Book Review: The Girl At Midnight by Melissa Grey

Title: The Girl At Midnight
Author: Melissa Grey
Publication Date: April 28th, 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Press

Rating:  2.5 stars

Synopsis: Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, and ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known. Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act. Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants... and how to take it. But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

Where do I begin? It's rare for me to give a book a two star rating, but for The Girl At Midnight, this had to be done.

It's sad to say that I went into this book with pretty high expectations only to be let down. With a gorgeous cover, and urban fantasy partially set in New York with two opposing supernatural creatures, one bird-like and the other dragon-like, this sounded right up my alley. Well I was wrong.

There is nothing outright terrible about The Girl At Midnight, it's just that it wasn't entirely original or stood out enough against many other young adult fantasy books.

We start off with seventeen year old, Echo, who fits in the normal criteria for stereotypical young adult human female heroine. She was funny at times, but I could already see that she was a textbook case of special snowflake syndrome. The way Melissa Grey writes Echo makes her seem entitled to Avicen life, and honestly she could be a bit whiny.What bothered me about Echo as a main character was how oblivious she could be to the fact there's a war going on, instead of describing every aspect of Caius' appearance, even though you have a boyfriend and you just met this guy literally a day ago.

I truly liked Caius in the beginning. I thought his position as Dragon Prince and leader of the Drakharin would lead to some interesting plot development, but no, it is barely apart of the plot. His character fell really flat for me. There were so many routes that Grey could have took with his character, such as his falling out with his sister, Tanith. I wanted to know more about her, and if their falling out caused her bloodthirsty attitude. But no, Tanith is painted as a stereotypical villain with no backstory and seems so one-dimensional.

A major part of a low rating for this book was that most of the characters weren't fleshed out enough, which made it hard to connect to any of them. Such as Ivy, Dorian, Jasper, were all interesting characters that I would have loved to know more about. I could see how Grey tried to incorporate them as characters, by giving them their own chapters, but that honestly took a lot away from an already short novel, and gave the story too much perspectives.

The plot wasn't the most original in the world. From the beginning of the novel I couldn't help but draw similarities to Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. Echo is pickpocket/thief who is taken in and raised by an other-worldly creature, and can use the shadow dust magic of their world. Similar to Karou being a thief, raised by the other world creature, Chimera, in Laini Taylor's books, and can use magical beads to grant wishes. The inbetween similar portals in Laini Taylor's book. Also the Avicen vs. Drakharin was so glaring similar to the Angels vs. Chimera in Daughter of Smoke and Bone. There's a another striking similarity that definitely became apparent when I've had enough of this DoSaB copy fest, but it's a spoiler so I'll spare you, if you're still interested in reading this book. 

Basic round up of Girl At Midnight Character's to their Daughter of Smoke and Bone counterparts:

Echo = Karou, Caius = Akiva, Ala = Brimstone, Tanith = Jael/Liraz, Altair = Thiago

Honestly with fantasy there's bound to similarities between various books, but when it becomes repeatedly overdone to the point where it looks like it's copying another book, that's where I draw the line. (I would highly recommend you read the glory that is the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy prior instead of to this book.)

Now that bit is over, back to main dislikes of the plot. While reading this book it seemed that so much, but also nothing at all was happening in this story. The beginning felt very rushed as everything was crammed at us all at once. There was very little world building which can be detrimental in a fantasy novel. Echo is trying to search for the Firebird to end the war but we don't even know why the Avicen and Drakharin are at war, and this happens to be a major part of the plot.

The scenes where they were actively searching for the Firebird were so short and spread out, that a majority of the time, they were just waiting around wondering what to do next. If I calculated it right I'm pretty sure this book takes place over the course of four days, give or take.

I really don't want to bring down an already sinking ship, but I must address the romance in this novel. In the beginning of the novel Echo has an Avicen boyfriend, Rowan, pretty much run of the mill in the pre-established relationships in YA novels. She describes him in excessive detail and how he makes her stomach flip. But then after she goes on her journey like two days later, she meets Caius and he is suddenly the center of the universe.

