March 2018 wrap-up

Hey guys! I have to say, March was incredibly eventful for me in terms of reading and school and traveling … but not in blogging. I’ve been terrible at updating this month, but I guarantee April will be better! Anyway, let’s get into this wrap-up.

Books I’ve read:

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini – 3 stars

Queen Of Shadows (Throne Of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas – 4 stars

Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #4) by Richelle Mead – 3.5 stars

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon – 2 stars

Empire Of Storms (Throne Of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas – 3.75 stars

Tower Of Dawn (Throne Of Glass #6) by Sarah J. Maas – 4 stars

March posts

Anticipated releases: March 2018

In Other Lands by Sarah Reese Brennan (review by Aliza)

WWW Wednesday #11

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (review by Haven)

Burn, Rewrite, Reread Tag

WWW Wednesday #12

WWW Wednesday #13

In other news, did anyone see Love, Simon? I STILL haven’t seen it (and am very, very bitter about it) but everyone seems to be raving on and on about it! I’ll definitely reread the book going to see it and I’ll see it soon, I promise! Maybe I’ll even be nice and give y’all a movie review. 🙂

Thanks for viewing, guys! How did your March go? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

February 2018 wrap-up

Well, well, there goes February. Was it just me, or did February seem super long to you guys? January went by quickly, but February just draaaggged. Anyway, this month I read 6 books, which isn’t … bad. I’m hoping I can fit a few more in for March though!

Books I’ve read:

The Smell Of Other’s People Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock – 3.5 stars

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows –  4.25 stars

Starflight (Starflight #1) by Melissa Landers – 4.25 stars

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare – 4 stars

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare – 4.5 stars

Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5) by Richelle Mead – 3.25 stars

February posts

Anticipated releases: February 2018 

Renegades by Marissa Meyer (review, Aliza)

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lisa McBride (review)

WWW Wednesday #7 

A List Of Cages by Robin Roe (review)

The Smell Of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock (review)

WWW Wednesday #8 

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (review)

WWW Wednesday #9 

The Infernal Devices trilogy review (re-read)

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (review, Aliza)

Aside from reading, how many of you guys went and saw that Black Panther movie?! I saw it last week, and I don’t mean to add to the hype, but goddamn. The music, the cinematography, the action sequences, and the characters were so, so well done. I’m still listening to that Kendrick Lamar-curated soundtrack, by the way.

Thanks for viewing, guys! How did your February go? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

January 2018 wrap-up

Guys, could you believe January is already over?! It feels like only yesterday I celebrated the New Year with my family … by staying up until 10 and sharing a tres leche cake while watching Netflix. But okay, let’s pretend it was a lot more exciting than that. Anyway, January was a pretty chill month reading-wise. I read 7 books in total, a great achievement when taking into account the crazy amount of homework I had. Graduation needs to come sooner!

Books I’ve read:

All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater – 4 stars

Heir Of Fire (Throne Of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas – 3.25 stars

How To Save A Life by Sara Zarr – 5 stars

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera – 2.5 stars

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lisa McBride – 3 stars

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare – 4.25 stars

A List Of Cages by Robin Roe – 3 stars

January posts

Anticipated releases: January 2018 (Haven)

Anticipated Releases: January 2018 (Aliza)

All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater (review)

Black Chuck by Regan McDonell (ARC review)

WWW Wednesday #3

Geekerella, by Ashley Poston (Review)

WWW Wednesday #4

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera (review)

WWW Wednesday #5

WWW Wednesday #6

Other than reading, I have to say that I’ve recently uncovered a plethora of Hindi movies on Amazon Prime and I’m planning on spending the next few months binge-watching the shit out of them. So far, I’ve watched Kapoor & Sons, OK Jaanu, and Vivah. Do you guys have any good Hindi movies you’d like to recommend?

Thanks for viewing, guys! How did your January go? Let me know in the comments! 🙂

November 2017 wrap-up

This wrap up is a tad late, but I’m still enthusiastic about the fact that I read 9 books last month! How did that happen?! Either I’ve been slacking off on the constant piles of homework I have to finish or my time management skills have been improving. Let’s hope it’s the latter.

