November Wrap-Up | 2022

Welcome to my November wrap-up! This month wasn't quite as successful as I hoped in terms of amount of books read, but I did also read a lot of chunky books, so I'm not too bothered that I read less. I'm just happy that I'm getting round to catching up to The Stormlight Archive - finally! So, without further ado, here are my reviews and ratings for the month!

1. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo ★★★★

This book has been on my TBR since it first came out in 2019. Ninth House follows Galaxy “Alex” Stern, the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

I have some mixed feelings on this book, but I did end up liking it a lot more than I thought I would initially. I struggled with the first 100 pages or so because I didn't feel particularly invested in Alex or the 'current' storyline. I was always itching to get back to Darlington's point of view. However, at around the 200 pages mark, I became a lot more interested in Alex and her past. Alex was a frustrating character to read from to begin with, but as soon as I found out her backstory I loved her so much more. I kind of wish the book had started in a different place, but it probably wouldn't have had the same impact if it had. 

I loved Turner and Dawes so much. And I even ended up finding some of the Grays incredibly interesting characters. I will say that I did figure out the 'who' behind it all quite early on, but I definitely didn't see the 'how' or the 'why' - I loved that reveal at the end and it was so well done. The atmosphere was also great throughout the book. My only issues with this book was the slow start, and the fact that other people have called this book 'dark academia', which isn't exactly true because the main character is barely involved in the academia at all, so it mostly just felt like a paranormal thriller set at Yale; it didn't really give me the same vibes as other dark academia for me. Overall though a brilliantly written book with a clever twist.

2. The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan ★★★★

This is a YA contemporary with a hint of magical realism. If the magical realism puts you off, I would say to try and get past that because the story Pan tells is beautiful. When Leigh's mother dies by suicide she leaves only a scribbled note - I want you to remember. Leigh doesn't understand its meaning and wishes she could turn to her best friend, Axel - if only she hadn't kissed him and changed everything between them. Guided by a mysterious red bird, Leigh travels to Taiwan to meet her grandparents for the first time. There, Leigh retreats into art and memories, where colours collide, the rules of reality are broken and the ghosts of the past refuse to rest… But Leigh is determined to unlock her family's secrets. To remember. 

I was pretty hesitant about this book, despite hearing good things, mostly because the plot summary mentioning the romance between Leigh and Axel made the book sound like it was going to have a lot more YA drama than it actually does. Don't get me wrong, there are a few bits here and there, but the romance isn't the focus; the book encapsulates depictions of grief and depression, family trauma, navigating family and friendships, and cultural heritage. It was also beautifully written. I have never read a book that shows how both hidden and obvious depression can be, nor does Pan try to explain the depression, which I appreciated.

I did think the colours being described felt like Pan was trying to do something that a lot of YA contemporary books did around that time (main character has an interest and quirk to go alongside it), but with the colours were so vividly described that I did feel they worked well with the tone of the book, especially the magical realism aspects. I loved the twists towards the end and I absolutely didn't see them coming; it made me want to re-read the book immediately so I can look for the obvious clues. Leigh finding out more about her heritage and Asia was so interesting - I especially enjoyed reading about the language. The descriptions of food were mouth-watering and made me want to try so many of the foods mentioned. 

A couple of things did bother me about the book, which is why it only got four stars. Firstly, I loved her friendship with Axel, but the way he treated her relationship-wise was weird and never really explained - why did he keep getting with other people, other than Leigh? Did he not like her before? The other thing I really disliked throughout was Leigh's father. He was unbearable even before the grief. He was constantly leaving his wife and daughter, even when it was obvious they needed him, because it was easier for him? And then he constantly puts Leigh's art down, literally telling her she's not talented enough?? What? Who does that? (I mean, I know some parents do, but in this book he never really explains why he put her down so much, or why he suddenly changes his mind). And when he sent her away, without asking her or literally explaining anything? And abandoning her in a foreign country where she didn't know the language? Everything about him was so frustrating. I really found him to be insufferable until the last 20 pages.

Despite my mini rant there, I did enjoy this book. It was beautiful, poignant and will help so many people who have been through similar trauma. If you're looking for a meaningful YA book that doesn't focus on a relationship, then try this one.

