Monthly Wrap-Up: March 2021

This was a pretty good reading month. Although the short R.L. Stine books always do seem to help. Lol. This month I read 8 books and 1 short story.

Review: Against the Judgement (Bleach #69) by Tite Kubo

Title: Against the Judgement

Series: Bleach #69

Author: Tite Kubo

Genre: YA, manga, fantasy

Publication date: March 2017

Published by: VIZ Media

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: The Soul Reapers are shocked by the sudden return of Aizen, but does he hold the key to victory against the Quincies? Ichigo heads to Reiokyu to face Yhwach once again but waiting to slow him down is an old foe...

My rating: ★★★★★

Things are bad, guys. They are SO bad!

No shit. Lol. But while the last volume made me cry, I found that this one was more on the fun side, which I appreciated after that sacrifice 😩

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #216: Finally More Malec in My Life

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #267: Book Boxes I Forgot About...

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

How My Reading Has Changed in the Last 10 Years (And Some Ways It Hasn't)

With my 10 year blogiversary having come earlier in the week (omg), I thought it would be interesting to look at how my reading has changed in the last 10 years. And while looking back at that, I realized that there are some aspects where my reading hasn't changed that much.

Review: Neverwake (Dreamfall #2) by Amy Plum

Title: Neverwake

Series: Dreamfall #2

Previous book in this series: Dreamfall

Author: Amy Plum

Genre: YA, horror, sci-fi

Publication date: August 2018

Published by: HarperTeen

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: For most people, nightmares always come to an end. But for Cata, Ant, and the others, there may be no escape from theirs. After an experimental treatment meant to cure their insomnia went horribly wrong, the teens were dragged into a shared dreamworld where their most terrifying fears became reality.

The six of them have no way of waking up. And they’re beginning to realize that if they die here, they might actually die in the real world. One of the dreamers is already gone, and anyone could be next. The only thing they know for certain is that they have to work together to survive. But as they learn the truth about one another’s pasts, they soon discover they are trapped with something far worse than their nightmares…

My rating: ★★★★☆

This book picks up right where the last book left off, with the kids stuck in their nightmares and the cycles changing. The periods of respite they have are getting shorter as the periods with the nightmares are getting longer and longer and eventually they’ll be perpetually in the nightmares without rest. Yikes 😬 One thing I like is that these periods correlate with the REM cycle where they have periods of REM sleep and periods non-REM sleep. That was very interesting to me, but it also made sense!

2021 Blogiversary Giveaway: Chain of Gold + Chain of Iron by Cassie Clare

So today marks my 10th year blogging and I honestly don't know how that happened. How has it been 10 years already?! 😲 It's so crazy! But to celebrate, I'm gonna be giving away some books from one of my favorite worlds of all time: the Shadow World 🖤

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #215: The Universe Hates Me

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #266: Pain and Animal Crossing

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Literary Nails: Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep

I've been wanting to do some Elemental Assassin nail art for a while now, but I've been holding off cause I'd have to hand draw what I wanted to do. BUT book 19 in the series, Last Strand, just came out this past week, so I thought it would be the perfect time to attempt this.

Review: The Beauty of Being a Beast by Jennifer Estep

Title: The Beauty of Being a Beast

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: Adult, fantasy, fairy tale retelling

Publication date: February 9th 2021

Published by: Jennifer Estep

Source: Purchased ebook

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Synopsis: Some curses aren’t meant to be broken...

Lady Griselle Mottern is cursed. On her sixteenth birthday, an evil wizard transformed Griselle into a wolflike beast because of a past misdeed by one of her ancestors. Now, with her twenty-first birthday approaching, Griselle has only a few days left to make a boy fall in love with her, or the curse will become permanent, and she will forever be a beast.

But breaking the curse isn’t Griselle’s only problem. An evil is lurking in the forest, one that is creeping closer and closer to her castle. Griselle will have to summon all her beastly strength to defeat this evil, even if it means dooming herself forever . . .

Note: This 7,000-word short story originally appeared in the Von Flusshexen und Meerjungfrauen German-language anthology in 2020.

My rating: ★★★★★

When I first found out Jennifer had written a fairy tale retelling of Beauty and the Beast, I was ridiculously excited! I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially because I didn’t even read the synopsis before I read the novella 😅 But there was no need—I knew I was going to love it anyway 😉 But wow, I was not expecting all the interesting twists! It was SO GOOD!

Review: Dreamfall by Amy Plum

Title: Dreamfall

Series: Dreamfall #1

Author: Amy Plum

Genre: YA, horror, sci-fi

Publication date: May 2017

Published by: HarperTeen

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: Cata Cordova suffers from such debilitating insomnia that she agreed to take part in an experimental new procedure. She thought things couldn’t get any worse...but she was terribly wrong.

