Hi
everyone! Welcome Recent Reads (previously Mini
Reviews), the series on my blog where I review
books in a couple of sentences to give you my thoughts and
recommendations. I've not done one of these in a while, but here are a few quick reviews of recent books which were sent to me in exchange for an honest review!
A hilarious and
vulnerable coming-of-age story about the thrilling new experiences––and
missteps––of a girl's freshman year of college
Some students
enter their freshman year of college knowing exactly what they want to
do with their lives. Elliot McHugh is not one of those people. But
picking a major is the last thing on Elliot’s mind when she’s too busy
experiencing all that college has to offer—from dancing all night at
off-campus parties, to testing her RA Rose’s patience, to making new
friends, to having the best sex one can have on a twin-sized dorm room
bed.
But she may not be ready for the fallout when reality hits. When
the sex she’s having isn’t that great. When finals creep up and smack
her right in the face. Or when her roommate’s boyfriend turns out to be
the biggest a-hole. Elliot may make epic mistakes, but if she’s honest
with herself (and with you, dear reader), she may just find the person
she wants to be. And maybe even fall in love in the process . . . Well, maybe.
Quick
Thoughts: Oh guys, I so wanted to love this book but I really didn't. The characters sounded so fun and likable in the description but in the book they were so flat and unlikable and just plain mean to other characters. In addition to that, the plot was just SO BORING, I couldn't bring myself to care about any of it, and the romance felt so rushed and unrealistic. Not for me!
Rowenna Winthrop has
always known there’s magic within her. But though she hears voices on
the wind and possesses unusual talents, her mother Mairead believes
Rowenna lacks discipline, and refuses to teach her the craft that keeps
their Scottish village safe. When Mairead dies a sinister death, it
seems Rowenna’s one chance to grow into her power has passed. Then, on a
fateful, storm-tossed night, Rowenna rescues a handsome stranger named
Gawen from a shipwreck, and her mother miraculously returns from the
dead. Or so it appears.
This resurrected Mairead is nothing like
the old one: to hide her new and monstrous nature, she turns Rowenna’s
brothers and Gawen into swans and robs Rowenna of her voice. Forced to
flee, Rowenna travels to the city of Inverness to find a way to break
the curse. But monsters take many forms, and in Inverness Rowenna is
soon caught in a web of strangers who want to use her raw magic for
their own gain. If she wishes to save herself and the people she loves
most, Rowenna will have to take her fate into her own hands, and unlock
the power that has evaded her for so long.
Quick
Thoughts: This book is a slow-burn for sure, full of beautiful evocative prose and complex descriptions, but it's so lovely to read. The story is slow moving and more character-foccused, but I could really feel how well researched this book was and how much of a passion-project it was for the author - I would definately recommend giving it a read!
From acclaimed author
Ashley Woodfolk comes an impassioned story about queer love, loss, and
the complexity of female friendship that will keep your heart racing,
and breaking, until the very last page.
Two girls.
One wild and reckless day.
Years of a tumultuous history unspooling
like thin, fraying string in the hours after they set a fire.
They were best friends. Until they became more.
Their affections grew. Until the blurry lines became dangerous.
Over
the course of a single day, the depth of their past, the confusion of
their present, and the unpredictability of their future is revealed.
And the girls will learn that hearts, like flames, aren’t so easily tamed.
It starts with a fire.
How will it end?
Quick
Thoughts: One of the pros for this book was that I felt the relationship was beautifully described and the author did such a good job of showing how toxic the characters were for each other. However, the characters made such poor decisions, which made it so difficult to relate the them and like them. It felt like poor decision-making giving YA characters a bad name!
Seventeen-year-old
Tempe was born into a world of water. When the Great Waves destroyed her
planet, its people had to learn to survive living on the water, but the
ruins of the cities below still called. Tempe dives daily, scavenging
the ruins of a bygone era, searching for anything of value to trade for
Notes. It isn't food or clothing that she wants to buy, but her dead
sister's life. For a price, the research facility on the island of
Palindromena will revive the dearly departed for twenty-four hours
before returning them to death. It isn't a heartfelt reunion that Tempe
is after; she wants answers. Elysea died keeping a terrible secret, one
that has ignited an unquenchable fury in Tempe: Her beloved sister was
responsible for the death of their parents. Tempe wants to know why.
But
once revived, Elysea has other plans. She doesn't want to spend her
last day in a cold room accounting for a crime she insists she didn't
commit. Elysea wants her freedom and one final glimpse at the life that
was stolen from her. She persuades Tempe to break her out of the
facility, and they embark on a dangerous journey to discover the truth
about their parents' death and mend their broken bond. But they're
pursued every step of the way by two Palindromena employees desperate to
find them before Elysea's time is up--and before the secret behind the
revival process and the true cost of restored life is revealed.
Quick
Thoughts: This was a quick read and entertaining. I enjoyed hearing from the point of view of these characters and I also enjoyed the sisterhood bond protrayed in the novel. However, I did feel that there were weaker aspects, which included the romance ( I didn't feel any chemistry there) and the world building, which felt was very superficial and not as believable as I would have liked.
This thrilling debut, reminiscent of new fan favorites like One of Us Is Lying and the beloved classics by Agatha Christie, will leave readers guessing until the explosive ending.
Welcome to dinner, and again, congratulations on being selected. Now you must do the selecting.
What
do the queen bee, star athlete, valedictorian, stoner, loner, and music
geek all have in common? They were all invited to a scholarship dinner,
only to discover it’s a trap. Someone has locked them into a room with a
bomb, a syringe filled with poison, and a note saying they have an hour
to pick someone to kill … or else everyone dies.
Amber Prescott
is determined to get her classmates and herself out of the room alive,
but that might be easier said than done. No one knows how they’re all
connected or who would want them dead. As they retrace the events over
the past year that might have triggered their captor’s ultimatum, it
becomes clear that everyone is hiding something. And with the clock
ticking down, confusion turns into fear, and fear morphs into panic as
they race to answer the biggest question: Who will they choose to die?
Quick
Thoughts: Another entertaining, fast-paced YA thriller, that went by super quickly and was enjoyable. I was hanging on every word and wanted to know the ending, but I didn't have the biggest connection to the characters. Overall, it didn't have a huge impact on me however, and it isn't a book I think about often.
You are alone in the woods, seen only by the unblinking yellow moon. Your hands are empty. You are nearly naked.
And the wolf is angry.
Since
her grandmother became her caretaker when she was four years old, Bisou
Martel has lived a quiet life in a little house in Seattle. She’s kept
mostly to herself. She’s been good. But then comes the night of
homecoming, when she finds herself running for her life over roots and
between trees, a fury of claws and teeth behind her. A wolf attacks.
Bisou fights back. A new moon rises. And with it, questions. About the
blood in Bisou’s past and on her hands as she stumbles home. About
broken boys and vicious wolves. About girls lost in the
woods—frightened, but not alone.
Quick
Thoughts:I really don't have any words for how much I loved this book. It's very dark and intense, and there are lots of content warnings, but it was so powerful and femenist and told in such an unforgettable way. Please read it!
Have you guys read any of these? Please let me know!