3. This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron ★★★.5

This Wicked Fate is the sequel to This Poison Heart and the final book in the duology. These books are incredibly quick to read and they are not the Snow White retelling that's implied by the first book. The first book follows Briseis who has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch. When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined--it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri's unique family lineage.

The first book is extremely gothic (with the old house, apothecary, and hidden poison garden), but the second book focuses more on the Greek mythological retelling that's happening in the story; it follows more of a heroes quest rather than the small-town vibes of the first book. I loved the Greek myths used in this book, however, the pacing did feel a little bit off. There was a lot of waiting around in the first half of the book and all the action was packed into the final 100 pages. These books are very short though, and that definitely works in its favour because you can pretty much read them in one sitting. Bayron also writes beautifully and her descriptions of plants and flowers are vivid.

Bayron has also created a cast of incredibly diverse characters; there are so many Sapphic relationships in this book and people of colour, and it's so lovely to see the love between all the characters. I especially loved seeing all the familial relationships that Bri has, and how much the families care about each other. I do feel like the opposing family are very 'twirling-moustache villainous', with very little exploration of their characters other than 'they're bad and want power'. Overall, a very fun, quick to read duology that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys Greek myths.

4. Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco ★★

I had heard very polarising things about this book, with people either wholeheartedly loving it or hating it. Unfortunately, this book really wasn't for me. Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe - witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family's renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister's killer and to seek vengeance at any cost, even if it means using dark magic that's been long forbidden. Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked—princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia's side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women's murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems...

Okay, lets start with the plot, which felt a bit all over the place to me. The beginning of the book felt like it was missing entire chapters and that didn't let up throughout the book. Emilia would just suddenly be doing something entirely different the next chapter, even when something big had happened the chapter before. When the sister dies, we just get a time skip, we don't see the grief of the parents, barely see the grief of the Nonna and Emilia. It's like we skip the grief and move straight to revenge, which feels weird. The plot felt so drawn out but it also felt like Emilia was finding and following clues very quickly and everything just seemed too easy.

The worldbuilding was, unfortunately, non-existent. I couldn't tell you what time period this was set in (in all honesty, I actually thought it was more modern day until something was brought up about a third of the way through). There were no descriptions of buildings or the city/town. However, we did get copious amounts of description of the food. While I did enjoy that to begin with, and I love food descriptions in books, it just felt over the top in this book when we received no descriptions of anything else.

Emilia was kind of boring as a main character, I felt like I knew nothing about her or her sister. There was a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. We never see Emilia really interacting with her family other than some serious conversations that showed little to no emotion between them. She also barely even thought about her family at all in any emotional way, even when they were in danger. When something happens to her Nonna, she doesn't even give her a second thought afterwards, nor does she seem to care about her parents at all.

Although I did love the idea of the seven deadly sins being the Princes, it just wasn't fleshed out enough for me, nor was the magic system. It felt like we learned everything through exposition and there was always a reason why someone couldn't just tell Emilia the information she needed, even when they knew it. Wrath was a bland 'love' interest - just a typical broody immortal. The 'twist' at the end was very obviously set up and I saw it coming a mile away. Overall, this book was not for me, although I can see why people who've read less fantasy might enjoy it more.

5. Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb ★★★★★

And here we are at last, this is the 16th and final book Robin Hobb's Elderling series and The Fitz and the Fool trilogy. I can't say what the actual plot of this book was about, but just know that I loved this book. This was a culmination of all 15 books and I can't express how beautifully well-written it was to combine everything from previous series and seeing how far every single character has come through these books. Hobb has written Fitz in so many stages of his life, and every single one of them felt realistic for his age.

I will say that the beginning was very repetitive from one of the perspectives; it was very much a cycle of travel, escape, get caught, travel, escape, etc. However, the final half of the book really picked up the pace and that perspective ended up being so well done. Seeing so many characters get their revenge was incredibly satisfying. One thing that Hobb does very well is writing characters and not minimising the things that they went through and actually showing their trauma and their responses to it. No-one is just fine at the end and that makes sense after what they went through. The return of one character in this book was especially heart-wrenching and those final 100 pages were so hard to read, but it was such a good ending.

