Hello!

With not only December coming to an end but also 2016, I wanted to add more books to my total books read for the year so I managed to scrape in 5 books in December which I am extremely happy with. The previous months I wasn't reading as much because of university and I also fell into a slightly small slump. But I should also mention that the books I did read were of pretty good quality, some of them being possible favourites of the year! If you're interested I have a video version of this on my YouTube channel, click here for that. Otherwise keep reading...


DECEMBER WRAP UP

1. Falling Into Place - Amy Zhang
Last month I read my first novel from this author and thoroughly enjoyed her writing and was very keen to dive into this one. The chapters are based on the before's and after's with a girl who is in a car accident at the beginning of the book. It has multiple points of views and I didn't mind one bit. Each chapter held little bits of information that really added to the story and it made me crave each chapter and it was extremely hard to put down; this fact made me read it in about three sittings (which is reaaallly great for me!) Despite being based around high school aged characters, I loved the way it was written. Highly recommend this novel!
5/5


2. Rebel of the Sands - Alwyn Hamilton
I had seen this floating around the book community for a while, even after I bought it, so I finally started reading and this was yet another book that I didn't want to put down. Amani is eager to move out of her crappy desert town and on to better things. She meets a foreign boy who is in trouble with the law and they set out together to find whatever it is they wish to find. The story is an interesting one that has bits of fantasy and diversity in it and incredibly easy to read. I am eagerly awaiting the release of book two, Traitor to the Throne.
5/5


3. Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson
This was a reread for me; I first read the book a few years ago from the library and finally purchased my own copy. This was a quick read because I once again, found it hard to put down. It follows Lia, a girl with anorexia, whose old best friend just died (who also had an eating disorder). It delves into the mind of disordered eating and how this mental illness can affect all aspects of life. You need to go into this book with an open mind, you cannot be mad at the main character when she doesn't do what she should and it may take some time for you to start to understand that mental illnesses can control the host. I shall also give it a trigger warning for those struggling with disordered eating. Nonetheless, it is one of my favourite books ever.
5/5

4. Desolation - Derek Landy
Book two in the Demon Road trilogy; I wasn't actually expecting much from this book because the first one was pretty average, but after getting through a few chapters I found myself enjoying it immensely. I felt that everything that was wrong with Demon Road was improved in this book. It had plenty of action and a good story. I've already started book three because I need to know what happens next! For a full review of Demon Road click here, and for a full review of Desolation click here.
4/5


5. American Monsters - Derek Landy
The final instalment of the Demon Road trilogy; I was eager to get to this one as I really enjoyed the previous book. This book had quite a clear storyline/plot which I felt wasn't as clear in the first two, so that was a plus. I didn't find it as interesting as Desolation but still a fun and enjoyable read for teenage and some young adult readers. There were a few events I was surprised by - both good and bad. There was one particular thing that happened where I felt it wasn't written about enough so I kind of felt cheated almost. But overall, I enjoyed this trilogy.For a full review click here.
3.5/5


JANUARY TBR

1. Illuminae - Jay Kristoff & Amy Kaufman
2. Kiss of Fire - Rebecca Ethington
3. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire - J.K Rowling


That's all for my January TBR at the moment, no doubt I'll add more to it but I'm waiting to see what I'm in the mood for.
Be sure to check out my YouTube channel because I upload there regularly (Erena Reads or click the link below).

See you soon for more bookish posts!

x


WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:
Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Erena Reads or click here

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Hello! Yes, I'm still around...
My November was somewhat busy with my end of semester uni exams (thank god that's over) and at the end of November I jet setter off to the other side of the international date line to the West Coast of America. In the time that I wasn't doing either of those things, I kind of just slowly read and watched lots of TV, thus bringing my book count of the month to three. I'm not really bothered that it was little, I did what my brain/heart/body wanted to do. So, are those three books...
Check out my video for my November Wrap Up here. And my December TBR video here.





NOVEMBER WRAP UP 

1. This is Where the World Ends - Amy Zhang
This story gave me an All the Bright Places vibe but I still very much enjoyed it and loved reading it. This is told in alternative points of view and in different times. The story starts with Micah in 'after' and switches to Janie with 'before' with small snippets of Janie's journal. This story tells the heartbreaking story of Micah waking up in hospital with no recollection of the past month (I think??) and his best friend Janie, missing. Despite the story being about high school aged characters, I felt that it was written in a much more mature way which is a must for me to enjoy the book. I enjoyed the format of the book - I also think this made it more addicting to read as I needed to know what happened. But beware, this book may give you all the feels! Full review here.
4/5

