After – Darkestwings Reads

September 2019 Reading Wrap-Up

Lee — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 15:25:11 +0000

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
(Cruel Beauty Universe, book 1)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ – it was ok
Review: Yes
Format: Print
Reading Dates: September 2 – 4
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Um… Blended fairytales.
Least Favorite Thing: I rolled my eyes so many times I gave myself a headache.

I had been meaning to read this for at least a year and I grabbed it because I wanted a quick, easy read. It was quick, but it was a little too boring to be “easy” to read. It wasn’t a bad book, it just didn’t meet it’s potential. Check out my review for more details (link above).

My Posts About Cruel Beauty

Green by Jay Lake
(Green Universe, book 1)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ – it was ok
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: September 5 – 12
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: This quote lol
Least Favorite Thing: Descriptions ad nauseam…

I read this for a Travelling Book Project I’m participating in as part of a discord book club. It took me a while to get used to the writing style, but once I did I moved through it pretty well. I just didn’t enjoy the actual plot (once the plot actually started) and the way it went from non-magical to magical fantasy out of almost nowhere…

My Posts About Green

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
(Sookie Stackhouse, book 2)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: September 13 – 14
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: I just… I just… I just liiiiike it…
Least Favorite Thing: Um. I hate Bill.

This book is just such Junk Food. I honestly don’t know why I even read this one after the first one. It’s not my style of novel at all, but I just like the trash I don’t know y’all.

My Posts About Living Dead in Dallas

Marked by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
(House of Night, book 1)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ – it was ok
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: September 14 – 17
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Interesting vampire lore.
Least Favorite Thing: Um… The protag was just soooo OP…

I had trouble connecting to the main character because she was so mentally young. This is not technically a bad thing though, because she was young and this was the first YA book in a while where I’ve actually felt like the protag was their age.

My Posts About Marked

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
(Sookie Stackhouse, book 3)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: September 17 – 18
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: I’m Eric trash…
Least Favorite Thing: Bill was barely even “on screen” (so to speak) and I still had to hear about him every ten seconds.

DAMMIT SOOKIE GET OVER BILL YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY FREAKISHLY HOT DUDES WHO WOULD KILL FOR YOU (literally) AND BILL IS SO FUCKING BORING, GIRL!

My Posts About Club Dead

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
(Sookie Stackhouse, book 4)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: September 19 – 21
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Debbie finally got abjured lol
Least Favorite Thing: Does she have to break down every time she kills someone? I mean isn’t she used to that by now?

Honestly I’m trash for these books. This is not even my genre. I hate romance books so much, but I cannot stop with these. I bought all the ones the used bookstore had!

My Posts About Dead to the World

Uninvited by Amanda Marrone
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ – it was ok
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: September 25 – 26
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Teamwork makes the dream work.
Least Favorite Thing: Are there any normal parents in this town? It’s only helicopter parents or parents who give zero fucks…

I have had this on my shelves for years and I thought it was about time I got around to reading it. I don’t know why I didn’t do it before, it wasn’t exactly a hard read…

My Posts About Uninvited

When She Hollers by Cynthia Voigt
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: September 26
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: I like how it ends hopefully, but we never actually see the resolution of her story.
Least Favorite: Never got to see her stab the creep…

I am a major Cynthia Voigt fan and I realized one day that I had somehow missed this book! How could I have missed this book? No idea! But I had to get my hands on it asap and read it.

My Posts About When She Hollers

Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
(Sookie Stackhouse, book 5)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: September 26 – 28
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Sookie calling the various men on their bullshit.
Least Favorite Thing: Why is she constantly horny? Are normal humans this horny all the time??

I am utter trash for the Sookie Stackhouse books. I know they aren’t good and I don’t even like this genre, but I cannot stop with this series. Help? lol

My Posts About Dead as a Doornail

In Progress

August Reading Wrap-Up

Lee — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 20:10:49 +0000

Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire
(Beautiful, book 2)
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ – did not like it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: July 30 – August 3
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Ha!
Least Favorite Thing: The fact that I actually read this with my own two eyes.

