Challenge Wrap Up: Netgalley and Edelweiss Challenge

It's time for the last weekly post and challenge wrap up of 2016. In addition to doing a favorite books of the year thing, once a week in December I did a challenge wrap up to talk about some of my favorite books in the categories that I did challenges for. I did a total of four challenges this year. The next and last of these is my Netgalley and Edelweiss Challenge. So basically, the review book category. I may finish one more Netgalley book this year but it's a 2017 release, plus I probably won't finish it so oh well.

My initial goal for the year was to read 25 books from Netgalley and Edelweiss. I nded up doing really well on this during the first half of the year and thinking I could read 50 by the end of the year but that did not happen. Although I did read 40 books from Netgalley/Edelweiss which is not to shabby for the Netgaklley/Edelweiss Challenge hosted by Falling for YA. That's a total of about 1/4 of my books for the year.

And I really did like many of these books but to be entirely honest, most of my least favorite books of the year also came from this challenge. You can't win them all, I guess. And because of this reason, I think this was the hardest one for me to make a list about. There were a few that I loved loved, but for the most part there were a lot of really good books that I wasn't sure about including on a best of list. But I did my best so here is the list of some of my favorites.

1.) The Skylighter by Becky Wallace - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads )

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2016 so I was over the moon when I was approved for the book on Edelweiss and sent a physical ARC from the publisher. I read both so I could read it everywhere and anywhere and finish it as fast as possible.

And it did not disappoint. It made it's way onto my best of the year list because it was such an amazing and action-packed sequel. What I loved so much about this series is that it's one that from the outset seems like a typical YA fantasy but is super creative and unique. I loved the world inspired by Portugal, the really unique magical system, and the characters, Oh man, these characters, and these ships. So good. So so good. It was one of many books I read this year that wrecked me emotionally in the best possible way. I really wish it wasn't a duology and that there was a third book coming next year.

I would absolutely recommend this series. If you are like me and love YA fantasies and are looking for something a little different but still familiar, check this one out. Check it out and fall for Joanna, Rafi, and Dom with me. DOM!!!!

2.) Roses and Rot by Kat Howard - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads)

When looking at my favorite books of the year, many of them are books that surprised me. Books I was interested in reading but didn't expect to love as much as I did. Books I did not expect to blow me away. Roses and Rot is one of those books. I was intrigued by it, yes, but I really loved it and that kind of surprised me.

I don't want to say too much about this book because part of it's charm is going in without knowing too much. I went in knowing very little about what this book was about and it caught me off guard. It was fascinating and captivating. I really loved the setting and the way that this book was written. it is beautiful and lyrical with a really fantastic Gothic vibe. It a;so has great characters and a completely realistic interaction between family and particularly sisters. I could totally really and was so enthralled by this book.

This is a book that I think flew under the radar a little bit this year and I wish it got more attention because it is really good. If you are a fan of Gothic fiction and/or modern classics I think you will enjoy this. I also this it has a great modern fairy tale kind of vibe. Honestly, it's great. Read it.

3.) Nevernight by Jay Kristoff - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads)

This is a book that got some mixed reviews. I know a lot of people didn't really enjoy it or ended up DNFing it because they couldn't get into it. And I get that, I do. I am one of the people who pushed through the slow start and weirdness in the beginning and was rewarded with an amazing book.

Yes, this is a dense and slowly paced book but the payoff was intense and fantastic. It was super thrilling with tons of action and plot twists that I did not see coming. Not to mention it also has an totally interesting magical system that I think we have only just started to understand and I am really interested in seeing develop. This book is also not for someone looking for something fluffy and lighthearted. It's dark. Very dark. There is more sex and violence in this book than some of the books and TV shows that are known for being violent and sexual. But despite the fact that it was pretty erotic, I enjoyed it. A lot.

 This is not the kind of book for everyone, but if you are looking for a fantasy that is dark and violent and don't mind putting in the time to read this one you will be rewarded just like I was.

4.) Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads)

This is another book that I had a copy from Edelweiss but also got a physical ARC (this time from BEA) but like The Skylighter it was a very anticipated read and I was so incredibly excited to read it when I was approved on Edelweiss.

If you have been around for awhile you know that I am a huge fan of the Jackaby series. These books always make it on to my favorites of the year list. They are such amazing mysteries and perfectly balance humor and action. Seriously, they are so funny. Plus they combine historical fiction, fantasy, and mysteries in a way that I am hopeless to resist. Ghostly Echoes is not my favorite in the series but it was amazing and resolved some questions from the first book while bringing up even more questions for the series. Plus it was about Jenny who I adore so much.

