Sunday, February 5, 2017

January Wrap Up!

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog!! I hope everyone had a great start to their new year. Personally, things have been good for me. My first semester of senior has finished, and because of snow and exams I was exempt from, I had almost two weeks off from school.

Reading-wise, I am off to a pretty great start. All the time off from school allowed me to just relax, hang out with my friends, and also read. 

Here are all the books I read to kick off this new year! All of these are in order from date read.


1) The Substitute by Denise Grover Swank
I had such a weird reading experience with The Substitute. I wasn't liking the first half, and I was actually thinking about DNF-ing it. Then, the book picked up and I really started to like it. I don't know if I'll read another adult romance by Swank, but it wasn't bad!
2) The Valiant by Lesley Livingston
The Valiant was such a solid read. I did have a couple issues, but they were few and far between. I loved the characters and all the kickass females. I really appreciated how there were no knights in shining armor in this book!
 3) Spellcaster by Claudia Gray
Spellcaster is the first book in Gray's witch trilogy. the only other book I've read by Gray was A Thousand Pieces of You, which I did enjoy. I would say though that I liked Spellcaster more, but I'm more excited for the sequel of A Thousand Pieces of You. Though the ending opened some new doors for the series, it didn't make me want to pick up the next book right away.  

4) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for my AP English Lit class, which is unfortunately over now that the semester wrapped up. I would say that this is probably my favorite classic that we read this year, with Brave New World, Hamlet, and 1984 being up there as well. I personally loved the story and I know I'll want to re-read it in the future. 

5) The List by Clare James
If I had two words to sum up this book, it would be average and fun. It was a classic freebie romance with a new adult feel to it, even though the main character was 29. My main issue was the main character and the voice of her. I couldn't relate to her at all and she seemed so immature for being almost 30.  


6) Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Guys. I struggled with Throne of Glass. I wrote a whole discussion post on why it was such a huge disappointment for me. o be honest, I don't even want to talk about it that much anymore. I will be continuing on with the series though!

7) Daughter of Alvar by Silver Reins
Duagher of Alvar is the sequel to Bride of Alvar, which I reviewed in December. I gave the first book in the series 3 out of 5 stars, and I did the same with this book. I liked the book, but I was thrown off that it wasn't a full completed story. Bride of Alvar was its own story, with Daughter of Alvar being a companion book. I thought it would be the same thing for this book, but it was not. However, I still liked the book, but I had a couple issues here and there.

8) Stealing Candy by Stewart Lewis

I initially gave this book 3.5 stars, but I think I'm lowering it to 3.25. We'll see in my review, which should be coming later this week! Candy, the protagonist, was pretty annoying and kept on complaining about how her life was so hard. I just became apathetic to her. However, the book was a fun little adventure.

9) Seven Days of You by Ceclia Vinesse
I would say that this would be my favorite book of the month. The whole book takes place in seven days, and I loved the whirlwind aspect of it. The book is about this girl Sophia, who lives in Tokyo. however, she is going to be leaving in 7 days when her estranged childhood friend, Jamie comes back into town. A romance ensues as Sophia's life becomes even more hectic. Personally, I connected with Sophia and I loved her voice My only complaint is that this book seems to be a lost opportunity for a diverse cast. 


Posts of the Month!
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW | The Rose Society by Marie Lu
Music Monday #2 | Bridgit Mendler
BOOK REVIEW | Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
Waiting on Wednesday #11
December Wrap Up!
BOOK REVIEW | Torn by Amanda Hocking
Waiting on Wednesday #12
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW | Spellcaster by Claudia Gray
Waiting on Wednesday #13
DISCUSSION | Why Throne of Glass was a huge disappointment
MOVIE REVIEW | Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Those were all my posts and books I've read in January! What did you read? I hope you had a wonderful January and start of your year! 

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

16 comments:

  1. I'm really looking forward to The Valiant and even though it isn't my go to genre I do have my eyes on Seven Days of You - glad to hear you enjoyed them! :)

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    1. I hope you like them Lauren! I think that The Valiant will be a big YA this year. :)

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  2. Happy February Gennifer! I didn't like Throne of Glass. Well, technically I liked the first book, but as the series went on I just struggled with it big time. I needed to stop after book three. But I hope you have better luck than me!

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    1. You too! Seems like we're opposites so far! Maybe I'll like the second and third and so on. Thanks. :D

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  3. That's awesome that you had almost 2 weeks off. What a nice break. Looks like you had a good reading month. I saw Seven Days of You on NetGalley but decided to pass on it. Now I'm thinking I should have nabbed it! :) Hope your week is off to a great start!

    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books

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    1. It was marvelous to have such a long break from school. I hope you love it if you ever decide to pick it up. :) Thanks Tanya! You as well.

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  4. I liked Throne of Glass. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the rest of the series too. Happy February!

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    1. It seems as if I had a very unpopular opinion! I'm hoping that I enjoy the others. You as well Freda! :)

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  5. Great reads! I had my eye on Valiant and Seven Days. Wow now I'm invested to start on those right away. -Tina

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    1. Thanks Tina! I'm crossing my fingers that you love them! :)

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  6. I'm so glad you're continuing with the Throne of Glass series! The next few books do such a great job developing the characters (or at least I thought so). I hope you love them! I hope you have a lovely February, Genni!

    Laura @BlueEyeBooks

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    1. That's great to hear Laura! Based on the response with that post, I think I'll like the series more as it progresses. You too!

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  7. I'm glad you enjoyed your two weeks off! Back to school by now, I'm assuming. :D I loved The Valiant! It's one of my favorites of the year so far. I'm sorry you didn't totally love it but I'm glad you liked it overall. =)

    Have a wonderful February, Genni!

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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    1. Thanks Alyssa! Yeah, I'm back at school with a different semester. I'm SO ready to graduate. I remember your book review! After I read your review I remember thinking that I might have been to critical with my reading. You win some you lose some, I guess.

      You too Alyssa!

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  8. Ahh! I can't wait to read The Valiant! It's one of my most anticipated reads right now.

    I've never read a Claudia Gray... YET! I will get there!

    I'm so sad you didn't enjoy Throne of Glass - when I first read the series it was a little meh for me as well, but now I love it to bits and pieces. I hope Crown of Midnight is better for you. Book 3 is where it all changed for me.

    I'm going to check out your discussion post now!!!

    Hope you're having a great Feb!!

    Di @ Book Reviews by Di

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    1. It is really good! I hope you love it Di!

      She's a good author! I suggest reading A Thousand Pieces of You first! It was a good book to start off with.

      Thanks Di! A lot of people have said that it gets better in the third book, and I'm hoping it will for me!

      I am! I hope you are having and awesome one as well! :D

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