This month I’m picking books that are just right at the top of my TBR at the moment and also a couple I just really need to buckle down and read. I am sending positive vibes out to the universe that I can hopefully complete all of these and maybe a couple more!
Gallant by V.E. Schwab
Jade City by Fonda Lee
All’s Well by Mona Awad
Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is books that you have never mentioned on your blog. I’m pretty sure I have mentioned all of these books at some time or another over the last 4 years I’ve been blogging but not in recent memory from what I can recall so I figured I would give them another time to shine!
Shades of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Warcross by Marie Lu
The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
I am really proud with what I was able to complete this month! Definitely the most amount of books in a February for a few years now so I am really happy with that. I also read a variety of different genres which kept things interesting and fun for me. Was a good reading month overall for sure!
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca – ⭐️4/5 stars
Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody – ⭐️3/5 stars
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins – ⭐️4/5 stars
My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones – ⭐️2/5 stars
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica – ⭐️3/5 stars
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry – ⭐️3/5 stars
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham – ⭐️3/5 stars
Set in the coastal town of Danvers, Massachusetts (which in 1692 was Salem Village, site of the origins of the Salem Witch Trials), the story follows the Danvers High field hockey team as they discover that the dark impulses of their Salem forebears may be the key to a winning season.
The opening to this book was a little chaotic. I didn’t know what was happening at first and who was narrating. It wasn’t until after the camp and they go back to Danvers was I able to understand what was going on. We’re just kind of thrown into the story with all of these different characters and personalities it was a little hard to differentiate between them all at first.
The concept was something I found to be super intriguing, but the way the connection between them all is created was a touch on the ridiculous side. But it’s the fact that these girls believe wholeheartedly in this ‘witchcraft’ kind of made the story for me. Emilio being the overseer that these girls need to appease and power up to beat their opponents and get to state was just so over the top and kept me invested.
I really enjoyed the fact that even though the story is told as a collective ‘we’ because these girls have this bond we still get more of a background on all of them and we get to know each of them as an individual and their motivations behind signing the notebook. Even though they all have this overarching goal of being state champions they have their own issues they are working through.
I appreciated the amount of field hockey we got to see throughout the course of the book. It was a good balance of being on the field as well as in school and socially out in Danvers. Honestly I would of been happier if we got too see more of the games with more of an in depth commentary of their structure as a team but there was definitely enough.
The fact that le splotch and the Claw were active characters and had a major input in the dialogue between the team just tipped this book over the edge. It added just that layer of campiness that the 80’s was well known for and added some humour into the mix that made me think that Quan Barry didn’t want us to take the book too seriously and just enjoy this journey of self discovery and and adolescent hijinks!
⭐️3/5 stars I appreciated what this book did!
Sooo I said I was going to be rereading the Stormlight Archives so I can finally get to Rhythm of War but I feel like I’m not really in any kind of rush to read it until the 5th book comes out as that will be the finale of the current storyline I believe. So once that books release is announced then I will start my reread. But for right now I kind of want to dive back into the Grishaverse. I haven’t read Rule of Wolves yet simply because I’m had a hard enough time remembering all of the characters for King of Scars and it’s been nearly two years so I have no chance right now. So I want to start with the original Shadow and Bony trilogy and I will just continue on from there until I get to Rule of Wolves and be refreshed and back up to date! I also haven’t watched the TV show yet so I think that will be a nice treat at the end of my reread.
Amy Leigh Reads 