Booked with Abby

 2021 has been... something. I had a good year, but I'm excited to see what 2022 brings. Book reviews: The Sweet Far Thing  by Libba Bray My rating: 2 stars Synopsis:  It's been a year since Gemma Doyle arrived at Spence. After saving the Realms from the Poppy soldiers, Gemma forges herself to the Realm's magic. Now, Gemma approaches her London debut, the Order and the Rashkanna are fighting for control of the Realms. It seems like questions follow everywhere Gemma goes. Why now is Spence's East Wing finally being rebuilt? What's going on with Pippa? My review The Night Circus  by Erin Morgenstern My rating: 2 stars Synopsis:  Le Cirque de Reves arrives without warning. It is a wonderland of imagination with all kinds of illusions. But what people don't know about the circus is there more going on backstage. Celia and Marco have been trained since childhood to compete in a magical duel. With the circus as their arena, the two battle in a game of imagination. Wit...

 In January, I challenged myself to read 12 book series this year- one each month. I'm so excited to say I completed the challenge! Here are the 12 series I read in 2021. January: My Lady Jane The My Lady Jane series is hilarious. One of my favorite things about it is it can be read in any order. I love everybody these authors write together and I can't wait for their next one about Mary Shelley. My Lady Jane synopsis: Lady Jane Grey didn't plan to get married. But she does anyway. Edward knows he's dying so he arranges to marry Jane off to Gifford (but he likes to be called G) so he can have an heir. Jane and G aren't thrilled at first. And Janes is even less thrilled when she finds out that G is an Eðian. G turns into a horse every morning at sunrise. It isn't long before Edward, Jane, and G find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that will change England forever. My reviews February: Dread Nation The civil war with zombies. What could be better? Dread N...

Emily's luck seemed to run out three years ago when her mother died. Ever since she and her boyfriend broke up at junior prom, she barricaded herself in her room, preparing for the worst summer ever. But then Emily meets Blake, the daughter of her father's childhood best friend. While cleaning out her mother's closet, Emily finds her mother's senior year bucket list. When Blake suggests that they complete the list together, it kicks off a summer of self-discovery. As they check more things off the list, Emily starts to feel closer to her mother, and Blake too. This was such a heartwarming book! There were definitely a few moments that made my heart swell with sadness. Rachael Lippincott is also the author of Five Feet Apart  which I read last January. Her third novel is so much better! I think The Lucky List  is exactly the type of gay coming-of-age teens need. In many novels, teens already know they're gay but before this book, I never got to read a novel with a ch...

 Quinn was shocked when he found out that the king wanted a map of the world. Everyone knew that eventually, one would fall off the world and into the jaws of a fire-breathing dragon. Quinn was even more shocked to find out that the king wanted Quinn to be the mapmaker. With his hidden gift, he'd be the perfect scribe. Reluctantly, he agrees and sets out on a journey he never intended to go on.     I regret buying this book. It was so boring and there multiple instances where I considered DNFing it. Honestly, I don't know why I kept reading it. I know that there is no way I'm going to finish this series.     The book had a lot of potential, but it just didn't come through. There were so many exciting things that could have happened yet the story kept a slow pace with little exciting action. When something did happen, the solution to the problem was predictable.     Quinn was a poorly written main character. He was dull and static. Nothing about him cha...

After refusing to give up the location of the Vanargade hideout, Chatine is sent to Bastille. Marcellus is a traitor to Laterre and Alouette is a fugitive on the run. The three are all enemies to a country on the brink of war. When Marcellus uncovers his grandfather's plans to take over the country, it could mean absolute destruction for Chatine and so many others. I finally finished the sequel to Sky Without Stars . At some points, this book felt so long, but I really liked it.  My favorite chapters were Chatine's and I wish I got more chapters with her. Marceullus and Alouette are cool, but they aren't nearly as interesting as Chatine. My favorite character in this book is undoubtedly Gabriel (though Chatine's a close second). He was sarcastic and pretty funny. At first, I thought he was supposed to be Grantire until a character actually named Grantire showed up. I read online that he was supposed to be Courfeyrac. No matter who Grabriel was inspired by, I hope to see...

 Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell are on their way to America after solving the gruesome murder at Bram Castle in Romania. When they set sail on the RMS Etruria , they think they're finally free from the trail of dead bodies that have been following them across Europe. But then someone turns up dead. Set to the backdrop of a magical carnival, Audrey Rose and Thomas must catch another killer before he's let loose in New York City. Escaping from Houdini  is my least favorite book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. I really liked the setting of this book. The ship was so mystical and combined with Kerri Maniscalco's enchanting writing- it was beautiful! I loved the magical carnival vibe. My favorite character in this book was Thomas. I love his sarcasm and undeniable charm. He and Audrey Rose are such a great couple. The most annoying thing about this book was the love triangle. It was small but so terrible. Mephistopheles was such a terrible character! I hated ...

 Nadya doesn't know if she still trusts her magic. She doesn't know if she can trust anyone really. As her group is torn apart the tensions between them become higher and higher- actually leave Serefin out of this because he really did nothing the whole book. So 500 pages later and basically nothing happened. I can't really remember anything from the book, but hey, we've all been there at some point or another. While I read Wicked Saints  in a physical book form, I chose to listen to its sequel as an audiobook. And let me tell you, the audio is so much better than physical. I actually wasn't as bored with Ruthless Gods as I was with  Wicked Saints . Like I said before, I was listening to the audiobook and I just found it so weird that everyone sounded like vampires. The dialogue was spoken out in a Translyvnia accent. It sounded weird and it didn't fit the book too well at first. I think after a while I got used to it though. I think Serefin's character was...

 Amandine Klinghoffer is a young detective working on her first solo case in the kingdom of Glamwein. Prince Ivan is being haunted by ghosts. He's also hiding something from Amandine. He would rather distract her with romance than give her any useful information for solving the mysterious murder at the palace. Your Vilness  was nothing special. It's a cookie-cutter YA book that was enjoyable, but not great. It was also so full of poorly executed tropes. The story was so predictable too. The plot twists weren't exciting at all. Though Your Vilness  attempted the opposites attract trope, I couldn't care less for the romance in this book. Amandine and Ivan couldn't be more different. Once in a while, they had great banter. I liked them as friends, but my feelings for them as their attraction grew didn't change. Their connection felt forced and it might have helped a bit if there had been a few chapters from Ivan's point of view. The characters in general weren...

 Ruban Montez and Zach Knight are both part of the boy band Saturday. Along with their best friends, Angel and Jon, share the stage and the spotlight. Shortly after they finish their American tour, they are shipped off to Europe for another long strand of tiring days and restless nights. Those nights become even more restless when Zach drunkenly kisses Rubin. While their bandmates may be supportive of the budding romance, it feels like the world is trying to come in between them. I loved this book. This gay boy-band romance was absolutely adorable. I think now I might be a Saturday fan girl. Zach and Ruban were great together. I loved reading from both of their point of view. I also loved getting to see how their feelings changed as the story progressed. Zach especially had great character development.  The friendships in this book could have stolen the show. The four boys had such a deep bond but it was tested with several ups and downs.  I was expecting this book to be ...

 Eragon and Saphira's journey continues as they travel to Ellesmera to continue Eragon's training. Meanwhile, Eragon's home village is being destroyed and it's up to Roran to lead them to safety.  But really, why were those chapters even included? Roran didn't do anything to move the story along. In fact, his whole ordeal was unnecessary to write about. I think I would have preferred it if he had just told Eragon about what happened when they were reunited later on. Eldest  was much more boring than Eragon . To be honest, I totally zoned out by the end of the audiobook. Not to mention that this book was unnecessary long. There were some parts that I think the book would have done better without. I think I'm just bored with Eragon overall. He's winy and way too focused on Arya. I wanted romance to spice up the book, but now I'm just terribly disappointed. There's no spark between them, Eragon just had an annoying crush. I'm really debating on whet...

 Before Audrey Rose and Thomas could even get to Bram Castle, rumors that the infamous Vlad the Impaler is back start to spread. When they get to the castle, weird things start happening. Students at the prestigious forensic school turn up dead, secret passages leading to underground tunnels, and more lead Audrey Rose and Thomas to their next mystery.  This morbid series gets even better. The writing is creepy and eerie.  Hunting Prince Dracula was just as amazing as Stalking Jack the Ripper . I didn't see that plot twist coming! Kerri Maniscalco creates such amazing mysteries. I couldn't put this book down! I love how the mystery itself pulled from the original  Dracula  story. The characters in this book were great. I really hope Dacina comes back in the last two books. I love all of Thomas and Audrey Rose's interactions. Their banter is so cute but their up and down relationship is starting to get a little tiring. I am starting to ship them though! One of my ...

