Spicy Pumpkin Latte Book Tag | Bookending Autumn 2019

Hello, and how are you? I hope your week has been great so far! Today, I’ll be sharing with you my last #BEAutumn2019 post. You can learn more about BE Autumn, see the rules and the rest of October’s topics, and sign up over on Sam’s page @ Sam Fictionally.

You can also follow them @bookend_events for more updates!!

Today, I’m going to be doing the Spicy Pumpkin Latte Tag hosted by the amazing Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads.

Spicy Pumpkin Latte Book Tag: Autumn is when the beverage names at the local coffee shop start to look more like a harvest produce list than anything from a drinks menu. What better way to celebrate this oddity than to do an autumnal drinks book tag?!

I’ve never had a latte, or coffee for that matter, or any of the drinks listed below. I’m more of a black tea, juice, soda, or water kind of girl. But this still sounds super fun, so let’s get started!!

Pumpkin Spice Latte: A book you didn’t think you’d love

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.

I really did not expect to love this as much as I did. When I read it, I wasn’t really a big fan of fantasy, however I loved it. The humor, the plot, the fantasy/paranormal aspects, it was all so awesome.

I loved, G, Jane, Edward (especially Edward), and all the other various characters. They were all hilarious and I love how the authors based it on history, and then changed it in such an amazing way! Humor + historical fiction (based on history) + fantasy = awesomeness!!!


Hot Apple Cider: A book that got you a bit hot under the collar

A Spy in the House (The Agency Series) by Y. S. Lee

This isn’t really much? But it does get a little bit more…passionate in the later books 🙂

Anyways, this still has an awesome plot, and it’s set in the Victorian Era. It’s a great series. and I love Mary and her fierceness. She’s also a new and interesting character who is different and considered inferior in her time. She’s a pretty great detective and is really determined and brave.

The mysteries are pretty great, and I finished the whole series pretty quickly. Oh, and James is an absolute darling 💖 Absolutely, annoyingly, handsomely, a bit over protective, but also super kind, and definitely a perfect darling.


Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate: A book that felt like a warm hug

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

I really loved this book for its representation, the great characters, the food, and the writing style. It was super heartwarming to read about Emoni’s struggles, how she overcame them, her family (Buela and Babygirl are the sweetest), and her awesome friends, especially Angelica.

I also really loved the way the book was written-it felt like I was in Emoni’s head and reading her words, not just being told a story in a more formal way. And let’s not forget the amazing food in this book. There are no words to describe the deliciousness of it all. It made me want to fly into the kitchen and whip up a mess lol.


Maple Pecan Latte: A book you enjoyed that was hard to get into

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

It took me 19 days to finally get past the first 10%. It was slow. Like, really slow. The murder mystery is interesting, Kya’s life is interesting, the back story is interesting but wow, it is so so slow, and it was until around the last third-ish of the book that the pace began to pick up.

However, I still gave it 4 stars because this is supposed to be a slow read, that is heavy on the description of the Marsh, and of Kya’s life before the murder. The murder mystery was a pretty small aspect of the book compared to the rest of it. But I still enjoyed it. I pushed myself to finish it (and I did skim some of the description), and I’m pretty glad that I did, because I eventually liked Kya and all her friends, and it saved me from DNFing. The only reason that I picked it up, was because of the mystery and the odd characters, so it was disappointing to see that it wasn’t a major part of the story, but I ended up liking the characters and the coming-of-age aspect much more instead.


London Fog: A vanilla character

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This was such a disappointing book. Absolutely disappointing. I hated Claire. I hated Nix. The idea of the story was okay, but the execution was horrible. This was more like a horrible Disney princess movie with a dark boy who falls in love with a girl who has never been noticed. And this girl is the most annoying character ever.

As soon as Claire meets Nix, she falls in love with him because he’s the only one who has noticed her. Hello? He noticed you because he was supposed to kill you. But obviously that’s just a technicality that doesn’t matter. And then after that, all Claire can think about is her darling Nix, and her new super powers… It’s just a horrible book, and Claire is annoying and intolerable.


Hot Buttered Rum: A book that was velvety smooth to read

Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel

I don’t think this is really velvety smooth? But it’s an easy espionage story and I liked it. Nothing super amazing, but good enough that I’ve continued on with the series.

