Monthly Round Up (9)

Monthly round up is a journal where I record my reading progress, reviews, and my favourite books/biggest disappointments of the month.

Reviews:

Walk On Earth A Stranger
Revenge And The Wild
And I Darken
Passenger
Daybreak Rising
Empire of Storms
Labyrinth Lost

ALSO:

I renamed my blog! Here's my post about it.
Top 5 Authors Discovered in 2016
Labyrinth Lost Excerpt
Monthly Round Up (August)

What I've read this month:

A really good reading month! I'm trying to get this blog back on track, so I'll be writing reviews of most of the books I read and posting them here, as opposed to only reviewing my review copies (which meandered this way because of sheer laziness.)

Favourite book:

Nah. I'm officially abstaining this month. I can't pick between the six books I ADORED.

Biggest Disappointment:

Tough choice between this and The Crown's Game. I LOVED Shaw, of the Black Dog series, so I was taken really off guard when the love interest of this series turned out to be a controlling, secretive alpha asshole. Sure, he has reasons but can anything ever justify kidnapping someone????????? No.

What did you read this month? Leave a comment!

~Saruuh

Top 5 Authors Discovered in 2016

I know these posts are usually reserved for the end of the year, but we're most of the way through 2016 and I just know I'll forget to write this post if I leave it for December. Plus, I've already discovered some pretty amazing authors.

Hailey Edwards

I've loved every single book of hers I've read. The best kind of urban fantasy.

Alwyn Hamilton

Rebel of The Sands is EPIC. Romantic and dangerous and just thrilling. I met Alwyn at YALC this year and she was super nice.

Eliza Wass

In The Dark, In The Woods is one of the best books I've read this year. Haunting and unsettling and beautifully written. A must-read.

Brittany Cavallaro

A Study In Charlotte was everything I want from a modern day Sherlock Holmes. Cute romance, quirky and awkward friends, MURDER.

Pippa DaCosta

City of Fae and City of Shadows blew me away. Sexy and dark and scary as hell in parts. Plus super, super inventive and unique. I'm dying to read more of her books!

Bonus: Jov Skovron, whose Hope & Red I completely adored, and Zoraida Cordova, whose Labyrinth Lost was a stand-out book in a very saturated genre.

ARC Review: Labyrinth Lost

Brooklyn Brujas: Labyrinth Lost | Zoraida Cordova

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire, September 6th 2016

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Queer

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Fire, via Netgalley

Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.

I fall to my knees. Shattered glass, melted candles and the outline of scorched feathers are all that surround me. Every single person who was in my house – my entire family — is gone.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can’t trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange markings on his skin.

The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland…

Beautiful Creatures meets Daughter of Smoke and Bone with an infusion of Latin American tradition in this highly original fantasy adventure.

Sorta what I expected, sorta not, but I really enjoyed it! Here are my thoughts:

- I really like Alex, love Nova, but I'm kinda ehhh about Rishi. I just didn't connect with her at all, which is such a disappointment because it's a f/f romance!

- I am CRAZY about the diversity in this book. It's such an authentic voice and it really shows in the writing and the passionate detail of this book. The main character is a queer WOC and so is her love interest!

-Nova is precious and I want to keep him forever. I'm SO here for his redemption arc!

- I loved the Deos, and Los Lagos was so cool and inventive - bird people! It's just really nice to read about a world and pantheon inspired by another culture than mine

- The magic was awesome, and totally witchy. I've found a new love for Brujas.

- I really, really think Alex's dad is a Deo. That's not really an opinion on the book. I just hope I'm right!

- Beautifully detailed and lovingly written. Alex is fierce and flawed and you'll love her!

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★★☆

The blog formerly known as Syntax Reviews...

New name, new schedule!

I'm really trying to not neglect this blog. I love reading and reviewing books but I struggle to find the energy for it. But I can now guarantee there will be a review on this blog EVERY SATURDAY. And with this new schedule, comes a new name. I worried Syntax Reviews was a little off-putting and didn't really shout 'YA BOOK BLOG' but I love Dust Jacket Reviews as a name. It just felt right when it came to me. I hope you like it as much as I do!

~Saruuh

Review: Empire of Storms

Throne of Glass: Empire of Storms | Sarah J. Maas

Published by: Bloomsbury, September 6th 2016

Genre: NA, High Fantasy, Fae & Fairy Lore

Pages: 693

Format: Paperback

Source: Puchased

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those don't.

As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Aelin's journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?

Nah. No thanks. That didn't happen.

This book was so much bigger and better and more painful than the rest. What Maeve did to Rowan ... I have no words. I'm not sure about Dorian's romance, which was my only issue with this book, but I understand he's grieving so I accept his choice. I weirdly missed Chaol - I don't love him, only like him, but it felt incomplete without him as part of the gang. BUT I did love the addition of Lorcan (of all people!) to the the main gang, and his interaction with Elide. And I adore every single member of Aelin's court, even Fenrys (!) and Gavriel (!). That ending was horrific, though, and I don't know how I'm meant to wait until next year for the resolution.

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★★