The thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Tearling trilogy.

In less than a year, Kelsea Glynn has transformed from a gawky teenager into a powerful monarch. As she has come into her own as the Queen of the Tearling, the headstrong, visionary leader has also transformed her realm. In her quest to end corruption and restore justice, she has made many enemies—including the evil Red Queen, her fiercest rival, who has set her armies against the Tear. 

To protect her people from a devastating invasion, Kelsea did the unthinkable—she gave herself and her magical sapphires to her enemy—and named the Mace, the trusted head of her personal guards, Regent in her place. But the Mace will not rest until he and his men rescue their sovereign, imprisoned in Mortmesne. 

Now, as the suspenseful endgame begins, the fate of Queen Kelsea—and the Tearling itself—will finally be revealed.


The Fate of the Tearling was my most anticipated read of 2016 – I’ve had it pre-ordered since July – and was sitting on pins and needles until it arrived at my doorstep. I had been dying to know the fate of Queen Kelsea after The Invasion of the Tearling, not to mention the Guard, and everyone else!

I was excited yet reluctant to start the beginning of the end of this journey. As the final installment, I knew my time with Kelsea and the Tearling was coming to an end and I wanted to savor it, but I also needed to know how it ended. Fate is written from several different points of view, which I thought blended nicely. Each gave a different perspective of the kingdom, Kelsea, and Johansen’s world, as well as a nice mix of past and present – one of the main concepts of these books that I’ve loved. These books are fantasy and sci-fi, in a cross between the medieval and modern.

There is magic, intense battles, drama, mystery and so much more. While there is some romance, it’s not the main point or focus of the story. It’s secondary, possibly even tertiary to everything else; so refreshing!  Kelsea fiercely loves her country and wants nothing more than to set right the wrongs and evils that are eating away it. She is rational (most of the time), educated, well read, and resilient. Some of the things I love most about this series is it’s gritty, it’s dark, and it’s not afraid to show the ugly side of religion and humanity, but it also has hope. That is the underlying theme - even though things have gotten so turned upside down and seem so far gone, there is still hope of making it right if only Kelsea can find the way.

I was not disappointed but I wasn’t 100% fully captivated as I had been with the previous books, and you know what? I’m okay with that. The ending is not what I expected, but it was perfect in its way. Johansen did an amazing job wrapping up an incredible series. I know some readers will be disappointed and find it a bit lackluster, but it was good. It left me with a sense of completeness. I’m sad that it's over but I'm happy with the ending.

New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Cohn and David Levithan are back with a life-affirming Christmas romance starring Dash and Lily.

Dash and Lily have had a tough year since readers first watched the couple fall in love. Lily’s beloved grandfather suffered a heart attack, and his difficult road to recovery has taken a major toll on her typically sunny disposition. 

With only twelve days left until Christmas—Lily’s favorite time of the year—Dash, Lily’s brother Langston, and their closest friends take Manhattan by storm to help Lily recapture the holiday magic of New York City in December. 

Told in alternating chapters, The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily reunites two beloved characters and is bound to be a Christmas favorite, season after season.

The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily is cute but also a little neurotic and far-fetched. Two teenagers, living in New York City, manage to spend ridiculous amounts of time and money on unlikely schemes and gifts while working their way through the twelve days leading up to Christmas.

Dash is a surely, brusque guy with a love of words and hardly a good one to say about anything but his girlfriend Lily or his best friend Boomer. Lily is a high maintenance, Monica-from-Friends-esque girl who only occasionally didn’t manage to get on my nerves, and has a love of Christmas that could drive anyone mad.

As the follow up to Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, we get a brief glimpse of their previous year and the hardships that have caused Lily to lose her spark. She’s pretty much lost her lust for life, causing Dash and her brother, Langston, to hash out a scheme to bring back her Christmas cheer. Of course it all goes wrong in only ways it could with Dash & Lily.

Now, normally I’d say this is a cute, contemporary YA short story. I like Dash; he’s a teenage guy trying to do what he can to cheer up his girlfriend. But - and this is a big but – Lily. She is the one who simply gets on my nerves. She expects everyone to revolve their entire lives around her and when they don’t, she pouts like a petulant child. Yes, she’s generous and has a good heart, but man she was acting like such a baby! Overall it’s an outlandish and over the top story of two teenagers in love trying to impress and outdo each other in New York City. It’s a cute, quick winter read.

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Aelin's journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?

I want to preface this review with the fact that I was absolutely crushed by Empire of Storms. It was everything I wanted, and so much more, and it broke my heart! How does Sarah J. Maas do it? Actually, HOW COULD YOU??

This was a book of FINALLY!!’s and WHAT?!’s and why?!?!’s. The gang is all back, save for Choal who is off on Dorian’s errand from Queen of Shadows. Hopefully we’ll see him in the next installment.

I was so happy to see Aelin and Rowan together again doing what they do best – kicking ass and taking names. Aelin is a total BAMF and I’m not afraid to say that I want to be her when I grow up. She’s brilliant, always ten steps ahead of everyone else in the game, and not afraid to make sacrifices when necessary. Aelin and Rowan. Together. It made my heart ache. Aelin finally happy; them finally side by side. How can any couple be so perfect for each other?

We learn so much more about Elide and her character. She’s such a strong person and I love the way she doesn’t take Lochran’s crap. She's fierce, and loyal, and finally gets the appreciation she deserves. Lochran is back, terrorizing people and being loyal to his queen, yet we do get to see a different side of him. Oh, and I can't forget Manon, Aedon, or Dorian! Manon is quickly becoming another favorite. So much happens with the Wing Leader and her coven. I can't even begin to express how much happens in this book!

I am a huge fan of Maas’s writing and her characters. She writes strong, thoughtful women who aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves or their beliefs. Women who can think for themselves, as well as men who respect women. Men who aren’t afraid to stand by these women, and raise them up. This is an amazing thing and I love that it’s available for young adults to see and read.

I couldn't give this anything less than five stars. Did you know it's printed in extremely thin paper to accommodate the 800+ pages so it wouldn't be massive? I read it in two days. I couldn't put it down!! I’m already dying for the next book, but I guess I’ll have to satisfy myself with a re-read of the series until then because I’m not ready to say goodbye to these characters yet! I'm not even sure I've written a coherent review here as I can't express all of my feelings for this book. Despite spending the last 40-50 pages crying my eyes out, I still want more. I needs it... All I can say is read it for yourself and I hope you love it as much I as did!

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.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.


I really enjoyed This Adventure Ends. Sloane was such a breath of fresh air from traditional contemporary YA characters. She didn't take anyone's crap, she stood up for others, yet she was completely at a loss when it came to having friends because for the first time in seventeen years, she had people she cared enough about to make an effort.

The novel only follows a portion of Sloane's senior year, after moving from New York to Florida, in the wake of her father's writing crisis. Unlike most teenagers, Sloane was unaffected by the move and didn't really care either way - due to the fact that she really had no attachments keeping her there. Could you imagine that kind of self enclosure?

So when she meets Vera and Gabe, twins that are like night and day, her world begins to shift. Vera is bubbly, outgoing, and makes everyone feel like they're the only person in the room, while Gabe is surly, and serious, and basically has made it his life's mission never to smile. Through some unfortunate circumstances, a special painting done by Vera and Gabe's mother right before she passed, is sold and Sloane makes it her mission to get said painting back. Without telling them of course.

The characters are what really drew me into this one. I couldn't help but love Sloane. She's witty, has the perfect come back for everything, and honestly thinks about her responses to questions. She ventured into new situations with caution, but didn't guard herself so completely as to not put herself out there. Her family dynamic was interesting, and I liked her relationship with her father.

I gave This Adventure Ends five stars because I laughed - a lot, I cried, and I became emotionally invested in Sloane. Emma Mills did a fantastic job writing this novel and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a contemporary read that's not your typical YA love story, or your typical female lead. It's very refreshing and I hope to read more of Mills' work.

*I received a copy of book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Flynn's girlfriend, January, is missing. All eyes are on Flynn—he must know something. After all, he was—is—her boyfriend. They were together the night before she disappeared.

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


One fall night, January was last seen leaving her private school. She never came home and no one had heard from her since. Not her distant mother, politician step father, psychotic step brother, or even her boyfriend Flynn. While Flynn tries to figure out what happened to January, he’s led down a path of discovery that reveals January wasn’t the person he thought she was, as are none of the other people in her life the way she made them out to be.

Initially I was intrigued by the mystery side of Last Seen Leaving, but as I kept reading it felt like it became two conflicting stories. On one side there was the disappearance of January, and the mystery behind what happened to her – following the clues, and the whodunit, Flynn playing the role of the loyal boyfriend. On the other side is Flynn hiding a giant secret, which inevitably comes out, and to seems to take over the entire narrative overshadowing the plot of previously mentioned missing girlfriend.

Without going into too much detail and giving anything away, basically it began to feel like it was more about Flynn finding himself than January, and dealing with the fallout from the revelations of his personal life than the actual disappearance of his girlfriend, which was not the story I was expecting going in.

Flynn is a likeable character and I sympathized with him for the most part. He was January’s boyfriend and the prime suspect in her disappearance, as usually happens when something like this occurs. It’s understandable that he’s under a lot of stress and he doesn’t necessarily make the wisest decisions.

Much of the time I felt like the author was trying to sell me something, as if he was paid to write product advertising into the book – similar to product placement in television shows. It became obnoxious - constantly mentioning Lexus, smooth rides, and supple leather seats, iPhones, etc, when a simple mention of “we got into his car” would have been sufficient. I don’t know if this is a thing now, but if it is, I’m begging you, please make it stop! It reminded me of when you watch a tv show and they add a whole unnecessary scene with the characters waiting for their new car to back up and park itself just for the benefit of showing the audience *barf*. Give me a break. Books are a place we’re supposed to be safe from that crap! If this wasn’t intentional, I’m sorry to Mr. Roehrig, but this is how it came off. I understand a high level of detail can immerse a reader into the story, but I think there's a line where it can be too much. Last Seen Leaving crossed that line for me.

Overall, I give it three stars, mainly because I felt the story lines were conflicting and it didn't feel like one arc but two. I know some readers will greatly disagree with me, and that's okay! Perhaps I wasn't in the right mood for it, but I wouldn't rule out reading it completely. If you're a fan of mystery, some romance, and some back and forth with the story, give it a shot!

*I received a copy of book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis

In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they’ve arrived. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now—but not Vassa’s working-class neighborhood.

In Vassa’s neighborhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling out again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa’s stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission.

But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg’s help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch’s curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Babs won’t be playing fair…

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?