The ending does get intense, and the court drama and intrigue is very interesting, but I also feel like it was just meh, nothing super remarkable, but pretty nice to read. I don’t really like Peggy, I wish Olivia had a bigger role from the first book (she’d make a great spy), and the drama with Sophy Howe is maybe a bit much, but it’s also kind of hilarious to read.


Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew: A character whose temperament is icy cold

The Great Lady Sarnai from Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

She’s cruel. Unbelievably so. It’s kind of interesting, while terrifying to read about at the same time. She has no sympathy or feelings for anyone (besides the guy she loved and whom she now can’t marry) and she terrorizes everyone wherever she goes.

But she’s also sad, lonely, being used as a peace pawn, and her way of life being discarded so that she can become a woman she doesn’t want to be. So it’s also kind of understandable. But then, her heart is obviously made of ice, because there was a certain point in the book where I though she might change, but instead she was absolutely brutal.


Salted Caramel Mocha: A book that you’re salty about

Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

This book was a mess. An utter mess. Audrey Rose completely went off the rails in this one. She stopped trusting our dearest Cresswell, and trusted a self-confessed liar and con man. Think about that for a minute. Cresswell who has been with her through hell and back, Cresswell who’s never attempted to cage her, and has always respected and admired her, Cresswell who would probably walk across a volcano barefoot to save her life, was deemed not trustworthy enough to keep/properly react to the secret Audrey Rose was trying to keep with a LIAR.

This makes no sense, and honestly, if you want to read the full rant head right over here, because the above is only part of the tragedy that is this book. It’s definitely the most disappointing book from the series so far.


Honey Bee Latte: A character who is sweet

Jude from The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

To be honest, JLB always manages to write amazing characters, the serious ones, the destructive/rule breaker ones, and the sweet-bring-a-smile-to-your-face kind of ones.

Jude is the latter. He is eternally optimistic and he always finds the good or bright side of things. I also love him because he was there for Kira, always supported her, and diffused situations spectacularly. He’s just a super sweet warm bun who cares more about others and about their feelings than for his own. And he forgives so easily and never holds a grudge against anyone.


Gingerbread Latte: A character you’d take home for Christmas

I have no idea? I don’t celebrate Christmas, and honestly, I’m not sure if I want to bring any character home for any celebration because it would probably end up in a disaster. An absolute disaster. It’s either they are super fun but destructive, or they are the kind to just sit there glowering and being absolutely unreasonable (and possibly the ones who someone might decide to pick a fight with, and then I have to make sure they don’t end up dead). Neither is a very good option for a party…

Tagging

Caitlin @ Caitlin Althea | Kat @ Novels and Waffles | Evelyn @ Evelyn Reads | Jane @ Blogger Books | Charlotte @ Bewitching Books, Ravenous Reads

*P.S. No pressure if you don’t want to do the tag!!

This was so much fun to do, and if you’d like to do the tag, go right ahead! Be sure to link back so I can see your answers as well!! See you guys tomorrow!

Tag Thursday – 2019 Mid Year Freak-Out Tag

Good morning (/afternoon/evening/night depending on where you are) my dear friends!! I hope your week was spectacular! Today, I’m going to do the 2019 Mid Year Book Freak Out tag. I know, it’s halfway through July, and the middle of the year was June, but late is better than never right? This is my first year doing it, and hopefully I’ll continue doing it for many years to come! I think there are different versions of this with different questions (I think??) so this version is one I saw on Paws and Paperbacks!

Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2019

There are so many amazing books that I’ve read so far this year, but Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo definitely tops them all!


Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2019

The Wicked King by Holly Black. I really didn’t like The Cruel Prince, but this sequel made me really like the characters and also managed to make me super excited for The Queen of Nothing!


New Release You Haven’t Read Yet But Want To

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman. This sounds so cute and also seems to be what my life will possibly be like in the future (minus the cat!!), so I definitely want to read this!! It’s also a book about a girl who loves books so…


Most Anticipated Releases For the Second Half of the Year

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black and Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff


Biggest Disappointment

I love Jennifer Lynn Barnes and I was excited to read one of her older books, but Nobody was such a huge disappointment. It was so cliche, and so boring, and the MC annoyed me so much.


