Adventures of Andrea

You all probably know by now that I read a lot of books, mostly of the Young Adult variety. And beyond that, probably YA fantasy are my specific favorites. Now when most people think of Young Adult books, they probably think of John Green or Twilight or Harry Potter. But there's so much more out there (yes, even beyond Harry Potter). Fans who read a little more YA fantasy might know Sarah J. Maas or Marissa Meyer, but there's still even more beyond those writers!

So since I get asked a lot for recommendations, I'd figure I would give you some recommendations for what I know best: YA Fantasy! So here are the top five underrated YA Fantasy series, in no particular order.

1. Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes
I'm not a huge fan of this series, but I'll admit that it's pretty engrossing. The books take place in a land called Mytica. It has a Game of Thrones type feel, because there is so many characters and a lot of different kingdoms. There are a few main characters that all go on different journeys in different lands. A war breaks out in this world, and magic, murder and betrayals are all featured in this novel. Seriously, I wouldn't get attached to any of the characters, because they'll probably die.
This series would be good for fans of The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, it's got the same violence and also the romance is pretty similar for both series.
Titles in this series: Falling Kingdoms, Rebel Spring, Gathering Darkness, Frozen Tides, Crystal Storm, and Immortal Reign (coming out this year, I believe it's the last book).

2. The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon
I remember picking up the first book a few years ago and being really amazed because the author is the same age as me. This series is supposed to have seven books, and only two have been released. This series takes place in a world where they are different types of clairvoyants, and the main character, Paige, is a Dreamwalker. There's also an otherworldly that controls some of the clairvoyants, and Paige gets captured by them. Clairvoyants are considered criminals by the majority of the rest of the population. One of the reasons I really liked this book is because of the world-building. I have some problems with the romance that takes place, but ultimately I really liked a lot of the secondary characters and would like to see which way this series goes. I would recommend this series to those who are fans of Marie Lu. The darkness in the worlds reminds me of Lu's Legend series.
Titles in this series (so far): The Bone Season, The Mime Order, and The Song Rising (releasing this year).

3. The Falconer series by Elizabeth May
First, let me share the love I have for this author. I follow her on Twitter and she is GOALS. I don't even remember how I first found her series, but I read it late last year, and enjoyed it. Her work definitely doesn't get enough credit, and it's better than a lot of the more 'popular' YA books out there.
These novels take place in Edinburgh in the 19th century. The main character Aileana is part of the aristocracy, but also hunts fae. Here is obviously where the fantasy part comes in; fae are a part of this world and Aileana just so happens to be part of a line of female warriors that train to kill fae. IT has lots of twists and turns, but I enjoyed the history that was shown. I'm pretty certain the author has a background in anthropology, so I felt that the history was pretty accurate.
I feel like those who enjoyed Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass series would like this because 1. Fae (even if they are a bit different between the two novels) and 2. A pretty take-charge female protagonist.
Titles in this series: The Falconer, The Vanishing Throne, and The Fallen Kingdom (The last book is coming out later this year!)

4. Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab 
This series and author are already pretty well-known, but her writing is so good, she should be even more popular! This series is trilogy and takes place in a world where there are alternate Londons: White London, Black London, Grey London and Red London. One of the main characters, Lila, is from Grey London, which is a lot like our world. And the other main character, Kell, is from Red London, where magic is a huge part of the society. Kell is one of two people who can travel between worlds, and so he serves as sort of ambassador for the royalty of Red London. Black London was destroyed most likely by some sort of magical catastrophe; and White London is where society revolves completely around magic, and who controls it. The story follows Lila and Kell, who eventually meet (no more spoilers than that!) and go on an adventure that shows them some mysteries of the worlds they live in. I won't say any more, but I really enjoyed the sequel and also continue to love V.E. Schwab's writing.
I would recommend this series for fans of Maureen Johnson's, The Name of the Star series (they do both take place in London, ha!). The series share a sense of mystery, magic and intrigue that readers will enjoy.
Titles in this series: A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, and A Conjuring of Light (coming out in just a few days!)

5. Snow Like Ashes series by Sara Raasch
This series is already fairly popular, but I am surprised that even more people don't read it. I really enjoyed the world in this book, as well as the main character, Meira. In this world, there are several kingdoms, four of which are based around the seasons. Meira is Winterian, but the Kingdom of Winter was destroyed by the Kingdom of Spring when she was a baby. Basically, all of the Winterians are slaves for Spring, except for a few who escaped and have been on the run. Meira travels with a group of people, one of which is the King of Winter, who was saved (like Meira) when he was a baby. I won't say any more than that, but the conflict begins when the Winterians set out to find a locket that can help the King of Winter restore magic to the Kingdom. Each seasonal kingdom has its own magic, and Winter's was destroyed when it was.
It's honestly just a really cool world, and I really liked hearing about the other seasonal kingdoms. The series is a trilogy, but all books are released, so you can finish the whole series now! I would definitely recommend this for fans of the Queen of the Tearling series by Erika Johansen.
Titles in this series: Snow Like Ashes, Ice Like Fire, and Frost Like Night.

I can't believe it's already February! I'm still not over the fact that it's a new year, and now we are already in the second month! I don't have much going on in February, but my family does have a lot of birthdays this month! Other than that, just trying to make it to warmer, sunnier weather!

