Goodreads Reading Goal

alcemist1Super excited to announce as of yesterday I completed my 2020 Goodreads Reading Goal of 100 books!!! I had the same goal last year and I believe I completed it around late July so I’m running a little behind but I am still super stoked I was able to complete it. It honestly doesn’t feel like I’ve read 100 books this year but due to the current situation in the world I’ve definitely had a lot more time to stay home and read! Last year I ended up completing 172 books so it will be interesting to see what I will end up with at the end of 2020. Hopefully everyone is able to complete their Reading Goals for the year and if you don’t I still hope you read some great books!! 😊

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Aurora Burning Review

*BEWARE OF SPOILERS BELOW*

40516960Aurora Burning continues pretty much straight after Aurora Rising finishes off. Tyler and the rest of Squad 312 are trying to figure out their next move, find out what the weapon is that the Eshvaren left and save the universe.

For me it’s not so much about their main goal, which is to inevitably save the universe but the little adventures they find themselves in on the way. I love seeing our rag tag crew come together and become more comfortable around each other. Figuring out how they each fit in the squad and seeing the bonds they create with each other is wonderful to read.

Grief is definitely explored a lot more in this book, especially as Tyler and Scarlett come to terms with what happened to Cat. Having her reappear later in the plot to torment Tyler and for him to let her go was a touching moment.

I am so happy we get more of an in depth history about Ziva in this book. What happened to her parents and how she was able to save herself. Her perspective was so completely different from the others it was like a breath of fresh air in the plot. She really opened up a lot more in this book and we see her form more of a connection with her squad mates.

Kal is still one of my favourites. I am so glad we also got to find out more about his family and what he has had to endure during his life. Especially with the introduction of his sister and the integral way she is thrust into the storyline. It was a little obvious to me who his father was going to be, kind of predictable and the ensuing argument was frustrating. But his relationship with Aurora is so pure and precious and I can’t help but be enraptured by him.

Aurora, though I am glad she is able to control her power and is able to understand how it works, I think the change in her is too drastic and it kind of pulled me out of the story. Walking straight up to the Starslayer completely sure she was going to succeed was a tad arrogant to me and I wish she wouldn’t have been so quick to write Kal off, they might have been able to come up with a better plan.

Overall there so many shocking twists and turns and moments that broke my heart. Some of the choices the characters make didn’t really sit right with me and I wish they would of went about things differently but it definitely raised the stakes and kept me engaged in the storyline. I am left with soooo many questions still and honestly I can’t wait to find out what is going to happen next!

⭐️4.5/5 stars I am still trying to process my feelings after that ending…. 

Tome Topple Round 12

Thoughts on Tomes on Booktube announced another round of the Tome Topple! I participated in round 11 and really enjoyed myself so I figure why not try and get through a few more of the tomes on my TBR!! To see the announcement and any information about this readathon click HERE! I am going to pick a tome to correspond to each prompt but I’m not going to pressure myself to complete all of these books.

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 The tome that has been on your TBR the longest

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

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The tome you’ve most recently acquired

The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty

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A standalone tome

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell by Susanna Clarke

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Read 1 tome

Aurora Burning by Jay Kristoff

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A tome written by a Black author

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

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Tome from a genre you don’t usually read

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

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The tome on your TBR with the most pages

The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks

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A tome you started during another round of Tome Topple

Heart of Flames by Nicki Pau Preto

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The Honey-Don’t List Review

51086670The Honey-Don’t List revolves around a famous married couple called the Tripp’s and their assistants Carey and James who are trying to keep the fact that their employers are hot messes out of the spotlight, growing closer along the way.

Carey was a little frustrating at times. Melly is absolutely horrible to her for the majority of the book and she can see for herself how manipulative and neurotic she is yet always sticks up for her and puts up with it. Her loyalty is undeserving in my opinion and there really isn’t any interaction between them that supported Carey’s reasonings for her continued efforts. We aren’t really shown how Melly is this supposed mother figure through any actions on her part, which was confusing and again frustrating to see Carey putting up with it for so long. It was gratifying to see her put Melly in her place and finally tell them exactly what she thought of them and how they undervalued her for all these years.

I thought James was a nice contrast to Carey. His perspectives I found to be quite refreshing and illuminating. I was quite sympathetic to his situation and how he has had to rebuild his life after his previous job. I appreciated his honesty and the way he always wanted to communicate his thoughts and feelings to Carey constantly, making sure she was onboard and okay with everything that was happening.

I thought Rusty was hilarious. He was so checked out of the whole ordeal and his constant outbursts in public derailing the whole tour was highly entertaining and kept me engaged in the plot. His candor and no-fcks-given attitude added spark and life to the plot. I appreciate the fact that he was willing to call his wife out on her BS and give Carey the credit she was due.

The whole premise of the story was a little predictable to be completely honest. I found myself anticipating what was going to happen next at every point of the plot. What really drove up my rating was the romance. I love myself a good hate to love romance and seeing Carey and James overcome their previous misconceptions with each other and come together under the most ridiculous of situations was so much fun to read.

⭐️4/5 stars Fast paced, entertaining, cute!