Welcome to my December wrap-up! This month was a pretty successful month
considering my mental health took a bit of a downturn in the middle. I'm
really happy with how much I caught up with The Stormlight Archive too. So, without further ado, here are my reviews and ratings for the
month!
1. Words of Radiance, Part Two by Brandon Sanderson
(re-read) ★★★★★
This is the second part of book two in The Stormlight Archive and
it's easily my favourite book in the series so far. The action towards the
end of the book was immense. Sanderson is so talented at writing scenes that
you can easily picture as an epic moment in a film (Kaladin going down those
stairs at the end as an example). I loved the turn the plot took in this -
there were so many twists with Shallan, and I did not see coming what Adolin
would do towards the end at all. It's great seeing so many different
characters and plotlines finally coming together, and how they react to one
another. I particularly liked seeing more of Adolin's character in this
book. As always, Sanderon's magic system is unlike any other and we get to
see so much more of the powers used by the Radiants. I'm so excited to see
how these books tie to the rest of the Cosmere, and I'm loving every book in
this series more and more.
2. Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson (re-read) ★★★★
Are we surprised to see the next Sanderson book in this wrap-up? No, of
course not. This is a novella - book 3.5 in
The Stormlight Archive - and it follows Lift, a character we first
meet in the interludes of Book Two. The first time I read this novella, I
found Lift to be quite irritating, but on this read, I actually really
enjoyed her character and her more simplistic perspective. It really
allowed the reader to see more of the world and how it works, while
simultaneously tying the novella to the main story in ways that Lift can't
even see. Her rudeness and obsession with food is just funny throughout,
and I love that she still says the Words and means them despite being so
young. I'm excited to learn more about her and more about Darkness. I
don't want to say much else in case of spoilers, but overall this is an
interesting novella that really adds to the main story.
3. The Prenup by Lauren Layne ★★
This Adult contemporary romance book follows Charlotte Spencer, who grew
up on the blue-blooded Upper East Side of Manhattan, but she never wanted
the sit-still-look-pretty future her parents dictated for her. Enter Colin
Walsh, her brother's quiet, brooding, man-bun-sporting best friend, and
with him a chance to escape. He's far from Charlotte's dream guy but they need each other for one thing:
marriage. One courthouse wedding later, Charlotte's inheritance is hers to
start a business in San Francisco and Irish-born Colin has a Green
Card. Ten years later, Colin drops a bombshell: the terms of their prenup state
that before either can file for divorce, they have to live under the same
roof for three months.
Unfortunately, this book didn't land well for me for a few reasons.
Firstly, I found the way Charlotte spoke to the reader kind of cheesy and
the tone didn't resonate with me. It also seemed to drop off by the end of the book so I'm not sure why it was
really written that way to begin with. The next big thing was the
characters: Charlotte I could mostly get behind, although the way she
talked about being rich and money not being thought of at all was slightly
nauseating. Colin, however, had the personality of a brick wall. There is
literally not one thing he does that shows anything about him.
Charlotte even calls him out on this and he says something along the lines
of 'Just because I don't show my emotions doesn't mean I don't have them'.
Right sure, but that just feels like a cop out for never showing and always
telling.
Next up, we have the very clear emotional cheating that happens
throughout the book. I can never ever root for a couple in a book that do
this. Colin is constantly making hints at how much he lusts after
Charlotte and agreeing to go on a trip with her, but is apparently head
over heels for someone else? Charlotte is just as bad. She doesn't want to
become the 'other woman', but still flirts repeatedly and
invites him for a weekend away?? And then we have all the
women-on-women hate. It's truly awful. Charlotte refers to another woman
as 'severe', 'uptight', and 'a viper', and it's used to contrast how
wonderfully sunny and carefree Charlotte herself is. Realistically, I
didn't see anything this other woman did was wrong at all given the
situation she'd been put in.
The end of the book also felt like it had no closure for the overall
conflict. Colin never really explains any of his thought process or if he
actually had any feelings other than lust, Rebecca vanishes of the face of
the earth, and we get a typical epilogue wrapping everything else up in a
neat bow. Overall, this was just not a romance/contemporary for me,
although other people might be able to see past the cheating and enjoy it
more.
