December Reading Wrap-Up: Twas a Merry Bookmas

Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of the CW Torch. I’ve been away for a while, because it’s been crazy busy at work recently, and with the holidays I’ve barely had time to write. But, now with my new promotion at work I will be working earlier hours, to have more time to write in the afternoons. For my first blogpost back, I will be discussing my December reading wrap-up. However, I will be doing things a little bit differently, than I have done in the past. Instead of giving you in-depth reviews of the books I have read, I will list the book I have read with a short synopsis, and my brief thoughts on them.

I decided to switch it up a little bit, because I want to be more active on goodreads with my reviews. If you are unfamiliar with goodreads; it’s basically a reading app where you can write reviews on books you have read along with your ratings, add books to your TBR’s (to-be-read) list, and add what books you have completed. You can also set yearly reading goals, which I will discuss further in a different blogpost. It is a great app for readers, which I will link down below if interested. Since, I want to get more into my reviews on goodreads, I find that adding in-depth reviews to my blogposts will end up being very repetitive to me. Which is why I have decided to change the monthly reading wrap-up posts to this format. This way my writing is less repetitive to me, and it will cause for less spoilers. So, with all that being said, let’s get into my December Reading Wrap-Up. I hope you all enjoy this new format!

https://www.goodreads.com/

Total Books Read - 4.5

Favorite Book: A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3) by V.E. Schwab

Read: 12/10-12/31/2017

Rating: 5-star rating

Synopsis:

This is the third and final book of the Shades of Magic series written by the amazing V.E. Schwab. Since, I don't want to spoil to much of the third book, I will give you the general synopsis of the first book in the series (A Darker Shade of Magic). In this series we follow a man named Kell, who can travel between four parallel London’s, known as an Antari (the only magical being with these powers). In this world there is Red London — where magic flourishes, White London — where magic is corrupted, Grey London — our London circa 1800s, and Black London — which was consumed by magic (and a place no one talks about anymore). Kell was raised by the King and Queen of Red London, and has a strong brotherly love of their son Rhy. In Red London, he is also a messenger between the other London’s for the King and Queen. But, what the King and Queen don’t know is that when he travels to the other Londons, he steals precious items. One day he steals from the wrong person, a seafaring pirate named Delilah Bard, and that’s where this beautiful story unfolds.

My Thoughts:

The Shades of Magic series, has easily become one of my favorite series of all time. It is one of the first fantasy series I have picked up in a while, but when I first started reading it, I felt a sense of nostalgia for it. I quickly fell in love with this world and V.E. Schwab’s brilliant writing style. She makes you feel for these incredibly complex characters, in a way you weren’t expecting. When reading the third novel, I cried multiple times, because of the connection I had to the characters. I would highly recommend this book, because it’s got something for everyone; love, loss, adventure, badass pirates, and magic. I would also read this series soon, because it is officially becoming a movie series, and V.E. Schwab is writing more within this world!

Least Favorite Book: Coral and Bone by Tiffany Duane

Read: 12/09-DNF

Rating: 2-star rating

*Was sent this ebook for free from the publisher, in return for an honest review (which up on my goodreads page)

Synopsis:

This story follows a girl named Halen, who finds out that she is a Siren, shortly after watching her father drown. When she is thrust into the magical realm of Eloisa, she realizes that her entire life has been a lie. And when those who have deceived her come to her for help, Halen must choose to walk away or unleash the magic that could destroy them all.

My Thoughts:

I won’t go into too much depth on my thoughts of this book, but if you are interested in my full thoughts you can check out my review on my Goodreads page.

When I received this book from the publisher, I was highly anticipating this book. It had a ton of highly-rated reviews on Goodreads, was an award winning novel on Wattpad, and has a gorgeous cover. And when I first began reading it, I was enjoying the story. But, after 100 pages in, I soon became bored, and felt like there were way too many things happening. The author kept adding and revealing things about our main character, that didn't make any sense together. I also felt like it was too long for the plot-line, and incredibly boring. I don’t know if I can recommend this book, because I ended up not finishing it. But, that certainly doesn’t mean that someone else wouldn’t enjoy this book, so I would only pick it up if you are on the younger side of YA.