Biggest Surprise

I really didn’t expect much from My Lady Jane because it was a historical fantasy with a bit of romance. To my surprise, it turned out to be amazingly hilarious, super entertaining, and refreshing. And the cover is beautiful as well!


Favorite New Author

Lisa Gardner. I loved her D.D. and Flora Dane novel, Look For Me, and I’m definitely going to check out the rest of her mysteries!!


Favorite New Crush

KAZ BREKKER!!! 100% no doubt about it. Actually, the whole crew from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardguo is my new favorite crush!


Favorite New Characters

Kaz, Inej, Jesper, and Wylan from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardguo, Nasir and Altair from We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal, Nate from Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, Nate from One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, Shirin from A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi, Aza from Turtles All The Way Down by John Green…and I think I’m going to stop here.


Books That Made you Cry

No book has made me cry yet…I don’t really get emotional like that when I’m reading.


A Book That Made You Happy

The Restaurant Critic’s Wife by Elizabeth LaBan was different from my usual read, and the struggles of Lila as a stay-at-home mom of two who is married to a food critic made me laugh a lot and definitely made me feel happy.


Most Beautiful Books You’ve Bought So Far This Year

Lol, I haven’t bought any books this year? But I think that the cover of Blanca and Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore is gorgeous!


What Books Do You Need to Read Before the End of the Year?

Including my most anticipated releases: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman, Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle, and The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall

Tagging/Nominating:

So it looks like no one gets tagged for this? People just do it, so I’m not going to tag anyone! If you’d like to do it, go right ahead!

P.S. No pressure. If you don’t want to do the tag. That’s absolutely fine. If you’ve already done it, please share the link so I can check it out!

And that’s it for today! Have you done the 2019 Mid Year Book Freak Out tag? Have you read any of the books above? What did you think? Let’s chat in the comments below!

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – Review (more like a rant)

Hey and welcome back to another book review! Today’s review is of a book by one of my most beloved authors: Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This was a one star read for me. I didn’t like it, and it was sub-par compared to her other books.

Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book about someone with a superpower

Book: Nobody

Author: Jennifer Lynn Banres

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Summary: There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away. 

That’s why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.

Quote: “I am everything. I am nothing. I am powerful. I am forgotten.”

The Good:

I didn’t like anything in this book?


Quote: “You can’t tell me I matter and then leave like I don’t.”

The Bad:

Repetitive. The first 30% was just a rehash constantly of Claire and Nix’s first meeting. Nothing was really happening and I was starting to get bored with the same thing happening over and over again. Did I say it was repetitive? Because the same thing was happening over and over….

Insta-love. As soon as Nix was introduced, I knew it was going to happen. And it did. Suddenly Claire must be totally in love with Nix because he is the only guy ever to realize she exists. I was expecting it but it still didn’t work for me.

Nothing really happens. Nothing really started happening until the 70% mark. I’m surprised I made it through, but then again, I kept starting and stopping and it took me more than two weeks to finish it.

Plot. I knew what was going to happen as soon as Nix couldn’t kill Claire. Nix was going to take down the Society whom he’d trusted his whole life and he wouldn’t want Claire to get hurt, but Claire is stubborn and she gets her way, and everything goes down and Nix and Claire are heroes…. Super predictable. I think this is the plot for every book with an Evil Organization that has being lying to the MC their whole lives.

Implausible? Nix supposedly has been living in “an eight by eight room with no windows and a door that’s padlocked for show.” That’s a direct quote by the way. He doesn’t know what a computer is and I’m seriously doubting he’s seen a TV. The Society (his employers? captors? I don’t know what to call them) only taught him to read so that he can read the files of the people he has been ordered to kill. Yet, he knows a lot of things for a guy who has no contact with the outside world. I would quote, but I suck at taking notes while I read, so I don’t remember where/what he said that made me think that.

Claire. She is constantly wallowing in self-pity because the world ignores her. “Oh God, I’m jealous of farts.” Yup, she said that. I got tired of reading her narrative because after she meets Nix, that’s all she thinks/talks about and it gets annoying.

