This month I have a few books that are high on my priority list and then I have the rest of the books on my physical TBR that I really want to get through as well! I don’t have a lot of plans for June so hopefully I will have a great reading month!!
The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks
Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima
Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
The Toll by Neal Shusterman
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
Beach Read follows January and Gus two authors that were rivals in college who end up being neighbours. They are currently both suffering from writers block so they come up with a bet to swap their respective genres and see who can get their book sold first.
This was a fantastic book. I went into it with the expectations that it would be a light fluffy contemporary yet it delves so much more into deeper topics and was quite thought provoking and touching.
I loved January’s character. I was drawn into her life from the first chapter and she kept me highly engaged throughout the course of the book. I found her to be highly relatable and her optimistic way she perceives life refreshing. Moving into that house and being forced to face what her father has done to her and how it has affected her life whilst also having run ins with Sonya was highly entertaining.
Gus I was a little hesitant about at the start. He didn’t really evoke any kind of emotion from me, he was too closed off and standoffish. Once he started opening up more to January and revealing his emotions and thoughts was when I started warming up to him. He definitely has an enigmatic nature to him that initially draws you in to his character but once we got more of his backstory with Naomi and even with Pete and Maggie he became a lot more well rounded and developed.
I loved the actually writing that took up a lot of time in the plot. The way they prioritised their work even though they were crazy for each other I think was very mature of them. I feel a lot of time in romance the main protagonist would just give up everything for their love interest and would of missed the deadline.
This was definitely a slow burn. There were various scenes that got me very eager to read on and find out whether or not January will get her happy ending!
⭐️5/5 stars I devoured this book!!!!
This month I completed The Mark of Athena which is the third book in the Heroes of Olympus series and I have thoughts. I loved the fact that we are going back and forth between the different point of views. I think this was the first time in all off the books that we are given chapters from Annabeth’s perspective and I really enjoyed and appreciated hearing her thoughts and fears from her. This book really explored all of the different heroes and their own self perceived inadequacies, which I think is a great subject to explore in middle grade where a lot of the targeted readers might be struggling with. In terms of the plot I think this was quite a filler book where not a lot happened but also we are given a lot of answers to questions that have surfaced throughout the series. I highly enjoyed this book and I am super excited to continue on with the series, I honestly can’t really remember a lot of the details from the last two book so it’s going to a lot of fun to read!
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is opening lines, and I decided to go with the first line from 10 books on my physical TBR! These are all very high on my reading list and seeing some of these opening lines definitely makes me excited to get into a few of them!!
A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos
“It’s often said of old buildings that they have a soul.”
The Toll by Neal Shusterman
“There was no warning.”
Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
“The disrupter blast hit the Betraskan right in her chest.”
Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare
“Lucie Herondale was ten years old when she first met the boy in the forest.”
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
“They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart.”
Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo
“Tavia Syn made a living on magic and it was rarely the legal kind.”
These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
“They say there’s a fine line between love and hate.”
Heart of Flames by Nicki Pau Preto
“Veronyka kicked as hard as she could at Tristan’s face.”
Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw
“A boy went missing the night of the storm.”
Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima
“Compared to the freezing weather outside, the stable was warm and steamy and alive with the sleepy murmuring of horses.”
Love from A to Z is a dual perspective story following Zayneb and Adam. Zayneb has just been suspended from school after confronting a inslamaphobe teacher at her school and is sent on an early spring break to Doha. Adam is dealing with just finding out he has been diagonsed with multiple sclerosis the diseases that killed his mum when he was nine.
What I loved about this book was that even though it is a contemporary love story at it’s core, it doesn’t stop each character from having their own personal drama’s that they are having to overcome. The narrative isn’t focused solely on them and dramatised in a way to keep them apart, it’s realistic and thought provoking and genuine.
Zayneb I found to be a little too focused on justice which at times clouded her vision and forced her to make brash decisions. When she is upset her anger overwhelms her and she can’t see any other side besides her own. I love that we explore so much of her culture and the decisions that she has made to commit to her way of life and be unapologetic about it. She definitely evolved and developed over the course of the storyline and the fact that she was able to recognise some of her faults but mould them into positives was indicative of her growth.
Adam is the sweetest, calmest, most frustrating character! I just wanted him to confide in his father from the beginning about his diagnosis but I can understand why he chose to keep it a secret. Having this condition that killed his mother and reliving some of his memories of her was heartbreaking and again we really see him come to accept the things he is not in control of and embrace the good things, the marvels in life.
Every single character in this book serves a purpose, from Adam’s group of friends to Aunty Nandy and especially Zahid. I have to say Zahid was definitely my favourite of all the characters in this book. The length that he went to in order to help this young man he didn’t even know really captured my heart and brought a tear to my eye.
I loved the format of the story told from the perspectives of their journal and having such stark contrasts between our two main characters. It was a quick, emotional, touching book that I feel I will be rereading many times in the future!
⭐️5/5 stars Another MUST read!!!
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