Hello everyone! I’m currently on break from school and work for a week and a half and it is amazing. It feels great to be able to take some time to myself without having anything to do or stress over. I also got to catch up with some reading these last few days which I’m happy about! Next month is May which is super exciting because of both my birthday and BookCon at the end of the month (okay, technically June but it’s a birthday trip so it counts). Is anyone else planning to go to BookExpo/BookCon? It’s my second time going and I cannot wait!

ROMANOV: This started out really good – the author did a great job setting the book up and building the tension of what was to come. Unfortunately, the story started going downhill towards the end. The last quarter of the book was extremely rushed; there was too much going on at once and it was hard to follow. More than once I found myself having to reread chunks of text because I was confused.  ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.  ★★★

WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS: I absolutely love Anna-Marie McLemore and this has been on my TBR for a long time, so I was really happy when I saw that it was the book of the month for the Dragons & Tea Book Club! Like all of her other books, this was extremely creative and I loved all the magical realism. It wasn’t my favorite of hers though; the writing (which I usually adore) was a little too dense for my liking.  ★★★½

DEFY THE FATES: This was such a stunning conlcusion to an amazing series! I really loved these books so much and I highly, highly recommend them to anyone who loves sci-fi! They’re action-packed, fast-paced, full of romance and plot twists and space travel fun!  ★★★★½

DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE: This book might be low on the action, but it’s high on the suspense and political intrigue. I actually really enjoyed the slower paced story and how the focus was instead on the intricacies of the murder mystery and the inner court machinations. Hesina was a character that I greatly enjoyed following as she attempted to navigate her struggles between her personal wants/beliefs and what she needed to portray in order to gain the support and find justice for her father’s murder. My biggest disappointment was finding out that there will be no sequel, but rather a companion novel because I felt that Hesina’s story was left totally unfinished.  [review]  ★★★★

IF I’M BEING HONEST: The premise of the story draws inspiration from The Taming of the Shrew, in which our protagonist Cameron attempts to “tame” herself in order to win back the affections of her crush. I absolutely loved Cameron’s character growth and self-discovery throughout the novel. It was not a smooth ride and she had a few moments of regression, but the way it was written was so honest and real. The book highlights the fact that no one is perfect, and that we should surround ourselves with people who love us despite our flaws, and more importantly learn to love ourselves because of them.  [review]  ★★★★★

DARK SHORES: I was expecting an action-packed high-seas adventure, but instead I struggled to get through this. Nothing happens for almost 80% of the book. I also did not feel a connection with either of the protagonists, so it made it really difficult to care about their journeys or struggles. I really, really wanted to like this because I love Danielle L. Jensen’s Malediction trilogy, but it honestly just fell flat.  ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.  [review]  ★★½

AURORA RISING: I’m loving all the great sci-fi/space books coming out recently in the YA genre, and this was no exception. From the beginning, this book was full of nonstop action and it was very easy to get lost in the pages. Amie and Jay did such a great job with the writing (no surprise) and they’ve created a really fun, interesting cast of characters to follow along with.  ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.  [review]  ★★★★½

OTHER

The ABC Book Challenge – F | #ARCstravaganza: Aurora Rising | WWW Wednesday #19 | Blog Tour + Giveaway: King of Fools | #ARCstravaganza: The Dragon Republic