Mel's July, August & September Book Haul

My book hauls have really gotten away from me lately, mostly because of the lack of decent lighting (I use natural light), but also because of the huge amount of books that I purchased in August. So, I'm changing things up for a bit and just listing the books. I should get back to photographing books next month, especially since daylight savings starts up this weekend (in Australia).

July

The Crown's Game - Evelyn Skye

The Witch's Kiss - Katharine Corr

And I Darken - Kiersten White

The Last Star - Rick Yancey

Message In A Bottle - Nicholas Sparks

August

The Cursed Child - Jk Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany

Freedom: My Book of Firsts - Jaycee Dugard

Forever Doon - Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

Mind = Blown - Matthew Santoro

Nevernight - Jay Kristoff

Abhorsen - Garth Nix

The Shadow Queen - CJ Redwine

A Whole New World - Liz Braswell

Nerve - Jeanne Ryan

A Promise of Fire - Amanda Bouchet

Bleach 3-in-1 volumes 6 & 7 - Tite Kubo

My Sister Rosa - Justine Larbalestier

The Beauty of Darkness - Mary E Pearson

Fruits Basket Collector's Edition volume 1 - Natsuki Takaya

Dream A Little Dream - Kerstin Gier

Dream On - Kerstin Gier

Harry Potter Colouring Book #3 Magical Places and Characters

Harry Potter Colouring Book #4 Artifacts

September

Empire of Storms - Sarah J Maas - I purchased both the hardcover and paperback editions.

Throne of Glass Colouring Book

Persona 3 - Shuji Sogabe

The Black Key - Amy Ewing

The Incredibly, Insanely, Super Duper Late July 2016 YA Chronicles Unboxing!

Ok, so I got a bit lazy and didn't get around to clearing enough space to photograph these until last week. Then I literally have not turned on my computer since then to process and upload, etc... ok, excuses and all. 

Anyway, I was actually really happy with this box. The items were good and the book was one that I was looking forward to (even though I didn't think ahead and bought it before this box arrived... but at least the second copy has a good home with one of my friends).

July's theme was Ladies Who Slay.

The first item was this cool Sailor Moon mirror! I didn't get to watch much of Sailor Moon when I was a kid, but when I did, I loved it, so this item is both awesome and useful!

The second item was a necklace with Hermione Granger's wand! I love this so much! It's by far the best item in the box. The chain is super long, so it didn't need an annoying clip!

There was also a keychain with either a Throne of Glass or A Court of Thorns and Roses design and I'm so happy that I got the Throne of Glass one! I can't say that I'm impressed by the quality though. The image is crooked and barely fits the pendant. Celaena's head almost got cropped out! (Sorry, that glare is aweful but it couldn't be helped. Also, Jen got the ACOTAR one.)

Then there was a temporary tattoo inspired by Tris' tattoo in the Divergent series. Normally, I don't give two farts about temp tattoos, but this one is kind of generic and has meaning outside of the Divergent series and will make a cool gift.

There was an extra bookmark this month, and I actually have the book, so it'll be cool to use this while I read The Crown's Game!

And finally, we have the book! And I Darken by Kiersten White.

As I said, I'm really happy that this was the book, because I was looking forward to getting it anyway. I've only sampled the first few chapters of this so far and it already drew me in! I can't wait to actually sit down and read it properly.

Overall, I'm really glad I bought this box! The YA Chronicles have really been a disappointment for me this year, with a majority of the books being contemporary, so I haven't been purchasing it unless I feel that the book is something that I'd actually read. Unfortunately, it's exactly this reason why neither of us bought the August box, and we're glad that we didn't because we didn't like anything in it. I figured out which book would be featured prior to it being sent out and it didn't interest either of us.

Anyway, my rating for the July box is 4/5.

September's box is You Win, or You Die and there will be an unboxing coming towards the end of the month.

September 2016 TBR

We have decided that we are going to be putting our monthly reading challenges on hold for the time being. They’ve been super fun, but it’s becoming difficult to come up with challenges that we can work into our monthly TBRs because we both have books that we really want to read.

Jen

I am going to try and keep my TBR to a minimum for this month because I mostly want to focus on my currently reading series and make some progress with those. And some of those books are big chunkers! Anything else I manage to read will just be a bonus!

