February 2018 Reading Wrap Up

Hey, guys!

This past month has been really busy and rough and I think I'm getting in a reading slump. I have so much to read for class and I just have to keep up with class, so I'm letting it happen. Oh well. Spring break will be amazing because hopefully, I'll be able to catch up on ARCs and reading in general. Hopefully, I won't have a bunch of assignments due. This is going up pretty late and I apologize, but I was hoping to finish today and it happened so I can add it to the list!

Here are the books I read this month!

1. Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
• No rating. School text.
2. Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch 
• 3 stars
3. Rat Queens Volume 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch 
• 3 stars
4. The Wicked and Divine Christmas Annual #1 by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Kris Anka, Chynna Flores, Carla Speed McNeil, Rachael Stott, Emma Vieceli, & Matt Wilson
• 4 stars
5. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
• No rating. School text.
6. The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes
• No rating. School text.
7. Laura & Emma by Kate Greathead
• 2.5-2.75 stars

# of Graphic Novels: 3

# of School Texts: 3

# of ARCs: 1

# of "fun" books: 4

I'll have a book haul and March current reads post up soon. Maybe even a Spring Break TBR, but who knows what will happen. 

I will post reviews soon! Reading and writing reviews are my top priority once my midterms homework is finished. I promise I'll have reviews up soon! Hopefully toward the end of next week!

Thank you for your patience guys! I'm sorry that I'm so late on posting and so jumpy. I'm also rushing to post this tonight because I need to continue to study for an exam that I have in the morning and I still need to write a page for one of my papers that's also due tomorrow. Midterms have me in a frenzy. 

Don't forget to give yourself breaks and time for fun! It's good for you even if you regret it! Don't regret it! Your mental health matters!

Happy reading and good luck to those who are going into midterms this week and next week!

x Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository

{Review} An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

Page Count: 300

Published on: September 26, 2017

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Romance

Source: hardback

Age Rating: YA

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 5

Goodreads synopsis:

A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous debut novel.

Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes—a weakness that could cost him his life.

Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.

~~~

Hey, guys!

     This review is just so long over due. I've literally had no time to write reviews. I feel terrible, but school has had to come first. I'm currently writing this at 1:30 AM on the 24th. I was given this beautiful book for my birthday by my twin sister for our 20th birthday and I was so excited to recieve it. An Enchantment of Ravens was one of my most anticipated 2017 releases. Although this book didn't live up to the hype that I expected, I take full responsibility for that. Sometimes I tend to expect books to be better than they are. Granted, this book was absolutely fantastic and I adored it, but I'm a dork and I expected it to be as fantastic as A Court of Mist and Fury. This standard is unhealthy because I do not think any book can live up to ACOMAF. 

     An Enchantment of Ravens was the last book that I read in 2017. I'm pretty sure I finished it around 10:30 in the evening. I was completely blown away by this book. It was absolutely lovely. The writing style was so beautiful and I'm so enchanted by the story. I desperately wish that this book would have been expanded upon and made into a duology. While I do think that this book was well thought out and the story was beautifully executed, the book lover in me really wanted the book to be much longer. The world that Rogerson created was so gorgeous and I just really really wanted more. 

     There were a couple "issues" that I had with this book, but overall the rest of the book made up for them. First of all, this book kind of deals with some insta-love or insta-attraction, but I really just enjoyed the time that Rook and Isobel spent together. I loved their friendship and I really aggressively shipped them. Rook is such an interesting character. Rook really had some of the best lines in this book. 

“If you must stare at something for hours on end, I’d prefer it to be me alone.” 

~~~


"I love you wholly. I love you eternally. I love you so dearly it frightens me. I fear I could not live without you. I could see your face every morning upon waking for a thousand years and still look forward to the next as though it were the first.” 

     Overall, I really do recommend this book if you adore fae stories, gorgeous writing, gorgeous worlds, and a fantastic magic system then I recommend this book. I cannot wait to read what Margaret Rogerson puts out next. She has a fantastic ability for story telling. Her book was magical.

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository

Top 10 Series I NEED to Finish

Hey, guys!

      I'm sooo behind on soo many series that I want to continue, but I just haven't. Time is so hard to come by when you're in college. I'm making it a goal to at least finish half of these series this year. I think I can do it! Some are ongoing, but some are going to be wrapped up this year, so it should be fun. Here are the series I want to finish or continue!