4. Wrapped Up in You by Talia Hibbert ★★★
The best way to describe this contemporary novella is that it's a very
sweet read. William Reid is nothing special, except for his billion-dollar acting
career and his, you know, face. (Apparently, it’s a good one.) Winning
‘Sexiest Man Alive’ was nice, but this Christmas, he has more important
goals in mind... like finally winning over his best friend’s little
sister, the super-smart and kinda-scary Abbie Farrell. When a blizzard leaves Will and Abbie alone at Grandma Farrell’s house (if
bunking with 27 pets counts as ‘alone’), it’s the perfect opportunity to
pull off a Christmas miracle. Convincing clever, frosty Abbie to give Will a
chance will take more than mistletoe, but hiding his lifelong crush on her
is no longer an option.
I appreciate that this novella really showed the truth about recovery from
abusive relationships and how it can shatter the trust there. However, it
was very frustrating reading from Will's perspective and watching Abbie push
him away and hurt him repeatedly when they'd known each other for so long
that you would think they would naturally trust one another. But, as I said,
that is the truth about recovery from these things, so it was
understandable. I particularly loved the amount of cats in this book,
especially the kittens; it made the book extra cute. I kind of wish the novella had been a full book, so we could know more
about her past relationship and also her relationship with her family, but
this was a quick, sweet read overall. If you're looking for a cute Christmas
romance then pick this up.
5. Oathbringer, Part One by Brandon Sanderson (re-read) ★★★★
We are finally at my last re-read of this series so I'm finally able to
continue to the next couple of books. This is the first part of book three
in The Stormlight Archive series. Overall, I found it to be less
action-packed than the previous ones; not that much happened except for a
few reveals as the book went along. This is understandable because it's only
the first half of a book, which is why it only got 4 stars overall. I really
liked the addition of the Bridge Four chapters, and I especially loved
Rock's chapter - he's probably my favourite member of the group. Kaladin and
his family felt a little rushed and I wish we'd seen more exploration there.
Kaladin wasn't as interesting to me in this book because it felt like not a
lot happened in his chapters, but I really liked learning more about Adolin
and Dalinar. Exploring Dalinar's past and uncovering the things he'd
forgotten was such a good addition to this book and it's keeping me turning
the pages to find out more of his history. I will say that the addition of
some things left me a little confused, but I'm hoping we'll get more
explanation as time goes on. Overall, a good start to the third book.
6. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse
Andrews ★.5
Now, I know I've given this book a low rating, but I didn't actively hate
the writing. However, there were so many problematic things in this book
that it made me incredibly uncomfortable. This is a YA Contemporary book
that's described as 'not like other cancer books'. It follows
Greg. Up until senior year, he's has maintained total social invisibility. He
only has one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time - when not
playing video games and avoiding Earl’s terrifying brothers - making
movies, their own versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics. Greg would
be the first one to tell you his movies are terrible, but he and
Earl don’t make them for other people. Until Rachel. Rachel has leukaemia, and Greg’s mum gets the genius idea that Greg should
befriend her. Against his better judgement and despite his extreme
awkwardness, he does. When Rachel decides to stop treatment, Greg and Earl
must abandon invisibility and make a stand.
As I said above, this book had so many problematic lines about race, sex,
and gender, and then hardly any of them were ever challenged. Some examples
being:
-
'I had no idea what you were supposed to do with [girls] ... I just sort
of wanted to have one like a possession or something'
-
'jocks would be a good bet to ascend the throne, but at Benson, they're
pretty much all black, and many of the white kids are afraid of them'
(What the hell?)
-
'Every two years, Dad grows a beard, and it makes him look like a member
of the taliban'.
Literally none of those things are ever challenged as stereotypes or bad by
the author or character. It's kind of expected the race lines to be negated
by the fact the main character has a black friend. There's also bisexual
erasure in the book, which is also not properly challenged, except by
saying the equivalent of 'everyone's a little bit bi'.
