Aaru beat my expectations

Have you heard of this book? I hadn’t until the author contacted me and asked if I would review the book. I read the synopsis (click here to visit the Goodreads page) and thought that it sounded like a really interesting concept, so I said yes. It’s a dystopian book, about the possibility of storing the consciousness of an individual (whether alive or dead, as long as they had their data collected before their death) in a utopian world. Our main two characters are sisters, with one who has leukemia and is likely to pass away soon and the other is her younger sister and agrees to be the face of this new company in return for her sister being “saved” within this system.

I will say, that the beginning third of this book wasn’t great. The concept was still interesting but the writing wasn’t good enough to carry the story and I was feeling disappointed. However, I’m really glad I carried on with the book as the end two-thirds of the book are done so well and I was fully absorbed. The writing improves vastly and I was so invested in the events, that when I finished the story I knew I needed to read Halls of Hel! (The second book, click here to see it on Goodreads)

I still maintain that the beginning of this book could be improved, there’s a lot of information in there that is essential to the rest of the book so the content is important. However, the writing could be more engaging and I worry that others may be put off and not reach the more intriguing sections.

Overall, I think you should give this book a shot and be prepared to not fully click with the first section. Just be aware that it gets so, so interesting (and you could be the opposite of me and adore the whole thing) so give it a shot! I’m happy to add this to my collection!

Have you heard of and/or read this book? I’d be interested to know how many people know of this already!

September Wrap Up| 2018

I didn’t manage to read all of my September TBR (click here to see that) this month for various reasons. Two books I own physical copies of, and they weren’t coming to uni with me. I didn’t manage to get to them before I left as I was busy preparing so they are unread. There was also one eARC, which I simply didn’t have time for, and I also DNF’d one book. But I’ll talk about that a little further on, as well as having a separate review for it in more depth in the future.

Shattered by Teri Terry (Slated trilogy book #3) ***** 5 stars!!

I have greatly enjoyed every single book in this trilogy and it’s a crime that it took me so long to get to books 2 and 3! A really engrossing and well-written series that I also feel has managed to be unique in an oversaturated world of dystopian young adult literature.

Aaru by David Meredith (Aaru Cycle book #1) **** 4 stars

This book surprised me. I will admit that I was disappointed in the beginning, but as you can see by my star rating I ended up enjoying! Click here to see my review on Goodreads, or it’ll be up on my blog sometime soon!

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit ***** 5 stars!!

A book which has been on my Goodreads TBR, but not my physical one, for a while. My lovely mother bought me it as a treat when we visited an independent bookshop and I read it soon after. I absolutely adore literature based in WWII and loved the observation of Anna growing as a woman in her time with the Swallow Man.

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson **** 4 stars

This wasn’t as enjoyable for me as his book “So You’ve Been Publically Shamed”, however, I still did read through this very quickly and enjoy it. A lot of interesting thoughts to consider about psychopaths, their role in society and more. A good pop-psych (although not great on an actual psychology level).

Of Blood Exhausted by Jemahl Evans (The Blandford Candy Series book #3) **** 4 stars

No image here as I was beta reading this book for Jemahl, another great addition to this historical fiction series set in the English Civil War (1600s) and I definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys the genre. As far as I can tell from a laywoman’s pov, (and he was also a teacher so this should add some weight), it is historically accurate from what we know of the time. As well as being humorous, realistic, and fully retaining your attention.

Happier Thinking by Lana Grace Riva *** 3 stars

I was sent this book to review by Lana, and I will hopefully be uploading a full review post of it soon. It’s definitely a positive review, however, I’m not 100% sure of what star rating I’m going to give it currently, so it’s subject to change. A good book that’ll make you aware of negative thoughts and provide possible ways to alter this.

The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries book #3) **** 4.5 stars

I got this book from NetGalley to review, and I adore Christie’s style of writing, so I was intrigued. I absolutely loved this rendition and 100% want to go back and read the previous 2 books released within this series by Sophie Hannah. The writing, I feel, is done incredibly well and I found it genuinely hard to put down! I love a good classic mystery!

Time School by Nikki Young *** 3 stars

An 8-12 (middle grade for North American readers) book involving traveling back in time to a school during the WWI period. There was very little depth within the story, and I know that it’s aimed at a younger audience but this is still something that can, and in my opinion should, be included. Other than that, I enjoyed the plot and the emphasis of remembering those we lost during world wars (and other wars) and being thankful for their sacrifice. A good way to bring this story to life for younger children.

The End of Chiraq edited by Javon Johnson and Kevin Coval *** stars, DNF

I struggled with this book, and as I said at the start, this needs its own in-depth review. There were 2 reasons I DNF’d this book, one is that the style of the writing was not for me. The second was that I felt that the book wasn’t intended for me. I was not the audience that it was directed at, as a white British female, and although there are cases where this doesn’t matter I felt like this was very much not for me. I know more now about Chicago and the cultural and economic divide, but I also feel that this was written by the black people of the city for the black people of the city. I felt like I was intruding. Like I said, this needs its own review, and I need to find a way to express my feelings fully so that I don’t accidentally insult someone. But for now, this will suffice.

And that’s it folks! That’s all the books I read this month, and I really enjoyed loads of them! Fingers crossed next month can be as good in terms of star ratings and reading quantity!

Have you read any of these books? Are you going to? Let me know! I want to chat, recommend and gush!