Top 5 Wednesday: Books You Want to Read Before 2019

Our Goodreads goals are quickly closing in. What are you prioritizing for the end of the year?

I'm mainly focusing on reading books for the remaining challenge prompts for my reading challenge for the rest of the year.  I have 8 prompts left as of the time I am writing this post, and books picked out for all of them.

• Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier - This is for a book involving time travel.  I've heard things about this series, some good some bad.  We'll see how it goes.  
• 
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - This will cover a book with an animal in the title.  I've been wanting to read this for some time now and I've heard nothing but good things.
• 
• Vicious by V.E. Schwab - This is for the anti-hero prompt.  I know this involves some mad science and perhaps some mutants.  I like her writing and I can't wait to read this.
• 
• The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout - OK this isn't for a prompt, but I just got it from the library today so I'm going to read it ASAP.  I loved the Lux series and this follows one of the side characters from that world.  I can't wait to read it, so all other books will just have to wait until I'm done.
• 
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by by John Tiffany (Adaptation), Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling - This is for the challenge prompt for a book that has been turned into a play.  I think it fits perfectly.
• 

Review: Evermore by Sara Holland

Evermore by Sara Holland
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an arc from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  This comes out December 31, 2018.  I enjoyed it and feel like it is a good wrap up to the duology.

This follows Jules directly after the first book (Everless) leaves off. She is on the run from the Sorceress after discovering that she is the Alchemist reborn and their ages old conflict after the Alchemist steals the Sorceress' heart. We do eventually find out the entire back story on the Alchemist and the Sorceress over the course of the book. Jules must put together the pieces of her past lives in order to save herself and everyone she loves before the Sorceress destroys them all. Jules and Liam return to places that the Alchemist once lived in an attempt to restore Jules' memories, and as she relives her memories she uncovers the truth of what she did to Caro and what she must do to save those she loves as well as her kingdom.

This was a bit slow for me, while the plot wrapped up nicely, I felt like it just moved a little slow for my tastes. Anytime you have a story that is told between the current time and an alternate time, in this case flashbacks to help Jules remember her past lives, it tends to slow down the plot, make things repetitive, and impact the flow of the storyline. I found that to be the case here. While those flashbacks were crucial to the development of the story, it just isn't my favorite type of storytelling. I think that's a personal preference thing, not a knock on the author's writing abilities.

I also didn't care for the romance, they went from enemies to in love very quickly. It just didn't develop naturally in my opinion. I always expected Jules and Liam to end up together from the very beginning, it just went from I hate you to I love you very quickly and without much development to turn the tides.

I would have liked more character development and more explanation on the "magic" system. I didn't really get a good grasp on why Jules' country is the only place blood-iron works and if there was other magic elsewhere in their country and outside their realm. I guess it wasn't really relevant to the story, but it would have been nice to get a better understanding.

Overall, I did enjoy the story. It wraps up the series well. I think I had different expectations based on the first book and how that focused more on the blood-irons and how people use their blood for currency and time. This focused more on past lives of the main characters not on the magic. I really loved the premise of the blood-irons and I think I wanted more on that and the mythology and magic.

View all my reviews

Tag Tuesday: Out of My Comfort Zone Book Tag

As per usual, I was watching BookTube and this tag caught my attention. I really love Julie's vlog over at Pages and Pens. She has similar reading tastes to me, and I get alot of good recommendations from her, go check out her video here. I was also happy to hear that this tag was created and inspired by vloggers that I actively watch and enjoy, go check them out too.

Emma’s Video (creator): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kod0Z... Hardback Hoarder (inspiration): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URKD3...

I really love the concept of this tag. I've been participating in the Popsugar reading challenge for the past 2 years because I found myself in a reading rut, always reading the same thing over and over. I found myself getting bored reading the same basic story time and again. When I found the challenge in 2017, I was able to still read books I wanted to read, but branch out and read things I never would have read before. It forces me to read out of my comfort zone and I really love it. There is a goodreads group and a Facebook group and the members are lovely and always have great discussions and give the best suggestions. I also love that the only rule to the challenge is that you read books, there aren't any rules and no one to police your challenge list. It is purely for fun. The 2019 list just came out and I'm really excited about it.