Getting past those issues, we still have the fact that this is exactly like
any other cancer book. The main character's agency is entirely propelled by a
girl dying of cancer. And the worst thing is, the main character is
categorically unlikable. He literally doesn't do one nice thing in the
entire book that someone else didn't make him do. He constantly talks
about how unattractive Rachel is and, therefore, doesn't care about helping
her. Thankfully, that does get challenged, but he still doesn't seem to
learn anything from it. The fact that he learns something new about her so
late in the book says that he never he tried to get to know her properly.
Every teenage girl in this book is only talked about through a lens of how
hot they are. I know he's a teenage boy, but it's like he thinks
all women are objects and not actual people, and even after it's kind of
challenged, he then proceeds to use Rachel as a college letter??
The mixed media writing style was interesting, but the humour fell so flat
to me. Nothing made me laugh and the jokes he made just felt so out of
context all the time. I get it, he was meant to be 'quirky', but it felt
weird that he was like that when he talked about lying low and not having
any friends. Overall, this wasn't for me and it the jokes felt very dated considering
this was only published ten years ago.
7. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins
Reid (re-read) ★★★★★
As mentioned above, this was actually a re-read for me. I first read this
in 2018 and it became one of my favourite books of all time and I'm very
happy to say that it's lived up to that on re-read. This book follows the
aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo. She is finally ready
to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she
chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is
more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as
the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s
to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the
seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition,
unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a
very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its
conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in
tragic and irreversible ways.
I don't even know where to begin with what I love about this book. The
characters are all so flawed and Evelyn herself doesn't shy away from
sharing that she doesn't consider herself a 'good' person, but I still love
so many of the people in this book. Evelyn Hugo herself is an icon and I
maintain that Taylor Jenkins Reid is such a good writer that I still often
find myself wanting to Google Evelyn Hugo as though she's a real person,
because she is written so well. She also captures the atmosphere of 50s and
60s Hollywood perfectly.
Harry Cameron has my heart forever - he is so caring and selfless
throughout and the way he looks after his friends is just so sincere. His
and Evelyn's friendship is so lovely. Taylor Jenkins Reid is also very good
at showing how individuals aren't all black and white, and that there are
often grey areas and that people can change. I struggle with Celia
sometimes, but only because we see the relationship through the eyes of
Evelyn, and we most often see when her relationships with people are at
their worst for the sake of the story. We don't get to see the 10 happy
years, we just see the one awful one month.
This book has a lot of good representation in it: LGBTQ+ rights, POC,
erasure of culture, and sexism. While a lot of it is hard to read, it's also
very powerful in the way it's discussed. I will say that Monique's storyline is one I care less about but I adore how the two intersect and when I first read it, I didn't see it coming at
all. The parts towards the end are so impactful and I remember it had me in
tears the first time I read it. Overall, this is a beautifully written book
with such realistic characters and a twist that will leave you reeling.
Please pick it up if you haven't already.
8. Oathbringer: Part Two by Brandon Sanderson ★★★★.5
As this is the second part two the third book in this series, I won't say
too much in case I spoil anything, so this will be a shorter review. I did
really like Oathbringer as a whole; Dalinar's past was incredibly
interesting and I loved seeing how far he'd come. The last 200 pages
were incredibly action-packed and I couldn't put the book down. However, I
will say that the main cast of characters were split in two different
places, and I found one half of them to be less interesting than the others.
Similar to the first half, I just didn't enjoy the group that were
travelling a lot, as much as the others. We also don't get enough Jasnah
anymore, especially when it comes to the huge decision she made at the end;
it kind of felt like it came out of nowhere because we hadn't seen her in so
long. I really like how far Shallan and Kaladin came throughout the book,
and I'm so excited to see where the story goes next and how it links to the
rest of the Cosmere.
9. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini ★★★.5
This is a YA contemporary novel following ambitious New York City
teenager Craig Gilner. He is determined to succeed at life - which means
getting into the right high school to get into the right job. But once
Craig aces his way into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High
School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping
until, one night, he nearly kills himself. Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his
new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her
own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, Craig
is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety. Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created
a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to
happiness.
