Reading round up (78)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress, my thoughts on each book as I read it, and any books I've acquired during the week. 

1st June

Today I read 43% of In The Air Tonight by Lori Handeland, finishing it, and it was really good at the end. I also read 47 pages of With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent, my fave.

2nd June

I read 74 pages of With All My Soul, and I'm continually shocked at how good these books are. Also the cover model looks SO much like Lindsy Fonseca!

3rd June

I finished With All my Soul (166 pages read!), and with it the entire Soul Screamers series, and it killed me. I've literally been brought back as a reaper to type this update from beyond the grave. Tod/Kaylee are too cute. Nash's character development is too important to me. And Sabine/Sophie being adoptive sisters IS SOMETHING ELSE. Thank you, Rachel Vincent, for this absolute gift.

4th June

Today I started my reread of Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen. I now own the pretty paperback, which I am very happy about. I read 57 pages and it's as awesome as I remembered.

I also impulse bought and immediately started reading The Lying Game by Sara Shepard, because I'm LOVING PLL being back and I've been waiting for a kindle sale on her books for ages. I've read 20% and colour me pretty darn interested. Don't go downhill from here, please!!

5th June

I read 89 pages of Stolen Songbird and hello Tristan my love *heart-eyes*. I also read another 9% of The Lying Game, and I think it's about to get cooler.

6th June

I have absolutely no idea what I read today. All my progress and page numbers got mixed up.

7th June

Today I read 16% of The Lying Game, bringing me to 45%, and I am actually really into the love interest. Well played, Sara Shepard, making him interested in astronomy. I also read 96 pages of Stolen Songbird, and my heart is in pain rn.

Books finished this week: 2
Books DNF'd this week: 0

For review:

NOTHING AGAIN!!!!

Hell yiss.

Bought:

The Lying Game | Sara Shepard

Rush | Eve Silver

As you see above, I've already started The Lying Game. It's pretty cool. And I've been wanting to read Rush for YEARS. It's one of those books I never got around to. But I hate the UK cover, and I've just realised it's a game-based sci-fi (I've read three of these and DNF'd all of them) so we'll see...

Chameleon Moon | RoAnna Sylver

Adamant | Emma L. Adams

These are two LONNNNG overdue purchases for me. Chameleon Moon sounds amazing and unique and has HELLA DIVERSITY. And Adamant will count towards my Saruuh Explores NA... project!!!

In The Air Tonight (3 STARS)

Reading round up (77)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress, my thoughts on each book as I read it, and any books I've acquired during the week. 

25th May

Today I read 12% of The Girl At Midnight by Melissa Grey, and I started With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent (22 pages) because I NEED  a good book to break up The Girl At Midnight. That 12% almost killed me - I've just lost all kind of investment in it.

26th May

Had a crappy day today, so I only read 12% of The Girl At Midnight. I'm pretty astounded by the fact it's adding a love triangle and instalove 50% through the book. WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE? It was So Good without it!

27th May

DNF'ed The Girl At Midnight at 71% because not only is the girl falling in instalove with the crappy love interest, and getting all RIDICULOUSLY CLICHE about it, but the guy (the hundreds year old dragon!!!!) is doing the same. Thought he'd know better BUT NOPE.

On top of this I read 22 pages of With All My Soul, and I'm not flying through this book as quickly as I'd hoped. Today's amount of pages is pretty pathetic tbh. 

I also picked up Falling Kingdoms again because I need to finish my reread (I dropped off reading this around a month and a half ago...) and read 31 pages of tiny, tiny text.

28th May

Today I finished The Wolf Wilder (50% read) and it was everything I hoped it'd be.

29th May

Light reading day - all I read was 5% of In The Air Tonight by Lori Handeland which has stopped the confusing references, but I'm still not sure. I don't need the guy to be referencing the MCs breasts every POV chapter tbh, and I want more ghosts!

30th May

To say I was getting grumpy with the language and references of In The Air Tonight, I actually found my way into the book. It took 25% but w/e. I'm now at 40% and I like it. Still having to overlook a lot of stuff and I can't see me giving it more than 3 stars but at least it's seeming like I'll finish and enjoy it!

31st May


Read another 17% of In The Air Tonight, bringing me to 57%, and I actually do like it. But there's still something off.

Books finished this week: 1
Books DNF'd this week: 1

For review:

NOTHING!!!

I'm so proud of myself. 

Bought:

When Magic Sleeps | Tera Lynn Childs

I LOVED Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs, so when I found out she had a novella for less than £1, I didn't hesitate to get it. Pretty excited to read this!

The School For Good and Evil | Soman Chainani
Unremembered | Jessica Brody
Kindle sales are my best friend. Two of the books I was DYING to get my hands on I now own!!!!