CREATE A RULE: Choose one genre/category of books that you frequently talk about in tags and don't use ANY books from that genre for answers. For my rule I'm staying away from YA Fantasy which is mostly what I tend to read.

• A book that is an exception when it comes to genres or elements in books that you don't typically like.
• I usually don't like non-fiction especially biographies, but Born a Crime was excellent. I think because Trevor Noah wrote with his sense of humor which I enjoy made it enjoyable.

• A book you enjoyed from a genre you previously held some stigma about.
• We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, as I said I don't read alot of non-fiction especially, feminist non-fiction.  I didn't find this overwhelming or overbearing.  I kind of expected a feminist book to tell me I wasn't being a good feminist because of this and that, it wasn't like that at all.  This was a great little book and kind of broke down reality vs perception of feminism and how you can be a common sense feminist or an extreme feminist or somewhere in the middle.  I really enjoyed it and learned a few things too.  

• A book you didn't know was actually out of your comfort zone until you started reading it. 
• The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi was a tough read for me. I've really liked other books he's written and this involve a bunch of stuff I'm interested in, this just dragged on for me. I'm just not into bio-punk I guess.

• Pick a friend or BookTuber that motivates you to pick up books you might not normally be interested in. What is one book out of your norm that they convinced you to give a try? 
• There are so many. Hardback Hoarder, Chelsea Dolling Reads, Peruse Project, Emma Books, Books and Lala, Pages and Pens, and Katie Loves to Read, there are more but lately they are my go to. They all read some genres that I like and some that I don't, so I'm always finding something interesting from them.  
• I picked up Walk on Earth a Stranger which is a historical fiction with a twist, recommended by Regan at PeruseProject and loved it.  I loved the whole series.

• A book that is out of your comfort zone that you would like to read. 
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, clearly this is one of the greatest books ever but I've never read it. I don't love classics, but I do feel a bit of an obligation as a reader to read the great works of literature.  I'm putting this on my TBR for 2019.

• A book or genre so out of what you normally read that you'll probably never give it a(nother) chance.
• Erotica, I'll read contemporary romances once in a while but it isn't my go to. I read one by an author I really like, and while the plot was good, I just didn't care for the construction.  I much prefer her contemporary works.  

Review: The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this. I really like Sager's writing style. I had my theories about what was going to happen, but I like that the story is told in alternating times so you are left never knowing what exactly is going on until the end. I really enjoyed how the mystery unfolded and I really had to work to figure out what was going to happen, and when I thought it was over there was more.

I didn't particularly find this overly thrilling or scary, but it was a well put together mystery. I thought the characters were well put together and all of the side characters played their roles nicely. This definitely has the feeling of being told through the eyes of an unreliable narrator, as you aren't really sure if main character Emma is telling the truth about anything or if she even really knows what is happening today or what happened 15 years ago at Camp Nightingale. You know that everyone has their secrets at the camp and just as the girls liked to play, you just aren't sure which ones are the 2 truths and which ones are the lie.

The premise of the story is fairly simple, Emma goes to camp one summer and finds herself bunking with 3 girls she's never met before. She is drawn to the leader of the group Vivian, the older sister she never knew she wanted. As the summer unfolds, Vivian and Emma form a bond, but something causes a rift between them. When her roommates disappear one night, the camp is upended and Emma's life is tormented by the lies she told and the guilt she feels. Emma grows up and 15 years later she finds herself back at the camp as a painting instructor when the owner of the camp tries to find closure for Emma and everyone who was there 15 years ago. Emma is determined to find out what happened to her friends that night. When strange things start happening at camp, Emma finds herself reliving the night Vivian and the girls disappeared. She also finds herself main suspect of her current charges disappearance at camp in the present day. She can't let more girls get hurt on her watch, and she is tired of all of the lies.

Overall, this was a great read. If you liked Final Girls and the way it was told, I highly recommend this. I really like the way Sager constructs stories to keep the reader on their toes and kind of in the dark before the big reveal at the end.



