Put Aside For Now Reviews: Fall 2017 Edition

Have you ever started reading a book but find yourself having a hard time picking it up even if you are enjoying it? That has been me with several of the ARCs I received for this last fall. Sometimes I just feel like not reading certain books even though I'm really enjoying them. Then again, I'm also one of those people who buy a book on release day but won't pick it up until months or even years later. *looks guiltily at The Raven Boys*

I'm sure we all have experienced that to some extent. I came to the conclusion a few years ago that my putting certain books aside was not the same as me DNFing them. More often than not, I'm just not in the mood for them. I'll pick them up later and read them in one sitting. You guys have probably noticed that I rarely follow the TBRs I plan out for a month.

So I'm going to try out a new review post idea where I tell you what I was liking about a book I've put aside for now. It'll be like our Really Short Review feature we do sometimes. As I said before, I was enjoying each of these but just wasn't in the mood for them. I'm not going to rate them because I plan on fully reviewing them whenever I get around to reading them. I've actually bought or was gifted physical copies of each of these so I can pick them up immediately whenever I decide to try them again.

The Tiger's Daughter
(Their Bright Ascendancy #1)
K. Arsenault Rivera
Release: October 3, 2017
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Even gods can be slain….

The Hokkaran empire has conquered every land within their bold reach―but failed to notice a lurking darkness festering within the people. Now, their border walls begin to crumble, and villages fall to demons swarming out of the forests.

Away on the silver steppes, the remaining tribes of nomadic Qorin retreat and protect their own, having bartered a treaty with the empire, exchanging inheritance through the dynasties. It is up to two young warriors, raised together across borders since their prophesied birth, to save the world from the encroaching demons.

This is the story of an infamous Qorin warrior, Barsalayaa Shefali, a spoiled divine warrior empress, O-Shizuka, and a power that can reach through time and space to save a land from a truly insidious evil.

Review:
I'm actually pretty bummed that I wasn't more in the mood for this book when I picked it up. The writing is gorgeous and the story and worldbuilding was fascinating. I even loved the characters and I'm shipping the romance so hard. So why did I put it down? The story is pretty slow paced and told in a letter format using second person narration with long chapters. I just wasn't in the mood for that type of story at the time.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

A Plague of Giants

(Seven Kennings #1)

Kevin Hearne

Release: October 3, 2017

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In the start of a compelling new series, the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles creates an unforgettable fantasy world of warring giants and elemental magic.

In the city of Pelemyn, Fintan the bard takes to the stage to tell what really happened the night the giants came . . .

From the east came the Bone Giants, from the south, the fire-wielding Hathrim - an invasion that sparked war across the six nations of Teldwen. The kingdom's only hope is the discovery of a new form of magic that calls the world's wondrous beasts to fight by the side of humankind.

Review:

You all know how much I love Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles, so I went into this book very optimistic that I was going to love it. I don't hate it but I don't love it so far either. The narrative structure is really cool but it takes some getting used to. The way the story is told makes it more of a slow-paced epic which isn't bad but like with The Tiger's Daughter, I just wasn't in the mood for that type of story. Also, I struggle with books that have really long chapters and the ones in this book are really long. This is probably going to be one of those series that I'm going to collect until I have all the books and then I'll try reading it again.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

Artemis

Andy Weir

Release: November 14, 2017

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Jazz Bashara is a criminal.

Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.

Review:

I absolutely adore The Martian by Andy Weir so I was super excited for this newest book of his. The worldbuilding in this is great! I really loved that part of it while I was reading it. I'm not sure I can exactly articulate why it wasn't keeping my attention. It has that same enjoyable atmosphere as The Martian and lots of interesting science. I think the biggest thing was that I wasn't enjoying the characters as much as I did Mark Watney's character. I'm hoping it was just me being not in the mood for a character like Jazz so I'm going to try it again later. Several of my really good blogging friends ended up enjoying it so my fingers are crossed that I'll be the same when I pick it up again.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.