Book Talk: September Wrap Up

The last month of summer means it's the last month to get as many books in (and as far ahead in my Goodreads Reading Challenge) as possible before the hustle and bustle of school kicks in. It looks like all my hard work paid off because September turned out to be my best reading month this year, unbeknownst to me until I tallied up the stats. Although I read a lot of books in a few genres this month, I feel like I really branched out. And I only ended up with one dud! I mean, if you gotta have them, might as well let them be the book that's under 300 pages, right? I'm excited about my progress this month. Click that "read more" to see what I've been reading this month and don't forget to check out last month's Wrap Up if you missed it!

Stats:

• Books Read: 12
• Genre: 
• Fantasy: 4
• Science Fiction: 4
• Contemporary: 2
• Superhero: 2
• Page Count: 3,986

Books:

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I'm doing my best to pace myself with this series because I don't want all the books to bleed together but it's so hard to resist. The Lux series is so addicting. Now that I'm over the hump, I'm hesitant to carry on reading because I really don't want it to end (but we all know I'm going to fly through those last two as soon as possible). As usual with sequels, I can't tell you much about the story but the plot of Opal runs in the same vein as Onyx (which I read in August), the only real difference being a bigger scale in Opal and even then the stakes aren't that much higher in the grand scheme of things. The whole group has a new demon (not literal) to tackle in order to accomplish this book's mission. There's not much I can say about this book that I haven't already covered in the first two discussions besides the first two cliffhangers being relatively happy and positive. This one. Oh my goodness. I'm so glad I didn't read these as they were published because the ending to this book would've been devastating. I'm glad I only have to wait until my hold comes in rather than an entire year like everybody else did. From what I've been reading so far, you absolutely must check this series out. It's definitely sunk its claws into me (and my shipping heart). 

Catalyst by Lydia Kang

Catalyst is the sequel to Control, a book a read (and really enjoyed) last year. It's set about 150 years in the future where experiments have caused genetic mutations that give them "traits" that, in another world, would be considered superpowers. In this world, however, these "freaks" are shunned. Zelia knows of these people but she never thought she'd be in such close contact with them, let alone be one of them. Now that her father is dead, secrets begin to unveil and Dyl, Zel's sister, is kidnapped. Zel has to work together with these "human genetic 'mistakes'" to save her. I'm not gonna lie, I don't remember much of anything from the first book besides the beginning, end, and that really cute, coupley-bonding rock climbing scene in the middle between Zel and Cy. I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff. Thankfully, Kang reintroduces us to the other characters and their traits as well the stakes. It makes sense to reiterate because a year has passed in this book world as well. I really like the setting of this duology. Maybe "like" isn't the right word since it's such a terrible place for these genetically mutated people to be, but it's so interesting. It's set in the United States but things have changed and states have combined together (i.e. the Dakotas, Neia, Inky, etc.) and technology is a lot more advanced than what we have in our world today. They call cars "chars" and that's really cute. I felt like there was an insufficient amount of romance in Catalyst, especially since Control had the perfect amount to satiate me. I don't expect a love-fest but a few more moments here and there would've been nice. An interesting aspect of the reading experience is that you become super self-conscious of your breathing while you read this duology because, while Zel's trait is longevity, she also has a breathing disorder called the Ondine's Curse that makes it so she has to consciously remind herself to breathe. Like, if she sleeps without her pacer she dies. Clearly, this is a pretty prevalent problem and since Zel is the protagonist, we're often reminded of her lack of instinct to breathe. I'm an empathetic person and that translates to my reading. When I read that Zel is taking too shallow of breaths I begin to take too shallow of breaths and that is no good for either of us. I feel like not enough people have read this duology and I think they should. There's some pretty deranged behavior from the villains and that makes them cool to read but also a little bit terrifying. These books are fairly science-based (and written by a doctor so she knows what she's talking about) so if that tickles your fancy, I'd give this Control and Catalyst a shot. 