View all my reviews

Top 5 Wednesday: Largest Books on TBR

In honor of #TomeToppleReadathon coming back this month, discuss those big books on your shelf!  I'm a week behind, but I've got a ton of big books on my shelf that I keep meaning to get to but never seem to have the time to read.  I hope to spend some time on these in 2019.  I have paperpack or hardback copies of all of these, so I know I want to read all of them.  Like most people, I just look at how big they are and they intimidate me so I read something shorter.  I tend to mainly read on my kindle or listen to audiobooks, but funny enough many of my 2018 books ended up being close to or over 500 pages, but you can't tell when they are electronic.   These are my top 5 big books that I want to read soon.

• The Black Prism by Brent Weeks - 626 pages
• I picked this up at a used book sale for a couple of dollars and I've only heard good things.  I love a good fantasy novel.
• 
• Stygian by Sherrilyn Kenyon - 655 pages 
• This is part of the Dark Hunter series and I've been a big fan of Kenyon's books and the series for a long time.  Her last few books have been humongous and I'm actually really excited to get to this character's story.  Even though this book is huge, her books usually read quickly.  
• 
• The Fireman by Joe Hill - 747 pages
• As a fan of Stephen King, I had to give his son a chance.  I picked this up on sale at Barnes & Noble and its huge so I keep putting it off.
• 
• Inferno by Dan Brown - 611 pages
• This is one I meant to read this year for my reading challenge but never got to.  I've read Brown's other books in the series and enjoy his work.  
• 
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - 530 pages
• I'm really excited to get to this, I just can't seem to find time to pick it up.  I've heard nothing but good things.
• 

Tag Tuesday: Plan With Me Book Tag

So as usual I get most of my Tag Tuesday ideas from Ali at Hardback Hoarder (What's My Page Again // creator → https://youtu.be/4BKKJKbkSZk). I love her vlog and she picks the best tags. I'm not a super big planner, but I do have a date book and I try to keep my phone's calendar updated with my life events. As for reading, I do try to plan out what I'm going to read atleast for my challenge prompts but I'm not super strict about it.


1.) Pay day! -A book you would buy right now. Cost doesn’t matter!
I'd repurchase all of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Darkhunter books in hardback so my set matched. The first half I have in paperback and the rest are hardback and it bugs me that they don't match.
2.) Pay a bill A book you would get rid of right now
The Man Who was Thursday by GK Chesterton I really didn't enjoy this book. It is sitting in my pile of books to donate to the library. Fortunately I got it at the library book sale and only paid $1 for it, maybe less so it wasn't a great loss on my part. I read it for a reading challenge and it served its purpose.
3.) Doctor appointment -a book that makes you feel better when you are down
Anything by Penny Reid. Her Knitting in the City Series or Winston Brother's Series always puts me in a good mood or pulls me out of a slump.
4.) Meeting -a book or series you felt obligated to read because of the hype
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, it seems everyone has read and loved these books.
5.) Lunch date a book or series that you feel in love with because a friend recommended it to you.
I don't have alot of reader friends, so I'm going to go with a booktuber recommendation. I picked up Rae Carson's Walk on Earth a Stranger because of Regan over at PeruseProject. I loved the series and Regan's historical fiction recommendations.
6.) Work/school week a book that was hard to get through - Ruin of Stars - I really liked the first book, unfortunately this one just didn't meet my expectations for the conclusion of the series.
7.) Gym day a book that gets your heart pumping because it was such an exciting page turner.
Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This was a book I started one evening and stayed up until the early morning to finish. I couldn't put it down.

8.) Date night a book with your favorite romantic couple.
Fight or Flight by Samantha Young, this is a more recent release but Ava and Caleb quickly rose to the top of my favorite couples list. Samantha writes some of my favorite contemporaries and I always love her couples, my original favorite couple was from another one of her books
9.) Vacation a book or series you would want to binge on if you had all the time in the world.
The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, I've heard so many good things and I feel like I'm going to like it. I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

10.) To Do List - A book that you keep meaning to get to but don’t have the time for
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series. I bought them at Bradley's Book Outlet last year because they were there and I keep hearing great things. After finishing Strange the Dreamer I really want to get to them, but they keep sitting on my shelf.

