This was a super good reading month for me, since I read a lot of great books overall! I had no books under a 4-star rating! I hope everyone in the U.S. had a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
Stats:
- Read: 10 books
- Zero 1 stars, zero 2 stars, zero 3 stars, four 4 stars, six 5 stars
- Favorite book of November: From Blood and Ash
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
I enjoyed this a lot, but it didn’t get 5 stars because in general I don’t love war-related plots. Still, I loved the inclusion of Chinese culture, mythology, and religion! Rin is a great morally-grey main character. Rating: 4 stars.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Let me just say, the hype is totally deserved and valid for this book! This is really just another regular fantasy story with cool fantastical elements, but the plot, romance, and world-building was done so well. There are many plot twists near the end, and even if you guess one correctly, there are about four more you don’t see coming. The last 50 pages were WILD. I was SPEECHLESS. Rating: 5 stars
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
This is like my 1823892th reread of this book, and I read it because it’s such a fun and fuzzy book to read near the holiday season. None of my feelings about it have changed: it’s still one of my all time favorites! Rating: 5 stars
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The setting and time period of this horror story was so unique, and I really enjoyed it! I loved the Mexican culture added throughout, but I never really got that scared while reading it. Rating: 4 stars
Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this because I thought it would be so much worse than Serpent and Dove. Check out my Goodreads review here, and my full review on my blog here. Rating: 5 stars
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
This was super fun and exciting! The conversation on feminism was a little too unsubtle for me, but it was still a good message. However, I was able to guess the killer only 50 pages into the book, which was very disappointing. I’m still going to continue with the series, though! Rating: 4 stars
Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
I loved this sequel almost as much as the first book, Vicious! I would highly recommend it to people who like superhero-themed plotlines with a twist, since all the characters are anti-heroes and villains. I don’t know what to make of the ending, but all I know is that it was sad and definitely bittersweet. Check out this awesome duology! Rating: 5 stars
Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi
I flew through this novella in under an hour, and I loved it! It is such an interesting character study of Warner. He is supposed to be the villain of the story, but this book makes the readers see him in a new light, where he is humane and has real hopes and dreams. This novella will make you like Aaron Warner even if you hated him in the first book! Rating: 5 stars
How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
Yet another character analysis, this time of our favorite faerie king! I adored the illustrations, and the backstory on Cardan as well. It is definitely a story to read if you want more Jude/Cardan content. Rating: 4 stars
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
This was actually a reread, but I read it when I was much younger so I appreciated it much more this time! There is no doubt about it: this is one of my favorite adult romances ever. The enemies-to-lovers office romance is the cutest and funniest I’ve ever read, and this really is the blueprint for all adult rom-coms. I would highly recommend it to all romance lovers! Rating: 5 stars