Welcome to my March Wrap-Up! It's been a while, but I'm hoping to post more
in the next couple of months. As I'm writing this, I'm actually travelling
for work again, and will hopefully get some reading done on the
journey. I'm pretty happy with how much I read this month; I got
through quite a few backlist books too.
Overall, I read 18 books which totalled 6588 pages. So, without further ado, here are my reviews and ratings for the
month!
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1. Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager ★★★★
This is the fifth Riley Sager book I've read and he is definitely one of
the adult thriller writers I enjoy the most, although my favourite is
still easily Home Before Dark. This book however, starts
fifteen years ago, where summer camper Emma Davis watched sleepily as her
three cabin mates snuck out of their cabin in the dead of night. The last
she (and anyone) saw of them was - vian closing the cabin door behind
her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips. Now a rising star in the NYC art scene, Emma turns her past into
paintings. They catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the
socialite and wealthy owner of the very same Camp Nightingale - and when
Francesca implores Emma to return to the camp as a painting counsellor,
Emma sees an opportunity to find closure and move on. Yet, it is immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale.
Already haunted by surfacing memories, Emma is suddenly plagued by a
security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from
Francesca, and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian apparently
left behind about the camp's twisted origins. And as history begins to
repeat itself and three girls go missing again, Emma must face threats
from both man and nature in order to uncover all the buried secrets -
including what really happened all those years ago.
I have some mixed feelings about this book, but overall I did really enjoy
it. I adored the final twist at the very end and it definitely brought it up
from a 3 star to a 4 star. Although I loved the twist, I do think the pacing
was a bit off and I think it came too late. I loved the flashback scenes and
the diary, but the rest of the present day moments were a little boring and
I felt like Sager stacked up all the red herrings to happen one after the
other, right at the end of the story. If things had been more spread out, it
might have felt more interesting from earlier on. Although the final twist
was amazing (and just what I wanted), because it was at the very end, I felt
like we didn't get quite enough time to process it and it left me with some
bigger questions that never got answered. One of the things that Sager did
well though was the characters; they were all very interesting and he made
sure I didn't trust anyone at all. Overall, not my favourite Sager book, but
definitely up there as a brilliantly written thriller.
2. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
(re-read) ★★★★.5
For those who don't know, I am a huge Vlogbrothers fan, and have been
since I saw one of their videos in 2009/2010. I've read all of John
Green's books and I first read this book by Hank when it was originally
released. I decided it was time to re-read it so I could finally finish
off this duology. This is Hank Green's debut novel and it's an Adult/New
Adult sci-fi following twenty-three-year-old April May and the day the
Carls appeared. Roaming through New York City at three AM, she stumbles across a giant
sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship - like a
ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armour - April and her
best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The
next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly
spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world - from
Beijing to Buenos Aires - and April, as their first documentarian, finds
herself at the centre of an intense international media
spotlight. Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to
deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her
relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April
to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from
us.
I gave this book a 4 star when I first read it, but on re-read I've
decided to raise the star rating. Hank Green is a brilliant writer. This
book is like another Ready Player One, with the clues and easter
eggs, but it's also such an interesting commentary on fame and how social
media is used to change both people and ideas. April May is an unlikable
character and, weirdly, I like that about her. She's very up front about
making bad decisions and making good decisions for all the wrong reasons.
Her friends are incredible and I love the characters of Robin, Andy, and
Miranda; it's strange though because we only ever see them from the
perspective of April and she's so focused on herself that it's amazing we
see much of how interesting these side characters are (which I think is
testament to Hank Green's writing). I love the puzzles and clues within
the Dream, and I like that the mystery of the Carls isn't something easy
and wrapped up. The fact that the Carls themselves are present, but not
really the focus of the story really emphasises the books focus on
humanity rather than aliens. It's also worth saying that Hank Green
is also not afraid to go there with his characters (see Chapter
Twenty-Three). I appreciated the diversity the book included too.
