Month: March 2019

Extra, Favorites

Bookish Items That I Absolutely Love

autumnbookreads

Hello Lovelies! The idea for this post just popped into my head and wouldn’t go away so I knew I had to do it. Today, I am going to be showing you pictures of all of my favorite bookish items that I have. Hope you enjoy!

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These are my bookish pins. I love them all so much and I even have multiples of certain ones.

  • I got the Terrasen pin from the Kingdom of Ash pre-order campaign. I have three of them.

  • I got the Night Court pin from the ACOFAS pre-order campaign.

  • I got the Shadowhunter Army pin when I met Cassandra Clare when she went on tour for Queen of Air and Darkness. I have four of these.

  • I got the I ❤️ ____ pins as well as the A Court of Smut and Wingspans pin from BookishStuff. I have three of the Cassian one.

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This Shadowhunter Rune Light-switch Cover is truly one of my favorite items of all time and I don’t see anything topping it anytime soon. I got it from BookishStuff.

This is one key chain, I just wanted you to be able to see both sides. I got it when I went to see Sarah J. Maas on the Tower of Dawn tour. It is one of the very first bookish items I received and it holds a special place in my heart.

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These pens are what inspired this post. Every time I see them, I have to just stop and stare. I am just absolutely in love with these pens! I got them in-store at Books-A-Million. In case you can’t see them clearly enough, they say:

  • BOYS IN BOOKS ARE BETTER

  • PROFESSIONAL Fan Girl

  • TALK Darcy TO ME

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I feel like this magnet embodies me as a person. I saw it in the Books-A-Million store and just knew I had to have it!

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This is a Game of Thrones, Stark inspired, goblet that my mom bought for me as a Christmas present. It came from Books-A-Million as well.

Even though I am a cat person, the wolf is my spirit animal. These book-ends are absolutely breath taking and every time I look at them, I still can’t believe that I have them in my possession. I bought them in-store at Books-A-Million (I think you are starting to see where I go for the majority of my book shopping).

I found the link for them if you want to buy them for yourself: BAM Link

These are some of my favorite bookish necklaces. I’m sorry if the chains don’t look the best, but it is harder than you might think to lay out necklace chains for a picture.

  • The Targaryen symbol one I got from Ebay.

  • I got the Angelic Power Rune with the blue around it and the moon from Amazon. If you want to buy it for yourself, use this link.

  • The black Angelic Power Rune I got from the TMI movie exclusive box. They aren’t selling these anymore, but you could check Ebay and other websites if you really want it.

  • The final Angelic Power Rune with the other runes surrounding it was bought from Wish.

I don’t have a lot of Funko Pops, but I absolutely adore the ones that I do have. They are all Game of Thrones inspired and I plan to get more of them soon.

  • The Jon Snow was bought for me by my dad when MomoCon came to Atlanta last year. If you want to buy it for yourself, use this link.

  • The Daenerys Targaryen was bought from Amazon. If you want to buy it for yourself, use this link.

  • The Grey Worm (my baby) was bought from Amazon. If you want to buy it for yourself, use this link.

  • The Ghost one also came from Amazon. If you want to buy it for yourself, use this link.

  • The Daenerys and Drogon one was bought from Amazon. If you want to buy it for yourself, use this link.

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Both of these pillows will always hold a special place in my heart because I bought them when I was in the thick of my Sarah J. Maas phase (though is it really a phase if I still feel the same way? 😃). They both hold a lot of meaning for me.

I was broken after Empire of Storms and, even though that pillow might be silly to some, it is all truth for me. I survived EoS, not just read it.

I bought both pillows from Redbubble. The link for the “To Whatever End” pillow is here and the EoS pillow link can be found here.

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These are my Academy/The Ghost Bird bracelets. The front has the Academy symbol on it and the back has the words “The Academy” and NEVER ALONE. The green one represents Kota and the purple one represents Dr. Green. I got them both completely random from the StoneStudios shop on Etsy. Unfortunately, the shop has been closed down since then.

