2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Hey, I moved up in the section from 1-25 to 26-50. Woo!

Last year I set my goal to 12 , and am currently on 35/36 .

So, for 2021 I am setting my goal to 36 books to get through. Let's just hope 2020 wasn't a fluke (I have worked all the way through COVID and my life hasn't changed in that sense, so it wasn't that for me).

Member's Corner

Tracking

Currently Reading


Physical




ebooks



Audiobooks

Hey Ashleigh, I’m sure you’ll maintain your progress next year and 2020 wasn’t a fluke at all! All the best! :)

Hey Ashleigh, I hope you have a successful reading year, good luck!

Good luck and happy readings Ashleigh! 🍀🐞📚

Good luck :)

Review for The Stone Sky

4/5 stars

What an end to the series! I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy. It was different, it was a unique type of fantasy and I really appreciated the diversity of all the characters - from a trans character to a polyamorous relationship, to gay characters, bisexual characters and characters of varying races. All written in a way that wasn't a shout for attention, but in a way that tells you 'it is what it is. These are my characters and this is who they are' and I LOVED that.

What I also liked about this book was there were enough clues throughout the whole series to decipher. I'm not sure why, but I managed to pick up and guess all the little surprises and revelations that happened throughout the series before they happened, but I don't feel disappointed about this. I think it was cleverly enough written and made me want to keep reading to see if I was right. I have always been good at solving crime shows before the end too though haha!

The Stone Sky was probably my favourite of the three. The other two I struggled a little to get into the second person aspect, but in this one for some reason it picked up straight away. I dived right in. I think it also helped that the second person was explained a little more in here that it finally made sense. The other two I was a little confused as to why it was written as such. Here, it made perfect sense.

What a great (and depressing, yet hopeful) way to start the year for me. I'm sad this series is over, but enjoyed the ride.

Review for Station Eleven

3.5/5

I liked this a lot. The relevance of it in today's current life is... well... I was hesitant in picking it up, especially as this was chosen as a group read under the theme of 'hope'. But I'm glad I did, and honestly, given current circumstances, it WAS hopeful. It made me realise that things could be a lot worse. At least civilisation hasn't collapsed and to a degree, a lot of people can still live their normal lives with some differences (mask-wearing for example).

I thought all of the characters were interesting and I really liked how their stories all tied together and connected throughout the book. I've read that some people had trouble with the alternating timelines, but for me, it was relatively easy to follow. I was able to keep up with the whole thing and make connections.

Admittedly, the ending was a little anticlimatic, but I don't think the purpose of the book was to 'wow' you as such - it was there to tell a story of a group of characters before, during and after a global pandemic hits. And I liked it.

At times, I found the writing a little clunky and it was difficult to get into, but once I was in I thought it was good. It was one of those books that I liked, but didn't love, but definitely didn't hate either. I'd read it again!

Review for The Hero of Ages

4.5/5

🤯

I honestly have no idea how to digest the complexity of this storyline and the plot and everything that happened. The fact that it was so wonderfully weaved into not just the last book but the whole series, leading us in one direction, then another, and another after that, until we reached the end, even though we were kind of on the right track the whole time was mindblowing.

I'm going to be honest and say it was always in the back of my mind WHO the Hero of Ages was - it almost felt like trying to solve a murder mystery with all the information. But every time (I suspected about 3 times) Brandon Sanderson found a way to make me dismiss it. Like... damn lol. There were subtle yet obvious clues, but subtle enough for me to dismiss the idea three damn times.

I don't even know how to explain what this series has done to me. I feel as if it's one I need to go back and read from the beginning now that I know how it ends so that I can try and pick up on the clues that were there from the very beginning.

Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) just weaved in and tied together by the end. I don't feel a single question (besides the ones he wanted us to question) was left unanswered. But the fact that it all worked together, that everything that happened had a purpose has blown my mind.

If this review sounds jumbled it's because my brain is as such lol. I don't know how to sort my thoughts.

What I will say, though, is the Lord Ruler was so spectacularly written. I don't mean him and his presence in the series, because that was minimal, but his purpose in the whole story was... woah. I don't think I've ever seen a character quite like the Lord Ruler. Incredibly fascinating.

I now cannot wait to read the next trilogy or series or however many books in this world. It's thrilling!

Review for Pestilence

2/5

There are so many thoughts I have for this book, and the majority of them are not positive. But I'll start with them anyway, because there were some redeeming elements in this book.

Firstly, I actually think that Laura Thalassa is a very good writer. Her story was easy to follow, and the prose was good, fluid and concise. She has a knack for humour thrown in, and my dislike of this book actually as nothing to do with the writing itself. In my opinion, she's a very good writer.

