February Wrap Up and March TBR

Read in February: Dragons

Ugh! Well that didn't go well. I had high hopes for February, but alas, work and life got in the way again and I didn't quite have the great reading month. I did not read that many books at all this month. If I'm being entirely honest it's because I would rather watch Outlander and other stuff on Netflix and Amazon instead of  I have a not quite actual goal of reading 10 books a month and after once again rushing to finish a comic I ended up reading 7 books. Not a great showing but it is what it is.

For challenges, this year I'm sort of only low key doing challenges. I set a Goodreads goal of reading 120 books in a year. I'm on track for that with 18 books total for the year but I should probably pick up steam a little. For the rest of the challenges I only low key set them. I want to read 20 debuts this year. I read one this month so I'm at three total. I want to read 36 books from Netgalley and Edelweiss and I only read 1 this month. I haven't really been reading e-books lately so this might be a problem. I also want to read 20 backlist books. This month I read 2 so I'm doing well on that.

The Books

1.) Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen Rating: 9.5 out of 10 [My Review]
2.) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander  
(aka J.K. Rowling) Rating: 8.5 out of 10 [My Review]
3.) Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman Rating: 9 out of 10 [My Review]
4.) To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo Rating: 9 out of 10 [My Review]
5.) Talon by Julie Kagawa Rating: 8.5 out of 10 [My Review]
6.) Blood of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza 
Rating: 9 out of 10 [My Review]

7.) Supergirl Vol. 1: Reign of the Cyborg Superman by Steve Orlando,
Brian Ching, and Mike Ativen Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

To Be Read in March: Historical Fiction

I think it would be optimistic to read 12 books in March but a girl's gotta aim high. There are a few books I am super excited about and I have a few audiobook rereads planned so maybe I will be able to make it happen. We shall see.

Books for Review

The Radical Element by Jessica Spotswood and many  - Add to Goodreads
I am so excited for this book. I loved A Tyranny of Petticoats and I am super excited for another collection of short stories. Plus even more authors I love are featured in this book.

Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner - Add to Goodreads

I really loved Whitney's Debut and I am excited for her next book. Plus I always really like contemporary reads with nerdy characters so this sounds right up my alley.

Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood  - Add to Goodreads
I am super excited about this book. I love historical books that have something to do with planes, I love books set in World War I, I like books about strong female characters and this combines all three.

Pacifica by Kristen Simmons - Add to Goodreads

Despite having interest and even getting a few of her books I have year to read a Kristen Simmons. Maybe this will be my first.

Carmegie's Maid by Marie Benedict - Add to Goodreads
I picked this book up at ALA because Andrew Carnegie spent a lot of time in Pittsburgh. Also it sounded interesting.

New Releases

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - Add to Goodreads

The last book in the Illuminae Files comes out this month! I can't wait. I'm so excited that I have already started my audio reread of the series.

The Wicked Deep by Shea Earnshaw - Add to Goodreads

This book sounds totally amazing and I can't wait to read it. I preordered a copy and I can't wait for it to arrive. I mean it's about witches and sisters so yeah, I need to read it.

Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzie Lee - Add to Goodreads
This book just came out and I am a huge fan of Mackenzi's and love her Bygone Badass Broads posts on Twitter. I'm going to her signing today in fact and can't wait!

Backlist Books

The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes - Add to Goodreads
I have been wanting to read this book for ages. My friend Michelle let me borrow it and I really think this will be the time.

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough - Add to Goodreads
I got a copy of this from a a TBTB Secret Santa (thanks, Alyssa!) and I have not yet read it. But it sounds really fantastic and I trust the recommendation.


There you have it. Some of the books I hope to read in March. As always, these are subject to change. I may read all of these or I may only read a few and then read a bunch of different ones. But honestly I think this list I can stick to. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

Title: Tess of the Road Written by: Rachel Hartman Published: February 27, 2018 by Random House Books for Young Readers (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess, stubbornly, is a troublemaker. You can't make a scene at your sister's wedding and break a relative's nose with one punch (no matter how pompous he is) and not suffer the consequences. As her family plans to send her to a nunnery, Tess yanks on her boots and sets out on a journey across the Southlands, alone and pretending to be a boy. Where Tess is headed is a mystery, even to her. So when she runs into an old friend, it's a stroke of luck. This friend is a quigutl--a subspecies of dragon--who gives her both a purpose and protection on the road. But Tess is guarding a troubling secret. Her tumultuous past is a heavy burden to carry, and the memories she's tried to forget threaten to expose her to the world in more ways than one

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

I loved the Seraphina series and I was so excited to jump back into this world and see more of Goredd and the larger world of this series. And while that aspect of the book was great, I didn't love the book as much as I expected.

I will say however that I did love the characters, especially the main character. I remember with the Seraphina series I loved the secondary characters but didn't totally love the main character. Here it was the other way around. Tess is an amazing main character. Unlike Seraphina, she was incredibly sympathetic. She had been through a lot in her life and it's definitely not all good. When we first meet her she's not really coping with it very well. As the book develops and we learn more about what happened, we watch Tess come to terms with it and move past her tragic past. It makes her a resilient and likeable character. There were a few secondary characters I did like, including Pathka. Pathka is Tess's best friend and a quigutl, which is basically a small dragon. And Pathka's daughter Kiriku was also really interesting. In case you are wondering, you do get to check back in with Seraphina and a few other characters from that series. If I had read it more recently I may have remembered a few more.

I also really loved the world of this series. In Tess of the Road it will come as no surprise that you get to see more of the world as Tess takes us on the road. A lot of the book is spent in other kingdoms including Samsam and Ninys. I loved being able to see those kingdoms and interact with their citizens. And while the religious aspect of the book was as important as it was in the two previous books it is still a part of it. We even get to see more religious orders and more of their practitioners. I really love that about this series. It makes it feel more like an old school fantasy or even like historical fiction for that reason.

