Recent Reads: 25 November – 1 December 2018

I read 4.5 books this week!

See which ones they were in this week’s reading update:

Sunday (25th November)

Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3) by Morgan Rhodes

“In GATHERING DARKNESS, book three of the New York Times bestselling Falling Kingdoms series, the stakes have never been higher as three teams push forward on a race to find the Kindred, the four elemental crystals possessing ancient all-powerful magic, first:

Prince Magnus has just witnessed torture, death, and miracles during the bloody confrontation that decimated the rebel forces. Now he must choose between family and justice as his father, the cruel King Gaius, sets out to conquer all of Mytica. All Gaius needs now are the Kindred – the four elemental crystals that give godlike powers to their owner. But the King of Blood is not the only one hunting for this ancient, storied magic…

• THE KRAESHIANS join the hunt. Ashur and Amara, the royal siblings from the wealthy kingdom across the Silver Sea, charm and manipulate their way to the Kindred, proving to be more ruthless than perhaps even the King of Blood himself.

• THE REBELS forge ahead. Princess Cleo and vengeful Jonas lead them, slaying with sweetness, skill, and a secret that can control Lucia’s overpowering magic – all so they can use the Kindred to win back their fallen kingdoms.

• THE WATCHERS follow Melenia out of the Sanctuary. They ally in the flesh with King Gaius, who vows to use Lucia’s powers to unveil the Kindred.

The only certainty in the dark times is that whoever finds the magic first will control the fate of Mytica… but fate can be fickle when magic is involved.“

Published: 9 December 2014

Publisher: Razorbill

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pages: 416

Click HERE for my book review!

The Queen’s Wing (The Queen’s Wing #1) by Jessica Thorne

“‘I was born to fight,’ I used to say. But now I know it isn’t true. I was born to be a pawn in the great game of royal houses, married to someone – anyone – my family deems suitable…

Bel would do anything to spend her days alongside her best friend and childhood sweetheart Shae – training in the art of ancient combat, hoping to some day live up to the legacy left by the mother she lost as a child.

But when a mysterious and deadly attack on the capital lands Bel’s father unexpectedly on the throne, her life is forever changed. In order to secure her father’s new empire, Bel is forced to travel to a distant land to marry its recently widowed ruler, Conleith.

For any other young woman the chance to become royalty would be a dream come true, but for Bel, the rigidity of court life is like a prison sentence. And while Conleith is an unexpectedly intriguing – and attractive – puzzle… could she ever love him when it would mean turning her back on her feelings for Shae, her first love and last connection to home?

Then a brutal assassination attempt nearly takes her life, and Bel learns that there’s more on the line than just her happiness. Is it the same faceless enemy who attacked her homeland and, with dangers around every corner, who in the palace can she trust? “

Published: 21 November 2018

Publisher: Bookoutoure

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pages: 366

I ended up DNF-ing this one. I really liked the steampunk aspects, but the writing style wasn’t flowing for me. I was beginning to get confused with the world building and it ended up boring me a few chapters through. I think I just wasn’t in the mood for reading this, so I may be returning to it at some point in the future.

*Disclaimer: I requested a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of my reviews contain my honest opinions only and are not influenced in any way.*

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

“Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. When Corey moves away, she makes Kyra promise to stay strong during the long, dark winter, and wait for her return.

Just days before Corey is to return home to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated―and confused. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones about the town’s lost daughter, saying her death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she’s a stranger.

Corey knows something is wrong. With every hour, her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets―chilling secrets. But piecing together the truth about what happened to her best friend may prove as difficult as lighting the sky in an Alaskan winter…“

Published: 2 January 2018

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary / Mystery

Pages: 358

Click HERE for my book review.

*Disclaimer: I requested a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of my reviews contain my honest opinions only and are not influenced in any way.*

Wednesday (28th November)

Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi

“The Huntresses of Artemis must obey two rules: never disobey the goddess, and never fall in love. After being rescued from a harrowing life as an Oracle of Delphi, Kahina is glad to be a part of the Hunt; living among a group of female warriors gives her a chance to reclaim her strength, even while her prophetic powers linger. But when a routine mission goes awry, Kahina breaks the first rule in order to save the legendary huntress Atalanta.

To earn back Artemis’s favor, Kahina must complete a dangerous task in the kingdom of Arkadia— where the king’s daughter is revealed to be none other than Atalanta. Still reeling from her disastrous quest and her father’s insistence on marriage, Atalanta isn’t sure what to make of Kahina. As her connection to Atalanta deepens, Kahina finds herself in danger of breaking Artemis’ second rule.

She helps Atalanta devise a dangerous game to avoid marriage, and word spreads throughout Greece, attracting suitors willing to tempt fate to go up against Atalanta in a race for her hand. But when the men responsible for both the girls’ dark pasts arrive, the game turns deadly.“

Published: 27 November 2018

Publisher: Flux

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pages: 360

Click HERE for my book review!

*Disclaimer: I requested a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of my reviews contain my honest opinions only and are not influenced in any way.*

Saturday (1st December)

Frozen Tides (Falling Kingdoms #4) by Morgan Rhodes

“Rebels, royals, and monsters wage war over the Mytican throne in the shocking fourth book of the Falling Kingdoms series, from New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes.

CLEO: Reeling after a bloody showdown in Limeros ending with Amara’s abduction of the water crystal, and a vacancy in the Mytican throne, Princess Cleo must cast aside her feelings and look toward her kingdom with the eyes of a Queen.

MAGNUS: With the kingdom in chaos, Princess Lucia still missing and quite possibly in danger, and a shocking realization about Cleo, the steely prince is once again torn between love and duty, leaving him wondering whether he’s strong enough to rule his people.

LUCIA: The young sorcercess has had her vengeance after the cruel death of her first and only love. Heartbroken and unable to trust anyone, she allies with the awoken Fire god, who also seeks revenge.

JONAS: After escaping death by the skin of his teeth, the defeated rebel—along with a mysterious stranger–leader reunites with Princess Cleo, only to find himself a mere pawn in a dangerous hunt for the elusive Kindred.

KING GAIUS: Abandoned by Melenia and betrayed by his own children, Gaius flees Mytica and sails to Kraeshia, where he attempts to ally with the famously brutal emperor across the Silver Sea.“

Published: 15 December 2015

Publisher: Razorbill

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pages: 413

How far are you in this read-a-thon??

I am about halfway through Frozen Tides with the hopes of finishing tonight.

So, this week’s reading goal is to catch up in Crystal Storm and finish off the week with Immortal Reign by next Sunday!

So stay tuned through my Instagram and Twitter for more details!

Favorite Book of the Week: Frozen Tides

# of Pages Read: 1,031

Total # of Books Read: 4.5

Some posts you may have missed this week:

I’m Defeating My Owlcrate TBR in December!
Cover Reveal: ECHO Academy (Dimension Drift #2) by Christina Bauer (YA Dystopian / Fantasy)
Book Blitz: Winterdream by Chantal Gadoury (YAFantasy / Retelling)
Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3) by Morgan Rhodes (YA Fantasy)
Book Blitz: Paper Girl by Cindy R. Wilson (YA Contemporary)
TBR Wednesdays: Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3) by Cassandra Clare (YA Urban Fantasy)
Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi (YA Fantasy)
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp (YA Contemporary)
Book Blitz: Valiant by Merrie Destefano + GIVEAWAY (YA Science Fiction)
Cover Reveal: Fangs by Anna Katmore (YA Paranormal / Romance)

For this next week, I will be starting my Owlcrate Read-a-long! I’m so excited to get to the first eight books that I received from them, AND I’ll be catching up on some fun reviews.

I hope to get into five books with the sixth one being Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J. Maas! I am extremely ready to finish the series and get through KOA! There are so many Reading Vlogs that I want to watch once I do.

What will you be working on this week?? Did you read anything interesting?

Want to know what I thought of each book?? Subscribe below to be notified when the reviews have been released!