But the issues I took with this by far outweigh the good writing and just made me purely angry.

I admit, that this is not a book that I'd ever consider reading. I don't even know how it ended up on my TBR list to be honest, but it ended up there, and it was selected as the book with a buddy on our matched tbr shelves. If I had a do over, I'd probably not have even added it. So partly it's my fault for adding a book that I was never probably going to enjoy, which made me consider this rating, but then I thought about all the other elements and no.

It actually amazes me how many 5 star ratings this book as got considering this displays a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome. Sara, the main character, goes out to kill Pestilence, the first of the four horseman, only to discover that he cannot die. He then captures her and keeps her as his prisoner, denying her the basic human rights of food and water, and causing her pain with dragging her along the ground while tied to a horse.

If this had been the element of the story, this would have been great. Watching the endurance of someone captured by a horseman of the apocalypse is right up my alley. But no, while all this was happening, all we heard about was how great Pestilence's body was and how great his abs were. Yep, he was mistreating her and she was in the process of falling in love with him out of sheer looks alone.

That dragged on a little in the story, the only change was that he began to fall for her. I get that the author was trying to show Pestilence redeeming himself, and yes, in the end, he kind of did, but even towards the end, he was still abusing her in some way. He was posessive of her, telling her she belonged to him and no one else and please tell me people don't actually see that as a healthy relationship? And it was solely based on HER trying to change him. It is not the woman's job to change a man (or man being). Sorry to burst any bubbles, but this the exact reason I take issue with the idea of people shipping Draco and Hermione in Harry Potter. While reading this, I couldn't help but see the similarities in how people think it could work because Hermione could change him. Just... no.

Sara, though, had zero respect for herself. Personally, I thought it was cool that she was a firefighter, but giving her such a cool job had absolutely zero impact on her character. She could have been a cleaner of the sewers and it would have made no difference to the outcome of the story.

And the one time she did have the ability to walk away, two chapters later, she took him back because he apologised, his behaviour prior to that be damned. The dude literally tried to kill off humanity, he killed people in her presence with very little remorse, but because he was in love with her, that was okay.

So many issues I had with this story, and it's such a disappointment that the author's ability to write is wasted on stories like this.

Review for Faerie Tale

4/5

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. It was well-written and interesting with an intriguing plotline that appealed to my interest in Irish folklore and history.

This book was written in the 80s and reading it in 2021 - yes, it didn't age well in areas. There were things in there that an editor today would probably say you can't put that in, but beyond that, this was probably one of my favourite Feist books I've read so far!

My only real gripe is - Feist, I do hope you've gotten better at writing about women in the state of arousal lolll.

Review for The Martian

I absolutely loved the movie of this (I watched it before I even knew it was a book first) but I had no idea what to expect from the book. Well, my expectations were thoroughly exceeded with the brilliance of this book.

The fact that the science in this book went right over my head at times, yet I still gave it five stars, is very telling. Andy Weir (and Wil Wheaton, the narrator) had me captivated from the very first word to the very end. Mark Watney's voice in his log entries, along with the third person narrative throughout, were so enthralling that I didn't even want it to end.

Until now, the only books I've ever felt an urge to reread were Harry Potter, but honestly, 2 days after finishing it and I already want to rewind my audiobook and start it again, I loved it so much.

My brain is a mess, trying to piece together what I want to say. I can't even pinpoint my favourite parts, because the whole damn thing was my favourite lol. This is definitely going down as one of my all time favourite books. I went in with this with zero expectations and came out wanting to relive The Martian over and over.

I think I definitely liked the POV from the people at NASA the best. Not because I didn't love Mark, but the science he talked about was - whilst interesting - hard to process and follow at times. The third person was much easier to understand.

If you haven't read this yet, but it's sitting on your TBR shelf and you've been meaning to pick it up - PICK IT UP. Now. You will not regret it.

I don't do audible ( I let my Kindle read to me in her robotic voice), but learning that Wesley Crusher is the narrator for this one....tempting! :-)

Review for The Snow Child

3/5

I think I just need to accept the fact that anytime I hear someone say 'this book has nice prose' I'm not going to like it. This is the third book I've read where I've heard that and the third time I've finished and just gone 'meh'. It's not the writing that turns me off as such, it's the fact that apparently if the book has beautiful writing, it means that the plot is very weak and lacking. And I just do not like books that lack in plot. I'm a fantasy reader - I like good strong trilogies that take you on a rollercoaster where there is a strong outcome of events. Books where it just tells a story apparently does not gel with me.

I don't think this is a reflection on the author at all, but just my personal preference. Truthfully, the writing IS lovely, but I just needed more from it. It was a story of a couple desperate for a child and one appears - seemingly out of snow (though that is never entirely clear). I would have liked maybe a mystery, or something more happening than just the story being told.