Doing: 
Like I said, not too much. One of my goals for the month is try to go to a museum (even though I've said that the past few months...). Other than that, I recently started a new job and am settling in there, and enjoying it! Two of my nieces and one of my nephews has a birthday this month, so I also have to get out and buy some birthday presents!

Watching:
I have gotten back into watching Scandal. I'm watching the latest season on Netflix, and am flying through it. I started watching the show on Netflix a few years ago, and immediately was hooked. Sometimes I think the show can be really annoying, but the plot and characters are way to engrossing for me to stop watching completely. I would also recommend the show to anyone who works in communications, because Olivia (the main character) pretty much works in public relations and it's so fun to see her job.

Reading:
I have an enormous stack of books to read this month. Hopefully I can get through them before they go back to the library. I still have three Owlcrate books to read (and I'm not going to renew the box until I get through all of them), as well as a few borrowed books from friends.
I'm probably most looking forward to reading the Truthwitch series by Susan Dennard. It's a fantasy series about witches who have all sorts of powers from seeing the truth to controlling the elements. The second book just came out, and I'm really liking the first book.
Also on the reading list (hopefully this month and not in March) is Jodi Picoult's book, Small Great Things. I'm borrowing it from Nicole, and I've heard positive things about it.
I'm thinking I might write a TBR post for February since I have so many more books to talk about!

Looking forward to: 
Getting my Blessbox this month! I got a January Blessbox, which is a new subscription box by a popular blogger. The one this month was okay, but I'm getting another one, since the theme for February was all about self-love and self-care and I can't resist that.
I'm also looking forward to longer days and warmer weather! I'm definitely more of a spring/summer kind of girl, and so now that the days are finally getting longer, it's making me so much happier.
Last, I've also started doing Yoga With Adriene (just search her on Youtube). She has hundreds of yoga videos on her channel, and it's been absolutely perfect for me. I'm currently doing her Yoga Revolution challenge, and it's reminded me how much I love yoga and how good it is for me!



Anyway, that's all from me! Tell me about your guys' months and what you are up to!

I was in a bit of a reading slump in January. It's so cold and dreary out, I was playing more video games, and figuring out my work life. All that said, I did read 8 books this month!

The Fate of The Tearling by Erika Johansen
The first book of 2017, which I reviewed in this post, was The Fate of the Tearling. I won't say much more about it, because I talked it about in the post, but I rated the book 2 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, so I wasn't a huge fan.

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
This is the second book in a series, and I put it off for some reason, but I actually really enjoyed it. It takes place in a world with magic, and there are basically four Londons. Gray London, Red London, White London, and Black London. They are parallel worlds in a way, but magic plays a part. I won't tell you too much more, because that was enough to intrigue me to start the series. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads!

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
This is one of those books that everyone has been talking about for a while now. I don't know how I just got around to it this month, but I absolutely loved it. I think I read it in one or two sittings, it was that compelling. I really want to watch the movie now, too. This book is about a young woman who starts a job as the caregiver of a 30-something paraplegic man. Their stories intertwine and the way we learn about these characters and come to really love them is what made this book so worthwhile to me. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads! (I hardly ever give a book 5 stars.)

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han 
This was a cute pallet cleanser of a read, after the heavier topic in Me Before You. This is the second book in this series as well, and it's a read that is probably more geared toward early high schoolers. However, it's a super cute, quick book, and I liked it. In the first book of the series, the main character writes love letters to all of her past crushes, from middle school on. And then, all of these letters get sent out to her crushes, and she has no idea how. The series basically just deals with all that happens because of that. It's very high school, but like I said, it's a cute read.

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken
Another sequel! I really loved this series though. It takes place in a world where time travel exists. There's a hierarchy of certain families who control people with this talent, and there is a bunch of lore and mythology that goes along with the world. I always love historical novels, even if they only show a slight bit of history, like this one. You get to read about all different times in the world, and I felt like the author did a pretty good job portraying everything realistically. I gave it four out of five stars on Goodreads.


Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Illustrated Edition) by J.K. Rowling and Jim Kay
I don't know how I haven't read any illustrated editions of the Harry Potter series yet, but my boyfriend got the first one for me for Christmas, and it was amazing. Obviously, I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, so the writing had me all nostalgic. But the illustrations really brought the story to life, and it was interesting to see a different interpretation than the one I have in my head. Of course, I gave it five out of five stars on Goodreads.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
This book was probably one of my least favorites this month. I really, really liked the world in the book, but I hate love triangles. And the one in this book just felt so unnecessary. I really liked the main character though, so I did give this book three out of five stars on Goodreads. This is a series, but if you like books with adventure and a little mystery, you'd probably enjoy this book.

Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda
I'm a big Hamilton fan, and just a fan of Lin-Manual Miranda in general. I can also finally say that I'm going to say Hamilton this year. So excited, even though it's still months away. But this book really showed all the thought and every detail that went into the production of Hamilton. There's definitely some things mentioned in the book that I'm going to have to watch out for when I see it on stage. It's definitely an interesting read for any Hamilton fan.

So that's it! I know eight books seems like a fair amount of reading, but I just feel like I didn't read that much this month! I don't know why! Hopefully next month I'll be able to read even more! What did you read this month?