I mentioned in my Sept’20 Haul Post that I’ve been so busy with work and Codigo, that reading physical books is practically something I don’t do anymore.

And, well, September kind of proves that.

Every single book I read last month, besides THREE, was an audiobook.

My Audible account was used quite liberally over the last few weeks.

I’m not really complaining, because I love audiobooks and it means I can read while at work. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have read anything in September. I definitely didn’t get everything read that I’d put on my TBR and/or that I’d hoped to get to, but I’m not going to be too hard on myself. I read plenty and found a new favorite series and managed to get through some books that had been sitting on my shelf for quite a while. And when I think of everything that I’d put on my last 3 months TBR, and compare it to everything that I read in the last three months…I’m really not upset at all. I read something like, 53 books in the last three months and 16 of them are from September alone.

But I’m rambling, so let’s dive into what I read in September!

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Dark Breaks the Dawn (Dark Breaks the Dawn Duology #1) – Sara B. Larson

Audiobook Finished: September 1, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Review TK / GR

Somehow, I reviewed the second book to this duology without first reviewing this book – so there’s that. I’ve been a Sara B. Larson fan since Defy and these books have been sitting on my shelf for far too long. I’m really glad I finally read them, and I really enjoyed this first installment. It’s quick paced, fun and the romance is super sweet, albeit a little insta-love-y but still so good.

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Origin (Lux #4) – Jennifer L. Armentrout

Audiobook Finished: September 3, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Review TK / GR

Okay, I liked listening to this as an audiobook, except some of the pronunciations were way off and it was a tad distracting. I’d forgotten pretty much everything that happened int his book, so the re-read was almost as if I was reading it for the first time. I always forget how good and enjoyable this series is and how much I love Daemon.

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Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove #2) – Shelby Mahurin

Audiobook Finished: September 5, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / Review / GR

“[…] I fully expected this to be a 5-star read that would instantly become a new favorite. But oh my fucking god, I got so annoyed with Reid and Lou’s self-importance, self-possessed relationship. Between Reid’s broody af attitude for like, 90% of this book, and their inexplicable ability to have Very Important Conversations at Inappropriate Times – I wanted to throttle them…often.

The whole things with them having conversations at the worst times drove me nuts. It felt like the author just forgot what they were doing the scene before and decided to throw in this conversation – surroundings be damned. That and the constant PDA – but again, only when it just seemed out of place.”

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A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2) – Jennifer L. Armentrout

eBook Finished: September 7, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Review / GR

“[…] It was so easy to fall back into this world, with these characters. Jen has always hooked me with her opening lines, and this one wasn’t any different. It picks up right where From Blood and Ash leaves off and Poppy and Cas are at odds. From there things keep unfolding, new characters are introduced, and Poppy learns so much and has to confront a lot of misinformation she’s been fed her whole life. Cas is as charmingly insufferable as ever and Kieran is like the exasperated babysitter who wishes that his kids would just stop fighting…and asking questions.”

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Firefrost (Flameskine Chronicles #0) – Camille Longley

eARC Finished: September 10, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Review / GR

“[…] I thought that the pacing was going to be my only complaint about this book – which is something I can deal with. Like I said, I was emotionally invested, despite not really liking the pacing, but when I hit the 80% mark, I lost all track of what was happening.

It felt like all sorts of new information had been introduced, new conflict – basically it felt almost like a whole different plot line. Things were happening at light speed and it was hard to keep up. I was really confused at times and had to go back and re-read, and then the introduction of whatever that magic was at the very end was really strange and felt so out of place.”

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Bloodwitch (The Witchlands #3) – Susan Dennard

Audiobook Finished: September 10, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / Review TK / GR

I don’t really know why it took me this long to read this book. I’ve owned it since it released. I think my expectations were too high and I needed to wait until I didn’t care as much. That might’ve backfired a little bit, because I was pretty bored through most of this book. I just wanted it to be over – up until the end. The end made this book so worth it and I get why people are in love with Aeduan. I’m a fan of this series and Susan Dennard’s ability to craft a story the way she does is something I aspire too. And despite being a tad bored, it was easy to fall right back into the world, despite not having been in it for an age.

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Opposition (Lux #5) – Jennifer L. Armentrout

Audiobook Finished: September 11, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Review TK / GR

Honestly, going into this, I seriously questioned if I’d ever actually read it. I remembered nothing at all, and the pronunciation issues kept occurring. But dammit, JLA knows how to tell a story and end a series. This doesn’t disappoint and the SF/dystopian lover in me, relished in this book. Give me post-apocalyptic with aliens – I’m here for it.

