NOVEMBER READS

How many books did you read this month? I have set up a record for myself this mont - 12 books is just crazy!

First of all, I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! Second of all the characters and their backstories were exciting and I wanted to know more about them. Even the side characters who appeared for just a few pages had depth to them. Every character felt real, a person with fears, dreams and hopes. Third of all, the story itself was thrilling and I couldn't put the book down. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Such a good ending to a very complicated and interesting story. I think the time travel element in this series was well executed and all of the event along the timeline fit well together in the end. However I think I would have to read the series again (now that I know how it ends and who is who in what time period) to fully understand all the details especially in the first two books.

Do you love stories about monsters living deep in a forest? Faries and humans living alongside them?
I've loved everything I read by Holly Black so far and this was no exception! I will definitely read more from her, the stories she spins always remind me of being a child and having grown up in a small village on the edge of a forest. This book brought all those feelings back and reminded me of the stories and creatures I used to imagine.

A quick fun read, that you can flip though in a day or read it one chapter per day, every day of October. I would say the first half of the book is just about discovering the plot, what is actually going on and what is going to happen at midnight of the last day of October. The plot is difficult to describe without giving anything away, it is mysterious and I loved putting all the pieces together.

What books do you wajt to read before 2021? This is my current TBR which I want to manage until 23.12.!

I enjoyed the continuation in the Ryiria Chronicles (prequel stories to Ryiria Revelations). It's not as good as the original trilogy though. This particular book offers a lot of character building and set up for the main events that will take place years later. It was nice to be back in the world but I wanted more from the book. Not more in terms of world building but more of Royce and Hadrian and their banter and jokes.

After completely and utterly falling in love with Lockwood & Co., I decided to read everything the author ever wrote. Bartimaeus didn't disappoint me at all, it was funny, witty, the world is well built and interesting with more left to discover in the next books of the series. However I didn't love it as mich as Lockwood & Co. Well, I don't think I will ever love a group of characters more than those.

Anita Blake is always that guilty pleasure read for me. I cannot read it continuously as the characters sometimes irritate me but once a month it's great to unwind with the gang!

Tau, the main protagonist is not a typical hero which was refreshing. Well, he's not a hero at all. He goes from being a scared, utterly selfish, acting-before-thinking youth to being utterly bonkers, selfish and acting-before-thinking person. I honestly couldn't find a reason why this book is so hyped up. It is nit bad, the fight scenes are good, the book reads fast but it's not outstanding.

Biggles is one of the sweetest war books I've ever read. It follows a WWI pilot in the RAF and his daily fights in the skies above France. Even though it was written by a real pilot, the stories are still very sweet, yet thrilling and epic. The short stories are written so that you are afraid for the main characters but still know deep down he will survive every obstacle he faces.

A quick and fun read, the base for the World of Warcraft movie, this book was entertaining even though it took place almost exclusively in a library in a tower. This is a must read for every WoW fan but my presumption that people who didn't play the game wouldn't enjoy it as much. All the little hints to the game details are great and fun (like Murlocks). I will definitely read more from this world in the future.

The whole plot seemed as if conjured from thin air, the clues and interrogations didn't make much sense. Everything was kind of tied together in the end but the whole process of getting there was not enjoyable at all. I lacked world building; the introduction of the characters, magic, vampires, rivers being people... all of it felt thrown in without any particular reason. All in all it's not a bad a book but it's not great either.

I didn't really enjoy this book too much. I am not a fan of the writing style of the author, even though I love the Anita Blake series - mostly because of the characters even though sometimes the main character irritares me A LOT! In this case the "Strange Candy" which is a compilation of never published short stories by tbe author was not a candy for me. I struggled to get through them and nearly DNFed the book.

I know that a lot of people love this series but it wasn't for me. I didn't establish any bond with the main character (and great characters are as important as a great plot to me). Another reason was that I didn't really enjoy the story arc; I was lost a bit and too many things happened seemingly randomly; I felt as if the lore and the world itself wasn't well thought through. It felt as if the author had a random checklist of things to include.

Quite an interesting story full of magic and secrets. The story line was well thought through, some of the "curses" the magically gifted had were very uncomfortable (which I guess they were meant to be). I loved the fact that in this book the "magic comes with a price" trope was protrayed very well. You can kill people with magic? Well, in return your fingers will blacken and fall off. Overall I enjoyed the book but didn't fall in love with it.