Review: Blue Water by J.A. Armitage

Blue Water by J.A. Armitage
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an advanced copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.  This came out September 12, 2018.  I'm glad I finally got caught up and read it.  I'm also able to use this for a challenge prompt for a book title with my favorite color in it.  Only 9 more books to go to finish the challenge, no onto the review...

This story picks up shortly after the first book. The sea witch is dead and Ari and Erica are attempting to figure out how their relationship is going to work. Erica is still heir to her kingdom and preparing to be Queen one day, however she is bonded to Ari and exploring her feelings for him. The unofficial couple continues to spend as much time together as they can until Erica's father falls sick of an unexplained illness. When the mermaids of Havfrue and Erica's mother all fall sick unexpectedly, Erica expects that while the sea witch is dead her magic still lingers. Erica embarks on a quest to save both kingdoms and the people she is supposed to serve and protect as Queen.

As with the first book I really liked the mythology and magical aspect of the story line. It adds a nice twist to the reverse fairytale/retelling aspect of the story. This reads as YA, so the characters feel a bit impulsive and immature at times, but you have to remember that they are in fact just that. Their actions are fitting, and they do grow and develop from their experiences which is what I look for. The plot moves along at a decent pace as well. This is a fun story and I am enjoying where it is headed. I'm looking forward to Erica and Ari's next adventure in book 3.

View all my reviews

Tag Tuesday: End of the Year Book Tag 2018

I was watching booktube this weekend and watched Peruse Project's End of Year Book tag.  I thought it was perfect for Tag Tuesday. The original creator was Ariel Bissett (https://youtu.be/hHf0O4e2Z6A)


Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish? I'm currently reading Pittsburgh Irish for my reading challenge, it is non-fiction so naturally a little slower paced.  I started Smart but Scattered earlier this year and never finished it.  I'll finish the first one for sure, and would like to finish the 2nd one eventually.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?  No, not really.  I kind of just read whatever I feel like all the time.

Is there a new release you're still waiting for?  I'm really looking forward to reading Evermore by Sara Holland which comes out in December.  I have an ARC of it so I get to read it early.  I'm planning on reading it in November.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year? All of these are books to fill in challenge prompts, so I plan to get to all of them before the end of the year.

1. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
3. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by John Tiffany (Adaptation), Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year? Vicious by V.E. Schwab, I'm really looking forward to this one and I have really high hopes.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2019?  Aside from the books I planned on reading this year and didn't get to, not really.  I'm anxiously awaiting the 2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge list to come out so I can tentatively pencil in books for the coming year.  I really enjoy the challenge and the list should be out soon.  

Review: Lies by T.M. Logan

Lies by T.M. Logan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This was released September 11, 2018.  I know this review is up super late, but here it is. 

This was a fast paced read with a decent plot. I give the author kudos for the plot twist, as I didn't see it coming. I didn't find it to be much of a psychological thriller or very intense from the thriller perspective, it was more of a dramatic mystery. I kept shaking my head the entire book as the main character Joe continually makes bad decisions, recognizes he's making poor choices or is told not to do something and does it anyway. This makes him look kind of idiotic throughout the book, giving this "thriller" a comical edge. Then again, I'm not sure what a real person would do in this situation so it may be completely realistic, it just felt like he was being ridiculous at times. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, it isn't what I look for in a thriller. I was engaged while reading it, and I did like it.

Onto the plot, our main character Joe is kind of a boring guy. He's an English teacher, he is a doting father to son William, an a loving husband, he follows the rules, gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, and really has no aspirations to achieve more in life than what he has now. His wife Melissa is a go-getter, she is beautiful, outgoing, a high achiever, and while she loves her family she has an active social life outside of the home as well. Joe and his son spot Mel's car on their way home one evening and decide to surprise her, this leads to an unraveling of events and lies that Joe could never imagine he would ever find himself in the middle of. He learns that Mel has been lying to him for quite some time and their relationship is not as happy as he thought it was. Joe finds himself accused of crimes he didn't commit, and he is determined to prove his innocence in the matter. As Joe impulsively runs about trying to prove he had nothing to do with the crime his is being accuse of, he finds that he doesn't know what is true and what is a lie, all he knows is he didn't it and someone is trying to ruin him. I won't go into the plot any further or else it will spoil it for you.

