Reading round up (63)

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.

26th January

I started Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers (18% read). I adored Grave Mercy, and have a hunch the love interest in this is my darling De Waroch, so I'm hoping to enjoy this!

27th January

Currently Reading: Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Current page/percent: 66%

Read today: 48%

Thoughts: SCREAMING BECAUSE SYBELLA/BEAST!! He keeps blushing and getting embarrassed and he is this HUGE HULKING MAN and it is fricking adorable. I didn't wanna put this down to go to bed!

28th January

Finished Dark Triumph (34% read) and I am still screaming about Sybella and Beast. Those little glimpses of Duval and Isme were lovely too!! For such a dark, gut-punch of a series, it really is cute in parts.

29th January

Quickly read the end of Avalon by Mindee Arnett (163 pages) because I've been neglecting it and I'm not sure if I'll have time to finish properly. 

I also attempted to start Switched by Amanda Hocking (47 pages read) but a noxious combination of insta-love, stalking, and a lack of self preservation turned me off pretty quick. 

So I'm now reading Stitching Snow by R. C. Lewis (28 pages) instead and I'm having much better luck with this.

30th January

Currently Reading: Stitching Snow by R. C. Lewis

Current page/percent: page 152

Read today: 124 pages

Thoughts: LOVING THIS!! It's got parts of Cinder, parts of Cress, and something entirely new.

31st January

Currently Reading: Stitching Snow by R. C. Lewis

Current page/percent: page 213

Read today: 48%

Thoughts: I love Dane, I love Essie, I love Dimwit, I love everyone. READ THIS BOOK.

1st February

I finished Stitching Snow (125 pages) and I adored it. The end made me cry like a moron over a robot being proud of Essie. Oh Stitching Snow, what have thou done to me?

Books finished this week: 3
Books DNF'd this week: 1

Silent Blade | Ilona Andrews

Monster | Carmen Caine

Clearly I am craving revenge-based urban fantasy. Been wanting to read something of Ilona Andrews for a while and that novella was cheap. Monster sounds pretty cool, as well, even if the cover is dubious.

Monster | Carmen Caine

Jenny was kind enough to give me a review copy of this and I am realllly excited to start reading it!!!

I also got a handful of free NA genre novels, since I'm attempting an experiment to see if there's any decent fantasy/sci-fi NA! More on this later this week.

Avalon (reread review on Goodreads)

Dark Triumph

Reading round up (62)

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.

19th January

Finished Vicious by V. E. Schwab (read 98 pages) and I loved it!! Such a unique superhero tale. I also started My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent (162 pages) because I need a quick read after my disastrous last week.

20th January

Currently Reading: My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

Current page/percent: page 375

Read today: 213 pages

Thoughts: Enough female rivalry in YA. Enough teaching impressionable teenage girls that it's right and expected of them to fight with their fellow girls over boys. We have to fight so damn hard for everything we do and have and say in life; we have to fight so hard to prove that we're as worthy and capable as any male; we don't need to be fighting each other too. We need to be supporting each other. (plus: have you seen teenage boys? they're gross. don't be fighting over those trashcans.)

21st January

Picking up Avalon again and hoping to finish it sometime this year. Read 25 pages in like 2 hours. It is taking me SO LONG to read this. I don't know why?? I love this book; it shouldn't feel like a chore!

I read a spoiler for Soul Screamers that KAYLEE GETS WITH TOD????? So I immediately bought If I Die from Kindle (it was hella expensive but hella worth it) and read 21%.

22nd January

Read 47% of If I Die and I AM SCREAMING BECAUSE TOD!!! MY BABYYYYYYY. I loved Kaylee with Nash but Kaylee/Tod is NEXT LEVEL.

23rd January

Finished If I Die (read 32%), and MY BABIES. I was so fricking scared in the end, there. 

24th January

I didn't feel like reading much today but I finally got my hands on Reaper by Rachel Vincent (64 pages). It took me three months to find a copy of this novella, and I read it in an hour. Kinda wishing I'd savoured it. Ah well. Tod is a huge sweetheart and I loved this glimpse into his life. It was really interesting to see him before he'd died and compare how he was with how he is. Loved it!