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas

I have been loving the Throne of Glass series so much! Each book just gets better and better! I absolutely flew through Heir of Fire in a matter of days and have already started Queen of Shadows. However, I did put it down and haven’t picked it back up for a few days! I know that I’ll be completely captivated once I really get into the story, but the sheer size of it is just intimidating!

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas

I can’t wait for this one! I preordered it a while ago and I’m excited that I’m actually going to be caught up on the series (hopefully I can finish Queen of Shadows in time!) and be in a position to read the new book when it comes out and able to be a part of the hype.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (#5) by J.K. Rowling

My re-read of this series has taken me much longer than I thought it would. Again, I think it’s the size of the later books in the series which is daunting to me, which is ridiculous since it’s the later books that I enjoy the most and I have actually read them multiple times! But lately I’ve really been feeling the need to immerse myself back in the Wizarding World again so I definitely want to read this book this month.

The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus #3) by Rick Riordan

I finally, finally got around to reading the second book in this series last month and I think that this series has finally reached the point where things will just get so much better so I need to continue on and read the third book!

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I can’t even remember how many TBRs I’ve put this book on now and I still have not gotten around to reading it yet! As always, it is the size of the book plus having too many other books that I want to read that has stopped me. But since I don’t have too many other books on my TBR for September, I am making this book a priority because it just needs to happen. 

Mel
My main goal for this month is just to read whatever I'm in the mood for, so I'm not setting a huge TBR. However, here's a few that I definitely want to finish. I am way behind on my 2016 Goodreads challenge, so I will still be trying to get as many books read as possible to catch up a bit.

Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas - I've had this one pre-ordered since May and I can't wait to dive back into the series!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling - I don't know why I'm taking so long to get through this! It's not only one of the best books in the series, but it's one of the shortest!

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan - Since I finally started it at the end of August, this one shouldn't take me too long to finish. 

August 2016 Wrap Up

Jen

August turned out to be a pretty good reading month for me. I was definitely a bit too ambitious and hopeful when I made my TBR and I didn’t read as many novels as I wanted to. However I did get to a lot of the books that I really wanted to read, which I think is an accomplishment in itself! I’m also pretty proud of the fact that I managed to read the entire Death Note manga series and watch almost the entire anime series all within one month.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne, John Tiffany & J.K. Rowling → 4/5

Fruits Basket Volume 1 by Natsuki Takaya → 4/5

Tik-Tok of Oz (Oz, #8) by L. Frank Baum → 4/5

The Scarecrow of Oz (Oz, #9) by L. Frank Baum → 3/5

Matilda by Roald Dahl (Audiobook narrated by Kate Winslet) → 5/5

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi → 1/5

Library Wars: Love & War, Volumes 14 & 15 by Kiiro Yumi, Hiro Arikawa & Kinami Watabe → both 5/5

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover → 4/5

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (Audiobook narrated by Douglas Hodge) → 5/5

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan → 4.5/5

The Cabin by Natasha Preston → 3/5

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas → 5/5

Death Note: Black Edition, Volumes 1 - 6 by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata → all 5/5 except volume 6 which I gave 4/5

Challenges completed:

Finish a series - Ignite Me: I ended up hating this book (and the series overall) but I am super happy that I finally got it read and can just unhaul these books and move on to better books.

Read a standalone - The Cabin: this book didn’t quite meet my expectations but it was still a good read and one that I’m glad I finally got to since I needed to review it!  

Read a favourite children's book - Matilda & Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: I had originally only planned on reading Matilda for this challenge but after finishing that book, I was just in the mood for another childhood favourite of mine.  

Challenges not completed: 

Read a middle grade book - The Son of Neptune: while I did read and ended up loving this book, it was kind of a fail on my part since I subsequently found out that Goodreads lists this as a young adult book and not middle grade like I originally thought it was. Oops. 

Read a book by an author who writes under more than one name - The Problem with Forever: this one didn’t happen since I failed to even pick up this book once. I ended up prioritising other books and this one just kept getting pushed back. But I am determined to read it, and soon, since I’ve been wanting to read it since it was released!

Mel
I'm a bit annoyed that I only completed two of the challenges set for the month, but I did read a few other books in the month, so I'm not too disappointed.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne  4/5
Black and Blue by James Patterson and Candice Fox  3/5
Cross Kill by James Patterson  5/5
Mind = Blown by Matthew Santoro  5/5
Nerve by Jeanne Ryan  3.75/5
Fruits Basket Collector's Edition Vol 1 by Natsuki Takaya  5/5
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare  5/5

Challenges completed:
Finish a series - Clockwork Princess
A Stand Alone - Nerve: This was actually a substitute for The Messenger by Markus Zusak, because I just didn't feel like reading that genre.

