November Wrap-Up
Book Count: 8
Pages Count: 2,469
Star Count: 30/40
Artemis by Andy Weir
Artemis follows a muslim girl who has been living on the moon since age 6. However, now at 17, she finds herself living the life of a smuggler and completely isolated from her family. An opportunity to come into significant money is dropped at her feet, and she pounces. Little does she know that this will put not only her but the entire community on the moon at danger.
Either way, a great read! I would of course recommend The Martian over Artemis, but if you already read & loved The Martian, give this one a go!
Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris
Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace: he has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You'd like to get to know Grace better. But it's difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are never apart. Some might call this true love. But why are there bars on one of the bedroom windows?
I REALLY enjoyed this book. I have been on a major mystery-thriller kick this month (as you will see with the following books). This one was up there in one of my favorites. It was JUST messed up enough and scarily realistic. You feel so much for the main character because you know as well as she does that there is no way out, and he's made sure of that.
I highly recommend this if you're looking for a good thriller.
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
This one was a MIND BENDER. This was my favorite of the mystery-thrillers I read this month.
Anne and Marco have a 6-month old baby. Their neighbors don't like babies, so they leave the baby alone in her crib as the pop over next door for a dinner party. But when Anne and Marco return, the baby is gone.
This will leave you LITERALLY on the edge of your seat and make you freak the FUDGE OUT. I cannot recommend me enough, so just trust me and pick this one up. You will NOT REGRET IT.
All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
DNF
Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars.
At the heart of this place you will find the Soria family, who all have the ability to perform unusual miracles. And at the heart of this family are three cousins longing to change its future. They are all looking for a miracle. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect.
I tried to get into this, and I just couldn't. Maybe it's because it's magical realism and I just cannot wrap my head around that genre, or maybe it was just the writing. Either way, I couldn't get into it and I'm quite disappointed. I heard a lot of people quite liked it, so maybe if you're really into magical realism, give this one a go!
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
A teenage boy, Will, just saw his brother shot, and now he's out for revenge. But first, he needs to take the elevator - an elevator full of ghosts from his past. And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator.
I loved this one not only because of how drastically different it was from anything else, but also because of the diversity it brought to the YA genre. I cannot stress enough how important it is for the world to read these stories. We all need more perspectives on life because then maybe we would understand and accept people more. And we need a little more love in this world.
Rengades by Marissa Meyer
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.
I FREAKING LOVED THIS. One of my favorite reads of 2017, honestly. It's superheroes + dystopia + diversity to the max. If you love Marissa Meyer or just fantasy/sci-fi in general you need to read this because I promise you'll love it.
A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
Karen and Tom are happy in their home in Upstate New York. That is until Karen gets into a near-fatal car accident that leaves her with no memory of what happened. The cops say it appears she was running away from something...but what?
Karen returns home with Tom, determined to heal and move on with her life. Then she realizes something’s been moved. Something’s not quite right. Someone’s been in her house. And the police won't stop asking questions.
When I read mystery-thrillers, they have to have a "sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat" plot and a completely shocking ending, and this one delivered!
I only gave it 4 stars because it was quite prolonger and I felt the writer could've presented the solution to the mystery much earlier. Regardless, it was a mind bender and a total thriller. Highly recommend this if you're looking for a fun mystery-thriller!
Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman
I was really hoping that this would be on par with The Gold Seer Trilogy (Walk on Earth A Stranger) which as you guys probably know is one of my favorite series. I've heard really fantastic things about this series, but I've noticed that they're usually from people who haven't read Walk On Earth A Stranger yet. So unfortunately, this really did not meet my expectations.
As a result, this was very lack luster to me. There wasn't enough adventure, not enough character development, and strange conflicts and resolutions. It was still a fun story, but it felt too short and like it was missing a massive chunk of the plot.
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