Zodiac by Romina Russell

When this book first came out, I was fascinated by the premise. Set in a galaxy a wormhole away from ours in the far future, there are twelve constellations, each an embodiment of one of the signs of the Zodiac, called Houses. We meet Rho of House Cancer at the Academy on one of Cancer's moons. Rho is skilled at reading the Ephemeris, a device that shows a holographic image of the Solar System in real time. When Rho spots this shadow enveloping one of Cancer's four moons, she tries to warn Zodais, the best of the best (save for the Guardian), but they all brush her off. Lo and behold, her predictions come to fruition soon after she was written off and brushed aside. Chaos descends on House Cancer and amongst the thousands killed is the Guardian of House Cancer. One thing leads to another and suddenly Rho is thrust into the role of Guardian. When other Houses fall victim to similar attacks, Rho sees a pattern and surmises (in the eyes of everybody besides Rho and Hysan) the culprit is none other than Ophiuchus, the forgotten 13th House. Everybody thinks this is another one of Rho's stories but when things start getting real, Rho needs to find a way to unite the twelve houses. 

It was cool seeing how Russell gave each House of Zodiac unique characteristics that were reflected in their societies and their citizens. While I loved the concept, the execution was a little bit lacking. First off, we were thrust straight into the action. I felt that really took away from the impact the disastrous events because we had no time to familiarize ourselves with the world. We never knew a world without this tragedy. To the reader, this type of chaos and suffering is normal because it's all we've ever seen. Like children born during a war. We don't know any different. Another bone I have to pick with this book is that the romance felt a little too much like insta-love. There was also a love triangle (haven't read one of those in a while) that I'm willing to overlook because it wasn't too in-your-face about it but this insta-love vibe goes back to the insufficient world building. If we had a little more background, we could see how Rho's crush on Mathais developed. Although I'm complaining about the shortage of world building, we do pick up on some history as we go along, learning tidbits here and there. You can explore more about this world on the official website, which is neat for the Houses that didn't take center stage in this book. I appreciated that the characters were flawed and in areas where one could use improvement, another picked up the slack. I also liked that despite the love triangle, they managed to work as a team. Also, space and space travel. That gives this book plenty of points in its favor. Overall, Zodiac was a really enjoyable read. We all know horoscopes are bogus because, what are they going off of?? but the world in Zodiac is based off the traits of a Aries, Taurus, Gemini, etc. If you've been reblogging those zodiac posts on Tumblr or are interested in the space opera subgenre, I'd suggest you check this out. It won't blow your mind or anything but it's entertaining for sure.

Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder

I was over the moon when I heard Snyder was writing another trilogy set in this world. I read the second trilogy before the first and that followed Opal while the first trilogy, along with this third one, follows Yelena. This time around, we have multiple POVs which made for a more complex story. While it took me a little bit to get reacquainted with some of the characters, it felt like coming home. I was so glad to be reunited with Opal and Dev and Kiki! Oh, Kiki. That horse steals the show. One of the focuses within Valek's narration was his past. He's always been somewhat of a mystery (even Kiki calls him "Ghost") so it was nice learning more about his background. I also appreciated the teamwork in this book, as with any Study book. This ensemble is one of my favorites and I'm glad I have more time to spend with them. In Shadow Study, Yelena loses her magic and, as the ambassador between Sitia and Ixia, she's made a lot of enemies. She has to avoid assassination attempts and keep everybody in the dark about her new weakness while trekking across Sitia to find out how exactly this whole ordeal happened. It took longer than I thought it would to get through Shadow Study and it didn't illicit the same intensity of emotions as previous Chronicles of Ixia books but the multiple POVs kept the story fresh and interesting. It helped that literally every chapter ended in a cliffhanger and the bomb dropping in the last line of the book. When is Night Study being published, again? Not soon enough. 

The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

This book wasn't what I was expecting, but then again, I never really know what I'm getting into when I pick up a Huntley Fitzpatrick book. It's most definitely not a bad thing. There's just so much more depth in Fitzpatrick's novels than you'd get in a typical contemporary novel, especially when it's marketed as a romance. The Boy Most Likely To is a companion/sequel to My Life Next Door in that it takes place pretty much immediately after the events of My Life Next Door but follows different characters. The Boy Most Likely To is the story of Tim and Alice. The story of their relationship and the obstacles they encounter. The story of how I fell in love with a complete surprise (which I must be vague about to avoid spoilers). Tim is quite a mess and Alice is doing her best to keep her life together while her family situation is going through a rough patch. The worst thing Alice could do now is start dating Tim but even with the odds stacked against them, she can't deny their attraction. Even though we don't get to the romance until halfway into the book (a majority of the book is dealing with the aforementioned surprise and other complications), we still get a healthy dose of it and we're always rooting for the two of them. While Tim's feelings were clear all throughout the book, I felt like Alice's popped up out of nowhere. Why did she suddenly decide to give him a chance? Did he wear her down? I thought she saw Tim and another one of her brother's friends. It's not a big deal but it isn't in character for her to cave so easily. Either way, I'm eager to see what Fitzpatrick has in store for us because I can totally picture the next book following Nan and Troy. I'm calling it right now. Or she might bring us back across the bay like in What I Thought Was True... I hope we don't have to wait years for the next one because the one year between What I Thought Was True and The Boy Most Likely To was almost too long for me to bear. 