If you like mysteries and thrillers that aren't too intense, give this a chance.


View all my reviews

Review: Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.  This came out in early October.  I know this is up a little late, but alteast I got to it.  A month late isn't too bad.

The plot follows three different perspectives, four if you count the perspective of "the Rock", Zoey, Marion, and Val. Zoey is the police chief's daughter, she has recently lost her best friend in a mysterious disappearance and she is determined to find out what happened to her. Marion is the new girl on the island, her father has recently died and her sister mysteriously disappears shortly after they arrive. Val is the beautiful and affluent girl that Marion's family came to work for, but Val's family has a dark secret tied to all of the disappearances on the island. The girls are ultimately connected and not just because the island of Sawkill Rock is small and everyone knows everyone. As girls keep disappearing, Zoey and Marion discover that they have developed supernatural powers, but they aren't sure why. Val and her family have been connected to the disappearance and legend of The Collector for generations. Val wants no part of it, but she can't seem to see a way out of the part she's been destined to play. As she fights the Collector's wishes, she too develops a power. Zoey, Marion, and Val eventually figure out that they have to use their "gifts" to fight the monster.

Meanwhile, Zoey's dad the chief of police also happens to be a member of a misogynistic cult. The cult is tasked with banishing the monsters around the world like Sawkill's Collector. Their methods are brutal, and involve the girls dying to make the monster go away temporarily. The girls aren't having it. Each of them is strong willed, smart, and doesn't want to die. They are all fighters and want to go down swinging. The Hand of Light was irritating, and you really just wanted them to go away anytime they came around.

As for The Collector, I really wanted him to be more scary. He was creepy sure, but he wasn't scary. He was kind of just a jerk, who happened to be a monster.

This tackles some real world subjects and decent representation. I thought this was done very well. There is an African American character who is also asexual. Asexuality is discussed, not just glossed over. There is a real discussion on how that does and may impact a romantic relationship in the future in a very realistic way. There is a lesbian relationship between two of the main characters. When the characters say and do hurtful things to each other it is addressed, and they don't kiss and make up two seconds later. They stay mad, all is not forgiven, just like in the real world. Emotions are justified, discussed, validated, maybe they move on, but they atleast accept that things are not OK and that life is ugly sometimes.

Overall, I thought this was an entertaining YA read. It is more mystery than horror or thriller. I wanted more scare factor, but I liked it anyway. I really enjoyed the writing style and the plot. Overall, it felt a little long and I felt like I wanted to know more about the mythology and magical elements in the book. I wanted more about the Rock and more from the perspective of the Rock. I think the parts from the Rock's perspective were actually my favorite. Those chapters were extremely poetic and I really loved them.

View all my reviews

October Wrap up

I think I had a pretty good reading month, 6 e-books and 7 audiobooks completed. While I didn't get everything reviewed on time, I did most of my October books reviewed.  I have 2 left, then I think I am finally caught up on all of the reviews I need to write and I have nothing to review in November.  That means I have some time to focus on finishing up my reading challenge prompts.  I updated my challenge spreadsheet and I have 10 left after October.  Fortunately I have books picked out for all of the remaining prompts and I own most of them.

Most of my books for October were of the spooky, mystery variety which I think was perfect given the time of year.  I love Halloween and fall is my favorite time of year.  The beginning of October was unseasonably hot, but about mid-month it finally started to get cold and actually felt like fall.  Halloween was rainy and foggy, but my kids had a blast and in the words of Garfield the Cat there was lots of "Candy Candy Candy!"

