Hello friendly readers!
Long time no see on the book front, but never fear I've still been here researching away and reading all the books I have time to. Now a few months have gone by and I've got some reads up my sleeve I thought I'd do a nice update on what I've been reading, how, and what it was like. If you'd like to see more of what I've been reading in the past, my progress in real time and my reviews, feel free to check out my Goodreads profile: Ani Talwar. However on the move on the app I don't always have the space and time to do written reviews, so I thought I would expand a little here, so on to the reads!
In chronological order, my reads are:
- Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros
- The Colour Purple, Alice Walker
- Iron Flame, Rebecca Yarros
- The Ambassadors Mission, Trudi Canavan
- The Rogue, Trudi Canavan
- When the Moon Hatched, Sarah A Parker
- The Blood of Hercules, Jasmine Mas
- Monstrous Regiment, Terry Pratchett
- Educated, Tara Westover
- The Women in the Cabin, Becca Day
And onto the detail:
Rebecca Yarros
- Rating: 3/5 and 3.75/5 stars for book one and two respectively.
- Source: book share between friends.
- Time taken: 2 days each.
So, yes, I did read this rather famous social media sensation, and I will admit I was weary of it because it was so famous on social media, however when a friend leant me both books in the new year, I thought it would be nice to have a read and see what all the hype was about. I was not certain how I would feel about this book because personally, the tall muscled morally grey character being the main love interest and saving his 'damsel in distress' style love who he falls for is not entirely my favourite thing, though I fully understand that it is the exact thing a lot of people love so I get why this book was so loved online.
That being said, even though the romance wasn't quite my thing, I was pleasantly surprised to find there was a lot more to this book than the 'Romantasy' label I've seen floating around. The characters had personality, they had sass and sarcasm, and the dragons were quite funny! There was some world building that occured (though it had a tough act to follow after my last fantasy trilogy was Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson which absolutely enthralled me), and it turned out to be a nice entertaining read that I blasted through pretty quickly.
The Colour Purple by Alice Walker
- Rating: 5/5 stars
- Source: Brought new
- Time taken: 5 days
This one was another one I read as part of a book club, and I'm really enjoing how this club pushes me beyond my fantasy comfort zone into more non fiction oriented books. In this book, not only do the words envoke a story, a character and a journey, but the way the characters were written also illustrates their journey and development which was a strategy that took some getting used to, but I really really liked.
The book had a good pace, skipping time moments and details as the narrator remembered or prioritised them, so that in moments where the narrator was apthetic, the description would be reduced and the reader would almost be prevented from getting that in depth view of a scene, mirroring the character's apathy. As the view switched between narrators of more or less educated status, the language used altered to reflect that, really taking you into the character's mind.
The Ambassador's Mission and The Rogue by Trudi Canavan
- Rating: 4/5 stars each
- Source: Brought new (book 1) and second hand (book two and three, though three is not listed here as read yet)
- Time taken: 7 and 10 days respectively
So, eight odd years since I first found Trudi Canavan's Magician's Guild, in a second hand book market with some friends, I finally found her novels again. I remember the Magician's Guild series (my first read) as magical, enthralling, and with an ending that was so punchy I still remember the mental image vividly now, despite it being so many years I nearly forgot all the rest of the details of the series.
Though some of my love for this book may have been easier earnt when I was younger, this story still was a lovely read with a nice plot and some good characters included. I loved that some of the characters from the original series I first read were also included, and that there were throwaway references to the ten year gap between the two and what may have occured during this time.
In the years since reading the first series, my reading styles have definitely evolved, and I did find in some cases I was thinking I would have enjoyed this more if I read it back then because I was a teenager with slightly different tastes, but it really only lasted for a few moments as I was reading before the characters I had remembered went right back to entertaining me again. There were definitely one or two characters (okay, one specific character) that I spent a lot of time sighing and rolling my eyes at, but you know what, I respect the fact that an irritating character was so well written I was actually pacing around irritated, that's got to be a job well done right?
When the Moon Hatched, Sarah A Parker,
- Rating: 4/5 stars
- Source: Borrowed (library)
- Time taken: 16 days
I'm going to caveat this immediately: I started this book, read ten pages, and then got distracted for a week or two with work. By the time I came back to actually reading it properly I blasted through all the remaining 550 pages in about 72 hours, the book did have me hooked. I loved the style of writing (though I've seen some reviews that it's not for everyone, that's okay). It was wordy and descriptive and I enjoyed that because it felt a cross between reading poetry and a novel and I enjoyed the words and lines quite a bit.
