October went by in a flash! I felt like it was gone in the blink of an eye and I hardly had a moment to sit down. I only managed a few blog posts, but I did get through more books than I had thought, so that’s a plus. Can you believe it’s already November and the holiday season is upon us???


I'm actually pretty surprised I read 9 books in October. I didn't think the number was quite so high until I was putting this list together. Falling Kingdoms was my 100th read of the year! I have officially met my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal for 2016. At this point I'm ultimately going to try for 120 finishes, we'll see if I can make it!

Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both.

A Torch Against the Night picked up right where Ember left off, with Laia and Elias fleeing the aftermath of the Fourth Trial, trying to escape the city with their lives and the army on their backs. Helene is doing all she can to keep her cool and not lose her sh** as Elias’s closest friend and confidant, now also the Empire’s highest ranking officer - Blood Shrike - where does her loyalty lie?

I have mixed feelings about Torch. I was more than ready to learn what happened to Laia, Elias, and Helene after the crazing ending to An Ember in the Ashes. While reading Ember, I fell in love with these characters and how strong each of them were in their own ways. In Torch, Laia was my least favorite character of the trio this time around. She slowly began to crawl under my skin and annoy me with almost every chapter. For someone who was so smart in the first book, and so feisty, she began to get whiny and let people take advantage of her. She missed the obvious quite a bit and it bothered me. I know this all had its purpose, but I couldn’t let it go.

Helene on the other hand... Oh Helene. I’m slowly starting to get the feeling that she is in fact, not Laia or Elias, the center of this series. She is the keystone that will hold this whole world together. My affection for her only grew with this novel and for that, I thank Sabaa Tahir. Helene Aquilla does everything she can to uphold her honor, her loyalty, her love, and her destiny. She refuses to go down without a fight and does everything within her power to protect those she loves while still remaining loyal to the Empire.

Elias’s story took an interesting and unexpected turn. I don’t want to spoil anything but I thought he stayed true to his nature. He made a promise and intended to keep it, by any means necessary.


3.75 stars - A Torch Against the Night left me with more questions than answers. I fully intend to read the next two books to get those answers because I need more Helene and I need to see Laia pick herself up. What happens with the Scholars? What happens to Elias? And Helene? And Laia’s brother? Also, this whole dark, magical element that’s been introduced, and how does it factor in? So many questions!

I can’t believe September is already over and I’m going to start dating things as October. Am I alone? It’s the month of changing leaves, Halloween, and candy corn. Do you like candy corn? I do! I finally got a chance to slow down this month and get in more reading and stitching time. It was a nice change of pace.

I made some great progress on my Hogwarts Crest. Finally! I finished the middle left side and have officially begun the largest part of the pattern. I know most people start from the center and work their way out, but I stitch how I read - left to right, top to bottom. I’m just hoping this part doesn’t take me another 4 months to get through! My Griffindor lion has a butt :)

Not much to report here other than what you see above. I spent most of my free time either reading, stitching, or with my husband and fur family and I am perfectly happy with that. I needed the rest after running around non stop for months on end.
I had a rough couple of days in and out of doctors' offices at one point, so I decided to completely ignore my tbr pile and finally take time time to do a reread of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone. It was worth it and, I felt, well deserved. This was my first time reading a version of The Philosopher's Stone, and truth be told, even though I've read The Sorcerer's Stone so many times, it's been so long I couldn't really tell how much of it was different slang wise. I just know I loved it.

My husband surprised me with the Game of Thrones coloring book, which was awesome! It has some great illustrations, but some are more like hand sketches, so I'm not sure how to color them in yet.
How was your September? Are you ready for fall and Halloween? Do you dress up? Have you read any of the books I read this month?

There are a lot of great books coming out this month! I know a few are new installments in series, some of which I need to catch up on - or even start - but all are getting great reviews. I'm most intrigued by Replica; a unique idea, two books in one that you flip and read two intertwining stories.

I'm also looking forward to Aerie and Gemina. I still have to start the Young Elites series - eep! I'm so behind there.  

Replica by Lauren Oliver - October 4
Gemma has been in and out of hospitals since she was born. 'A sickly child', her lonely life to date has revolved around her home, school and one best friend, Alice. But when she discovers her father's
connection to the top secret Haven research facility, currently hitting the headlines and under siege by religious fanatics, Gemma decides to leave the sanctuary she's always known to find the institute and determine what is going on there and why her father's name seems inextricably linked to it.