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These are my Academy/The Ghost Bird stickers. I have two of each one and I will treasure them always. I bought them from StoneStudios as well and, since the shop has been shut down, I will never be using them since I can’t get them back 😢.

If you are still here, I thank you very much. Even though this post took FOREVER to set up and type, it was totally worth it. I love each and every one of these bookish items and I am SO thankful that I had the opportunity to buy them. What are some of your favorite bookish items? If you have any questions about the ones on my list, please let me know! ~𝒜𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓂𝓃

 

Dark, Favorites, Reviews, Romance, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6) by Gena Showalter

autumnbookreads

7519472

∴ Goodreads | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Books-A-Million ∴

Synopsis:

Forced to his knees in agony whenever he speaks the truth, Gideon can recognize any lie – until he captures Scarlet, a demon-possessed immortal who claims to be his long-lost wife. He doesn’t remember the beautiful female, much less wedding – or bedding – her.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

The simple fact was, he loved her. Loved her with every breath in his body, every cell in his blood, every bone and organ he possessed. He loved her to the depths of his very soul. Had only taken five minutes after she’d walked away to realize it.”

I loved this book. As usual with this series, the plot was fast paced and flowed really well. I enjoyed seeing the old characters and the new. I got to be in Amun and Strider’s heads which was new but I really liked it. I love any glimpse of the Lords of the Underworld whose stories have not been told yet. I am very interested to see where their stories are going.

I liked Scarlet. I thought she was a little stubborn considering, in her mind, her and Gideon had already had a relationship. Why she was stubborn was understandable though so I didn’t let that affect my enjoyment of the story too much. Besides that, I thought she was extremely strong and brave. She never backed down from a fight even when the odds were against her. I enjoyed having a main character that was possessed by a demon but wasn’t one of the Lords. I found it really interesting and hope more main characters are like that in the future.

I liked Gideon. I thought that he was really honorable and loyal considering he was possessed by the demon of Lies. He was strong willed and I liked how he didn’t take no for an answer when it came to Scarlet. I will admit that one thing I didn’t like about Gideon was constantly trying to figure out what he meant. He can only speak in lies so I would have to decipher what he was trying to say every other sentence which got a little annoying.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I love this series and every time there is new character development. Whether that is with new characters or old ones. I will definitely be continuing the series. I am pretty sure Amun is next and I am excited to read his story after seeing what happened to him in this book.

Other Books in the Series:

4.25 🍁s ~ The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Angel (Lords of the Underworld #4.5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter

3.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Seduction (Lords of the Underworld #9) by Gena Showalter

2.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter

3 🍁s ~ The Darkest Touch (Lords of the Underworld #11) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld #13) by Gena Showalter

DNF ~ The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld #14) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld #14.5) by Gena Showalter

Dark, Favorites, Reviews, Romance, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter

autumnbookreads

6758331

∴ Goodreads | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Books-A-Million ∴

Synopsis:

For weeks, the immortal warrior Aeron has sensed an invisible female presence. An angel-demon-assassin has been sent to kill him. Or has she? Olivia claims she fell from the heavens, giving up immortality because she couldn’t bear to harm him. But trusting – and falling for – Olivia will endanger them all. So how has this mortal with the huge blue eyes already unleashed Aeron’s darkest passion?

With an enemy hot on his trail and his faithful demon companion determined to remove Olivia from his life, Aeron is trapped between duty and consuming desire. Worse still, a new executioner has been sent to do the job Olivia wouldn’t…

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

Because you aren’t who you think you are. You aren’t what everyone else believes. You might have delivered countless deaths but you love more fiercely than anyone I’ve ever known.”

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT:
I loved this book. The plot was fast paced and flowed very well. I enjoyed seeing all of the old characters and meeting the new ones. This book took me on an emotional roller coaster let me tell you. One minute, I was so angry I wanted to scream at some of the characters and the next, I was crying my eyes out.