Soon after the experiment begins, there’s a malfunction with the lab equipment, and Cata and six other teen patients are plunged into a shared dreamworld with no memory of how they got there. Even worse, they come to the chilling realization that they are trapped in a place where their worst nightmares have come to life. Hunted by creatures from their darkest imaginations and tormented by secrets they’d rather keep buried, Cata and the others will be forced to band together to face their biggest fears. And if they can’t find a way to defeat their dreams, they will never wake up.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I was very excited to read this—the premise of this book just sounded so interesting! And overall, I really enjoyed it! I really liked that it alternated POVs between a couple of the kids that were undergoing the experiment, plus Jamie who was a college student observing for the day. And boy, what a day it turned out to be!

Review: Hot Mama (Bigtime #2) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Hot Mama

Series: Bigtime #2

Previous book in this series: Karma Girl

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: Adult, paranormal romance, superheroes

Publication date: January 2014 (First published in November 2007)

Published by: Jennifer Estep (1st edition by Berkley)

Source: Purchased ebook

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Synopsis: Fiona Fine is the hottest fashion designer in Bigtime, N.Y.—literally. That's because she moonlights as Fiera, a superhero with superstrength and volatile, fire-based powers. As Fiera, she's also a member of the Fearless Five, the city's most powerful and popular superhero team.

However, Fiona's been through a lot lately, including the death of her fiancé, who was murdered by an ubervillain. But Fiona is ready to move on with her life, so it seems like good karma when she meets sexy businessman Johnny Bulluci at a friend's wedding.

But Fiona has little time to think of love thanks to Siren and Intelligal—the city's newest ubervillains who crash the wedding and then go on a city-wide crime spree. Fiona doesn’t know exactly what the ubervillains are up to, but if she doesn't figure it out, she's the one who just might go up in flames this time...

My rating: ★★★★☆

Me starting this book came out of nowhere. I read the first book, Karma Girl, last year and I was surprised that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. And I knew I would continue on with the series, but I didn’t think it would happen now! But I am glad I picked it up because I ended up enjoying it much more than the first book!

Review: The Ordinary Peace (Bleach #68) by Tite Kubo

Title: The Ordinary Peace

Series: Bleach #68

Author: Tite Kubo

Genre: YA, manga, fantasy

Publication date: November 2016

Published by: VIZ Media

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: The Quincy invaders, led by Yhwach, continue their march through the Soul Society's royal palace. Yhwach's goal is to take down the Soul King and destroy the Soul Society once and for all. But Ichigo and his allies have a secret weapon that could turn the battle in their favor.

My rating: ★★★★★

So... Reio is Yhwach’s father apparently 😲 Reio is the Soul King and his life is tied to all the other worlds we’ve seen in this series (the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and even the real world). So Ichigo is racing to the palace to protect this guy, and when he gets there he finally faces Yhwach, and things go down. No, really. Everything goes to hell and the world is falling apart 😬 Uruyu also appears and it’s heartbreaking how he’s fighting his friends. I still believe there’s an ulterior motive to him being on the side of the Quincys, but I just don’t see it yet.

Dewey's Pre-Readathon Challenge: Dewey's Board Game

The next Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon will take place on April 24th, and they just posted a pre-readathon challenge that looks like a lot of fun! I've done the readathon once before and it actually wasn't a complete fail, so I'm planning on participating again. I do bookish bingo ALL the time, but I've never done a bookish board game before and I'm honestly surprised because it looks awesome! I am so excited to try it! This challenge runs from now up until the readathon starts on April 24th. (I saw all this on Twitter, so you can check out the info there!)

Review: Sisters of Salt and Iron (Sisters of Blood and Spirit #2) by Kady Cross

Title: Sisters of Salt and Iron

Series: Sisters of Blood and Spirit #2

Previous book in this series: Sisters of Blood and Spirit

Author: Kady Cross

Genre: YA, urban fantasy

Publication date: March 2016

Published by: Harlequin TEEN

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: Lark Noble is finally happy. She’s trying to move on and put the events of the past behind her: the people who avoided her because she talked to the ghost of her dead twin sister, the parents who couldn’t be around her anymore and even the attempt she made on her own life. She finally has friends—people who know her secrets and still care about her—and she has Ben, the cute guy she never saw coming.

Wren Noble is lonely. Unable to interact with the living, she wants to be happy for her sister’s newfound happiness, but she feels like she’s losing her. It doesn’t help that Kevin, the very not-dead guy she was starting to fall for, seems to be moving on.

Then Wren meets Noah, the spirit of a young man who died a century ago. Noah is cute, he’s charming and he makes Wren feel something she’s never felt before. But Noah has a dark influence on Wren, and Lark’s distrust of him drives the sisters apart for the first time in their lives. As Halloween approaches and the veil between the worlds thins, bringing the dead closer to the world of the living, Lark must find a way to stop whatever deadly act Noah is planning, even if it means going through her sister to do so.