So note to self for future reference: these stories do not gel with you, Ashleigh.

TCampbell wrote: "I don't do audible ( I let my Kindle read to me in her robotic voice), but learning that Wesley Crusher is the narrator for this one....tempting! :-)"

The narration was AMAZING!

Review for The Guest List

4/5 stars

This story frequently reminded me of the board game Cluedo, which is probably my favourite game to play! I really enjoyed the way this book started, and then how it went backwards then forwards in telling the story. Sometimes plots like that are difficult to follow, but I didn't find that to be the case in this one. It just made me want to keep reading. Every time I had to put it down, a little voice inside of me went 'noooooooo' because I just wanted to know haha.

At about 60% through I did start to (what I now know to be accurately) suspect who the killer was, but that was as far as my deduction went. I had no clue who the victim would be or the reasons behind it lol. I can look back now and realise it was really well-woven with intricate details but I didn't pick up on them throughout (I probably should have oops).

This was quite the enjoyable read - I liked it more than I thought I would.

Review for Silver

4/5

I was really looking forward to reading this book as I really loved the first one, Scrublands. And this one lived up to my expectations!

I really love the way Chris Hammer gradually unravels mysteries in his books. He doesn't save it to the end for a big reveal, but all throughout there are clues and revelations. As someone who is rather impatient, I really like this. The little bits satisfy me, but also keep me interested as I try to piece together the story as Martin does!

What I also love about this is that Martin isn't a typical macho detective I see in most crime novels. He's a journalist, and a pretty plain one at that. There's nothing spectacular about him (aside from being a decent journalist), he's nosey, but he gets the job done and I like that about him.

The story itself I didn't feel was as strong as the first. I must admit I felt a little disappointed by the final outcome of this one, despite the build up being fantastic. I just don't think the 'culprit' was introduced well enough in the story that it was a small letdown to find out it was them.

Beyond that, this was great and I'm keen to read book 3!

Review for 84, Charing Cross Road

3.5/5

So, I have no recollection of ever adding this to my TBR list, but there it was when I randomised my to read list to find out what book I should read next. And considering it was very short, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do it at the end of the month.

This was one of those books where I don't really have an opinion on it. I found the characters (or real people) very enjoyable to read about from their letters and there were moments where I felt saddened by some of them - having become attached to the people through these letters.

I felt it was an enjoyable little read to get through, but nothing that made me go WOW. I am interested in different time periods, though, so reading about this in the 50s and 60s was interesting - especially reading about how cheap getting books shipped overseas were back then! You wouldn't find that now lol.

One thing that bothered me was Helene Hanff. It was often commented about her sense of humour, so maybe I read it wrong, but she seemed downright rude at times in her letters and it bothered me.

Beyond that, not a bad read.

Ashleigh wrote: "Review for 84, Charing Cross Road

3.5/5

So, I have no recollection of ever adding this to my TBR list, but there it was when I randomised my to read list to find out what book I sho..."

It has been a few years since I read this but I know I did enjoy it. Sometimes it is nice to be in the slow lane.

Review for Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

4/5

This book went in a completely different direction than I ever anticipated, but that wasn't a bad thing. I found Eleanor to be a very relatable character with so many tendencies that I myself possess and it is nice to know that there are characters out there with similar traits to myself.

I really enjoyed the way this plot unfolded, with the little hints, but still some big reveals at the end. How that unfolded throughout and you learnt that Eleanor is in fact NOT fine.

And I absolutely LOVED Raymond. I loved that Eleanor and Raymond's relationship remained one of pure friendship and support throughout the whole book and didn't fall into the trap of going down the romance trap. THAT was such a nice treat, because I just love stories about friendship.

I would really love to read a sequel to this, or something, to know how Eleanor is doing and how she's faring now. I became quite attached to her and I'm really hoping she's doing all right. I'm going to miss her.

Nice review - I liked it as well.

Review for Trust

3.5/5

I have loved Chris Hammer's Martin Scarsden series so far. They have been intriguing and engaging and relatable (in a way). Martin borders on being your anti hero in the sense that there's really nothing special about him apart from being a decent journalist. He makes mistakes, he doesn't always get it write and he can be a bit of an arse. I like that.

I enjoyed the third book, Trust, enough, but unfortunately, I did feel by the third one, the storyline did become a touch repetitive. Maybe it was just me reading them so close together, but I felt that it didn't have the excitement that the first and second ones did. I absolutely LOVED Scrublands and the uniqueness of it. I really enjoy Chris Hammer's writing.

Whilst the outcome of the plot wasn't predictable (in my opinion) I think maybe the writing style and plot steps was. I definitely didn't hate it, and I think maybe had I read the series further apart, I wouldn't be saying this.