" The most beautiful and terrifying creature she had ever seen. "

" He was sickeningly handsome, verging on beautiful. "

" His eyes were the kind of green that would make emeralds weep with envy. "

The amount of descriptive sentences on Caius could last me a life time. I would normally brush this off and move on, but it was the fact that after two days Echo seemed to forgot she had a boyfriend. I have managed to avoid insta-love novels for awhile now, but then I encountered this. This insta-love/love triangle took away from so much of the essential story line. I would have much rather read about the actual war going on than Echo and Caius gazing into each other's eyes for extended periods of times.

Not every aspect of his novel was terrible. I particularly liked the descriptions of the different cities they went to such as Kyoto and Strasbourg. I appreciated Ivy and Echo's friendship (yay for female friendships), and I also liked Dorian and Caius' friendship though in the novel it seemed as they were regarding each other at a distance most of the time which I found quite odd.

I have no idea whether or not I will be reading the next book in this series, but I'm sad to say that I would not personally recommended this book, due to preference. 

Book Review: Slade House by David Mitchell

Title: Slade House
Author: David Mitchell
Publication Date: October 27th, 2015
Publisher: Random House

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Down the road from a working-class British pub, along the brick wall of a narrow alley, if the conditions are exactly right, you'll find the entrance to Slade House: a surreal place where visitors see what they want to see including some things that should be impossible. Every nine years, the house's residents, and odd brother and sister, extend a unique invitation to someone who's different or lonely, a precious teenager, a divorced policeman, a shy college student. But what really goes on inside Slade House? For those who find out, it's already too late...

Spanning five decades, from the last days of the 1970s to the present, leaping genres, and barreling toward its astonishing conclusion, this intricately woven novel will pull you into a reality-warping new vision of the haunted house story, as only David Mitchell could imagine it.

Arc provided by Random House in exchange for honest review.

Going into this novel I had at best expected an average haunted house story. Since I have yet to read a David Mitchell book I had no idea what was in store.. Let it be known that this book easily took me by surprise.

Spanning across five decades from 1979-2015, David Mitchell tells the compelling story of twins Norah and Jonah who inhabit Slade House and every nine years they invite guests for a visit. Permanently.

This story was the perfect October read. They way David Mitchell tells a story is compelling. His prose and plot arc, settles in your mind and plays tricks on you until you don't even know what is the truth.

The best way to go into this novel is knowing very little, for it leaves much to be imagined. When I realized that this novel was actually told in five separate story lines that intertwine with each other, I was a bit apprehensive. Many times coming across a book with separate story lines, its can come across as choppy and hard to follow. This wasn't the case with Slade House, Mitchell is able to blend and intertwine his story lines which also take place in different decades, beautifully.

The story of Slade House is chilling and haunting and I found myself definitely creeped out while reading this at night. It's fast paced and quite short so you'll find yourself flying through it quickly.

Nearing the end I was pondering how Mitchell would conclude this novel and I have to say that is where my ratings fell. Upon reading other reviews I realized that David Mitchell blends some of his characters and elements from his previous book The Bone Clocks, in this novel, and that it's best to read that prior to this novel if you want to understand the ending more clearly.

The ending was bit confusing and felt rushed to just drive the point home, which is why Slade House ended up as a four star book for me. I am still very much intrigued to read David Mitchell's other books.

If you're still looking for a creepy mind altering novel after October then I definitely recommend this book. It is sure to be one you'll never forget.

Bookish Playlist: Queen of Shadows

If you follow me on Instagram it's easily known that books and music are two of my favorite things. I've always enjoyed listening to music while reading, but it wasn't until 2013 when I started making playlists of songs that reminded me of books. I plan on uploading them periodically on 8 tracks, which is my go-to place for wonderful playlists.

The first playlist I uploaded on 8 tracks is titled: A Queen of Shadows, which you can listen here.