Jen's July Book Haul

Most of the books in this haul are pretty much impulse buys from Big W.  Some of them I've heard great things about, while others I have heard nothing about but sounded very intriguing so I bought them anyway.

The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye
This is the first book in a YA magical fantasy series that I've heard a lot about recently so I grabbed it up when I saw this on the shelves. 

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes
I absolutely love fairy tale retellings so I decided to pick this one up even though I hadn't heard anything about it.

The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz
I originally wasn't going to pick this one up but after hearing a few of my favourite booktubers talk about this book I changed my mind. 

A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
I was interested in this book before it was released, and despite the mostly negative reviews and poor rating on Goodreads, I still really want to read it and decide for myself. I had no idea that there was going to be a different cover for the paperback edition and while I do really like this cover, I still love the hardcover edition as well.

Convergence by Stan Lee
This was a random find at Big W one day. I'd never heard of it before, but if it's going to feature the Chinese Zodiac, then I want to read it!

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library & Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein
I also stumbled across these two books but I was sold on the synopsis. Fun adventures and problem solving taking place in a library? Definitely intrigued by that. 

The Witch's Kiss by Katharine & Elizabeth Corr
A YA fantasy that I've heard nothing about, but it's about witches so that's pretty much all I needed to know. 

Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman
This is the sequel to Legacy of Kings which I bought when it first came out. When I saw the sequel in the matching size and edition I knew I had to grab it right away. And I have to say, I love this cover more than the first book!

The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory
This book is part of The Cousin's War series. I have been slowly collecting these in hardcover whenever I spot them in the bargain section of my local QBD store. Now I only need the fourth book and then I'll have the entire series!

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
I read this last year and absolutely loved it. I saw it for a cheap price one day and decided just to get it. I am extremely annoyed with that huge round blob (that isn't even a removable sticker) advertising her next book though. So unnecessary and it messes up an otherwise beautiful cover.

The Sky is Everywhere & I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
I have wanted to read these two books since I first heard about them a couple of years ago. But I could never find them in the hardcover edition that I wanted for a decent price. These paperback editions aren't as pretty as the hardcovers, but I do like the simplicity of the covers and the fact that they match! When I saw them cheap in Big W I just went ahead and bought them. 

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
I recently read A Little Princess and absolutely loved it. I have wanted to read The Secret Garden as well so when I came across this beautiful illustrated edition I knew that I had to own it.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory & Matilda by Roald Dahl
These two are my absolute favourite Roald Dahl books. I never actually owned a copy of Matilda before so when I saw it on the shelf I picked it up right away. My copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is all old and beat up because I owned it since my childhood so I went ahead and bought a brand new copy in the edition that matches Matilda.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne
It's Harry Potter. Enough said. I have already read this one, and while it did have it's problems, I was still super happy to finally get something new from the Wizarding World. 

Review: The Cabin by Natasha Preston

Expected Publication: September 6th 2016 by Sourcebooks Fire

Source: I received a free copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads description: There may only be one killer, but no one is innocent in this new thriller from Natasha Preston, author of The Cellar and Awake.

When Mackenzie treks to a secluded cabin in the woods with six friends, she expects a fun weekend of partying, drinking, and hookups. But when they wake to find two of their own dead and covered in blood, it's clear there's a killer among them.

As the police try to unravel the case, Mackenzie launches her own investigation. Before long secrets start to emerge, revealing a sinister web of sins among the original seven friends. The killer is still free. Every one of them is a suspect. And Mackenzie starts to realize that no one is innocent…

---

This was a super quick read which is exactly what I want from a mystery thriller novel. It ended up being much more dark and twisted than I was expecting, which I was fine with for the most part, but there were some disturbing things that just made me uncomfortable. I was drawn into the book, but rather than being captivated by the story, the main motivation for me to keep reading was that I just wanted to know who the killer was.

I did have some problems with the characters. They were all at least 18 but they seemed younger than that from the immature way that they were portrayed. It seemed like all they wanted to do was get drunk, do drugs and sleep around, which isn’t exactly a good message to send out. I found it very difficult to connect with the characters, and for the most part, they were just very unlikeable. I can appreciate that no one is perfect and that their flaws make them more realistic, but they just said and did things that I didn’t like. And it only got worse as the book went on and each of their deep dark secrets were revealed. Some said horrible, despicable things while others did morally questionable and possibly criminal acts.

