November Wrap Up!

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! Today I am going to be wrapping up my reading month of November. I read a total of 7 books and one short story. I fell into a bit of a reading slump where I just wasn't really reading for a span of a week or so. Though I normally read more than seven books a month, I am still pretty happy that I read that much considering I got into my first reading slump since the year, really!

One thing that I noticed is that all of these books are part of a series or a companion series! I really want to read some standalone novels, so hopefully I'll pick some up in December. In November, I also finished four series! I always love finishing series because it gives me a sense of accomplishment. 

1.) Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry
Rating: 3 Stars
It was really hard for me to like Nowhere But Here. Nothing really clicked for me, and the novel didn't really stand out either. Katie McGarry's novels are blending together. Her writing style is very synonymous in all of her books, and I just got really frusturated. It was a good book and I understand why some people love it, but it just didn't do anything for me. Do I recommend it? I would, for fans of Katie McGarry or contemporary in general. Find more of my thoughts here in my review!

2.) Collide (The Taking #3) by Melissa West
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Collide was the final book in The Taking trilogy by Melissa West. The series is focused on the immenent war between the human race and an alien species. A lot went down at the end of Hover, the second book, and even more happened in this conclusion! I really loved how everything went down and it was a really solid ending to a great series. I did have small issues with it, but it didn't necessarily affect my reading experience. Find my review here!

3.) Winter (Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer
Rating: 5 Stars
Winter was the most anticipated book of this year for me, and it did not disappoint. My mind was blown. Right after I finished the book,  I couldn't see no fault, but now I do. Still, I think it deserves all five stars. If you haven't picked the series up, give it a try! I know I'm happy that I did! Read my fangirl review here!

4.) Sweet Temptation (Sweet #4)  by Wendy Higgins
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Sweet Temptation is another series I finished this month! I was on a roll here wasn't I? Reading this and Winter right after each other gave me a major book hangover and is the reason for the quasi slump. This novel was so much fun to read and it took me by surprise how much I liked it. I had issues with the first book in the series and did with the second as well, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a great book that exceeded my expectations. Here is my review!

5.) Dawn of the Dreamer by L.J. Higgins
Rating: 3 Stars
Dawn of the Dreamer is the opening novel of a dystopian series by L.J. Higgins. I read this with one of my goodreads groups I am a member in, and had a lot of fun! While I definiltey had some issues with the book, it had a solid story. The ending was tied up really well and I was overall really pleased with it. The characters and the plot were run of the mill, but it was an okay book overall. Read more of my thoughts here in my review.

6.) The Wedding by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 3.75 Stars
The Wedding is probably the shortest shorty story I have read so far. It takes place after the events of Opposition, the last book in the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, which I finished earlier this year. The short story captures, you guessed it, a wedding between two vital characters in the series. This story was just really cutesy and gave me shipper feels, and I'm glad I stumbled upon it while scrolling through goodreads. It didn't necessarily add anything to the story for me, but I'm glad I read it.

7.) A Mad Zombie Party (White Rabbit Chronicles #4) by Gena Showalter
Rating: 4.5 Stars
A Mad Zombie is the last series that I completed this month. It centered around two different main characters than the first three books, but it was really fun! The plot was a little predictable for me in the physical conflict aspect, but that is my only major complaint. The White Rabbit Chronicles is always so much fun to read and I laugh out loud every time I read a book in this series! If you're looking for a series that is fun, sassy, and light hearted (most of the time), I would say to pick this one up! You can find my review of this book here! 

8.) The Crystal Key (Starjumper Legacy #1) by Christopher Bailey
Rating: 3.25 Stars
The Crystal Key started out a lot better than I expected, but then had some low point about half of the way through. This book is a science fiction adventure that follows Allie as she is thrust into a world she never new existed. Yes, it follows the common trope but it was a fun story! 

That's a wrap! While it wasn't my best reading month, I had some pretty amazing reads in November and can't wait to see what December brings! What books did you read in November? Have you read any of the books above?

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

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Review: Dawn of the Dreamer by L.J. Higgins

I was pretty let down by Dawn of the Dreamer.

*I received this book through goodreads group YA Buddy Readers' Corner for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not altered in any way.*

I'm deciding between 2.75 stars and 3. I actually really liked the book in the first half, but I wasn't as moved in the second half. The story was imaginative and original, and for a while I really liked it but the story started to drag after the 70% mark for me. The reason I am thinking about giving this book three stars rather than 2.75, was because it didn't infuriate me.

The last book that got this low of a rating was Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols, and it had some key issues that infuriated me, but the reason I disliked it so much was because it was so frustrating. Dawn of the Dreamer wasn't making me want to scream in irritation, but it did get on my nerves in the the last fourth of the novel. All in all, the book just didn't hold me and capture me in the story like I wanted it too. There was always something missing that didn't get me fully immersed into the story line and world.

