August Wrap Up: Glancing at the Past, Looking to the Future

The end of August is upon us. This month has flown by and has had some very pleasant developments. If you follow me on twitter, you already know that I gave Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes another chance and now adore the series. I've already finished the first novel and am currently reading the sequel. At this rate, I'll probably have the third novel read before the month is over (which is fantastic for my TBR pile). With my change in attitude for this series, I'm planning on giving Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence another chance. I always planned to but I think now is the time. After finishing Falling Kingdoms, I have gained a new appreciation for these ruthless, despicable characters that authors write.

In the mean time, the Jurassic Park read-along is almost over. It'll be ending this Monday with a review for the entire novel. If you haven't read the discussions, it's not too late. You can read them anytime you decide to dive into Crichton's novel.

As I reflect on my autumn reading list, it's clear that this season is all about high fantasy, but more on that tomorrow. This last half of the year has some very epic releases headed it's way what with the release of Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas and Winter by Marissa Meyer, compounded with the release of Ice Like Fire by Sarah Raasch and Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes. I'm sure there are more novels releasing that will be fantastic as well, so please tell me what novels you're looking forward to. I'm currently trying to decide what my next Star Wars novel is going to be; therefore, if anyone has any suggestions at all, please let me know (I've been eying Aftermath by Chuck Wendig, but mostly because Marc Thompson narrates it). I'm excited to share my review of Dark Disciple with you in the coming weeks. though since it is very high on my favorite novels of 2015 list. I did not expect what it delivered. And, boy, did it deliver.

For now, it's time to give some disappointing news. I was graciously given a review copy of Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson and received it from the publisher via Netgalley. No compensation was offered, given, or taken to alter my opinion. 

After multiple attempts, I finally had to put it down. Unfortunately, the writing didn't suite my tastes and I felt it to be a bit immature. The dialogue didn't feel real. The main character immediately came off as ungrateful, and the book felt too fantastical without anything to really ground me. The setting shifted quickly and it was difficult to keep track of things. Honestly, I just don't think that this novel was for me. The cover is fantastic with all of the different layers, but I just couldn't really invest myself into the novel. You guys might have a better time of it than I did, but this didn't work for me.

Now that we've covered that, it's time to compile a list of articles I think y'all should read.

• Do Negative Reviews Really Get "Attention?"
• Why are You Featuring "Recent Posts" in Your Sidebar?
• 8 Ways to Enhance Your Website's User Experience
• The Fine Art of Story Resonance
• 9 Creatures in the Star Wars Universe We'd Like to Keep as Pets
• Dragging Characters through the Wringer

We've covered books and blog articles you should read, so what's next? Writing of course. I don't talk about this often here, but just to touch base with y'all about it. I am set to go into another round of revisions for my work in progress, Traitors & Tyrants. You can get more details at Create and Improve, but suffice it to say that I'm excited to enter this next stage in the writing process, and to make further headway with a story that is near and dear to my heart. It has warped and twisted in ways I never would have expected, but that's the writing process for you.

So what have you been reading lately?

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