Queen of Air and Darkness
Book 3 in The Dark Artifices
by Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Read on December 8, 2018
Format: Library Loan
As the final book in the trilogy so there may be some unintentional spoilers mentioned.
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Imbalance
Part One
written by Faith Erin Hicks and illustrated by Peter Wartman
Publisher: Random House | Dark Horse Books
Release Date: December 18, 2018
Format: ARC from Edelweiss
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Aang and the gang return to Earthen Fire Industries to find that the once small town is now booming. The business council appeals for help in finding a solution for the bender and non-bender conflict that roams the street each day.
On a whim, I decided to give Sarah J. Mass another try and picked up A Court of Thorns and Roses. I read up to a little more than half way when I decided to put it down. I found myself skim reading over paragraphs just waiting for something to happen, and when something did I found myself just not caring that it happened. (一。一;;） The book is more romance heavy than it is on the plot, and there is a combo of fairy tales meshed together in this book. Although I enjoy fairy tale retellings I just was not as attached to the characters as I would have liked to be.
I was going to do the Down the TBR Hole meme created by lostinastory when I realized I already did this earlier this year. Even then I’m not an avid Goodreads user. I basically use Goodreads to gather information on a book, participate in random giveaways, and view new releases. So yes, I believe this paragraph was a bit pointless.
I participated in 2 readthons.
On a whim I casually participated in Lalathon and managed to read three books.
I also participated in Penguin Teen’s Fall into Fantasy Readaton.
Outside of the readathons I finished reading 11 ARCs (5 were books and the other 6 were manga), 5 books, and 3 manga (that were re-reads).
In total I managed to read 17 books, 7 manga, and 2 graphic novels. I’m a bit amazed by how much I accomplished, but now I’m left daunted with the task of writing the reviews for a couple of the ARCs.
Ten Count
Volume 6
Written & illustrated by Rihito Takarai
Release Date: December 11, 2018
Publisher: VIZ Media | SuBLime
Format: ARC from Edelweiss
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is the final volume in this BL manga series so there may be spoilers.
This series follows Shirotani who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) when he meets Kurose, a therapist who tries to help him overcome his compulsions. In this volume, Shirotani is confronted with a figure from his past causing buried emotions to flow to the surface.
This read-a-thon started on November 18th and ended on the 25th.
With this week being Thanksgiving week I was more preoccupied than I originally thought. I managed to finish reading four books though! Huzzah, huzzah.
These were the challenges:
Click along the page buttons to see my review for The Smoke Thieves, A Darker Shade of Magic, and Firefight.
The Bastard’s Pearl
by Connie Bailey
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Read on November 19, 2018
Format: E-book
Explicit scenes between two male characters. Trigger warning for rape.
Sheyn travels to the east by land with big dreams of an adventure when he is abducted and transformed by a mysterious ritual that changes the course of his life. Sheyn eventually comes to meet Kashyan the Bastard who he is on often on ends with.
I found myself fascinated by the world (even though I wouldn’t want to live there) and the concept of daaski. Sheyn is very much the headstrong character described and is tossed into a culture very different from his own and is way more dangerous. While I enjoyed his character at first I felt there was not enough development to make me like him. He seemed to remain stagnant throughout the story where his way of life is readily accepted without much resistance or discussion.
While the characters are interesting, they are one dimensional and very limited in the roles that they play. While there was some tension in the beginning, I felt as if the tension just dissipated as the story progressed that I was not surprised by the ending.
Challenge met: An LGBTQ Fantasy
The Evolution of Jeremy Warsh
by Jess Moore
Publisher: NineStar Press
Read on November 27, 2018
Format: ARC from Net Galley
Jeremy Warsh set aside his passion for art and comic books after the passing of his grandpa and expects that his life is tied to the grocery store in town. His finds himself inspired to pick up the pen to make his friend’s grand idea of a zombie themed Homecoming come true.
Blissful Land
Volume 1
written & illustrated by Ichimon Izumi
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: November 27, 2018
Format: ARC from Net Galley
Khang Zhipa is a doctor’s apprentice living in 18th century Tibet. On his way back to his village from picking medicinal herbs he sees a group travel through their town and it turns out his bride-to-be was a part of the group.
