

10 Spooky Books I Want to Read

*All book covers link to Goodreads page

Nightfall by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Asylum by Madeleine Roux

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Have you guys read any of these? If so what are your opinions?

Waiting on Wednesday | Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Breaking The Spine.

Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Expected Publication Date: October 27, 2015

Pages: 304

Goodreads Description 

Mattie shouldn’t be at the bonfire. She should be finding new maps for her collection, hanging out with Kris, and steering clear of almost everyone else, especially Jolene. After all, Mattie and Kris dropped off the social scene the summer after sophomore year for a reason.

But now Mattie is a senior, and she’s sick of missing things. So here she is.

And there’s Jolene: Beautiful. Captivating. Just like the stories she wove. Mattie would know; she used to star in them. She and Jolene were best friends. Mattie has the scar on her palm to prove it, and Jolene has everything else, including Hudson.

But when Mattie runs into Hudson and gets a glimpse of what could have been, she decides to take it all back: the boyfriend, the friends, the life she was supposed to live. Problem is, Mattie can’t figure out where Jolene ends and she begins.

Because there’s something Mattie hasn’t told anyone—she walked away from Jolene over a year ago, but she never really left.


Poignant and provocative, Marcy Beller Paul’s debut novel tells the story of an intoxicating—and toxic—relationship that blurs the boundary between reality and fantasy, love and loyalty, friendship and obsession.

Why I'm Waiting 

This was one of those books I kept scrolling past on Goodreads because the cover didn't grab my attention. I finally decided to read the description and was intrigued. The main reason I want to read this is the mystery. I'm curious about happened/how the main character got to where she is now. I also want to know what she was talking about when she mentions Jolene. In the description there is also the mention of obsession. I wrote a short story for my class that dealt with that topic. I'm very interested to see how it was done and possibly get more ideas on how to make it more believable when I revisit the story.

Is anyone else looking forward to this book? 

Top Ten Tuesday #6

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at Broke and Bookish. Each week there is a topic and we list off our top ten items based on that topic.

This week's theme is:

10 Wishes I'd Ask The Book Genie To Grant Me

1. Ability to stop time while I'm reading - There's never enough time to read and do everything else I need to do like clean or sleep. 

2. Ability to read any book (especially the longer ones in 2-3 days. There are just so many books to read and not enough time. 

3. Be able to instantly receive a copy of any book I want to read. 

4. Be able to instantly put all my thoughts and feelings into a coherent discussion.

5. Be able to talk to authors about ways a book can go or ask questions. 

6. Redesign book covers I don't like (even if it's only my copy). 

7. This is similar to #3 but get a physical copy of all ebooks I own. 

8. Always have at least one person to discuss every book I read with as soon as I finish that book.

9. Have a movie/tv adaptation to any book I want. 

10. Bring any book character to life for a day (as many times as I want XD).

What are some of your wishes you would ask the book genie for?

Onyx (Lux #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Review

Onyx (Lux #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: August 14, 2012
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi
Pages: 366
Source: Purchased for Kindle
First Line: "Ten seconds passed between when Daemon Black took his seat and when he poked me under my shoulder blade with his trust pen."
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies...

My Thoughts

* contains spoilers

There is so much that happened in this book that I want to talk about! I'm only going to talk about a few though because I don't want to give away the whole story, unless someone wants to discuss!

At the end of Obsidian, I had a feeling I was going to have some problems with Katy and Daemon's relationship. And I was right! For the first half of the book Katy is trying to deny their feelings for each other. Every time something intimate happened between them she was always quick to say Daemon didn't like her or the attraction was only because of the alien bond they had. It took two different people telling her that the bond didn't force romantic feelings for Katy to finally start considering that Daemon might actually like her.

One of the more exciting things that happened in this book is learning about Katy's new powers. There was a hint of this at the end of Obsidian but it's not the same. Experiencing these moments with Katy is like watching a kid try to ride a bike without training wheels for the first time. It's funny at times but it's really risky especially since the DoD is in town trying to figure out how their satellite had been blown up.

