Month in Review: January 2020

This has been the longest month ever, but I'm honestly really happy about it because I've needed the extra time to get my bearings before we go shooting through the year again.

From a personal standpoint, I started my second semester of grad school in January and I'm really enjoying it so far! Tons of work, but I'm finally taking a course in Ancient Greek again and it feels so good to be back actively studying this incredible language. My other two classes are centered more on Roman authors and historians, which is so out of my comfort zone (I'm usually more on the Hellenistic side in my studies!), but I'm loving learning more about the time periods and authors I'm studying.

From a book standpoint... I once again read more than I expected to! I think I really just need to start adjusting my expectations, maybe, but I don't like to overestimate and make myself feel pressured, either. Regardless, it was a fantastic month of books and, with a couple exceptions, I enjoyed just about all of them, I think! The Light of All That Falls was absolutely brilliant and incredible and a perfect conclusion to an awesome trilogy.

 So finally...How was your reading month? Did you read any great books? Have you read any of the books I read? Let me know!

# books read: 14
 

Sin Eater by Megan Campisi ★★★★
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

The Light of All that Falls by James Islington ★★★★★
Source: Owned/Publisher | Format: Hardcover

The Gobblin' Society by James P. Blaylock ★★★★
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward ★★★★
Source: Publisher (Orbit) | Format: Physical ARC

Hearts of Oak by Eddie Robson ★★★★
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood ★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

The Lies of Lock Lamora by Scott Lynch (re-read) ★★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback

The Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson ★★★★
Source: Gift | Format: Hardcover

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley ★★
Source: Giveaway | Format: Hardcover

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern ★★★★
Source: Library/Owned | Format: Hardcover

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black ★★★★
Source: Library | Format: Hardcover

The Shadow Saint by Gareth Hanrahan ★★★★
Source: Publisher (Orbit) | Format: Paperback

In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire ★★★★
Source: Library | Format: Hardcover

A Touch of Death by Rebecca Crunden ★★★★
Source: Author Request | Format: Ebook

Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling ★★★★
All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, & Karen White ★★★
Dreamland by Nancy Bilyeau ★★★★★
The Light of All That Falls by James Islington ★★★★★
Dreamland by Nick Clausen ★★★★
Prosper's Demon by K.J. Parker ★★★★
The Truants by Kate Weinberg ★★
The Shadow Saint by Gareth Hanrahan ★★★★★


(other than reviews)

Best Books of 2019 Pt. 1--Backlist and 2019 Debuts!
Best Books of 2019 Pt. II--2019 Releases!
2019 End of Year Book Stats & Overview
Month in Review: December 2019
Anticipated February 2020 Releases!

Top Five/Ten Tuesday:
Anticipated Fantasy Releases for the First Half of 2020!
Series I Need to Catch Up On (Pt. 1/?)
Recent Additions to My Bookshelf
Misleading Covers

Can't-Wait Wednesday:
The King of Crows by Libba Bray & The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Sword of Fire by Katharine Kerr & The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold
A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers & The Adventurer's Son by Roman Dial
Things in Jars, The Magnificent Monsters of Cedar Street, & Mercy House

The Friday Face-Off:
Horizon 

Have you read any of these? What books did you read this month? I hope you all had a great month-- comment below and let me know!

Review: The Shadow Saint by Gareth Hanrahan

The Shadow Saint by Gareth Hanrahan
Orbit

Publication Date: January 9th, 2020

Paperback. 567 pages

About The Shadow Saint:

"Thieves, dangerous magic, and a weapon built with the power to destroy a god clash in this second novel of Gareth Hanrahan's acclaimed epic fantasy series, The Black Iron Legacy. 

Enter a city of spires and shadows . . . 

The Gutter Miracle changed the landscape of Guerdon forever. Six months after it was conjured into being, the labyrinthine New City has become a haven for criminals and refugees. 

Rumors have spread of a devastating new weapon buried beneath the streets - a weapon with the power to destroy a god. As Guerdon strives to remain neutral, two of the most powerful factions in the godswar send agents into the city to find it. 

As tensions escalate and armies gather at the borders, how long will Guerdon be able to keep its enemies at bay?"

I didn't expect it, but I think I enjoyed The Shadow Saint even more than I enjoyed The Gutter Prayer. The Gutter Prayer ended with a bang and I honestly wasn't sure what to expect plot-wise from the sequel, but it ended up being far more interesting than I could have hoped for. Everything that made The Gutter Prayer stand out so much in the fantasy genre continued to be a strong element that made me fall back into this world and story.

