Books Via Ashley

This was a BUSY month, lots of work and other things going on! This month was quite varied with my reading. I read some AMAZING books, and some that were meh. Also read a few long books (600+ pages), but that was interspersed with some quick reads (~300 pages) A Court of Mist and Fury - Sarah J. Maas [reread] (4.5 stars) The Wicked Deep - Shea Ernshaw (4 stars) Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins (3 stars) The Sun and Her Flowers - Rupi Kaur (4 stars) Daughter of the Siren Queen - Tricia Levenseller (3 stars) Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda  - Becky Albertalli (4.5 stars) A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness (2.5 stars) One Of Us Is Lying - Karen M. McManus (4.5 stars) Obsidio - Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (5 stars) Okay, first off, Obsidio was AMAZING. It's the third in the Illuminae trilogy and holy cow... So many feels. I was on the edge of my seat while reading. Up until 3 am. The whole she-bang. I would HIGHLY recommend t...

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness Synopsis (from Goodreads) A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together. Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell. Review First of all, this book would have benefited from being AT LEAST 200 pages shorter. There was just so much... stuff in the middle that really didn't contribute to anything. I felt like I ...

The Rogue Queen by Emily R. King *I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* WARNING: Spoilers for The Hundredth Queen  and The Fire Queen ! Synopsis (from Goodreads) Despite the odds, Kalinda has survived it all: Marriage to a tyrant. Tournaments to the death. The forbidden power to rule fire. The icy touch of a demon. . . . Kalinda soon realizes that the demon has tainted her with a cold poison, rendering her fire uncontrollable. But the lack of control may be just what she needs to send the demon back to the darkest depths of the Void. To take back the empire, Kalinda will ally with those she distrusts—and risk losing those most loyal to her—to defeat the demon and bring peace to a divided nation. Review This book picks up right where the second book ends. For me, it was a little slow in the beginning and made it hard for me to get back into the world, but once that action got going I was drawn in. These books have ro...

The Queen's Rising by Rebecca Ross Synopsis (from Goodreads) When her seventeenth summer solstice arrives, Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron. . . . However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true—the solstice does not go according to plan and she is left without a patron. Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, and with no other choices, she accepts. But there is much more to his story, and Brienna soon discovers that he has sought her out for his own vengeful gain. For there is a dangerous plot being planned to overthrow the king of Maevana—the archrival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved—some closer to Brienna than she realizes. Review Just a lovely, beautiful book. I really enjoyed reading it. It just kept growing and unfolding into a bi...

Well my book slump certainly ended... I also read a lot of shorter books this month. This month felt like it went by so fast, but also looking back it seems like the beginning of the month was so long ago! What is this weird time warp?! Anyway, I read 11 books this month! Sourdough - Robin Sloan (4 stars) The Hazel Wood - Melissa Albert (4 stars) Robots vs Fairies - Dominik Parisien [editor] (4 stars) Percy Jackson's Greek Gods - Rick Riordan (3 stars) The Demigod Files - Rick Riordan (3 stars) The Demigod Diaries - Rick Riordan (3 stars) the princess saves herself in this one - Amanda Lovelace (4.5 stars) The Radical Element - Jessica Spotswood [editor] (4 stars) The Queen's Rising - Rebecca Ross (4.5 stars) Women & Power - Mary Beard (4.5 stars) A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas [reread] (4.5 stars) I was still on a slight Rick Riordan kick this month. There's just so much out there to read! And I liked reading some of the l...