November 2020 ~ Book Notes by Athina

Monday, 30 November 2020

November 2020 - Wrap up

Hello everyone!!

Well, November is gone and we are full on Christmas mood!! But first let's see how my month went regarding my reading. In November I read 5 books and all of them were physical books.

Without further ado let's get to the books.

Fable (Fable #1) - Adrienne Young

Usually I don't like books with a sea setting but this one was an exception.

I enjoyed reading it and after this cliffhanger of an ending, I want to read the sequel, Namesake ASAP. Unfortunately it comes out on March 2021.

Rating: 4 Stars

Read my full review here

Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) - Kerri Maniscalco

I liked this one more than SJTR. I found it more fascinating and I like the story better.

Rating: 5 Stars

Read my full review here

50 Ideas you really should know - Ben Dupre

It is an introduction to many important ideas that you definitely need to know about but it could have been better.

Rating: 2 Stars

Read my review on Goodreads here.

I read in its greek translation by Dioptra Publications

The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) - Holly Black

I liked it more than The Cruel Prince and the ending was very unexpected and "Wicked". I need to read book 3 asap.

Rating: 5 Stars

Read my full review here

Life Love Books: Advice you wish your parents had given you - Mark Manson

Well, this book isn't my cup of tea. It's kind of a self-help book and these aren't for me.

Rating: 2 Stars

Read my review on Goodreads here

That's it for this month. Let's see what December will bring.

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!

Athina

The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black - A Review

By Athina 08:00 // No comments

Hello everyone!!

Today we are reviewing The Wicked King by Holly Black which is the 2nd book in The Folk of the Air trilogy, with The Cruel Prince being book 1 and The Queen of Nothing book 3.

Last year I read The Cruel Prince and really enjoyed it. You can read my review by clicking here. Now it was about time to continue with the series.

In The Wicked King we see Jude as she navigates the constantly shifting political alliances in Faerie, while at the same time she has to deal with Cardan as well. I liked this one more than the previous one. In fact I loved it! It has more intrigues and twists and is full of surprises. It has hooked me from the beginning until the very end. The world-building and the characters evolved perfectly since book one. Cardan and Jude just got better for me.

The ending of the book is everything. It is wicked as the title of the book suggests. It made me angry and left me full of questions.

Now I need to read book three asap.

Rating : 5 Stars

Synopsis from Goodreads

You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself that strong.

Jude has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were biddable. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her, even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a faerie world.

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!

Athina

Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) by Kerri Maniscalco - A Review

By Athina 08:02 // No comments

Hello everyone!!

Today we reviewing Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco whish is the second book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series and was published by Jimmy Paterson Books in 2017.

In Hunting Prince Dracula we continue with the adventures of Audrey Rose and Thomas but this time we are in Romania. I liked this one more than Stalking Jack the Ripper as I found it more fascinating and I liked the story more. The fact that I currently live in Romania and I know the places they were talking about was an extra bonus.

Kerri Maniscalco writes excellent historical fiction and I really enjoy her writing. This book had everything I wanted from it. It had mystery, strong characters and romance. But most of all it had plot twists that I wasn't expecting. I was very surprised by who the murderer was at the end.

I loved how Audrey Rose and Thomas relationship had evolved since book 1 and was even deeper.

I cannot wait to read book 3, Escaping from Houdini and get more Thomas Cresswell in my life. Thankfully it's already on my shelves.

Rating: 5 Stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In this New York Times bestselling sequel to Kerri Maniscalco's haunting #1 debut Stalking Jack the Ripper, bizarre murders are discovered in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Could it be a copycat killer...or has the depraved prince been brought back to life?

Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine...and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.

But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!

Athina

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab - A Review

By Athina 07:59 // No comments

Hello everyone!!

Today we are talking about my most anticipated book of 2020. It is of course The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab that was 10 years in the making and was published on October 6th by Tor Books.

First of all, V. E. Schwab is one of my favourite authors and I had high hopes for her latest book.

Well, I have no words!! I loved Addie LaRue. This book was everything I was expecting and more.

It is very different from everything Victoria has written and it is incredible. I loved every aspect of it.

I liked that we experience Addie's life both in the past, throughout the centuries, and in the present day in New York.

Addie is a strong and independent woman and despite all the difficulties that she faces she goes on and gathers new experiences every day. I also liked Henry but not as much as Addie and his chapters were the least favourites of mine. My favourites though were the ones that took place in the past and involved Luc.

I think you should definitely read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I will certainly reread it some time soon .

Rating: 5 Stars

Synopsis from Goodreads:

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever-and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore, and he remembers her name.

In the vein of The Time Traveler's Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab's #1 New York Times Bestselling Author genre-defying tour de force.

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!

Athina

Fable (Fable #1) by Adrienne Young - A Review

By Athina 07:41 // No comments

Hello everyone!!

Today we are talking about Fable by Adrienne Young which is the first book in a duology and it was published on September 2020 by Titan Books. I have the exclusive Fairyloot edition and the cover it's just stunning.

Fable is a YA fantasy book that takes place in the sea. Usually I don't like books with a sea setting but this one was an exception.

I enjoyed reading it and after this cliffhanger of an ending, I want to read the sequel, Namesake ASAP. Unfortunately it comes out on March 2021.

Fable is a strong and intelligent character who went through a lot to survive and I really liked her. I also liked the crew of the Marigold. I liked the whole story and how it was written. It's the first book I read from Adrienne Young and I liked her writing style.

One thing I want to know more about is the story between Saint and Isolde (Fable's parents) as it sounds fascinating from the little we learned.

I would love it more if the romance aspect of the story had more build up and not be so sudden as it did.

Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis from Goodreads

Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.

As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.

But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn't who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they're going to stay alive.

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!

Athina

New Releases - November 2020

By Athina 08:30 // No comments

Well, it's time for the November 2020 new releases post. This month there are a lot of books that are in my most anticipated list and also there are a lot of books releasing in November.

As I said before this list is of course incomplete as it includes only books that I am interested in and the majority of them are in the Fantasy genre.

Don't forget that the titles of the books link to Goodreads if you want to check the synopsis.