Honestly, I only read this book because my books were all packed and I had nothing else to read. It was even more trash than the first book!

My Posts About Walking Disaster

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
(The Raven Cycle, book 4)
Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: May 24 – August 4
Read Count: 3
Favorite Thing: The beautiful friendships. I dream of having a friend group like this.
Least Favorite Thing: Piper is so annoying… (I know, I know, she’s meant to be obnoxious, but still.)

This was my third time reading The Raven King and I think I loved it even more this time than before.

My Posts About The Raven King

Elske by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 4)
Rating: ★★★★★ – loved it
Review: Yes
Format: Print
Reading Dates: June 9 – August 9
Read Count: 5-ish
Favorite Thing: Elske’s way of thinking through problems.
Least Favorite Thing: Beriel’s way of thinking through problems.

I have such a soft spot in my heart for Elske…

My Posts About Elske

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: eBook
Reading Dates: August 14 – 20
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Interesting pace of the author’s voice.
Least Favorite Thing: Casual incest… Not even joking.

I read this book because I watched the film (because I love Saoirse Ronan) and I had to see if the book had the same off-kilter quality as the movie. It didn’t exactly, but it did have an interesting pace to the writing that kept it from being a two star book.

My Posts About How I Live Now

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: August 13 – 23
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Interesting take on the Wicked Stepsister’s story.
Least Favorite Thing: The romance was annoying…

This was a pretty good take on the classic Cinderella story. I liked that the Wicked Stepsisters got redemption arcs and that Ella wasn’t actually just perfect all along.

My Posts About Stepsister

Imposters by Scott Westerfeld
(Imposters, book 1)
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: August 26 – 27
Read Count: 1
Favorite Thing: Watching Frey grow into her own person.
Least Favorite Thing: Hello, Insta-love…

I loved the little moments where you saw how they viewed the events from Tally’s books now. And I loved the little sprinkling of pretty-speak.

My Posts About Imposters

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Rating: ★★★★☆ – really liked it
Review: No
Format: Print
Reading Dates: August 28 – 30
Read Count: 2
Favorite Thing: TUCK IS PSYCHIC OK???
Least Favorite Thing: [SPOILERS] That creepy yellow-suit mother fucker was going to make Winnie drink from the spring and then injure/kill her in myriad ways to prove she was immortal like my god can you imagine the trauma! [END SPOILERS]

I decided to reread this book because of my fond memories about it from when I was in school. (And also because I got into an argument about whether the book or film was better. Which was ridiculous because obviously the book is the best one.) I am so glad I reread it because I really got a lot more out of the text than I did when I was a child.

My Posts About Tuck Everlasting

In Progress

Currently Reading: After by Amy Efaw

Lee — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 23:20:37 +0000

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lee (@darkestwings)

First Lines Fridays: November 18, 2016

Lee — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 04:08:36 +0000

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

First Line:

Minutes after the shootings, everybody’s cell phone rang.

Interested? Scroll down for the cover and summary!

After by Francine Prose

The shootings in Pleasant Valley were fifty miles away, but at Central High a grief and crisis counselor is hired, security is increased, and privileges are being taken away.

No one knows why.

If you break the new rules the punishment is severe. And the rules keep changing every day.

School feels like a prison.

It’s for their protection, yet fifteen year old Tom Bishop and his friends learn that things are far more sinister than they seem. Students and teachers begin disappearing.

There’s no way to stop it.

Nationally best-selling and acclaimed author Francine Prose has written a haunting novel about what happens when protection goes too far and what it means to have freedom extinguished in the name of safety.

Today’s book is one I’ve seen several times, but never had the chance to pick up. I recently checked it out at the local library and look forward to reading it soon. If any of you have read it, I’d love to hear what you thought!