Books I Read in October

In October, I read 12 novels, a graphic novel, a comic and a novella. In total, I read 15 works, even though it really doesn't feel like I read a whole lot. One of the books was for school (Women Without Men) and I won't get into it below, because I already had to write about it. Like last month, there were a lot of new releases that came out, and I was excited to get to those. So here are the books I read and some of my thoughts on them...

The Dire King by William Ritter - This is the final series of the Jackaby series. This was a really satisfying ending to the series. Overall this series is a fun read; it's a cool blend of mystery and monsters, and it's got a great female protagonist.

Hunted by Meagan Spooner - This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, with elements of Russian fairy tales. I was surprised by how much I loved this book, I thought it would draw a lot of similarities between A Court of Thorns and Roses, but that was not the case. I absolutely loved the elements of the Firebird and how they were weaved so well into the narrative. I'm a huge fan of slow burn stories, and this was a highly addictive read.

Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo and illustrated by Sara Kipin - This is a series of fairy tales set in Bardugo's Grisha Verse. This is honestly my favorite work that Bardugo has published, I would rank it higher than Crooked Kingdom. Each story is so unique and captivating. The stories are accompanied by a series of drawings that evolve like flipbooks with the story, and the whole presentation is perfect. I highly recommend reading this, if you're a Grisha fan because you won't be disappointed.

Ringer by Lauren Oliver - This is the second book in the Replica duology. This series follows two girls, Lyra and Gemma, who's stories can be read individually or together in alternating chapters. Like the first book, I read this in alternating chapters. I enjoyed this a lot more than the first book. In this book, Lyra and Gemma's stories are more separated than in the first, and so the story felt less repetitive. I really enjoyed the direction that this book went in and how the series wrapped up.

Skin&Earth (Issue 4) by Lights - This is the fourth issue in Light's comic series, that ties into her album of the same name. I've mentioned lately how obsessed I am with both the comic and album. I love this comic series so much, because the story and the music are interwoven so well, but are also amazing on their own. I absolutely love the direction that this narrative is going in and I was blown away by the ending. I keep listening to the rest of the album, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about potential directions the next issue will take. I'm counting down the days until the next issue, only 6 more!

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green - This is John Green's newest novel, following Aza, a girl with anxiety and OCD, and how she gets caught up in the search for a missing billionaire. I have been anticipating this book since it was announced, but I was also skeptical because I wasn't sure how this book would live up to TFioS's shadow. I absolutely was blown away by this book, Aza's issues felt so relatable and John Green did an amazing job of describing her train of thought. There were so many points in this novel where I related to Aza and I was in tears because of it. I absolutely just love this book, and I loved the writing which is beautiful, it's full of brilliant metaphors in typical John Green fashion.

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King - This story follows Lucky Linderman, who is constantly bullied and as a coping mechanism has dreams that he is rescuing his grandfather, a MIA POW from the Vietnam War. This is one of those books that I have heard a lot of hype over and it's been on my shelves for ages, that I'm finally getting too. I ended up really liking this book, although I did have a few issues with the narration.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy - This book follows Willowdean, an overweight teenager, who enters into the beauty pageant her mother won as a teenager, and now runs. I really enjoyed this book, I listened to the audiobook in less than a day because I didn't want to stop reading it. The only thing that stopped me from absolutely loving this book was the love triangle, which just felt unnecessary. But overall this book is great, and I'm really looking forward to the movie adaptation, that's coming out next year.

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins - This is a mystery/thriller, following a small town high school, that is shaken by a series of murders. I think this book needs a warning label attached to it, there's a lot of gore and description of hazing. It took me almost two weeks to read this book (I usually read books in a couple of days), because of some of the triggers. That being said, I did like this book, I felt that it was something different from what I normally read and it was a good slasher book to read before Halloween. I honestly was surprised with how well the romance elements were weaved in to this story.

Thanks for the Trouble by Tommy Wallach - This book follows Parker, who stopped talking after his dead dies, after he meets Zelda, a girl who claims she's older than she looks. This is another book, that I've had for ages and I really wanted to like this story, but this book just ended up being okay. I found that Zelda's character felt like a plotpoint and her only objective in the story was too heal Parker.

Amid Stars and Darkness by Chani Lynn Feener - This book follows Delaney, after she is mistaken for an alien princess and she has to pose as the missing princess. I randomly bought this book, because although it sounded like it had a ton of common YA troupes, I thought it would be a fun read. I've been having a lot of trouble finding fantasy/sci-fi books to read lately, and this one was a good fit. I ended up loving this book, it's a fast paced read and I breezed through it. I really enjoyed the characters and I found the romance addictive. I honestly can't wait until the second book is released next summer.

Life After Legend by Marie Lu - This is a novella, and is Day's persepctive of the epilogue of Champion, the last book in the Legend trilogy. Legend is one of my favorite all time series and I was so excited to hear that this was being released. Even though this novella is so short, I ended up in tears because of how much closure it adds to the trilogy.

Monstrees, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda - This graphic novel follows Maika, a girl who has an unusually psychic connection to a monster. This graphic novel has been on my radar for over a year now, and after getting into Skin&Earth, I've been in the mood to read more comics/graphic novels. The art in this series is absolutely stunning, and is the best part of the story. Unfortunately the story is really confusing, but I think as the story progresses, it will become clearer. I really like how this story is set in an Asia-inspired dystopian, matriarchal society, and how it deals with race.

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Steifvater - This story follows the Soria family, who's members are able to preform miracles. I really liked this book, the writing is absolutely beautiful and outshines the overall story, which I didn't find as nearly as enticing. I also really enjoyed the diversity of this book, and I think the author really handled the culture well.

And those are all the books that I read in October. I'm honestly amazed with the fact that I'm four books ahead of my Goodreads challenge for the year, and I only have to read 20 more books. Plus there are some new releases out soon, that I'm hoping will help me finish that challenge. - Jessica