An amazing conclusion to a series that has quickly become one of my favourite of all times (by quickly I mean within four days)! The characters are as sarcastic as ever and often made me laugh out loud. The author potrayed the emotions so well and I was so scared for the characters that I found myself skipping half of the page just to see they were OK. I will re-read the whole series soon, I can't wait to be immersed in this amazing world again.

The dynamics between the characters changed so much in this book compared to the previous ones in this series. The author is amazing at making you feel exactly the way he wants you to. The hairs on the back of your neck raise when they are supposed to, your heart constricts and bleeds along with the main character Lucy's. The funny banter is still there even though the tone of the book is more serious. And I loved every single word!

I enjoyed the last book in the Caraval trilogy. The story was predictable and I more or less knew how it would go but at the same time it was cute and the relationships among the characters were sweet.

OCTOBER READS

This month was a great one in terms of reading, I have found a series in Lockwood & Co. I will love it always!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Lockwood & Co by Jonathan Stroud

🌟🌟🌟🌟
Finale by Stephanie Garber
White Cat by Holly Black

🌟🌟
Micah and the Strange Candy by Laurell K. Hamilton
Storm Front by Jim Butcher

The best series in this genre ever. I can't... I just L-O-V-E it! Need I say more than: "I think it was only in the Lavender Lodge, that I glimpsed Lockwood & Co. working together perfectly for the first time. Anthony Lockwood, coat aflame, arms flapping madly as he staggered back towards the open window. George Cubbins, dangling from the ladder one-handed, like an oversized, windblown pear.

This book got me out of my reading slump! I loved every second of it, the atmosphere building is on point, I was really creeped out by some scenes and had to turn on the light at night when going to the toilet - was just too damn scared. The best thing about the whole series is the characters though. Their conversations and bickering in the worst moments is just priceless. And the Skull, the most ironic and funniest of them all.

AUGUST READS

Favourite to least favourite:
The Skull Throne
The Well of Ascension
Promise of Blood
The Screaming Staircase
The Crown Tower
Legendary
Incubus Dreams
Atlantis Gene

It was hard to sort these books in order because I actually enjoyed reading all of them!

I really enjoyed the Promise of Blood... a lot! It felt like a cross between Mistborn and Draconis Memoria which are some of my favourite fantasy series. The story was fast paced with many POV's being told. The magic system is fun, fitting it's surroundings; getting high on gunpowder just sounds crazy and pretty epic at the same time.

The second book in the Mistborn trilogy is better than the first obe in my opinion. It had less political focus and it seemed that more was actually happening. I enjoy the world that the author built here, the folklore, the myths and various forgotten religions all make it believable and left me wanting to know more about what happened in the past. I hope that the last book in the trilogy will give me just that.

Quite a different story to what I usually read, I enjoyed the science based book mixed in with the aliens helped humans advance technologically theory. The book reads fast, it is interesting and keeps you hooked. There are a few bits that were rushed or not very well explained but that might have been the translation (I almost never read in Czech).

Is it a spoiler if I say this book is a bloody masacre? Is it a spoiler if I admit I finished the book as a sobbing mess with puffy eyes? If I ask WHY HIM?

I must admit I was surprised how much I was suck into the Caraval world. It's definitely not my favourite book by far but it reads really quicky and has it's charm. I liked the continuation of the series more than the first book, liked Tella more than Scarlett. The whole story felt more digestible and I actually understood what was going on! It felt more thought through and in general deeper than Caraval.

I enjoyed rerurning to this beautifully crafted world. I missed Royce and Hadrian quite a lot and seeing how they met felt like looking at a precious gem. Both protagonists are true to themselves, being younger, less experienced versions of themselves. Also, read the author's not at the beginning of the book, it is hilarious!

JULY READS

1. Starsight
2. Red sister
3. Darkdawn
4. Cerulean sins
5. Caraval
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

As always I enjoyed another one of Anita Blake novels. It's not a masterpiece but for some reason this series has been a relaxing and go-to read whenever I was in a mood for something light. In this installment, Anita finally starts accepting who she is and grows as a character (in the previous books she could be pretty annoying sometimes).

A quick read... I don't have much to say about it. It was good but nothing special. The story was nice but average, the characters cute but not deep enough. I enjoyed the book, it did make me cry at the end, I will read the sequels but I already know the story won't stay long with me.

I was so excited when Darkdawn finally came out in this cover! It is stunning and fits the whole series so well! It was fun and exactly what I expected. At the same time this meant that the ending was predictable and I knew more or less how the story would go. I have to admit that the book left me sobbing and swallowing tears a few times. Still when I recall one of the events in the book, I start tearing up.

