My Recent Reads: September and October

I redesigned my blog and I love it! It still has a floral theme, but it’s a darker color scheme with a few pops of neon. Let me know what you think! Side note: if you’re on a phone, try tilting it to the side; otherwise, use a computer. I’m so helpful, I know.

I know I’ve said this before, but I’m really working on coming back. School has been rigorous since it started, and especially in the last two weeks or so. If I have time off, I want to use it to make up lost reading time. But alas, I have Thanksgiving Break in a couple of weeks and then Christmas Break a few weeks after that, so I’m hoping to draft some posts soon.

What this post is really about, though, is what I’ve read recently. I missed my wrap up posts the last two months, and thought I’d catch you all up. I’ve found a few new favorites but also become more critical, in my opinion, and also maintained a steady reading schedule despite school’s complications. 😉


All reviews can be found on my Goodreads! Link on the sidebar.

In September:

  • Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza, 4.5 stars – Don’t sleep on this book! It’s an amazing sci-fi with an epic female lead, aliens, a murder mystery, and interwoven discussions of racism and classism.
  • Noteworthy by Riley Redgate, 5 stars – A new favorite contemporary of mine. It has a bisexual Chinese main character, cross-dressing, an a cappella group, and it questions sexuality and gender roles. ❤
  • Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas, 3.5 stars (spoiler review) – My thoughts on this one are complicated. It was good, but I think it could’ve been shorter and found it to be ableist. I did like Chaol, for the most part, and Yrene is my new favorite character. I absolutely love her. I’ll be reading the final book.
  • Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, 2 stars – This was my first poetry collection, and while it was empowering, I also thought it was underwhelming.

“if you were born with
the weakness to fall
you were born with
the strength to rise”

“if the hurt comes
so will the happiness”

  • Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, 3.5 stars – Look, I finally read it! I’ve heard you love it or hate it, but I was more in the middle. I’m hoping to read the sequel soon.
  • The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid, 4.5 stars – Unexpectedly good! I loved the synthetic characters: the protagonist, Nemesis, and her dog, Deadly. All the scheming made it really interesting, but the slower pace kind of ruined it. I’m not sure when I’ll get to the second book, but I do want to read it.
  • Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, 4 stars – I chose this for my nonfiction book report in my astronomy class, and it was much better than I expected it would be. I’m not one for nonfiction, but this was a very informative and inspiring read. I want to see the movie!

In October:

  • Vicious by V.E. Schwab, 5 stars – After reading and loving five of her previous books, I had high expectations. They were met and exceeded. I’m curious to see what will happen in the sequel.
  • Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman, 4.5 stars – I’m glad Erika pushed me to read this. It’s a wonderful contemporary and I really enjoyed it. Anika and Lincoln are super cute, separately and together. Also, I appreciate that they both played sports; she was a surfer and he was a skateboarder.
  • Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia, 5 stars – I can’t even with this book. It’s a new favorite. Eliza and Wallace are so cute, so real, and if Monstrous Sea was a real thing I think I’d devour it. And I’m so glad an author finally made the Internet a big part of her characters’ lives! It makes the book even more relatable.
  • The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich, 4 stars – This was a really good, addicting story, albeit a slower one. It had an interesting premise, but the ending was kind of rushed and some scenes were overly cheesy. Once they got together, Caden and Dylan were cute.
  • One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, 3.5 stars – The killer was totally not who I expected. I suspected everyone except that person at some point. This book also had a great friendship between the “murder squad,” genuine sibling relationships, and a super cute couple. ❤
  • It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura, 3 stars – I found both cheating plots unnecessary and annoying, and neither one was really resolved. That was my main reason for the lower rating. I did like the Asian and Mexican representation, and the discussion of racism between nonwhite groups. Sana and Jamie were also very cute, despite the many challenges in their relationship. I loved that they exchanged their favorite poems with each other.
  • Once and For All by Sarah Dessen, 4 stars – I liked the wedding planning aspect of this book, as it’s something I’ve never seen before. I also liked Louna and Jilly’s friendship, and Louna and Ambrose’s romance. My favorite character was Ira, the dog. The one thing that ruined this for me was the insta-love between her and Ethan. What happened to him was sad, but she was so emotional and they literally spent one night together. That night was when they met, and had sex a few hours later. No thanks. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody, 5 stars – This was strange but so, so good. I loved basically everything. It was kind of like Caraval but darker, and with a thrilling murder mystery. I was completely shocked when the killer was revealed. Sorina and her illusions stole my heart. If there’s ever a sequel I’m going to devour it.
  • Midnight Jewel by Richelle Mead, 5 stars – Look who wrote it. Of course I loved it. MIRA AND GRANT HAVE MY HEART AND MY SOUL AND ALL MY EMOTIONS AND I NEED THE THIRD BOOK. WHAT A RIDE. Okay, I’m done… at least for now. 😉
  • Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali, 4.5 stars – This wasn’t quite a favorite, but it was still really good. I think it’s the first book I’ve read with a practicing Muslim protagonist, and I learned a lot about Islam while reading. I loved Janna, and that choice was a major theme; one girl wore a hijab, one wore a niqab, and another didn’t wear anything.

What books have you read recently? Any new favorites? Have you read any of the ones mentioned here? I’d love to know! 🙂


I’m off to continue reading The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson. 🙂 I hope you all have a fabulous day/night! ❤

Until next time…

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2 thoughts on “My Recent Reads: September and October

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