BOOK REVIEW | Analee, In Real Life by Janelle Milanes

Title: Analee, In Real Life
Author: Janelle Milanes
Series? No, Analee, In Real Life is a standalone novel.
Pages: 416
Publication Date: September 18, 2018
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: I received an e-galley of Analee, In Real Life via Netgalley. Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Ever since her mom died three years ago, Analee Echevarria has had trouble saying out loud the weird thoughts that sit in her head. With a best friend who hates her and a dad who’s marrying a yogi she can’t stand, Analee spends most of her time avoiding reality and role-playing as Kiri, the night elf hunter at the center of her favorite online game.

Through Kiri, Analee is able to express everything real-life Analee cannot: her bravery, her strength, her inner warrior. The one thing both Kiri and Analee can’t do, though, is work up the nerve to confess her romantic feelings for Kiri’s partner-in-crime, Xolkar—aka a teen boy named Harris whom Analee has never actually met in person.

So when high school heartthrob Seb Matias asks Analee to pose as his girlfriend in an attempt to make his ex jealous, Analee agrees. Sure, Seb seems kind of obnoxious, but Analee could use some practice connecting with people in real life. In fact, it’d maybe even help her with Harris.

But the more Seb tries to coax Analee out of her comfort zone, the more she starts to wonder if her anxious, invisible self is even ready for the real world. Can Analee figure it all out without losing herself in the process?

Goodreads

TTT | 10 Best Villains!

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in the weekly meme, Top Ten Tuesday. TTT is hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's topic is a spin on villains. This week, I'm showcasing my top ten favorite villains. For me, I tend to favor villains that are more complex, and have some humanity that makes us readers sympathize with them just a little bit, despite all their horrible actions. Okay so I ended up only having eight...there just aren't that many complex villains out there! Or, you know, I haven't been reading the correct books for my reading taste!

Here are 8 villains that are deliciously evil.

8) The Villains in This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

Goodreads

I'm keeping this one real vague because of spoilers. Though I guessed who the real bad guy was, it was still a wonderful twist and I loved seeing how the reveal affected all of our MCs!

Thoughts While Listening To... | Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Title: Ash Princess
Author: Laura Sebastian
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Series? Yes, a trilogy
Length: 13 hours, 17 minutes
Publication Date: April 24, 2018
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Source: I checked out Ash Princess via my online local library

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

"Made for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sabaa Tahir" ( Bustle ), Ash Princess is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess--a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn't always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

"Sure to be one of the summer's most talked about YAs. . . . A darkly enchanting page-turner you won't be able to put down."-Bustle

Goodreads

Books I Plan on Reading Over Fall Break!

Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be talking about the books I'm going to be reading this fall break. My fall break isn't too long - it starts from 5pm on October 17th to 8am on October 22nd. Essentially, I have Thursday and Friday off. Even though it's only a four day weekend, I do have some reading plans!

Here are the books I plan to finish over fall break! 

1) Mr. Nice Guy by Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer

I've been sitting around the 75-80 percent mark of Mr. Nice Guy for some time. I'm just not enjoying the book as much as I wanted to. I just need 30 minutes or so to finish this one up! I hope to finish this one Wednesday night so I can focus on books that I'm currently reading and enjoying a lot more.

2) Analee, in Real Life by Janelle Milanes

I've read almost 150 pages of Analee, in Real Life. The book is a little over 400 pages, and I know I can knock this one out. If I'm being ambitious, I want to finish this one Wednesday night. If I'm being realistic, I'll probably finish this one sometime Thursday.

BOOK REVIEW | Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Title: Sky in the Deep
Author: Adrienne Young
Series? Yes, the first in a duology
Pages: 340 pages, or 8 hours and 40 minutes
Publication Date: April 24, 2018
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: I listened to the audiobook of Sky in the Deep via Overdrive.

Part Wonder Woman, part Vikings—and all heart.

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.

Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.

She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.

Goodreads

TTT | Longest Books I've Ever Read!

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today's topic is "Longest Books I've Ever Read!" I honestly don't know what are the longest books I've read, but I wouldn't be surprised if Winter by Marissa Meyer is on here...because that thing is 800 pages!

This is in order from shortest to longest!

10) Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess is the third and final book in Clare's Infernal Devices trilogy, and my favorite. While the first book dragged for me, this final one flew by! 

9) Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Another book that, while long, flew by! I think this had to do with the amazing writing and the mixed media in Illuminae. There were rarely pages with blocks of text, which makes more a quick read. 

8) The Winter King by CL Wilson

The Winter King is a fantasy romance that I picked up on Alyssa's recommendation. Despite the 595 pages, I read the book in three days. The romance was sexy, and the action was so well done. 

7) Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Mixed media takes up a lot of space! Gemina is the second book in the Illuminae files, and my favorite. Hanna, the MC, is probably one of my favorite female protagonists to date.  