I loved Olivia. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was good. I admired her strength and determination throughout this book. I loved watching her grow and learn to deal with her now human traits. I enjoyed watching her grow more confident in herself and I loved every minute of her attempts to seduce Aeron. To be an angel one minute, fall, then endure what she did, you would have to be an unbelievably strong person which is what Olivia was.

I really liked Aeron. He was a little stubborn in the beginning and I wanted to punch him now and then, but I still liked him. One thing that annoyed me to no end was his blind spot when it came to Legion. I liked Legion before starting this book, but her actions were completely selfish and childish. There were many things that happened in this book that wouldn’t have if Aeron would have explained to Legion that he only saw her as a daughter and if he would have been more stern with her regarding their relationship. I was surprised at how much guilt Aeron felt because of his actions. Aeron really tortured himself because of the actions Wrath led him to do throughout his life. I thought that his character development was good with a drastic difference from where the book started to where it ended.

Overall, I did enjoy this book even though it brought me through the emotional wringer. I am curious about William and Gilly because it did seem like William wanted her at certain points in this book. I look forward to finding out more. I am very interested in finding out more about Scarlet and Gideon’s relationship. I understand that their book will be next so I am very excited.

Other Books in the Series:

4.25 🍁s ~ The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Angel (Lords of the Underworld #4.5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter

3.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Seduction (Lords of the Underworld #9) by Gena Showalter

2.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter

3 🍁s ~ The Darkest Touch (Lords of the Underworld #11) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld #13) by Gena Showalter

DNF ~ The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld #14) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld #14.5) by Gena Showalter

Dark, Favorites, Reviews, Romance, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

The Darkest Angel (Lords of the Underworld #4.5) by Gena Showalter

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18761015

∴ Goodreads | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble ∴

Synopsis:

Winged warrior Lysander has been alive for centuries, and yet he’s never known
desire—until he meets Bianka. Spawned from the bloodline of his enemy, the beautiful but deadly Harpy is determined to lead the untouched Lysander into temptation. He may try to evade her attempts, but even the most iron-willed demon assassin can resist for only so long…

🍁🍁🍁🍁

I really liked this novella. When I first saw this book listed in the series order, I skipped it because it didn’t involve any of the Lords of the Underworld. But after reading the next few installments after this one, I realized that Bianka and Lysander’s story was necessary and I really wanted to read it. And let me say… I am so glad I did! This was a great addition to the series and it provided some details for the future installments. I wish that I would have read it sooner.

I really liked Bianka. She was snarky and always had something to say. I loved her attitude because it made her fun to follow. I enjoyed how she was always getting into trouble and because of this, it was really funny to watch her and Lysander interact.

I liked Lysander, but his do-gooder personality did get on my nerves sometimes. At times, it came off like he felt like he was better than everyone else and anyone that had committed any sin was less than him. That got on my nerves a little and did take away from my enjoyment of his character.

Overall, I did enjoy this novella. It was short and sweet. I had fun while reading it and I learned some more things about this series that I hadn’t known previously. I definitely think that it was worth the read.

Other Books in the Series:

4.25 🍁s ~ The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter

3.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Seduction (Lords of the Underworld #9) by Gena Showalter

2.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter

3 🍁s ~ The Darkest Touch (Lords of the Underworld #11) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld #13) by Gena Showalter

DNF ~ The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld #14) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld #14.5) by Gena Showalter

Dark, Favorites, Reviews, Romance, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter

autumnbookreads

5509920

∴ Goodreads | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Books-A-Million ∴

Synopsis:

He is the keeper of Doubt and his entire world’s about to be rocked.

Bound by the demon of Doubt, Sabin unintentionally destroys even the most confident of lovers. So the immortal warrior spends his time on the battlefield instead of the bedroom, victory his only concern…until he meets Gwendolyn the Timid. One taste of the beautiful redhead, and he craves more.

Gwen, an immortal herself, always thought she’d fall for a kind human who wouldn’t rouse her darker side. But when Sabin frees her from prison, battling their enemies for the claim to Pandora’s box turns out to be nothing compared to the battle Sabin and Gwen will wage against love…

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If only Paris and the Harpies had gotten along. But Promiscuity had taken one look at the beautiful women and deemed them “too much effort.”

