September Book Wrap Up 2019

Monthly reading review – September 2019

This September I have read:

Angel & Faith: Live Through This (Season 9, Volume 1) by Christos Gage, Rebekah Isaacs (Artist) ★★★★
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead ★★★★
Frostbite by Richelle Mead ★★★★★
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead ★★★★★
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead ★★★★★
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead ★★★★
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead ★★★★
Lost Boys: A Reverse Harem Bully Romance (Crazy Vicious Love #1) by Eva Ashwood ★★★
Moonlight Ménage : Bisexual and Gay Threesome MMF Romance Novel by Karen Klinger ★★★
O čitateljskim grupama – metodički priručnik s primjerima dobre prakse by Ivana Bašić ★★★★★

1. How many books you’ve read last month? Are you happy with the amount you read?

I have stayed in double digits for this month and I’m very happy with the amount of books I’ve read in September.

2. What was the best of all the books you’ve read in September? Any scenes or characters that made a lasting impression?

For most of September I was deep in the Vampire Academy book series and I really loved some parts more than others. Only other book I’ve rated with five star mark this month was a methodology guide for organizing book clubs which I enjoyed more than I expected!

3. Were there any not so good books for you last month? What made it hard or not enjoyable to read?

Definitely weakest books for me in September were two Kindle books I’ve read. There is a notable difference in quality and the lack of editor work was especially visible with Moonlight Ménage book.

4. How did the books you were reading last month fit in your reading plans if you had any?

After finishing my Summer reading challenge I decided to finish reading the Vampire Academy book series and then I was mostly reading random picks for the rest of September.

5. Any updates on the series you are reading or are you starting any new series?

I don’t remember the last time that I finished a book series as fast I did Vampire Academy. Angel & Faith seem to be stuck at volume 1 for some reason. Crazy Vicious Love I will probably not be continuing anytime soon if at all.

6. Would you like to recommend any books or authors you’ve been reading this last month?

I will probably look up some more books from Richelle Mead. Her writing has made an impression and I would like to explore more of her work.

Book Reviews in September:

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead – CLICK HERE FOR MY REVIEW

Lost Boys: A Reverse Harem Bully Romance (Crazy Vicious Love #1) by Eva Ashwood ★★★ – CLICK HERE FOR MY REVIEW

Moonlight Ménage: Bisexual and Gay Threesome MMF Romance Novel by Karen Klinger
★★★ – CLICK HERE FOR MY REVIEW 

Vampire Academy – Series Review

 

Vampire Academy Series

by Richelle Mead

1. Vampire Academy ★★★★

2. Frostbite ★★★★★

3. Shadow Kiss ★★★★★

4. Blood Promise ★★★★★

5. Spirit Bound ★★★★

6. Last Sacrifice ★★★★

Expectation

I started reading this book series as a part of my Summer reading challenge and a project for reading more of the books I own. Only the first book in the series was a part of the reading challenge and I have deliberately left it for the last book in the challenge in case I decide to read the rest of the series. Good thing I did!

 

Sometimes I get put off by the books everyone else is reading or thinks they are great! That is part of the reason I avoided this book series for so long. I got the books sometime last year at a library book sale out of town. When I saw how cheap they were and that they are in excellent condition as a set I decided to buy them. Worst case scenario –  I have many friends who would love to have them in case I don’t like them!

When I started I did not have any high expectations and I approached the book series as a way to catch up with some pop culture references. I am usually a fan of YA urban fantasy and I had a vague memory of a movie being not so good.

Summary

I am not a fan of the covers of Croatian editions and covers with faces of young people in general. While I usually love to enjoy the book I’m reading both by looking at the cover design and materials it is made from, the books I was reading were the cheap editions one could get in general stores or kiosks. I tried not to be bothered by that and I mostly succeeded.