So many things were tied up and explained from both this trilogy and every other single book before then. Seeing all the characters finally meet one another was hilarious and heart-warming. There were a couple of things that I would've liked more answers about (the Farseer line and magic), and a couple of characters I wanted to talk more, but honestly, that barely detracted from the book. I would also love to re-read the first trilogy again, just so I could view it with more understanding now that I know all the reveals that happened in this book.

I highly recommend Hobb's books to any lover of high fantasy. Even if you struggle with the first trilogy initially (like I did), you'll be hooked once you get to The Liveship trilogy.

6. Girl Friends by Holly Bourne ★★★★★

Ahhhhhhh, Holly Bourne does it again with this adult contemporary novel. Although I don't read a ton of this genre, she is easily my favourite contemporary writer. How does she write in such a realistic way about what it's like to be a woman in this society? "Men see women in two separate categories. There are the women they sleep with, and the women they fall in love with. And they will treat you differently based on that." From the day they first meet as teenagers Fern and Jessica are best friends. Despite their differences, they are there for each other throughout everything, navigating the difficulties of growing up and fitting in. That is until Jessica crosses a line that Fern can't forgive. But now, more than ten years later, Jessica has unexpectedly reappeared in Fern's life. A lot has changed for them both - but can their relationship be different now they are older? Is it possible for either of them to rewrite the role that they have been cast in? Or will their shared history ultimately be doomed to repeat itself again?

Bourne, as always, is able to capture what it's like to be a girl/woman growing up in the UK, and the pitfalls that surround us. She explores the insecurities and anxiety women often have, strong female friendships, the female friendships fraught with jealousies, the struggle to be thought attractive, and the performances women put on in order to fit into relationships and how people view us. This is definitely more of a character-driven book, and I ended up reading this in one sitting because Bourne's writing is so compelling. The book alternates between the past (with Fern in school, college, and university), and the present (where Fern is in her early 30s). Both of these storylines were equally intriguing to me and I actually gasped at the moments towards the end where the two emotional storylines practically collided. Everything Fern feels -the insecurities, the feeling of never being enough, knowing you're being pitted against your best friend and not knowing what to do about it - is something that so many women will relate to. The friendships and relationships in this book really spoke to me, and even though I didn't have the exact same experiences, it still felt like I was understood.

Honestly, this was such a difficult read, but only because of how realistic it is. Moments of realising what society has trained us to be as women are very depressing, but equally, it also shows a glimmer of hope of what women can be to one another. If you enjoy a hard-hitting contemporary about female friendships then pick this up (I do recommend checking the trigger warnings list though). I will never recommend Holly Bourne enough.

7. Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown ★★★★

This is a heavily autobiographical book infused with magical realism. Echo Brown fearlessly explores the intersections of poverty, sexual violence, depression, racism, and sexism - all through the arc of a transcendent coming-of-age story. Echo Brown is a wizard from the East Side, where apartments are small and parents suffer addictions to the white rocks. Yet there is magic everywhere. New portals begin to open when Echo transfers to the rich school on the West Side, and an insightful teacher becomes a pivotal mentor. Each day, Echo travels between two worlds, leaving her brothers, her friends, and a piece of herself behind on the East Side. There are dangers to leaving behind the place that made you. Echo soon realises there is pain flowing through everyone around her, and a black veil of depression threatens to undo everything she’s worked for.

Knowing that this book is partly auto-biographical makes it incredibly powerful. It's both beautifully written and simultaneously so painful to read as it shows so many characters confronting childhood traumas. The struggles Echo Brown and her family go through are heartbreaking, even more so knowing that so many people still suffer from the struggles from racism, sexism, prejudice, sexual violence. All of the characters are so realistic and Brown shows what she learns with such raw and meaningful language. Echo is a powerful person; she goes through so much and still manages to get straight A's and go to college despite everything. I also love the way the author writes two scenes that happen at different times, but connects them; it made the impact of them hit so much harder. I usually struggle with fabulism too, but the magical realism in this book worked so well and really helped to show to community and support around Echo. It portrays the struggles of women of colour, but it's also incredibly uplifting and truly shows how powerful they are. I don't want to say too much more since this is such a short book, but I highly recommend picking this up; by the time I got to the Acknowledgements I was crying. 