 2. A Torch Against the Night - Sabaa Tahir
I received this book in the middle of my exam week so I had to hold off for a couple of days but I dove straight into when I could. Book two in the An Ember in the Ashes series, the story continues with Elias and Laia on the run and I didn't realise how much I missed Elias. In this book we get point of view chapters from Elias, Laia AND Helene which I loved reading from (mainly because my new fave character Avitas Harper was in almost all her chapters). Each chapter kept me wanting more and I highly recommend this series. I loved this more than book one too!
5/5

3. The Unexpected Everything - Morgan Matson
I had been meaning to get around this for a while now and I'm so glad I finally picked it up because this was such an enjoyable read. This starts off as a fun and light contemporary but it transitions into so much more than that. I found myself wanting to live the story and there were plenty of times where my heart wanted to lurch out of its place. This is definitely a read for teenagers, young adults and lovers of YA fiction. A really great read and I absolutely recommend!
5/5

With these ratings, I'm happy with only reading three books. These are the books I'm hoping to read in the month of December:

DECEMBER TBR

1. Falling into Place - Amy Zhang
2. Rebel of the Sands - Alwyn Hamilton
3. Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson (reread)
4. Desolation - Derek Landy
5. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire - JK Rowling (reread)

See you soon for more bookish posts! Make sure you check out my Instagram and YouTube channel :)



WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:
Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Erena Reads or click here

Follow my blog with Bloglovin'!

'Allo!
October was a very busy month for me, sadly it won't stop just yet, but we are close! I had so much uni going on that it was hard to read everything I wanted. I only managed to finish three books this month but they were stellar reads and I'm incredibly happy with my reading month. If you want to watch my YouTube video version of this click here!




OCTOBER WRAP UP

1. Disruption - Jessica Shirvington
By an Australian Young Adult author whom also wrote one of my fave series ever (Embrace/The Violet Eden series) comes this YA dystopian set in a world ruled by technology. I've been really getting into the dystopian genre in the last couple years and when I come across books like this, it really doesn't disappoint. Within the first few chapters, I felt like I really had a grasp on what was going on in the story which made it not only easier to read, but I wanted to keep reading as well to find out more. The flow of this story was really spot on and you weren't left wondering "Wait, what just happened?" or "I can't remember who that is..." - you know that kind of feeling? I really enjoyed this story and while it didn't end on a cliffhanger, I was glad I already had the next book because it was kind of a 'I need to know what happens next' ending. Full review here!
4.5/5

2. Corruption - Jessica Shirvington
Straight into book two was a must for me. I won't go too much into the story as I don't want to give anything away however, this one was even better than book one. I found myself filled with anxiety over what was going to happen to the characters, I was angry at others and I just fell in love with this story even more. It is once again, action packed and there were so many times I just had no idea what was going to happen next. This story keeps you on your toes and is begging to be read until it's finished. I have a full review here if you want to know more.
5/5

3. Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo
After reading falling in love with Six of Crows and all its characters, I couldn't wait to get into not only book two but sadly, the last book *sobs*. When I'm really looking forward to a book I try not have too many exceptions (to avoid disappointment) but I couldn't help myself. I was so damn excited to be back in this world that I was almost planning out futures I wanted for all the characters. This novel exceeded my exceptions and I felt so involved  in the story. The story itself has so much character and so much thought put into all its characters. Leigh Bardugo did a damn fantastic job and I can't wait to see what else she writes. I highly recommend this YA fantasy novel. It goes to place number #2 on my 2016 list (I don't think anything will beat ACOMAF but this was close!).
ps - I cried like a baby (a quiet baby though).
5/5

So uhh, yes... that is it for my wrap up. Like I said, stellar reads; quality over quantity this month.
In just over a week I'll be done with uni for the year (the thought, while exciting, is scary because that means four exams that are going to do my head in) and that means relaxing and reading and going on holiday. Yes, I'm going on holiday (West Coast USA) and while I plan to take my kindle loaded with books, I also am gonna focus on the fact that I'm travelling in a new country and I'll be doing fun things, such as going to Harry Potter world at Universal Studios. ANYWAYS, here is my November TBR...

NOVEMBER TBR

1. This is Where the World Ends - Amy Zhang
2. Nevernight - Jay Kristoff
3. The Unexpected Everything - Morgan Matson
4. A Torch Against the Night - Sabaa Tahir


If you want to know more about these books check out my YouTube video as I talk a bit more about them there.

That's all from me! Happy reading :)



WHERE YOU CAN FIND ME:
Contact: erenabennett@hotmail.com
Instagram: @erenareads & @erena_b
Goodreads: @erenareads
Twitter: @erenareads
YouTube: Erena Reads or click here

Follow my blog with Bloglovin'!