In the final 100 pages, I couldn't put the book down because so much was
happening. The pacing was amazing, and the scenes that showed the videos and
livestreams made me feel as though I was really there. Overall, this is a
brilliant addition to the sci-fi genre and I highly recommend it for fans of
Ready Player One.
3. The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager ★.5
This was the only book I had left by Riley Sager that I hadn't read yet
so I thought I'd finish off his backlist and catch-up. However, I'm sad to
say that I was sorely disappointed by this one. In this adult thriller, we
follow Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad
press, who has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family’s lake house
in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor,
she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple
who live in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing - a tech
innovator, Tom is rich; and a former model, Katherine is
gorgeous. One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two
strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other -
and the longer Casey watches - it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s
marriage is not as perfect and placid as it appears. When Katherine
suddenly vanishes, Casey becomes consumed with finding out what happened
to her.
Okay, where to start with this one? The first thing I'll say is that the
writing is still good despite the plot. I like Sager's writing a lot,
although I've only ever loved two of his books. I also liked the isolated
lake setting and the descriptions of the area. However, that's probably
the only good thing I do have to say. The majority of the plot in this one
was quite boring; it was just a lot of Casey sitting, drinking, spying
(very Woman in the Window vibes), and not really anything else.
Casey herself is quite an unlikable, but equally boring character, and her
unreliable narration wasn't really handled in the best way (especially
because it linked to one of the major plot points of the book that I
guessed quite early on). However, the thing that really dragged this book down for me was the supernatural aspect. One of the
most interesting parts of reading a thriller is the guessing as a reader,
but can you really guess literally anything if something supernatural
comes in out of nowhere? It completely changed the genre of the book and
it absolutely isn't what I read Sager's books for. In fact, his toying
with the supernatural is one of the reasons I loved Home Before Dark so much, but in this book, it felt a bit cheap and very unrealistic.
Disregarding that aspect, the twists weren't great and I would've been much more interested if it had
gone in a more realistic direction. Unfortunately, this wasn't for me, but
if you're looking for a more supernatural thriller then you could always try
this one. I'll be picking up Sager's next book, but only after reading the
reviews this time.
4. Buffy, Volume 3: From Beneath You by Jordie Bellaire ★★★
This is the third volume in the Buffy reboot comic series by Jordie
Bellaire. If you read my reviews of the first two volumes, you'll know that
I adored the art in the first volume, but then they changed artist for the
second volume and I didn't like it at all. Unfortunately, this still has the
same art problems I had with the second volume, so that really dragged it
down for me. The character's expressions all looked goofy (even in serious
scenes), and it was sometimes impossible to tell which character was meant
to be who. When Anya turned up, I didn't even recognise her. The story
itself is a bit weird and jarring, but I'm not mad about the direction it's
going in. One thing this series was always going to struggle with is
re-imagining characters that we know so well from the show, so it's hard to
tell when someone does something out of characters, if it's intentional or a
mistake. I'm going to read the Hellmouth crossover with Angel,
but I'm not 100% sure that I'm going to continue this series overall sadly.
I adore Buffy, but this series just doesn't have the same vibes as
the show that I know and love.
5. Angel, Volume 2: City of Demons by Bryan Edward Hill ★★★★
I'm happy and surprised to say that I'm really enjoying the
Angel reboot series far more than the Buffy one. Although not
a whole lot happened in this volume, it was still very enjoyable. I really
like seeing Gunn and Fred's characters and how they interest with
Spike. Gunn's backstory is actually more interesting than it was in the original
show. I also really like the role Wolfram & Hart are playing. And, oh my god,
we get to see my favourite character of all time from Angel, which is
of course, Lorne. Overall, this was a nice addition to the series and I much
prefer the artists in this one.
6. Buffy & Angel: Hellmouth by Jordie Bellaire ★★
This is a crossover event in the Buffy/Angel reboot series and oh
boy did this fall flat. Not only did a whole lot of this not make any sense
at all, we had the same art problem as previous issues where I couldn't tell
who anyone was in the final fight. The Big Bad was a completely random
two-dimensional evil and nothing like the Big Bad's of the TV show; there
was no depth and no overall motive or point. Also, nothing really happened
in this volume, it was just Buffy and Angel travelling through the Hellmouth
and then a few pages of fighting. Also, starting a multiverse when you
haven't even established the current characters and universe yet - just
why? Is Bellaire already bored with the wealth of characters and new
backstories she has to play with already? Honestly, the whole thing was kind
of a mess and it's actually put me off continuing this series, which I'm
really disappointed about.
7. The Greek Myths by Robert Graves ★★★.5
The Greek Myths was originally written by Robert Graves in 1955 and
his version and commentary on the Greek Myths still holds up to this day.
This is a compendium of short stories of the Greek Myths and each myth is presented in the voice of a narrator writing under the
Antonines with citations of the classical sources, making it a very easy
read for someone new to the myths.
While I knew a lot of the myths thanks to popular culture and retellings,
it was very interesting to read Graves' tellings of the original stories.
It was very easy to read and enjoyable to learn about so many of the myths
that I hadn't really heard about. My main issue with the Greek Myths
themselves is how confusing they often are, with names being used
interchangeably and the timeline not being obvious. However, I think this
a good introduction to the stories, but I probably wouldn't recommend
reading them all back-to-back as I did, because it did become confusing
and slightly repetitive at times. It also doesn't have many details in the
narrative itself. The main takeaway from this book is that Zeus was a
terrible being and so many of the stories you think you know probably have
different endings than you expect. Overall, an enjoyable read, and I'd
like to read more versions of the myths that have more detail and
narrative flow. .
8. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green ★★★★.5
This is the sequel and final book in sci-fi duology called The Carls. As you know, I re-read the first book earlier this month and adored it
again on re-read. I'm happy to say that the sequel also lived up to the
hype. I won't talk about the blurb as it would definitely spoil the first
book. However, we do pick up a few months after the previous book ended and
we get to follow multiple characters' points of view. I loved how much more
we got to see of previous side characters in this one. Miranda's
point-of-view was especially interesting and I always wanted to get back to
her story, especially when we got some epic plot twists that I didn't see
coming. Andy's development was also incredible, and the psychology behind
him and Carl's influence was very well done. Hank Green is so good at
writing a story that actually means something and resonates with the world
and people who reads his books without sounding like he's only doing it to
sound good; you can tell he actually cares about the topics he writes about,
whether it's race, the impact of social media, or global warming. The ending
and climax were epic and I couldn't stop reading when I reached the final
100 pages. This was heartbreaking yet heart-warming, and a beautifully
written novel that deserves the love it gets. I do think I preferred the
first one in some respects, but honestly they're on pretty even footing with
which one I prefer overall. Definitely pick this up if you enjoyed the first
book.
9. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ★★★★
I remember when this book was incredibly popular on Booktube in about 2015
and everyone was raving about it. This is an historical fiction set during
the Second World War, following a blind French girl named Marie-Laure, and
an orphan German boy called Werner who joins the Hitler Youth. Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her
father works as the master of the locks. Her father builds a perfect
miniature of their Paris neighbourhood so she can memorise it by touch and
navigate the real streets with her feet and cane. When she is twelve, the
German Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel
of Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast, where Marie-Laure’s agoraphobic
reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry
what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel. In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner Pfennig grows up with his
younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings
them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner
becomes an master at building and fixing these crucial new radios, a talent
that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and,
ultimately, makes him a highly specialised tracker of the Resistance. The
story Illuminates the ways, against all odds, that people try to be good to
one another.