Definitely not my favourite in this series, but still very enjoyable.

Review for The Bone Season

4/5

This is a book that draws you in right from the start. It offers a promise with an interesting dystopian fantasy setting where clairvoyancy is considered a disease.

I really enjoyed the way this world was - it was recognisable with a higher order of government that has taken over Europe. It contains all the technology we are familiar with, with a touch of futuristic tech that could cause a lot of destruction. There is an underground criminal organisation which I found to be the most interesting part of the whole book. I definitely hope the future books contain more of them.

I do admit that there were a lot of questions I still have where this ended and throughout. There was a lot of mystery around who the Rephaim exactly were, who the Emim were, and some of the other characters as well.

There was also a lot of predictability over what might happen mixed in with the mystery. I buddy read this and we both from the very beginning predicted aspects straight from the start.

Paige was honestly the most annoying main character in the history of main characters and I did not like her one bit. At times she did really stupid things, but not in a likeable way. In an eyeroll way.

All the other characters were very interesting, however, and I particularly enjoyed Warden and Liss. In fact, I think Warden was definitely my favourite character.

Over all, a very enjoyable book that got me thinking!

Review for A Green and Ancient Light

2/5

I know exactly why I didn't like this book as much as I'd hoped. The writing is extremely similar to that of Neil Gaiman's and I've never been able to get into a Neil Gaiman book... ever. They just don't gel with my brain and quite frankly... I find it boring.

I so very much wanted to like this. The premise was good and in all reality, it was a wonderfully written book. I quite liked the uniqueness of the way the characters were written - nameless for the most part and their conversations were interesting.

I do feel that had this been written in a different style I might have enjoyed this more than I did. And I do recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Neil Gaiman's work. I think you'll enjoy it :)

Review for The Tales of Beedle the Bard

5/5

Finally got around to reading this and I am so glad that I did! I downloaded the audiobook on Audible when it first came out because it was free and I just never listened to it. But I must say, I very much enjoyed the production of this book. I loved the sound effects to go with it, as well as the familiar narrators' voices to help bring it even more to life.

I think my favourite was the Wizard and the Hopping Pot. Maybe it was just Warrick Davis' voice, but I found myself very engaged with this story. But mostly, my absolute favourite part of this were the 'notes' from Dumbledore after each one. It just added to the world that I am already so familiar with, sharing little bits of information that I didn't know before, such as there being a Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts lollll.

I loved it and thoroughly enjoyed the short listen.

Review for The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees

4.5/5

Okay, I loved this. This was a book that was randomly selected off my tbr list and I am so glad I had the chance to read it. Not only did I learn a lot about bees whilst reading this, I learnt about the struggles of a young girl growing up.

However, the bees were the best part. I have a small phobia of bees and always have, but after reading this, I think next time I see one I won't run away, I won't try to avoid it. In fact, I think next time I might even try to actually watch what it does and learn more from it.

Reading this book has honestly sparked an interest within me. Despite a fear, I find the way bees (and ants) function really fascinating and this just taught me more than I ever knew in 277 pages.

The only reason this is a 4.5 and not a 5 is I wanted more. I almost felt there could have been a whole lot more to this story. I WANTED more. I was sad that it ended.

Review for The Road

3.5/5

First, I'd like to say that the concept of this book was stunning. It was so bleak and so well written. The narrator of the audiobook was very captivating, with the way they voiced the characters and brought emotion to the story. I definitely felt that the prose brilliant and that Cormac McCarthy has a way with words that I am very envious of.

Over all, I really enjoyed this story, but like a few other books in recent times I've had issues with - the lack of plot in favour of prose really annoyed me. It's definitely a 'me' thing, because every book like this has just not appealed to me as much as other books with action-packed plots (though, in all fairness, this book has been the best of those ones I've read!), hence the rating.

There was a lot of repetition in the book with them looking for food, them travelling, and them occasionally running into people (but mostly it was just a father and son alone in a world that humanity had almost become extinct in). I felt at times that I needed a bit more.

But, really, the book wasn't written to be that, it's just what I always hope for, and if I was to put that aside, this book was absolutely brilliant and a great read that I'd recommend if you like bleak, post-apocolyptic stories.

Review for In the Hand of the Goddess

4/5

The juvenile writing on this threw me a bit in the beginning, but not like it did with the first. I don't know why I'm surprised by it, because I am well aware of the age group these books are written for.

I definitely enjoyed this more than book one, and by the end, I was very much into it and felt eager to start the third (not available until July from my library) though I still have issues with this series as a whole a little. I keep comparing it to her Circle of Magic series which has always stuck with me, and it's just not the same. As much as I want it to.

