Genres:

• Thriller
  A genre of fiction that is well known for giving readers ‘heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety’. According to Wikipedia, ‘thrillers generally keep the audience on the “edge of their seats” as the plot builds towards a climax. The cover-up of important information from the viewer is a common element. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists, and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is usually a villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the protagonist must overcome.’
• Horror
  Wikipedia also summarizes this genre quite nicely: ‘a genre of fiction which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten, scare, disgust, or startle readers by inducing feelings of horror and terror.’

I have to say this is probably the hardest challenge for me yet! I’m the type of person who can’t bring myself to watch suspenseful/scary movies, and only managed to watch Stranger Things because I had company. 🙈 For this challenge I’m going to take baby steps and tackle a Thriller! I’ve had The Widow by Fiona Barton for some months now so I’ll be reading that. Let’s see if I can gather enough courage to read a Horror book. Any Horror fans want to recommend a good ‘starter’ for a scaredy cat like me? 😆 What do you think you’ll be reading for this challenge?

If this is your first time learning about this reading challenge, you can read my post here to find out what it’s all about! 😁

Title: Days of Blood and Starlight
Author: Laini Taylor
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2
Pages: 513
Rating: ★★★

Synopsis:

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil held a wishbone between them.

And its snap split the world in two.

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living – one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers’ arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.

Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon’s secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel – a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.

This was not that world.

Title: Dune
Author: Frank Herbert
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 535
Rating: ★★★½

Synopsis:

Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family–and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what it undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.

Title: Soppy: A Love Story
Author: Philippa Rice
Genres: Graphic Novels, Romance
Pages: 108
Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis:

True love isn’t always about the big romantic gestures.

Sometimes it’s about sympathizing with someone whose tea has gone cold or reading together and sharing a quilt. When two people move in together, it soon becomes apparent that the little things mean an awful lot. The throwaway moments in life become meaningful when you spend them in the company of someone you love.

SOPPY is Philippa Rice’s collection of comics and illustrations based on real-life moments with her boyfriend. From grocery shopping to silly arguments and snuggling in front of the television, SOPPY captures the universal experience of sharing a life together, and celebrates the beauty of finding romance all around us.

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1
Pages: 418
Rating: ★★

Synopsis:

Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”, she speaks many languages – not all of them human – and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?