The ABC Challenge ||D||

Hi,

I’m here with another addition to the ABC challenge. And the letter of the day is ‘D’.

I’ll failed at this last year and only ended up posting one letter. I’ll be aiming to post every fortnight or so to share with you both my most memorable titles and the books that are still on my TBR which corresponds to each letter of the alphabet.

I’m not sure who the original creator on this challenge it — if you know please let me know! But I’ve see the challenge on Sofii from A Book. A Thought‘s blog and Sahi’s blog My World of Books. I really love their blogs, so if you haven’t checked them please do so!

All these books I rated 4 – 5 stars so I highly recommend them

On to the books!

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Previous Letters

||A||B||C||

Memorable Titles Starting with ‘D’

The Deal (Off-Campus #1) by Elle Kennedy

This a New Adult Hockey romance with a fake dating trope. I loved that Elle Kennedy was able to tell the story in dual first person perspectives with two distinct voices in Hannah and Garrett. The banter between the two is amazing! And I adore that Hannah is a music major. Also I love the whole fake dating trope. There is such strength to Hannah’s character. It broke my heart to read about her past but I admire that she doesn’t want that to define her. Kennedy handled the difficult topic with respect. It’s not like the assault was just a throw away plot point.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is the first novel I’ve read by Taylor Jenkins Reid and I’m thoroughly impressed. She has done an incredible job recreating the atmosphere and culture of the 70s along with the crazy lifestyle surrounding those superstar bands. This is especially impressive given the book isn’t told in a traditional format. Daisy Jones & The Six is told in the traditional style of other oral history music biographies— such as Please Kill Me: The Uncensored History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain. The narrative is pieced together with interviews from Daisy and the band, along with music producers, friends, family, managers and music journalists. Each interview has been cut up and mixed together to create this rich tapestry of events.⁣

||My Review||

The Dysasters (The Dysasters #1) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

This series is superhero teens meets Avatar the Last Airbender. There is a mad scientist who’s messing with embryos to infuses them with the different chemicals, which results in kids who are able to control the elements. I love love love books with elemental magic! Interspersed through the book are drawings of the characters. This really helps to give the story that comic book vibe. ⁣The Dysasters is a great start to a new series and had me engaged from the opening line. I’m looking forward to the next book! Need to know what happens next.⁣

||My Review||

Dirty (Dive Bar #1) by Kylie Scott

Oh my God this might be my favourite Kylie Scott book. It is so funny and crazy and I love it! Vaughn Hewson never expects to find broken-hearted bride, Lydia Green in his shower when he returns to his childhood home and he definitely doesn’t expect the drama and chaos that comes with. Vaungh was one of my favourite side characters is the Stage Dive series so I’m so excited he got his own novel. I love how open and honest they were together from the get go. Lydia’s voice is refreshing, she rambles and overthinks and feels very real. I adore these two together!

Deep (Stage Dive #4) by Kylie Scott

This is the final book in Kylie Scott’s rockstar romance series. Izzy getting knocked up by the very much out of bounds, bass player Ben. Deep is definitely the most complicated book of the series, they have a one night stand and Lizzy gets pregnant and the whole band as told Lizzy and Ben to stay away from each other. I admire the hell out of Lizzy. She is strong as hell and once she sets her mind to something anything is possible. Really enjoyed getting to see the band go on tour

Daughter of Smoke & Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is one of my all time favourite YA fantasy series. Laini Taylor has put an interesting spin on the angel and demon rivalry and features a swoony star-crossed lovers romances. Set in Prauge, a young art student, Karou, is caught in a brutal otherwordly war. She constantly disappearing on mysterious errands, speak serval languages and her hair is naturally bright blue. The writing style is stunning and is filled with lyrical descriptions. This is perfect for those who are fans of portal fantasies.

Days Without End by Sebastian Barry

I picked Days Without End up when it won the Coasta Book Awards. I didn’t know much about it except it features a queer romance. Set in the 1850s, we follow Thomas McNulty and John Cole has they enlist in the U.S. Army. The pair got off to fight in the Indian Wars, against the Sioux and Yurok, and ultimately end up fighting in the Civil War. It was wonderful to see the relationship to spring up between Thomas and John and I adored seeing them find their makeshift family. This isn’t a time period I’ve read a lot about but the setting and time period felt authentic. Sebastian Barry doesn’t shy away from the harsh reality being a solider.

The Dumb House by John Burnside

This is one of the creepiest books I’ve ever read. I still get chill thinking about it. The protagonist’s mother told him myths and fable as he grew up including the Persian myth of Gang Mahal, or Dumb House. It’s said that Akbar the Great build a palace which he filled with newborn children who would be cared for by mutes , in order to learn whether language is innate or acquired. Following the death of his mother, the protagonist decided to creates his on twisted variant of the Dumb House, using his own children. Being inside this protagonist head in uncomfortable at times, since he has no remorse. If you enjoyed — probably the wrong word — Perfume by Patrick Suskind, I highly recommend this.

Desperate Measure (Wicked Villains #1) by Katee Robert

I didn’t think I liked dark romances and then enter Katee Robert. Honestly she has become one of my all time favourite romances authors. If you are looking for a steamy read she is you go to girl. This series is set in an underground sex club and has an interesting take on the Disney princess. Desperate Measure is a romance between Jasmin and Jafar, which was something I never through I needed in my life but oh my this was fantastic. This is dark, kinky and over-the-top in the best kind of way.

The Diviners (The Diviners #1) by Libba Bray

The Diviners is everything I want in a book — paranormal, an ensemble cast, historical setting and a murder mystery. The only way I can describe is Supernatural meets The Great Gatsby. Evie O’Neill is a teenage clairvoyant who’s been exiled from her boring home town and has been shipped of to New York City — the city of peak-easies, rent parties, shopping and movie palaces. The only catch is that Evie has to live with her Uncle Will curator of the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult or ‘The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies’. I did put off reading this because it’s over 500 pages but I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it. The setting and the roaring 20’s jumps off the page. I adore how Libba Bray has weaved 20s slang throughout the narrative. I am so excited to continue on with the series. I am hoping to finish the series this year.

Dragon Keeper Series by Carole Wilkinson

This is one of my favourite series from my childhood. I read this book when I was in grade six and I was totally enchanted. Set in the Han Dynasty in ancient China, the last remaining dragon is in danger of being killed by the cruel Emperor. A young orphan, Ping, discovers that it’s her destiny to protect the aging dragon and his mysterious purple stone. They set out across China on an adventure trying their best to outrun a dragon hunter and a powerful sorcerer. I adore seeing Ping grow up and find her confidence. I also loved the friendship that grows between Ping and Danzi. I really need to reread this series!

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1) by Deborah Harkness

I will say that I did watch the TV adaptation before reading the book but I adored both! Historian, Diana Bishop has banished magic from her life, despite being a witch of impeccable lineage. When she opens an alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, an unwelcome intrusion of magic disrupts her carefully ordered life. She exposed herself to the world her tried to ignore for years; one of powerful witches, creative but destructive daemons and long-lived vampires. I love this world and folklore! It’s interesting to see how these magical races interact and have a secret, underground society. I adore Matthew Clairmont, he was a big selling point of the book. He’s a vampire genticist who’s dedicated his life to studying the three races and to keep them from dying out. The story left off on a pretty big cliff hanger and I cannot wait to dive into the next book and see what happens to Diana and Matthew.