I am eager to see where Alanna goes now that she is a knight and what her adventures will be. I also like that in this, she can be a knight in a male-dominated knighthood and also can find love. Women can do it all *flexes muscles*.

It was a nice, welcoming end to a rather interesting book!

Review for The Ten Thousand Doors of January

3.5/5

This book just wasn't what I was expecting it to be. I hesitantly bought it to begin with because there was something about the summary that just wasn't drawing me, despite seeing so many people rave about it. The only reason it ended up on by Kobo was because it was on sale for like $2 once and so I grabbed it.

When the book initially started, I thought 'oh great, so many fantastical worlds that she's going to go and visit, we will see all these magical creatures and beings and it will be a great adventure'. Yet, the book just wasn't that.

It was about a girl trying to piece together where she had come from, find her family and feel like she had a place where she belonged. Which is sweet. I really do LOVE family stories like that, but I just misunderstood what type of book this was, and I was left disappointed.

Not to mention that I felt there were too many things happening at once to make me really feel anything for the characters. January was flitting here and there, doing one thing or another, yet at the same time, not much at all. I felt that this book could have been so, SO much more if the author had just focused more keenly on less aspects. By the time she reached the City of Nin, she was gone again - the whole book being about the love story and her search for her parents, but then she just up and left again after a few pages.

It took me forever to read, just because it couldn't maintain my attention long enough to read for lengths of time. It wasn't bad, but I just didn't like it either.

For me, I just felt that this book was.... dull. That's the best I can describe it.

Review for The First Man in Rome

3/5

Learning about the Roman Empire was interesting, bringing historical characters to life was entertaining, but holy moly was this book long. I listened to this on audio and there were times where I found myself zoning out and then coming back in and I found it easy to pick up exactly where I left off. There was no 'what did I miss?' because it was the same damn conversation between characters that had been occurring the 20 minutes I tuned out of.

I liked it to a degree. It was interesting to learn about a part of history I didn't know about, but this could have 100% been cut down and the story still would have made sense. There was just a lot of non-essential information provided that I felt brought no benefit to the story at all.

So, great concept, interesting premise, but far too long!

Review for Daughter of the Pirate King

4.5/5

As much as I am convinced that the author hates men, I thoroughly enjoyed this. After some heavy reading (or listening) I was glad to have stumbled upon something light-hearted and fun. It was pirate-y, it had a girl pirate (YESSS) and it didn't require a lot of hard-thinking on my part (which is not a bad thing, but exactly what I was after).

I found myself - when I wasn't listening to it - thinking about it. I cared about the characters, I wanted to know what would happen next and I was eager to switch it on so that I could find out. I haven't felt like that about a book in a while.

Whilst it was extremely predictable most of the time, and there were a lot of unbelievable conveniences throughout that helped the plot along, it truly was enjoyable. I just... got the feeling that the author really hates men and I couldn't shake that feeling throughout the whole book.

I suppose the one thing I would have liked to have seen more of was a more flawed Alosa. Everything just seemed to fall conveniently into place for her. Even when she was in trouble, I wasn't sitting there wondering 'oh, is she going to get out of this????' but 'I wonder what mistake all the men will make for her to get out of this one, this time'. I suppose I was just after a little more humanity from her, considering she was obsessed with trying to stay as human as possible.

I am definitely keen to read the next one though. I've marked it!

Review for The Slynx

3/5

This book started off enjoyable. What surprised me was how funny it actually was. There was an underlying humour in some of the things that were said that actually had me laughing out loud - and I wasn't expecting that.

The ignorance, naivety and actual dumbness of this civilisation was hilarious at times. I loved the deliberate misspelling of words because it was foreign to the characters. That was a really nice touch.

What surprised me about this book was a character regressing in their nature, not progressing. Benedikt, the main character, started off as a tolerable, yet dumb, individual. This world was all that he knew and he was ignorant to a lot of things, but it was understood. He survived by copying books and catching mice to trade.

But as the story progressed and he married into a wealthy (governmental) family, he became straight up unlikeable. He was rude and abusive to everyone around them. Shouted, called them names and it was even hinted that he beat his wife when she annoyed him. And there seemed to be no justification for that sudden behaviour or regression. I've never disliked a main character now. He was a horrible human being, consumed by his obsession with books.

I also found the story itself confusing at times. The plot was confusing to keep track of and I don't think I felt completely immersed in the world. I think some aspects might have been lost in translation as a lot of things are.

I LIKED the book well enough, but I didn't love it in any way.