I liked this book. It started out with a bang and I was hooked after that. We were introduced to some new characters while still getting to see some of the old ones. One thing I really like about this series is how little things in previous books can come back and play major roles later on. It is amazing how Gena Showalter consistently ties things together and how she does it so well.

I liked Gwen. She had major character development and I loved rooting for her. I liked watching her find her inner strength and learning to be confident in herself and her abilities. I liked getting to see her grow more confident and not let other people tell her what to do. She was in such a bad place to start this book so it is great to see where she ended up.

I liked Sabin. He also had major character development and I was pleasantly surprised where he ended up. He was so cutthroat and borderline heartless to start this book so to see him turn around was a small miracle in itself. I liked that Gwen made him a better person and how he admitted that the way he used to look at things was wrong. I appreciate the fact that he changed his outlook on things and grew confident in Gwen’s abilities to let her fight even though all he wanted to do was lock her up and keep her safe.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I really enjoy all of the Greek Mythology references and love learning about new mythological races (like Gwen’s) that I knew nothing about previously. I love this series and while I won’t binge read them all at once, I will definitely continue.

Other Books in the Series:

4.25 🍁s ~ The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Angel (Lords of the Underworld #4.5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter

3.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Seduction (Lords of the Underworld #9) by Gena Showalter

2.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter

3 🍁s ~ The Darkest Touch (Lords of the Underworld #11) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld #13) by Gena Showalter

DNF ~ The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld #14) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld #14.5) by Gena Showalter

Dark, Favorites, Reviews, Romance, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter

autumnbookreads

2712967

∴ Goodreads | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository ∴

Synopsis:

Reyes is a man possessed. Bound by the demon of pain, he is forbidden to know pleasure. Yet he craves a mortal woman, Danika Ford, more than breath and will do anything to claim her–even defy the gods.Danika is on the run. For months she’s eluded the Lords of the Underworld, immortal warriors who won’t rest until she and her family have been destroyed. But her dreams are haunted by Reyes, the warrior whose searing touch she can’t forget. Yet a future together could mean death to all they both hold dear….

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

We must fight for what we want or it will be taken from us.”

MINOR SPOILERS THROUGHOUT:
I loved this book! It is the best in the series so far. It is was fast paced and constantly had my attention. We got some new characters while also getting to see more of the characters we already know. I feel like the more of these books I read, I just get drawn deeper and deeper into the world. I love the characters and the story more and more each book. The concept is so unique and brilliant.

This was Reyes’s book. I loved him as a main character. I felt so bad for him because his demon is Pain and he can’t go long without having to inflict self harm to get relief from the demon. In fact, the opening scene is of him jumping off a building to make his demon settle down. He has so much guilt and self hatred it is unreal. A big part of him wants to just end it all. He met Danika in the first book and, since then, he hasn’t been able to get her out of his head. She soothes his demon and I just loved that. I felt like the author make it for realistic that while Danika reduces the amount of cutting, he still has to do it. I felt like that was different and made the book a lot more believable.

Danika is amazing. She is so strong and has grown so much since book one. She used to be meek and frightened of everything but not anymore. She actually stood up to Reyes and told him no. In fact, at one point, she broke his nose! I can honestly say I have never read a book where the main girl intentionally broke her love interests nose. I admire her strength and her willingness to live. I also admire her passion and the lengths she will go to protect the people she loves. I can’t wait to see more of her in the future.

I have to say that I have a new favorite character… Legion! I absolutely love her! When she first showed up to Aeron I was like WTH?! but she grew on me as the book went on. She is so protective of Aeron and he of her. It is so adorable. Danika does mention at the end of the book that she feels sorry for whatever girl tries to get close to Aeron because of Legion. This makes me wonder if Legion will be Aeron’s love interest? She does soothe him just by being in his presence. Will she get a human form later in the series and be his girl?

Another character I found myself loving was Gideon. I don’t know why but something about him just draws me in. Even though all he can say are lies, whenever he talks, I find myself laughing. I can’t wait for his book. I need it SO bad! Honorable mention: I am really proud of Paris. That decision he made at the end was a heartbreaking one and if I were in his shoes, I don’t think I would have the strength to make the choice he did.

Obviously, I love this series and I will be continuing!

Other Books in the Series:

4.25 🍁s ~ The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Angel (Lords of the Underworld #4.5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter

3.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Seduction (Lords of the Underworld #9) by Gena Showalter

2.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter

3 🍁s ~ The Darkest Touch (Lords of the Underworld #11) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld #13) by Gena Showalter

DNF ~ The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld #14) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld #14.5) by Gena Showalter

Dark, Favorites, Reviews, Romance, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Gena Showalter

autumnbookreads

2498983

∴ Goodreads | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository ∴

Synopsis:

She has tempted many men…but never found her equal. Until now.
Though she has lived for centuries, Anya, goddess of Anarchy, has never known pleasure. Until Lucien, the incarnation of death–a warrior eternally doomed to take souls to the hereafter. He draws her like no other. And Anya will risk anything to have him.

But when the merciless Lord of the Underworld is ordered by the gods to claim Anya herself, their uncontrollable attraction becomes an anguished pursuit. Now they must defeat the unconquerable forces that control them, before their thirst for one another demands a sacrifice of love beyond imagining…

🍁🍁🍁🍁

I’m William, but you can call me Sexy. Everyone does.”

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT:

I have mixed feelings on this book. While I enjoyed certain aspects of it, some aspects I strongly disliked.

I loved Anya’s character. I love strong and independent female characters because, let’s face it, there aren’t that many female characters who don’t need a man and are confident in themselves. Anya was all of those things. She had been on her own for thousands of years and actually saw having a guy she cared about as a bad thing. She was incredibly strong and brave.

Lucien was great as well. I loved that he had scars on him so he wasn’t the typical male character. It was nice to have a male character with actual physical flaws and to not be perfect on the outside. He had spent so much of his life alone and I really felt bad for him. I was glad that he found Anya who wasn’t willing to back down just because he said so. My favorite part of the book might actually be the opening scene when Anya and Lucien meet. She shocks him because she is the first female to find him attractive and not be scared of him. He is also drawn to her because of that and he doesn’t understand why. I also loved Anya and Lucien’s banter. It was so heartwarming and adorable!

Now to the things I disliked. The whole overarching plot of the book. I don’t know why but I didn’t like the whole finding the artifacts part of the story. After reading the first book in this series, that plot just didn’t feel right and I didn’t enjoy it. The romance plot with Lucien and Anya was great, but the overarching plot was just flat and boring. The whole Cronus plot and him constantly threatening Anya was also boring. I think I had very high hopes and expectations going in to this book after the first was so great. Because of that, I think it ultimately led me to being disappointed.

While this wasn’t the best installment yet, I still have a lot of hope for this series and I will be continuing. I have to admit that I am curious where Paris, Reyes, and Aeron’s plot lines are going to go and I can’t wait to read more of them.

Other Books in the Series:

4.25 🍁s ~ The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Angel (Lords of the Underworld #4.5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter

3.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Seduction (Lords of the Underworld #9) by Gena Showalter

2.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter

3 🍁s ~ The Darkest Touch (Lords of the Underworld #11) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld #13) by Gena Showalter

DNF ~ The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld #14) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld #14.5) by Gena Showalter

Dark, Favorites, Reviews, Romance, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1) by Gena Showalter

autumnbookreads

476543

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Synopsis:

His powers – Inhuman…

His passion – Beyond immortal…

All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she’ll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member — a man trapped in a hell of his own.

Neither can resist the instant hunger than calms their torments… and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction — and a soul-shattering test of love…
Though they carry an eternal curse, the Lords of the Underworld are irresistibly seductive — and unimaginably powerful…

Don’t miss this incredible new paranormal series from Gena Showalter!

