January Wrap Up

Hi y'all! Guess who's back!

It's been just about a year since I have updated this blog, but I missed blogging so much, I wanted to get back into it. So, what better way to do that than to jump right back in and talk about the books that I've read this year, starting with January.

January was a pretty crazy month. My husband and I went on a cruise for 7 days and spent an additional 2 days in Miami, so the weeks leading up to our vacation were spent working late, trying to drive in MULTIPLE snow storms, and packing everything we could possibly need. But, I still managed to read 6 books in January! Let's look at some stats from this month, then let's get into it!

Total Books Read: 6

Total Pages Read: 2,176

Average Pages/Day: 70

Average Rating: 3.9

Series Started: 3

          Continued: 1

            Finished: 0

1. Hush Hush- Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush Hush follows a girl named Norah, who is still trying to get used to life after her dad's death and her mom's new job that often leaves her alone. For Norah, her days consist of school, writing for her school's e-zine, and hanging out with her best friend Vee. Until one day, her biology class does a segment on sex and attraction, and Norah ends up partnered with the (attractive and brooding) new kid, Patch. But as she and Patch start spending more time together, strange things start happening to Norah, things that can't be explained. 

So this book was hella popular in the time when Twilight was popular, and paranormal teen romances were all anyone wanted to read. I never read this as a teen, and I wasn't expecting much out of it, to be quite honest. But I ended up really enjoying it. YA Paranormal main characters tend to be very one-dimensional, and are pretty stupid. With Norah, while she was still fairly one-dimensional, she certainly wasn't stupid, and was a fairly realistic teenager. The biggest downfall to this was Vee, because she made excuses for the shitty boys that threatened Norah, and was all for Patch at the beginning, but flipped very suddenly.

Overall, I ended up giving this 3.5/5 stars on Goodreads, mainly because I didn't feel like Patch had enough page-time for a love interest. For being a 10 year old book written in a VERY different time, I still really enjoyed it. 

2. Lust Killer- Ann Rule

Lust Killer is a True Crime novel about Jerry Brudos, a serial killer and necrophile who hunted in the Pacific North West in the 1960s. Lust Killer discussed Jerry's upbringing and years before the murder. It also discussed his capture and how his family was affected by his arrest.

I was really in the mood for a true crime novel, and I ended up listening to this on audiobook. Prior to this, I had never heard of Jerry Brudos or his crimes, but he REALLY creeped me out. One of the things that stuck with me was Jerry's (ew) foot fetish, and the fact that after he was put in prison, he continued to get shoe catalogues. Ewwwwww. 

I ended up rating this 4 stars. Ann Rule did a fairly good job of sticking to the facts, but it bothered me that she would "get into" the victim's head as she was being abducted by Brudos, and try and talk about how she was feeling. It bothered me because we don't know what these women were feeling because they're victims, and they have never been able to tell us how they felt. 

3. Once Gone- Blake Pierce

When a woman is found murdered and posed, the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit is sure that this man has claimed another victim before. Unfortunately, their superstar Riley Page is on paid leave after narrowly surviving an attack from another serial killer that she later kills, and the team convinces her to come back to catch their killer. But as Riley is hunting down their killer, she has the distinct feeling that someone is watching her, and can't shake the feeling that it's the serial killer she thought was dead.

My sister got this book for me for Christmas, and I was super excited to dive into a psychological thriller, since it's not a genre I read often. I was really interested in the serial killer aspect and how the FBI tracked him down (Hello, Criminal Minds!). Unfortunately, I thought that Riley was too.... Godly. It bothered me that no one in the BAU knew as much as she did, and no one could do the job as well as she could, as if all of these people don't have the same training. Also, Riley was always trying to play the hero and go into dangerous situations alone, which doesn't vibe with her PTSD vibe. 

I gave this book 3 stars. I would love to read more about the BAU's adventures (because I love Criminal Minds SO MUCH), but Riley was too much for me. 

4. Seafire- Natalie C. Parker

Seafire follows an all-female pirate crew led by Caledonia Styx, who is determined to overthrow the corrupt tyrant Aric Athair, who has killed or kidnapped each girl's family. Their mantra is to stay alive, and to take down as many of Aric's men, called Bullets, as they possibly can. However, when Caledonia's best friend tries to save a Bullet who wants to leave Aric's fleet, Caledonia has a difficult time trusting him. But when the Bullet tells Caledonia that her long deceased brother is actually alive, Caledonia takes the chance, hoping she'll be reunited with her family.

I LOVED the female friendships in this book, and how much the crew genuinely cared about each other. I also loved that though this was marketed as an "epic pirate tale," the crew didn't like being called pirates because they weren't criminals just to be criminals. I didn't love how laggy it got, and I wish that the romance would've been more developed. 

I gave this 4 stars, and plan to continue the series. Ultimately, I wish that this book was more developed, but I feel like it's a really good set up for the series, and I'm stoked for it!

5. New Moon- Stephenie Meyer

We all know what the Twilight series is about, c'mon.

One of my favorite BookTubers, Chandler Ainsley, does this really awesome podcast with her boyfriend called the Dumb Bitch Book Club, where they read Twilight and New Moon chapter by chapter and discuss their thoughts. It's been a solid 10 years since I've read the Twilight Saga, but New Moon was always my least favorite, so I was really dreading it. 

As an adult, I ended up liking this significantly more. What I once though was Bella being "whiney and overreacting," I now was able to resonate with more. And seeing the origins of her friendship with Jacob was so sweet, and heartbreaking to know that it gets so fucked up in future books. 

4 stars. Just, wow, I love this book, and I'm so happy I rediscovered it. 

6. The Winner's Curse- Marie Rutkoski

Kestrel is the daughter of a general who is well-known for his ruthless conquering. Their kingdom once belonged to the Herrani, but since the Valorian's have colonized the kingdom, the Herrani serve as their slaves. One day, Kestrel stops at the auction house and purchases a slave, Arin, on a whim. Through her (eventual) friendship with Arin, Kestrel becomes more aware of the hardships that the Herran face, and the horrors that her people have inflicted. But can Kestrel's change of heart be enough to stop the revolution that Arin has set into effect?

I completely devoured this book. I read it in less than 24 hours on the plane ride to Miami and I didn't want to stop. This has almost every single trope I adore, all at once. I'm a sucker for a slow burn, especially when it turns from hate to love. Plus, the fact that Arin was a slave and Kestrel his owner makes their romance so forbidden, and I love it. 

This book was so worth the 5 stars that I gave it. I'm a sucker for a romance, and I loved the political backstory. 

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So those were the 6 books I read this month! Obviously I'm a few months behind, but let me know if you've read any of these books and what you thought of them! If you have any recommendations, feel free to leave them below, and please follow me on Goodreads to keep up with what I'm reading now. Thanks for reading, and for continuing to follow my page while I was inactive! I appreciate y'all!