If you haven't read this series and you are a fan of historical fantasy or historical mysteries, or Sherlock, or nice things, you must read these books. They are seriously one of my all-time favorites. They're the perfect palette cleanser too because they are engaging but so fun and silly. But if I haven't convinced you to read these books yet I have failed you.

5.) The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads )

I really liked The Fixer, which I read last year. This was another sequel that I was really excited about and was so pumped when I got approved on Netgalley. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next and to solve a new mystery with Tess.

I often hate comparisons like this but it really is Veronica Mars meets Scandal. It's just such a good mystery and political thriller with a tough and snarky teenage protagonist. But the best part of this book is the twists and reveals. Even when I predicted them they were still amazing and hit me so hard. It's such a good and fantastic read.

I would definitely recommend this book. If you are a fan of mysteries or political thrillers and are looking for a good YA one then definitely read this. But I seriously need you to read this and buy this book because I need a sequel. There are so many things that I need to see followed through on, even though there is a resolution. At this point it's a duology but I want more. I need more and the author has plans for more but it needs to sell well. Help a sister out!

6.) Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads)

This is a book that I honestly should have included on my list of favorite debuts of the year but in an attempt to not repeat myself too much I swapped this one with one that is on my honorable mention here because I liked that one more.

But this is another one of those books that I loved more than I was expecting. I'm not a huge contemporary reader but I have been reading a lot more lately and honestly really enjoying many of them. This is one that I enjoyed. One of the things I really appreciated about it was that this is a book that plays with the tropes. It's kind of got this book within a book vibe because of the main character trying to live the ideal life so she can write a book about it to get into college. But the best thing about this book is how unbelievably unlikable the main character is. She's kind of a terrible person and yet at the same time, you root for her. It's amazing.

 This is another book that is not for everyone, but if you are looking for a contemporary that is really different and plays with the tropes then check this one out. But again, this is a book that is not really for everyone. This is a book that is more towards people who are not big contemporary fans or are looking for something a little bit more of an issue book.

Honorable Mentions:

7.) The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock - My Review
One of my favorite debuts of the year was a book I got as a Read Now on Netgalley. It's another book that surprised me, another book that flew under the radar, and another book that was amazing. It's a great book about how people's lives interweave. I loved it.

8.) The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters - My Review
This was my first Cat Winters book. Can you believe it? It was. I should have been reading her books for years but I didn't. I'm glad I read this one though. It is one of the many amazing Shakespeare retellings I read this year,

9.) Heroine Complex by Gail Sarah Kuhn - My Review
I'm a sucker for books about superheroes. I was really intrigued by this one because it's from the perspective of the hero's assistant. Super interesting, man. And it was definitely interesting but also really fun and action-packed.

10.) Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson - My Review
I was not going to include this book because it's kind of similar to Enter Title Here. A lot of what I liked about it is similar. But it was also a really good under the radar book for the year.

There you have it, all my favorite books that I got for review from Netgalley or Edelweiss. If you want to see the full list on all the review books I read to this year and to find my thoughts, check out the Netgalley/Edelweiss Challenge page HERE. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

**** This is the third book in a series. If you have not read Jackaby and Beastly Bones, read them before you read this. Check out my reviews to encourage you because they are fantastic books. ****

Title: Ghostly Echoes Series: Jackaby #3 Written by: William Ritter Published: August 30, 2016 by Algonquin Young Readers (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Jenny Cavanaugh, the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, has enlisted the investigative services of her fellow residents to solve a decade-old murder—her own. Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, Detective R. F. Jackaby, dive into the cold case, starting with a search for Jenny’s fiancé, who went missing the night she died. But when a new, gruesome murder closely mirrors the events of ten years prior, Abigail and Jackaby realize that Jenny’s case isn’t so cold after all, and her killer may be far more dangerous than they suspected.  Fantasy and folklore mix with mad science as Abigail’s race to unravel the mystery leads her across the cold cobblestones of nineteenth-century New England, down to the mythical underworld, and deep into her colleagues’ grim histories to battle the most deadly foe she has ever faced

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher at BEA and also on Edelweiss. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

Genius! This book is genius. This series is genius! I am consistently impressed by how entertaining and amazing this series is. This book has been on my most anticipated books of the year list because I love this series so much and Ghostly Echoes was just one more example of why.

For one thing this is a series that perfectly blends humor, mystery, fantasy, and action. It has it all. I'm not kidding, there are so many different elements to these books that you wouldn't expect it all would work together so well but it does. William Ritter is able to effortlessly craft a story that combines all your favorite things into something different and amazing. Every book has me entertained from beginning to end as I'm attempting to figure it all out and then I am constantly surprised by it.

