Tori's October 2018 #Book #Reviews - #AmReading

Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.
~Dr. Seuss

It's time to take a look at what I read in October.

It's lucky my replacement Kindle arrived quickly, because October was a busy month for reading challenges and things. I had books to review, my first buddy read, and a couple of books I read for group challenges on Goodreads. Thankfully they all count towards my reading goal for the year, since I'm a couple of books behind on that at the moment. I'm hoping I can get caught up in time to meet my goal when the end of the year arrives, which isn't long now... Can you believe it's already November?

By the way, I haven't mentioned in the reviews which ones were for challenges, but will tell you if you want to know. Either way, let's take a look at them, along with the books I read in between those titles, shall we?

October is crisp days and cool nights, a time to curl up around the dancing flames and sink into a good book.
~John Sinor

Just for fun, I tried to keep a mystery, paranormal, or spooky theme to the books I read in October, in honor of Halloween.

Anyway, as with the previous posts like this one, if you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question.

Don't forget: the format I've reviewed may not be the format I read. Also, please remember that I read across multiple genres and age ranges, so you should always check if a book is suitable for the intended reader, especially when children are involved. Sometimes reading the book's description on its Goodreads page will be enough for this, but other times you may need to check elsewhere to figure out the genre and/or recommended reading level.

OK... On to the reviews!

Conspiracy of Silence by Sabrina Flynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Great characters, a fascinating plot, and a wonderful ending.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the kind of creepy fairy tale that reminds you that the stories we know today had much darker origins than they do in most retellings. I wasn't sure what to think of either the plot or the main character for the first couple of chapters, but started to like both as I got further in to the book, and soon found myself enjoying reading it so much I didn't want to put it down. I don't feel I can give it the full five stars. After all, it took me a couple of chapters to really get in to it. But I do think it's a really great read, and recommend it to those who enjoy the darker side of fairy tales.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is a 3.5 star read for me, but I rounded up. Anyway, for the most part I thought it was a fun read, filled with plenty of mystery and magic, as well as a dash of romance. But I found the way it jumped about in the timeline confusing at first, though it wasn't so bad once I got to know the characters properly.

Quest of the Brokenhearted by Charles E. Yallowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is an excellent read, filled with plenty of action, and a plot that will keep you guessing. Also, that ending... I so did not see that coming, but loved it!

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. The gadgets and equipment used by both sides were pretty cool, and I also enjoyed how we got to see events from both sides during the story. I'm looking fforward to seeing how this series progresses.

Mercenary by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a well-written book, which is a nice read in its own right, and a great addition to the series. Cherry's story is a sad one, but it was nice to get to read her story, and get to know more about her.

Freelance by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love this addition to the series! It's wonderful how Elsa is so independent, and doesn't let her blindness stop her from doing things. The author did a fantastic job of portraying a blind character, and the story is interesting and well-written in general, so this is an all round great read.

Abby & Holly Series Book 2: Unfortunate Events by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an excellent book in its own right, and a wonderful addition to the series. Mystery, suspense, ghosts, and some great characters... What more could anyone ask for?

Harry Potter: A History of Magic by Ben Davies
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you're a huge Harry Potter fan who wants to learn more about the magical world, and the real history behind some of it, you might enjoy this book. Similarly, if you're an author who wants a little insight in to J K Rowling's cretive process, you might enjoy this book. If neither of those applies to you, you probably won't. I'm lucky in that both apply to me, so I did enjoy it. Although, I'm unclear why chapters on identical aspects weren't placed together, and think being able to pour over the information in physical form would have been better had that been possible for me, since even I found my attention starting to wander after a while with the audio version.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book, though not as much as I thought I would. The story was a good one, and I like the characters, but the plot moves along slowly - probably because we're trying to follow so many characters - and the ending was rather anti-climactic. I try not to compare books to movies, and generally would tell you the book is best anyhow. But in this case I can't help it, because this is one of those times when I think the movie is better. The movie has been a favourite of mine for years. The book is a reasonably good read, but won't be making it on to my favourites list.

Aaliyah by Katrina Cope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
You know those books that make you stay up past your bed time because you just don't want to stop reading? Yeah... This was one of those for me. The plot hooked me from the start, and wouldn't let go. The characters are interesting, and believable as "real" people, despite mostly not being human. Plus, the writing itself is excellent. All this combined to make for an excellent read, which I eagerly devoured in one sitting.
*NOTE: I was given a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This fact has in no way influenced my opinion of the book, nor the contents of this review.

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I actually didn't realize this prequel to "Practical Magic" existed before, otherwise I'd have read it first. Still, it turns out it doesn't really matter which way around you read them. At least, I don't think it does. But, what did I think of the book? Well, it was really good, and interesting to learn more about some of the family's history. It wasn't amazing. But, then again, neither was the book version of "Practical Magic" so... *shrugs* I liked it though, even if I didn't totally love it. It was a fun read, with a magical plot, and some great characters.

The Cuckoo Clock of Doom by R.L. Stine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A great story, which will give you goosebumps for sure!

The Haunted Car by R.L. Stine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A creepy read, which is sure to give you goosebumps.