I was pleasantly surprised with the first book and in two weeks time I quickly managed to read trough the whole six books of the series! I rated all the books quite high with  four and five stars out of five total. This puts the series general score at four and a half stars which is a big thing for me to do. The main reason for this is that I was mostly very pleased with how the books had a dramatic and at times even very sexual appeal without being outright dirty or offensive in sexual descriptions. I appreciated the the author did not use the vile curtain down and pretended that sex had nothing to do with real life or her story like some do. I see it as vital part of our lives and while many do not want to admit this – many of our life choices are heavily influenced by our sexual experiences and preferences. I was even impressed with the authors ability to make things fluid and believable – both the good and the bad.

There were many taboo topics hinted in the books. From unhealthy and even illegal relationships to privacy boundaries and honesty issues. Some of these resonated with me and I did not expect this to happen while reading a YA fantasy series since I do consider myself an adult and have read books in the YA category I was unable to understand from that point of view anymore. Some of the books of the series were very dark and I was shocked by how dark they got. The drama in the books was very high and I was impressed more than once.

I watched the move again and was actually mad at how much they twisted it. The comedic approach did not go well with the actual setting in the books. It seemed like the director or the producers could not take the theme seriously but they still wanted to make money. Only thing I really liked in the movie was the actress Zoey Deutch and her portrayal of Rose Hathaway. I had some issues getting the actor who played Dimitri out of my vision of the character. His role was much more physical in the books because of his mostly stoic nature.

I did not know there was a graphic novel edition but I should have not been surprised. I definitely would not mind reading those if I ever get my hands on them!

Conclusion

I loved that I read this book series. It made me rethink my occasional prejudice against mainstream favorites. Reading experience was a roller coaster of drama and emotion I had not trouble getting into. I even have a need to rant and vent about some of the characters and the ending itself but will have to refrain from that since the hype train for the books is long gone for most readers. I do recommend this book series and I’m even kinda sad I ended it so quickly!

Reading Challenge update Monday

This will be the last update on Summer reading challenge for Summer 2019. I started it in last weeks of July and it lasted all through August for about month an a half total. Since my last Reading Challenge update Monday I was left with two titles – one graphic novel and one book.

Angel & Faith: Live Through This

(Season 9, Volume 1)

by Christos Gage, Rebekah Isaacs (Artist)

★★★★

I had some trouble getting into this story. It has been years since I’ve read other graphic novels in Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel series and they all have a continuing backstories and that affect each other. The actual artwork is much better than I remember and I do remember having issues with how the characters were drawn in the story. The Angel character was a bit off from what I remember him to be. I liked the story and how it was presented. Faith was always one of my favorite characters because of her obvious flaws and long learning curve. I’m still at odds with “after Buffy Season 7 slayer situation” in the world and I might have to reconsider reading Season 8 in graphic novel version again to clear some things out. I enjoyed reading this graphic novel in spite all the above mentioned issues.

Vampire Academy

(Vampire Academy #1)

by Richelle Mead

★★★★

For years I heard people talking how much they love this book series. But for some reason I always get turned off by popular or hyped books everyone else likes. I remember watching the movie and I have sudden urge to watch it again even though I did not like it very much.

The reason I finally picked this book up, aside for the challenge, is that I bought the whole series for a bargain price in Croatian translation at a library book sale few years ago. It was a category of an owned book I did not read and fit well with the challenge.

My experience with reading the book was a lot better than expected and I can safely say that I understand the appeal it had for some of my friends. I decided to continue reading the series and I’m in the process of finishing the second book as well. It might be a book series I will read trough by the end of the year if I push myself hard enough!

With these two books I have finished all fifteen books from the list. I am happy with the books I choose for this reading challenge and how it motivated me to read more after a longer period of barely reading. What I liked the most is that I read some of the books I’ve owned for years without reading them and made excellent progress with my TBR list in general.