This was a haunting yet beautifully written story. I thought this would
end up reading very slowly, but it was quite a quick read and my intrigue
was always high throughout. I love the puzzle boxes that Marie-Laure's
father always left her, and I adored her uncle and their relationship. I
also felt like the representation of her blindness was very well done. Not
once was it viewed as something that needed to be fixed or changed; she
was able to navigate the world in such clever ways. Meanwhile, Werner's
story was fascinating. You can see how young German boys were taught and
brutalised to believe their way was the right way. Seeing young children
speaking out and seeing that certain things were just wrong was amazing to
see and Frederick's story was absolutely heartbreaking. The alternating
chapters also really kept me hooked and I was constantly wanting to go to
the past or the future to find out what would happen next. Given that this
is a World War II story, I knew the ending would be sad and, while it was,
it was also poignant and heartwarming to see what happens to these
characters even after the war itself. This was probably one of the best
historical fiction books I've read in a long time, especially because it
felt like the war wasn't the main focus of the story - the main focus was
the characters and how the impacted different parts of their
lives.
10. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham ★★★
This is a classic sci-fi/dystopian that I've been meaning to read for so
many years. When a freak cosmic event renders most of the Earth's
population blind, Bill Masen - one of the lucky few to keep his sight -
finds himself trapped in a London jammed with sightless mobs who prey on
those who can still see. But another menace stalks blind and sighted
alike. With nobody to stop them, the Triffids - walking carnivorous plants
with lethal stingers - rise up as humanity stumbles and falls.
I definitely enjoyed the first half of this book far more than the
latter. The first 100 pages or so really sets the scene and draws the
reader in with so many questions. The notion of most of the world becoming
blind is terrifying and Wyndham doesn't shy away from the brutal reality
of what could happen. The triffids themselves interested me the most
though, which is also why I enjoyed the first half of the book where we
were finding out so much more about them. I will say that this book is
incredible for its' time; this is truly one of the first
dystopian/apocalyptic books that shows not just the disaster, but also the
aftermath and how people have to live with the new world. I was pretty
disappointed with the amount of sexism throughout, but given that it was
written in the 1950's, it's not altogether surprising, sadly. The ending
was also a little anticlimactic for me, but overall, it's a well written
classic that I'd recommend to sci-fi fans.
11. Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton ★★★★
When I heard Tom Felton had brought our an autobiography, I really wanted
to pick it up. I always find the lives of child actors interesting because
it's so drastically different from my own life. From Borrower to wizard,
Tom Felton's adolescence was anything but ordinary. His early rise to fame
saw him catapulted into the limelight aged just twelve when he landed the
iconic role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. Speaking with candour and his own trademark humour, Tom shares his
experience of growing up on screen and as part of the wizarding world for
the very first time. He tells all about his big break, what filming was
really like and the lasting friendships he made during ten years as part of
the franchise, as well as the highs and lows of fame and the reality of
navigating adult life after filming finished.
I really appreciated the honesty that came through in this book. Felton
doesn't shy away from the more serious and darker moments, nor the ones that
might not paint him in the best light. He has some wonderful messages about
mental health, healing from substance abuse, feminism, and dealing with fame
at a young age. He talks about everyone with such respect and his early acting career was incredibly interesting to read about. I
particularly enjoyed hearing about how so many adult actors helped the child
actors throughout the films (liked Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman,
and Maggie Smith). I do wish we could've heard more stories from his tie
acting, but I appreciate that Felton can only share so much. Overall, this
was wonderfully heartwarming book and well worth a read if you're a fan of
this actor.