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Case of the Hidden Daemon by Lucy Banks
• Review
• I really loved the previous books in this series and this one is no different.  It moves the storyline from book 2 along nicely, while having it's own plot.  The group of ghost-hunters is pretty hysterical and I really enjoy Banks' writing style and humor.  This comes out October 23rd.
• The Spellbook of Katrina VanTassel by Alyssa Palombo
• Review
• This is perfect to get into the Halloween spirit.  This is a retelling of Sleepy Hollow.  I used to love the Headless Horseman cartoon when I was a kid because it was scary and I really enjoyed the TV show for a while.  This was not as paranormal and magic related as I wanted it to be.  It was much more of a historical romance, and from that perspective it was good book and from a retelling perspective it was one of the better ones.
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
• I'm glad to have finally read this. I have always loved this story and it is about time I read the original work. Perfect for fall and Halloween approaching.  I read this directly after reading the Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel to see how the retelling matched up.  It was fairly short, and pretty good.  I'm also using this to fill the reading challenge prompt for a book with an ugly cover.  This cover is completely unappealing.
• 
• Fight or Flight by Samantha Young
• Review
• I loved this.  I couldn't put it down.  It is a hate to love romance and I loved the couple.  I needed a good contemporary and this was the book I didn't know I needed until I read it.  Really no complaints about this at all.
• The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
• This is a weird little book.  It is poetic and beautiful, but its weird.  It pays homage to all of the various cultural death ceremonies throughout time that eventually came to be what we know in the US to be Halloween. I love Halloween and I really loved this little book.  The art and story were appropriately strange to be respectful to all of the different times mentioned.  I really enjoyed it.  I met the challenge prompt for a book about Halloween.  it could also meet a book with and ugly cover as the art is not aesthetically pleasing to me, but is totally appropriate to the story in a Tim Burton kind of way.
• The Boy I Grew Up With by Tijan
• Review
• This came out on October 29th.  This is kind of a crossover between the Crew series and Fallen Crest (which I haven't read).  It tells the backstory and present day story of side characters in both series, Channing and Heather.  It is kind of a dark contemporary.  There are plenty of steamy scences, and because of the crew business there are some violent mafia/gang kind of situations that the characters get into.  I liked it.

Audiobooks

I got through a ton of audiobooks this month.  I actually posted a couple of reviews for them too.  That in itself is amazing.  I almost never post reviews for audiobooks because I just never get to them.  I mean to but I just don't do it.

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• Review
• This covered a book challenge prompt for a book I borrowed.  I loved it.  I'm a child of the 80's so I really appreciated all of the 80's references.  This really appealed to my inner nerd.  It was so good, it just made me laugh and feel happy.
• 1984 by George Orwell
• This was an interesting read.  I can see why it is taught in high school and college courses.  You can see the post Nazi-era influence and the Marxism in the writing.  While this isn't my normal reading preference, I can appreciate it for what it is.  This covers a reading challenge prompt for a book set in the decade I was born.
• Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks
• I picked this up when it was a free promo on Volumes.  My son loves Minecraft and I got it for him.  He and I listened to it on our way to and from his basketball practices and games.  Jack Black was an amazing narrator, and while I don't know anything about Minecraft I found this really funny and pretty entertaining.  My son loved it and said it was pretty authentic to the game.
• How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
• I was expecting this to be about time travel, it isn't but its still interesting.  It follows a man who ages very slowly and who has lived through some very iconic historical events.  It is a little slow paced for my taste but I still enjoyed it.
• The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
• This was pretty entertaining.  We follow Gen, who is now King of Attolia but he really doesn't want to be King.  As with the previous books, Gen is full of his usual antics and surprises you at the the most unexpected times.  You always think he's not paying attention or he is going to do one thing and he does the complete opposite.  He really comes into his role as King.  I really enjoy how this series is progressing.
• Warcross by Marie Lu
• Review
• This fulfills my cyberpunk reading challenge prompt.  I loved this.  The romance was a little cheesy but whatever.  I really enjoy Lu's writing and this was no different.  This wasn't super technical, it was more focused on the characters and plot.  
• The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
• This has gotten a ton of hype and lots of great reviews.  They are all well deserved!  This is one epic fantasy.  I haven't delved into a good epic fantasy in a long time and this was worth every minute of my time.  There are some seriously brutal and violent moments, but it is so well written.  I highly recommend it, it is one of the best fantasies I've read in quite some time.  I can't wait for the next book.