Review for The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

3.5/5

I cannot work out if it's the series, if it's my age, or if it's the fact that these are the earlier books of Tamora Pierce that is making this less enjoyable than what I remember her other books. The reviews from others suggest this is not her best series, which comforts me a little because my memory of the others are pleasant and I was very into them (mostly The Circle of Magic series).

I suppose it might be a factor of all. I'm nearing 30 now, so perhaps the juvenile writing is just not my cup of tea like it was when I was 17/18. I'm looking for more detail at times and less temper tantrums from all the characters. And maybe the fact that it WAS one of the first series by Pierce means that her writing improved the more she did it.

I enjoyed this book well enough. I was really turned off Jon by the end and his small meltdown over the fact that the girl he supposedly love wouldn't do as he wanted whilst full on knowing she NEVER did what he wanted. But I do enjoy a bit of side romance in major plots, so it was alright to read.

Thom is clearly not the loving brother he once was. I think the power has gotten to his head and I do look forward to seeing how that turns out in the next book. I'm expecting some interesting things around that aspect of the story.

The end had me hooked and I kept reading. I enjoy the world and the Bazhir were an interesting people as a whole, very reminiscent of real world cultures with a touch of magic added in. I do think some aspects (like Ishak) were resolved too quickly and conveniently, but I suppose that's the type of story you have for younger readers!

I am looking forward to reading the fourth and final book and seeing how it all pans out and ends.

Review for Lirael

4/5

I really struggled with Sabriel, so was hesitant to continue the series, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which has made me keenly start book 3.

Lirael was a very likeable character with relatable characteristics which I think is why I enjoyed her so much. I felt for her at times and was desperate for her to gain the 'Sight' all the way through. I also enjoyed the Disreputable Dog and her companionship for Lirael. I just really dug their friendship.

Although I liked Sam, I found his storyline not as nearly as interesting as Lirael's. I'm hoping to like him better in book 3.

The ending of this book was intense and had me keen to start the next almost immediately! I loved the ending!

Review for The Mime Order

4.5/5

I really enjoyed The Bone Season, but I enjoyed this one even more. Immediately, my first thought was that Paige, as a character, was much more enjoyable in this one. In the first book, I thought she was relatively stupid and ignorant to things in plain sight - and also very stubborn. But she relented a little here which made her more likeable.

Without giving anything away, I spent the majority of the book wondering about what occurred at the ending. I thought it was very well done to keep me guessing the whole way through - me going backwards and forwards about it all the way through.

There were little hints, but never any clear hints and I really loved that. Really, this whole book was just great.

0.5 off my rating for the romance aspect which I REALLY don't care for.

I'm very keen to start book 3!

Review for Abhorsen

3.5/5

I was disappointed by Sabriel, but Lirael really brought my interest back to this series, and then... this one I lost it again.

I don't know why. It's definitely me still trying to navigate Garth Nix. There's just things that... don't draw me in. In truth, I found this book rather boring. Nothing exciting happened throughout the whole book. It just kept building up to them facing the Destroyer and even that was a little disappointing, most unfortunately.

I didn't really feel much for any of the characters except Mogget, and I suppose his backstory was the most interesting part of the whole book.

I know this sounds negative, but I didn't hate it. I just didn't particularly enjoy it all that much either. I'll still read the next ones in the series :)

Review for The Hazel Wood

2.5/5

I really couldn't with this book. It annoyed me from the beginning. While the premise was mildly intriguing, I felt that the execution of the book was extremely poor. We were being thrown information about characters in what seemed to be a very disjointed, the author just thought of it then, kind of way. There was no rhyme or reason at times for the information we received.

There was also very little world building in here. A lot of telling and not showing and I pushed through because that's what I do, but I honestly didn't enjoy pushing through it.

There was one part that I was mildly interested in, but I now can't remember what it was, but the rest was bleh. The ending was rushed, all thrown together in one chapter, again telling us what happened, not showing us. This book had the potential to really expand a world and it just... didn't. A disappointment.

I'll still read the next one, because of who I am, but I need a long break.

Review for Lioness Rampant

3/5

I'm glad I read this series, as it brought back a lot of my teen enjoyment, but as a whole, the series was a little of a let down. I've reached the conclusion that I've just outgrown it, which I hate, because I love the worlds that Tamora Pierce creates.

This book was just very predictable and I felt it focused heavily on the romance aspect rather than Alanna being a knight - which kind of defeated the whole purpose in my opinion. A little romance isn't bad, but I just felt that Alanna's character was very conflicting with what she actually wanted to do. I think it could have been portrayed better.

The ending was sweet, though - I really am all for a happy ending.

But over all, this book was just... okay.

Review for The Song Rising

4/5

I must say, this series has truly captivated me. I've become invested in the characters and the story and it makes me eager to pick up the next one each time. I'm sad that the next one will be the last one for who knows how long - I hope the 5th is out soon because I'll be eagerly awaiting it.