4.25 🍁s

You are mine, woman, and I am yours. Until you, my life was desolate. I existed, but I didn’t truly live. Now I live, even in my death.”

*MINOR SPOILERS/PLOT DETAILS*
I really liked this book. The plot was interesting and unique. I have never read anything like it and I was really happy with the concept. Each of the Lords of the Underworld have a specific demon inside of them which I thought was a brilliant concept for a book.

Maddox had the demon Violence so he got angry easily which often resulted to him breaking anything near him. His destructive personality aside, he was very sweet and thoughtful. His devotion to Ashlyn was awe-inspiring. He would literally do anything for her, even spend his life in hell for eternity. If that isn’t love and devotion, I don’t know what is.

Ashlyn was different. She grew up very sheltered, not having a lot of interactions with other people. She had the ability of wherever she was standing, she could hear all of the conversations that have ever been said there. For reasons not explained, whenever she was near Maddox, she couldn’t hear the voices anymore. Because of her ability, she had a hard time being around people with no idea of the supernatural world. They often thought she was a freak and/or believed she was crazy. Her own parents gave her away because they could not handle her as a child. I felt really bad for her and I was glad that she found someone that didn’t judge her and actually helped her.

The Lords of the Underworld were unique as well. I enjoyed each of their personalities and I can’t wait to read their stories. I liked each of them and I honestly think I would be happy no matter who’s story is next.

The last thing that I just have to mention is the final lines of the book, “They stood. And the man with the blackest violent streak in the whole wide world chased her laughingly from the room, leaving everyone staring after them in wonder and envy. Perhaps their time would come…”. If that isn’t foreshadowing, I don’t know what is. I can’t wait to continue on with this great series!

Other Books in the Series:

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Kiss (Lords of the Underworld #2) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld #4) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Angel (Lords of the Underworld #4.5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Lie (Lords of the Underworld #6) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7) by Gena Showalter

3.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8) by Gena Showalter

5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Seduction (Lords of the Underworld #9) by Gena Showalter

2.75 🍁s ~ The Darkest Craving (Lords of the Underworld #10) by Gena Showalter

3 🍁s ~ The Darkest Touch (Lords of the Underworld #11) by Gena Showalter

4 🍁s ~ The Darkest Torment (Lords of the Underworld #12) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld #13) by Gena Showalter

DNF ~ The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld #14) by Gena Showalter

3.5 🍁s ~ The Darkest Captive (Lords of the Underworld #14.5) by Gena Showalter

Top 5 Wednesday

Top 5 Wednesday | Books You Thought You’d Hate But Ended Up Loving

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Hello Lovelies! Today’s Top 5 Wednesday topic was hard to come up with answers for. It is Books You Thought You’d Hate But Ended Up Loving. This was hard for me because if I read a synopsis for a book and it doesn’t sound like something I would enjoy, I drop it and move on. Needless to say, I had to dig deep for this topic. Here is my list:

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∴  Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer ∴

This book was a surprise for me when I read it. I hated the first book and I only continued the series because people kept saying that the series got better. I am so glad I did because I LOVED this book. I ate the story up and made me start to really enjoy the series.

My review of this book can be found here.

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∴  Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo ∴

Anyone that knows me knows that I have had a rocky road with Leigh Bardugo’s books. I read Shadow and Bone and absolutely hated it (for reasons that I won’t get into right now). It took me a while but I finally decided to give this book a try because of all the hype surrounding it. I ended up loving it and was glad that I gave Leigh Bardugo’s books a second chance. Of course, that was completely ruined when I read Crooked Kingdom.

My review of this book can be found here.

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∴  Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J. Maas ∴

I loved everything about the Throne of Glass world… except for Chaol. I never really liked him when I read the first book, but any positive feelings that I had for him left in the second and even further in the fourth one. So, originally, I wasn’t planning on reading this. The only reason I did was because Sarah came to Georgia for the ToD tour and I got to go. While there, she said that this book was absolutely necessary to read before the last book and I begrudgingly read it. And look at my surprise when I LOVED this book.