Books I’ve read:

Crown Of Midnight (Throne Of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas – improved writing +  furthered world building + badass Celaena (finally!!!) = solid 4 stars

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green – great mental illness rep, but unfortunately written side characters + a formulaic plot = unsurprising 2.5 stars

City Of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare – the NOSTALGIA + kickass characters + kickass demon fighting + kickass world building = delighted 4 stars

Gem & Dixie by Sara Zarr – interesting themes, flat character writing + overall bland composition = disappointed 2.5 stars

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman – unique mental illness exploration + thought-provoking, but too abstract and unfocused for me = inevitable 2.25 stars

Alex And Eliza (Aliza & Eliza #1) by Melissa de la Cruz – 18th century goodness + witty banter + too-cute-for-its-own-good romance = pleasantly surprised 3.75 stars

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith – mostly predictable characters + unresolved plot points + forced romance = unhappy 2.5 stars

Just One Day by Gayle Forman – self discovery journey + relatable themes + sophisticated writing = emotionally affected 3.75 stars

Black Bird Of The Gallows by Meg Kassel – strong heroine + dark and atmospheric vibe, but a frustrating instalove-y romance = a very CONFLICTED 3 stars that is prone to change

November posts:

Anticipated releases: November 2017

Frostblood by Elly Blake (review)

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green (review)

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith (review)

November mini-reviews

Anticipated releases: December 2017

The only other eventful thing (and relevant) that happened in November other than reading, was finishing season 2 of Daredevil. It’s kind of sad when you think about it, but I’m about to start Jessica Jones now and I’m hyped. Plus, speaking of Marvel, did y’all peep that Infinity War trailer???

Thanks for viewing this, peeps. Leave me a comment below with your thoughts 🙂

 

 

October 2017 wrap-up

Hey peeps! October was quite a busy month for me — college application deadlines are approaching and the tension is indeed growing. I only managed to read 4 books, but they definitely helped with the stress even if I didn’t enjoy them all the same.

City Of Bones, by Cassandra Clare (4 stars) – It was great to visit this book again, and I surprisingly seemed to enjoy it just as much as I did when I read it the first time. It’s actually pretty cool to experience a previous favorite through an altered perspective, as my tastes have changed since I’ve read any Cassandra Clare novel. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

Snow Like Ashes, by Sara Raasch (4 stars) – This was a fast-paced, engaging, fleshed-out fantasy novel that had a totally badass protagonist. While this book and I didn’t get off to a great start, it grew on me quickly enough. I hope the rest of the series remains just as good! You can read my full review here.

More Happy Than Not, by Adam Silvera (4.5 stars) – This book was so stressful and depressing and outright sad, but so worth the read. It explores a number of very relevant themes and expresses it all in such an emotional but honest way. Couldn’t recommend it enough. You can read my full review here.

The Library Of Fates, Aditi Khorana (1.75 stars) – This book had a great concept, but all of its potential was wasted on the underwhelming execution. The world-building, plot, and characters were all rather stale, and while I love the Indian mythology and aesthetic running through it, the story was just not for me. You can read my full review here.

Frostblood, by Elly Blake (3.25 stars) – I hate myself a little bit for even slightly liking this book, because it really doesn’t do anything different from all the other YA fantasies I have read. The characters and plot are pretty recognizable, but the story definitely kept me deeply entertained. Hopefully the sequel branches out on its own more. Look out for my full review coming soon!

Thanks for viewing, peeps! How did your October go? Let me know in the comments 🙂

-Haven

September 2017 Wrap Up

This month was a perfect balance of re-reads and new reads, and while I would have liked to read more, judging by the amount of craziness this month held I’m pretty damn proud of myself for even reading 1 book.

Unwholly, by Neal Shusterman (5 stars) – It’s probably my second or third time re-reading this series, and this book is absolutely amazing, as expected. Unwholly actually used to be my least favorite of the Unwind books, but after re-reading it now, it’s actually my favorite one!

UnSouled by Neal Shusterman (4.25 stars) – That cover still creeps the shit out of me, but damn this book was incredible as well! The characters, the setting, everything is so symbolic and calculated and just FLAWLESS. I can’t review sophisticatedly when it comes to this series. Nope, I can’t.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (1 star) – This book is really special to me, because it’s one of the few novels I’ve ever read in which I cannot say two positive things about it. I hate to be the black sheep once more, but readers, I just couldn’t handle this one. You can read my full review here.

