May 2022 | Wrap-Up

 Hello! And welcome to my May 2022 wrap-up featuring The Final Book Support Group. I actually had the worst reading month I've had in years in May. I only read 8 books, with a total of 3149 pages. Like I said, not great for me. The main reason for this was that I've been extremely stressed with work and, when I get stressed, it really affects my anxiety, and when I'm anxious, the one thing I can't do is read. I'm really sad that I've barely read this month but I'm trying not to beat myself up too much and just focus on next month's TBR and (even more excitingly) Whateverathon! So keep an eye out for that TBR!

 So without further ado here is my May Wrap-Up.

May Wrap-Up and Reviews!

 1. Who Killed Ruby? by Camilla Way ★★★.5

I've had this book on my kobo account for years now so I thought it was about time I got around to reading this. This book follows Vivienne, a woman whose sister, Ruby, was killed when she was only a child. Vivienne gave crucial evidence that helped convict the murderer. But, was the killer she accused actually the person who murdered Ruby? Around 30 years later, she is now a single mother working in London, but the anniversary of Ruby's death is coming up and Vivienne starts receiving sinister messages from someone telling her to expose the real killer. Vivienne is terrified for herself and her daughter, and becomes desperate to discover the secrets of her past. This book did surprise me in a good way. The writing was very good and this was one of the most compelling thrillers I've read in a while. I ended up reading it in two sittings because I couldn't put it down. Unfortunately, the twist didn't surprise me and the ending felt a little bit lacklustre because of that. I also felt like the book suffered from too many perspectives at times. However, I think if you're someone who hasn't read a lot of thrillers, you'll really enjoy this and you might not guess the twist at the end. I also think Camilla Way is a very good writer and I will 100% be reading more from her in the future.

2. The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson ★★★★★

I absolutely adored this book. I can't say too much about it because it's the third book in a series but it was fantastic. This is a western/steampunk about Wax and Wayne who attempt to right wrongs in their society through a mixture of allomancy and police work. I genuinely thought this was the final book in this 'trilogy' but I've now found out that Sanderson intends to write more in this series. It also makes sense because although the ending was very satisfying, there were a few loose threads that would be good to be explored. I loved the character development in these books, especially Steris - she is amazing! Wayne's quips were so well-timed that this book had be laughing out loud. This book fully interweaves the Mistborn Trilogy as well and it's so good to still see plot twists from that world coming to play in this one. I highly recommend this series for anyone who enjoyed the Mistborn Trilogy. However, now I have to just sit and eagerly await the next book.

3. The Chosen by Taran Matharu ★★★.5

I decided to pick this trilogy up this month because I adored Taran Matharu's previous Summoner series. That book had literally everything I love in a fantasy and I was hoping I would enjoy this series just as much. Sadly, I didn't but that definitely doesn't make it a bad series. This book follows Cade Carter, convicted of a crime he didn't commit, he is facing a year in reform school when he finds himself suddenly transported to another realm. But this new world is no escape. Populated by bloodthirsty prehistoric creatures and fierce warriors, Cade's surroundings are full of danger. Along with his fellow students, Cade is forces to become a contender in a deadly game of the highest stakes, controlled by invisible overlords. I really did like the premise and world of this series. I loved the historical objects taken out of time and some of the characters were really interesting. Unfortunately, the overarching story just didn't do it for me, and some of the characters felt very flat (especially since there were so many to keep track of to begin with). I think younger teenagers could really enjoy this series, but it just okay for me.

4. The Challenger by Taran Matharu ★★★

This is the sequel to The Chosen, which I talked about above. I don't have much more to say, although I did enjoy the setting of this book even more than the previous one, the climax of the book overall felt ridiculously short. I think it only lasted around 10 pages and it felt out of place from the rest of the story. Again, some of the characters were good, especially their trainer, but others just remained so two-dimensional that I couldn't tell them apart. I will say that all of these books also had great diversity, which was good to see, but it's just a shame that the pacing of the plot felt so off in this one.

5. The Champion by Taran Matharu ★★★

And this was the final book in the Contendor trilogy. Unfortunately, I think this was my least favourite, although, again, I still don't think these are bad books. The setting of this book totally changed and the remaining characters weren't all my favourites. I also felt like the overarching plot (which I don't want to spoil) just felt odd and, similar to the previous book, the pacing of the action felt off. I do think this could end up being a new favourite for some and I just wish I'd liked the tropes more. The ending felt strange to me too because I was hoping for less of an open-ending with a YA action book like this. I would  definitely recommend giving the first book a shot, but if you don't like it then I wouldn't suggest continuing as the tone of the books never change.

