Kayleigh's 2020 Reading Challenges

[Brittany]

That's too bad Kay, it held promise. But good to know it isn't one I will likely bother with then.

All the Ever Afters sounds really good so I want to hear all about that one

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I finished reading and I really enjoyed it. I ended up giving it 4 stars as it was a little bit slow to start but it was great to see everything from the stepmother's point of view. I highly recommend this one.

I started which has been on my bookshelf for years but after nothing really happened for the first 100 pages I decided to just give up on this one as I was bored.

Going to start which I have heard great things about so hopefully this one is more my kinda thing.

[Brittany]

Giving up on Distant Waves was a good choice, it doesn't get any better.

Curious how you like Fawkes, that's one I am very tempted to buy... Wait! There is now an ebook copy at the library! So excited. Now to remind myself I have other things to finish first... lol

[HeatherH]

I've had Fawkes on my radar for a bit, looking forward to seeing how you like it! Adding All the Ever Afters to my tbr now!

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I've just finished and I loved it so so much!! I would class it as a historical fantasy and having it set around such a big historical event from the UK made it so exciting and amazing to me.

I don't know if Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder plot is well known in other countries but it's a huge thing here and we 'celebrate' it every year. It had the lead up of that real historical event and mixed it with a magical war between two magical 'races'. It was just amazing! I highly recommend it.

[Jo]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "I've just finished and I loved it so so much!! I would class it as a historical fantasy and having it set around such a big historical event from the UK made it so excit..."

Yay so glad to see you liked Fawkes Kay! I love this new trend towards historical fantasy, it's brilliant for me as a former history student and lover of fantasy. I also loved having something historical that wasn't set in the Victorian era or WWII. I'm a big Tudor/Stuart history nerd and I wish there was more stuff out there about those eras.

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

Britt, I only just now saw the comment about Distant Waves. I didn't know you had read it. I am glad that I didn't continue with it haha.

Jo, I absolutely loved it. I'm not typically a lover of historical but I love fantasy and I adored this. Especially how the fantasy was entwined in with the real events. I will definitely be reading more historical fantasies in the future.

[Jo]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "Britt, I only just now saw the comment about Distant Waves. I didn't know you had read it. I am glad that I didn't continue with it haha.

Jo, I absolutely loved it. I'm not typically a lover of hi..."

I have so many recommendations if you need them!

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

Thank you!! I’d love some! 😊

[Brittany]

Glad you loved it Kay! I love historical fantasy, its a favourite genre of mine but I haven't read as many as I might like. So Jo I'd love to hear your recs too!
I think I'm going to read Fawkes after I finish Coraline.

[Jo]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "Thank you!! I’d love some! 😊"

Okay these are some of my favourites:
-Romanov-Nadine Brandes-Magical retelling of Anastasia Romanov
-Timekeeper Trilogy-Tara Sim-Fantasy/steampunk set in an alternative Victorian Britain
-The Crown's Game-Fantasy set in Imperial Russia.
-Enchantee-Paris on the brink of the French Revolution, but with magic.
-The Girl From Everywhere-Time travelling ship during the fall of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

I have way more on my TBR, but those are the ones I've read and enjoyed.

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

Oh I have Enchantee on my shelf.... I’ll definitely need to bump it up on the TBR. It’s my birthday next month so might add some of these to my wish list :)

[Jo]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "Oh I have Enchantee on my shelf.... I’ll definitely need to bump it up on the TBR. It’s my birthday next month so might add some of these to my wish list :)"

Yes do, it was so good!

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I've added them to my wishlist :)

Okay here's my books update...

Finished and it was absolutely incredible. I read it so fast and loved every single second of it. I can't wait for book 3. Define 5 stars

Re-read which I obviously loved as it's JLA... but I remember why this is probably my least favourite of her books. I usually love all of her characters but Layla is just not my favourite character. She annoys me.

Currently halfway through

[Brittany]

Thanks Jo!
I really want to read Romanov so glad to hear its good.

With Enchantee, I thought it sounded neat but was worried about how much random little bits of French like la magie get thrown in? Does it pull you out of the story or add to it?

I had never heard of The Girl from Everywhere but now I must have it!

[Brittany]

Of ones I can remember I really enjoyed and was entertaining although I guess its more steampunk.

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

Finished it was okay. Not the best fantasy but not the worst either. I’ll probably read book 2.

Finished

Currently reading:

[Brittany]

Nice Kay! Enjoying your rereads? :)

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I loved doing my re-reads. I actually forgot how much I enjoy re-reading. I always pick up so much more on re-reads. It's a shame I don't find I have time to re-read much.

I've finished re-reading and as last time I adored this book. It's one of my all time favourites.

I'm starting a re-read of next as I can't remember anything of it and I want to read the second book so I can finish another series.

[Brittany]

Very nice Kay! Sometimes I think I'd like to reread more but there are so many other books to read its so hard to do!