My rating: ★★★★★

I really loved the first book in this duology so I was very excited to read this one, and I’m happy to see that it turned out to be another great read! There was some unexpected mythology in there that I really appreciated, and I just really love the sisters and their complicated relationship.

Right from the start I knew I would love this book...

Ghosts are such douche bags.

Review: Midnight Movie (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #14) by J.L. Bryan

Title: Midnight Movie

Series: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #14

Previous books in this series: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper (#1) | Cold Shadows (#2) | The Crawling Darkness (#3) | Terminal (#4) | House of Whispers #5 | Maze of Souls #6 | Lullaby (#7) | The Keeper (#8) | The Tower (#9) | The Monster Museum (#10) | Fire Devil (#11) | The Necromancer's Library (#12) | The Trailwalker (#13)

Author: J.L. Bryan

Genre: Adult, paranormal, horror

Publication date: February 26th 2021

Published by: J.L. Bryan

Source: Ebook for review from author

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Synopsis: Long ago, dreams glowed on the screen under the night sky at the old drive-in theater. Once an attraction drawing families and teenagers from miles around, the theater has sat dark and silent for years, its former bright, carnival-like atmosphere a distant memory.

A young family brings the forgotten theater to life with a new, modern vision for its future, but strange troubles plague them. Something from the past haunts the theater and won't leave them, or their occasional customers, alone. The family is living in the old theater manager's apartment located inside the drive-in's screen tower, so they enjoy no peace even when they go home after work late at night.

With disturbing supernatural activity threatening their small business and their family, they turn to paranormal investigator Ellie Jordan for help—but the mythic world of the movies has its own dark magic, and Ellie may not be prepared to face what awaits her when the sun goes down, the lights go out, and the show begins.

My rating: ★★★★★

I am always so happy when a new Ellie Jordan book comes out—it’s one of my favorite series! In this case, Ellie and Stacey are heading to a haunted drive-in theater! I loved the setting! Especially for nowadays when drive-ins are big again, for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, my town had one but they sold it a long time ago and was turned into a storage place. I pass it every single day on my way home, and it just makes me sad to see that it’s not a functioning drive-in anymore 😩 But I’m glad I got to experience it vicariously through this book. Lol. Albeit it was a bit more spooky than your typical drive-in. Lol. Which I loved! The owners just bought the place and they’re fixing it up to reopen it and it honestly sounds great!

Review: Black (Bleach #67) by Tite Kubo

Title: Black

Series: Bleach #67

Author: Tite Kubo

Genre: YA, manga, fantasy

Publication date: July 2016

Published by: VIZ Media

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: The battle for the royal palace heats up as Squad Zero and the Quincy invaders continue their standoff. Squad Zero appears to have the upper hand so far but that could all change when the Quincy king joins the fight. Do the Soul Reapers have an ace up their sleeve as well?

My rating: ★★★★☆

We start off this volume with the Quincy Askin Nakk Le Vaar, and I could tell right away that this guy was gonna be trouble. I mean he has some really cool abilities, but they’re not cool when he’s fighting for the other side 😩

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #214: I'm Never Okay When I Read One Of These...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #265: Dropping the Ball... Again

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Finish the Series #13: I Finally Finished QoAaD!

I did it! It took me two months, but I finally did it!

Review: How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather

Title: Review: How to Hang a Witch

Series: How to Hang a Witch #1

Author: Adriana Mather

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: September 2017

Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Source: Purchased paperback

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Synopsis: Salem, Massachusetts, is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials—and almost immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves the Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

If dealing with that weren't enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real, live (well, technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries-old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials. Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with the Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it's Salem. But history may be about to repeat itself.

My rating: ★★★★★

I was very excited to read this book! I loved the premise of the Salem Witch Trials and the involvement of curse and I just really enjoyed the book overall! That love triangle though? Oof, no thank you. 😬

Review: Sorry I Am Strong (Bleach #66) by Tite Kubo

Title: Sorry I Am Strong

Series: Bleach #66

Author: Tite Kubo

Genre: YA, manga, fantasy

Publication date: March 2016

Published by: VIZ Media

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: Hitsugaya and Mayuri join the action as the war between the Soul Reapers and the Quincies continues. Meanwhile, Yhwach enters Reiokyu and faces off against the royal palace's defenders, Squad Zero!

My rating: ★★★★☆

SPOILER WARNING for the last volume!

After the awful cliffhanger in the last volume, I was very excited to dive into this one. And yep, Toshiro is a freaking zombie 😭 I love this character, so this hurt my soul. But Kurotsuchi might have something up his sleeve to help. He’s a crazy scientist but I don't even care as long as Toshiro gets better 😭 The thing he does is very interesting, but promising. So I guess we’ll see.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #213: Finally Progress!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date and Unleashing Reads.