I read 33 books this month and DNF’d one so overall I am very pleased with the progress I made this month in my reading goal.
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff - Mia Corvere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death. Destined to destroy empires, the child raised in shadows made a promise on the day she lost everything: to avenge herself on those that shattered her world. But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, and Mia must become a weapon without equal. Before she seeks vengeance, she must seek training among the infamous assassins of the Red Church of Itreya. Inside the Church's halls, Mia must prove herself against the deadliest of opponents and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and daemons at the heart of a murder cult. The Church is no ordinary school. But Mia is no ordinary student. The Red Church is no ordinary school, but Mia is no ordinary student. The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.
First Flight by Sarah K. L. Wilson - Sixteen-year-old Amel arrived at Dragon School just like everyone else - with a dream to ride dragons and join the Dominion Dragon Riders. But Amel has a crippled leg and Dragon School training is grueling. Before she can even become an initiate, she must complete her First Flight on a dragon. Can Amel survive First Flight and become a Dragon School initiate or will her dreams dash on the rocks below?
Initiate by Sarah K. L. Wilson - With First Flight behind her, sixteen-year-old Amel believes she can finally settle into her studies and learn to be a Dragon Rider. But when a friend is brutally injured, another has a dark secret, and Amel is entrusted with a vital message, she must question where her loyalties lie. Worse, Magikas have arrived at Dragon School and they bring both change and new prejudice against Amel. With the home Amel found at Dragon School quickly disappearing, will she know who to trust or will her new friendships disappear as quickly as her safety?
The Dark Prince by Sarah K. L. Wilson - Hunted by the Magikas, Amel seeks refuge on a secluded island with her beloved dragon and an injured friend. But when she meets the Prince of Baojang there, she realizes she can't stay in hiding. Someone needs to warn the Dominion of the plotted treachery she’s sure he’s a part of - and quickly before her friend Savette is married off to the Dark Prince.
The Ruby Isles by Sarah K. L. Wilson - When Amel's friend Savette is kidnapped, Amel hoped people would finally believe her about the threats she’s found. Unfortunately, all they want from her is silence and obedience and they are willing to threaten both her life and her dragon Raolcan's to get it. But Amel is a faithful friend and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to help Savette and save the Dominion. Will her determination be enough?
Sworn by Sarah K. L. Wilson - Amel thought saving Savette would fix everything. But when it turns out that Savette’s kidnapping was arranged by a secret society within the Dominion and a friend’s life hangs in the balance, Amel is once again at the center of a conspiracy. Who should she trust when everyone wants to see her sworn to them?
Dusk Covenant by Sarah K. L. Wilson - With the sky city of Vanika in chaos and the consequences of Amel’s decisions shaping the course of her training, Amel is given a special assignment. But the Dusk Covenant has other – more nefarious – plans for her and the Dominion. Can Amel keep those plans from destroying what she loves?
Mayhem by Estelle Laure - It's 1987 and unfortunately it's not all Madonna and cherry lip balm. Mayhem Brayburn has always known there was something off about her and her mother, Roxy. Maybe it has to do with Roxy's constant physical pain, or maybe with Mayhem's own irresistible pull to water. Either way, she knows they aren't like everyone else. But when May's stepfather finally goes too far, Roxy and Mayhem flee to Santa Maria, California, the coastal beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem's questions about who her mother is, her estranged family, and the mysteries of her own self. There she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and it opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage in her family, the very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good. But when she gets wrapped up in the search for the man who has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she is forced to face the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost.
First Message by Sarah K. L. Wilson - After a stunning revelation at the healing arches, Amel is more desperate than ever to deliver her message to Comard Eaglespring. But nothing is ever that simple and when old friends and adversaries resurface, Amel discovers her world is not entirely what it seemed.
Warring Promises by Sarah K. L. Wilson - With a friend kidnapped by the Dusk Covenant and urgent messages to deliver to the Dominar, it looks like Amel will be forced to choose between loyalties again - until her friends' choices take the decision out of her hands. Now, she has to follow ancient prophecies to a place of power or risk losing all of them to her enemies.
Prince of Dragons by Sarah K. L. Wilson - With darkness and war spreading across the land, Amel must fight to save her friends and keep them together long enough to fight the evil that stalks them. Will her best efforts be enough?
Dark Night by Sarah K. L. Wilson - Trapped in a cave with Ifrits beating down the front door, a traitor in their midst and a hundred innocent refugees to protect, Amel and Raolcan seem to have no options left. But when allies discover another option, will they be brave enough to take it - even if it leads to a darker night than any of them have ever seen before?