This playlist was inspired by the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas and was mainly influenced by the first three books in the series since I have not yet read Queen of Shadows prior to creating this playlist. This playlist essentially revolves around Aelin, but I wanted to include some songs that reminded me of other characters. I wanted this playlist to be mild in sound, but not too soft, drawing my main influences from Fleet Foxes, Daughter, and Halsey. Some people may find a 32 song playlist too long, but I personally enjoy lengthy playlist for they offer a large variety of different sounds and moods. Concocting new playlists is something I truly enjoy and I will definitely upload more soon.

Tracklist:

1. Your Protector // Fleet Foxes

2. Glory & Gore // Lorde

3. Human // Daughter

4. Animal // Sky Ferreria

5. Ragged Wood // Fleet Foxes

6. Youth // Daughter

7. Queen of Peace // Flo + the Machine

8. Castle // Halsey

9. Down to the Second // Zack Berkman

10. Wolf // Phildel

11. Angel of Small Death // Hozier

12. Yellow Flicker Beat // Lorde

13. I See Fire // Ed Sheeran

14. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song // Fleet Foxes

15. Crystals // Of Monsters & Men

16. Montezuma // Fleet Foxes

17. The Disappearance of the Girl // Phildel

18. Firewall // Les Friction

19. Storm Song // Phildel

20. Someone You'd Admire // Fleet Foxes

21. He Doesn't Know Why // Fleet Foxes

22. We Must Be Killers // Mikky Echo

23. Virgin // Manchester Orchestra

24. Broken Crown // Mumford & Sons

25. Draw Your Swords // Angus & Julia Stone

26. Run // Daughter

27. Control // Halsey

28. Arsonists Lullaby // Hozier

29. World on Fire // Les Friction

30. It's Only // ODESZA

31. Candles // Daughter

32. Everybody Wants to Rule the World // Lorde

Lady Midnight Cover Analysis

Today was the day that the cover for Lady Midnight was revealed during the Shadowhunter's panel at New York City Comic Con and on Cassie's instagram.

Lady Midnight is the first installment in The Dark Artifices trilogy, which is still set in the Shadowhunter world, but is five years after the events in City of Heavenly Fire, and takes place in Los Angeles. We get a new cast of characters to follow, mainly Emma Carstairs and her parabatai Julian Blackthorn as a mysterious string of murders begin happening in Los Angeles and an impending war against the fair folk is almost upon them.

Synopsis: Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

And the cover....

This is by far the most gorgeous Shadowhunter cover we've had had, and I thought it couldn't get better than Clockwork Princess. I was kinda sad that the spines will no longer match the previous Shadowhunter books, but honestly the spine looks pretty gorgeous. I wonder if the rune on the spine will change with each book release.

The girl on the cover is most certainly Emma Carstairs, who of course is our main character. It wasn't until upon further examination of this cover that I realized that in the background it shows inverted church spires as she floats suspended underwater. I honestly have no idea why she is wearing a dress in the cover, but I'm pretty sure it will be explained in the novel as for Cassandra Clare is not one to have a typical girl-in-dress-cover without reason being for it.

As soon as I saw this cover it reminded me of the Fair folk for some reason. There is a black spiraling darkness rising from the bottom to met her. I have a reason to believe that this might be connect Unseelie Court. Cassie confirmed to me on twitter, that we will be seeing the infamous Unseelie Court and it will be very creepy. Not much is known about the Unseelie Court in the Shadowhunter books, besides that the location of their Court is unknown to many and they're even worse than the Seelie Court.

Could it be that in the cover Emma is traveling to the Unseelie Court, which happens to be underwater. She also has a fear of the ocean so this may be her overcoming it. There's not much to go on from this cover, but it definitely makes me all the more eager to pick up this 786 page behemoth when it comes out on March, 8th 2016.

What do you guys think of the cover? What do you believe will happen in Lady Midnight?

