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Another Book Post
Mar. 19th, 2022 02:09 pmWow, it's been a minute since I've been here hasn't it? Eh, nothing much exciting has happened to me anyway.
Here are all the books I've read so far in 2022 and my opinion on them
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo 6/10
- A magical retelling of the Great Gatsby from the point of view of Jordan Baker, Vietnamese adoptee and best friend of Daisy Buchanan. Things I liked: Jordan's magic, exploration of her background, seeing the underside of New York City, Gatsby's parties being a demonic feeding ground, the revelation about Nick at the end. Things I didn't like: The Great Gatsby, which, lol, I know is a very wide criticism. Because this book built on the Great Gatsby it followed it's major plot points, and considering I didn't really like the original, that was a problem. I thought the author did a great job with Jordan, the New York setting, and the magical backdrop, but would I read it again? Probably not.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim 7/10
- I was really excited for this one, since I loved the Spin the Dawn duology so much, and it was great! Shiori is a spoiled princess with secret magic and an ~evil~ stepmother who is plotting to take the kingdom for her own. Her stepmother turns her brothers into cranes and curses Shiori to never speak on pain of her brother's death. Shiori's journey to break the curse takes her many places. A really fun read. Partway through I was like, why is this story so familiar and realized it had the same basis as Daughter of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier, which I was obsessed with when I was young. There are different twists in Six Crimson Cranes, and it takes in Chinese mythology rather Irish mythology (dragons instead of fae for example), and I can't wait to read the next book in the series when it comes out
Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat 8/10
- Starts out as a bit of a generic Chosen One story, but turns it around. Historical magical London setting. Will is a descendant of the Light and is on the run from the Dark King's servants. He teams up with Violet, a girl who has her own secrets, and the Stewards to fight back. I was spoiled for the twist at the end but the author did a really good job writing it. Honestly, I was in a bit of a book slump before reading this one and it helped revitalize me, which is partly why it's rated so high.
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall 7/10
- very cute romantic comedy. Luc, unwillingly famous because of his rock star parents, gets a bad rep which causes donors at the non-profit he works at to pull out. In order to clean up his image he acquires a clean-cut fake boyfriend, Oliver. Obviously, being a romantic comedy, the fake relationship leads to real feelings. I liked it a lot and am excited for Husband Material
Dear Girls by Ali Wong 6/10
- Ali Wong's memoir written in a letter format to her daughters. She talks about the life she's lived, the things she's learned, and dispenses sage advice to them. A good read, although, just like her comedy shows, it gets a little raunchy at times. I wouldn't re-read it which is why it doesn't make the 7 points on my scale, but I did enjoy it
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 5/10
- A bank robbery goes wrong and the robber takes cover in an apartment viewing to avoid being caught. The book rotates between all 8 character viewpoints, and flashes back to both the apartment viewing itself and their own interpersonal drama. A book club pick that I would probably have never read on my own. Everyone in my book club loved it but me, lol, but I finished it. It was a quick read at least, and I did enjoy how the author tied it all together at the end
Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater 6/10
- sequel to Call Down the Hawk, where Ronan and Hennessey go all in on the Bryde cult, Declan and Jordan try to figure out how to keep dreams awake independent of their dreamers, and Carmen and Liliana reassess their loyalties. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Call Down the Hawk (Ronan annoyed me a bit and not enough Adam) but still good. Looking forward to the conclusion, Greywaren.
Wolfsong by TJ Klune 6/10
- Ox grows up in a small town. His dad splits when he's a kid but he has his mom and his father figure with the town mechanic, and later on he has the Bennett family that moves in down the road, growing closest with their son, Joe. The Bennetts are all shifters, and bring Ox into a world of werewolves, magic, and power struggles. I liked the author's take on shifters, but parts of the book moved a bit slow for me. I will probably check out the sequels eventually though
Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep 6/10
- Gemma Ripley, pampered princess and secret spy. When she realizes an enemy country is stealing tearstone from the mines, she goes undercover to figure out why, and gets caught up in a royal plot, along with the enemy country's Prince, Leonidas. An easy YA fantasy read, that provided a pleasant afternoon
All the Feels by Olivia Dade 4/10
- Lauren, a retired medical professional, is hired by her cousin to babysit Alex, actor on a very popular tv series who has caused one too many scandals. The characters spend most of the book vibing and falling in love, which is fine, but didn't really hold my attention. I didn't finish it because it bored me, which is why the book didn't merit the 5 rating. The author had obviously read fanfiction before, and this felt very much like one, where I was expected to already know and love the characters before starting. However, I didn't know and love the characters which made it difficult for me to care about what they were doing when nothing was happening. I stopped before getting to the apparently wild and crazy sex part, so can't speak to how that was. I appreciated the main girl wasn't a traditional romcom beauty, but it wasn't enough to get me to like the book by itself
The Bonds That Tie by J. Bree 7/10
- reverse harem series that made me get kindle unlimited for the two months free trial lol. I bought the first three, and wanted to read more of the author's books, but sadly she's not in the library (probably because of the kindle contract) and I didn't have $60 to drop on her books. Oleander is bonded to 5 of the richest, hottest men, and she's spent her life running from them, in order to keep them safe. Not that they know that. Magical worldbuilding was fun, and even though there were parts where I rolled my eyes a bit, I had a blast with this series, and with the author's other series, Hannaford Prep.