12. Havenfall by Sara Holland ★★★★
I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this YA fantasy. In
all honesty, I hadn't heard much about it, but I have read
Everless by the same author and just found it okay. This book is
set deep in the mountains of Colorado where the Inn at Havenfall, a
sanctuary that connects ancient worlds - each with their own magic -
together. For generations, the inn has protected all who seek refuge
within its walls, and any who disrupt the peace can never
return. For Maddie Morrow, summers at the inn are more than a chance to experience
this magic first-hand. Havenfall is an escape from reality, where her mother
sits on death row accused of murdering Maddie's brother. It's where Maddie
fell in love with handsome Fiorden soldier Brekken. And it's where one day
she hopes to inherit the role of Innkeeper from her beloved
uncle. But this summer, the impossible happens - a dead body is found, shattering
everything the inn stands for. With Brekken missing, her uncle gravely
injured, and a dangerous creature on the loose, Maddie suddenly finds
herself responsible for the safety of everyone in Havenfall. She'll do
anything to uncover the truth, even if it means working together with an
alluring new staffer Taya, who seems to know more than she's letting on. As
dark secrets are revealed about the inn itself, one thing becomes clear to
Maddie - no one can be trusted, and no one is safe.
I was hesitant at the start of the book because it begins with a
textbook-like description of the 4 realms that felt a little bit like
info-dumping. However, the worlds were fascinating enough that and the
writing was compelling from the first proper chapter that I was happy to
forgive that. The worldbuilding throughout the book was beautifully done. We
don't even go to these worlds, yet I feel like I can picture them all
clearly. The inn itself as a setting was also described perfectly and every
time I picked up the book to read it, I felt the cosiness and atmosphere
that made me feel at home. Also the whodunnit mystery aspect of the book
worked well with the small location. Maddie herself was only a slightly
frustrating teenage character; the majority of her choices made sense, and
the ones that didn't felt more like a teenager messing up than the sometimes
heavy-handed mistakes we see a of of YA characters making. I did see the
twist coming about 150 pages into the book, but the ending was so well done
that I didn't mind at all. I loved Graylin and Willow, it felt like I'd
known them for years by the end of the book. One thing that did frustrate me
a little was that we heard about all these wonderful fantasy worlds, but we
didn't get to see any of them. I know that's kind of the point, but it also
felt a bit teasing to describe them all and never see them. This was
definitely a book I didn't expect much from, but I'm probably going to buy
the sequel immediately and read it. A fantastic and very unique YA fantasy
with believable situations and characters, and a beautiful atmosphere.
13. The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker ★★★★
I'm happy to say that this book took me by surprise. I'd heard relatively
good things about it, but I wasn't sure if the genre would be for me. This
historical fantasy primarily follows two characters: Chava and
Ahmad. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced
rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master, the husband
who commissioned her, dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored
and adrift as the ship arrives in New York in 1899. Ahmad is a djinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert.
Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is
released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is
no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free – an unbreakable band of
iron binds him to the physical world. The Golem and the Djinni become unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment
challenges their opposing natures.
Helene Wecker is a fantastic writer and weaves a complicated and beautiful
story; it's a very gentle, thoughtful book focused on people and their
natures. Because of this it's a very character-driven story, so if you enjoy
that then definitely look into this book. The way Wecker explores Chava's
nature and understanding of herself, with the contract to Ahmad's
self-assured almost arrogance works incredibly well. I adored the backstory
we got from multiple characters that slowly interweaved their stories
together. The side characters were just as interesting and well-developed as the two
main characters and I found myself loving and hating many of them in equal
measure. I also loved Wecker's exploration of historic New York and the lives of
immigrants (especially the Jewish and Syrian people) at the turn of the
twentieth century and how their cultures lived. I will say that the ending was slightly weaker than the rest of the book, but it was still good
overall. Honestly, this book just surprised me so much and I'm really happy
I ended up picking it up this month.
14. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller ★★★
This is definitely one of the most beloved books in the online book
community and, while I did enjoy it, I think I actually preferred Circe by
the same author. The Song of Achilles is the retelling of the Greek
myth of Achilles, but particularly relating to relationship with
Patroclus. Patroclus is an awkward young prince that has been exiled to the court of
King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences,
Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men
skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into
something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles's mother Thetis, a
cruel sea goddess. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been
kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfil his destiny.
Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little
knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold
dear.