Powerless (4.5 STARS)

The Singular and Extraordinary Tale of Mirror and Goliath (3 STARS)

The Girl At Midnight (DNF AT 71%)

Reading round up (65)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress, my thoughts on each book as I read it, and any books I've acquired during the week.

9th February

I'm dangerously close to a book slump right now, with Skylark not being what I expected (a kinda flat fantasy instead of an awesome sci-fi - the title sounds totally sci-fi to me) and The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest being murderously slow. 

So I started Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent because I love this series and know it'll make me feel better. I read 148 pages, and the text is pretty tiny. Feels US formatted, different from the rest of the UK ones :/ Still loving this book, though.

10th February

Currently Reading: Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Current page/percent: page 280

Read today: 132 pages

Thoughts: my poor bb Alec. You were too pure for this world.

11th February

Finished Before I Wake (59 pages) and it was amazing and painful. 

I also read Never To Sleep (62 pages), Sophie's novella and really enjoyed it. I liked seeing the Netherworld for the first time again and learning more about Sophie.

As well as that, I DNF'd Toxic Love by Jax Garren which was really bad.

12th February

Eh, I might abandon Skylark. I don't love it. I'm not sure I even like it. Instead of reading that, I started The Replaced by Kimberly Derting (36% read), sequel to the hella cool alien abduction aftermath (triple A?) novel The Taking!

13th February

Happy Galentines day, people!! I hope you spent today expressing love to your best lady friends.

Currently Reading: The Replaced by Kimberly Derting

Current page/percent: 100%

Read today: 64%

Thoughts: Oop I read a tonne of this. It was good but also had a love triangle with a threatening, domineering guy. Hopefully this is fixed in book 3.

14th February

I started Endangered by Lamar Giles (19% read) Ordinarily I wouldn't have picked this up or requested it but the POC on the cover and the blurb got my attention. Sadly, it was boring and the MC made really bad decisions. And was kind of a horrible person. She thinks she's a vigilante but really she's just a bitch. So I DNF this one.

But I started A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic (27%) which is HOLY HELL AWESOME!!! The characters are cute. The gothic-ness of it is creepy and lush and I am loving these glimpses into the past!!

15th February

Currently Reading: A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic 

Current page/percent: 81%

Read today: 54%

Thoughts: READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!!!

Books finished this week: 3
Books DNF'd this week: 3

Crow Moon | Anna McKerrow

SO excited for this one. Witches!!! Boys that have no interest in being witches but when disaster strikes, they're made to face up to their witchy ways!!! Sounds so good. Major thanks to Quercus for sending me a beautiful ARC of this one.

Before I Wake

Never to Sleep

The Replaced (scheduled for 18th April)

Before I Wake (Review)

Soul Screamers: Before I Wake | Rachel Vincent

Published by: Mira Ink, July 6th 2012

Genre: YA, Mythology, Paranormal

Pages: 339

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking her life is much harder than ex-teen banshee Kaylee expected. Now she's fighting to stay visible to the human world and struggling to find time alone with her new reaper boyfriend Tod.

To stay in the mortal realm, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls and, when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won't keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn't just gambling with her own life... 

Annnnd this series continues to get stronger and stronger with every book.

I adored basically every element of this book. Allow me to list and rant about them:

I loved the progression of Kaylee and Tod's relationship and the moments we got between them. I especially loved the various hurt/comfort scenes - that stuff is like CRACK to me.

I loved how Nash and Kaylee had a scrap of friendship in this book, and I hope we get more of that in the final book. I also hope Nash gets his ass into gear and admits he's in love with Sabine. Come on, man. It's obvious.

 I enjoyed how the stakes were ramped even higher than previous books, even if I didn't like the consequences (Alec, no!) and how Kaylee's new job was intrinsic to the plot. 

I loved the introduction of Luca, super cute necromancer that he is, and the reintroduction of the other hellions (Avari is getting tiresome and repetitive now, even if his methods have got fancier~~)

I loved experiencing Kaylee's struggle at saying human, corporeal, and how honest Rachel Vincent's portrayal of that was. Kaylee's afterlife feels very honest, in its flaws and hardships and even the added benefits (I wish I could blink!!). It doesn't feel like a cliche death, it feels very human, very real.

The only thing I didn't love, and the only reason it's not one of my absolute favourites, is that the ending confucked me for a good half an hour before I reread it. I still don't know what to make of it, though. I think there was just too many characters in one place and my head went 'nah, I'm out.' Still, eager and nervous to read the next, last, book. Does it all have to end? Can't this series just last for twenty books?

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world building ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★★★