January Wrap-Up & February TBR | 365 Days of YA

Greetings, Book Nerds!

It seems like yesterday I was training myself to write “2015” instead of “2014”. Now the new year is old news, and much more fascinating things lie on the horizon. Things like fresh books awaiting a good spine cracking, and the possibility of publication for my own “precious” novel (*does Gollum impersonation*). If you haven’t followed my posts this month, here are some things you missed:

I reviewed two stellar MG novels. Search for the Shadow Key by Wayne Thomas Batson and You Can’t Sit With Us by Nancy Rue both had me reading late into the night. Middle grade reads give me a nice break from the heavier YA content I usually stick my nose in. You still have one day left to enter both of these giveaways. Just click on their titles and scroll down to the Rafflecopter. Giveaways close at midnight on January 31st.

My Epic Reads title for January was A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray. I was so hooked that I sat on my couch all day and read it in one sitting (coffee breaks included, of course). Because this book was just WOW, and because I reached 100 subscribers on YouTube (woot, woot!), I’m giving away a copy. No, your eyes do not deceive you. Check out my video review for the giveaway details. Hurry! Giveaway closes at midnight on February 5th.

In other reads…

I quite enjoyed Both of Me by Jonathan Friesen, a YA novel exploring multiple personalities. I’m about halfway through Atlantia by Ally Condie and The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. I’ll admit, because I loved Matched, I was really looking forward to reading Atlantia, but so far it’s moving a little slow. The Iron King has me intrigued. It’s not what I expected, which is always refreshing. Think Alice in Wonderland with a fairy twist. I’ll keep you posted on how these books turn out.

Up next on the 365 Days of YA reading challenge list is Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. This is my “I wouldn’t normally read it” title for winter. I’m stepping out of my zone here, people. The hard to pronounce names in the back cover copy are enough to intimidate me, but hey, I never back down from a challenge.

Since I’m venturing into new reading territory, I also picked up Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I know most of you are probably like, “Where have you been? TOG is awesome.” Alas, I’ll admit the video-gamey cover turned me off at first. But one of my writing critique partners, Neysa Walker, pestered me (as she often does) so I finally grabbed TOG from the library. Now I’m completely engrossed in Celaena Sardothien’s world. How could I forget that Neysa has introduced me to a good chunk of my favorite reads (Shatter Me, anyone?). Oh, and thanks to Sarah J. Maas for including a pronunciation guide in TOG. Now I don’t have to stumble through the book and can simply enjoy the ride.

What else, hmm, let’s see…oh, the amazing Bekah of Bekah AwesomeBookNut (one of my fave booktube channels) sent me an ARC of Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott, so yay! I love when I win something, especially when that something is a book. This title is the second in a series. Dudes, just the tagline has me itching to dig in: “How Far Would You Go to Survive?” I mean, right?

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my signed copy of Invaded by Melissa Landers. This is book two in a series, and I have been dying to join Aelyx and Cara on another adventure. Melissa Landers sprinkles the perfect blend of romance, humor, and suspense into her writing. No doubt I’ll be staring at my mailbox for the next couple of weeks. Hurry up, already!

In the ebook-iverse I’m reading The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron (one chapter in and already completely enchanted), and The First Principle by Marissa Shrock (which I’ll be reviewing and giving away in February).

That about wraps up January. Wanna stay up to date on the latest reads and writes? Subscribe to my newsletter via the form below. Giveaway winners are announced in my newsletter at the beginning of each month.

[wysija_form id=”1″]

I’ve got some out-of-this-world featured authors coming up in February, along with more giveaways you won’t want to miss!

What’s on your TBR list for February? Did you achieve your reading goals for January? I love hearing from you! Connect with me in the comments below or tweet to me @SaraEllaWrites. Until then, happy reading!

 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more, please read my full policy.