Nix and his relationship with Claire. Honestly, the way he constantly degrades himself: I don’t deserve to be touched. I don’t deserve to be loved. I don’t deserve to have someone as beautiful as Claire…. is annoying. This review on Goodreads summed up Claire and Nix’s relationship very well:

______________________

(Read the original review by Shambhawi P. on Goodreads🙂

Claire: (touches Nix’s face)
Nix: (jumps away from her touch) I am a vile, vile monster, a killer, I don’t deserve to be touched by someone as pure and beautiful, and wonderful like Claire.
Claire: Oh, No. Nix does not want me to touch him. Nobody ever wants me. I am not beautiful and Nix is so hot. Did I mention Nix is hot? Why would he ever want me. (cries)
Nix: I am a vile, vile monster. Look, I made Claire cry. (touches Claire’s face to wipe her tears)
*more facetouching*
Rinse and Repeat.

______________________

Yup. That’s a very very accurate portrayal of their relationship.

Ending. The ending was the most cliche and Disney-ish thing I’ve ever read in my life. Nix gets hurt and Claire is crying, begging him not to leave her, how dreamy his eyes are, how she’ll never see them again, blah blah blah. And then, *drum-roll please*: he pretty much dies (you know those precious seconds where he has pretty much left the world but hasn’t entirely died? that’s what I mean) and two other characters mix their blood together and drip it on him and he suddenly comes back to life with his body healed and all the pain gone. And they live happily ever after. (Have I said that this is the most Disney-ish thing ever? Frozen ends like that, I’m pretty sure Belle and the Beast ends like that, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ends like that… every Disney princess movie probably ends like that.)

Did I mention it was ridiculously repetitive? Because it is. Did I mention it was super cliche (and Disney-like)? Because it seriously is.

Quote: “How can somebody want me dead when no one knows I’m alive?”

The Wrap:

I’m really disappointed because I love the rest of Jennifer’s books. This was the epitome of cliche and I sooo did not like it.

One sentence summary: A cliche filled book with one-dimensional characters and a very predictable plot.

Overall, one very disappointed star.

Have you read Nobody? Did you enjoy it? Have you read any other book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes? What did you think of those? Let’s chat in the comments!

WWW Wednesday #10

Hey amigos and amigas! Welcome to another WWW Wednesday post! I hope you’re having a wonderful day. WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words.

The Three W’s are:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Let’s get started!

What I Just Finished:

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I finished this two days ago and I’m a little unsure about my review (which should be up next week). I expected a lot from Jennifer, and this missed the mark for me.

What I’m Currently Reading:

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. I’ve been wanting to read this ever since I finished Two Can Keep a Secret, and my library finally got me a copy! I really really hope that this is just as good or better than TCKS.

I started it last night.


The Sacrifice by Indrajit Garai

The Sacrifice by Indrajit Garai. This is a collection of three short stories about three men sacrificing something that matters to them for the betterment of someone else.

Guys. This! Is! My! Very! First! Book! For! Review! I AM SOOOOOOOO HAPPY AND EXCITED BECAUSE I WAS ASKED TO REVIEW THIS BOOK FOR THE AUTHOR!!!!

*screams for eternity*



Me when I got the email…

Thank you, Estelle (a friend of the author), for giving me this book for review!

What I Want to Read Next:

Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci

A new series by David Baldacci? With a female MC? Who also happens to be an FBI Special Agent? With a savage murderer on the loose? Sign me right up, cause I am totally sold.

That’s it for this Wednesday. What are ya’ll reading? Have you read any of the books mentioned? What did you think of them? Let’s chat in the comments! (Be sure to link to your WWW)!

WWW Wednesday #9

Hey, whats up? (The sky. Get it? I know, absolutely cringe worthy joke). Welcome to another WWW Wednesday post! Hope ya’ll are having a great day. WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words.

The Three W’s are:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Let’s get started!

What I Just Finished:

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti

Just finished Two Can Keep a Secret and The Vanishing Year over the weekend. TVY’s review is going up tomorrow, and TCKS’s review is going up next week.

What I’m Currently Reading:

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

I put Nobody off to finish the previous two, but I’m ready to finally start this! I’m also excited to try One of Us is Lying.

What I Plan to Read Next:

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
The Shining by Stephen King

I hope to get to read these soon enough!

That’s it for this Wednesday! What books are you all reading? Link up to your WWW posts in the comments below, and if you don’t have a blog, just answer the prompts in the comments anyway!

Quote: “Let’s be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading.”Lena Dunham