6. White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson ★★★★

I decided to pick this up because I read Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson not too long ago and it became one of my favourite thrillers of all time. This is marketed as a horror/psychological thriller and I've been so excited to pick it up. White Smoke follows Marigold, whose family move to give both her and the family a fresh start. They arrive at the renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street... but it sits between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbours who may or may not have secrets of their own. That’s only half the problem: household items vanish, doors open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be heard in the walls, and there’s a foul smell seeping through the vents only Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper, her kid sister, keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari gone.

Overall, this book was fantastic. The atmosphere was on point, the characters were so well-developed, believable, and flawed without being unlikable. I read this in one sitting and was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The twist was fantastic and I loved the way everything tied together in the end. It also explored so many systemic issues, particularly around racism. The only reason this book didn't get 5 stars was the ending for me. While the twist was great, the ending itself didn't feel like it gave me enough closure. I wanted to see what happened next, not just with Mari and her family, but also the entire neighbourhood and surrounding area. In particular though, I wanted to see some people apologise to the main characters for ignoring their worries for so long. That lack of closure just brought it down for me, but it was a brilliant book overall and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good psychological thriller.

7. Night Shift by Stephen King ★★★.5

This book has been on my TBR for years. If you've read my blog posts over the past few years, you'll know I try to read a few Stephen King books a year to try and make my way through his backlog. I've read a few short story collections by King before, but usually each book only contains 4-6. This collection of short stories contained 20 and they were all a lot shorter. I rated all the short stories and averaged those ratings to give the overall book 3.5 stars. I really loved some of the stories, while others I was bored or now struggle to remember. They all felt very reminiscent of Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected which I felt similar about as well. I'll give a star rating for each story below but I won't go into too much detail as I think we'd be here forever!

1. Jerusalem's Lot - 4 stars. A great prequel to Salem's Lot that I previously read. Very gothic.

2. Graveyard Shift - 3 stars. Relatively interesting.

3. Night Surf - 2 stars. I found this quite boring.

4. I am the Doorway - 2 stars. I found this quite boring.

5. The Mangler - 4 stars. Very dark but I liked the premise of this one.

6. The Boogeyman  - 4 stars. Loved the ending of this one.

7. Gray Matter - 3 stars.

8. Battleground - 2 stars

9. Trucks - 3 stars

10. Sometimes They Come Back - 5 stars. A terrifying idea.

11. Strawberry Spring - 4 stars

12. The Ledge - 5 stars. This felt very Dahl-esque

13. The Lawnmower Man - 3 stars. Mostly very weird.

14. Quitters, Inc. - 5 stars. So very twisted.

15. I Know What You Need - 4 stars.

16. Children of the Corn - 3 stars. (I can't be the only one who could just see the South Park episode in my head, right?).

17. The Last Rung on the Ladder - 4 stars.

18. The Man Who Loved Flowers - 4 stars.

19. One for the Road - 4 stars.

20. The Woman in the Room - 2 stars.

8. You Had me at Hola by Alexis Daria ★★★

I decided to pick up a lighter romance book towards the end of the month, since I was feeling slumpy and anxious. I had an an ebook copy so it felt easier to pick up on my phone while I was feeling like that. This book follows two actors, Jasmine and Ashton. After a messy public breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine finds her face splashed across the tabloids. When she returns to her hometown of New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country, Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Plan” should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez. After his last telenovela character was killed off, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Joining this new cast as a last-minute addition will give him the chance to show off his acting chops to American audiences and ping the radar of Hollywood casting agents. To make it work, he’ll need to generate smoking-hot on-screen chemistry with Jasmine.

But of course, the characters get off on the wrong foot and, as with all romances, there's a bit of miscommunication to keep them apart. Overall, this was a light, enjoyable read. The diversity was refreshing and interesting to read about, especially about casting diverse leading roles. Unfortunately, the third act break-up was a bit frustrating in this one and I feel like we didn't get to see enough of Jasmine and Ashton's families. Their relationships were so interesting and I just wanted more of them. Overall, I really liked this romance and I think if you're a fan of TV shows/celebrities, you'll probably enjoy this book.

So those are the 8 books I ended up reading in May! Let me know if you've read any of them and what you thought about them. How much did you read in May? Let me know below. I hope everyone had a good reading month!