 Becca's worried she won't fit in at her new elite San Fransico school. To her surprise, she's instantly adopted by the most popular girls in school. On the outside, Arianna, Marley, and Mandy are perfect. But when the full moon rises, Becca learns they have a secret. The three girls are werewolves, killing boys that take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Despite to accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf. It's not long before things get complicated though. After Arianna's boyfriend is killed, the cops and FBI are on the lookout for a serial killer. It's only a matter of time before they zero in on Becca's squad, and the pack is starting to buckle under the pressure. Oh, and did I mention this book includes a queer romance? This was such a quick read. I flew right through it and I really loved it. After reading  Squad , I want more werewolf books! If Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle ever decide to write a second volume, it will be at ...

 Marin hasn't spoken to her best friend Mabel since she left for college. She hadn't spoken to anyone really. She ran far away but her grief has followed her to New York. During winter break, Marin is the only one who hasn't gone home. Home is coming to her. Mabel comes down to New York to see her and now Marin will have to face everything she's left behind. This book is so sad! There were so many moments where I wanted to cry. Marin's story was heartbreaking. She lost everything and as broken as she was, Marin was able to find happiness. There were so many lines in this book that made me want to sit down and think. We Are Okay  is truly beautiful. One thing that I wish was different was Mabel and Marin's relationship. I wanted to see more of them together and I wish they ended up together. The few moments we got from their romance was adorable. It was too bad that Mabel had a boyfriend back in California... If you liked The Year After You  and   Clap When You L...

I liked  Mockingjay  and enjoyed this book a lot. This book though was so different from the rest of the books in The Hunger Games  series so I think it deserves its own playlist. Small Talk- Katy Perry The Phoenix- Fall Out Boy Bad at Love- Halsey you should see me in a crown- Billie Elish Liar- Camila Cabello Swish Swish- Katy Perry Don't Play- Halsey About Mockingjay After being rescued from the 75th Hunger Games, Katniss is in District 13. The same district that was said to be destroyed many years ago during the uprising. While she, Bede, and Finnick recover from their recent scare, the Capital has hold of Joanna and Peeta. President Snow must die. A new rebellion is on its way and Katniss will be the face of it. She is the Mockingjay. My Review

 Even though she was born into a life of wealth and privilege, Audrey Rose Wadsworth wants nothing more than to study forensics. And maybe catch the infamous Jack the Ripper. With the help of her uncle's assistant, the dashing Thomas Cresswell, Audrey Rose must catch Jack the Ripper before he claims his next victim. This series is so hyped up, especially concerning the romance in it. I was expecting the main focus of the book to be the romance, but to my surprise, it focused a lot on the science behind catching serial killers. The romance was probably my least favorite part of the book. Nothing happened that made me really ship Audrey Rose and Thomas. I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I don't totally understand why everyone is in love with Thomas. Though I didn't ship them, Thomas and Audrey Rose totally reminded me of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Everything about this book screamed Sherlock to me. The two characters definitely had great banter. I re...

 Helmuth's world starts to change as Hitler rises to power. Freedom has been taken from Helmuth, but he rebels by listening to the radio. One night while listening to a BBC broadcast, Helmuth finds out that Germany has been lying. When he exposes the truth, no one believes him, and Helmuth is charged with treason. Helmuth is sentenced to death.  I love it when books have a unique format. The Boy Who Dared  was told through memories as Helmuth sat in a jail cell. I liked how the story would go back and forth between Helmuth's past and him waiting and the cell.  The Boy Who Dared was amazing and Helmuth's rebellion was empowering. This was a super quick book and I really liked it. The beginning was a little slow, but this book got a lot better by the end. It's definitely worth reading.  Page Count: 202 pages Published: February 1, 2008 Genre: Historical Fiction My Rating: 3 stars Buy this book

 Everyone in Fairview knows the story. Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. Everyone in Fairview knows Sal is guilty, but Pipa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure he's guilty. When she chooses to study the case for a school project, Pip starts to uncover shocking secrets about the people in her small town. This was such a good book! The audiobook for A Good Girl's Guide to Murder  was amazing! I loved the full cast for each of Pip's recordings. The book also had a lot of great features in it such as maps and diagrams. I also liked Pippa's various journal entries sprinkled throughout the book. Though this is Holly Jackson's first book, it doesn't read like a debut. The mystery was structured so well. Especially since there were so many things going on. There were so many moving pieces in this story and Holly Jackson wrapped it up so nicely in the end. This book had me hooked from the beginning.  A Good Girl's Guide to Murder ...