January Wrap Up

WOW! What a way to start the year! This month will probably go down in history as being the most productive reading month I’ve ever had….. I managed to finish 12 books! TWELVE! It’s been a while since I’ve had a double digit reading month so this felt amazing. I had 9 books on my January TBR and I actually finished 6 of those. I’m not usually good with reading the books I set out on a TBR but I read more than half so I consider that a success. But I did read 3 more books than the 9 that I intended to read which was the biggest surprise. The list is long so I’m jumping right in.

EXIT WEST by Mohisn Hamid <—– (click for full review) 4.5 stars
This was a book that i’ve been considering for a very long time but was hesitant to take the plunge. It deals with a lot of social conflict, war, violence, adjusting, and immigration – all of which are current to todays society. It’s a very short book and I wondered how a book this small would express the emotional impact that comes along with these issues. But it sure packs a punch and was worth the read!

UNEARTHED by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner <—– (click for full review) 3.5 stars
I’ve read a few books by these authors and loved them. They have similar writing styles and it was a science fiction dealing with aliens, scavenging, research, science, and ancient temples. Everything about it was so interesting and enticing! But sadly it fell a little flat. I had some issues connecting with the characters and building the world in my mind. It was a good book and I intend to continue with the series, but there were a few problems that I had with it.

NIGHT OF CAKE AND PUPPETS by Laini Taylor <—– (click for full review) 5 stars
SOOOOO GOOD! This was hands down the most adorable thing I’ve ever read. For some reason I attach myself to quirky weird side characters and Zusana is the queen of side characters! She’s feisty, bad ass, quirky and fun. Even though this basically follows her falling for her boyfriend as it’s the beginning of their relationship, she stays true to the person I fell in love with in the Daughter Of Smoke And Bone trilogy. It was so good I read it in about an hour 🙂

WINTERSONG by S. Jae-Jones <—– (click for full review) 5 stars
I fell for this book and I fell for it HARD! It’s rare for me to be so emotionally invested in a fantasy book. But while I was reading this I could feel all of my feelings and emotions tied to every word. I lost all sense of time, cried, gripped the book like it was my life line, and more. I was so invested in this it was all I could think about!!!

SHADOWSONG by S. Jae-Jones <—– (click for full review) 3 stars
Immediately after finishing Wintersong, I started the sequel. I needed more of the people and places that I loved so much. And sadly, this one didn’t seem to have the same atmosphere. It was missing all of the things that I loved SO much about book one. It was set in a different place, missed a few of the characters, and went in a totally different direction. Sadly, I missed the mark with an emotional connection with this one and I didn’t end up liking it as much as the first one.

WE ARE THE ANTS by Shaun David Hutchinson <—– (click for full review) 4 stars

I went into this one with pretty low expectations. The reviews for it were really positive but it sounded a little weird. A boy is abducted by aliens and given the choice to save the world or not. But the book itself is so much more than the synopsis! It was emotional, impactful, and beautiful. It’s not an easy read as far as subject matter goes. In fact, it’s quite difficult and triggering. There’s suicide, abuse, bullying, rape, teen pregnancy, and more. But it was the message that follows all of this and dealing with all of these issues that was so beautiful. I can’t wait to get to more from this author!

THE HAZEL WOOD by Melissa Albert <—–(click for full review) 4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this one! But let’s all just take a second and look at that beautiful cover! I mean it’s gorgeous! The gold and silver shine and, as you read along, the little things drawn on the cover begin to make sense and form the story. I loved the combination of the real world and the magical. It’s very difficult for me to enjoy magical realism (which is what the first part of this book is like) and I thought it was SO well done! And these fairy tales were DARK AS HELL! If I would have read these as a child then I would have been scarred for life! I can’t wait for this series to continue!!

WAKING GODS by Sylvain Neuvel <—– (click for full review) 5 stars
Holy Crap! This is one of the best sequels I’ve ever encountered! I enjoyed the first book but the second one was on a whole other level. There was science, politics, action, war, attacks, deaths, and SO much more! This book had it all! There was never a time where I was bored and it caught me off guard by its brutality sometimes. I listened to the audiobook for this and it was my first experience with a full cast narration……. this audio book deserves all the awards! It was FANTASTIC!

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED by Gregory Scott Katsoulis <—– (click for full review) 2 stars
Sadly, the month ended on a somewhat sour note as I just couldn’t connect with this one. The premise and plot is one of the most unique that I’ve ever heard of in YA fiction, but there were so many unanswered questions that I just couldn’t get past. The world wasn’t developed enough for me to feel as though I had a grasp on the world or the situation as a whole which left me feeling a little lost and underwhelmed. I actually predicted that this would be a 5 star read so this is a little sad. Unfortunately I won’t be continuing with the series.

Lastly, I’m currently in the middle of a series reread for Saga as I prepare myself for the newest release of volume 8. I didn’t do reviews for these as they’re a reread, but I have to say that I actually enjoy this series more the second time around! This is a brutal and really graphic series, but such a good story at its core. I will hopefully finish the rest of these in February and be all caught up

That was the month of January! It was a crazy month but I’m really enjoying the desire to read! I hope that I can manage to continue this way for the whole year. My goal is to read 100 books this month so if I’m going to manage that then it needs to! LOL!! I hope you all had a fantastic month 🙂 What was your favourite read in January? If I had to choose a favourite it would have to be Waking Gods, followed closely by Wintersong.

Until next time, happy reading!