It’s time again to ask ourselves the three W’s:
What if you fell into a lake that was rumored to house a lake monster?
Would you explore the unknown?
Would you risk being eaten?

Wait, no, that’s not right. We ask these three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.

                   

No Place For Monsters by Kory Merritt
★★★★☆ || Goodreads
This is half book, half graphic novel, and I’m a fan of this … subgenre? Is that what it is? Anyway, whatever this thing is that’s taking over middle grade lately. I enjoy books with pictures, and I enjoy books with words, so why not combine the two? This book was super cute. There was a fun little adventure, definitely some creepiness, and some interesting creatures. I highly recommend this one for maybe an upper middle grade spooky read. I had a lot of fun with it, but I thought the ending was a little too convenient.

The Last Halloween, Book 1: Children by Abby Howard
★★★★★ || Goodreads
I had no idea what to expect with this book, and yet, I was very surprised when I started this. The art on the cover reminds me of a Tim Burton movie, but the book is NOT very Tim Burton-ish. It’s dark and brutal and veeeery gory (which really caught me off-guard). However, I was also pleasantly surprised by just how much I loved this (despite it being a little gory for my tastes). Yes, it was very dark, but it was also freaking hilarious, which is an interesting combination. The author plays well with all your emotions, and there’s a nice balance where it’s not just overwhelming hopelessness. I laughed out loud more times than I can say, and I ended up showing it to my husband, who enjoyed the parts he read, as well (and he’s a stick in the mud, so if that’s not high praise, I don’t know what is!)

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
★★★★★ || Goodreads
This was a buddy read with Mari @ Tirilu (and we’ll be reading Tunnel of Bones next), but yeah, of course I loved this book. It’s a Schwab book. Duh. I actually thought her YA series was a little meh, but she clearly kills middle grade! I picked this up in the morning and just couldn’t set it down. I had to finish it. Jacob and Cass make such an adorable team, and the premise was fun and light but with just enough high stakes and creepiness to make it the perfect fall read.

Pleasant Grove by Jason Price
★★★★★ || Goodreads
I was a little hesitant going into this book, because from the synopsis, it felt a little bit like the traditional “society living in a dome post-apocalypse,” which don’t get me wrong, is a trope I absolutely adore. It’s just hard to do that in a unique fashion at this point, I think. Yet, that’s exactly what Price did! The beginning was a little slow to ramp up, but once it did, phew, I whipped through this one! There were some twists that I just didn’t see coming at all, The ending was a bit open, and while I normally complain about those, I’d love to see a sequel to this! *crosses fingers* But if not, it’s a perfect sort of Goosebumps type of ending, where just when you think the problem’s solved, the dog’s eyes glow in the last scene or the scarecrow turns its head again. I love those sorts of endings, and I think it worked well here.

The Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao (review coming 10/13)
★★★★★ || Goodreads
I’ve somehow never read a Julie C. Dao book, but you can bet I’m going to now. I wasn’t sure whether to give this four stars or five, because this plot was highly predictable. I think part of that is a side effect of it being a fairy tale retelling, of course. There are certain points it just has to hit. In the end, though, Dao’s writing is just absolutely stunning, and I did highly enjoy it and couldn’t put it down, even though it felt like not a whole lot happened action-wise. My full review will be posted next week as part of the blog tour!

Fiends on the Other Side by Vera Strange (review coming 10/14)
★★★★☆ || Goodreads
Books with Dr. Facilier should be high on the list for fall reads, I think, because this was chilling and creepy and hit the spot! It’s a fast read, but one that captures the essence of New Orleans and expands on the world of The Princess and the Frog. I have to admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, though, personally. My full review will be posted next week as part of the blog tour!

I’ve sort of set The Black Sky to the side for now. I’ve been so tired lately with everything going on, and the book is highly technical with tech jargon and military jargon. By the time I have the chance to read, my brain says no thanks. So I’m hoping to pick it up again soon after I can recharge my batteries a bit and read it slowly to give it the time and attention it deserves.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang 
Status: 12%

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

This might be on my currently reading for a while, because it’s chunky and a little slow to get into, so I’ve not been rushing it. This was supposed to be a group read last month, but I actually didn’t even have my hold for this come through until recently, so … oops? Talk about timing.

The beginning has been really slow so far, and the only thing keeping me going is how many good things I’ve heard about it so far. I mean, Jiang is a treasure so far, though he hasn’t been in many scenes, and I do like Kitay so far. I’m just not the target audience for a book heavily focused on schooling and history and stuff like that. I’m assuming it’ll pick up soon enough, though.

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The Darkdeep by Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs
Status: pg 47/261

When a bullying incident sends twelve-year-old Nico Holland over the edge of a cliff into the icy waters of Still Cove, where no one ever goes, friends Tyler and Ella – and even ‘cool kid’ Opal – rush to his rescue… only to discover an island hidden in the swirling mists below.

Shrouded by dense trees and murky tides, the island appears uninhabited, although the kids can’t quite shake the feeling that something about it is off. Their suspicions grow when they stumble upon an abandoned houseboat with an array of curiosities inside: odd-looking weapons, unnerving portraits, maps to places they’ve never heard of, and a glass jar containing something completely unidentifiable.

As the group delves deeper into the unknown, their discoveries – and their lives –begin to intertwine in weird and creepy ways. Something ancient has awakened… and it knows their wishes and dreams – and their darkest, most terrible secrets. Do they have what it takes to face the shadowy things that lurk within their own hearts?

Continuing my creepy reads for the month! I’ve been meaning to pick this one up for quite a while, so I figured this would be a good time, right? It’s not been particularly creepy so far. The setting is a little spooky, but so far it’s kind of just been teen drama. Which I’m not necessarily against. I love the trio of friends and their interactions, so that’s fun.

I’ve heard that this is really good, though, so I can’t wait to get into the meat of it and for spooky things to happen! I think I’m just hitting that point, based on what the kids were about to get up to when I stopped reading. So that’ll be something fun to look forward to later this evening.

               

I’ve got a blog tour next week for The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice, so I’ll need to start that one soon. It sounds really good, and I’m looking forward to it. This feels like a good time of year for a dark fairy tale.

I’ll be picking up Plain Bad Heroines as a buddy read with Susan @ Novel Lives. This book is loooong. It seems like I keep picking up long books lately, and I should … stop that? I dunno, they’ve been pretty good, so maybe not. Maybe I just need to learn how to read faster! I’m so curious about this “story within a story within a story,” and I’m definitely in the mood for Gothic horror right now.

Keri @ Are You My Book? and I will be carrying on our buddy read and moving on to The Silvered Serpents, which I can’t even start to express how excited I am for it, given how much I loved the first book. Yes, bring me more Severin and Enrique, please!

In case you’ve missed it, the theme this week is definitely buddy reads. Along those lines, I’ll be picking up Tunnel of Bones to continue on with the buddy read with Mari @ Tirilu. I expect I’ll love this one every bit as much as the first one and probably whip through it, too. And then wallow and be sad with everyone else now that book three was delayed until next year.

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