The Shadow Saint picks up about six months after the The Crisis (aka The Gutter Miracle) that occurred at the culmination of the first book and that resulted in the creation of the New City that has sort of thrown things in chaos. There are also now rumors going around about a new weapon in the New City that could completely change the landscape in the Godswar and relations among various lands. I love when we get to explore post-big-event cities and environments in fantasy (and other books) and see what happens when people try to pick things up and put order back into place. There is a decent bit of politicking in this book that I personally really enjoyed and that added a sense of realism and exasperation that felt so relatable in any sort of crisis or big cultural/social shift.

If you read The Gutter Prayer, then you already know that Hanrahan's world-building is top notch and truly incredible. The way that he crafts this world and manages to make it feel so real and alive is the work of someone who truly knows how to write. This city is alive with people, buildings, things underneath the city, things within the city--there's just so much at play to explore.

In The Shadow Saint, we follow three new POVs, though one is a side character from the first book, so she's somewhat familiar already. I genuinely enjoyed all three of the new protagonists and their perspectives. The first of the POVs that we follow is the spy, aka X84, aka Alic, aka Sanhada Baradhin. As you can probably guess, the spy shifts his identities depending on what the situation necessitates, and he has quite a great skill in doing so and creating up new lives and backgrounds for each person. I didn't expect to enjoy the spy or his perspective as much as I did, but it was easily entertaining and I liked watching him navigate throughout the city of Guerdon and ingratiate himself in various place with different people. He infiltrated the city with his "son," Emlin, who I also found pretty compelling and who I would've loved to follow even more than we did.

The next character we follow is Eladora Duttin, a side character from The Gutter Prayer who I was so excited to get to follow in this book. I really enjoyed her in the first book and I felt this elaboration on her role and watching her gain confidence and become aware of her importance in the story. She's an incredibly intelligent woman who, although may be nervous about things, really isn't afraid to put herself out there when she feels confident about what she should be doing or what is best for the situation.

And the last main character we follow is Terevant, another new addition to the story who brings an entirely new perspective as a native of the city of Haith and who happens to be one of the heirs of the House of Erevesic. I really enjoyed exploring the culture of Haith and watching Terevant and his brother interact with the city of Guerdon and its inhabitants. I was also intrigued by the Vigilants, which is a role that those of Haith can take on after death.

Hanrahan has once again given us an unpredictable, fast-paced, and highly entertaining fantasy that I sincerely enjoyed and I honestly can't wait to see what comes next in this series. I really don't know where Hanrahan will take the next book or who the main characters be or what will happen after this book, but I do know that I am more than ready for the ride!

Overall, I've given The Shadow Saint 4.75 stars!

*I received a copy of The Shadow Saint courtesy of Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating of the novel.*

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Can't-Wait Wednesday: Things in Jars, The Magnificent Monsters of Cedar Street, & Mercy House

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
Publication: February 4th, 2020

Atria Books

Hardcover. 376 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"In the dark underbelly of Victorian London, a formidable female sleuth is pulled into the macabre world of fanatical anatomists and crooked surgeons while investigating the kidnapping of an extraordinary child in this gothic mystery—perfect for fans of The Essex Serpent and The Book of Speculation. 

Bridie Devine—female detective extraordinaire—is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors trading curiosities in this age of discovery. 

Winding her way through the labyrinthine, sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won’t rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing a past that she’d rather keep buried. Luckily, her search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where spectacle is king and nothing is quite what it seems. 

Blending darkness and light, history and folklore, Things in Jars is a spellbinding Gothic mystery that collapses the boundary between fact and fairy tale to stunning effect and explores what it means to be human in inhumane times."

I'm not usually drawn to books that follow sleuths and detectives, but I love the sound of this setting, the gothic vibes, and the folklore/fairy-tale elements that seem present.

and...

The Magnificent Monsters of Cedar Street by Lauren Oliver

Publication: February 11th, 2020

HarperCollins

Hardcover. 384 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"Cordelia Clay loves the work she and her father do together: saving and healing the remarkable creatures around Boston at the end of the nineteenth century. Their home on Cedar Street is full to the brim with dragons, squelches, and diggles, and Cordelia loves every one of them. 

But their work must be kept secret—others aren’t welcoming to outsiders and immigrants, so what would the people of Boston do to the creatures they call “monsters”? 

One morning, Cordelia awakens to discover that her father has disappeared—along with nearly all the monsters. 