6) The Sea King by CL Wilson

The Sea King is a companion sequel to The Winter King. Even though I loved The Winter King, I was pretty disappointed with The Sea King, and it took me almost a whole week to read the book, twice as long as it took for The Winter King. 

5) Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Obsidio is the third and final book in the Illuminae Files trilogy. Obsidio wasn't my favorite, but it was a pretty solid book. It's also the longest in the series, but much like Gemina and Illuminae, I didn't feel the length of this one. 

4) Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

 Unlike Obsidio, I did feel the length of Lady Midnight. I did enjoy it, but there were times when I forgot who was who; there are so many Blackthorne children! I'm currently reading Lord of Shadows, and having a much better reading experience. 

3) The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

This is the only book on the list that I listened to. Even though the audiobook was ridiculously long, I couldn't stop listening to it. I might not have loved what happened in this final book, but my investment in this series won out. 

 

2) City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

There are a ton of final books in this list. It seems that the further the series progresses, the longer the books become. City of Heavenly Fire is the final book in Clare's Mortal Instruments series. It's not my favorite series by Clare, but this final book is one of the better of the series. 

1) Winter by Marissa Meyer

And the longest book I have ever read is...Winter! Winter is the fourth and final book in The Lunar Chronicles. While the third book in the series, Cress, is my favorite, Winter is a close second. Winter is roughly 800 pages long, but it only took me a couple of days to finish the book. 

Okay, okay there were a TON of sequels from the same series on there. So for the sake of having more books on this list outside of the same three series (yikes) here are some other long books I have read. 

• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
  
• Beautiful Creatures was a book I read when I was first getting into YA. I loved the first book, but the series went downhill for me. Did I finish the series? no. Will I ever? nope!
• Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck
  
• Ahh, the third book in the Tiger's Curse series. The first two books were my CRACK when I was 12. When I got to the third book though, something weird happened...I didn't love it! Basically, Tiger's Voyage was the start of my critical reading. 
• The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
  
• The Lost Hero was published in 2010, so most likely I read this 8 years ago. Don't ask me about the plot. All I know is that there is a mechanical dragon, Jason is the main character, and a boy named Leo (who is immortal?? idk everything is hazy). One day I want to reread this series and finish it, but I have no clue when that will actually happen! 
• Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (omg the only non-fantasy!!)
  
• I read this book YEARS ago when I first got my nook. Ah, fond memories. I read this baby in one night because I needed to know if the main character actually dies in the end, redeems herself, etc. 

Have you read any of these books? What are some of the longest books you've read?

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

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Thoughts While Listening To...| My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Title: My Plain Jane

Authors: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Series? Companion series, second in My Lady Janies
Length:10 hours, 7 minutes
Publication Date: June 26, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: I listened to My Plain Jane via Overdrive. 

You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

 Goodreads

TBR | ARCtober 2018!

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be talking about all the ARCs I'm planning on participating in the ARCtober Reading Challenge. If you want to know more about ARCtober, check out Nancy's (from Tales of the Ravenous Reader) post!

Essentially, the goal of ARCtober is to read ARCs, whether they be old or new.

Here are the ARCs I am planning on reading this month!

ARCs I Have (Top Priority)

Mr. Nice Guy by Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer

Release Date: October 16, 2018

 Goodreads

Mr. Nice Guy is my current ARC right now. If I'm being honest, I am not liking the book that much. But, I am over halfway through, and I want to finish the book. Hopefully the last 40 percent is an improvement!  

Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Release Date: August 28, 2018

 Goodreads

I have had the ARC of Mirage for a pretty long time, but never managed to take the time and prioritize the read. I think I am around halfway through the book. So many bloggers raved about Mirage, and though I was enjoying it, I had yet to fall in love with the novel. The plot was just picking up right as I took a break from the book, so I think I will really like the rest!

September Wrap Up!

Hello everyone and welcome back (or to!) my blog! Today I'll be going over all the books I read this September, as well as share some quick little updates.

Without further ado, here are the 12 books/plays I read this month!

1) The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Goodreads

September started off well with this own voices romance novel! The Kiss Quotient is a romance about Stella, who hires a sex worker (Michael), to teach her how to loosen up. Stella tends to overthink when it comes to sexual endeavors. She's on the spectrum, and tends to get in her head pretty easily. Helen Hoang is both on the spectrum and Asian (the male love interest and his family are Asian) and I loved reading such a wonderful romance with accurate representation. 

2) Contagion by Erin Bowman

 Goodreads
Thoughts While Listening To...

Contagion was the only audiobook I managed to finish. If you don't know, I read audiobook much more slowly than in print. Contagion is a sci-fi thriller and it delivered! I did have little issues here and there, but Contagion was overall thrilling. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series (especially after the cliff hanger ending)