I did like that I was continually kept guessing as to who the murderer actually was. I’d decided who the killer wasn’t early on in the book but I was always second guessing myself when it came to who it was. I didn’t know who to trust and I actually didn’t work it out in the end and I definitely did not see those twists coming.

However I really wasn’t a fan of the ending. It just came out of nowhere and left on a cliffhanger which I do not cope well with. I like to have some kind of closure and now I’m forever going to be wondering what ultimately happened in the end.

Overall, I gave this book a 3 out of 5 rating. The plot sounded very intriguing and had the potential to be great. While it definitely wasn’t the worst book I’ve read, I do have to say that there are YA mystery thrillers I’ve read that I enjoyed more than this one. 

Review: One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards

Expected publication: October 4th 2016 by Sourcebooks Fire

Source: I received a free copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads description: Damaged. Deceptive. Dangerous. Darling. Are they labels or a warning? The answer could cost Sera everything.

Murder, justice, and revenge were so not a part of the plan when Sera set out on her senior camping trip. After all, hiking through the woods is supposed to be safe and uneventful.

Then one morning the group wakes up groggy, confused, and with words scrawled on their wrists: Damaged. Deceptive. Dangerous. Darling. Their supplies? Destroyed. Half their group? Gone. Their chaperone? Unconscious. Worst of all, they find four dolls acting out a murder—dolls dressed just like them.

Suddenly it's clear; they're being hunted. And with the only positive word on her wrist, Sera falls under suspicion…

---

This was a fantastic YA mystery thriller. From the moment I started reading it was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down because I had to know what happened next. The writing and the description was great and actually made me feel like I was lost out in the woods as well! The mystery and suspense of it was very well written and this book definitely had the creepy factor needed for a mystery thriller.

It was extremely fast paced, which is exactly what I like to read! I was on edge the entire time I was reading it and the author did such a convincing job of leading us in the wrong direction that I didn’t even suspect who was behind it all until it was revealed. It continually had me second guessing myself over who could and couldn’t be trusted.

The characters were also pretty likeable (most of them). I was a bit unsure at the start because everyone was a suspect but I ended up really liking them. I do wish we had seen more of Madison and Hayley though, but they were separated from the group at the beginning. 

I also liked the romance as well. There was already a bit of history between the two characters, so I didn’t really consider that to be instalove. I could understand why some people would feel like the romance does take over the story in places, but I liked the characters and I liked them together, so I was okay with that. Although, I did think it was kind of a weird situation to be rekindling that romance, lost in the woods with a crazed psychopath on the loose probably isn’t the best time to be concerned with your love life.

One issue that I did have was that I found the whole situation with Sera’s mother to be confusing and I still don’t really know what happened. I feel like this part could have been left out as it wasn’t necessary to the story and the romance still would have worked without it.

I did feel that it started to drag a little towards the very end, because they were so close to making it out of there and it was just one thing after another that kept hindering that and I just wanted to see them to get out alive already!

I also think that the reason or explanation for why those particular teens were targeted could have been developed more. The reveal happens but there’s too much going on at that moment and then the story kind of just moves on from there.

I did like how things ended though. It was a little open ended, but I was still left feeling satisfied with how everything left off in the end. Overall I gave it a 4 out of 5 rating and I would recommend this book if you’re looking for a great and entertaining mystery thriller. 

August 2016 TBR

We have decided that we really like doing the challenges every month so we’ve compiled a whole list to choose from and these are the ones for August!

1. Read a middle grade book

2. Finish a series

3. Read a standalone

4. Read a favourite children’s book

5. Read a book by an author who writes under more than one name

Jen’s TBR

Challenge #1 - The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. This book is perfect for this challenge since I read and loved The Lost Hero back in May but I just haven’t been able to get to the next book yet. I really want to continue with this series and I need to before I completely forget everything that happened in the first book!

Challenge #2 - Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi. The Shatter Me series has actually been one of my most disappointing reads of the year. It is still such a hyped up series and I really wanted to like it but I just found myself hating it more and more as the series went on. I still have some hope that the third book may redeem the series somewhat. I doubt it, but either way, I just want this series over and done with.