25th January

Failed at reading today because I got watching beauty bloggers on youtube and that ate up my reading hours. Ah well.

Books finished this week: 3

If I Die | Rachel Vincent

See above for the IMMEDIATE reasons I needed this book.

Vicious

My Soul to Steal

If I Die

Reaper

Grave Mercy (RC Review)

His Fair Assassin: Grave Mercy | Robin LaFevers

Published by: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 3rd 2012

Genre: YA, Historical

Pages: 549

Format: Ebook

Source: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, via Netgalley

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

This book has been on my tbr list for years. Two years, in fact. So I heaped a lot of expectations on this book, and it more than satisfied my hopes. I got it into my head that it was high fantasy, but it turned out to be historical, set in Brittany, and I couldn't have been happier about that.

The world building is flawless, the details and lush backdrop bring the book to life and give Ismae's story a sharp, real feeling. I fell pretty hard for this book from the get go. The story is dark and unforgiving, and the hint of magic lured me in while still feeling true to the period. I especially loved how St. Mortain is prominent through the whole book, an omniscient being always mentioned and there, a guide of actions and motives. It's nice, also, to see religion treated with an honest eye, instead of the villainy of so many books.

There are so many things about Grave Mercy that impressed me. The integrity and bravery of Ismae, along with her sensibleness and how lethal she was. The allure of Gaval, and how very unique a love interest he was. He felt like a genuine, real person, neither the brooding asshole or the sexy alpha stereotypes that occur so often. He's complex and genuine and I wish there was more of this book so I could see where his life, and Ismae's, goes. I was especially impressed by how dire and stern the court politics felt, and how none of the period drama, the betrayals, and the grittiness of it was tamed for a YA audience.

Robin LaFevers has stolen a great piece of my heart with this book, and I expect more pieces will be stolen by the following books in the His Fair Assassin series.

Characters ★★★★★

Setting/world building ★★★★★

Writing ★★★★☆

Reading round up (53)

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.

17th November

Read 106 pages of Cress by Marissa Meyer and I'm super into it. These books could go nowhere, have no plot, and I wouldn't care. The characters, relationships, and dialogue are enough to carry them.

18th November

I woke up crazy early, read 30 pages of Cress, then went back to sleep. The sign of a truly good book, folks, is when it lures me even more than sleep.

Currently Reading: Cress | Marissa Meyer
Current page/percent: page 323
Read today: 167 pages

Dear Marissa Meyer:

19th November

Currently Reading: Cress | Marissa Meyer
Current page/percent: page 550
Read today: 227 pages
Thoughts: WHERE IS THE REST OF THIS BOOK? I REQUIRE A THOUSAND MORE PAGES.

20th November

Currently Reading: Grave Mercy | Robin LaFevers
Current page/percent: 9%
Read today: 9%
Thoughts: This has been on my NEED-to-read list for about two years now. Don't let me down, Grave Mercy.

21st November

Currently Reading: Grave Mercy | Robin LaFevers
Current page/percent: 32%
Read today: 23%
Thoughts: I can see myself being super into Duval.

22nd November

Currently Reading: Grave Mercy | Robin LaFevers
Current page/percent: 62%
Read today: 30%
Thoughts: Yep. I am super into Duval. 

23rd November

Currently Reading: Grave Mercy | Robin LaFevers
Current page/percent: 100%
Read today: 38%
Thoughts: I need to own ALL these books right now. I thought they were high fantasy but they're historical and god bless.

Books finished this week: 2 gigantic books

The Arctic Code | Matthew J. Kirby

Crimson Bound | Rosamund Hodge

Illusionarium | Heather Dixon

HOLY CRAP CRIMSON BOUND. HELL YESS. Been waiting for this for SO LONG. 

I also got The Fog Diver by Joel Ross but it doesn't have a cover yet.

Cress
Grave Mercy (review to be posted on Wednesday!!)