September Wrap Up & October TBR

So I thought I would start a little segment on my blog that I know is very popular around the book blogging community and that is to discuss what I read in the previous month and what I intend, or hope to read in the following month. So here goes nothing, this is my September Wrap Up and my TBR for the month of October!

September for me was a bit of a disappointing month because I didn't get to near as many books as I thought I would. I just wasn't in the greatest of reading moods in the middle of the month and it probably didn't help that the book I was reading was a bit of a drag. Lifestyle wise I wasn't called into work so I had plenty of time to sit and read, but I just didn't utilise it as much as I should have. It's such a disappointment to me and I know it shouldn't be considering I've already completed my challenge for the year, but oh well. This month I managed to get through 6 books, one of which I unfortunately had to DNF. In the long run, it's not too bad because that's my average per month, but still, I expected better from myself. In terms of excitement for these books, I had some really amazing books, some average books and a disappointment, which is always a shame. In terms of the yearly reading challenge, I am currently standing at 63/50 books, meaning I am 26 books ahead of schedule and only 12 books away from my new target of 75 books! I can do this, easily, I know it! So without further ado, let's see what books I read this month and my opinions on them!

1. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas (5/5 stars)
This was an absolutely stunning addition to what is an incredible fantasy series. There are so many unique elements brought into this story that blend together so well and just work. Queen of Shadows is definitely my favourite of the series so far purely for the amount of depth that Sarah has put into the development of her characters. It's absolutely phenomenal and I cannot wait to see what she has up her sleeve for them next .No book is more rightly deserving of such a prestigious rating, and I can clearly see why this book is going to be one of the largest and most popular releases of the year.

2. This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (3/5 stars)
After thoroughly enjoying the first book in this Sci-Fi series I dived straight into this book and whilst I did enjoy it, there were elements that just didn't hold up to my enjoyment of the first book. I loved the creation of depth behind exactly what the antagonist is doing, and the new characters were both really complex and enjoyable. However, I didn't see them on a romantic level, which was clearly what the book was hinting at. The dream sequences were in between chapters were incredibly confusing and I found some scenes to be quite questionable in their necessity in the story. Will I be continuing on? Yes, I need to find out what happens!

3. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (4/5 stars)
I really enjoyed this book! As a retelling of one of my favourite classics, I was hesitant as to whether Danielle Paige's story was going to be up to scratch or whether it was going to crumble. Thankfully it was an incredibly powerful novel. Everything slid into place like it was coming from the imagination of L. Frank Baum himself and I loved the twisted and warped version of Oz - and Dorothy was creepy and delightfully sick. I loved all of the scenes where she was involved. Everything just made me skin crawl. Toxic bubbles that melt your skin? Sign me up! We also had a kick ass main female protagonist who had genuine spunk which made me love her even more. She kicked ass.

4. The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige (2/5 stars/DNF)
Mmm. There is so much to say about this book and not even enough room to rant about it. After the success of Dorothy Must Die, The Wicked Will Rise fell in comparison, and I don't mean a little bit. It fell and smashed into the ground, crushing my enjoyment like the Wicked Witch of the East under Dorothy's house. My main concern with this novel was the voice of the main character, Amy. In the first book she was spunky, feisty and genuinely a kick ass protagonist. In this book it was if she was a completely different character. Suddenly her dialogue was cheesy and childishly argumentative, as if a child were debating on the playground, and all of her motives lacked confidence and the assertiveness she gained in the first book. In terms of the plot, it all felt rushed and disjointed - as if someone was trying to meet a deadline in a hurry. I had to DNF this book, but I will be reading it again in the future when Yellow Brick War comes out. I need to see if this series has potential, even if I have to painfully struggle through the second book.

5. George by Alex Gino (4/5 stars)
This book was outstanding and I couldn't recommend it enough. Although it's aimed at a middle grade audience, I would not begrudge shoving it into the hands of virtually anyone. This is a powerful story in a world where not everything is black and white and it needs to be explored further. You can bet that this book will be introduced into my classroom and readily available for any of my students to read it. George's struggle needs to be made aware and her message needs to be shared; be who you are.

6. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas (5/5 stars)
Oh this book, THIS BOOK, was everything. It was purely perfect and I cannot believe I have not read it sooner. Being a huge fan of Sarah's Throne of Glass series, I have no idea why I didn't expect it to be just as perfect. Starting off as a Beauty in the Beast retelling, this book grows into it's own unique tale with very rememberable characters, tremendously written scenes and even some steamy romance for those who enjoy more than just a brief kiss and sudden instalove. This book was one that whilst it felt long, I was very happy for it to be. The plot grew and we slowly become more involved into the underlying story arc. For me, my favourite scenes were probably the last quarter of the book, when we got to meet Amarantha and learn about her control over the kingdom. She is a truly maleficent villain and I adored her. She reminded me a lot of Manon from Sarah's other series, just without the compassion in her heart.

So those were the 6 books I read in the month of September! As for October, I'm hoping to get some work from my agency so there is a possibility that I'll have some travelling time to read. As it's Halloween at the end of this month, I was hoping to read some books that are slightly creepier, or peculiar in nature. Hopefully the books I've picked out for my TBR reflect that, but I do have a lot of ARC's that I need to get to reading and they don't all fit the bill of being Halloween reads! We'll play it by ear and see how it goes. I'm going to be quite generous with my TBR and make it quite lengthy so that I have plenty of books to choose from if I get bored. So without further ado, here is my TBR for the month of October!

• The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands (ARC)
• Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (ARC)
• Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant
• The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School by Kim Newman (ARC)
• The Lazarus Gate by Mark A. Latham (ARC)
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Re-read)
• Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
• Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs (ARC)

So those are the books that I am aiming to read some of in the month of October. I know it's adventurous and we'll see how it goes knowing my reading mood, but here's hoping I get some of them done at least. I'm aiming to read an entire series this month so I can't say I'm not determined to aim high! 

Let me know in the comments below what books you read this month and one book you're looking forward to reading next month! Are any of you going to be reading one of the books I'm reading this month?