But we can't walk about the world of this book without talking about dragons. In this book it wasn't about the traditional dragons or even half dragons like in the first two books. Here we have the quigutl. They are such interesting creatures. They are sort of like small and spiky dragons. But they also have their own language, culture, and behaviors. I really loved learning about them and seeing them interactions with each other and the larger world. There is more to it than that, more fantasy creatures than that, but I don't want to give too much away. It was a great addition to the world and really expanded things in a complex and interesting way.

My biggest frustration with this book however was with the plot. I'm a big plot driven reader so having a good plot is very important to me. I was expecting a book with some mystery and adventure, but I got very little of both. This book was much more of a travel story, which as you may know if you are a longtime follower of this blog isn't something that I ever really enjoy. To me a travel story isn't enough of a plot, it's a means to an end not an actual story. Luckily there was more to it than that  though. This was much more of a character-driven story which actually pretty interesting but I still kind of wanted more. I think perhaps because this was a long book. It took kind of a long time for me to get into the book and as the book developed I wasn't as hooked as I hoped. I think that the plot here just wasn't my kind of thing. But I still enjoyed it.

On the whole this was an interesting and unique Young Adult Fantasy. It had a fascinating world full of fantastical creatures and likable and complex characters with engaging develop. I just think the plot wasn't what I was hoping for and it just didn't blow me away.

I give Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman 8 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. If you liked Seraphina then you should definitely check this book out. It's a good return to the world that you fell for in this series. But even if you haven't read that series and you are looking for a fantasy travel adventure pick this up.

Have you read Tess of the Road? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

January Wrap Up and February TBR

Read in January: High Fantasy

I had a great reading month in December and I had high hopes for January, but alas, work and life got in the way again and I didn't quite have the great reading month. I did read a fair amount of books though. I have a not quite actual goal of reading 10 books a month and after rushing to finish a comic so I could do that I actually ended up reading 11 books. A lot of them were really short but it is what it is. Plus I actually loved a lot of them so that's good.

For challenges, this year I'm sort of only low key doing challenges. I did set a Goodreads goal of reading 120 books in a year. I'm on track for that. I would have liked to be a little further ahead to start the year but this is fine. For the rest of the challenges I only low key set them. I want to read 20 debuts this year. I read two this month so I'm on track. I want to read 36 books from Netgalley and Edelweiss and 1 only read 1 this month. I haven't really been reading e-books lately so this might be a problem. I also want to read 20 backlist books. This month I read 2 so I'm doing well on that.

The Books

1.) Broken Hearts by R.L. Stine Rating: 8 out of 10 [Podcast Review to Come]
2.) Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking 
Rating: 8 out of 10 [My Review]
3.) Gunslinger Girl by Lindsay Ely Rating: 9 out of 10 [My Review]
4.) Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire Rating: 9 out of 10 [My Review]
5.) Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Rating: 9.5 out of 10 [My Review]
6.) Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire 
Rating: 9.5 out of 10 [My Review]
7.) This is Not a Love Letter by Kim Purcell Rating 7.5 out of 10 [My Review]

8.) Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire Rating: 10 out of 10 [My Review]
9.) Wonder Woman Vol. 4: Godwatch by Greg Rucka, Bilquis Evely,
and Mirka Andolfo Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

10.) Missing by R.L. Stine Rating: 9 out of 10 [Podcast Review to Come]
11.) The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert Rating: 9 out of 10 [Review to Come]

To Be Read in February: Dragons

I am not sure how much time I will have to read in February. I think it would be optimistic if I was able to read 10 books again but that is what I am going to be shooting for. But I have some books I am super excited to read. And I am super pumped for this month's theme.

Books for Review

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman  - Add to Goodreads
I am so excited for this book. I really liked the Seraphina series so I am super excited for another book in Gorred.

Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen - Add to Goodreads

I wanted to read this book last month but I didn't have a chance. I loved the Scarlet series and I am excited to read her new series. Plus I'm not sure if this is science fiction or fantasy, I'm hoping for a little bit of both but either way I am interested.

The Sky is Yours by Chandler Klang Smith - Add to Goodreads
I love the fact that this is a futuristic science fiction book but it has dragons in it. I love when books combine fantasy and science fiction so I am pumped about this.

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo - Add to Goodreads

Michelle gave me an advance copy of this that she got and I am super excited to read it. It's not about dragons but it is about murderous and vengeful sirens which like, sign me up.

New Releases

Blood of a Thousand Stars by Rhoda Belleza - Add to Goodreads

I loved the first book in this series and I am really excited to read the sequel. I'm going to get the audiobook because Rebecca Soler's narration is amazing!

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton - Add to Goodreads

This book comes out on Tuesday and I'm considering picking up a copy with a B&N gift card that I have. It sounds fantastic and I have heard really good things.

Backlist Books

Talon by Julie Kagawa - Add to Goodreads
I bought a copy of the audiobook of this book a long time ago and I haven't read it. But with the dragon theme I think it's a good time to listen. I mean it's narrated by MacLeod Andrews so I'm excited.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling - Add to Goodreads
I also got this audiobook a while ago and I even started listening to it but I never finished. But it's about fantastical beasts so it seems like a good opportunity to read it.

Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken - Add to Goodreads
I love The Darkest Minds series and I still haven't read this bind-up of the novellas. But I bought myself a copy recently and I am thinking I may read it finally this month.

There you have it. Some of the books I hope to read in February. As always, these are subject to change. I may read all of these or I may only read a few and then read a bunch of different ones. But honestly I think this list I can stick to. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!