A ✔ Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna book 1) by Kendare Blake
N ✔ Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
A ✔ Angel & Faith: Live Through This (Season 9, Volume 1) by Christos Gage, Rebekah Isaacs (Artist)
S ✔ The Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard book 3) by Rick Riordan
T ✔ Wayward, Vol. 4: Threads and Portents (Wayward volume 4) by Jim Zub
A ✔ The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 1 by Aya Shouoto
S ✔ Sigvald (Warhammer Heroes #4) by Darius Hinks
I ✔ I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire (Ravenloft #7) by P.N. Elrod
A ✔ Serpentine (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #26) by Laurell K. Hamilton

A  ✔ All These Things I’ve Done (Birthright #1) by Gabrielle Zevin
D ✔ Dune (Dune #1) by Frank Herbert
A  ✔ Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
M ✔ 9 From the Nine Worlds (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard) by Rick Riordan
O ✔ Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 1by Bisco Hatori
V ✔ Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead

Reading Challenge update Monday

My Summer reading challenge is almost coming to an end. From last Reading Challenge update Monday I’ve finished reading two books and a graphic novel series.

I’ve finished reading All These Things I’ve Done (Birthright #1) by Gabrielle Zevin and I’ve even made a review – you can check it out HERE.

Threads and Portents

(Wayward volume 4)

by Jim Zub

★★★★

I’ve finished graphic novel series Wayward. Threads and Portents (Wayward volume 4) was on my list but I went with it and finished the series by reading Tethered Souls – Volume 5 and Bound to Fate – Volume 6. I was pleasantly surprised with short essays at the end of each volume. They explained motives authors used and gave much appreciated insight into Irish and Japanese lore. The main story was well rounded and it almost seemed too short for all six volumes. Each character was carefully presented and readers were only hinted at the back stories they all seemed to hide. I am very happy with this graphic novel series.

Norse Mythology

by Neil Gaiman

★★★★

My edition of Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology is a limited special edition with a box made by small Croatian publisher Mitopeja. It is extremely limited to only 500 numbered copies and specially designed from materials used to create it to carefully picked out font and cover design. In comparison to other editions on the market Mitopeja is one of the most beautiful and therefore a bit on the expensive side. Reading a book that is a work of art itself is an experience in itself. While the dark black is predominant on the book design the title and some of the stars on the cover are made to shine in the dark which gives it more shelf visibility when you least expect it!

Norse Mythology was an interesting read for me. I was very surprised at just how much I already knew and was familiar with from Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series. The pacing of the stories was easy to read and the motives reminded me of my childhood and reading collection of folk tales from different countries of the world. These used to be my favorite as a child since they were short and I had difficulties of staying focused on longer literary forms. Folk tales teach readers that some things can’t be taken literally and sometimes a reader just needs to go on board with the stories rather then questioning logic where mystery and magic reside.

After these my Summer reading challenge score is thirteen books read and only two left. I’m starting with the last graphic novel Angel & Faith: Live Through This (Season 9, Volume 1) and might again read more than one. I’ve left Vampire Academy for last just in case I want to continue the book series which I already have on standby and ready. I think both titles will be done by next Monday update which will mean I will be done with the challenge soon!

A ✔ Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna book 1) by Kendare Blake
N ✔ Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
A  * Angel & Faith: Live Through This (Season 9, Volume 1) by Christos Gage, Rebekah Isaacs (Artist)
S ✔ The Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard book 3) by Rick Riordan
T ✔ Wayward, Vol. 4: Threads and Portents (Wayward volume 4) by Jim Zub
A ✔ The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 1 by Aya Shouoto
S ✔ Sigvald (Warhammer Heroes #4) by Darius Hinks
I ✔ I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire (Ravenloft #7) by P.N. Elrod
A ✔ Serpentine (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #26) by Laurell K. Hamilton

A  ✔ All These Things I’ve Done (Birthright #1) by Gabrielle Zevin
D ✔ Dune (Dune #1) by Frank Herbert
A  ✔ Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
M ✔ 9 From the Nine Worlds (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard) by Rick Riordan
O ✔ Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 1by Bisco Hatori
V    Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead