I’ve been so excited by my TBR pile recently that I thought I’d try and curate a little Autumn list to work through rather than just mood choosing. I wanted to pick out some books that fit the moods and vibes of both the cosy ‘ber’ months as well as the darker narratives of Halloween and Samhain.
So here are my Autumn hopefuls:
Kindle:
Carmilla – J. Sheridan Le Fanu
The Lamb – Lucy Rose
Villette – Charlotte Brontë
Hunger Stone – Kat Dunn
The Pumpkin Spice Cafe – Laurie Gilmore
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store – Laurie Gilmore
My Big Fat Vampire Wedding – Jessica Gadziala
My Dark Vanessa – Kate Elizabeth Russell
Books:
Perfume – The Story Of A Murderer – Patrick Süskind (I first read this when I was 18, a book found in the German section of my school library. I loved it at the time, and have been eager for a re-read)
Krabat – Ostfried Preusler (again this is a book I previously read as a teen but as I haven’t read a German book in ages, I thought this was another fitting re-read for autumn)
Audio:
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil – V.E. Schwab
The Lighthouse Witches – C. J. Cooke
The Rose Bargain – Sasha Peyton Smith
The Rebel Witch – Kristen Ciccarelli
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte (as it’s a re-read I thought I’d audio it this time round)
Do you have any hopefuls for Autumn?? I’d love to know!
Having not come across any talk about the Shatter Me series by Tahere Mafi before I started reading, I didn’t really know what to expect from these books. I picked them up for a steal from The Works and I don’t know why, but from the blurb I’d envisioned more of a fantasy world and thus the dystopian vibe totally took me by surprise. It took me a while to figure out this new world and thus get into the story, but once I did, I enjoyed reading something a little different to my recent romantasy streak. Here’s a little spoiler free update on my thoughts so far.
Book one very much sets the scene as you go on a journey of discovery alongside protagonist Juliette, who’s been locked away and shielded from the outside world and is only just learning about it’s new structure. I’d say it’s a busy enough start to the series and the story progresses quickly, however, Shatter Me – book one, only received a 3/5 Stars from me. Although not a big book, it took me quite a while to get through as I just wasn’t hooked yet.
Book two Unravel Me, was an improvement on book one as I now understood the world setting better. The storyline progresses and you’re introduced to new characters alongside watching the main characters develop further. There’s enough intrigue created to want to see where the plot takes you, however I was feeling underwhelmed with the general storyline and relationship drama between Adam & Juliette alongside irritating character traits take over too much of the story. What ultimately saves this book from becoming another 3/5 Stars in my eyes, is the intrigue building around Juliette and her relationship with Warner. The last few chapters made me eager to pick up book three to see how my suspicions would play out and thus I ended up rating Unravel Me 4/5 Stars.
Although perhaps predictable, I enjoyed seeing other sides to characters develop in Ignite Me, book three of the Shatter Me series by Tahere Mafi. Saying that, there was however once again too much naivety and drama involved within the romantic relationships and it almost concentrated on those too much and left the main plot a bit underdeveloped and unrealistic. I’m all for girl power, but I don’t feel like Juliette had matured enough to end up where she does at the end of book three, and Warner and Adam’s charter transformations are perhaps a tad too much for my liking. The only secondary character I like and who seems to stay consistent is Kenji. I gave book three another 4/5 Stars however I feel like my ratings keep swaying a little with this series. It’s quite an easy read meaning I can get hooked easy enough and enjoy getting to see where the series leads me, but once I start comparing it other books I start to doubt my decisions and my opinions sway.
If you’ve read this series I’d love to know your thoughts.
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