Bright Hopes by Sarah K. L. Wilson - With a grievous head injury, even Amel can’t really trust her own memories, but what she thought she saw feels very real and if it’s true, it will change everything. On top of that, someone is hunting Lightbringers and Amel and her friends are swept up in the hunt. Can they escape or will the world remain ignorant of their secret forever?
Mark of Loyalty by Sarah K. L. Wilson - Free from the grip of the Dusk Covenant, Amel and her friends are headed to swear their loyalty to Haz, Queen of Dragons. But they aren’t the only ones who plan to negotiate with the Dragon Queen. When old enemies resurface, how will Amel convince her friends to stand for the truth in a world of lies?
Dire Quest by Sarah K. L. Wilson - With the Dominion so divided that no easy peace can come, Amel is sent on a dire mission to find outside allies. But Amel doesn’t speak the language and her powerful allies are far away. Can she do the impossible on her own?
Ancient Allies by Sarah K. L. Wilson - When Prince Rakturan asks Amel to help him find allies in the war against the Ifrit invasion, Amel agrees to help. But when Amel’s companion puts her in an awkward debt bond and an ancient artifact seems to hold the key to success, can she do what it takes to overcome these new obstacles?
Pipe of Wings by Sarah K. L. Wilson - Tricked and forced to do the will of the new Prince of Baojang, Amel returns to the Dominion. But things have changed in her homeland. Will she be able to turn old friends into new allies as she continues to fight against the Dusk Covenant and the Ifrit scourge?
The Mall by Megan McCafferty - The year is 1991. Scrunchies, mixtapes and 90210 are, like, totally fresh. Cassie Worthy is psyched to spend the summer after graduation working at the Parkway Center Mall. In six weeks, she and her boyfriend head off to college in NYC to fulfill The Plan: higher education and happily ever after. But you know what they say about the best laid plans...
More than Alive by Fernando A. Torres - A coming-of-age story set in Japan, but with a twist. Tokyo: 2042. Alice Suzuki (16) has recently passed away, giving a whole new meaning to unrequited love and eligible to be a harvester, a transporter of souls. For her first thread, she finds herself investigating the death of Akari, a Japanese idol who died playing a VR game while on enhancer; a drug that makes the player think the fictional is real. Unfortunately, the shadow demon Solak has learned that enhancer allows him to get around the limitations imposed by free will; now he can kill people both in VR and in their dreams. Alice must join the Japanese idol group, of which Akari was a member to discover Solak's endgame. Her journey is one of learning the true nature of attachment, particularly in regards to love. Bright, nimble, and original, it will immerse you in a humorous world of eccentric characters and evocative worldbuilding.
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan - Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. Ten years ago, her mother was snatched by the royal guards, and her fate remains unknown. Now, the guards are back and this time it's Lei they're after - the girl with the golden eyes, whose rumoured beauty has piqued the king's interest. Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, Lei does the unthinkable - she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world's entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.
The Spinner of Dreams by K. A. Reynolds - Annalise Meriwether—though kind, smart, and curious—is terribly lonely. Cursed at birth by the devious Fate Spinner, Annalise has always lived a solitary life with her loving parents. She does her best to ignore the cruel townsfolk of her desolate town—but the black mark on her hand won’t be ignored. Not when the monster living within it, which seems to have an agenda of its own, grows more unpredictable each day. There’s only one way for Annalise to rid herself of her curse: to enter the Labyrinth of Fate and Dreams and defeat the Fate Spinner. So despite her anxiety, Annalise sets out to undo the curse that’s defined her—and to show the world, and herself, exactly who she is inside.
Dragon Piper by Sarah K. L. Wilson - Amel Leafbrought is still recovering from a grievous wound, but when a good friend offers her a chance at a risky opportunity to get Savette the support she needs, Amel chooses to take it. But the opportunity comes with a limited time window and Amel will have to do something she never imagined would be her job. Is she ready to take this next step?
Dust of Death by Sarah K. L. Wilson - With the armies of Baojang at her back and her own army of dragons, Amel might seem unstoppable, but she is far from the heart of the Dominion where the true battle rages and time is running out. To make matters worse, Amel is finally starting to uncover the motives behind the war, but her answers bring even more questions. Will she solve this riddle in time?
Troubled War by Sarah K. L. Wilson - With the Dusk Covenant's armies rushing to join the battle around Dominion City, Amel has one chance to trap them and hold them in place while her slower allies catch up. But with Ifrits and Magikas fighting against her, a hidden plot meant to entrap her, and a surprise show-down between two enemies, will she be able to stop them, or are the odds stacked too strongly against her?