I love these illustrated editions of Harry Potter. I would say anyone who's at least a bit into the series should own a copy!

I really loved this sequel to Skyward, I can't honestly say which I enjoyed more. I enjoyed delving into the deeper parts of the universe as well as discovering the history of humanity and how they came to be stranded on Detritus. I can't wait for the conclusion to this story!! I also have to express my love for M-Bot who has quickly become my favourite character in this series.

JUNE READS

Only two books this month but both of them were pretty epic! I honestly can't tell which one is better. They are both so different, both have strong characters yet incomparable in terms of the severity of the story. I strongly recommend both!

I've had so much fun reading this book; I nearly swallowed it whole. I enjoyed getting to know the main character, she was funny and witty, determined and strong. The world is slowly introduced and yet the book never gets boring. I loved the side characters and don't even get me started on M-Bot. He made the book so much better! And of course I have to mention Jerkface..

Full of action, plot twists that I didn't see coming and some of the strongest characters I've ever read about. I loved how the past and present fit into each other and the events make sence in the large scale. The way the characters interact is realistic and their growth is based on their experience, good and bad things that happened to them in the past. Usually I don't curse but the last sentence in this book made me swear - my mind was blown!

BOOKS I READ IN MAY

I only managed to read two books. I've had so much work lately and was stressed quite a lot and therefore wasn't in the mood to read. I hope it gets better during the summer as I really miss reading a lot!

MAY HAUL

As always I went a little crazy with my purchases. I started buying from Bookdepository.com and I am really happy with the website - fast and free delivery even abroads! I already read the Snow Like Ashes and more or less enjoyed it.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy reading this book much. It might be the fact that I waited too long after the first part - Shadow of What Was Lost - and forgot most of the plot. Throughout the book I had no idea what was happening most of the time, who is who, who did what thousands of years ago and how that influenced the present that is equally as complicated.

BOOKS I READ IN APRIL

I loved all of these books and honestly can't decide which one I liked the most.
Queen of Nothing - can't wait to re-read the whole series soon and can't wait to read more from Holly Black.
Rise of Empire & Heir of Novron - still give me chills and I tear up whenever I think about the characters and their fates.
Painted Man & Desert Spear - amazing world and magic that kept me awake at night.

As always I enjoyed the Anita Blake book. For some reason I always love reading more from this world, I love the characters and wish they were real. The language used throughout the series improves but still is on the simple side which would make me put down other books but I don't it mind here. Sometimes the characters can be stubborn and irritating but it belongs to the series. As they develop and grow older, some of their bad traits disappear.

Easy to read - easy to love! A beautifully written conclusion to a story of two ordinary men with an ancient heritage. The relationships in this book are almost impossibly real, the feelings of loss, love and friendship strong and touching. The character development is one of my favourite part of this story and made me cry many times throughout the pages. Best trilogy I've read this year so far!

This book... it's like Norse mythology on crack. It is crazy, full of modernized legends and twisted beliefs and messed up gods. The hero of the story is being pushed from one weird situation into another without any particular connection or sense to complete tasks that will help him save the world. The cover is stunning though!

The first half of the book was not my favourite but it was a necessary character-building part of the story. It helped me understand why one of the main characters made certain decisions even though it didn't make me like him more because of that. I loved the second half of the book, it was as good as book one. I have to mention the amazing way the characters grow as people throughout the series, it is my favourite aspect of the series.

APRIL HAUL

I am a bit crazy, I already have around 50 bookd on my TBR but keep buying new ones anyway!

Finally I managed to snatch a copy of this beauty! I devoured it within a day and must say I loved it as much as it's predecessors. I adore the characters (Jude & Cardan forever) and loved the ending of the story. It was everything I hoped it would be. At the same time I am really sad to say goodbye to the beautifully built world but know I will re-read this series many times in the years to come.

This book has it all! Utterly amazing dark world where demons roam free at night, powerful magic, thrilling fights and most of all strong characters who surpise themselves with their decisions to stand up to what their society deems proper. The way the characters evolve is so natural and beautiful and felt the most important aspect of the story. I can't wait to read more and see how the story goes.

I fell in love with the author's pleasant yet thrilling writing style almost immediately. I know I want to buy every single book he ever published. The Rise of the Empire is a continuation of the Riyria series and it didn't disappoint me one bit. The characters are funny and their remarks toward each other are priceless. The story broke my heart in places but wouldn't want it any other way.