Books I've Been Reading 📖 May 2017
Speaking of topics I've wanted to talk about that don't suit my Twitter or YouTube pages! (see how this works?~)
Whenever I was younger, I was obsessed with reading. I spent every day after middle school at the library. Reading was my escape, as it is for so many people. But honestly, during high school at some point, I really fell off. I stopped entirely. And it was really sad to me because I really did love reading.
So last summer, after I came back from Japan, I decided to really dive deep into reading again. I haven't really talked about the books I've read a whole lot, but here are some of the books and series that I have been reading. It's pretty all over the place (and is mostly Young Adult Fantasy just a heads up lol).
But lets get into it!
First up, is the Cahill Witch Chronicles by Jessica Spotswood. I read this series last summer while I was job hunting. So, in other words, I had a lot of time on my hands. I read this entire series in like...four days. But even if I did have other things to take up my time, I still would have sped through these books. I adored them. The follow three magical sisters in an alternate turn of the century setting in the North East of the Unite States. I really enjoyed the world that Spotswood built and the twist on reality that it has. The characters are interesting and relate able, and the plot is engaging for sure. I definitely recommend all three books.
Alright. So, this series has five books, soon to be six and after reading the first two...I'm not sure I can be invested enough to bother. But I haven't totally given up on it yet. If you can get passed the main female lead being pretty immature, then maybe give this series a shot. She's a little too ~edgy~ for me. It follows a teenager who is the supposed best assassin in the universe, or something. It takes place in a fantasy-esque monarch ruled kingdom and perhaps that's why I liked it. I like assassin stories as well. But both these novels had me rolling my eyes on several occasions. I do like a few of the characters and some of the twists are interesting so I may finish up the series eeeeventually.
So after I got a job, I took another several month break from reading, just because I was exhausted and busy all the time and never had the mental energy to really get into something. But now, I can read at my job! I think I read other books at the end of last year, but I honestly can't remember, so take that for what it means about whatever I did read!
The first book I picked up after really getting into reading again was Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. This is also a series, but I have only read the first book so far. And let me say I will be reading the rest. While this novel is extremely predictable, the concept and the world it builds are really interesting. At the end of the book, I was basically just reading the Hunger Games, BUT I really liked The Hunger Games when I was younger so this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a classic rags to accidental riches story, plus a race of cool super power people. I'll be very interested to see where this series goes and if it breaks away from the Hunger Games-y tropes that young adult novels seem to be afraid to stray from. But so far, I am interested.
Now, let it be known that I picked up Red Queen and The Selection at the same time. And reading them one right after another was difficult. The premises and plot devices were weirdly similar in the beginning, but this book actually surprised me in how much I ended up itching to know what happened next. And it leaves you on a hell of a cliff hanger. So, I'll be reading the later books for sure. It's a world where the Prince chooses a wife through a competition of 35 girls (one from each area in the kingdom), who battle it out to win his heart. It's not as Bachelor-esque as it sounds. Unless you're into that. Then, sure, it is. It's a super simple read and something to just breeze through for sure.
Okay, I picked up The Siren by Kierra Cass because the next book in The Selection Series wasn't available at the library. I knew her writing style was an easy read, so I picked it up. I just said I liked The Selection, but I reaaaaaaaally liked The Siren. The description on the cover makes it sound so cheesy, but it was a really take on a classic mermaid tale and their relationship with the ocean. Though, they aren't mermaids. They're sirens. This story really tugs at the heart strings. The pacing can be a bit weird at times and jumps around a lot, but definitely worth a read for some beachy-life-perspective-love feelies.
Reading Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore is YEARS overdue and I only finished it last week. Graceling and Fire are two of my favorite fantasy novels. The characters, the world, everything about it just pleases me so much. I read them years ago and I remember when Bitterblue was released, that I really wanted to read it but never got around to it. It was either always unavailable or I would just forget. And boy, it was a TRIP. I highly recommend reading Graceling and Fire prior to Bitterblue but all three novels are wonderfully tied together. Man, I just can't get over some of the things that happened in this book. Took me by surprise. (but I'm easy to surprise, so take that with a grain of salt LOL).
And for now, that's it! I'm really enjoying the book I'm reading right now so stay tuned for another ~book~ post in the future! Let me know if you have read any of these books, or if you have any recommendations for me! I would love to discuss. ♥ See you in the next one!
Love & Stars,
Alex♥