With only a handful of clues and a cryptic note to guide her, Cordelia must set off to find out what happened to her father, with the help of her new friend Gregory, Iggy the farting filch, a baby dragon, and a small zuppy (zombie puppy, that is)."

I could not be more excited about this premise! A father-daughter duo that heal magical creatures in the nineteenth century!? I am seriously way too excited about this book, I can't wait to have a chance to read it (hopefully)!

Mercy House by Alena Dillon
Publication: February 11th, 2020

William Morrow

Paperback. 384 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"In the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn stands a century-old row house presided over by renegade, silver-haired Sister Evelyn. Gruff and indomitable on the surface, warm and wry underneath, Evelyn and her fellow sisters makes Mercy House a safe haven for the abused and abandoned. 

Women like Lucia, who arrives in the dead of night; Mei-Li, the Chinese and Russian house veteran; Desiree, a loud and proud prostitute; Esther, a Haitian immigrant and aspiring collegiate; and Katrina, knitter of lumpy scarves… all of them know what it’s like to be broken by men. 

Little daunts Evelyn, until she receives word that Bishop Robert Hawkins is coming to investigate Mercy House and the nuns, whose secret efforts to help the women in ways forbidden by the Church may be uncovered. But Evelyn has secrets too, dark enough to threaten everything she has built. 

Evelyn will do anything to protect Mercy House and the vibrant, diverse women it serves—confront gang members, challenge her beliefs, even face her past. As she fights to defend all that she loves, she discovers the extraordinary power of mercy and the grace it grants, not just to those who receive it, but to those strong enough to bestow it."

I'm really excited about this premise about a safe haven for a variety of women from all different backgrounds. This sounds incredible, can't wait to check it out!

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

Top Ten Tuesday: Misleading Covers

This week's topic is: Book Cover Freebie--Misleading Covers

This week's topic was a book cover freebie and since there are so many possibilities for book cover related topics, I couldn't decide what to choose! I saw one of the suggestions for possibilities was 'misleading covers' and I thought that sounded like a really fun idea that I've never tried before. Below are a few covers that I think just don't quite fit or accurately represent the story that follows. Some of these covers I love, some I don't care for, but either way I just find them a bit misleading to someone who doesn't know anything about the book.

Master Assassins by Robert V.S. Redick: So in a sense, this cover is actually completely accurate to some scenes in the book. However, I remember when this came out a few people making comments about the cover (combined with the cliche-sounding title, which is actually brilliant after you've read the book) making this seem a little on the corny side, which I can understand. This book is a stunning literary fantasy that has so much depth to it and this cover doesn't necessarily convey that exceptionally well. I have grown to absolutely adore this cover, but I can totally see how it's a bit misleading about what to expect.






Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright: I'm still not completely sure what the idea is behind the colors and style of this cover, but it doesn't really match the story to me. I like the cover mostly and think it looks fine, but it sort of gives me little bit of a hippy and/or psychedelic vibe mixed with the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland because it looks like the guy on the bottom has some big weird hat. Islandia is not at all psychedelic and it's not exactly very '70s, either.





The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: It's no secret that I did not like this book at all, but I still find myself confused by this cover. Was there something to do with dominoes being really important in the book that I don't remember? I don't remember if there was, but I always thought it was just a cover that didn't really fit and that I didn't really like, either. I get that it's symbolic, but I don't think it's exactly helpful in setting the tone, either.







Fray by Rowenna Miller: So I've decided to consider this one misleading mainly because I find it confusing! I loved the cover of the first book in this trilogy, Torn, and I understand that the red is supposed to be fabric since the main protagonist works with fabric and sewing, but it just  doesn't really immediately look like fabric. I also find the castle image doesn't necessarily stand out as a building enough and from a distance it's just a bit of an odd image that feels incomplete. I have no idea what I would expect from this cover, but it's not what this book actually is.






The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: Okay, so part of me thinks this cover works just fine since it's one of the most cliche fantasy cover styles, but at the same time it gives off a lot more in the 'assassin' sort of vibe than it does 'guy who proceeds to tell a very long tale about his life.' I love this book, but I'm not sure this cover is the best choice for it.







A Cavern of Black Ice (& A Fortress of Grey Ice) by J.V. Jones: I have so many frustrations with this cover. You look at this and think: "hm, okay, so this is about an adult woman who ries a horse wearing super skimpy clothing and is being chased by weird dark figures." Yeah, no. There are two main protagonists at the start, one boy and one girl, and the girl is just that--a girl. She's definitely not as old as that image looks, and this fantasy is also set in a land t hat is freezing (inspired by Alaska!) and there is no chance that that is what she's wearing. This cover just doesn't convey nearly anything accurate about what to expect.





The Diviners by Libba Bray: I'm not sure what I expect from a broken string of pearls (?), but it's certainly not a lively, dark, and rather creepy story set in the 1920s and includes a serial killer and supernatural elements. This is (one of) the cover remakes for this book and I really dislike it.









Violet Grenade by Victoria Scott: Maybe I'm taking this cover too literally, but it makes me think it's trying to maybe be about a woman who's in some sort of army. Or some war-based story where grenades are, you know, ubiquitous or symbolic and the violet part comes in in some way we'll discover. In short, this book has nothing to do with war and I'm not sure where this cover comes from.









Kushiel's Dart by Jacquline Carey: Okay, so my only frustration with this cover is that it doesn't convey how utterly intelligent this book is and how filled to the brim it is with fantasy elements and the best political intrigue, scheming, and spying that I've ever read. The font and image of Phedre is just a bit lacking in conveying anything other than a romance-heavy novel when there's so much more that I think other people would love, but are turned off from because of the cover.





The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson: I love this book and I don't dislike this cover for the Penguin Classics Deluxe edition at all, but I do think it's fairly misleading for the story itself. I get its purpose and the reason this cover was chosen, but I would definitely expect this to be a story about some ghost girl in the woods or something. The house isn't even there and that's the most iconic part!

What do you think of these covers? What are some misleading covers for books I didn't mention?

Review: The Truants by Kate Weinberg

The Truants by Kate Weinberg
G.P. Putnam's Sons

Publication Date: January 28th, 2020

Hardcover. 320 pages

About The Truants:

"People disappear when they most want to be seen.

Jess Walker has come to a concrete campus under the flat grey skies of East Anglia for one reason: To be taught by the mesmerizing and rebellious Dr Lorna Clay, whose seminars soon transform Jess's thinking on life, love, and Agatha Christie. Swept up in Lorna's thrall, Jess falls in with a tightly-knit group of rule-breakers--Alec, a courageous South African journalist with a nihilistic streak; Georgie, a seductive, pill-popping aristocrat; and Nick, a handsome geologist with layers of his own. 

But when tragedy strikes the group, Jess turns to Lorna. Together, the two seek refuge on a remote Italian island, where Jess tastes the life she's long dreamed of--and uncovers a shocking secret that will challenge everything she's learned."

This book was honestly a huge disappointment for me. I read this book back in August, which is when I wrote down the majority of this review so as not to forget anything by the time I post it, but it remains fairly unmemorable to me and I can't say that I have extraordinarily strong feelings for it one way or another.

The Truants follows Jess, a rather uninteresting woman who also happens to be obsessed with her future professor, Dr. Lorna Clay, a scholar whose my recent book about Agatha Christie has contributed to her class being one of the most sought after at her university. Jess is one of those characters who I never really cared about or found myself attached to in any way. Her personality was inconsistent throughout and I struggled to really understand who she was. She meets three other enigmatic people and the four quickly form a tight, tenuous friendship, which forms the basis for many of the events that occur throughout the story. This book is very much about the characters and their secrets and relationships with one another, much of which tends to eventually overlap with that of Dr. Clay's.

One of my biggest issues with The Truants was its insistence on trying to create a 'dark academia' sort of vibe, an effort with seemed to fail in execution and instead left this book feeling empty and lacking in major plot and substance There were a few moments where Weinberg's prose was elevated in ways that made me enjoy her writing, for the majority of the book it felt rather flat and uninteresting.

Because of how lackluster this book was, the many "shocking" secrets that came out weren't really that shocking and I didn't really care when they did happen. The first half of the book takes place mostly at the university, whereas the second half takes some new directions and introduces more involvements with Dr. Clay that I didn't particularly enjoy and that I felt were a bit too predictable. I don't mind a little bit of predictability in books, but this just felt like such a tired and cliche'd storyline--the main difference was the second main setting and the mystery attached--and I found myself trying to speed through this book a lot to finish it.

Despite how I've made it sound, this isn't a bad book and I can understand how plenty of people could enjoy the dark-ish academia vibes and the influence and incorporation of Agatha Christie's role and mysteries, but I just didn't enjoy it. It seemed to try too hard to fit into the mold dark academia mixed with enigmatic professor and unhealthy friendships. Overall, it's a 2.5 stars from me!

*I received an ARC of The Truants courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating of the novel.*

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