October 2019 Wrap Up!

Oh fall – how I missed you! I know i’m not the only one that gets the push to read more in the fall and winter months. Spring and summer are always so busy! Kids are off school and there’s a million activities on a weekly basis. But when the weather gets cooler and the leaves start to turn, I look forward to my couch, a blanket, my dog, and a book! Even though I took almost 2 weeks off due to the brother in law’s wedding and then a trip to Las Vegas, I still managed to read 8 books this month! I thought I was pushing it with my hopes to read just 3….. I’m quite proud of myself! Let’s see what I read in October:

TRAPEZE by Leigh Ansell – 3.5 stars <—– click for full review
Even though this didn’t turn out to be what I expected, this was still a really good book! I wanted more circus but it ended up being more teenage drama. Regardless, it was well written and had quite the emotional punch! I can definitely see why she got so much attention on Wattpad!

NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo – 4.5 stars <—– click for full review
I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again – Leigh Bardugo was made for adult writing!!! This book shined in a way that none of hers has – at least not to me anyway. Yes, I loved the Six of Crows duology, but the characters seemed to me like they were in their 30’s opposed to their teens. I loved how dark this was, the paranormal elements, the mystery, the secret societies, the main character…… I loved it all!

ALL THE MISSING GIRLS by Megan Miranda – 3.5 stars <—– click for full review
It’s rare for me to be impressed by a murder mystery novel but here we are! It wasn’t the perfect mystery novel for me – I didn’t like the story being told in reverse and the ending was underwhelming for me. But still, the twists and turns caught me off guard and I was really really intrigued with the story! I will look for more from this author!

THE FOUNTAINS OF SILENCE by Ruta Sepetys – 5 stars <—– click for full review
SOOOOOO GOOD! I mean, perfectly good! I’ve read all of her books now and I still have yet to be disappointed. This was a time period and country that i’m unfamiliar with so that alone made this interesting. It prompted me to spend hours on my computer doing research on this subject. But her characters in this book were so vivid! I still can’t be convinced that they’re not real! This was heartbreaking yet full of hope.

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (Illustrated Edition) – 5 stars
What a great way to take in this book! I still can’t believe that they compressed this story into this book. The original UK edition that I own is over 600 pages! It obviously had less illustrations than previous books due to its length, but each and ever illustration was magical! Ha! See what I did there…… yup, I’m a nerd.

COME TUMBLING DOWN by Seanan McGuire – 4.5 stars
WOW! I’m not surprised that I loved a Seanan McGuire book. Basically everything she writes is pure gold. But what I AM surprised at is that I actually liked a story that focuses on Jack and Jill! I hated Down Among The Sticks and Bones (book 2) – sorry, not sorry. I didn’t enjoy their points of view, I didn’t enjoy their relationship – I just didn’t like the book. I was REALLY hesitant for this one. Thankfully this one redeemed those characters for me!!! This one was so much more powerful! Their relationship is more twisted than ever and it’s really freaking dark! Sorry folks – you’ll have to wait until closer to the publication date for my review though!

A DUKE BY DEFAULT by Alyssa Cole – 5 stars
This is the second book in the Reluctant Royals series and it was actually my favourite! It was the perfect balance between story, characters, sweet, and smutty, I loved their relationship too. It was so real and both sides were trying so hard to fight their attraction. I can’t recommend this series enough! Review will be posted tomorrow 🙂

GIDEON THE NINTH by Tamsyn Muir – 3.5 stars
I have so many conflicted thoughts about this book! I liked the story and Gideon is one of my all time favourite characters! She was hilarious, held nothing back, and spoke her mind. We’re best friends now……. but there was something about the writing that missed the mark for me. I can’t even really put my finger on it! I ended up switching from reading physically to listening to the audiobook because of my struggles. Listening to it actually helped me process this a little better. I don’t know why but it didn’t feel smooth and I found myself getting confused and distracted. My review will be posted this week – if I can put my thoughts together…..

Those are all the books I read in the month of October! I still can’t believe I managed to read 8 books with everything that was going on! November is a slow month so far so I hope that I can fit in a little more reading time. That 100 book goal for the year might be possible! What was your favourite read this month??

Until next time, happy reading!