September has been a very good reading month for me and I ended up reading seven books. This might not seem like a lot to some, but I’m very happy with that number. I managed to read a few new releases this month, all which I reviewed (links will be posted throughout).
Let me know how many books you read and your favourite read of the month in the comments!
The Lost Book of the White (The Eldest Curses #2) by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu
Read: 2/09/20 – 4/09/20 Rating: 4/5
There has been a Cassandra Clare shaped hole in my life since Chain of Gold was released in March and The Lost Book of the White more than filled it. After reading the first book in the series last year I was not sure how to feel about its sequel. The ending of The Red Scrolls of Magic did not leave me to believe that the story had anywhere to go. I brought The Lost Book of the White anyway because I’m a huge Cassandra Clare fan and need to read everything she has written.
I was not disappointed by this book in any way. The story had a lot more depth and the set-up for book three was incredible, I’m already wondering when I can pre-order it. More importantly brought back a lot of nostalgia for The Mortal Instruments and had tonnes of Malec cuteness, what more could you want?
Check out my full review of the book HERE.
Goodreads synopsis: “Life is good for Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood. They’re living together in a fabulous loft, their warlock son, Max, has started learning to walk, and the streets of New York are peaceful and quiet—as peaceful and quiet as they ever are, anyway.
Until the night that two old acquaintances break into Magnus’s apartment and steal the powerful Book of the White. Now Magnus and Alec will have to drop everything to get it back. They need to follow the thieves to Shanghai, they need to call some backup to accompany them, and they need a babysitter.
Also, someone has stabbed Magnus with a strange magical weapon and the wound is glowing, so they have that to worry about too.
Fortunately, their backup consists of Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and newly minted Shadowhunter Simon. In Shanghai, they learn that a much darker threat awaits them. Magnus’s magic is growing unstable, and if they can’t stop the demons flooding into the city, they might have to follow them all the way back to the source—to the very realm of the dead. Can they stop the threat to the world? Will they make it back home before their kid completely wears out Alec’s mom?”
American Royals (American Royals #1) by Katharine McGee
Read: 28/08/20 – 9/09/20 Rating: 4/5
I had heard so many great things about American Royals and had actually brought the book when it first came out. I am one of those silly people who are often put off by overhyped books, well I definitely felt silly once I finished it.
I loved this book. So much so that I started its sequel instantly after finishing it.
Being British I am obviously very well versed in the world of the monarchy, so I was really excited to see what it would be like from an American perspective. Lets just say I was not disappointed and I loved all of the scandal.
Goodreads synopsis: “What if America had a royal family?
When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne.
As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling.
Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her.
And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.”
Majesty (American Royals #2) by Katharine McGee
Read: 4/09/20 – 6/09/20 Rating: 4.5/5
I did a full review of Majesty when it came out, you can read it HERE.
Romance, romance, romance. I am a sucker for romance and this book is packed full of it. Although I will say that I did not find myself too invested in any of the male romantic interests.
The female characters were the most interesting part for me. Which makes sense because the story is told from four different female perspectives.
Basically I loved everything about this book.
Goodreads synopsis: “Is America ready for its first queen?
Power is intoxicating. Like first love, it can leave you breathless. Princess Beatrice was born with it. Princess Samantha was born with less. Some, like Nina Gonzalez, are pulled into it. And a few will claw their way in. Ahem, we’re looking at you Daphne Deighton.
As America adjusts to the idea of a queen on the throne, Beatrice grapples with everything she lost when she gained the ultimate crown. Samantha is busy living up to her “party princess” persona…and maybe adding a party prince by her side. Nina is trying to avoid the palace–and Prince Jefferson–at all costs. And a dangerous secret threatens to undo all of Daphne’s carefully laid “marry Prince Jefferson” plans.
A new reign has begun….”
Legendborn (Legendborn #1) by Tracy Deonn
Read: 20/09/20 – 24/09/20 Rating: 3.5/5
Legendborn was my third new release read of the month. Which is very unusual for me as I am more than behind when it comes to recent reads. This was probably my least favourite new read which does not mean I didn’t like it, I just didn’t like it as much as The Lost Book of The White or Majesty.
I really enjoyed the plot of Legendborn however at times I personally thought that the pacing of the book was a little slow.
Read my full review of Legendborn HERE.
Goodreads synopsis: “After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.
And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.
The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.
She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.”
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Read: 11/09/20 – 28/09/20 Rating: 3.5/5
This read was a long time coming for me. I again brought this book when it first came out but put it off for some reason. I’m basically an idiot who forgets that I’ve brought books on my Kindle.
It took me so long to finish this book which honestly took away from its brilliance for me. This was to no fault of the book, I was just really busy and decided that I wanted to review some recent reads.
The overall storyline was really interesting and I feel like I would have really enjoyed it if I actually read it without other distractions. Hence why I have only given it a 3.5/5. I’m actually quite annoyed at myself for taking so long with it as I had been excited to read it for so long.
Goodreads synopsis: “All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.”
All This Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott
Read: 29/09/20 – 29/09/20 Rating: 4/5
Another recent release and what was probably one of my favourite reads of the year so far. Check out my full review HERE.
This story was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I got quite emotional when reading it, which does not happen often for me, and I found that I could not put it down.
If you are the type of person that loves a pull on your heartstrings kind of read then All This Time is perfect for you.
Goodreads synopsis: “Kyle and Kimberly have been the perfect couple all through high school, but when Kimberly breaks up with him on the night of their graduation party, Kyle’s entire world upends—literally. Their car crashes and when he awakes, he has a brain injury. Kimberly is dead. And no one in his life could possibly understand.
Until Marley. Marley is suffering from her own loss, a loss she thinks was her fault. And when their paths cross, Kyle sees in her all the unspoken things he’s feeling.
As Kyle and Marley work to heal each other’s wounds, their feelings for each other grow stronger. But Kyle can’t shake the sense that he’s headed for another crashing moment that will blow up his life as soon as he’s started to put it back together.
And he’s right.”
The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black
Read: 28/09/20 – 30/09/20 Rating: 4.5/5
I. Love. Cardan.
That’s it, that is all I have to say about this book.
Well its not, but its definitely my strongest feeling towards this series.
It has been quite a while since I’ve been excited about a series and oh boy am I excited about this one. Everyone already knows that I love Cardan and always want more of him in my life, but honestly the plot of this series has me hooked.
I honestly don’t want to read The Queen of Nothing because I’m not ready for it all to be over.
Goodreads synopsis: “You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.
The first lesson is to make yourself strong.
After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.
When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.”
Great job reading 7 books last month! I dunno about other folks, but that’s a great number to me!
The Cruel Prince series is so good right???? I can’t wait for you to read Queen of Nothing, it’s so good and full of twists and turns and FEELINGS. It closed out the series well, I think. Anywho, great post!
Ah thank you, I’m very happy with the number!
Well I’m definitely going to make it my first read of the month now. It’s probably becoming one of my all time favourite series!!
I read seven books as well! I finished The Queen of Nothing and I loved it. I’m also sad that it’s over.
Great post! I love the pictures along with the review. I read 2 books last month sadly 😢
Great reading month! That is exactly how I felt after reading The Wicked King as well, haha!