November Wrap Up

I am very happy with my reading selections this month as they were all books that I was highly anticipating and I pretty much loved them all! It was a nice mix of thriller, fantasy and a bit of sci-fi as well so a successful reading month for me.

In November I completed:

One by One by Ruth Ware – ⭐️4/5 stars

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin – ⭐️4/5 stars

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin – ⭐️4/5 stars

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff – ⭐️5/5 stars

Aurora’s End by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman – ⭐️3/5 stars

Series DNF Update

So I wanted to do an updated post about some series that I have started but have no intention of finishing any time soon. These are not series that I hate and will not be reading ever, these are more like I started the first book a while ago and never continued and now have forgotten everything and will need to reread to be caught up. And there are just so many more books I want to read that are piquing my interest right now that I am going to put these books to rest for now, not mention them in any more TBR’s and not feel guilty for not completing them!

Seriess I’m DNFing are:

Camelot Rising Series

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Book of Ice Series

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Blood Heir Trilogy

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Legacy of Orisha Series

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The Raven and Dove Series

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2021 New Releases I wish I had read

I have to be honest with myself and given the amount of books I have been reading lately there just isn’t going to be enough time for me to finish all the books I want to! So some I am just going to have to put on the backburner for now and hopefully pick them up in 2022!

5 New Releases I Wish I read this year:

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

All’s Well by Mona Awad

All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne. A Brown

Goodreads Choice Awards 2021

Since I haven’t been reading as much as I have wanted to this year the YA Fantasy/Sci Fi category is the only category where I’ve actually already completed more than one of the nominees. I have no intention of actually finishing all of the other 15 books in this category before the deadline but I think I will try to read all of the books over the coming year and then do my own award before the 2022 round!

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Empire of the Vampire Review

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Twenty-seven years have passed since the last sunrise, and for almost three decades, the creatures of the night have walked the day without fear. Once, humanity fought bravely against the coldblood legions, but now, we exist only in a few scattered settlements—tiny sparks of light in a growing sea of darkness. Gabriel de León is the last of the Silversaints, a holy order dedicated to defending realm and church, now utterly destroyed. Imprisoned for the murder of the vampiric king, Gabriel is charged with telling the story of his life.

So first of all I loved the format of the story. Gabe being forced to tell his life story and we see how all of the actions and decisions he has made in his life has led him to this moment and it makes me excited to see what has happened and how he has ended up here. I also low key like to be spoiled when I’m reading epic fantasy so knowing that Gabe isn’t going to die is reassuring but also the fact that everyone around him could potentially is engaging!

As a character I find Gabe to be quite complex. We see over the various timelines that he evolves and changes quite significantly but in a way that shows growth for sure. He maintains a quite arrogant, unlikable attitude that honestly appeals to me, I know a lot of people probably would hate him but I’m here for it!

I am very must invested in the dual timelines. Each were at such pivotal moments in Gabe’s life that there wasn’t one over the other that I preferred which is usually what happens. I was both equally invested and eager to find out what was going to happen to all of the characters in each period.

The world building was pretty epic and descriptive and the scale is definitely shown through the amount of time it takes the characters to traverse the country throughout the course of the storyline. The magic system surrounding the vampires and their hierarchy is fascinating and unlike anything I’ve read before. The whole history of the Silversaints and how they control their urges and the seductive nature of smoking and how debilitating it can be when they go without was a unique twist and I certainly can’t wait to see what is going to happen next.

⭐️5/5 stars Gabe is everything I needed!