December TBR

Most of these are for my reading challenge prompts, so I'll be reading those by the end of the year.  Most of these were on my TBR for November and I just didn't get to them.  I also have a couple of ARCs for books that come out in January, but I'm not sure if I'll get to them in December.  Most of these are fairly long, so we'll see how it goes.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Vicious by Victoria Schwab
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by by John Tiffany (Adaptation), Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling 
• I'm reading this for a challenge for a book turned into a screenplay or play.  Perfect fit I think.
• White Stag by Kara Barberi
• This is the first book in a new YA Fantasy series.  This is supposed to be brutal, and have monsters.  Sounds like a fun read.
• Firestarter by Tara Sim
• This is is a January release and the 3rd book in the Timekeeper series.  I've really enjoyed the series and I'm looking forward to finding out how our Clock Spirit and Clock Mechanic fair in this installment.
• Freefall by Jessica Barry
• This is a mystery/thriller out in January.  There's a plane crash, and a mother/daughter that are separated and determined to find one another.

Audiobooks

• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison
• Everyone keeps talking about this series.  So I thought I'd give it a try.  It sounds like something I'd like.  I've already started this and while it started out slowly I'm really enjoying it.
• The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
• This is a challenge prompt book for a book involving a bookstore or a library.  It involves both.  I've started this one as well and its cute, though the main character is infuriating at times because she so ridiculously afraid of everything.
• A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
• This is a repeat from last month.  I own it so I'll get to it when there is a break in my library holds.
• Don't Put Me in Coach by Mark Titus
• This is a challenge book to for a book involving a sport.  I listened to the intro, and I can tell that this is going to be a difficult listen for me because the writer is a self titled clown.  He doesn't take anything seriously, so we'll see how it goes.  I want to give it a chance.

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.  
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• 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.
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• 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.
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• 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.
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• 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.
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November TBR

I have a couple of ARCs in progress that I need to finish up and review, but for the most part I'm free to read whatever I want for the rest of the year.  I'm hoping to finish up the remaining books on my reading challenge list.  I only have 10 books left, that's not too bad with 2 months left in the year. 

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Everless by Sara Holland
• This is the sequel to Evermore.  This series centers around a world where time is currency and time lives in your blood.  I really enjoyed the first book and I'm looking forward to finding out where the story goes.  This comes out in December but I'm trying to stay on top of my ARCs.
• Vicious by Victoria Schwab
• This book will fulfill my anti-hero prompt.  I've heard great things about this book, and the sequel just came out.  I recently picked this up on Kindle for 99 cents, so I'm excited to finally have time to read this.  I hear it is about mutants or monsters and two completing frenemies, maybe?  I like Scwab's writing and I'm looking forward to reading this.
• Cranberry Bluff by Deborah Garner
• I've had this on my Kindle for a while and I forget what it is about.  I think it is a contemporary.  I do remember it was free and came recommended.  It fits the prompt for a fruit or vegetable in the title so I'm going to give it a chance.  
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• I've wanted to read this forever.  I've heard nothing but good things about her books and this duology.  I was holding out for the audio, but my library doesn't have it on Overdrive or Hoopla.  This will fulfill my challenge for an animal in the title.

Audiobooks

As usual I've got 7 books on hold at the library, and several more on my wishlist.  I do have 2 checked out currently that I'll definitely get to in November.  

• Must of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
• I've been anxiously awaiting this since reading Strange the Dreamer earlier this year and I can't wait to find out what happens next.
• A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
• I'm really enjoying this series.  This is the 4th book in the series.  It is full of political intrigue, deceit, humor, and war.  I'm interested to see where things go from where they left off in the 3rd book.
• A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
• I won this in a giveaway via Libro.fm, a new audiobook vendor site I recently found.  I'm really excited to get to this.  I love Mafi's writing style and I'm excited to read something a little different from her.

Review: Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab

Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to say I was kind of stunned by the ending, but it was perfect and the book was excellent. I listened to it on audio and just couldn't put it down. Victoria Schwab is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her writing is dark, emotional, and just fantastic.

We pick up several months after we leave Kate and August. Kate is in Prosperity, a city rumored to have no monsters, but Kate has become a monster hunter. She has found herself a group of friends who have named themselves the Wardens and they hack into the city's systems at night and help Kate fight what goes bump in the night. Kate finds a new monster, unlike anything she has ever seen before, dubbed the Chaos Eater, and it infects Kate. Kate fights the monster's need to invoke fear and chaos into the humans around it so it can feed for the entire book. The monster flees to Verity and Kate follows. Meanwhile, August has take up Leo's role as head Sunai in the FTF in the fight against the monster population in Verity. He is at war within himself to be the monster his brother wanted him to be, the monster the people need him to be, and the human he wanted to be. We also get to know Soro, a new Sunai, who while a monster provides some great non-gender representation. Soro is referred to with they and their throughout the books, and there is a section when August asks if Soro is male or female and Soro says they just are. I really liked that especially since this is YA. I would have loved to see more of Soro and Ilsa in the book, but they probably could have novels of their own.

August and Kate have been thinking about one another since they parted ways and when they are reunited, August is not the same. She challenges him at every step to be the boy she once knew, while he challenges her as he always did to make more rational decisions. With both of their worlds unraveling the friends must find and battle this new monster, Sloan the monster from their past that Kate thought she killed, and Alice her own personal nightmare.

I loved the characters in the series. I loved Kate and August throughout the series. The development of the characters, family ties, and friendships among all the characters was excellent. I loved the life lessons in the book.  I would have liked a bit more on the Chaos Eater and the Wardens.  Overall, I really loved the series, and I'll be looking to add these books to my permanent collection soon.  Therese Plummer did an awesome job with the audio!