Amidst the frenzy outside the institute's walls, Lyra - or number 24 as she is known as at Haven - and a fellow experimental subject known only as 72, manage to escape. Encountering a world they never knew existed outside the walls of their secluded upbringing , they meet Gemma and, as they try to understand Haven's purpose together, they uncover some earth-shattering secrets that will change the lives of both girls forever...

This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills - October 4
Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.

Aerie (Magonia, #2) by Maria Dahvana Headley - October 4
Aza Ray is back on earth. Her boyfriend Jason is overjoyed. Her family is healed. She’s living a normal life, or as normal as it can be if you’ve spent the past year dying, waking up on a sky ship, and discovering that your song can change the world.

In this stunning sequel to the critically acclaimed Magonia, one girl must make an impossible choice between two families, two homes—and two versions of herself.


Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig - October 4
Flynn's girlfriend has disappeared. How can he uncover her secrets without revealing his own?

Flynn's girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking questions he can't answer, and her friends are telling stories that don't add up. All eyes are on Flynn—as January's boyfriend, he must know something.

But Flynn has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January's disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself.

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu - October 11
The thrilling finale to the New York Times bestselling Young Elites series from “hit factory” Marie Lu.

There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.

Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all that she’s achieved.

Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff - October 18
Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.



What about you? Are you looking forward to any of these? What’s your most anticipated release in October?

1. My name is Jacqueline, but most people call me Jackie.
2. My husband and I have been married for nearly four years. We have four cats, Snickers, Spike, Luke, and Leia, and a dog named Zeus.   
     
3. I’ve always loved to read, but only for fun. I’ve always hated assigned reading, even if it was an alright book. Something about being forced into it, being told what I should think about it or what the author may or may not have been trying to say never sat well with me. 
4. While I’ve always been a reader, it wasn’t until the past few years that I really started devouring books, and I’m much happier for it.
5. I can knit, crochet, and cross stitch!
6. I’m not much of a cook, but I love to bake. 
7. I only recently started building back up my book collection. A few years ago, when we moved, I gave away almost all my books. Afterward, I only checked books out from the library and/or read ebooks. I’m so happy to finally be filling up my bookshelves!
     
8. I don’t watch much tv. I can’t just sit and watch something, I have to be doing something at the same time or else I feel lazy. Typically I’m cross stitching, or writing a blog post, or something.
9. If it hasn’t been obvious from my various instagram posts and other blog posts, I’m a gigantic Potterhead. 
   
10. I work a full time day job, but my dream job would be to own my own bookstore-cafe. Short of that, I’d give anything to work in the publishing industry, but there are no such jobs in the Sacramento area.

I want to preface this review with the fact that I picked up, and put down, Rebel of the Sands twice before picking it back up and sticking with it until the end. It had an interesting premise and I was excited to read a desert themed tale with an independent, female, sharp shooting lead, but it just didn’t have that pull to make me dive right in and hook me. My favorite parts were the different tales and legends of the various gods, Djinn, and ghouls.

I could appreciate Amani’s determination, fighting tooth and nail to get out of her dead end life, but for the most part I didn’t feel a strong connection to the remaining characters. I was surprised by a lot of her choices, choosing herself, over and over again - not the typical, predictable YA hero. And I found myself hoping Amani and Jin didn’t end up together. I think I’m over the whole YA trope of girl and boy meet, go through dire situation, and fall in love in a short amount of time. This was Amani’s first time out of her town, first experience with any crush, and it’s love? Is it too much to ask for characters to just be, without there being love?

I appreciated the exploration of women and their lack of rights. In a world where this still exists in many places, it’s interesting to see a situation where women and young girls are married off against their will, with no rights to property, money, or their own bodies. Amani finds herself in this very same situation, and who can blame her for not wanting to accept the status quo? It was nice that other characters also took this viewpoint. Hopefully this can inspire positive thinking and actions.

The writing had a tendency to jump forward in time, then after a paragraph or two go back and explain what happened in the gap. After going back and double checking I didn’t skip a page the first few times, it was a very easy read.


Overall I’d rate Rebel of the Sands 3.5 stars. The potential is definitely there and I plan to read the sequel, Traitor to the Throne.