April Books Ranked!

A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Wings and Ruin

Heart of Iron

Annihilation

Geekerella

The Heart’s Invisible Furies

Shiver

Wonder Woman: Warbringer

Wires and Nerve

The Lost World

Daughter of the Siren Queen

Fairest

Every Last Lie

My April Read Books Rating! The one at the top is my highest rated, and the one at the bottom is my lowest. My ratings might be a bit surprising, considering I have some serious heart eyes for Wonder Woman, or because I gave the first ACOTAR book such a low rating. So lemme explain these a bit:

First, I’ll start with “Every Last Lie” by Mary Kubica. Although this is by no means a crappy book, I really only read it because I won it and because I had nothing else to read during a hair appointment. That being said, many aspects of it had me on the edge of my seat. However, I’ve read better thrillers and I thought the ending was cliche and kind of tired.

Fairest was not at all what I expected. It wasn’t really a real novel, obviously, so there was less of a narrative arc, and more just backstory. That’s really the reason it can’t be rated higher. I did genuinely enjoy this one. 

DotSQ might be an upset as well--don’t get me wrong. I love Tricia Levenseller. I think

she’s a talented storyteller and a great person who I now consider a friend. However, this book just didn’t stack up when compared with some of the other stuff I read this month. It’s hard to beat high fae sex, okay? This novel, while fun, felt rushed (and I know there was explanation for that, but that’s not an excuse), and seemed a little more forced. This didn't stop me from reading it in practically one sitting though, so it's nothing to scoff at.

The Lost World. Crichton isn’t known for his incredible writing, but I will say, I can’t turn down a good dinosaur thriller. This one had me excited, and I always love the philosophical aspects of his approach to science. But like I said, occasionally the writing isn’t up to snuff for me.

Wires and Nerve is the first graphic novel I’ve ever read, and I thought it was absolutely delightful. I’ll read anything Marissa Meyer does, and I loved revisiting the characters here. However, it wasn’t really anything all that original, but it was really fun.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer. Okay, mixed feelings about this one. I love WW with my pathetic fangirl heart, and Leigh Bardugo is my queen. But, like some of her books, I felt it took me a while to get into this one. Of course, once I got into it, I was hooked on the story. She’s an excellent character writer, but it never detracts from her excellent skill with story.

Shiver. This was a reread for me, which is a rarity. But I needed some Maggie Stiefvater in my life, and I needed it immediately. I do love this book, but I’m aware that it has serious flaws. It’s one of her earlier books, and it has this Twilighty feel to it, but in my opinion the much healthier relationship helps a lot. Plus she writes characters like no one else.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies was a hard one to rate. On the one hand, the first two hundred pages or so, minus the first fifty about Cyril’s mother, were so boring and strange I couldn’t quite get through them. I wanted to gag a little at the mind of a seven year old or fifteen year old on sex. No thanks. I don’t mind when characters have sex. But I don’t want to read pages of descriptions of that being all he thinks of. Nonetheless, the story picked up quite a bit around page 250, and I found myself absolutely enamored with Cyril and his life. I even cried at the end.

Geekerella appeals so hard to the fangirl in me. I could read sweet, adorable geek girl books any day. Ashley Poston’s writing improved in Heart of Iron, but I think it’s easier to forgive a book it’s so-so writing when the writing is still compulsively readable.

Annihilation was a mind-bending sci-fi thriller that took me to a very strange and contemplative place. I love love loved this book, and it kind of blew my mind and stretched my brain. I think fans of Poe and science fiction will love this, so if that’s your thing, read it. If not, the prose style might get tedious. It did a little bit for me.

Heart of Iron. Be still my history nerd heart. Heart of Iron combines Anastasia with space, and it works so well for me. I love the stars and the planets, and I love royal mysteries. Like I said, this is better than Poston’s Geekerella in terms of writing, although it took me about fifty pages to decide I liked this one. Once I got hooked though I was in for the long haul. Can’t wait for the sequel.

ACOWAR. Although this might be other people’s favorite of the books, I think I got a little bit stressed during certain scenes. I don’t enjoy books about war, so that might be why I had a hard time with some of the scenes here. But that was maybe my only complaint, except that I wanted so much more. Also though, that Suriel scene is burned into my brain and heart and I cried like a baby.

ACOMAF takes the cake here, friends. I loved every moment of this epic, epic romance. I expected so much less, honestly. I loved the Feyre Rhys fun, the sex, the love, the romance, the adventure. I love this book not only because it drastically changed my opinion about Sarah J. Maas, but because it felt so real. The slow-bloom of romance is something I die for. I loved meeting the characters, seeing Feyre’s inner strength, and going on this adventure with characters I now love so much.

There you have it, friends. I can’t wait to do this again next month!

Books for the Halloween Spirit

If you're anything like me, you want to read something a little spookier during the fall season. But if you're like me, you also don't always know where to start. I'm a total baby about scary movies, and although I'm a little bit better with books I'm still someone who has to stay far away from anything too spooky, too bloody, too terrifying. A little bit is fine. But too much will keep me up at night. That doesn't stop me from enjoying the necessity of the season--a book that sets my heart racing while I cuddle up on the couch. I've explored different types of books over the years, for this purpose, and I've found some winners for those of us who have delicate sensibilities. I hope you find at least one of these books to give you that sense of dread we all want to feel this time of year (while being able to safely make hot chocolate if we want). 

My picks:

We Have Always Lived in the Castle--Shirley Jackson

If you've read any Jackson before, you know she's not scared of delving into the most horrifying and eerie parts of humanity. Just as dark and shocking as her short story "The Lottery" but much creepier, and with a foreboding atmosphere. It's quite short so I read it in one sitting. I could not stop talking about it right after, and I told my husband every detail of the plot at two in the morning because I was so hung up on it. It might not scare you, but it will creep you out. 

The Historian--Elizabeth Kostova

I first tried to read this in middle school, but it is massive, especially when you're in eighth grade. Instead of finishing it I forgot about it for years and then one day decided to buy it and finally finish it. And I'm immensely happy that I did. Obviously it's a historical fiction, but the history is rich, and full, and spans years and years of research and storytelling. It deals with Vlad the Impaler, my favorite historical villain/hero (depends who you ask), and a young girl who wants to find her family at all costs. If that's not enough, Vlad the Impaler is the original inspiration for Count Dracula. But this is not a story about Twilight vampires. The villains of a story that explores the history of the most famous vampire of all time are not sparkly, nor are they friendly. 

And Then There Were None--Agatha Christie

The queen of mystery and suspense! No Halloween is complete without some Agatha Christie to keep you guessing. I loved this book so much. Ten people, all with secrets too horrific to tell, are stranded on a mysterious island until the storm passes. And interestingly enough, no one seems to know who invited them all. A thriller, and a perfectly woven mystery, it's impossible to put down and keeps you hooked until the last second when you think you've figured it out. But you haven't, I promise. 

Since Halloween is soon to be over, I'll leave it at this for now. In the meantime, I'll come up with some cozy fall reads that don't have to do with things that go bump in the night. Until then, say hi to the monsters under the bed for me. 

Love,

Sarai