Looking at this stack you would never have known that I didn't crack open a single book until halfway through the month. I only finished three books in August because I was still in a book hangover from Fourth Wing and this month looked like it would be more of the same.. But I was so behind in my yearly reading goal that I knew I needed to step it up, so I tried as hard as possible and was quite successful. I'm not quite caught up but just a few more books in October and I'll be back on track to get 50 books read by December 31st. My big goal for October is to read The Count of Monte Cristo with enough time to get some other books in as well.

What was your favorite September read?

4.5 ★
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Eternal Reign by Susanne Valenti & Caroline Peckham

4 ★
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Beautiful Carnage by Susanne Valenti & Caroline Peckham
Steel King by Devney Perry
Riven Knight by Devney Perry
Stone Princess by Devney Perry
Noble Prince by Devney Perry

3.75 ★
The Brood by Willa Nash (Devney Perry)

A Book Review: Beyond the Veil

Zodiac Academy 8.5 - Beyond the Veil
Author: Susanne Valenti & Caroline Peckham
Format: Digital

Pages: 411
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Publication Date: June 30, 2023

Synopsis:

The stars called us.
The Veil closed at our backs.
And now death holds us in its clutches.

We were torn from life before our time, a Savage King, his queen, a betrayed son, a wronged brother, a scorned wife and so many more. We watch those we left behind as they struggle against the grip of the stars, the answers to so many of their questions within our grasp and yet out of their reach. But what if we could find a way to answer their pleas? What if we could find a way to help them from this side of the divide? And what price would such a thing come at?

So, I usually don't buy or read the in-between books in the series. I would say novella but those are supposed to be pretty short, and this sucker is 415 pages.

One of the main reasons I actually got this one is because I was missing the ZA characters something bad and since it'll still be quite a few months before we get book 9 out of the sisters, I thought this one would tide me over. To be perfectly honest, this book kind of fell flat compared to the other books in the series. 

Yes, it's an in-between story but when they said they were writing about the characters that were behind the veil, I thought we would really get something out of it. This was basically just a small recap of book 8 with other point-of-views. I really wished we would have gotten something jaw-dropping about these other characters, but it just wasn't there. Even though it really didn't scratch the itch of missing the series, I still gave it 4 marks. Mainly because the sisters' writing always entertains me, we got to meet Hail and Merissa Vega, and I LOVED seeing a certain character's reaction in chapter 21. (IYKYK)

My Rating: