“Waxillium Ladrian, lawman for hire, swung off his horse and turned to face the saloon.”
First line in Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
Hi guys and welcome to my wrap up of the most pitiful reading month I’ve had in years. I finished… 3 books. 3!?!? I even had a TBR for this month because I wanted to read all the sequels for Sequel September. I only read 2.
However, I’ve also been reading 3 others books this month that I just wasn’t able to finish. Those include The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan and Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (reread). I will definitely finish the last two of those very soon.
My personal life has partly been what kept me from reading very much this month. I took a big step and started seeing a therapist for my social anxiety, which I probably should have done 10 years ago. I hope it will end up making my life just a little bit easier but we’ll see. So far, so good. Enough of that. Let me tell you about those infamous 3 books I read this month.
Shadows of Self (Book 5 in Mistborn)
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Fantasy
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Synopsis: Shadows of Self shows Mistborn’s society evolving as technology and magic mix, the
economy grows, democracy contends with corruption, and religion becomes a
growing cultural force, with four faiths competing for converts.
This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society now faces its first instance
of terrorism, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict.
Wax and Wayne, assisted by the lovely, brilliant Marasi, must unravel the
conspiracy before civil strife stops Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.
My thoughts
I enjoyed this one a lot more than the previous installment in the series, The Alloy of Law. It felt more like Mistborn. Like we actually came back to the world we spent the first three books in. The plot was amazing and detailed. I kept guessing what the ending would be but I didn’t get it right of course. As usual, Sanderson threw in a plot twist that made me question my own sanity but that’s how it’s supposed to be. I still don’t care to much for the western and detective-solving-a-crime vibes from it. I still love Wayne dearly, but I hate how he’s being reduced to a comic relief. There’s really not much of a point to his character.
The Stone Sky (Book 3 in The Broken Earth)
Author: N. K. Jemisin
Genre: Fantasy
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Synopsis: This is
the way the world ends… for the last time.
The Moon will soon return. Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or
something worse will depend on two women.
Essun has inherited the power of Alabaster Tenring. With it, she hopes to find
her daughter Nassun and forge a world in which every orogene child can grow up
safe.
For Nassun, her mother’s mastery of the Obelisk Gate comes too late. She has
seen the evil of the world, and accepted what her mother will not admit: that
sometimes what is corrupt cannot be cleansed, only destroyed.
My thoughts
This final book in the trilogy is probably my favorite one. I definitely liked it a lot more than book 2 which just seemed like a filler book to me. In The Stone Sky, I really liked how it all came together although the ending itself was a little underwhelming. The lead-up to it was great. I think my favorite part of the book was seeing Essun’s complete character arc. How she has developed through her life really made me feel something. I’m still not a fan of the writing style but the story and especially its modern themes has kept me reading. It’s honestly magnificent how Jemisin has incorporated these themes of racism and love of nature into a fantasy story.
Timekeeper (Book 1 in Timekeeper)
Author: Tara Sim
Genre: YA fantasy/steampunk
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars!!!
Synopsis: Two o’clock was missing.
In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time – and a destroyed one can stop it completely.
It’s a truth that 17-year-old clock mechanic Danny Hart knows all too well; his father has been trapped in a Stopped town east of London for three years. Though Danny is a prodigy who can repair not only clockwork but the very fabric of time, his fixation with staging a rescue is quickly becoming a concern to his superiors. And so they assign him to Enfield, a town where the tower seems to be forever plagued with problems.
Danny’s new apprentice both annoys and intrigues him, and though the boy is eager to work, he maintains a secretive distance. Danny soon discovers why: He is the tower’s clock spirit, a mythical being that oversees Enfield’s time. Though the boys are drawn together by their loneliness, Danny knows falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden and means risking everything he’s fought to achieve.
But when a series of bombings at nearby towers threaten to Stop more cities, Danny must race to prevent Enfield from becoming the next target, or he’ll lose not only his father but the boy he loves – forever.
My thoughts
Timekeeper was such a surprisingly good read for me. It’s has a very sweet romance and the plot revolves around a very cool concept about clocktowers. It felt very unique to me which I really appreciated. When reading YA I often get the feeling that I’ve read the story before but not this time. Also, even though it had a bit of a slow start, the ending was magnificent. I was so enthralled that I couldn’t put the book down. If you want to know more of my thoughts on Timekeeper, I have a full review for it right here.
That was it for my reading in September. It can only get better from here lol. Maybe this was proof that I should never make a TBR again. I felt so limited and because I use my library so much, it also felt kind of stressful. I learned a lot but I’m not doing that again so hopefully you won’t miss it.
I hope you had a great reading month. What was your favorite book of the month? Also, what is your experiences with TBRs? Let me know what you think of them.
First Line Reader 