My review of this book can be found here.

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∴  Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare ∴

I’m not gonna lie, I was really hesitant to read this book. I had gotten my heart broken by Cassie more than a couple times and I didn’t know if I wanted to open myself up for that again. Even less so when I found out that this was a love triangle. I HATE love triangles and when I saw this book, I wanted nothing to do with it. Skip forward three years and I picked up Lady Midnight and loved it. It made me crave some more of Cassie’s writing so I decided to give this trilogy a try. And let me tell you.. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made. To this day, this is my favorite series by Cassandra Clare and will continue to be one of my favorites of all time forever. I only regret those three years that I didn’t pick this book up and discover these characters sooner.

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∴  Chosen Thief (Forever Evermore #4) by Scarlett Dawn ∴

The reason that I thought I would dislike this book is quite simple. The first three books follow a set of characters and this book is kind of a spin-off with different characters set about 20 years later. I didn’t know how I was going to feel about this world without the main characters that I had been following for three books already. I was convinced that I would hate this book and DNF it. I was SOOOO wrong. This book opened up the world even more than I thought it could and I ended up binge reading it and the two after it in just two days. I couldn’t get enough and waiting for the final book has been absolute torture.

My review of this book can be found here.

Even though this topic was hard to come up with answers for, I am glad I did it. It made me come back to some series that I had forgotten and I went down memory lane a couple times while writing this list. What are some books that you thought you would hate but ended up loving? Let me know.   ~𝒜𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓂𝓃

Dark, Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday | Popular Books That I Don’t Like

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Hello Lovelies! Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is an Audiobook Freebie, but considering I don’t read many audiobooks, I decided to do another topic. That topic is Popular Books That I Don’t Like. I went with this topic because I like to dip into the shadier side of things and create a post like this every once in a while.

I’m going to go ahead say that I am sorry if my opinions offend you by me disliking your favorite book. That is not my intent. Everyone is different and there are going to be books that you love, that I do not. For instance, my favorite author Sarah J. Maas is one of the most hated on authors out there and I see negative comments about her books everyday. I’m simply stating my opinions in this post, not trying to make you feel bad.

Now that that is out of the way, let’s get into the Popular Books That I Don’t Like. These are in no particular order.

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∴  Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo ∴

I HATED the plot twist. I spent 350 pages of this book falling in love with the Darkling and shipping him with Alina only to have everything flip and to find out that he was the villain?! I was SO angry and, as soon as I was done with the book, I refused to read the next one. To this day, whenever someone recommends this book to me, I immediately say NOPE, no way.

P.S. Mal was a horrible love interest and he only wanted Alina when he saw someone else giving her attention.

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∴  Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor ∴

My review and the reasons why I dislike this book can be found here.

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∴  Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3) by Cassandra Clare ∴

My review and the reasons why I dislike this book can be found here.

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∴  The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins ∴

I tried to read this book a few years ago. It was so popular at the time and I liked the movie. I started reading this book and I immediately noticed that I didn’t like. I kept pushing and I got about halfway through before I just couldn’t do it anymore.

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∴  Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer ∴

I wanted to like this book, it just didn’t grab me. The pacing felt off and I didn’t ship Cinder and Kai at all. However, I did continue the series and absolutely loved Scarlet.

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∴  Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3) by Laini Taylor ∴

My review and the reasons why I dislike this book can be found here.

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∴  Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo ∴

My review and the reasons why I dislike this book can be found here.

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∴ The Raven Cycle Series by Maggie Stiefvater ∴

I read this whole series and I must say, I was disappointed. Certain things were entertaining, but the series felt drug out and the final book was a complete waste of my time.

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∴  Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers ∴

My review and the reasons why I dislike this book can be found here.

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∴  Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely #1) by Melissa Marr ∴

My review and the reasons why I dislike this book can be found here.

I am actually really curious if anyone else felt the same way about these books. Please let me know your opinions on them and any other popular books you don’t like.   ~𝒜𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓂𝓃