thelittlebookowl

Hi guys, so this isn’t going to be a long post compared to my other wrap up posts since I’ve only read 4 books. Considering I’ve been reading around 10 books a month, this month hasn’t been too good with reading. I’m just in that mood where you don’t read much – I think this is partly due to my mental health right now. November has been quite a low month for me and I haven’t had a lot of motivation. There are quite a few books I want to read on my shelves so I’m hoping I’ll be reading more soon. In terms of what I read, I did have a good reading month as I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read to varying degrees. I’m sorry I didn’t have time or energy to take my own photos but I’ve provided pictures I sourced from Goodreads. Let’s move onto the mini reviews.

 

The Alchemists of Loom / Elise Kova ★★★.5

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This is the first book in the Loom Saga. I thought this was a solid introduction into this new world but I definitely had a few small issues with it. It all felt quite surface level to me, especially the characters. I hope in the next books there will be more depth. The plot was enjoyable, although a little predictable at times. I have a full review scheduled for the end of December so keep an eye out for that if you are interested.

 

Eagles at War / Ben Kane ★★★★

This was the first book I’ve read by this author and the first historical fiction book I’ve read set in this time period. I very much enjoyed this book. The intrigue, the politics and the characters are all written very well. I personally found the intrigue and politics really interesting. The plot is engaging throughout, although some of the battle scenes are not for the faint hearted. Overall I thought this was a great historical fiction book and I will definitely be continuing on with this trilogy.

 

The Girl With the Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story / Hyenseo Lee ★★★★★

I read this as part of non fiction November. This was an amazing and interesting read – as I have previously mentioned I find this region of the world so fascinating and quite scary, so I am always interested in reading more about it. I don’t have a whole lot to say other than this book is worth a read. It is written accessibly so you don’t need any prior knowledge and I think it is so important to be aware of what is going on around the world.

 

Fool’s Fate / Robin Hobb ★★★★★

Wow this is such a fantastic trilogy and this was a wonderful conclusion. I don’t have alot to say other than I loved these books. There are a few things that didn’t make sense to me, but they are small issues and I can overlook them. The characters, the plot and the writing are all so good. Seriously check this author out. You definitely need to read the Farseer trilogy before reading this trilogy but it is well worth a read. Overall this was amazing.

 

I am also currently in the middle of three books, which I had hoped to finish in the November, but clearly that didn’t happen :). Those books are Middlemarch by George Eliot (around 400 pages in), The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu (600 pages in) and In the Shadow of the Sword by Tom Holland (over 100 pages in). I will be continuing on with these books into December – I hope to finish them soon. Other than those books I have some other books on my tbr. I know I didn’t have a great reading month in November but hopefully an ambitious TBR will encourage me to read. I have two ARCs I want to get to –  The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon and The Bear and the Nightingale by Katharine Arden. The first because I need to know what happens and the second so I can have a review for you guys when it comes out in January. The other books on my TBR are The Smoke Hunter by Jacquelyn Benson, Stamboul Train by Graham Green, Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Maurillier and Blood Song by Anthony Ryan. Wish me luck 🙂 I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

 

Pippa