BOOKISH Q & A

So it's been awhile. I haven't realized it's been over a month since my last post and I don't know why but every time I went to write something my brain would be like

This went on for over a month

Since summer is coming up I really want to try to be more active on here and will try to post at least 3 times a week. I wanted to do a Q&A where I asked a bunch of questions on my instagram and replied here.

1. Which genre would you prefer to read: New Adult or Middle Grade?

I had to actually think about this for a moment because these are both genres that I really don't reach for. I'm not a big fan of New Adult because from reading the synopsis' many of them sound so similar to each other and not really my cup of tea. So I would have to choose Middle Grade because it does feature many fantasy books, which is my favorite genre, but also I feel as if Middle Grade is more diverse genre.

2. Which fictional character do you relate to most and why?

BEFORE I EVEN FINISHED READING THE QUESTION I KNEW ALREADY. That has to be Elise Dembowski from This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales.

This book guys I just 

Elise is one of the most honest and relatable characters I've ever come across. For those of you who don't know, This Song Will Save Your Life is about a socially awkward girl named Elise who finds a love in dj-ing and it really helps her figure out who she is as a person and she has the best character development I've ever read. I'm not going to be nonchalant about it, everyone must read this book.

3. Favorite all time book?

I'm the type of person that can't have one all time favorite book because I love so much of them for various but here are my top 6 series/standalones (as of right now)

4. Do you prefer fantasy or contemporaries more? What about dystopians or romance novels?

 Fantasy is my favorite genre. I don't read much YA dystopians anymore because most of them are repetitive [insert stereo-typical white teenage girl who is somehow the "chosen one" who overthrows a supposedly all powerful government body who've been in power for centuries with the help of a teenage boy and they happen to fall in love in the process, also with the help of side characters who are more fillers than anything else] But I do love classic dystopian. I don't mind romance novels once in awhile, if they aren't overly cheesy.

5. What are the books that affected you deeply?

If I'd were to list all of them it would take a substantial amount of time. All of them can be found on my this-could-change-your-life shelf on goodreads. Here are some of them:

• This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
• Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
• Everybody Sees The Ants by A.S. King
• The Diviners by Libba Bray
• The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
• Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
• Going Bovine by Libba Bray
• Me And Earl & The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
• I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

6. Paperbacks or Hardbacks?

Hardbacks over everything, there is no other way.

7. If you could meet your favorite character of all time, what would you ask?

One of my favorite male characters is Will Herondale so I'd probably be blubbering and too in shock to ask him anything. So one of my favorite female characters is Paige Mahoney from The Bone Season and what I've really wanted to ask is how does she find it inside herself to stand up with her ideas and plans to help everyone, even while they're sitting down.

8. Top five favorite female fictional characters and why?

The female characters I am going to list below either exhibit courage, self-lessness, kick-assery, and also a kind heart that is understanding towards others.

• Paige Mahoney (The Bone Season)
• Celaena Sardothien (Throne of Glass)
• Annabeth Chase (PJO/Heroes of Olympus)
• Elise Dembowski (This Song Will Save Your Life)
• Karou (Daughter of Smoke & Bone)
• Tessa Gray (Infernal Devices)
• Vin (Mistborn)

I know that was more than 5, but whatever.

9. What character's personality is most like yours?

I am honestly a collection of various characters I've read from over the years. I feel as if I get a bit of my personality from various favorites and could see myself in them.

10. Exactly how many books do you own?

Last time I counted it was 121, but it's probably more now.

11.  Biggest book pet peeves?

Okay a bookish pet peeves that has to do with the actual physical book is cover changes (unless they're good cover changes) but I hate it when publishers change the covers when the series isn't even completed.

A bookish pet peeve that has to with the actual story itself is when a story has an unnecessary love triangle where you can obviously see who that person will end up with.

12. Who would be your fictional soulmate?

WILL HERONDALE AND PERCY JACKSON

13. What book got you into reading?

In Kindergarten my teacher took us to the school library for the first time ever, and I was mesmerized by it, and one of the librarians helped me pick out one of Marc Brown's Arthur books. I read D.W. The Picky Eater by Marc Brown, then the rest of the Arthur books after that (over and over again) and I was hooked for life.