1. The A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas - This is pretty obvious, but I will always include this series in a list if I can. I HIGHLY recommend this series! It's fantastic and I hope everyone loves it too.
• ACOTAR review 
• ACOMAF review
• ACOWAR review
• ACOFAS link
2. The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, and The Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare - I'm so behind on these series. I'm halfway through book 3 of TMI, but I've put it on hold. I know I'll back to it soon, but I hope to this year. 
• City of Bones review
• City of Ashes review
3. The Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard - I've read the first book (back when it first came out), but I haven't kept up with the series actively. It sounds interesting, so I hope I get back to it. I have The Glass Sword sitting on my TBR. 
• Red Queen review
4. The Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo - I am so excited for the new Grisha series. I've read all but the last half of Crooked Kingdom and I haven't read Ruin and Rising, but I am so excited to finish the original trilogy, finish CK, and start the new series. 
• Shadow & Bone review
• The Tailor review
• Siege & Storm review
• Six of Crows review
• Language of Thorns (review coming soon!)
5. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - this is such a great series! I just haven't read Fairest or Stars Above yet. I also think that the Wires and Nerve graphic novels go along with the series and I've been dying to pick those up. They look fantastic!
• Cress review
• Winter review
6. Dorothy Must Die series by Danielle Paige - I have yet to read books 4 and 5 of the series as well as the novellas. I loved the first 3 books, but I have not actively kept up with purchasing or reading the books. The 3rd book wasn't as good, so I'm okay to wait a bit more to read the books. I liked it well enough to finish the series. The world and the story were great!
• Dorothy Must Die review
• The Wicked Will Rise review
• The Yellow Brick War review
7. The Undertow trilogy by Michael Buckley - OH. MY. GOSH. I loved this book. It was fantastic and one of my favorite books of 2015. Michael Buckley has written some of my favorite books of all time (The Sisters Grimm series) and I love love loved Undertow. I have Raging Sea, but I have yet to read it. I didn't get it until a year after its release, so I need to reread Undertow before I read the sequel and final installment. I just cannot wait to do it. 
• Undertow review
8. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - I'm terrified to read Tower of Dawn and book #7. I don't want this story to end and I don't want my favorite character's stories to end either. I love this series so much. I am dreading and longing for October 30th at the same time. It will be a monumental day in the bookish community. 
• Throne of Glass
• Crown of Midnight
• Heir of Fire
• The Assassin's Blade (review coming soon!)
• Queen of Shadows
• Empire of Storms 
9. Anything by Tamora Pierce - One of my fantasy queens. The world of Tortall is so fantastically written. I love love love her Song of the Lioness Quartet. It is fantastic. I highly recommend. I have read two other series by her, but I want to read every single one of her books one day. It is long overdue. 
10. The Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir - I adore Sabaa. She is a delight. I read Ember when it first came out and really loved it, but I haven't continued on with the series yet. I really need to. I know it will be something I adore. 
• An Ember in the Ashes review
11. The Trials of Apollo and Magnus Bane series by Rick Riordan (and any other books he writes) - I need to catch up on these series. I love Rick Riordan. Anything he writes is a slam dunk. 
1. Magnus 1
2. Magnus 2
3. Apollo 1
4. Blood of Olympus
5. The Demigod Diaries

What series are you dying to finish or continue? Let me know down in the comments! Let's discuss the awesome series we love!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository

{Cover Reveal} Catching Stars by Cayla Keenan

Hey, guys!

     Today I'm bringing you the cover reveal for CATCHING STARS by Cayla Keenan! This book sounds fantastic, so I'm so glad that I get to share this gorgeous cover and gorgeous book with you! Thank you, Ben, for including me in the cover reveal! 

Purchase Here:

Amazon: You can pre-order this book via e-book for $2.99!!

Goodreads Page

About the Author: 

Cayla has fostered a love of books since grade school, where she could be found reading on top of the monkey bars at recess or hiding The Magic Tree House under her desk. It wasn't long until she started writing, scribbling stories in notebooks that will hopefully never be read.

When not writing, Cayla works to earn her BA in English and Sociology at Fordham University in New York City and can be found exploring the city's many excellent parks and bookstores. She maintains a healthy diet of musical theater, Netflix television shows, and early 2000s pop-punk, and firmly believes in the magical properties of red lipstick.

Instagram // Twitter

Keep Up With the OfTomes Buzz by visiting their website and signing up for the newsletter for more information regarding Catching the Stars and other releases!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository

@LivTheBookNerd on Books Amino

January 2018 Book Haul + Library Book Haul

Hey, guys!

      I managed to acquire quite a few books, but the majority were borrowed from the library. During the last two weeks of January, I was on a major graphic novel kick and I borrowed 8 physical graphic novels and 7 via the Hoopla app. I just had to continue the series I was reading physically. I also acquired quite a few physical books, whether from personal purchases or from friends for late Christmas gifts. Here are the books I bought and borrowed this month!

Purchases, Gifts, Review Copies

• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
• Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
• Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat
• That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston
• The Spring Girls: A Modern-Day Retelling of Little Women by Anna Todd
• Rise of the Governor (The Walking Dead #1) by Robert Kirkman {given away}
• Zenith (The Andromeda Saga #1) by Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings
• Paper Princess by Erin Watt
• The Runaways Complete Collection Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan

I haven't read any of these books yet. They are some of the books that I desperately want to read very soon. Once I get done and caught up with my review books, these are the books I'm reading. I'm so impatient to!

Library Book Haul (physical + ebook) 

• Lumberjanes (Volumes 1-6) by Noelle Stevenson, 
• Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy Volume 1 (single issues #1-6) by Chynna Clugston Flores, Rosemary Valero-'Connell (Illustrator), Maddi Gonzalez (Illustrator), Jenna Ayoub(Illustrator), Kelly Matthews (Illustrator), Nichole Matthews (Illustrator)
• The Faust Act (The Wicked + Divine Volume 1) by Gillen McKelvie and Wilson Cowles
• Fandemonium (The Wicked + Divine Volume 2) by Gillen McKelvie and Wilson Cowles
• Commercial Suicide (The Wicked + Divine Volume 3) by Gillen McKelvie and Wilson Cowles
• Rising Action (The Wicked + Divine Volume 4) by Gillen McKelvie and Wilson Cowles
• Imperial Phase Part 1 (The Wicked + Divine Volume 5) by Gillen McKelvie and Wilson Cowles
• Imperial Phase Part 2 (The Wicked + Divine Volume 6) by Gillen McKelvie and Wilson Cowles
• Sex Criminals Volume 1: One Weird Act by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarksky
• Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass & Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe, Roc Upchurch, Stjepan Sejic 
• Rat Queens Volume 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe, Roc Upchurch, Stjepan Sejic 

As of today, I've read almost all of these books. I went on a irresponsible binge in the middle of the week and I read 10 graphic novels! I can't believe it! It's crazy!

What books did you acquire this month? Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~
Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin