I’m still reading! I can believe I haven’t updated my reading reviews since July. For this round I’m clearly still enjoying Sarah J. Maas, but I added a few other I’ve had my eye on and now I really want to see the movie version of The Light Between Oceans! Without further ado, here are the books I’m reading…or finished rather:
1. At The Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen
“It seems there’s nothing so good or pure it can’t be taken without a moment’s notice. And then in the end, it all gets taken anyway.”
Synopsis:
Maddie’s husband and her husband’s best friend drag her to Scotland in the middle of World War II to fulfill a dream to find the Loch Ness monster. Maddie is a good sport and they did find a monster, whether or not it was what they had in mind I’ll let you find out for yourself. ;) I loved the characters in this book and all of their interesting back stories. I feel like some of the relationships moved awfully fast from “I don’t know you” to “let’s get married” without really building a bond for the reader to get attached to, but it was still a great story!
My Rating: 3 Stars!
2. A Court of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas
“Don’t feel bad for one moment about doing what brings you joy.”
Synopsis:
This was like Beauty and the Beast meets Twilight meets Hunger Games and I loved every bit of it. And I hated Twilight. Go figure. Feyre makes a mistake that has her taken captive from her mortal part of the planet and into the magical land of horrific human hating faeries. Her captor Tamlin and his lands have been cursed and as Feyre’s feelings for Tamlin soften, she realizes she might be the person who can save them. A PESKY HUMAN. Can you imagine? I loved this story! Onward to #2!
My Rating: 5 Stars!
3. A Grown Up Kind Of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson
“I didn’t even cry until she was a limp string of trusting weight and heat, sleeping heartbeat to heartbeat on my chest.”
Synopsis:
“Fifteen-year-old Mosey Slocumb-spirited, sassy, and on the cusp of womanhood-is shaken when a small grave is unearthed in the backyard, and determined to figure out why it’s there.”
Following the three Slocumb women come to terms with their own skeletons kept me guessing until the very end. It wasn’t my FAVORITE book of the year, but it was a lovely story.
My Rating: 4 Stars!
4. A Court Of Mist And Fury by Sarah J. Maas
“My friend through so many dangers—who had fought for me when no one else would, even myself.”
Synopsis:
Sarah J. Maas can do no wrong. This is a sequel to A Court of Thorns and Roses and Feyre is in quite the pickle. I didn’t think Maas would be able to change my mind about what I thought was right for Feyre, but alas…my mind changed. This Faerie land is terrifying.
My Rating: 5 Stars!
5. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
“Preventing your heart from forgiving someone you love is actually a hell of a lot harder than simply forgiving them.”
Synopsis:
This book bounces back and forth recanting memories of the past, including Lily’s difficult upbringing and her high school sweetheart Atlas, to her present day aspirations and being swept off her feet by new love interest Ryle. Soon her past becomes an unavoidable part of her present and Lily has to make a lot of really difficult decisions!
My Rating: 5 Stars!
6. Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
“He holds my gaze, as if his eyes alone could set me on fire. A waste. There is nothing in me left to burn.”
Synopsis:
This is the sequel to Red Queen and we follow along as Mare Barrow attempts to recruit members for an uprising against the Silvers. This book was a little slow moving, but I can see how it was necessary to set the stage for the finale in this series. I thought it could have moved us along a little faster and the ending really hooked me back in. I’ll be back for the next one!
My Rating: 4 Stars
7. Empire Of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
“Even when this world is a forgotten whisper of dust between the stars, I will love you.”
Synopsis:
The 5th installment of the Throne of Glass Series and OF COURSE IT ENDED THAT WAY. Now I can’t sleep until I get my hands on the next book. This series is so good! You can read more about the first few books here, but I don’t want to give too much away now that we’re five deep in the series.
My Rating: 5 Stars!
8. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
“Put right the things you can put right today, and let the ones from back then go. Leave the rest to the angels, or the devil or whoever’s in charge of it.”
Synopsis:
Oh the tangled webs we weave! What is one to do when a baby washes up on shore after you’ve tried for years to build a family? What could the harm be should one choose to simply raise the baby as one’s own? In the case of Tom and Isabel there’s a real struggle involved regarding doing the right thing and even knowing what the “right thing” would be to do! I stayed up late tearfully finishing this book. I didn’t know WHAT I wanted the outcome to be, but man this was heart wrenching.
My Rating: 4 Stars! I gave four stars instead of five because I felt like it was a bit slow going at first. At one point the narration seems to weirdly slip from third person to first and then back again. And I wanted to smack Tom around a little. I feel like he could have been a little more open with Isabel to talk matters out.
There, now we’re all caught up! I’ll link to all of the books I mentioned below with my Amazon affiliate. Currently I’m reading Harry Potter (my first time!) and A Torch Against The Night, which is a sequel to An Ember In The Ashes. What are you reading?
Karen and Gerard says
So glad you are enjoying the Sarah J. Maas series, A THRONE OF GLASS. I am soon to start her series THE COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES. Also glad you liked IT ENDS WITH US and I agree with you about the GLASS SWORD–wasn’t quite as good as the first in the series but had an ending that drew me back in and looking forward to the next book. Also glad to see you are reading the Harry Potter series for the first time–I Loved it even though I didn’t read it until I was 62. The writing is amazing!!!! The first couple books may seem a bit kiddish, but stick with it–it really is classic! Happy Thanksgiving!
Mama Kat says
We love so many of the same books! You will love The Court of Thorns and Roses series….there are some similarities between them and the Throne of Glass series so I typically like to space them out or I’ll confuse myself. ;)
kelley says
Looks like you’ll be busy for a while. Happy Thanksgiving!
Mama Kat says
If I could spent all of Thanksgiving break reading, I WOULD! :)
John Holton says
Happy Thanksgiving! Good reviews. My taste runs more to non-fiction, but they sound good; maybe I’ll pass them along to Mary.
Mama Kat says
Happy Thanksgiving to you too! I love nonfiction, but I do love getting lost in a world that doesn’t require me to think too hard. ;)
Abby says
Thank you for posting this list and synopses (that a word?)! I know “Light Between Oceans” has been calling me for a while, but I’ve yet to pick it up. Definitely gonna read it and others on this list!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Mama Kat says
Light Between Oceans was so good! But also really sad…I wasn’t sure how I wanted it to end!
Shawnna says
My book club read “At the Water’s Edge” this summer while I was off doing something busy like. I’ve heard really good things about it and have been thinking I should go back and read it. Thanks for the review, but I also think “A Grown-up Kind of Pretty” sounds interesting. I always appreciate the recommendation of a few good books!
Mama Kat says
They were both great stories! You can’t go wrong!
Adrienne Scanlon says
Love your reading lists – I love getting recommendations….Also, I look at this every time you do it and think – man I’ve got to make more time to read!!!!
Mama Kat says
I love reading other peoples recommendations too! I have a growing list of books to get too. Most of my reading is done at night. I read for about 20 minutes before I fall asleep. It’s amazing how much you can get through if you just spare 20-30 minutes a day for it!
Morgan says
I’ve been trying so hard to get through Glass Sword. I’m about a quarter of the way in and it is just dragging. I am glad I have something to look forward to at the end of it. Did you read the short prequels that were released? Those were good. They were pretty quick reads.
Mama Kat says
I definitely trudged through a lot of Glass Sword. So many new characters to keep track of. It’s worth it though, keep reading! I never read the short prequels. I bet they would have been helpful!