This mostly follows the romance between these two characters and I will say
that I was invested in the relationship and loved seeing how it was built
over time. This is probably why I enjoyed the first 200 pages of this a lot
more than the latter part of the book; seeing the relationship build was a
lot more interesting to me than the fighting and war scenes which I found
became slightly repetitive. It was wonderful to see Miller actually show the
relationship to be romantic, as it's occasionally depicted. Patroclus was
such an awkward yet sweet character, and that definitely make it hard to
read near the end of the book where we see Achilles start to change. I
especially loved how they saved the women during the war and their
friendships. Honestly, not a lot happens throughout this story, but I kind
of enjoyed the slow pace and learning about the Gods of the past. I think
one reason this didn't get a very high rating from me was because everyone
always says they sobbed at the end of the book, but because I already
knew the ending, it really didn't hit me as hard as other people. The ending
is, of course, heartbreaking, but I still found it to be the weakest part of
the book as a whole, and I feel like it was banking on the heartbreak to
pull it up. Overall, a well-written and beautiful tale, but I think I just
enjoyed the story of Circe more.
15. Final Girls by Mira Grant ★★★
I adored Mira Grant's Into the Drowning Deep, and I also love all of
Seanan McGuire's other works (if you didn't know, Mira Grant is Seanan
McGuire's pen name for her horror books). This adult horror novella sounded
so like Black Mirror that I had to pick it up. Dr. Jennifer Webb has invented proprietary virtual reality technology
that purports to heal psychological wounds by running clients through
scenarios straight out of horror movies and nightmares. In a carefully
controlled environment, with a medical cocktail running through their
veins, sisters might develop a bond they’ve been missing their whole
lives—while running from the bogeyman through a simulated forest. But…can
real change come so easily? Esther Hoffman doubts it. Esther has spent her entire journalism career
debunking pseudoscience, after phoney regression therapy ruined her father’s
life. She’s determined to unearth the truth about Dr. Webb’s budding
company. Dr. Webb’s willing to let her, of course, for reasons of her own.
What better advertisement could she get than that of a convinced sceptic?
But Esther’s not the only one curious about how this technology works. Enter
real-world threats just as frightening as those created in the lab. Dr. Webb
and Esther are at odds, but they may also be each other’s only hope of
survival.
I ended up giving this 3 stars but it's probably closer to 2.5. As always,
Grant's writing was brilliant and I do think she excels at showing snapshots
of people's lives so clearly. I really loved the concept and I enjoyed where
the story was going, however, I really feel like this would've benefited
from being a whole novel rather than a novella. It felt like a huge section
was missing from the middle, with them going from virtual reality back into
the real world very quickly. I also wished we'd seen more of Jennifer and
Esther's friendship growing. The zombie aspect was a little bit boring to me
too; unfortunately it's just not something that really interests me in media
as much as it used to. I also felt like the 'villain' was equal parts
stereotypical and unbelievable. I don't want to say too much more with it
being such a short book, but if you're a fan of Black Mirror and
zombie horror then you'd probably enjoy this one.
16. Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie ★★★★★
I am happy to say that I enjoyed this much just as much, if not more than
the first book in the series. This is the sequel to
The Blade Itself and the second book in the First Law series,
primarily following Glokta, Jezal, and Logen. However, in this book we get
more time with a few other characters as well. I won't go too much into the
plot of this one as I don't want to spoil anything. I still love Glokta's
sarcastic yet intelligent commentary and the fact that he was so separate
from the other characters in this one made his chapters very interesting. I
particularly enjoyed seeing his scheming pay off. West became even more
intriguing in this one and seeing all the battles from his perspective was
equal parts fascinating and frustrating. I hated Prince Ladisla
throughout and I agreed with everything West felt on him.
