Book Talk: October Wrap Up

If you were to ask me to sum up my reading month in one word, I would choose the word pitiful. I've fallen so far behind my Goodreads Reading Challenge it's embarrassing and it's not even because I'm in a reading slump! I crave to be reading all the time but my schoolwork and exhaustion doesn't allow it.

Stats:

• Books Read: 5
• Genre: 
• Fantasy: 4
• Superhero: 1
• Page Count: 1,745

Books:

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan 

It's been a year since Rick Riordan released the first book in his new series and, I'm ashamed to admit this, I am just now getting to reading it. That's right. It was only the release of the second book that spurred me into reading this one. Usually I am so on top of his books but school happened and I just kept pushing this off in favor of a time where I could really sit down and enjoy it but, as you can see, that time never came. Joke's on me though because this book was a delight. I don't even care that Magnus is basically Percy and Sam is basically Annabeth (minus the romance, which I appreciate). There's been a sassy, sarcastic, smart banter-shaped hole in my life and this new cast of characters are just what I need to fill it. I had a lot of fun learning about and exploring Norse mythology in Riordan's digestible writing style. Norse mythology can be super overwhelming. Another thing I loved was Magnus and Annabeth's relationship. Nothin' like two demigod cousins who don't know the other is a demigod. I love how Riordan is fleshing out his mythology universe. Fingers crossed I can pick up The Hammer of Thor sooner rather than later.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I'm sad to say Miss Peregrine's did not live up to the hype. All I heard about this book was rave reviews from every direction so I was positive I would love this story. Unfortunately, the best part was the end where they set up the sequel. Literally the best part of this book was the next book. And to think y'all had to wait three years for Hollow City?! I would've given up on the series by then. I thought it took a long time to get off the ground then I realized this was as far off the ground as it was going to get. Very disappointing. I really appreciated the photos sprinkled throughout the story and all the work it must've taken to dig them up so I gave it an extra star for that. I honestly didn't even like the photos that much. Just the fact that they augmented the story and that it took so much effort to gather them and build a story around them (I presume). TL;DR: I kinda wish I didn't either.

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

So much happened in this book and I'm not mad about it. An Ember in the Ashes was one of the best books I read last year and its sequel did not let me down. I love all the characters (except one and turns out my gut feeling about them was right) and I felt like we got a lot more time with a lot more of them. In most series I find that the plot changes so much in the second installment that it becomes unrecognizable from the story I fell in love with to begin with (aside from the characters, of course) but I found ATAGN to carry on the essence of AEITA. I wish I could talk about the plot or the character development in more detail but that's spoilers so I guess you'll have to read it yourself... I'll just put it out there that I love Elias more than anything. He and Laia both deserve the world and I firmly believe they should be each other's worlds, despite what happens at the end of this book. I would highly recommend starting this series. We're halfway through and as far as I can tell, we've got a lot more adventure to experience.

The Iron Warrior by Julie Kagawa

I've read plenty of Julie Kagawa novels over the years and there's one thing every single book has in common. Julie Kagawa is the queen of reminding you what went on in previous books through internal monologue. She never makes you feel like "um, you totally should've remembered this" which is great because I enjoy reading her books. It was especially helpful for The Iron Warrior seeing as it's the final book in its trilogy (and the sixth book in the universe). Since there's so much preceding this novel, I can't say much without spoilers but I'm very satisfied with this conclusion. It offered the perfect amount of closure without being too final. Kagawa ended it in a way that would've left it open to more spinoffs, but I'm perfectly happy with this ending and if I'm honest I don't think I'd be interested in reading anything else in this universe. It's had its time. 

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 3: Crushed by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, & Elmo Bondoc

This comic is so frexin' cute. I love how much Kamala's culture and upbringing plays into her secret superhero life. Our cameo in this volume is courtesy of Loki! I love how he's supposedly the bad guy but in everything he appears in he ends up helping the protagonist. Maybe it's in his nature but I do not yet know enough about Norse mythology to make that call. We also were introduced to some more inhumans in this volume and it was great even when it took a turn. Why is it always the hot ones? Sigh. There was a bonus issue of S.H.I.E.L.D. at the end of this volume that takes place in Jersey City. Coles Academic High School, to be more specific. I love watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so the fact that they brought my on-screen favorites to the page was very exciting. That's just another potential comic for me to pick up and I think I just might. 

Who or what do I have to sacrifice to make my reading goal this year? I was hoping this year would be the year I read 100 books, which is the ultimate goal, but it's been so slow every single month. I don't think I was ever ahead of my goal. That's just plain sad. I'm looking forward to November simply because there are a lot more breaks from school so I may have some more time to squeeze reading in. At this point I cannot make any promises to myself. How has your reading month gone? Better than mine, I hope. If you read any of the books I read this month, let me know what you thought of them in the comments below! And if you've got any recommendations for books that are quick and easy to read, those would be a great help. I have two months to read 23 books to complete my goal (28 if I want to reach 100 books). Here we go.

Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette