THE BONE WITCH/SIX OF CROWS/HOW TO MAKE OUT/CITY OF BONES/ROT & RUIN/THE GRACES

The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1)

by Rin Chupeco

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha — one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.


Memoirs of a Geisha meets The Name of the Wind in this brilliant new fantasy series by Rin Chupeco!

What I thought:

Sadly, this was a DNF for me.  Dual narrative with lots of very nice description and not much action. Don't get me wrong. The writing is very good, but this story was too slow for me, and I just couldn't connect. Rating: ** 2 stars *I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone... A convict with a thirst for revenge A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager A runaway with a privileged past A spy known as the Wraith A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes  Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first. What I thought: OMFG why did I wait so long to read this! Obviously I'm late to this party and kicking myself for it. What did I love about this? Everything. The entire cast of characters is wonderfully fleshed out. The writing is gorgeous. The pacing is exactly right. And the plot is brilliant and unique and engaging and... I loved it. Leigh Bardugo is an amazing writer and I will now go out and buy everything she's ever written.  My Rating: ***** 5 stars   _______________________________________________________________________________ How to Make Out by Brianna Shrum Sixteen-year-old Renley needs three thousand dollars for the math club’s trip to New York City, and she knows exactly how to get it: she’s going to start a how-to blog where people pay for answers to all of life’s questions from a “certified expert.” The only problems: 1) She doesn’t know how to do anything but long division and calculus. 2) She’s totally invisible to people at school. And not in a cool Gossip Girl kind of way. So, she decides to learn to do . . . well . . . everything. When her anonymous blog shifts in a more scandalous direction and the questions (and money) start rolling in, she has to learn not just how to do waterfall braids and cat-eye makeup, but a few other things, like how to cure a hangover, how to flirt, and how to make out (something her very experienced, and very in-love-with-her neighbor, Drew, is more than willing to help with). As her blog’s reputation skyrockets, so does “new and improved” Renley’s popularity. She’s not only nabbed the attention of the entire school, but also the eye of Seth Levine, the hot culinary wizard she’s admired from across the home-ec classroom all year. Soon, caught up in the thrill of popularity both in and out of cyberspace, her secrets start to spiral, and she finds that she’s forgotten the most important how-to: how to be herself. When her online and real lives converge, Renley will have to make a choice: lose everything she loves in her new life, or everyone she loves in the life she left behind.  What I thought: Super cute,  fun,  fast read. I really enjoyed this. I wanted a quick, easy read and that's what I got. Hard to go into details without spoiling things, but I loved the chemistry in this and the friendship dynamics. Some of the situations were a bit too predictable, but Renley was great. It was funny... and there's a lot of making out.  My Rating: **** 3.75 stars *I received an eARC from Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. ____________________________________________________________ City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...  Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end. What I thought: I had such high hopes for this book. I've heard so many great things and it's been on my bookshelf for forever just waiting for me to pick it up. Maybe my expectations were too high. It started out great with engaging characters and lots of action and I was hooked, but then the plot got way too predictable and the forward momentum stalled. The last 25% was hard to get through. The writing was flat and the story veered off into left field... Disappointing. Not sure if I'll give the next one a try. My Rating: *** (I'd give the first half of this one 4 stars and the second half 1.5 stars) ____________________________________________________________ Rot & Ruin (Rot & Ruin #1) by Jonathan Maberry In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.   What I thought:  I liked this one way more than I expected. It's a different take on zombies. The characters are nicely fleshed out and I liked the changing dynamic between the two brothers. Very engaging story. My only real complaints are that this starts out slow and there were a few too many predictable moments for me. The plot progresses at a good pace but the real action doesn't happen till late in the story. Overall, I really enjoyed Benny's story, and no complaints about the hot older brother. My Rating: **** 4 stars _____________________________________________________________ The Graces (The Graces #1) by Laure Eve Everyone said the Graces were witches. They moved through the corridors like sleek fish, ripples in their wake. Stares followed their backs and their hair. They had friends, but they were just distractions. They were waiting for someone different. All I had to do was show them that person was me. Like everyone else in her town, River is obsessed with the Graces, attracted by their glamour and apparent ability to weave magic. But are they really what they seem? And are they more dangerous than they let on? What I thought:  My first impression of this one was Twilight-esque mixed with a healthy dose of The Craft--but all the best parts. I loved River. She's insecure and obsessive and trying so hard to be someone else. Her character is portrayed so well. All the characters are. The Graces are intriguing. I was hooked from the beginning and can't wait to see what Laure Eve writes next. My Rating: ***** 5 stars *I received an eARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. _______________________________________________________ And my favorite book this month was... Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo!!! That's it for October. I love comments. And suggestions. What should I read next? Follow me here for more reviews and find me on twitter: @ChellyPike Happy Reading, Chelly