schakarin: February 2017 Wrap-Up

February has been an amazing reading month for me, so please prepare for a long post. It's been a long time since I read this many books in a month, and on top of that I loved almost all the books I picked up. But without further ado, let's get into the wrap-up.

Books I Read

I read 11 books in February, which surprised me quite a bit when I went back and counted them. For a change, this month didn't go by as quickly as the months usually seem to, and as a result, I feel like the beginning of the month (and with it the first books I read this month) was ages ago. So here's what I read:

Infini (Aerial Etherial #2) by Krista and Becca Ritchie, 4/5 ★

This book didn't disappoint, and I ended up enjoying it about as much as I did the first book. I love the family dynamics and the circus atmosphere in both of the Aerial Etherial books, but I will say that the romance in this one didn't really pull me in. I didn't feel for Luka and Baylee as much as I could have, but for all the other aspects of the story, I still loved this book and I really hope there will be another one in this series (preferably about Dimitri).

The Hook Up (Game On #1) by Kristen Callihan, DNF at 15%

I decided to give up on this one very early on because it just wasn't for me. The characters and the story were so one-dimensional, and it just wasn't worth it to push through in my opinion.

Next to Never (Fall Away #4.5) by Penelope Douglas, 3/5 ★

This was a little disappointing as I went into it expecting it to be something different. It's definitely my own fault as reading the synopsis would have cleared up my misconception. But still, this story felt a little unnecessary. I'm honestly not sure whether I really want to read the future books in this series. Somehow, seeing my beloved characters of the previous books as (very controlling) parents didn't really work for me.

Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland, 5/5 ★

This book was a very positive surprise for me. It dealt with a lot of different aspects in unique ways and was overall such a well written and thought out book. I wrote a full review here in case you are interested in more of my thoughts.

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo, 5/5 ★

The hype surrounding this book was humongous, and I was so happy to see the book totally live up to it. My favorite part of this story are of course the characters, each so unique and human that you can't help but fall in love with them and their quest. I also adored Leigh Bardugo's writing in this one and there were so many quotable quotes that I couldn't help but write down and hope that someone someday makes fan art that I can hang on my walls of all of them.

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo, 5/5 ★

Other than the fact that I would have needed a LOT of epilogue, I loved this book just as much as the first. I don't even know what else to say other than this series has a special place in my heart and I will definitely want to revisit it again and again. I still think about it a lot and it gives me all the warm fuzzies.

The Year We Fell Down (The Ivy Years #1) by Sarina Bowen, 4/5 ★

After finishing an epic fantasy series, I often feel the need to pick up New Adult books as they are quick and easy to read. In this case, I was lucky enough to pick one that I really enjoyed and didn't make me roll my eyes once (which I don't think has ever happened before with a NA book). Overall, this was very well written, and to my delight, there was almost no drama at all which is always so refreshing with this genre.

The Year We Hid Away (The Ivy Years #2) by Sarina Bowen, 2.5/5 ★

As always when I discover a new NA series that I really enjoy, I basically have to binge-read the whole thing. This time, unfortunately, the second book wasn't as good as the first, mostly because it featured a lot more of that drama that I was so glad was missing from the first book. But still: very likable characters and good chemistry. But what also really bothered me is how Scarlet's situation regarding her father's trial etc. was portrayed. There was such a great opportunity to speak on a topic I have never heard about before in books, and instead of actually exploring it, the author seemed to just take the easy way out.

Blonde Date (The Ivy Years #2.5) by Sarina Bowen, 4/5 ★

This was a fun and cute novella, and I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. Andrew was such sweetheart and I couldn't help but root for him.

The Understatement of the Year (The Ivy Years #3) by Sarina Bowen, 4/5 ★

This book portrayed the topic of coming out really well in my opinion. I've read a few LGBT books before, but this one was different from all of those, and I really appreciated Sarina Bowen's take on this topic. This is still a NA book, and I think the author managed to stay within that genre really well while also making the story meaningful (which is not something I usually expect from New Adult books).

A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V.E. Schwab, reread

I reread this one in preparation for A Conjuring of Light (which I have just finished and I basically died of awesomeness). I wrote a review for it the first time I read it, which you can find here. My thoughts are mainly the same, namely that this book is perfection and you need to read it.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling, reread

This was also a reread for me, but this time (and I'm actually a little embarrassed to say this) I read it to my boyfriend over Skype. That's probably the cheesiest thing we have ever done, but I would do anything to get him to read, so no regrets.

New Books

So while I did read a lot of books in February, I also got almost as many new books, which kind of defeats the purpose with regard to lowering my TBR. But what can you do? At least, most of these are books I also already read this month.