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Bright Burns the Night (Dark Breaks the Dawn Duology #2) – Sara B. Larson

Audiobook Finished: September 13, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / Review / GR

“[…] All in all, this was a pretty good ending for this duology, and I loved that it was a darker take on The Swan Princess. It’s always great to find retellings of less popular fairytales. I’m kind of kicking myself for waiting so long to read this book – this series – but I’m glad I finally did. I recommend picking up this series if you’re interested. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.”

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The Glass Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil #2) – Gena Showalter

eARC Finished: September 15, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / Review / GR

“[…] I don’t know, I just expected more, I guess. I honestly don’t know how to explain “I was bored” in more words than that. I was bored and I didn’t really care. I’m disappointed that it wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. I don’t think it’s a bad book, and I did like the fresh take it took on the “The Little Cinder Girl” fairytale. I liked the appearance of characters from the first book. Despite this book not being my favorite, I will be reading the next one. I’m invested in the world that the author has created and I’m really curious to see how she alters the next fairytale. Something big is coming to the land of Enchantia and I want to know what it is.”

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Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) – Marissa Meyer

Audiobook Finished: September 15, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ Review / GR

“[…] Thorne is just fucking charismatic and charming as hell. I would have been a pile of melted goo at his feet if he were a real person. I thought his character arc was really good as well. At the start, he’s this completely capable guy who doesn’t ever really ask for help to just about the polar opposite. Not to mention some of the best scenes and lines come out of him, post-accident.

I’d actually forgotten this was a SF/F book – well, I forgot just how SF it is. It’s been so long since I’ve been in this world and when I look at the art, or the covers, I forget that they’re are. I forget that they’re not just fantasy books, but SF ones and I love it. I’m a sucker for a good ole SF or dystopian, but I’m totally down for SFF books like this series. Combine my two favorite genres to read and I’ll be forever happy.”

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The Raven and the Dove (The Raven and the Dove #1) – Kaitlyn Davis

Audiobook Finished: September 16, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / Review TK / GR

I’ve been dying to read this for some time, and I was so excited when I saw that the audiobook dropped so I immediately downloaded it and inhaled it. I’ve been on such a high fantasy kick and this is exactly the kind of book that I love to read. I went through the gauntlet of emotions with this book and the ending left me in shock. I’m so excited for book 2.

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To Sleep in a Sea of Stars – Christopher Paolini

Audiobook Finished: September 22, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Review TK / GR

I listened to this at work, and I absolutely loved it. By the end of the book, I was crying while doing my job. Chistopher Paolini gave me the SF book of my dreams (minus the one I’m writing lol) but damn, this book was everything I wanted. It was long but honestly, I didn’t care. I was thoroughly invested and I cannot wait to see what he does with the rest of the Fractalverse.

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Shadow Fall (Shadow Fall #1) – Audrey Grey

Audiobook Finished: September 27, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / Review / GR

“[…] This definitely felt reminiscent of The Hunger Games, but honestly, I’m not mad about it. If you’re looking for a book to just turn your brain off, get sucked into and just enjoy, I’d recommend it. It has some issues, but overall, it feeds into my need for SFF books, and more specifically, dystopian books. I need a resurgence of dystopian YA books. I liked this book and I’m definitely going to be finishing the series – or reading whatever is currently out – very soon, hell, probably next month. I’m hooked enough to need to know what’s going to happen next. The asteroid is getting closer and time is running out, and I need to see how it all ends.”

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Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1) – Danielle L. Jensen

Audiobook Finished: September 27, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Review TK / GR

I decided to give this series a chance, solely because I’ve loved everything else Danielle currently has published. I sat on this book/series for so long, because “trolls” aren’t my thing. BOY WAS I SO FUCKING WRONG. I inhaled this book as well and fell in love it it. The world, the characters, the plot. I swear Danielle is a wizard when it comes to writing stories and I will legit read whatever she writes.

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Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2) – Danielle L. Jensen

Audiobook Finished: September 29, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / Review TK / GR

The ending to this book. The beginning…basically everything that happens. Jfc, I can’t deal. But the ending. I did think it was a little weird that they seemed to defeat the big bad in this book and I couldn’t figure out why it would be happening in this book and not the third one but oh boy. Now I know.

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Warrior Witch (The Malediction Trilogy #3) – Danielle L. Jensen

Audiobook Finished: September 30, 2020 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / Review TK / GR

I don’t have much to say about this one, but I enjoyed it. Though NO BOOK SHOULD DO WHAT THE ENDING OF THIS ONE DOES. HEA OR NOT. I sobbed. I straight up cried at work with what happens at the end of this book. My heart broke.