Monthly Wrap-Up: November 2023

November was such a weird month for me because I feel like I was on a borderline slump the entire time, but I still read! So 🤷‍♀️ Lol. I read a total of 9 books, which was about 1800 pages overall (and 1000 pages MORE than last month!)

• 4 were novels and 5 were novellas
• 8 were part of a series and 1 was a standalone
• 1 was an ARC and 8 were finished copies
• All 9 were ebooks
• And all were also 4-star reads for me
• 8 were indie-published and 1 traditionally published
• All of them were by authors I've previously read
• 8 were adult books and 1 YA
• 8 were sci-fi and 1 was a contemporary romance

The Firsts of 2023 Book Tag

At the end of the year, I always like looking back at the books I read and seeing my reading patterns. One I never really considered looking at is the firsts of the year so I was thrilled when I came across this book tag over at Feed Your Reading Addiction! As Nicole mentioned in her post, the questions have changed over time, so I just compiled a bunch that I liked into this post. The idea for this post originated at girlxoxo.

My AMBITIOUS End of the Year TBR

This past weekend I was at a baptism, and in my family, I am the resident book nerd that reads at every party. Lol. But lately, I've been in such a weird mood where I just don't really know what I want to read and have been in a borderline slump, so I didn't read at this party like I usually do. One of my cousins, however, was reading at this party. She said she read the entirety of the first ACOTAR book the previous day, and that she was almost done with the second book on that day of the party 😲 Those books are HUGE! Anyway, she inspired to get my ass into gear because the year is coming to an end and I am embarrassingly behind on my Goodreads challenge.

Like I said, embarrassing 🙈 So I have put together a list of books I'm hoping to read before the end of the year, my mood be damned. I am so sick of being a mood reader and I am going to ignore my mood for a minute because it doesn't even know what it wants these days anyway, and I'm just going to pick up books and read them as I please. How long will this last? Idk, I give it a week before my mood is like, "Hey! What do you think you're doing? I'm in charge around here!" 😂

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #344: Krimson Empire Coming To An End

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

Sunday Post #377: Binge Buying Books... Ooops

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!

Thanksgiving Book Tag!

Happy Thanksgiving! And if you're not in the US, happy almost-weekend! 😆
I found this tag over at a GREAT read and it was created by Annasbooknook. I tried to mostly use books I read this year, but there were a couple of categories where I had to pick books I read before 2023.

Review: Aurora's End (The Aurora Cycle #3) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Title: Aurora's End

Series: The Aurora Cycle #3

Previous books in this series: Aurora Rising (#1) | Aurora Burning (#2)

Authors: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Genre: YA, sci-fi

Publication date: November 2021

Published by: Knopf Books For Young Readers

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Outlet | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Is this the end?

What happens when you ask a bunch of losers, discipline cases, and misfits to save the galaxy from an ancient evil? The ancient evil wins, of course.

Wait. . . . Not. So. Fast.

When we last saw Squad 312, they working together seamlessly (aka, freaking out) as an intergalactic battle raged and an ancient superweapon threatened to obliterate Earth. Everything went horribly wrong, naturally.

But as it turns out, not all endings are endings, and the team has one last chance to rewrite theirs. Maybe two. It's complicated.

Cue Zila, Fin, and Scarlett (and MAGELLAN!): making friends, making enemies, and making history? Sure, no problem

Cue Tyler, Kal, and Auri: uniting with two of the galaxy’s most hated villains? Um, okay. That, too.

Actually saving the galaxy, though? Now that will take a miracle.

My rating: ★★★★☆

The cliffhanger of the last book was brutal! We found out that Kal's dad was the freaking Starslayer, and everyone felt betrayed, which is understandable. But then everyone got separated, Kal was potentially dying, there was a huge explosion, and you just didn't know where the characters stood at the end of it all. I honestly don't know how people were able to wait a year between releases to find out.

Review- Stings and Stones: An Elemental Assassin Short Story Collection by Jennifer Estep

Title: Stings and Stones

Series: Elemental Assassin

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: Adult, urban fantasy

Publication date: November 28th 2023

Published by: Jennifer Estep

Source: eARC for review (but I also bought a paperback lol)

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Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Apple Books | Kobo | Bookshop.org

Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep serves up an Elemental Assassin short story collection featuring danger, magic, and a touch of romance. Perfect for fans of Ilona Andrews, Anne Bishop, Patricia Briggs, and Faith Hunter.