Along with the DoD came Blake. I didn't like Blake from the moment he was introduced. That was partly because I felt like he was being added to create a love triangle but at the same time something just didn't seem right about him to me. Even after I found out his secret, that he was like Katy, I felt like he knew way too much for someone who had to learn everything (about what he was, how it happened, about the other types of aliens, how the government was involved, and how to control his powers) by himself. Blake's need to see some tremendous progress of Katy's skill and the constant escalation of their training session (throwing a knife at her and taking her out the protective perimeter of the quartz to fight an Arum) and his mood swings didn't help either.

The last big point I want to talk about is Matthew. I don't trust him! He seems to get better in the fact that he isn't always staring Katy down, or questioning Daemon's action but I still get a bad vibe from him. When Daemon goes to talk to him says he didn't know there was a possibility of Dawson being alive but I didn't believe him. I'm not sure what it is but I don't trust him. 

Have you read this book? What did you think about it? Anything that I didn't mention that you want to talk about? Comment below!

Waiting on Wednesday | Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Breaking The Spine.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Expected Release Date: October 20, 2015
Pages: 608

Goodreads Description

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.


Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Why I'm Waiting

I first saw this book when booktubers were doing hauls from BEA. It was really popular because it was a hardcover ARC and when you flipped through the book it was set up in a more interesting layout than the typical book. The layout of this book is what immediately drew me to it. Just look at the cover without the dust jacket!

After all of that I wanted to know what the book was about because as interesting as it might look I still wanted to be interested in reading it. After reading the summary, Illuminae sounds like something I want to read. I can't wait until I can get my hands on this one!

Does anyone have any opinions on this book?

Top Ten Tuesday #5

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at Broke and Bookish. Each week there is a topic and we list off our top ten items based on that topic.

This week's theme is Top Ten Author Duos You'd LOVE To See Write A Book Together. However I feel like I haven't read enough different authors to come up with some good answer so I decided to switch it up a bit. My them for this week will be:

11 Popular Authors I Really Want to Read

*Links lead to author's website

Sarah J. Maas - I'm cheating a little on this one since I'm currently reading Throne of Glass. Since I haven't actually finished a book by her I figured it was still alright to add her to the list.

J.K. Rowling - Most people have read at least one thing by J.K. Rowling but I never got around to it.

Rainbow Rowell - I have heard nothing but good things about her work. I previously tried to read Eleanor & Park but at the time I was in a reading slump so I couldn't get into it.

V.E. Schwab - The two series I hear about the most are A Darker Shade of Magic and Vicious. These two series are extremely popular and sound like something I would be interested in reading. I can't wait to read them.

Scott Westerfeld - I have always seen the Uglies series in the library but for some reason I never picked them up. I would like to pick up the series someday but I'm more interested in reading some of his newer work, especially Zeros and Afterworlds.

Rick Riordan - Rick Riordan is a bit of a new discovery for me. If I had known about the Percy Jackson series earlier I think I would have really been a fan since I was really interested in Greek mythology when I was learning about it.

Colleen Hoover - I haven't heard a single bad thing about any of her books. When she has a new book, it seems like everyone has to stop everything and read that book before anything else. I would really like to see what that is all about.

Marie Lu - The Legend Series and The Young Elites!

Cassandra Clare - Although I found it a little hard to get into the first Mortal Instruments book, I have always been really interested in it. There are so many people that enjoy her writing and I would at least like to give it a fair chance before saying if I like it or not.

Brandon Sanderson - I have heard some good things about his writing, mainly the Mistborn trilogy.

Patrick Ness - He has come out with so many books that I have been interested in reading. I can't wait to finally start reading his work.

There are so many other authors I would have loved to add to this list but then it would have gone on forever! What are some other authors I should check out?

Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) by Richelle Mead | Review

Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) by Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: April 10, 2008
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Pages: 327
Source: Purchased
First Lines: "Things die. But they don't always stay dead. Believe me, I know."
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description

WHEN LOVE AND JEALOUSY COLLIDE ON THE SLOPES, WINTER BREAK TURNS DEADLY...