The concept of Dawn of the Dreamer was really original; I loved the idea of it. The execution for the majority was good, but there were some times where the story just fell short. As said above, it never fully captured me. There were some pretty big things that Higgins never fully resolved and were several small plot holes that I kept picking up on. 

The main issue I had with the novel were the characters. To be quite honest, Amelia bothered me a lot. It wasn't just one thing that bothered me, but a compilation of a lot of little things. Amelia, Joe, and Cameron seemed to be really the only characters that were not one dimensional. Sarah was the classic old best friend that the main character is drifting from while Rose is the new friend that is a better fit to said main character's growing maturity. Unfortunately, those two characters are always seen in young adult novels and didn't seem as original as the plot.


One thing that was done pretty well was the love triangle. For the first time in a long time, the main character ended up with the person I wasn't expecting her to. I had a feeling it was going differently than I first anticipated about halfway through the novel. It was really refreshing to see that happen. The love triangle was not run of the mill, which I really appreciate. Also, it was wrapped up pretty nicely at the end, so fingers crossed it doesn't come back in the later books of this series. I liked who Amelia ended up with at the end of the novel. The character she was with had more chemistry with her and made a lot more sense.

My other complaint is that the climax seemed a bit too easy. No one truly got hurt to the point it was life threatening. This one character does get shot in the arm, but I think it would have been more moving if she had been shot in the stomach so that I would actually be nervous. I feel like with a mega-corporation take down, people should get out of the fight with more than a couple scratches and bruises. 

Overall, it wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't for me either. Dawn of the Dreamer was just kind of 'meh' in my opinion. I would be interested to see what happens in the upcoming books, because everything wrapped up quite nicely at the end. Who knows if I'll continue this series? If the opportunity presents itself, I just might. I just read the synopsis for the sequel, and it sounds more up my ally than this one did! I don't necessarily recommend this novel, but I don't discourage you from reading this either.

With that, I give this book 

3 out of 5 Stars!






That's it for today guys! Have you read or heard about Dawn of the Dreamer? What's your favorite dystopian novel? Mine this year has to be The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope all of you had a great day, even if you don't celebrate the holiday!

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

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

The Friday 56 (#1)

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! Today I'm going to be participating in the Friday 56, a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice! The rules for this meme is to grab any book and turn to either page 56 or 56% on your ereader and give a nippet of the page without spoiling it!

Today I'm going to be featuring my current read,
Dawn of the Dreamer by L.J. Higgins. I have been reading this as my e-reader. I'm already 50 percent of the way through, so I'll probably know what's up while you guys will be confused. ;)






















This is making me even more conflicted. There is a love triangle that is in play right now, but I'm pretty sure I know who she is going to be ending up with.



What teasers did you have this week? What are you currently reading?

Thanks guys for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post! It's going to be about my experience meeting Marissa Meyer and getting all my books signed! *squee*

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

Currently Reading #5!

Hey guys and welcome back to my blog! Today I'm going to update you on what I've been reading.


As of right now, I'm reading three different books! This normally never happens. I usually stick to one book and then move right on to the other. This is probably why I haven't finished as much books and I usually have this time of the month. I don't feel a reading slump coming on, so that's good!

Winter is the one of the three books I'm reading right now and I'm adoring it! I just reached page 660 out of 824, which is 80 percent of the way through. I'm so close to the end and I can't wait to see how it wraps up! By Monday, I want this book read. Everything is coming to its climax, and I know the end is going to be amazing. This book is already spectacular. There are so many plots and sub plots that have to be resolved, so I'm glad Meyer didn't try to rush it and make the book any smaller than it is.

The other book that I have been focusing on is Sweet Temptation by Wendy Higgins. This novel is the fourth book in the series. Sweet Temptation actually recaps the first three books but in Kai's point of view and not Anna's. I'm really liking it so far. Yes, the book is not perfect, but it's a really substantial novel.Since Sweet Temptation is basically an overview of the three novels, I already know what is going to happen next. However, I really love reading from Kai's POV because it really clears up a lot from the series. I'm reading this through my online library on Overdrive, so I don't know what actual page I am on. All I know is that I'm also 80 percent done with this one as well. Once again, I'm hoping to finish it by Monday as well.

The final book I've been reading has been on the back burner. I kind of stopped reading it once I got my hands on Winter. The Dawn on the Dreamer by L.J. Higgins is a solid book. While it's not the best thing I've ever read, I love the premise of it. If you haven't heard of the book, Dawn of the Dreamer is actually a dystopian read that follows a girl throughout the corrupt society. In this world, dreaming is prohibited and controlled by a device implemented in everyone's body. This contraption doesn't work on our main character, Amelia, and she is studied by the government as to why. You can find it's goodreads page here. I'm just going to read this at my own pace and see where it takes me, so I don't really have a time that I am aiming to be finished by.




Have you guys read any of these or are any on your TBR? What have you thought of them? What are you currently reading?

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

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!