October 2020 Wrap Up

Hi everyone! With everything going on in the US with the election last week, I didn’t really have my mind set on writing my blog posts for this week so I’m a little behind. I’ve also been really enjoying playing Minecraft again, I love building and being creative with it so if I’m being honest, my blogging and reading has been suffering a bit since I’ve been playing video games so much!

Before I get into the books I read, lets go over some stats quickly. I finished 4 books for a total of 1,345 pages, so not my biggest reading month. Two of the books I read were the first in new series, and of the 4 books, 3 came out in 2020 while 1 came out in 2009. For genres, 2 were fantasy, 1 was sci-fi, and 1 was non-fiction. 3 of the books were e-books, and 1 was a hardcover. Finally, I had one 3 star, one 3.5 star, one 4 star, and one 5 star, so I was pretty spread out with my ratings this month. Also, the three fiction books I read all had diverse characters!

Secrets in the Cellar by John Glatt – ★★★☆☆
This is the one non-fiction book that I managed to read in October, and it was such a shocking story! I really like true crime, but I don’t always venture into the true crime book section. I found this book on a recommendations list for spooky books to read around Halloween, and it didn’t disappoint! It follows the true (and incredibly disturbing and sad) story of a girl who was locked in the basement by her father, who proceeded to have a family with her while his wife lived upstairs with the rest of the family, not knowing where her daughter went and what happened to her. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart! My reasoning for giving this 3 stars is mainly due to the writing, which could definitely have used another round of editing, and also I find it hard to give something so disturbing a higher rating as well.

Seven Devils by Laura Lam & Elizabeth May – ★★★★☆
This one I read for a ‘secret’ TBR that I’m hoping I can talk about soon, but I ended up really enjoying this one! I liked that this had multiple perspectives and how each of the women were strong in different ways. The way that they fight back against the oppressive Empire is really empowering, and the pacing I think was well done. I did wish that things were a bit more detailed as to where things are and how things work, but this felt definitely more focused on the characters themselves so it’s not a huge deal. I do have a review for this one on my blog, and I’m curious to see what happens in the last book, as this is a duology.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas – ★★★★★
OMG, this book was so amazing! The writing was great and I fell in love with all the characters, so much so that the final 10 pages I was sobbing while I was reading. I loved how different Julian and Yadriel were, but they ended up truly caring about one another. The family dynamics were interesting to read about, because Yadriel’s family loves him, but they don’t always support him and who he is. I honestly think this book deserves all the hype it’s been getting, and then some. I have a full review of this one as well, and I HIGHLY suggest reading this book!

Beyond the Ruby Veil by Mara Fitzgerald – ★★★☆☆ .5
I was kind of surprised by how short this was, coming in at only 288 pages! I ended up reading this because someone on twitter said it was like the story from the villains point of view, which intrigued me. I can definitely see how the main character Emanuela could be considered a villain by those around her, because she’s so cunning and ambitious, and will do ANYTHING to get more power, which often puts her at odds with the people in her city. I wish we had gotten more explanation about the world and how the magic works, but this is the start of a series so I’ve got my fingers crossed that we learn more as the series goes on. I didn’t so much like Emanuela’s best friend Ale, he so soft and obedient, almost to the point of it being unbelievable. If this had been told from his perspective, Emanuela would’ve been TERRIFYING and 100% a villain, even though she’s his best friend.

What books did you read in October? Have you read any of these? I’d love to chat!