September turned out to be an insanely good reading month for me. I don’t know how, but I managed to read no less than 26 books! I’m quite pleased about that, of course:)
Ann Brashares – Forever in Blue (The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants #4)
Out of all four of these books, this one is my least favorite, mostly because of the lack of interaction between the main characters. Some of the characters were rather annoying throughout the book, but I do like the ending.
Adam Silvera – They Both Die at the End
For my review, click here!
D.E. Night – The Crowns of Croswald
To read my full review, click this link!
Leigh Bardugo – Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1)
When you stay up until 3 a.m. to finish a book, I guess it’s safe to say you love it, right? I had high expectations of this book, as Leigh Bardugo is known to keep improving her writing and it was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. It definitely came through!! I was hooked from the first chapter, Leigh Bardugo’s writing was again better than ever and it was action-packed but with a focus on the amazing characters and their often hilarious interaction. Diana is such a great main character!
Jessica Brody – A Week of Mondays
I was hoping for a fun romantic comedy, like the one that obviously served as inspiration for it: Groundhog Day. But it wasn’t. Instead, it was the story of a girl who’s lost herself in all the things people expect from her. This could be a great topic, as it’s very relevant, but unfortunately Ellie proved to be quite an annoying main character: she’s shallow, she’s not a fast learner (who needs this many do-overs to figure out how things are?), and she never even considers just being herself until the last moment. The ending does make up for a lot, because that’s when Ellie finally takes control over her own life and starts seeing people for who they are: with all sorts of different aspects instead of stereotypes.
L. Frank Baum – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (The Wizard of Oz #1)
I can’t believe I’ve never read this before! The Wizard of Oz is such a cute read, but inspiring too, and it’s full of endearing characters.
Marvel Now! – Ms. Marvel, vol. 3: Crushed
These comics keep getting better! I was hooked from the start, because Loki?! Kamala goes through a lot of character development in this one: she has a first crush, and she loses some of her naiveté. *goes and orders the 4th volume*
Cornelia Funke – Inkspell (Inkheart #2)
This book was quite a lot slower than Inkheart, so it took me a lot longer to get through it. The plot was again really strong, and I loved the World of Ink, but I felt it lacked a lot of character development.
Becky Albertalli – The Upside of Unrequited
This was such a cute read, and I found Molly to be maybe the only main character ever I could relate to when it comes to the way she viewed her body. There’s this one quote that sums it all up: “I hate hating my body. Actually, I don’t even hate my body. I just worry everyone else might.” Yes, she’s insecure, but she doesn’t take criticism from other people and she has a good sense of selfworth. Furthermore, I really loved the romance in this book (the main love interest is so adorable!), and Molly’s family and friends. However, I did massively dislike Cassie “I can just belittle my sister all the time because calling out others for their shit gives me enough karma points already”, and I think the first half of the book put a problematic emphasis of the importance of a boyfriend/girlfriend to give someone a sense of selfworth and make them count in the eyes of others. This got a lot better in the second half though!
Marvel Now! – Hawkeye, vol. 1
This comic came recommended by a lot of people, and maybe that raised my expectations too high, but I was a little underwhelmed. It’s just that it was a little boring… I did like Kate, however!
Marina Gessner – The Distance From Me To You
This book was such a pleasant surprise! The blurb promised me I’d want to walk the Appalachian Trail myself after reading it, but that was gonna be a long shot anyway and I really don’t want to do that. However, it was so much fun reading about it! McKenna was an amazing main character: idealistic and romantic, but with a good sense of reality, and the kind of girl who really knows how to stand up for herself and take care of herself. The ending felt a little rushed, but overall, I really enjoyed this book and it makes for a great summer read!
Loryn Brantz – Lady Stuff
Read my review here!
McKelle George – Speak Easy, Speak Love
Check out my full review here!
Noelle Stevenson – Nimona
A lot of people told me how good Nimona was, so my expectations were pretty high. All I can say is: go read! It’s so cute, and pretty funny at the start, but it slowly gets more depth. There’s a lot of character development, and a strong plot. It makes you question who’s the villain, who’s the hero, and who’s the monster.
Marvel Now! – Ms. Marvel, vol. 4: Last Days
Kamala finally meets Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, and I can tell you: there’s a fair share of fangirling! In the wake of what seems to be an upcoming apocalyps, Kamala learns some important lessons about what it really means to be a superhero, and gets a renewed appreciation for her family at the same time. These comics are incredibly well-paced, and Kamala is an adorable but fierce main character.