[Sonnie]

Sometimes I feel like I would like to reread and binge every JLA book over again, but she's written so many it would take me forever lol! Great job Kay! BTW, you knowing about JLA's new book for so long makes me super jelly!!!! I can't believe you kept it secret for so long!!! It would have killed me not to talk about it lol!

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I am very proud of myself for keeping that secret. I knew it was releasing this year in January Sonnie haha. That’s a long time to keep it a secret.

[Elena]

I'm glad you enjoy your rereads. I hardly ever find time to do a proper reread, just maybe a week a year :(
Yay! I've just added 2 new books to my TBR thanks to your reviews :)

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I don't either Jess. I very rarely re-read. I was just in a bit of a reading rut and I'm getting the arc of the next in that series this month so I decided I'd just go for it haha. I'm glad I did. I picked up on loads of things I never did first time around. I really look at things differently when I know what's going to happen.

Ooh which ones?

[Elena]

Storm and Fury and the 1st book of the Lux series.

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

AHHHH My favourites. Honestly if I was only allowed to read the work of one author for the rest of my life, it would be JLA. I hope you enjoy them.

Storm and Fury is one of my favourites. That's the one where I'm getting the ARC this month and I need it like yesterday haha.

[Elena]

Lovely! I'm planning to start reading one of those this summer (about mid-summer in particular) and definitely going to share my thoughts.

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

My April Stats

I read 13 books:
- 12 were full novels and 1 was a novella.
- 5 were re-reads and 8 were off my TBR
- 9 were part of a series and 4 were standalones
- I started 1 series and finished 2 series.
- I rated seven 5-stars, four 4-stars and two 3-stars
- 6 were new-to-me authors
- 12 were YA and 1 was Adult

Although my reading was amazing, I also went on a buying binge and ended up adding 11 more to my TBR... oops

Current TBR: 244 (up 10 from last month)

Challenges:
- Series Catch Up: 06/46
- Reading Challenge: 27/50

[Brittany]

Nicely done Kay!! What a fantastic reading month

[HeatherH]

Nice job! I bought a bunch of new books as well but I haven't been tracking that stat.

[Elena]

Great, nice stats!

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Oooh, awesome job Kay! Even though you added more books to your tbr. Lol. But hey, sometimes that happens. Lol.

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I'm saying it's fine that I've added more as I probably would have bought more than this at the book con I usually go to in the summer and since that probably won't be going ahead due to everything going on I've just done my book splurging early haha.

I'm hoping to read just as much this month... hopefully.

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Well, there you go! Shop now since you wont be able to do it later! Lol.

Good luck with your reading this month! 😊

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I've finished re-reading which I absolutely loved again. Gave it 5 stars.

I've also finished reading which is another series finished... however I was so disappointed in this book. I have loved all of Renee's books but this one felt like a totally different story from the first book. It was so strange. It felt disjointed and it was so slow and nothing happened for the first 250 pages and then the ending was rushed.... how does that even happen? I literally have no idea what the heck just happened. I will forever refer to this book as the book version of the final season of Game of Thrones. If you watched GoT you'll know what I mean.

[Brittany]

That's so disappointing Kay!

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I'm so disappointed but hey at least it's another series finished right?

I'm about to start and I could not be more excited.

[Teodora]

Have fun! Hope you'll love it as much as you loved the first one!

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I've finished reading and I am absolutely broken! It was so amazing, possibly my favourite read of the year so far but my god I sobbed so much. I need book 3 now!!!

And now I'm re-reading which if I recall correctly also made me cry.... so I've come to the conclusion that I must like to make myself suffer haha

[Brittany]

There is something cathartic about a book that makes you cry! Or you just like to suffer lol.

[HeatherH]

I always say the more emotional a book can make me the higher praise I'll give it! Aurora Rising made me cry both times so good luck!

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

To be fair I’m an absolute baby that cried at almost everything so if it’s a good book I’m probably gonna cry haha.

[Brittany]

lol this is true Kay!

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I've finished re-reading which I loved all over again. I've also finished reading that I absolutely loved. It made me cry so much. Like I was totally broken. I need book 3 now!!!!!

Up next I'm buddy reading

[Brittany]

Glad you loved it Kay! You knew it was going to break you.

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I did. I totally did. I messaged my friend who is another JLA fan and was like I’ve just been ‘opaled’. People who have read Lux series will understand that coz Opal is the worst cliffhanger ever haha

[HeatherH]

I get the reference but I am felling this cliffhanger wayyy worse than I did Opal. Maybe that is because I binged the Lux series so only had a short gap between and knew I didn't have to wait a year for the next one.

[Brittany]

I read Opal and have already forgotten what the cliff hanger was there. And haven't read past as I don't have the next book.

Some of the worst cliff hangers for me were still in the original Fever series. Waiting for book 5 to come out sucked.

But cliff hangers means I'll wait for the series to be completed or for it to be almost release time before I want to start it.

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

Oh YES!! to Fever series that was such a bad ending.

Heather, I got an ARC of Opal so I had to wait over a year and it's now just become my saying for when it's a bad cliffhanger haha but yes I think Aurora Burning was probably worse. I was distraught!