14. What books/series did you read when you were a child?

As aforementioned I was a big fan of the Arthur books, but what got me from reading only picture books to chapter books were the Katie Kazoo books, specifically this one

15. When and why did you make your bookstagram?

I made my bookstagram account back in late 2013, and it was just because I had a personal account, but didn't want to spam people with my book photos so I thought why not make an account dedicated to books. I joined when bookstagram was just starting up I didn't even know bookstagram was a thing and me and some other people who I still follow had no idea what we were doing. We would just post book photos of what we were reading, then soon after a bunch of tags would come along. It's been one heck of a ride.

16. How many books do you read in a week?

Well back in middle school I was an unnaturally speedy reader. I use to be able to read 4 large books in a week. Now I can barely finish a 300 page book in 2 weeks...

Thanks for all those who asked me questions. Might do another one like this in the future.

Top 5 Wednesday: Books That Feature Traveling

Another day, another Wednesday. This weeks topic of Top 5 Wednesday is: Books That Feature Traveling. Truth be told that I had a hard time choosing 5 books because many of the books I read take place in one general area. But nonetheless, I found some that I really enjoyed. Let's get right into this.

5. Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead is by far my favorite Vampire Academy book and that is all because of where it takes place; Russia. I loved that we got to take a break from St. Vladimir's for awhile and go into the outside world. Mead's descriptions in this book are so vivid and beautiful that at times I felt that I was in Russia right alongside Rose. I think the traveling aspect of this book is so important because Rose ends up meeting some new characters along the way that really impact her life, and afterwards the entire trip changes her as a person. I wasn't too keen on this book series in the beginning, because Lissa was a really annoying character throughout, but the entertaining dialogue, and Rose's sassy narration made this series highly addicting.

4. Heist Society by Ally Carter

If I didn't have so many awesome choices, then Heist Society by Ally Carter wold have made the top of my list. For those of you who do not know, Heist Society in simple terms is Ocean's Eleven for teens. This book follows fifth-teen year old Kat Bishop, who grew up in a family of con-men and thieves. In the beginning of the novel she gets kicked out of the boarding school that she conned her way into. Her friend Hale, tells her that her father, has been accused of stealing a painting of a powerful mobster, who wants it returned in a matter of weeks. Kat, who wants to clear her father's name assembly's a crew to steal back the painting they believe has been hidden somewhere; in one of the most secure museum in the world.

This books has espionage, humor, family matters, and the romance isn't shoved in your face as the case in many YA books. I definitely recommend this trilogy to everyone, it is highly underrated but wonderfully entertaining.

3. Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Another underrated book that I absolutely love. I kid you not Libba Bray cannot write a bad book. For those of you who haven't heard of this book Going Bovine is about 15 year-old Cameron who just wants to get through high-school, but then gets diagnosed with mad-cow disease, and knows he is going to die. He is then visited by a punk-rock angel, who tells him there is a cure if he's willing to search for it. Cameron then sets off on a road-trip with a talking garden gnome, dwarf friend and insanity ensues. Let me be the first to tell you that this book is quite weird, but there is so much humor and depth into this novel. I loved the road-trip aspect of this book immensely, because it was entirely different from anything I read before. Half the time you're figuring out whether certain scenes or real or part of Cameron's hallucinations and that's only half the fun. I definitely recommend this book if you're looking for some humor, but also a bit of depth and reality.

2. Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Many times I hear of people talking about Gayle's first novel If I Stay, but rarely this one. In my opinion Just One Day is leagues ahead of If I Stay. This novel follows Allison Healy who lives a pretty structured life, that is until she agrees upon visiting Paris for just one day, with the free-spirited Willem, who she just met on her trip abroad. A large portion of this novel centers around that just one day in Paris and boy did this book blow my mind away. I wasn't a huge fan of Willem's character, but I was of Allison's. The way Gayle Forman forms her character arc was absolutely beautiful. I loved the descriptions of Paris, and everyday life in a city where most people focus on the tourist attractions. This books is not only about love, and travel, but also about finding yourself and this book left me so inspired. I still need to pick up the companion novel, Just One Year, but really looking forward to it.