I struggled with the rating for this one a lot. On the one hand, it shows a
very accurate portrayal of depression and suicidal thoughts, however, it's
also very dated with the comments and jokes made in the book. I was also very sad to hear that author actually committed suicide in 2013,
several years after this book was released. Let's start with the good in this book. As I said, this shows a very
accurate depiction of depression, negative thought spirals and anxiety, so
much so that I would say it could be triggering to a lot of people,
so be wary of that going in. I really liked seeing the journey that Craig
took in the hospital and how he realised he could make changes in his life
to help him get to a happier place. The characters in the hospital were all
very interesting and I know they were based on Ned Vizzini's time in a
psychiatric hospital.
However, as I said above, the jokes and comments made throughout were so
dated and made me cringe; many were sexist, homophobic, and transphobic, and
I didn't appreciate that at all. It's also incredibly hard to read from a
teenage boys perspective when they constantly think sexist things - I just
can't. If those parts were different then this would've got a higher rating
from me. Overall, it was a very quick and interesting read.
10. The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox ★★
I'm pretty disappointed about this one, but this book just wasn't for me.
So, the premise: When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her
reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also
loses her ability to taste and smell - both critical to her success as
show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie's identical twin, Cass, is frantically
trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain
hometown while running the family's bustling bakery and dealing with her
ex, who won't get the memo that they're over. With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do
something they haven't done since they were kids: switch places. Looking for
her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives
proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged
firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous physician's assistant Miguel
Rodriguez are thrown into the mix. Will the twins' identity swap be a recipe
for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their
lives back on track?
First thing is that if you love a cheesy Hallmark movie, then you'll
probably enjoy this book. And, while I like a feel-good Christmas film, I'm
not big on Hallmark romances, so you'll probably understand why this fell
flat for me. The biggest thing was how over-the-top/ridiculous the
plot and situations in the book were. The sisters swap lives and assume everything
will be fine - to the point where they don't even try to help each other,
even though they promised they would? (Oops, my phone is missing and I haven't even really noticed). And don't get me started on the whole
thing where they kept their own phones. Also, Charlie just ignores medical
advice after getting a concussion and the repercussions of that are never explored.
The other issue I had with the characters was that they swapped lives and
then immediately made mistakes, like introducing themselves to people
they should already know or asking basic stuff about their own job. If you
wanted to be convincing, you'd surely be on your toes for at least the first
day right? Nope, not these two.
Honestly, I just got so bored halfway through. The two storylines became
repetitive, the romances were fine, but the huge lie they were telling to
the love interests for no reason was a step too far for me and it was also
just unnecessary. The ending was also unbelievably cheesy. Overall, if you
like very cheesy, festive romances then pick this up, but it just wasn't for
me at all.
11-20. Saga, Volumes 1-10 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
(re-read) ★★★★★
Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (re-read) ★★★★★
I read this graphic novel for the first time in 2016 and fell in love with
the series. I now own the first 10 volumes so I decided to read them all
and finally catch up. The series is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in
the worlds. When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending
galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new
life into a dangerous old universe. Fantasy and science fiction are wed
like never before in a sexy, subversive drama for adults. The books are
set from the perspective of the child retrospectively looking back on
their life and it brings a great level of foreshadowing to the
story.
The humour in this graphic novel is fantastic and had me laughing aloud
at times, even though it's a re-read. I adore the Lying Cat and The Will;
they're an hilarious duo. It's also great to see all the characters as
morally grey, including the two main characters, and how that and the war
has affected each of them differently. The worldbuilding is incredibly
huge with a vast sci-fi world, but with magic and fantastical elements.
The art style is beautiful and really conveys the emotion of each scene so
well. This is a great graphic novel for people who've never tried ready
one before and I highly recommend it if you're looking for something both
humorous and simultaneously moving.
Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
(re-read) ★★★★★
Since I'm talking about all 10 volumes of Saga here and I don't want
to spoil it, I'll just say some short thoughts for each of the volumes. I
loved this one, especially the twist at the end. The introduction of new
characters really made this volume more interesting.