Saga, Volume 1 by Brian Vaughan & Fiona Staples

Lately I've been in the mood for some graphic novels and I've only heard fantastic things about Saga so I thought I'd see what all the hype was about. It follows a couple from opposing sides of a never-ending intergalactic war who are on the run with their newborn daughter. That's the gist of it. It's such an intriguing story with fantastical creatures ghosts, robot people, and various horned beings. I quite like the art style and I'm curious to learn more about the parents' backstories. I've become rather attached to these characters in the brief 128 pages of this volume. There's an obvious connection between the different story lines but I'm sure there's some surprise twist later on that will bring these characters in an unexpected way. Not the mention the cliffhanger at the end has me itching to pick up Saga, Volume 2. If you're going to pick this up, be advised that it is an adult graphic novel. Don't go around reading this around little ones. 

The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Where do I begin with this book?! I think I'll start by calling it a Bluebeard retelling inspired by One Thousand and One Nights. I loved the atmosphere of the book. Ahdieh made it very easy to visualize the setting and I can just imagine being there surrounded by all the colors. The spin on the Bluebeard fairy tale was very fitting and it was presented in a way where I didn't draw the parallel until much later when the forbidden room was mentioned. My favorite part of all these Beauty and the Beast fairy tale retellings (Bluebeard itself is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast) is the development of the Beast. Khalid is an evil boy-king who's deemed unfit to rule by pretty much everybody, especially because he takes a new bride every night only to kill them by morning. Shahrzad's closest friend fell victim to Khalid's cruelty so she's volunteered to be his bride but she has a plan to avenge her best friend. If she keeps him up until morning, she gets to live another day and more time to plan her husband's assassination. The longer she stays, the more she learns about this mysterious king. The more she learns, the deeper she falls in love with him. Shahrzad and Khalid's dynamic make them the ultimate power couple. I appreciate how Shahrzad wasn't willing to accept her feelings for Khalid in the beginning because she was his bride to seek revenge. Sharhzad isn't blindly following her emotions but is also smart enough to know when she's wrong and is willing to correct herself. I'm nervous for The Rose and the Dagger, though. I don't know how we're going to end up with a happy ending. 

Irredeemable, Vol. 1 by Mark Waid & Peter Krause

I watch Collider Movie Talk on a daily basis and another one of their Collider shows is called Heroes. In one of the Heroes segments, the host brings up a comic book that hasn't been translated into any other form of media and gives his pitch on why it would be a good movie. So, it's basically a comic book recommendation. In one episode of Heroes, they were discussing Irredeemable and the premise had me intrigued. I haven't read any of the "traditional" superhero comic books (I plan to! Leave recommendations in the comments!) but I know how those stories go.  Irredeemable flips that story on its head. The Superman of this universe, the Plutonian, has gone rogue and his team is on a mission to find out why before he destroys the world. He seems to be seeking vengeance but nobody knows what for. Looking back, each of his teammates realize that they really knew nothing about him. As the team tries to piece the story together, the Plutonian is off causing mass destruction and picking off his former allies one by one. How will they stop him? What happened to him to cause him to make this 180? Has he always been this volatile?! Told mostly in flashbacks, we delve into the character of a man whom we would blindly follow if he were on our side. I can't wait until I get my hands on the second volume and I completely agree -- this is quality source material for a film. Somebody get a studio on this. 