Starie Night by Sarah K. L. Wilson - With Amel a captive in the hands of Starie Atrelan - the false Chosen One - and Amel's beloved dragon Raolcan missing, all seems to be lost. But is it? Amel still has the prophecies and her wits and she's not afraid to use them to score the victory the Dominion desperately needs.
Ascendant Light by Sarah K. L. Wilson - The end has come. But will it bring victory or defeat? And what will it cost Amel, Raolcan, and their friends? With the fate of the Dominion - and likely the world - on Amel and Raolcan's shoulders, they must show once again that honor, truth, and self-sacrifice are more than ideas - they're something to give your life for.
The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F. C. Lee - The struggle to get into a top-tier college consumes sixteen-year-old Genie’s every waking thought. But when she discovers she’s a celestial spirit who’s powerful enough to bash through the gates of heaven with her fists, her perfectionist existence is shattered. Enter Quentin, a transfer student from China whose tone-deaf assertiveness beguiles Genie to the brink of madness. Quentin nurtures Genie’s outrageous transformation—sometimes gently, sometimes aggressively—as her sleepy suburb in the Bay Area comes under siege from hell-spawn.
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco - Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life. Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris - Will Graham was a brilliant profiler of criminals for the FBI - until he suffered terrible injuries in the process of capturing Dr Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lecter. Years later, a serial killer nicknamed 'the Tooth Fairy' is massacring entire families each full moon. With the FBI desperate for progress, Will reluctantly agrees to consult. But he soon realises that he alone can't crack the case; he needs the help of the only mind even better than his own at understanding the mentalities of psychopaths. The mind of Hannibal Lecter. But Hannibal is playing his own twisted game from the asylum for the criminally insane. Will isn't alone in getting advice from the cannibal. So is the Tooth Fairy - the man haunted by visions of the murderous Red Dragon...
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett - It's a predicament that Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon, now find themselves in. They've been living amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and, truth be told, have grown rather fond of the lifestyle and, in all honesty, are not actually looking forward to the coming Apocalypse. Now people have been predicting the end of the world almost from its very beginning, so it's only natural to be sceptical when a new date is set for Judgement Day. You could spend the time left drowning your sorrows, giving away all your possessions in preparation for the rapture, or laughing it off as (hopefully) just another hoax. Or you could just try to do something about it. And then there's the small matter that someone appears to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin - When young Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless Powers of the Earth, everything is taken away - home, family, possessions, even her name. For she is now Arha, the Eaten One, guardian of the ominous Tombs of Atuan. While she is learning her way through the dark labyrinth, a young wizard, Ged, comes to steal the Tombs' greatest hidden treasure, the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. But Ged also brings with him the light of magic, and together, he and Tenar escape from the darkness that has become her domain.
The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin - Darkness threatens to overtake Earthsea: the world and its wizards are losing their magic. Despite being wearied with age, Ged Sparrowhawk - Archmage, wizard, and dragonlord -- embarks on a daring, treacherous journey, accompanied by Enlad's young Prince Arren, to discover the reasons behind this devastating pattern of loss. Together they will sail to the farthest reaches of their world -- even beyond the realm of death - as they seek to restore magic to a land desperately thirsty for it.
Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin - Years ago, they had escaped together from the sinister Tombs of Atuan -- she, an isolated young priestess; he, a powerful wizard. Now she is a farmer's widow, having chosen for herself the simple pleasures of an ordinary life. And he is a broken old man, mourning the powers lost to him through no choice of his own. Once, when they were young, they helped each other at a time of darkness and danger and shared an adventure like no other. Now they must join forces again, to help another in need -- the physically and emotionally scarred child whose own destiny has yet to be revealed.
Damsel by Elana K. Arnold - The rite has existed for as long as anyone can remember: When the king dies, his son the prince must venture out into the gray lands, slay a fierce dragon, and rescue a damsel to be his bride. This is the way things have always been. When Ama wakes in the arms of Prince Emory, she knows none of this. She has no memory of what came before she was captured by the dragon or what horrors she faced in its lair. She knows only this handsome young man, the story he tells of her rescue, and her destiny of sitting on a throne beside him. It’s all like a dream, like something from a fairy tale. As Ama follows Emory to the kingdom of Harding, however, she discovers that not all is as it seems. There is more to the legends of the dragons and the damsels than anyone knows, and the greatest threats may not be behind her, but around her, now, and closing in.
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