Books Via Ashley

Well, this month I read a lot  of books. I thought working again would slow down my reading, but it doesn't seem that way! I read some incredible books this month. When Breath Becomes Air was heartbreaking and fantastic and I highly  recommend it to everyone (it's not very long). Daring Greatly  was this month's Book Club pick and it was amazing in so many ways. And A Conjuring of Light , the third and final installment to the Shades of Magic series, was everything I had hoped for and more. SO MANY FEELS! I finished it a few days ago and I'm still thinking about it. It was perfect. 1) Empire of Storms - Sarah J. Maas (4.5 stars) 2) The Assassin's Blade - Sarah J. Maas (4 stars) 3) Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon (3.5 stars) 4) Carve The Mark - Veronica Roth (4 stars) 5) Caraval - Stephanie Garber (3 stars) 6) When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi (5 stars) 7) After the Crown - K. B. Wagers (4.5 stars) 8) A Gathering of Shadows - V. E. Schw...

I just got two new books in the mail that I'm SUPER excited about. And look how pretty they are! I like that their color schemes complement each other with the hints of pink and purple. Traitor to the Throne is the sequel to Rebel of the Sands, which I read last year and was one of my Top Books of 2016. Empress of a Thousand Skies is a highly anticipated new YA sci-fi book, AND it's the Books Via Ashley Book Club pick for March 2017! Because I moved around so much the last few years, and especially once I got a Kindle, I haven't really bought hard copies of books. Now that we're settled in to our apartment, I will slowly be adding to my collection again. As much as I love my Kindle, there's something about holding a book in your hand, the smell of paper and ink, that is so magical. I'm very excited to read these books! Save Save

Behind The Throne  - K. B. Wagers Synopsis ( From Goodreads ) "Quick, sarcastic, and lethal, Hailimi Bristol doesn't suffer fools gladly. She has made a name for herself in the galaxy for everything except what she was born to do: rule the Indranan Empire. That is, until two Trackers drag her back to her home planet to take her rightful place as the only remaining heir. But trading her ship for a palace has more dangers than Hail could have anticipated. Caught in a web of plots and assassination attempts, Hail can't do the one thing she did twenty years ago: run away. She'll have to figure out who murdered her sisters if she wants to survive." Review What. A. Book. As an avid Star Wars and Science Fiction lover, I was enthralled from page one. The plot is a tense political drama--someone wants to overthrow the Empire and they have to find out who before they get killed. To be honest, it's a simple plot, but it was very well paced and definitely ...

Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon Synopsis Madeline has a rare disease that makes her allergic to the world. She's never left her house, where she lives with her mother and spends her days reading. One day, a new boy moves in next door, they begin texting, and soon Madeline is realizing her bubble world doesn't contain everything she wanted. Review This book is along the same lines as The Fault In Our Stars , in terms of teens with illness finding love, but it's much more lighthearted. The main character, Madeline, is smart and cute, especially in her awkwardness of getting to know Olly (the boy next door). Olly starts off a bit as a manic pixie dream boy , but as the book develops we get some more depth to him too and he becomes a well-rounded character. I thought the romance was cute, even with it being a bit of an insta-romance (she's basically in love with him from when she first sees him). But the whole process of their relationship is really cha...

Carve The Mark - Veronica Roth Synopsis ( From Goodreads ) "Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power — something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows. Akos is the son of a farmer and an oracle from the frozen nation-planet of Thuvhe. Protected by his unusual currentgift, Akos is generous in spirit, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive — no matter what the cost. Then Akos is thrust into Cyra's world, and the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. Will they help each other to survive, or will they destroy one another?" Review Good new sci-fi. I didn't really know what to expect from the premise, but t...

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Synposis Cora is a third-generation slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. One day, a fellow slave, Caeser, approaches her about running away. They do so by using the Underground Railroad, which in this story is quite literal. With a slave catcher on their tail, Cora is forced to flee again and again in her pursuit for freedom. Review This book won some awards and was included on several "Best of 2016" lists. The story itself kept me engaged. The author never promised a happy ending for anyone, so I was constantly on my toes, wondering whether the characters would live or die. That being said, I wish a few more characters had somehow miraculously survived, but I guess that would undermine the effect the author was trying to create. The Underground Railroad being a literal thing was a good premise to start with, though the author never goes into the logistics of it... Like how no one hears a train engine going undergr...

In January I read 6 books, which is keeping with the pace I need in order to read 80 books this year. 1) The Reader - Traci Chee (3 stars) 2) Wayfarer - Alexandra Bracken (3.5 stars) 3) Windwitch - Susan Dennard (3.5 stars) 4) The Underground Railroad  - Colson Whitehead (3 stars) 5) Behind the Throne  - K. B. Wagers (5 stars) 6) Queen of Shadows  - Sarah J. Maas (4 stars) I say that's a pretty good start to 2017! I recently started a new job, so posts have slowed while I rediscover the work/life balance, but overall I really enjoyed the books I read this month and would recommend them all (especially Behind the Throne !!! Gahh!!! Review coming soon!). My TBR pile for February is a mile long, but I'm especially excited for A Conjuring of Light,  the conclusion to the Shades of Magic  series by V. E. Schwab. I've also got the February Book Club pick, Daring Greatly  by Brené Brown, and I'll finally finish up Empire of Storms , the latest b...