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires - the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.

Rose has serious guy trouble. Her gorgeous tutor, Dimitri, has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason has a huge crush on her, and she keeps getting stuck in her best friend Lissa's head while she's making out with her boyfriend, Christian.

Then a nearby Strigoi attack puts St. Vladimir's on high alert, and the Academy whisks its students away on a mandatory holiday ski trip. But the glittering winter landscape and posh Idaho resort only provide the illusion of safety. When three students run away to strike back against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. Only this time, Rose - and her heart - are in more danger than she ever could have imagined... 

My Thoughts

*This review contains spoilers (because it's hard to reread a book/series and not spoil some stuff)

The second book in the Vampire Academy series opens with a brief summary of the world and the first book. It's like that part in last week's episode that you see right before a new episode starts of whatever show you are watching.

The stakes are higher than ever when it is discovered that there has been what seems like an organized Strigoi attack on one of the royal families. Strigoi working together has never been heard of since they were so quick to betray each other. Once it gets out about the attack, in order to keep students during the holidays, St. Vladmir's set up a mandatory ski trip for all students and allowed families to attend as well.

Of course this couldn't be a paranormal romance book without any romance. There are some tense moment between Rose and Dimitri early. Things get worse once they get to the ski resort. During the trip we discover Rose has to more love interests, even though Dimitri is the only she wants. Honestly Adrian started to grow on me.

By the end of the book Rose finally lived up to and followed through with everything she had to say in the first book. She also finally realizes being a guardian isn't as glamorous as she thought it was. As a result of everything that happens Rose becomes more serious about everything she feels she must do in order to protect her friends, especially Lissa.

This book was so exciting! I loved this book the first time around and was able to relive the experience all over again. 

Waiting on Wednesday | Soundless by Richelle Mead

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature created by Breaking The Spine.

Soundless by Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Expected Release Date: November 10th 2015

Pages: 272

Goodreads Description

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.


Richelle Mead takes readers on a triumphant journey from the peak of Fei’s jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiugo, where a startling truth and an unlikely romance will change her life forever...

Why I'm Waiting

I loved the Vampire Academy series and I heard good things about the Bloodlines series, so when I heard Richelle Mead was coming out with a new book I was really excited to check it out. Besides the draw of previously reading work from this author, the summary sounds really interesting. This a new concept that I've never heard being written before, and having new story plots are always interesting. This book is also bringing diversity to YA! Can't wait to pick this up!

What are some of your thoughts on this book?

Top Ten Tuesday #4

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at Broke and Bookish. Each week there is a topic and we list off our top ten items based on that topic.

This week's theme:

Ten Bookish Things I Want to Quit Or Have Quit 

Some of these series I'm not sure if I'm going to completely quit some of these series. As of right now I'm not continuing on with these. These aren't listed in any specific order.
*All series linked to Goodreads page if you would like to check them out.

Fallen Series by Lauren Kate - I don't remember the actual story but I remember how I felt while I was reading it. I liked the overall concept and I really enjoyed the first but I felt like I had to force myself to finish certain sections and to even get through the beginning of the second book. I own the first 2 books in the series but I'm not exactly sure where they are right now. If I end of finding them or randomly getting the series (which I doubt I will) I might try to read the series.

Dream Catcher Series by Lisa McMann - I read the first book in the series, Wake, and overall I enjoyed it. I liked the concept but I was a bit disappointed because some of the big reveals were not as exciting as I would have liked them to been. This is a series I would be willing to finish.

House of Night Series by P.C Cast and Kristin Cast - This is another series I'm on the fence about. In a way I grew up with this series and read with a few of my classmates. I enjoyed it while I reading and the only reason I stopped was because I wasn't able to get the next book in the series at the time. I was so close to finishing and am considering rereading and finishing the series.

Luxe Series by Anna Godbersen - I tried beginning this series so many times but I just couldn't get into it. The beginning of the first book was so slow. I thought maybe I couldn't get into it because it was historical fiction but I realized I've read other historical fiction and enjoyed it. I even bought the second book in the series to try to force myself to get through the first one. That helped me get a little further in the book but I never did finish it. I may consider picking it up at some point but for now it just continues to sit on my bookshelf.

