41. A Broken Blade (Halfling Saga #1)

By Melissa Blair (450 pp ebook)

When I finished Fourth Wing, I was in the mood for another fantasy book and had this one already on my ereader. I bought it because the author is Native and I love seeing a Native author in this genre. The story is about a young woman who is an assassin for the King in a magical world. There are Fae, Elves, and Mortals plus Halflings. A mysterious Shadow threatens the kingdom and Keera is dispatched to take care of him. Everything quickly becomes more complicated with lots of surprises. Fun book.

40. Fourth Wing

By Rebecca Yarros (528 pp, ebook)

This book has been popping up everywhere for me since it came out in May. It's been on my list and then moved up the list. I decided to treat myself for a long airplane ride and I am happy to say the book delivers. It's fantasy about a young woman who is enrolled against her wishes into a brutally competitive military academy. By brutal I mean people die because they can't keep up with the training or because they kill each other. Also, there are dragons. If you take all the super popular books of the last 20 years and stick them in a blender -- this is what you'd come up with. But it was super fun and page turny. I almost forgot to mention there is a steamy romance. The book isn't perfect, I had a few beefs but very fun to read. A flight attendant glanced at my ereader and immediately asked me how I was enjoying the book and whether I had Book #2 yet. It's loaded up and ready to read next.

39. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk and Robot #2)

By Becky Chambers (152 pp ebook)

Love these books. Sibling Dex and the Robot Mosscap hang out together and travel around to different villages. I find these books very comforting and relaxing.

38. What Moves the Dead

By T. Kingfisher (176 ebook)

What a creepy read! It's about a soldier who is called to visit some friends in distress and arrives at the moldering estate where unsettling things are afoot. I was lamenting that I didn't set aside anything scary to read for Halloween this year. At the same time I read this and yikes! Really good. T. Kingfisher is terrific. This was inspired by Fall of the House of Usher. I have not seen the TV series but have it on my radar and now that I've finished the book, I will prioritize. I put the Poe story on my nightstand so I can re-visit that. The author also cites Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia and I thought for sure I had it on my ereader but, alas, I do not. It's on the list for next time I buy books.