Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy: This is a fun read for October because it’s a little bit dark but not too heavy. It takes place mostly in our world’s Dublin and the magic is unknown to most people. The characters are different and interesting. (3 stars, audiobook)
ArchEnemy (Looking Glass Wars #3) by Frank Beddor: A fun and satisfying conclusion to this spinoff series of Alice in Wonderland. (4 stars, audiobook)
The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean: There’s tons of interesting stuff here but I was hoping it’d be heavier on the anecdote side and lighter on the science detail side but that wasn’t the case. If you’re really into chemistry or physics you’d probably enjoy this but I’ve never taken a physics class and it’s been near ten years since I’ve taken a chemistry class and about half this book was over my head. (2 stars)
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: I loved this. A different sort of fantasy than I usually read, with a focus on psychics and supernatural energy and lay lines. There are a lot of likable and interesting characters. No real resolution in this first installation, but it also wasn’t completely unsatisfactory. I definitely look forward to reading the next, and I will definitely do the audio because Will Patton as narrator is amazing. (4 stars, audiobook)
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin: SO MUCH HAPPENS. It is the best of the series so far. Parts of it were shocking and took me days to recover from. I am enjoying all the storylines right now and like to think about how they will intersect each other. (5 stars)
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale: Sweet and satisfying. Love the full cast audio. (4 stars, audiobook)
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg: All of the characters are vivid and likeable. Daisy Fay has a strong voice and is extremely endearing. This is a really easy read and I enjoyed it all. (4 stars)
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn: One of the editors of Book Riot talks a lot about how she’s been reading a lot of romance over the past year because she wasn’t previously familiar with the genre. I guess she got me interested in seeing what it was like because I had never read a romance novel before so I decided to for the heck of it. I don’t have anything to really compare this one too, but it was a fun escape and pretty much what I expected. (3 stars)
I’m also so close to finishing Longbourn by Jo Baker which is awesome, but I didn’t quite make it. Soon I’ll share with you my favorite reads of the year so stay tuned!
From Sarah @ Beauty School Dropout:
You read a lot more fantasy than I do, but you almost make me want to try some! For someone who’s just getting started in that genre, what would you recommend?
From kapachino:
I listen to audiobooks a lot and I find that young adult & children’s fantasy is one of the most fun genres to listen to! I don’t read a lot of hard core fantasy but I do like it as well. A couple of my favorites that you might want to check out are the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix and the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull.