November's First Class Post & Monthly Recap

First Class Post - because this post is first class!

Books Purchased:

Physical Copies:

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (14th Feb 2014)
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (UKYA - 6th Nov 2018)
Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri (15th Nov 2018)
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir (12th July 2018)
A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi (18th October 2018)

Books received for free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review:

Books with an * are reading copies I received as a book seller.

Finished Copies:

Pulp by Robin Talley (15th Nov 2018)
All the Lonely People by David Owen (UKYA - 10th Jan 2019)
Empress of All Season by Emiko Jean (8th Nov 2018)
Winnie-the-Pooh: Doubt & Disquiet for Worriers by A. A. Milne & E. H. Shephard (1st Nov 2018)
Winnie-the-Pooh: Little Somethings & Smackerels for Food Lovers by A.A. Milne & Ernest H. Shepard (1st Nov 2018)
Winnie-the-Pooh: Deep Thoughts & Ponderings for the Wise by A. A. Milne & E.H. Shepard (1st Nov 2018) Winnie-the-Pooh: Gloom & Doom for Pessimists by A. A. Milne & E. H. Shephard (1st Nov 2018)
eARCs:



The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons (5th Feb 2019)
Izzy + Tristan by Shannon Dunlap (7th March 2019)

  

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds (4th April 2019)
Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri (15th Nov 2018)
The Burning by Laura Bates (21st Feb 2018)

Thank you to HQ Young Adult, Atom, Gollancz, Egmont, and Tor UK, Macmillan Children's Books, Orbit, and Simon & Schuster Children's Books for the review copies.

Check out mail memes: The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves on Tynga's Reviews.
---------------------------------------------

On the blog:

Reviews:

• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - A really intriguing plot, but incredibly slow paced, with nothing much happening a lot of the time. So much could have been cut! But at the same time, I've not been able to stop thinking about it, and as you can see, have bought the sequel, despite my misgivings.
• Broken Things by Lauren Oliver - Intriguing as I was reading, but nothing much happens, with a underwhelming climax. Pretty forgetable, really.
• Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan - Absolutely incredible. Terrifying and horrific, but wonderful world building, and a heroine who is just a normal girl who's been forced into a terrible situation, and decides to fight. Just amazing!
• Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean - I had mixed feelings over this one, sadly. The premise was fantastic, and I loved the world building and the Japanese folklore it was based on. However, I feel it wasn't developed enough; everything happened too quickly. I feel it should have been a duology rather than a stand alone.

Once Upon a Retelling:

• Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi

Discussions:



    

         

Other Posts:





---------------------------------------------

What I've Been Reading Online:

Books:

• This YA Fantasy Series Is Queer AF - on The Brilliant Death by Amy Roase Capetta - on Into.
• YA books by trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming authors on BookRiot's Newsletter.
• Books to Motivate You Through the Revolution! | Book Recs from Heidi Heilig on Epic Reads.
• Natasha Ngan Recommends Seven Empowering Asian Sci-Fi & Fantasy Reads for Teens on Bookish.
• Five SFF Books Drawn From Neglected Histories on Tor.
• TBRainbow Alert: YA Starring QPOC, Part 1 on LGBTQ Reads.
• 2019 YA Books Starring Queer Girls on Book Riot.
• Margaret Atwood to pen a Sequel to The Handmaid's Tale on Book Riot.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan:

I loved this book so much, I looked up everything about it I could!

• New Wave of YA Fantasy Exudes Female Empowerment - on Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan and Empire of All Seasons by Emiko Jean - on Hypable.
• Author Spotlight: Natasha Ngan talks Girls of Paper and Fire on Megan Write Now.
• Author Interview: Natasha Ngan on Girls of Paper and Fire on The Illustrated Page.
• Take Five with Natasha Ngan, author of Girls of Paper and Fire on The Paper Alchemist.
• Interview with Natasha Ngan on Young Adult Reads.
• Natasha Ngan on Winter 2018–2019 Kids’ Indie Next List Top Pick “Girls of Paper and Fire” on ABA.

Authors:

• Interview with Tasha Suri, Author of Empire of Sand on HEA - USA Today.
• Debut Author London Shah on Finding Inspiration Everywhere on Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire.

Book-to-Screen Adaptations:

• 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' Sequel in the Works on Collider.
• Report: Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is getting a sequel on Vox.

Bloggers:

• The Many Ways YA Books & The Community Isolate Teens on Vicky Who Reads.

--
If you enjoyed this post, feel free to follow me on:
Bloglovin' | Twitter | Goodreads