I joined #ARCAugust this year. My sign up post can be found HERE. As I figured, I did not make it through my TBR, but I did read and review (or have reviews scheduled) 9 arcs in August.
These are not in the order in which I read them, but all were finished in August.
It’s September (and my birthday month)! August went by really fast. I was a bit busier than normal on the weekends, but I was still able to read quite a bit. Especially when I think of how slow I was with two of the books I read. I liked everything, but there were definitely some standouts.
Truly Devious 4 1/2 stars
The Vanishing Stair 4 1/2 stars
Gideon the Ninth (digital arc) 4 stars
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Gideon the Ninth is the most fun you’ll ever have with a skeleton.
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.
Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as necromantic skeletons. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.
Of course, some things are better left dead.
Continue reading “Review of Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (digital arc)”
I’m pretty happy with how many ARCs I managed to finish in August. Especially since I also did the Make Me Read It Readathon and none of those were ARCs. I managed to finish 9 books and started a 10th.
Here is what I managed to read.
The Hollow Girl by Hillary Monahan I gave this book 4 1/2 stars. I loved the blood magic and the Romani culture.
The Mask of Shadows by Linsy Miller I gave this book 4 stars. I loved the action and gender fluid character, but was confused a bit by all the people, times, and setting. The second half of the book was easily 5 stars though.
The Third Kiss by Kat Colmer I also gave this book 4 stars. I loved the curse and demons.
Summary from Goodreads:
Working with her best friend’s brother at Betty’s Burgers, free-spirited Delia starts to see Jack in a new light. Not only has Jack-the-Jerk turned into a hottie, he’s even acting like a nice guy, who rescues dogs and knows how she likes her coffee. But if Jack is into her, then why is he keeping her a secret? Of course, if her best friend doesn’t approve, Delia could lose the only family she’s ever known.
Seeing Delia in her retro waitress uniform throws Jack’s world out of whack. She’s always been just another pain in the butt little sister…not a datable female. But she’s rockin’ the Pie Princess tiara, and even her hot-pink striped hair is sexy. What’s that about? He needs to get his head on straight, because artsy, funky Delia and her nonconformist ways don’t fit in his safe and ordered world.
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains kisses that make the world fall away and snarky humor that may cause you to LOL in public places.
My thoughts:
Most books from Entangled Teen (Crush) are cute reads and this was no exception. They’re fun and easy to read. A perfect choice for me to read between fantasies or more serious books.
Delia is a bit annoying at times, but I love that she’s cool with standing out. She has pink streaks in her hair and does weird things with make-up. She’s artsy and isn’t really afraid to be herself. I loved that about her. Her family life isn’t great, but she makes the best out of it.
Jack is kind of an ass. But he did lose his dad and grandpa in an accident and only has girls left in his family. He seemed a bit afraid to live life at times. But he’s a dog lover and that made him much better to me. He’s also close to his friend, Trevor, and that made him more likable.
I actually liked the other characters and would have loved to read more about them. Aiden could be a pain and was a bit boring, but I liked him more once we knew his secret.
I was kind of pleasantly surprised to find that this book took place in Illinois. Not only that, but Canton, IL. My daughter moved to Pekin last year and I’m pretty sure her boyfriend’s mom lives in Canton. I’ve never been there, but it was cool to have that connection when reading.
I liked Jack and Delia together, but not as much as I hoped. I do think they bring out good things in each other and I really liked the ending. I especially loved the dog stories throughout the book.
Overall, this was a 3 1/2+ star book for me (rounded it up to 4 stars). I received a copy of this book from Entangled Teen through Netgalley for review.
Boomerang Boyfriend is set to be released September 11, 2017.
You can add it to Goodreads here.
Summary from Goodreads:
Before
Mira Minkoba is the Hopebearer. Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.
But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.
After
Then Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.
No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse.
Continue reading “Review of Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows (digital arc)”
Summary from Goodreads:
A simple but forgotten truth: Where harbingers of death appear, the morgues will soon be full.
Angie Dovage can tell there’s more to Reece Fernandez than just the tall, brooding athlete who has her classmates swooning, but she can’t imagine his presence signals a tragedy that will devastate her small town. When something supernatural tries to attack her, Angie is thrown into a battle between good and evil she never saw coming. Right in the center of it is Reece—and he’s not human.
What’s more, she knows something most don’t. That the secrets her town holds could kill them all. But that’s only half as dangerous as falling in love with a harbinger of death.