Challenge #3 - The Cabin by Natasha Preston. This is a YA mystery thriller that sounded very appealing to me and I was just approved to read an ARC of this on NetGalley so this challenge worked out well!

Challenge #4 - Matilda by Roald Dahl. I have watched the movie too many times to count and it still remains one of my favourites. Amazingly enough, I have only read the book once and it was many years ago.  I’ve also actually never owned a copy of this book until last month. Since then I’ve been really wanting to read the book and watch the movie again.

Challenge #5 - The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This is a YA contemporary that I have wanted to read since it was released but as with most of my books, I just haven’t gotten to it yet. I am making it a priority to read it this month so this challenge is perfect! She also writes her new adult books under the name J. Lynn. I have read Frigid and Scorched by her and absolutely loved them so I can’t wait to get to this one!

And now for the other books that I would love to read this month:

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas - I’m currently on track to be caught up with the series so that I’ll be ready for Empire of Storms when it comes out very soon! I read The Assassin’s Blade novellas in July and absolutely loved them, probably even more than Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight! I’ve heard that this series just keeps getting better and better, which makes me excited!

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 14 & Vol. 15 by Kiiro Yumi, Hiro Arikawa and Kinami Watabe - this is a manga series that I stumbled across in July and quickly became obsessed with. VERY annoyingly these final two volumes of the series were checked out from my library right before I could get to them. I am waiting impatiently to get my hands on these so that I can finish up this series.

Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 by Natsuki Takaya, Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley - Since discovering Library Wars, I have really gotten into manga. Mel has been recommending this series to me for years so this is the one I’m going with next. If this turns out anything like Library Wars, I may end up marathoning the series. 

Death Note series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata - I just randomly decided that I wanted to sit down and read this and I was immediately hooked. I have already finished reading Volume 1 and I will definitely be binge reading this series when possible because I just can't get enough of it.  

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Wow. It’s finally happening. I’m going to be reading a Jane Austen novel. readbyzoe has just created the Austentatious Book Club on Goodreads where we will be reading one Jane Austen novel a month. I’ve never read anything by Austen before and yet I own several of her novels. This group seems to be just the push I needed to actually pick one up! It feels very daunting but exciting at the same time! 

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover - A new Colleen Hoover release! One of my most anticipated releases for 2016 and I managed to get a copy from the library so it's going on my TBR! Her last release, November 9, was a bit of a miss for me, but I've loved all the other books I've read by Colleen, so I'm really hoping that I'll love this one as well. 

Mel's TBR
Challenge #1 - The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan - I really need to continue reading the Percy Jackson series! I have the Heroes of Olympus sitting there waiting to be read too, not to mention the first Magnus Chase book. I have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to that universe!
Challenge #2 - Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare - I have yet to listen to the audiobook version of this, and since I recently listened to the first two books, it makes sense to continue!
Challenge #3 - The Messenger by Markus Zusak - I've had this on my shelf for a while now, and since Zusak's other book The Book Thief is one of my favourites, I thought I'd see what this one is about.
Challenge #4 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling - As much as I wanted to choose something other than Harry Potter for this challenge, I got tired of wracking my brain for other books I enjoyed when I was a kid. And I was already reading it, so why the hell not?
Challenge #5 - The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith - This is none other than JK Rowling! This book is one of the books that is on my TBR challenge for the year too, so I'll be hitting two birds with one stone.

I will also be continuing a few books that are already on my Currently Reading list:

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
The Treason of Isengard by JRR Tolkien

As ambitious as this list already is, I do want to try to get around to a few other books this month to catch up on my Goodreads Reading Challenge. I'm currently 17 books behind, but since I'm taking a semester off from uni, I should have plenty of time for some catch-up reading!

And I Darken by Kiersten White - I sampled a few chapters of this book and I had to force myself to stop reading! I didn't intend to read more than a chapter, but I was instantly hooked!

The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye - I also sampled a bit of this book and it also sounds like it's going to be a really interesting story.

Snow White with the Red Hair by Sorata Akizuki - I fell in love with this manga/anime seires a month or two ago and it's quickly become one of my favourite things to ever come out of Japan! It's got a classic fairy tale vibe about it and has just the right amount of drama, romance, comedy and fantasy to really balance it out perfectly. I recommend this series if you're new to manga and anime. I don't know yet how much of this I'll get around to reading, because I may read just one volume, or I might marathon it!