The Rest Of Us Just Live, by Patrick Ness (3.25 stars) – This book was my first introduction to Patrick Ness, and I really didn’t think it was that bad. However, while I enjoyed the characters and the idea of the ‘chosen ones’ concept, the story as a whole could have been executed far better. My full review can be read here.

UnDivided by Neal Shusterman (5 stars) – Guys, don’t even ask me to speak coherently when it comes this novel. This book WRECKED ME. Unwound my soul into a million little pieces and put it back together again. The amount of depth, thought, and emotion put into this series is what makes each book so, so consistently good. I cannot recommend this series enough.

 

Thanks for reading, guys! How did your september go? Let me know in the comments below 🙂

May 2017 Wrap-Up – Haven

Hey guys! This is my first wrap-up post and I’ve actually been meaning to do this since April, but due to testing it was pushed back. Anyway, I read 9 books this month, which is pretty amazing considering all the projects I’ve had to do (why do teachers insist on overloading us with work when the school year is coming to an end?).

Books I’ve read this month

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History Is All You Left Me, by Adam Silvera (3.75-4 stars): I quite liked this very emotional and honest LGBTQ contemporary. There have been so many positive comments on Silvera’s More Happy Than Not, making him out to be a very hyped author. I was not disappointed with History Is All You Left Me, if you are looking for a diverse and raw read on love and loss, this is the one for you. You can find my full review here.

The Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater (4 stars): This was a great sequel, and while it take a bit of time for me to truly get into it, it did not disappoint at all. I loved the introduction of new themes and characters, and the writing was totally upgraded. This series is already becoming one of my favorites and hopefully the next two live up to expectations I have. You can find my full review here.

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas (4 stars): I remember being extremely excited yet anxious when picking up this book, but it definitely lived up to the hype. This book reaches out to a range of messages on courage and hope, while detailing some necessary truths of the society we live in. Everyone should read it. My review can be found here.

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, by Morgan Matson (2.25 stars): Unfortunately, I wasn’t huge fan of this much-loved contemporary. While I appreciated the attempt to combine deeper themes and a lighthearted road trip, I couldn’t find the balance between the two and the execution was simply not for me. I’m disappointed in my disappointment, but I’m still looking forward to reading Matson’s other contemporaries. You can find my in-depth review right here.

A Gathering Of Shadows, by V.E Schwab (5 stars): This was easily the best book I’ve read this month and probably one of the best I’ve read this year so far. After re-experiencing the glory of A Darker Shade Of Magic, I started this one and had the time of my freaking life. I adore these characters, this plot, this writing, everything. While it can be classified as a ‘filler’ book, I loved it nonetheless. I’m going to start A Conjuring Of Light soon and am totally not ready for the emotional destruction I’m about to face.

All The Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven (1 star): I strongly disliked this book, and most of my dislike stemmed from plain disinterest in the pretentious themes that are forever running through YA contemporary. The book’s view and depiction of mental illness was also quite off-putting, and while this aspect is praised and put down among readers, it simply made me uncomfortable for a number of reasons. Not for me guys, nope. You can find my in-depth review here.

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer (3.5 stars): So, I decided to re-visit this classic this month. Interestingly, I had never read Winter, so catching up on the rest of the series was necessary. Cinder didn’t really capture me the same way it did in the past, but it definitely brought up a wave of nostalgia. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series though.

Shadow And Bone, by Leigh Bardugo (3.5 stars): I read this book way back in 2014 when the hype was just picking up, and remember being very ‘meh’ on it. I decided to give it another try this month and found myself enjoying much more this time around. Yes, it’s an older book so many of the events that took place are reminiscent of the tropes found in YA fantasy today, but I don’t regret picking it up again.

Radio Silence, by Alice Oseman (5 stars): This book totally took me by surprise and is actually one of the easiest 5-star reads ever. The messages it means to convey are told so subtly and earnestly, and the whole book simply exudes charm through its characters, themes, and writing. Look out for my review coming soon. 🙂

May was an incredibly scattered month, but interestingly, I’ve read the most books this month in the year so far. Hopefully the summer helps me prioritize so I can read and blog a whole lot more than I am doing now. Thanks for reading, guys!

-Haven