Matched Series by Ally Condie - I first picked this up from my school library. I was really intrigued by the concept but it was slow start so I wasn't pulled in like I wanted to be. After renewing the book for almost 3 months I decided that I wasn't going to get to it since I was busy with school work. I might consider picking it up later but since I heard so many mixed reviews I'm not sure.

Evernight Series by Claudia Gray - I actually enjoyed the first book. I don't really remember what it's about. All I remember is the main character being at a school full of vampires but she doesn't know she's a vampire, then a vampire hunter shows up at the school. I do know I enjoyed it enough to pick up the next 2 books in the series. I think there are 4 or 5 in total. I thought about picking this up again but since there are so many other books I would like to read that I'm just not sure I will.

Moon Series by Jeanette Battista - I found this series looking through Amazon for free books to put on my kindle. The story took a different approach to werewolves and other types of shapeshifters and it was a lot more exciting than I was expecting it to be. The obsession of the main character's brother was a creepy but it was still good. I bought the second book in the series but I'm not sure if I ever got around to reading it. The main reason I'm not as excited about the rest of the series is because they don't focus on the main characters I had grown to care for.

The Vampire Diaries Series by L.J. Smith - I'm not really sure what I was expecting going into this series. The first book wasn't terrible but it wasn't as exciting as I would have a like it to be. After watching the TV show, I would prefer to watch that than read the books.

The Fallen Series by Thomas E. Sniegoski - I think I was interested in reading more about angles after reading the Blue Bloods Series by Melissa de la Cruz and the Fallen Series by Lauren Kate. I picked up the book that had books 1 & 2. It was interesting so I picked up the next one which was books 3 & 4. It got put on the back burner since at the time there were other books that I was more interested in continuing. I may pick this up again in the future but I'm not sure.

Privilege Series by Kate Brian - I read Kate Brian's entire Private series and really enjoyed it while I was reading it so I decided I would check out her other series that revolved around a character from the first book in the Private series. I tried reading the first book but I couldn't really get into. I'm pretty sure that I will not be continuing on with the series.

Did any of these make your list of book series you quit or want to quit? What are some series or books you abandoned and why?

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L Armentrout | Review

Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: May 8th 2012
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi
Pages: 335
Source: Purchased for Kindle
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring… until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something… unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

My Thoughts

I already read this entire serious and I enjoyed it so much I was a bit on the fence about rereading and actually reviewing it. I figured it would be better to reread this then not have content up because I'm taking forever to read a new book. 

Going back into the beginning of the series, I forgot about how much I didn't like Daemon at first. He was extremely rude. Even when you could tell he was attracted to Katy, he acted like she had personally done something wrong to him and his family by moving in next door. There were moments when Daemon acted normally, which I was really grateful for. If those moments weren't there I might have had to stop reading the books. Once there was more backstory given on Daemon and Dee I understood why Daemon acted the way he did towards Katy but it was still excessive.

Daemon and Katy bantering were my favorite scenes. No matter what Daemon said Katy was right there with him. She wasn't some defenseless girl, hopelessly in love with this new guy who was nothing but rude to her. Although she was attracted to him, she didn't let that take over her she responded to him. Watching them go back and forth was often light, funny, and even steamy at times.

The actions scenes were another favorite. They were fast paced and exciting! As much as Daemon did to try to push Katy away from his family, he was always there to protect when needed. And as many times as he tried to give an excuse for the reason he saved her, it was obvious that it was because he didn't want anything to happen to her even if it wasn't his fault. The action scenes, as well as some of the scenes when Daemon opened up, helped to make the book more than Daemon being extremely moody and rude and Katy questioning what she ever did to him.

Overall I really liked the this book! Daemon's mood swings took away some of the enjoyment but I think this was still worth the read. This series gets so much better and I'm pretty sure we don't have to deal with too much more of the Daemon we were shown in this first book.