Sarah J. Maas – Tower of Dawn
This book was a massive disappointment for me. I wasn’t much of a Chaol fan to begin with, but I was too invested in this series not to read it. It was gonna be a novella at first, of course, and I think it would have been better that way, because this book was unnecessarily long, and throughout most of the book, not much happened. I will say I liked Yrene and it got a little better towards the end – and that cliffhanger makes it almost impossible to wait another year…
Alex Gino – George
So cute and so relevant. I would honestly recommend this to anyone, and mostly to parents and teachers. Melissa is such a pure main character, and the story was very well paced as well.
Jason Reynolds – Miles Morales
This was my first time reading about Miles Morales as Spider-Man, and I loved it! It was a lot different from what I expected, but in all the best ways. Rather than a fun novel about a superhero solving all the problems in his neighborhood, this was an important story about the life of a black kid and the issues he encounters in day-to-day life. The only thing I would have liked, is more answers about the villain(s). It would be great to get a sequel at some point!!
Cassandra Clare – City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
The first time I read this, I wasn’t a fan. But then the characters stayed with me as they sometimes unexpectedly do, and I watched the Netflix show, which I enjoyed, so I decided to give The Mortal Instruments a second chance. Especially since I want to reread The Infernal Devices as well – a series I liked a lot more than TMI, to be fair – and I want to read Lady Midnight. I liked this first book a lot more the second time around, mostly because of what I know will happen next, if that makes any sense. It’s not the best book ever, but it’s so entertaining and there are a lot of amazing characters that really save the book.
Tara Altebrando – The Leaving
This book has a very interesting premisse that holds a lot of potential, but I didn’t think the author really exploited that. There was little to no character development, and although it was plot driven, there were also quite a few plotholes and it left me with several questions, even though it was pretty straightforward and almost boring at the same time.
Neil Gaiman – The Sleeper and the Spindle
I’m a sucker for fairytale retellings, and this delivered. In a few words, it’s Snow White meets Sleeping Beauty with a twist. The vibe is that of a somewhat creepy fairytale, and the beautiful illustrations really added to that!
Sebastian de Castell – Spellslinger
Spellslinger came recommended by so many people, I just had to pick it up as soon as possible! I’m glad I did, because this was a refreshingly original fantasy, without the usual black and white battle between good and bad, but with a lot of troubled, complicated characters and situations instead. Reichis seriously reminded me of Rocket Raccoon, which was pretty awesome, and Ferius Parfax was such a cool character as well, not to mention the main character, Kellen, who went through a lot of growth. Would definitely recommend!
Sonia Patel – Jaya and Rasa: A Love Story
This book clearly had a lot of potential, but the writing felt forced and there was so much drama that it quickly started feeling like the author had a list of horrible things that should happen and was trying to tick off as many as possible. I sincerely question the labelling of this book as young adult, because of the amount of mature and possibly triggering content.
Jenna Evans Welch – Love and Gelato
This was a pretty cute summer read, and even if I expected it to be a little clichéd, it was still overly dramatic at times, especially when it comes to the mystery Lina is trying to solve. On the other hand, other parts of the book weren’t dramatical enough, which made Lina’s character feel a little unrealistic at times.
Marissa Meyer – Wires and Nerve (Wires and Nerve #1)
Wires and Nerve continues where Winter ended, which is perfect, because Stars Above left me craving more. The format was amazing for this, making all the characters come to life in a way that fits the rest of the series so well! The art work is beautiful and the use of blue color tones only works so well for this story. This book was much like the others: you get all the amazing characters, and there’s humour and romance and a fast-paced, action-packed plot. But it adds more as well: Iko’s character gets more depth, and you see her struggle to get acknowledged as an actual person instead of a default android as a lot of people see her.
Tamora Pierce – Alanna: The First Adventure (The Song of the Lioness #1)
The Song of the Lioness is a somewhat older fantasy series, and it’s great to see one that offers female empowerment for younger readers for a change! At times it’s clear where certain ideas may be a little outdated, but overall, Alanna is a great first installment with a strong, loveable main character and a good plot, mostly focussed on introducing the characters and world building. I’m very curious to see what happens next and how Alanna will develop!
Conclusion
I’m really happy with this month’s wrap-up, not just because it’s a big one, but mainly because I read so many great books, and I got to read a lot more graphic novels! I’m really loving those, so if you have any recommendations for graphic novels and/or comic novelizations (like Warbringer and Miles Morales) you think I might like, please let me know!!
Anniek's Library 
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