I will say that Bayaz's group was definitely the slowest plot-wise and not
that much happened altogether except for character development, which
definitely made their journey worth it. I'm very interested to see if that
character development actually sticks after this book too after what
happened near the end. I will say that I really distrust Bayaz and I'm
really interested to see what his story really is. One thing I missed in
this book was Ardee - we just didn't see enough of her! I'm hoping that'll
change in the sequel though. A character that really surprised me in this
book was Dogman; he's genuinely become one of my favourite characters.
Abercrombie does a brilliant job of showing the intricacies of the politics
in his world and how people interest with one another. I particularly like
that we don't get the perspective of the people in charge, but rather those
alongside it. And, similar to the first book, he also doesn't shy away from the brutalities and moral greyness of his 'heroes'. He's also great at worldbuilding overall without bogging down the
book in description. Overall, this was an incredible addition to this world
and I'm already very excited to pick up the final book in this trilogy.
Abercrombie is fast becoming a favourite author..
17. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers ★★★
I've had this book on my TBR for years; it was so popular on Booktube in
2012. I'm happy to say that I did enjoy it overall, but it was a very
middle-of-the-road YA fantasy for me and I think it suffers from me reading
it after reading so many other YA books from this era. In this one, we
follow seventeen-year-old Ismae who escapes from the brutality of an arranged
marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the
sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death
Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts - and a violent destiny. If
she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and
serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy
the lives of others. Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of
Brittany - where she finds herself woefully under prepared - not only for
the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she
must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who,
against her will, has stolen her heart?
To be fair, I think this book is actually fantastic for its time and it
thankfully doesn't have a lot of the tropes that 2012 YA fantasy were
abundant in (i.e., love triangle). However, the storyline itself was quite
predictable in every way. I knew exactly how the romance would go, who was
behind the plot with the Duchess, and even some of the things about Mortain
about halfway through the book. The two main characters were interesting.
The main love interest was actually done very well, but I wish him and Ismae
could have spent more time together talking about things other than politics
to get to know each other better. The romance itself was well done though
and definitely didn't feel like insta-love, which I always appreciate. Ismae
herself was a good character, although I wish she didn't withhold
information as often as she did, because it just caused inconveniences in
the plot that could have been obviously avoided. The worldbuilding was
probably the weakest part of the book as a whole; I struggled to get a good
picture of where things were in the world and who certain people were in
relation to each other. As I said above, this book mostly suffers from me
having read a lot of similar YA fantasy books, so it just didn't feel like
anything new; however, I think it's a great book for anyone new to YA
fantasy or someone who wants a fun read in the genre without expecting
anything too groundbreaking.
18. Phoenix Flame by Sara Holland ★★.5
This is the sequel to Havenfall, that I read earlier this month, and
the final book in the duology. After finishing Havenfall I knew I
needed to pick up the sequel relatively quickly because I really enjoyed the
story and wanted to tie up the short series. However, as you can tell by my
star rating, I was a bit disappointed in this one. As normal, I won't say too much about the synopsis as it would spoil the
first book. Unfortunately, I feel like this book really suffered from being
too short. There were so many characters that we barely got to spend time
with and I felt like we just skipped from one plot point to the next with
very little breathing room. I wanted to see so much more of Taya and
especially Marcus since he was so absent in the first book. Also, we have so
little time with Maddie's parents that all their relationships just felt
very weird. I loved that we got to see another world, but then the magic
systems never felt fully explained - how did they recreate a whole suit of
armour? And the book ended with a ton of unanswered questions - what
happened in Solaria with Taya? What happened to Brekken? Where was SP
keeping her mom if humans can't go to other worlds? And the romance just
ended up feeling pointless because it kind of went nowhere? The book
would've been pretty much the same without it. Overall, this duology is such
a promising concept and I really enjoyed the first book. However, it
probably would've either been better as a standalone, or a more extended
series where the world was gradually built up over time. Sad to say I didn't
enjoy this one more.
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And those were the books I read in March! Let me know if you've read
any of these books and what you thought of them. Hope you all have a
good April.
