I finally finished the Arc of a Scythe series this month, I had read and loved Scythe in 2019 and hadn't picked the series up since then. Here's a synopsis of the first book:

Thou shalt kill.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

The first book is still probably my favorite, the world building is just so interesting and I loved the concept of the story. There were some parts of the conclusion that I wasn't completely satisfied with, but it's still one of my favorite book series and I highly recommend reading it if you haven't!

The highlight for November was reading A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson. It was a tough read at times, which only goes to show how incredible her writing is when delving into difficult topics. Her commentary and description of abuse in romantic relationships was raw, complicated, and felt incredibly real. Here's one of my favorite quotes from the book:

“You did not let me keep my name, so I will strip you of yours. In this world you are what I say you are, and I say you are a ghost, a long night's fever dream that I have finally woken up from. I say you are the smoke-wisp memory of a flame, thawing ice suffering under an early spring sun, a chalk ledger of depts being wiped clean. I say you do not have a name.”

October was one of my favorite reading months this year! I always love an excuse to read anything horror or fall related. 

I read so many new authors this month, and found a bunch of favorites. My favorite book this month was Gallant by V.E. Schwab. Here's a quote from the synopsis:

"Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for Girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home; it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile, or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways."

Perfect for fall, halloween, or anytime you are looking for a gothic paranormal read.

I had a great reading month this past September! I started a new series (and new author for me) Crowns of Nyaxia by Carissa Broadbent and loved it. I also started Yona of the Dawn, which has over 40 vol's, but I'm hoping to read a few a month and slowly make my way through the series. Tress of the Emerald Sea was a fun read, I can definitely tell it was inspired by The Princess Bride, and I highly recommend Tress if Princess Bride is a story you love.

My favorite read this month was The Serpent and the Wings of Night, and now I have to go read all of Carissa Broadbent's other books. 

August was a bit all over the place for me, I read my first novel by Stephanie Garber and loved it. Caraval was enchanting and magical and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

The Kingdom of Crows series by Olivia Wildenstein was a pretty big disappointment, each book was worse than the last. I probably should've DNF'd after the second but I did want to know what happened to the main characters. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I was a little younger, but my taste has changed a lot of the past few years and I don't want to read fantasy romance that has a sub par plot and little character depth.

The highlight of July was my re-read of The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. I've read most of her Shadowhunter novels, and this trilogy is my favorite by far. Will Herondale is one of my all-time favorite characters and I adore Tessa.