The Song Rising was a bit of a slow start, admittedly. There was a lot of Paige having a plan and then Paige being thwarted. But I found the last quarter of this to be really interesting with a few twists I didn't see coming. I've got a few theories which I hope play out over the next book because it will hurt to have to wait.

The character development in this one I found to be very good. I thought the progress all the characters made was fitting and justified in what happened to them. There were a few tears shed here - or near tears, which is equivelent to others who sob for me - and I felt sad when it ended.

Now onto book 4 with enthusiasm!

Review for Magic Unmasked

4/5

This book was better than I thought it would be. It was short, but I found it well written and really gave me an insight into the world that was being created. I found both the characters interesting and intriguing and I very much liked them and their involvement in the story.

One thing that bothered me - which bothers me in ALL YA books - is predictable romances but I'm glad that wasn't focused too heavily here. Still, it had be eye rolling, but I've learnt to accept if I want to read YA I'm going to have to accept the odd kiss here and there.

Admittedly, I did find the 'big event' in this book to be a little dull. I would have liked to see something a little more... magical, but other than that this has encouraged me to want to read the main series.

Review for The Mask Falling

4.5/5

This book actually kind of emotionally destroyed me. I didn't actually think I was so attached to the characters and the story until I read this one. Definitely the best and most enjoyable by far, and the fact that I was actually gasping out loud, talking and wanting to through my ereader across the room kind of speaks volumed for this book.

There was one aspect in this book that I just about cried at. I was mad and angry and also clinging to sheer hope that it had all been a big misunderstanding, and I just... this book wrecked me like no other book really has before. I'm not one to get emotional about books, but this... ugh. Why?

Spoiler for the last 10% of this book because I cannot leave a review without talking about (view spoiler)[my sheer panic at the idea that Arcturus had betrayed Paige the whole time. My head basically exploded at this and I was trying to go through everything to figure out if it was true. Thankfully, the bag aspect and having all her stuff intact rescued my mind and I knew there was another explanation. Cade has just... baffled me, though. And the Rag and Bone Man? What is with Samantha Shannon making me trust seemingly genuine characters and they just have alterior motives??? I'm not going to trust anyone in the remainder books. Next we will be finding out that Ivy has been Nashira's right hand woman this whole time. (hide spoiler)]

I don't want to have to wait for the next book. Please don't make me wait too long. I've not experienced a book hangover like this before!

Review for Project Hail Mary

4.5/5

Andy Weir did it again! he wrote a book with so many science terms I will never understand, and he made me excited about it. I tried so hard not to compare this with the Martian, but it was so hard, because the concept is very similar, the characters are similar (witty science guys) and the structure is similar. And I still loved pretty much every word of this book!

Can we also just talk about (view spoiler)[Rocky. Rocky has to be the greatest character in existence. Who would have thought that I'd love a little five-legged spider-like alien creature as much as I would? Honestly, he's probably joining my list of all time favourite characters up there with Ron Weasley from Harry Potter. I want more Rocky. Can Weir please just write a book about Rocky and his people? Please? (hide spoiler)]

The only issue I did have with this was the end. Without going into too much detail, the ending didn't feel like the right ending to me. I think it could have been better and different to what happened. But that's my only criticism. Otherwise it was perfect!

Review for The Midnight Library

4.5/5

I'm going to be honest, I didn't have high expectations for this. I'd heard a lot of mixed reviews and was quite uncertain over whether I was going to actually enjoy it. But all it took was about 20 minutes into the audiobook for me to realise that this was DEFINITELY going to be a book I enjoyed.

I pretty much enjoyed every moment of this. There was the odd occasion where I wanted to yell at Nora because she was just so stupid on occasion, but beyond that, the whole concept of this book was such a cool and interesting one.

It was reflective and really made me think of all the decisions I made in my life and just what could have been, how my life would have been different had I done one thing differenly. It kind of made me think not to leave anything to 'wondering' anymore and do what I think will make me happy in the moment.

A really great book here and I highly recomment! Loved it!

Review for Clariel

3/5

Holy crap, I don't think I've disliked a main character more than I disliked Clariel. My goodness, was she selfish, self-centred, naive, ignorant and just plain stupid. Don't get me wrong, I like a good, flawed character, but Clariel didn't even seem to /want/ to change. Her main goal, even when her world was going up in flames around her, was to get to the damned forest and everyone else be damned.

She didn't care how anything affected others, or that their lives were at risk. It was just all about the forest. The goddam forest. This book has made me hate forests.

Gosh I hated her as a character, and not even in a good way. She remained selfish to the very end. The only redeeming factor was at least she acknowledged she'd continue to be selfish.