Part of that is because it is so well-plotted. This is the perfect example of what I love in a mystery. It's solvable but it's not predictable. And just like that little aside where Jackaby explains that mysteries are not always easy to figure out, this one is complex. There is a lot going on here but it all comes together so well into a conclusion that has you both surprised and not-surprised. There are great clues along the way and when it is all revealed you are completely enthralled. Everything really comes together in the end. I honestly wasn't sure that it all would because there are so many different elements working simultaneously but like I said before, it's all handled so well and is so entertaining.

But this is also an incredibly action-packed story. I seriously could not stop reading this book. I've been trying to tell myself I wasn't in a reading slump but I was just reading so slowly but if I was this book cured it. I was so hooked that I just breezed through it. That may have been because there are tons of amazing moments of action and adventure that had me on the edge of my seat and worried about how it would all end. Speaking of the end, it really built to a thrilling climax and it did it slowly. I kept thinking there couldn't possibly be more coming and then there was. And when the book was done I was left needing the next installment because it still isn't over. But the great part is that it left me wanting more without leaving me with a cliffhanger. It resolved the individual plot of this book while leaving the big questions unresolved. That's something this series has always done really well and I appreciate that.

I also really love the world of this series. There has always been a lot of great supernatural and mythological elements to this series but here there were even more. This was very much a "big picture" kind of novel where elements from the previous books came together to explain the larger context and world of the story. It also really developed the big bad who still hasn't been revealed and I dying to find out who and/or what they are. I can't wait to learn more in the next book. But it was fantastic to see Jackaby and the gang go toe to toe with such a sinister antagonist and some really insidious magical creatures.

But I think my favorite thing about this book is the characters. This is one of those series that is full of complex and quirky characters that I have come to love in three books. They feel so familiar and at the same time, like the plot of this book, surprise me in the most entertaining way. Many of them had some great development in this book and showed a different side of themselves.. Jackaby, usually so snarky and deadpan showed his softer side, and Jenny, usually so exasperated with the shenanigans got involved with the plot in a big way. But this is Jenny's book after all so it was great learning more about her and seeing her in action. In general, the characterizations here are just so fantastic and it is a consistently fantastic thing about this series..

Every year, a Jackaby book makes it on my list of the best of the year and Ghostly Echoes will I'm sure make it this year. It's a genius and entertaining read with a great mystery, thrilling plot, fascinating world, and complex characters. I absolutely loved it.

I give Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter 10 out of 10 stars.

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. If you are a fan of this series you will not be disappointed by this next installment. It's amazing! And if you have not read this series, get on that! It's absolutely a new favorite and a brilliant YA historical fantasy series.

Have you read Ghostly Echoes? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Waiting on Wednesday: Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

A weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Ghostly Echoes Series:  Jackaby #3 Author: William Ritter Published: August 28, 2016 by Algonquin Young Reader's Group (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Jenny Cavanaugh, the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, has enlisted the investigative services of her fellow residents to solve a decade-old murder—her own. Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, Detective R. F. Jackaby, dive into the cold case, starting with a search for Jenny’s fiancé, who went missing the night she died. But when a new, gruesome murder closely mirrors the events of ten years prior, Abigail and Jackaby realize that Jenny’s case isn’t so cold after all, and her killer may be far more dangerous than they suspected. Fantasy and folklore mix with mad science as Abigail’s race to unravel the mystery leads her across the cold cobblestones of nineteenth-century New England, down to the mythical underworld, and deep into her colleagues’ grim histories to battle the most deadly foe she has ever faced.

Why I'm Waiting 

I have been obsessed with these books from the very beginning. I read an ARC of Jackaby which I got at BEA the first year I went and I fell in love with it. The combination of history, mystery, and fantasy in a book that is lighthearted and complex is something I will never not love. And by this point I am even more invested in this series. A series that I thought wasn't going to exist. I thought Jackaby was a standalone. So obviously subsequent books will be on my list of must read.

But I am also really excited about this book because it is about Jenny. Jenny Cavanaugh, the mysterious ghost who previously owned the house where Jackaby's office is. Jenny who is so sweet and charming then will suddenly snap and go all angry on you. She's been such a mystery in this series and I can't wait to find out exactly what happened to her.

I picked up a copy of this book at BEA this year and it was technically the first one that I read. I started it while I waited at the airport. And while I only got through about 30 pages before stopping to focus on other review books I almost immediately fell back in love with it. These characters, this world, the humor. I cannot wait to read this one!

What about you? What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Are you waiting on Ghostly Echoes along with me? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!