Another month, here and gone! I wasn’t able to write as many reviews this month as I would have liked to, due to being very stressed and busy with work and then leaving for vacation at the end of August, so my goal for September is to write twice as many as I usually do!
BOOK REVIEWS
ILLUMINAE: Everyone raves about this book, but for me it was a miss. Although the plot was great and the characters were interesting, the format was a big issue for me. I was disappointed because honestly, it had everything I wanted in a science ficion. If it had been written with a standard format, instead of as an epistolary book, I probably would have loved it. ★★★ [review]
THE BEAUTY OF DARKNESS: The final installment of The Remnant Chronicles, there were things I liked and didn’t like about it. I found most of the book slow, to the point that I skimmed a lot of it, and lacking in action. The ending also seemed pretty rushed to me. I did, however, like the continued character development of both Lia and Rafe, and the romance to be realistic and well-done. ★★★
SILVER IN THE BLOOD: If I could describe this book in one word, it would be silly. There’s an interesting storyline hidden here but I think it needed to be executed better. It took way too long to actually get to the thick of the plot and action. For the first half of the book, I was completely bored. Neither one of the protagonists really stood out to me so it made it a bit hard for me to actually care about what happened in the book. ★★
DARK MATTER: I’m kicking myself for not taking up on the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It was thrilling, suspenseful, unputdownable. The first chapter drew me in and I was hooked until the very last page. I really hope someone opts for the movie rights to this book because I think it could be so good as a movie if done the right way. I was completely blown away by it. ★★★★ [review]
THE FLAME NEVER DIES: Great sequel to The Stars Never Rise. It checked every one of the boxes of things I wanted to happen while still throwing in a few surprises. It was fast-paced, full of action, and the writing continued to be excellent. We learned more about Finn’s backstory and how he came to be which I thought was well executed. I was also very happy with the resolving of Finn’s problem. That’s actually what I had guessed (and hoped) would happen when I was reading the first book! It wasn’t heavy on the romance, but what little romance there was was done perfectly. The open ending was both brilliant and cruel. It’s a satisfactory enough ending but for me it was disappointing because of everything left unresolved. ★★★★
RADIANCE: Once again, a fantastic start to a fantasy series that I wish I had known about sooner. The plot was simple but interesting and the characters were great. This book is more New Adult than Young Adult which I was one hundred percent okay with! The romance was perfect and refreshing. While I’m a pretty big fan of angst in a couple (okay, a HUGE fan, let’s be real) the lack of so in this book was actually really nice. There was enough going on outside of the relationship to cause trouble but their communication and honestly with each other to work through things was a welcomed change. ★★★★
A TORCH AGAINST THE NIGHT: One of my most anticipated releases of the year, it didn’t quite stand up to An Ember in the Ashes, but it was still great nonetheless. The plot was slower and I struggled through a good portion of the middle, but things started to pick up towards the end. I wasn’t too thrilled with Helene’s POV, which was disappointing since I love her character. Elias continues to be the love of my life my favorite character and the slow burn between him and Laia is killing me. I’m so excited to see where the next books are going to take us! ★★★★ [review]
Paws & Paperbacks 