8. The Way of Kings: Part One by Brandon Sanderson (re-read) ★★★★.5

As it says above, this is actually a re-read for me. I decided to re-read the first two books so I could finally continue and catch-up with the series so far. In The Stormlight Archives each book is split into two separate books because of their length. This first book follows several characters (but mostly Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, and Adolin) in the world of Roshar: a place of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilisation alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soil-less ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter. It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armour that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars are fought for them, and won by them. One such war is about to swallow up a soldier (Kaladin), a brightlord (Dalinar) and a young woman scholar (Shallan).

I don't really want to say more about the plot other than that because Sanderson does a wonderful job slowly revealing the story and characters in this epic fantasy series. This world and magic system is one of the most unique that I've ever read about. I love the idea of most of the creatures being shelled creatures, and that all the plants can hide during a highstorm to protect themselves. Kaladin will forever remain my favourite character, although I do feel like he should probably be older than he actually is - it's hard to believe that he's only nineteen given the way he commands respect and with how he thinks - however, that doesn't hold me back from believing his chapters Shallan is one of Sanderson's many strong female characters. While I do respect her and love her yearning for knowledge, I will forever struggle with the sheet amount of comebacks she comes out with, it can get a little tedious after a time. Despite those things, I still love these characters, and Dalinar and Adolin are equally fascinating. This book leaves so many questions unanswered, while simultaneously explaining and exploring so much of this huge world. Sanderson's writing is incredibly clever yet very easy to read. I will always recommend Sanderson to new fantasy readers, and if you're looking for the next high fantasy series to sink your teeth into, then pick this up.

9. The Way of Kings: Part Two by Brandon Sanderson (re-read) ★★★★★

This is the second part to book one of Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (in the UK each of these books is split and published in two halves because of how big they are). The first part, as mentioned above, got 4.5 stars, but the twists and turns this second half took easily bring the overall book up to a 5 star read. The synopsis for book one is mentioned above so I won't mention much more of that. I will say that I'm surprised by how much I remembered of this book, which just goes to show how much of an impact it made on me three years ago. I remembered every twist in this so vividly, but I still loved every moment. The reveals in Jasnah's and Shallan's storylines are particularly interesting, but of course, Kaladin always steals the spotlight; seeing more of his past be revealed while he simultaneously discovers more about himself and his present situation is incredibly well written. Seeing Dalinar and Adolin grow in this book is also incredible to see. I love how this book ends too - seeing multiple storylines finally coming together. Overall, a fantastic end to an amazing first book. I'm excited to re-read the sequel and then finally continue with the series. Sanderson, how did you get this good at writing?

10. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng ★★★★

Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet. So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970's small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfil the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos.

I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I thought it would be a typical literary fiction novel, but it really didn't feel like that; it was more of a contemporary drama. This felt like a Jonathan Franzen novel, but one that actually looked at an American family with a diverse background. This is a profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, It portrays a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another. Both parents are struggling with their own issues, while assuming they're doing well as parents; a mother that dealt with sexism and missed opportunities and a father that has dealt with racism and oppression. Lydia is struggling to live up to expectations that her mother puts on her; willing her to take opportunities that she wasn't given. Meanwhile, the other siblings are ignored, yet both parents think they're doing a great job. Ng writes so beautifully and successfully paints a picture of each member of the family in only 300 pages with such subtle tension. This is a heartbreaking and truly realistic read piece of fiction that explores race and gender in America in the '70s.

11. Words of Radiance: Part One by Brandon Sanderson (re-read) ★★★★ 

This is the first part of Book Two in The Stormlight Archive, as such I can't say much about the plot so feel free to refer back to my review of book one above. The main reason this book gets 4 stars is because it definitely reads like half of a book; the second half of this book definitely brings it up to a 5 star, but the first half just feels so incomplete and doesn't show the whole story arc. As always, Kaladin is great and I love seeing how much he grows in this book, especially when it comes to how he views his friends. Shallan's quips were less frequent, and she becomes so much more interesting in her journey with the Ghostbloods. I love the political manoeuvrings that occur throughout with Dalinar, Adolin, and Navani. Overall, this epic fantasy series is brilliant, and this instalment was no different.

And those were all the books I read in November! Not as many as I hoped, but it was a busy month so I can't be too mad at myself. What did you read last month?