Who she becomes in the future was interesting, at least.

Over all, I found the story to be rather ehh. Certainly not my favourite of the series. But the story itself was okay. Just Clariel was unlikeable.

Ugh.

Review for Daughter of the Siren Queen

3.5/5

These two books are in a way... trashy. They're so predictable, so uncomplicated. There's no surprises in this duology and yet... I kind of like... really like it.

I don't know what it is about them. Perhaps it's the pirate aspect that has completely drawn me in. The female pirate aspect being a double bonus (a trope, I've discovered that I love dearly). It was just a fun, light-hearted read with a happy, predictable ending which I very much enjoyed.

The writing is simplistic, though it had a few adult-ish themes, it is mostly appropriate for a younger audience.

Not as enjoyable as book one but still enjoyable and I'm glad I read this series!

Review for The Forevers

4/5

The premise of this book had me invested all the way through. There was mystery tangled with the whole 'we know we are going to die' aspect and I found that really, really interesting. Especially because it was from the point of view of teenagers and they were all just doing... stuff and not really caring about much.

But, boy oh boy, where all the kids messed up. They all had issues and... wow. I mean, maybe it was because they had spent a large portion of their lives with the knowledge they were going to die that caused this, but... wow. What a little messed up town.

Whilst I really loved the premise, I definitely found the writing style confusing. It jumped around a lot and at times even felt like things were missing. There were some things I guess weren't answered to my liking and some things were left up in the air. It all did semi tie together in the end, but a lot was left. Maybe that was the intention, but it bothered me.

As a whole, a really great story that has stuck with me over the past days since finishing. I just didn't gel with the writing style as much as I would have liked.

Review for A Seal Called Andre: The Two Worlds Of A Maine Harbor Seal

4/5

The movie, Andre, was a favourite growing up. I watched it so many times - back in the days when you couldn't stream things, I was constantly waiting for it to come onto my TV so I could watch it again. I absolutely loved it.

But it wasn't until 2020 that I discovered it was a) based off a true story and b) there was a book about it. And I am now thrilled that I have read the true story of Andre.

It melted my heart. Andre was such a sweetheart and so friendly and chilled and I loved it. He was precious and I admittedly teared up in the afterword where they talked about his death (despite knowing he had since died).

The story of Andre took me through the happy life of the little seal who essentially thought he was a person. He was an abandoned seal pup, rescued and then raised by the Goodridge family in Rockport, Maine, in the 60's. He was immediately friendly and adapted to his life with people - which, turned out to be exactly where he liked to be.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story of his life. I did give it 4 stars, though, because of the nature of animal captivity mentioned in this. This book was written in 1975 and the rules about keeping wild creatures were vastly different to what they are now; also the way we, as humans, view animals. But despite caring for Andre, the author, Harry, seemed to be on a mission to prove that he could keep a seal (as well as other animals) as pets and would take them from the wild. I gues my millenial mind couldn't adjust to that, despite it being written well before my time!

Other than that, though, I loved it.

Review for Goldenhand

3.5/5

At this stage, I'll finish the series because I've come this far, but that's about it.

Lirael is honestly my favourite character in the whole series. I zone out with any other POV, and then as soon as Lirael comes into it, it has my attention and I just love her. She's the only good thing in this for me, and her relationship with Nick was adorable and sweet.

Beyond that, though, this world just doesn't grab me like I hoped it would. I really thought it would, it is usually something I'd like, but it just hasn't. I feel so disappointed that it hasn't.

But I still have hopes for Terciel and Elinor which I plan to read in December! Here's to hoping that one will be the one to get me.

Review for The Night Country

2.5/5

This series just didn't do it for me. The highlight of this one was sharing some of the amusing similes with people because they just made me laugh!

The premise of this story is so, so cool, and for me, it just wasn't executed well enough. I had hope that this book might be better than the first, and for the beginning, I thought that maybe. But I quickly lost interest again with the antics.

I must say, though, the concept of the Night Country is really cool. And I suppose that is really how every story is brought to life.

So basically, okay premise, not executed well at all.

Review for Ink and Bone

4.5/5

Wow! This was such a nice little surprise to come across. Before, this was one of many books sitting on my tbr. Now, it is a series I cannot wait to read the rest of!

This was brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the plot, and my favourite part was Ben Allen as the narrator! My new favourite narrator. The voices he could do were impressive!

But this was such a neat take on the found family trope. All the characters were unique with differing personalities and they all had their flaws, along with their charms. Jess was a great main character and the whole dynamic was just one huge yes to me!

I'm sad that I have comitted to so many other books that I probably can't read the next one until 2022, but that's okay, I've alread reserved them at the library!

Loved this book!