1. The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan

And finally my number one pick, and a book that holds a very special place in my heart, The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan. Actually I count both the entire Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus series for this one. These books are just one epic adventure after another. There's so much rich story and traveling adventures in each of these books that I don't even know where to begin with. The road-trips in these books are so well fleshed out and described, that you can't help but feel you're right alongside these demigods on their epic quests. 

The characters are phenomenal, don't get me started on Percabeth. There is also so much to be learned from these books, I myself and many others learned a lot of Greek mythology while reading this, which has become something that I now absolutely love. If you haven't read this series then you must have been living under a rock, but definitely go out and give this a try. It is a common misconception that this book series can only be enjoyed by children, but there are many adults who love this book just as well.

Top 5 Wednesday: Books You Wanted to Start Yesterday

Now is the time I sit down and finally do this. Over the course of the past months of vigorously watching booktube videos like there is no tomorrow, I came across something I really wanted to do. Top 5 Wednesday, a weekly video update where you showcase your top 5 books of the specific topic that week, which was created by a You-tuber I adore GingerReadsLainey. This weeks topic is Books You Wanted to Start Yesterday, which is fairly easy topic to me because I am a professional slacker when it comes to keeping up with series. Here are my Top 5:

5. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer makes it to number 5 on my list because for some strange reason I have yet to purchase this book. Let's ignore the fact that I have already bought Cress & Fairest as you can see from my instagram. I've read Cinder back in 2014 and really loved it. The way Marissa Meyer writes her characters and her world build-up is incredible. From what I've heard, each book just gets better and better.

4. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes inevitably makes it onto my list because every time I see it at Barnes and Nobles or at the library I'm like: 

This is one of those books where I hear literally everyone and their mother rave about. From what I know it's a young adult high fantasy book following multiple perspectives that inevitable cross into each others lives. The other two books, Rebel Spring and Gathering Darkness are already out so once I get my hands on it you can bet I will be marathoning these. Can we just admire these absolutely stunning covers for a second: 

3. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

*Crawls into a hole and hides* I honestly feel like the only person who hasn't read this trilogy. I didn't really feel like purchasing it so I went to my town library and they didn't have it. My school library has Unravel Me but not the first book. They checked nearby libraries and none of them had it. Once my school library finally got it, someone checked it out then lost it. 

They finally got a new copy, but some has already checked it out. (No surprise there.) I'm pretty sure the universe doesn't want me to read this book. I downloaded the e-book and only read 20 pages, but so far I like it. Still waiting to get that physical copy so I can continue. Yes I am that weird person that puts off reading a book even though she has an ebook of it just so she can read it in physical form. But that's only sometimes. Another main reason I want to read this is because I adore Tahereh. Have you seen her instagram, it's flawless.

2. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I had a hard time deciding between my number two and number one pick. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is definitely high on my tbr list. This year I have been trying to get back into favorite genre which is high fantasy. Last year I branched out and read a large diversity of genres, especially contemporary that I realized I was neglecting my favorite. So far I caught up on the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas and currently on the second book of the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, and I love both. I know very little about the Name of the Wind, but I really want to go into it that way. What I really want to do this year is expand my knowledge of adult high-fantasy books, and this will be a great addition to that.

1. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

The number one book that I wanted to start yesterday will have to be Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. I don't want to sound repetitive, but all I hear about this book is amazing things. I hear great things about the romance, the plot, the writing style, and also that it's a very underrated book makes me want to check it out even more. I'm not a big fan on YA dystopia, many of them are quite repetitive and boring. But I am definitely looking forward to reading this one sometime this year.