Saga, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
(re-read) ★★★★★
Ahhh, the ending was heartbreaking and the twist with The Will's ex was
very interesting. Overall, another great volume.
Saga, Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona
Staples (re-read) ★★★★
I definitely didn't enjoy this one as much, mostly because of the arguments
and the potential 'something' that almost happens. But I do love where
the rest of the story is going; it's getting a lot more complex.
Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (re-read) ★★★★★
There were so many deaths in this volume! It just gets more and more brutal. I loved Ghus so much, and the intrigue just increases with every volume.
Saga, Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (re-read) ★★★★★
There was a time jump in this one, which was interesting to see and not really where I expected it to go. It's interesting to see what happened to Hazel and I'm glad two characters were reunited again. Not as action-packed as the previous volume, and we didn't get to see some characters that I missed, but I loved it anyway.
Saga, Volume 7 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (re-read) ★★★★★
This one was absolutely heartbreaking and there's at least one thing in this that I won't recover from.
Saga, Volume 8 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (re-read) ★★★★
This one was enjoyable but not a whole lot happened compared to other volumes. A lot of important conversations that were probably needed though, just not enough of the characters and interactions I was hoping for.
Saga, Volume 9 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (re-read) ★★★★★
Oh my god, that ending. I didn't see it coming at all. How did people even cope when they had to wait for Volume 10? This was heartbreaking and now I just want some good things to happen to these characters.
Saga, Volume 10 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (re-read) ★★★★★
This volume was a really interesting direction and explores a lot about what parents will do for their children. So excited for the next volume and I just hope it doesn't take a long time to come out.
21. Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson ★★★★
I'm happy to say that I enjoyed this novella a lot, even more so
than Edgedancer. This is book 3.5 in The Stormlight Archives and it followed one of my favourite interlude perspectives: Rysn. I had
always wondered how her storyline was going to fit into the larger story and
now we're really seeing it. This novella starts when a ghost ship is discovered, its crew presumed dead after trying to
reach the storm-shrouded island of Akinah, They must send an expedition to
make sure the island hasn’t fallen into enemy hands. Knights who fly too
near find their magic suddenly drained, so the voyage must be by
sea. Years ago, shipowner Rysn Ftori gained the companionship of Chiri-Chiri, a
stormlight-ingesting larkin, a species once thought extinct. Now Rysn’s pet
is ill, and any hope for Chiri-Chiri’s recovery can be found only at the
ancestral home of the larkin: Akinah. With the help of Lopen, the
windrunner, Rysn must accept the quest and sail into the perilous storm from
which no one has returned alive. If the crew cannot uncover the secrets of
the hidden island city before the wrath of its ancient guardians falls upon
them, the fate of Roshar and the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.
I loved seeing the interactions with Lopen and Rysn and how both of these
characters have changed and grown over time. I will say that the main
downside to this book was that I'd been told it would explain some larger
connections with the Cosmere, but I guess that must be in Rhythm of War rather than this, although I can see it's heading in that direction.
Overall, this was a great addition to the series and I'm excited to pick up
the next book.
22. Rhythm of War, Part One by Brandon Sanderson ★★★★★
And here we are at the first part of Book Four in
The Stormlight Archive. As always, there's only so many spoiler-free
things I can say. This is the first Part One book that I've given 5 stars
though and I really loved it. I love how realistic Sanderson is when
exploring his characters; especially when showing the PTSD and trauma that
war can cause even the 'heroes'. Kaladin was very interesting and Shallan's
character has become so much more intriguing. I like that we've had more of
Adolin and his character in this book too. I miss a few members of Bridge
Four though. I think the most interesting thing about this book though was
seeing how it might relate to the larger Cosmere and trying to tease out all
the hints of how they're going to interact; the fabrial and magic
exploration was particularly interesting because of that.
And those were all the books I read in December! It definitely looks like I
read a lot, but the 10 graphic novels definitely added to that. I feel like
I had a very good reading month considering I had a bad week where I didn't
read too much. What did you read last month?
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