The Daughter's October Reads

The fall reads came in strong this month and I loved it! Nothing beats curling up with a warm cup of tea and a fantastic book.

Not as many reads this month because our fall social lives have been so busy and exciting with travel! Hopefully next month I will have more to share with you all.

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The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Alice Proserpine and her mother have spent their entire lives running away, but why? Deep down, Alice has always known that she would need to go to the Hazel Wood to find out who she really is. I severely underestimated this book and almost immediately know I was going to love this story. The moodiness, the woods, the character angst - perfection! The author's way with words kept me on my toes and rapidly flipping the pages. There are imaginary folklore stories interspersed in this book and I absolutely loved them. Definitely need to read more by this author.

The Lovely War by Julie Berry

World War I, mythology, intersecting love stories, conquering heroes...what more could you ask for? The goddess Aphrodite weaves a story together of four seemingly ordinary humans: Hazel, Colette, Aubrey, and James. Told before, throughout, and after World War I, and told through the eyes of gods and goddesses, a love story for the ages unfolds. I've said it a million times, but this book has just the right amount of gods and goddesses while also intertwining ware and peril and strife and prejudice. This book covers quite a lot of ground but the reading itself is effortless and fast. The 451 pages flew by and I loved this! Highly recommend.

The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker

NOT FOR THE FEINT OF HEART - I will repeat - do not pick this book up unless you have an insanely strong willpower and mental strength. Every single trigger warning for this book.

Chrissie is eight years old and 'a bad seed' due to her severe abuse and neglect. She murders a little boy on the first page of this book, and obviously the community shifts due to this horrible event. Turmoil ensues and we hear Chrissie's inner monologue throughout her childhood. Twenty years later, we see who Chrissie has become. I will leave it at that but again, prepare yourself.