The Art of Reading

My Thoughts:

If that sounds confusing, then don’t worry as you are not alone! I knew next to nothing about this book going in and I think that was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it was hard for me to build up a clear picture of the world as the Trials were never fully explained so I basically ended up basing everything about them off The Hunger Games, which ended up not being too far off, but took away from the originality, especially as there were a LOT of uncanny similarities between the two series, for example the interviews, the forest trial complete with a bow and arrow which of course she learned to use from her father, the dress she wore to one of the dances that was black and had wings, etc. However, the plus side to being so out of my depth when I started this was that I never quite knew what was going to happen next and the plot was WILD.

The writing was really good and you could tell that the author has read lots of fantasy and so knows what people will want to see when reading. I also loved how much fun she had with the banter which was something that, amidst the seriousness of the plot, helped the tone of the book stay fun and also kept me engaged. Powerless isn’t a short book, so the fact that I can confidently say it kept my attention all the way through is a huge win. I am really excited to see how the world, plot and relationships will be expanded on in the sequel and since the only thing about this book that held it back for me was the lack of originality and concrete world-building, I think the sequel will really help to pull it all together!

Overall, this was a very impressive fantasy debut and I’m excited to read more from this world and author! Happy Reading 🙂

My Thoughts:

I found this to be very mid. To start off with what worked, it was incredibly well researched. A lot of period pieces I’ve read lately came off with having a very modern air to them, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I found this one to fit refreshingly in its time. The story also opened with a bang and I was hooked… until I wasn’t. For some reason my interest just sort of dropped off and though I was still enjoying it, it continued to feel like it was missing something. The plot became more predictable and Kitty’s character gradually teetered towards unlikable. I did really feel for her and her desperate situation, but she still didn’t have to be quite so annoying.

Then there was the “romance.” I’m not sure what was happening there. It just felt so stiff and even at the end when I knew what was coming, it still felt very flat and unconvincing. Overall, I’m glad I read this and it’s a nice addition to the regency stock, but in the end I was left wanting more. However, if you’re looking for a cute and light-hearted historical tale, this one could be the one for you! Happy Reading 🙂

A solid and riveting dystopian that didn’t quite cement itself as a new favorite but was highly enjoyable nonetheless! Zara was an intriguing character and I loved how her upbringing influenced her actions and emotions. The author did a great job of displaying her vulnerability stemming from entering society for the first time while also balancing this out with the immense strength she gained from her harsh upbringing. One of my favorite parts of a dystopian is watching our core friendship group’s bond grow and deepen as events unfold and grow more dire around them, and that’s something that worked really well in Gone Dark. It’s not an instantaneous connection, but as more companions are picked up along the way, gradual connection and trust begins to grow.

The main thing I struggled with here was the writing style. It relied heavily on telling without much showing to back it up, dragging the story out in places. I also feel like the mystery elements were tackled in a very round-about way with random elements thrown in here and there. I wish we’d also gotten to see more of the effects of the blackout on the rest of the country as we are left mostly in the dark as to how fast shortages are progressing or how they were trying to be addressed. A nation-wide power outage isn’t a scenario I’ve seen played out before in a dystopian so I definitely would’ve loved to see more of the big picture problems addressed.

While this one didn’t quite meet all my expectations, it is still very much recommendable and I had a great time getting to know Zara and watching how she tackled the extreme challenges she was facing and I’d recommend it to fans of Dry by Neal Shusterman. Happy Reading 🙂

2.5 ⭐
To say the least, this wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I loved The Chronicles of Narnia and even though I’ve never been able to complete one of his theology books, C. S. Lewis is an author who I’ve only ever heard glowing things about. When I saw he’d written a retelling of one of the Greek myths I was really excited to read it and expected to be wowed, but I was mostly left feeling very conflicted. Since reading it has the “message” of the book stuck with me? No, not really. Mainly I think back to the way the myth was retold which I thought was really well done. It felt very nuanced and in the right “style” so to speak.

I never grew super attached to the characters and I think part of the reason for this was to do with the dialogue which wasn’t super consistent across the board. I did love the emotional appeal of our main character, Orual, however… it was very hard to empathize with her at times due to the sexism which cropped up regularly throughout the novel. And I’m going to be honest, I really struggled with it here as it was very invalidating and unexpected. I know that this could be because Lewis was trying to be “with the Greek times” or simply because he was a man writing in the 50’s, but to me neither of those things excuse the repeated use of put-downs towards women which very efficiently turned me off to a large portion of the novel.

As for the story’s structure, I found Part 1 to be very readable, though I wouldn’t say I was ever clamoring to sit back down with the book, but Part 2, where the real “lesson” of the book comes in, was a slog. This may be an unpopular opinion but I was looking for a big twist or revelation and I was let down. I didn’t care about Orual’s character enough to be invested in her arc and though I’d say I “got” what Lewis was trying to say in the end, I was skimming and in all honesty ready for the book to be over and done with. Dear Psyche, you are a star and I’m glad that it all worked out for you in the end. There is certainly an audience out there who would enjoy this book, but sadly I won’t be joining there ranks. It truly is a beautiful myth and the message is a good one, personally this just wasn’t the story to convince me of it. Happy Reading 🙂

And the best cover of the year goes to… All of Us Villains! Judging on the cover alone this one deserves all the stars, I honestly think I’m in love. And I’m happy to report that the book itself wasn’t too far behind! This was another one of those books that has eluded me for years despite being on pretty much every tbr list I’ve ever made and sometimes when this happens my expectations can become a bit warped. However, it definitely lives up to its ‘magical Hunger Games’ pitch. I loved all of the characters and how the authors built up their backstories and motivations. I think I was expecting a bit more morally gray and less survivalist but it worked at the end of the day to portray them as kids just trying to live up to their families twisted expectations.

The romance sub-plot wasn’t my favorite and I don’t think it really fit with what the book was trying to do but the sibling relationships were spot-on. The world-building was also super impressive and you know I loved how subverted the plot and morals became as things started to descend into chaos. The most powerful scene for me though is still in Alistar’s opening chapters with the twist concerning his brother, that betrayal cut deep. The ending had me a bit conflicted: (view spoiler)

Aside from this being an incredible artistic addition to my library, I’m glad that I finally gave All of Us Villains a go. It’s a great exploration of generational trauma and the burdens that have landed on a group of kids who are forced with the ultimatum of whether to break the cycle or try and appease their families who handed down this curse to them. Happy Reading 🙂

4.5 ⭐️ This book was exactly what I needed. It was fast paced, in my favorite genre, and overall super enjoyable to read. I hadn’t even made it to the end of the first chapter before I was wishing I had my own copy to annotate. The writing was absolutely stunning and I loved all the allegories and beautiful descriptions. Juliette is such a compelling character and I loved how she saw the world in such a unique way. The fact that this story is told in first person and we’re finding everything out at the same pace she is was both infuriating and exciting!

The supporting characters don’t play a huge role in this one and it feels like we’ve just scratched the surface on their personalities but I have a feeling that it’s just going to make future books in the series that much more exciting when we do finally get to see more of them. The romance wasn’t necessarily by favorite as it was very insta-lovey but I had to keep reminding myself that it did fit with the rest of the book as Juliette is going off her feelings having been kept isolated from society for so long. I finished this book full of so many questions and it has left me dying to get my hands on the next book but hopefully it won’t be long until I can dive back into this world! Thanks Roni for the recommendation and happy reading everyone 🙂