Here are all the books I've read so far in 2022 and my opinion on them
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo 6/10
- A magical retelling of the Great Gatsby from the point of view of Jordan Baker, Vietnamese adoptee and best friend of Daisy Buchanan. Things I liked: Jordan's magic, exploration of her background, seeing the underside of New York City, Gatsby's parties being a demonic feeding ground, the revelation about Nick at the end. Things I didn't like: The Great Gatsby, which, lol, I know is a very wide criticism. Because this book built on the Great Gatsby it followed it's major plot points, and considering I didn't really like the original, that was a problem. I thought the author did a great job with Jordan, the New York setting, and the magical backdrop, but would I read it again? Probably not.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim 7/10
- I was really excited for this one, since I loved the Spin the Dawn duology so much, and it was great! Shiori is a spoiled princess with secret magic and an ~evil~ stepmother who is plotting to take the kingdom for her own. Her stepmother turns her brothers into cranes and curses Shiori to never speak on pain of her brother's death. Shiori's journey to break the curse takes her many places. A really fun read. Partway through I was like, why is this story so familiar and realized it had the same basis as Daughter of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier, which I was obsessed with when I was young. There are different twists in Six Crimson Cranes, and it takes in Chinese mythology rather Irish mythology (dragons instead of fae for example), and I can't wait to read the next book in the series when it comes out
Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat 8/10
- Starts out as a bit of a generic Chosen One story, but turns it around. Historical magical London setting. Will is a descendant of the Light and is on the run from the Dark King's servants. He teams up with Violet, a girl who has her own secrets, and the Stewards to fight back. I was spoiled for the twist at the end but the author did a really good job writing it. Honestly, I was in a bit of a book slump before reading this one and it helped revitalize me, which is partly why it's rated so high.
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall 7/10
- very cute romantic comedy. Luc, unwillingly famous because of his rock star parents, gets a bad rep which causes donors at the non-profit he works at to pull out. In order to clean up his image he acquires a clean-cut fake boyfriend, Oliver. Obviously, being a romantic comedy, the fake relationship leads to real feelings. I liked it a lot and am excited for Husband Material
Dear Girls by Ali Wong 6/10
- Ali Wong's memoir written in a letter format to her daughters. She talks about the life she's lived, the things she's learned, and dispenses sage advice to them. A good read, although, just like her comedy shows, it gets a little raunchy at times. I wouldn't re-read it which is why it doesn't make the 7 points on my scale, but I did enjoy it
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 5/10
- A bank robbery goes wrong and the robber takes cover in an apartment viewing to avoid being caught. The book rotates between all 8 character viewpoints, and flashes back to both the apartment viewing itself and their own interpersonal drama. A book club pick that I would probably have never read on my own. Everyone in my book club loved it but me, lol, but I finished it. It was a quick read at least, and I did enjoy how the author tied it all together at the end
Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater 6/10
- sequel to Call Down the Hawk, where Ronan and Hennessey go all in on the Bryde cult, Declan and Jordan try to figure out how to keep dreams awake independent of their dreamers, and Carmen and Liliana reassess their loyalties. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Call Down the Hawk (Ronan annoyed me a bit and not enough Adam) but still good. Looking forward to the conclusion, Greywaren.
Wolfsong by TJ Klune 6/10
- Ox grows up in a small town. His dad splits when he's a kid but he has his mom and his father figure with the town mechanic, and later on he has the Bennett family that moves in down the road, growing closest with their son, Joe. The Bennetts are all shifters, and bring Ox into a world of werewolves, magic, and power struggles. I liked the author's take on shifters, but parts of the book moved a bit slow for me. I will probably check out the sequels eventually though
Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep 6/10
- Gemma Ripley, pampered princess and secret spy. When she realizes an enemy country is stealing tearstone from the mines, she goes undercover to figure out why, and gets caught up in a royal plot, along with the enemy country's Prince, Leonidas. An easy YA fantasy read, that provided a pleasant afternoon
All the Feels by Olivia Dade 4/10
- Lauren, a retired medical professional, is hired by her cousin to babysit Alex, actor on a very popular tv series who has caused one too many scandals. The characters spend most of the book vibing and falling in love, which is fine, but didn't really hold my attention. I didn't finish it because it bored me, which is why the book didn't merit the 5 rating. The author had obviously read fanfiction before, and this felt very much like one, where I was expected to already know and love the characters before starting. However, I didn't know and love the characters which made it difficult for me to care about what they were doing when nothing was happening. I stopped before getting to the apparently wild and crazy sex part, so can't speak to how that was. I appreciated the main girl wasn't a traditional romcom beauty, but it wasn't enough to get me to like the book by itself
The Bonds That Tie by J. Bree 7/10
- reverse harem series that made me get kindle unlimited for the two months free trial lol. I bought the first three, and wanted to read more of the author's books, but sadly she's not in the library (probably because of the kindle contract) and I didn't have $60 to drop on her books. Oleander is bonded to 5 of the richest, hottest men, and she's spent her life running from them, in order to keep them safe. Not that they know that. Magical worldbuilding was fun, and even though there were parts where I rolled my eyes a bit, I had a blast with this series, and with the author's other series, Hannaford Prep.