My thoughts:
What a fun, exciting read! Angie had a rough life when she was growing up. Her drug addicted mom took off with her. Shortly after her dad found her again, her mom died from an overdose. She moved in with her dad in a small Pennsylvania town. While she had a couple amazing friends, Deno and Lacey, she was sort of an outcast. Angie was a band geek, but on the weekends, she transformed herself into a popular DJ. I actually loved the story of her music and how it made her feel like she was better than what the bratty high school girls thought of her.
Angie’s new neighbor, Reece, is attractive, but strange. Angie sees something odd with him and there seem to be crows everywhere since his family moved in. It doesn’t take long for Reece to come clean with her and explain that he’s a harbinger of death and that there are also beekeepers around. Her town is going to have a major tragedy and they are all there for it. Reece and Angie start to fall in love, but he’s cursed and will need to move on after the deaths. But the beekeeper thinks he can make Reece take his curse and figures a way to use Angie to do it.
The pacing of this book was great. I sat down to read for thirty minutes tonight and ended up reading for an hour and a half to finish. I just couldn’t put it down. I found the myths of the harbingers and beekeepers so interesting. Lacey and Deno were favorites. I also really love Angie’s dad and their relationship. I will admit to freaking out hoping that her dog would be safe, too. What can I say? I’m obsessed with happy endings for pets.
I can’t really get into too much more without giving away important parts of the book. I just hope everyone goes out and gives this one a chance. Black Bird of the Gallows is set to be published September 5th 2017 by Entangled Teen. I definitely plan on buying this one.
Thank you to the author, Entangled Teen, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book. I gave this five stars.
I also posted an excerpt from the book here.
You can purchase Black Bird of the Gallows from any of these stores (and more):
Summary from Goodreads:
Theo’s always been impulsive. But telling Paige how he feels? He’s obsessed over that decision. And it’s time. Tonight. At the party on the riverbank, under the old walking bridge, site of so many tales of love and death.
Paige has had a crush on Theo since they first met, but she knows her feelings are one-sided. She’s trying to move on, to flirt. A party at the river is just what she needs. Except a fight breaks out, and when Paige tries to intervene–Theo’s fist lands in her face.
All Theo and Paige want to do is forget that fateful night. But strange events keep drawing them back to the bridge. Someone, something is determined to make them remember…and pay for what they each did.
My thoughts:
We All Fall down was pretty hard to put down at times. It was a strange story, but I just kept wanting to read. The story is told by two people, Paige and Theo. Both of them are pretty flawed and the book deals with a lot of mental health issues. Paige had been in love with her best friend, Theo, for awhile, but he never seemed interested. One night, they are heading to a party and Theo decides to tell Paige he loves her. But Paige is at the party to see another boy. Theo gets drunk, starts to fight with the boy, and hits Paige instead. Paige loses teeth and has a small fracture in her jaw.
Time goes by and neither of them speak. Paige goes to a summer program for science and Theo works with his uncle. They are both right by the haunted bridge from that night. Theo has to work on it and starts hearing voices. That night keeps replaying over and over. Paige starts receiving items she lost that night. They run into each other and everything gets intense.
Paige is struggling with paranoia, anxiety, and sleepwalking. She’s struggling to keep it together. Theo meets a young kid, Gabriel, who starts studying to find out the history of the bridge and its ghosts.
Paige and Theo both still love each other, but they have to decide if their relationship can be healed and if it’s worth fighting for.
“We brought out the worst in each other before. Enabled all the wrong behaviors.”
They need to relive that night and see if they can move past it. Both need help that the meds they are on aren’t fixing.
“When are we ever ready to let go? The past feels safe. Sometimes you have to push past safe to get to healthy.”
I really enjoyed this book. There were parts that annoyed me a bit, but overall, it was really good. I gave this 4 stars.
We All Fall Down will be released October 3rd 2017 by Sourcebooks Fire. I received a digital copy for review from Edelweiss+.
I just saw this post from YA and Wine hosted by Read Sleep Repeat and thought I would join as soon as my #MakeMeRead readathon is over.
As always here are the rules:
I will have to add to this list as I get some more arcs approved (hopefully this week).
The first one I plan to read is a digital copy of The Hollow Girl by Hillary Monahan.
I am waiting on approval for some books and once they are approved, I’ll edit this and add them here. If I don’t get approved for new ones, I’ll add a couple older arcs that I haven’t gotten around to yet.
7/31 Update: Just got approved for Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller, so I’m adding that to my list.
8/3 Got this one approved from Negalley today, so adding it to my list.
8/8 Got a few more arcs, so I’m adding them here.
8/8 Another book to add.
Confessions of a YA Reader 