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I told myself that I'd read one book from the Lux series a month but that's not going to work at all. Unlike the first three books, I had trouble getting into this one. I think it's because Katy and Daemon were separated in the beginning. One of my favorite things about this series is their relationship so reading them apart was very difficult. No worries, though. It's more than made up for later on. Now that there are two POVs, there's no going back. From the set-up at the end of this book, it looks like we're in for some conflict between our favorite couple. Origin kind of felt like the first book in a new series in that it introduced a lot of new story arcs. I don't know if this series was meant to be five books from the start because it seems to me like it might have been intended to be a trilogy but halfway through the publishers saw how successful it was and extended the contract for two more books, but I digress. There were plenty of pop culture references and allusions to other books that kept me on my toes. It also served to remind the readers that this is happening in our world. Aliens! Are! Real! (And super hot!!!) I guess I haven't been reading much action/adventure books lately because I didn't realize I was missing an epic showdown in my life until I read this one. I'm hesitant to pick up Opposition because, while I can't get enough, I don't want this series to be over. I want to spend the rest of my life with Daemon Black. Is that too much to ask? 

The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

After having read The Assassin's Curse on my cruise in July, I was eager to get my hands on The Pirate's Wish. In the previous installment, Ananna and Naji were bound together in a curse that could only be broken by completing three impossible tasks. In The Pirate's Wish, we're introduced to a couple new characters and reunited with some friends (and also some "friends") as we return to Ananna's home turf: the open seas. The development of the relationship between Ananna and Naji was so cute I wanted to squeeze them. And for them to be f i n a l l y exploring their feelings for each other while fighting off powerful enemies??? You go girl. I loved the mythical and mystical elements of this duology. I thought the manticores were a nice touch. I was very satisfied with the ending in that it gave me closure but I'm so attached to Naji and Ananna and their relationship that I don't want to let them go just yet. Thankfully there are two novellas set in this world, even if they don't follow my two babies.

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

"Meh" and "bleh" are two words I would use to describe this book. I did not care about their relationship at all. The entire narrative was a back-and-forth between Clare wanting to stay with Aidan when they part ways for college and wanting to break up with him to save themselves the pain. The story of their relationship was told in memories triggered by the places they visited on the drive down memory lane of their final night in town. While I was reading, I was begging for it to be over. The ending wasn't a surprise either. It was so cliche that I called it from the first page. Nothing about their relationship was cute or romantic. The two of them were fighting all night on top of that. Like, I really do not want to hear about your relationship problems. I signed up for a cutesy book that was to give me feels, not 246 pages of begging them to get it over with. The only bit of redemption is the epilogue but the damage has been done. We learned nothing of their personalities and very little facts about their relationship. I'd much rather read a book about the story of their best friends' relationship. That sounds more interesting than the sterile snore-fest that is Claiden. 

Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

Another recommendation from the team over at Collider, this time in the Flashback part of Heroes, Watchmen is a graphic novel that took me a while to read. Graphic novels usually take me longer than I expect because having to look at the pictures disrupts my flow but I really wanted to get through this book. Written in the 1980s, Watchmen is a product of its time. With the threat of nuclear war on the horizon, the vigilantes that had been outlawed years previous are popping up again -- or disappearing. This graphic novel features costumed heroes from the Minutemen, back in the heyday of masks, and some newer masks (some of which are carrying on the name of a previous hero). There are times when Watchmen is hard to follow because they make references to the Minutemen team but there's a younger Nite Owl and Silk Spectre. This new band of masks was never addressed as the Watchmen, which threw me off, and the iconic phrase, "Who watches the Watchmen?" only ever appeared in the graffiti on the walls. Although it took me a while to understand anything, I still enjoyed it. Even though there are costumed heroes running around, everybody is human (save for Doctor Manhattan, but he use to be) and they all act as such. Nobody is untouchable. Nobody is without flaw. Also, pirates have replaced heroes in the comic book industry, which is pretty cool. The Black Freighter is a comic book that's shown in Watchmen and its themes intertwine with those of the bigger picture. Literally. I'm not going to pretend I grasped every concept and issue brought up by Moore and I think it would've been interesting to read this with somebody or even for a class to get a second opinion and a deeper understanding of the story. I'm definitely intrigued about the movie. I want to see how they execute all these panels.  

That was a lot but we made it through! I read a lot this month and now I'm expecting to slow down since school's back in session. That being said, I want to read some scary books in October! Years ago I was on a horror kick but I haven't read much of it lately and there really is no better time. If you have any recommendations, leave them in the comments below! As I mentioned earlier, I've also been wanting to read more graphic novels. If you know of any good ones or any good jumping-on points for some more popular franchises, let me know! Don't forget I've linked this blog to Google+ so if you want me to know you're reading, follow xo, Yvette on Google+ in the sidebar!

Talk to you soon! 

xo, Yvette