Flash back to one of Gin Blanco’s many missions as the assassin the Spider. Learn more about Gin’s relationships with her mentor, Fletcher Lane, and her foster brother, Finnegan Lane, and see what trouble the other characters get themselves into when Gin’s not around. From a ghost’s lost love to a villain’s origin story, this action-packed collection has something for every urban fantasy and paranormal romance fan.

The Stings and Stones collection features ten short stories told by various characters:

“Spider’s Bargain” — Gin Blanco
“Web of Death” — Gin Blanco
“Web of Deceit” — Fletcher Lane
“Poison” — Finnegan Lane
“Wasted” — Finnegan Lane
“Tangled Dreams” — Jo-Jo and Sophia Deveraux
“Tangled Schemes” — Bria Coolidge
“Spider’s Nemesis” — Mab Monroe
“Haints and Hobwebs” — Gin Blanco
“Parlor Tricks” — Gin Blanco

Note: Stings and Stones is a 67,000-word collection of Elemental Assassin short stories. Some of the stories previously appeared on Jennifer Estep’s website, while others have been featured in anthologies. The print book of Stings and Stones also includes Spider and Frost, a crossover novella featuring Gin Blanco from the Elemental Assassin series and Gwen Frost from the Mythos Academy series.

My rating: ★★★★★

I’ve read all of these short stories before but I am so glad that they’re all bundled together in one book now! Yay! This book contains a bunch of Elemental Assassin short stories, all in different POVs. You have Gin, of course, but you also have Finn, Bria, Fletcher, and more characters! It was great!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #343: Krimson Empire Binge

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

Sunday Post #376: Exhausted But Excited

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!

Planet Book Tag

I've been reading a lot of sci-fi lately, specifically books that take place out in space and on many different planets, so I thought this would be the perfect tag to do right now! I found it over at a GREAT read and I believe it was created by @haylee.reads on IG. Like Jessica, I tried to use books I read this year, but there were two categories that no books I read this year fit, so I just picked something from other years. Lol.

Review: Aurora Burning (The Aurora Cycle #2) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Title: Aurora Burning

Series: The Aurora Cycle #2

Previous book in this series: Aurora Rising

Authors: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Genre: YA, sci-fi

Publication date: May 2020

Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Outlet | Thrift Books

Synopsis: First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first.

Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces.

And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri.

Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted.

When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV.

Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well.

My rating: ★★★★★

Omg I loved this book! I feel like I enjoyed it more than the last book, and one big reason is definitely the characters. I love them! And I loved the friendships that developed between them all!

Books I Meant to Read in 2022 and Didn't (But Maybe I Read Them This Year?)

I'm starting to plan out my posts for the end of the year and I was going through what I posted last year when I noticed I did two separate TBRs then. I did a TBR of series I wanted to finish before the year was over, and then just books I wanted to read before the end of the year. Anyway, I didn't end up reading any of them because my mood basically dictates my reading life 😆 But I wanted to see if I ended up reading any of them in 2023, and I did!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #342: Officially Back On Sci-Fi

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

Sunday Post #375: Time Off Incoming

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!

2023 Spooky TBR Update

Being a mood reader is so annoying. I had all these plans of all these spooky books I wanted to read in October, but that didn't happen 🫠 I ended up reading 50% of a mystery thriller in October before my mood was like, "Haha, nope! I want sci-fi!" 🙃

Review: Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Title: Aurora Rising

Series: The Aurora Cycle #1

Authors: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Genre: YA, sci-fi

Publication date: May 2019

Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

They're not the heroes we deserve. They're just the ones we could find. Nobody panic.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I had seen this book around for a while but I never really had the urge to pick it up and read it, even though I'd seen a lot of people say good things about it. I finally picked it up after I participated in a challenge (Pick It For Me) where a partner picked out books for me to read. I don’t do this a lot because I’m a big-time mood reader, but that’s neither here nor there. Lol. Anyway, one of the books my partner picked out for me was this one, so I decided to give it a chance! And you know what? I ended up really enjoying it! As you guys know, I've been very into sci-fi lately and this book was perfect for my mood. I mean, I didn't love it, but I'm glad I picked it up.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #341: Trying to Evade a Slump

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

Sunday Post #374: Exhausted

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!