Other Books I Read in December

The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye

Read: 11/26-12/05/2017

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Synopsis:

In the first novel of this duology we follow the only two enchanters of Imperial Russia, Vika and Nikolai. Who both compete in a magical duel and mini competitions to become the Imperial Enchanter and successor to the Tsar Pasha.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely loved the first book of this fantasy duology, mainly because of the writing. I thought the author did an incredible job of weaving Russian history with fantastical magic. There were also many times when reading this book, where I felt like I was actually in Russia, due to the author’s atmospheric writing style. I also loved the magic within this story, because I thought it was incredibly creative. As Vika can summon the snow and turn ash into gold, and Nikolai can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. This was my second favorite book that I have read in the month of December, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the movie Anastasia. Since, the book focuses on the Romanov’s rule. This book is a good mix between historical fiction and magical elements, and anyone who loves those two genres will thoroughly enjoy this duology. I will definitely be reading the second book, as I have already purchased it.

The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia #6-The Complete and Illustrated Edition) by C.S. Lewis

Read: 12/24-12/28/2017

Rating: 4-star rating

Synopsis:

This is technically the sixth installment of The Chronicles of Narnia series, but is a prequel to the other books. Two children, Digory and Polly, meet while playing in neighboring gardens and become close friends. They decide to explore the attic connecting the houses, but take the wrong door and surprise Digory’s, Uncle Andrews in his study. Uncle Andrews tricks Polly into touching a yellow magic ring, causing her to vanish. After Uncle Andrews blackmails Digory into taking another ring to travel from one world to another, Digory finds himself in this magical land that his Uncle spoke of. This land is called Narnia, and the Magician’s Nephew follows the creation of this magical place.

My Thoughts:

I decided to finally read this book, because I am trying to read at least one classic a month, and this Middle Grade series certainly falls within that category. I was surprised with how much I actually liked this book, because I knew it didn’t include the Pevensie’s, and the main reason why I loved the movies so much, was because of those children. But, it was really interesting to read about the beginnings of Narnia and Aslan. It was an incredibly fast-paced novel, full of magic and mystery. And, I am extremely excited to read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, as it is one of my all-time favorite movies. I would only recommend reading this book, if you plan on reading the other novels of this series.

The Traitor’s Crux by Jessica Prather

Read: 12/09-12/13/2017

Rating: 4.25-star rating

*Was sent this ebook for free from the publisher, in return for an honest review (which is up on my goodreads page)

Synopsis:

This debut novel follows our main character, Kenadee, who finds out that she is a witch. Living in a Dystopian world of America, where magic is outlawed. President Reed, the President of the United States of America, wants to control and destroy all the magic within America. Using the most powerful witches to be a part of his army, to destroy all other magic.

My Thoughts:

I surprisingly enjoyed this book, a lot more than I was expecting. I loved the mix of magic within a Dystopian America, it was far different from anything else I have read before. I really enjoyed the magic system within this world, and thought it was well-explained throughout the novel. Which is something I found lacking in other books within this Publishing company. I also really enjoyed the villain within this story, President Reed, and found him incredibly complex and intriguing. I wanted to find out more as to why he had such a vendetta against these magical people. I would highly recommend this book for fans of Hunger Game, only in the sense that President Reed reminded me so much of President Snow. But, also for fans of the new show The Gifted, because a lot of the characters within this book, reminded me of characters on The Gifted. You can check out my full in-depth review of this novel on Goodreads.

So, there are all the books I read in the month of December! I was pretty pleased with most of the books I read last month, except for one. If you want to read my more in-depth reviews you can do so by following my Goodreads page. I am extremely excited to be back in the blogging scene, and hope you enjoy what’s to come in future posts!

TTFN,

Chynna Williams @TheCWTorch