I am also perhaps a bit biased because in a conversation with my friend I said 'it would be cool if the character was...' and unintentionally predicted the entire novel nearly perfectly. Contrary to what some might think- I love to predict endings and it does not put me off reading a book- the satisfaction of seeing if I've weaved a story correctly in my head is only beaten by the sheer respect when I get it absolutely wrong.
That being said, I was dissapointed somewhat with the speed of the romance element in this novel. It was one of those moments when you watch something and you can sort of see who's going to fall for whom and you really hope you're wrong but you arent. I will admit, by the end I was kind of on their side as a couple, but early on when it was the main character with her assassin-like career moving headstrong into her revenge plan, I wanted to see that and not a side track into romance. (Also I feel like the revenge part did get abandoned mid way which wasn't great, if she liked the character who died so much she wanted to avenge them I feel like that character should have been brought up more than they were through the book). However, I did really enjoy this book, and don't regret reading it at all.
The Blood of Hercules by Jasime Mas
- Rating: 1/5 stars
- Source: Borrowed (library)
- Time taken: 3 days
I know this one has a lot of high reviews, and I borrowed it because it sort of reminded me of a grownup Hunger Games crossed with Percy Jackson based on the blurb, but unfortunately this was not the one for me. Now the idea of it was interesting when I read the blurb, but the execution...it wasn't something I enjoyed. The main character was frustrating sometimes, her thought process absolutely lost me at times and I did not understand some of the things they were referring to, and the love arc...no thank you.
I know this is the third time I've said something about the romance plot, so I feel the need to state that I don't hate romance in novels, I actually really love shipping characters when the romance plot is done well- if you've ever spoken to me about Outlander and my love of Claire and Jamie you'll know this. When I mentioned it not being my favourite in the previous reviews, it was mostly because of the timing. I was thinking 'you're in a fight don't get distracted!', not necessarily 'absolutely not I don't like this', but with this novel, I was closer to the latter.
To conclude for this book: I just didn't get it, or like it too much, but for the many who did and gave it very high reviews, I'm interested to see what your take on it was because we all obviously gravitate to different things and remember different things so I'm interested to see what other people took from it!
Monstrous Regiment, Terry Pratchett
- Rating: 5/5 stars
- Source: Purchased second hand
- Time taken: 10 days
If you know me, you know I love the Discworld. I love how mad it is, I love how imaginative it is, and I love how I've been reading for nearly a decade and I can still find more to read. This novel was about a women who dressed up as a man to join the army so she can find her brother. A tale of adventure, camaraderie, and friendship, this novel was humerous and adventurous and also contained a portrayel of the fustration and confusion in the balance between how genders are treated in society. It had serious themes, but in a not serious setting, allowing for the story to convey a deep message without being too heavy.
Also, I loved the ending, wonderful full circle moment, I would recommend.
Educated, Tara Westover
- Rating: 5/5 stars
- Source: Library Borrow
- Time taken: 1 day.
This book was another book club pick which I actually hadn't heard of before. A memoir written by Tara about her experience being raised in a survivalist family in the mountains, it contained some dark themes which made me finish it across 24 hours so I could resolve the story before sleeping, but it was entirely worth it. Obviously, being a true account of some troubling things that happened, I didn't like all of what I was reading, much less because I knew it had really happened to someone, but I do feel that I am better for reading it. I know more now, I understand more now, and I have learnt more.
The Woman in the Cabin, Becca Day.
- Rating: 2.5 rounded down to 2 /5 stars
- Source: Library Borrow
- Time taken: 2 days.
This was an enjoyable read! The tension was good especially towards the end and it was quite gripping, but the reason it doesn't sit a comfortable 3 or 4 stars for good enjoyment is that early on, I actually didn't like the main character that much. When it comes to fiction, there's obviously a greater spectrum of things characters can achieve and do because it's not actually real, but with this particular main character, I felt that some of her choices were just a bit too questionable, and I was frustrated by the fact that she was content with making hard choices for her escape but at the same time too cowed to actually attempt to escape.
I fully understand the fear of escaping in her case, but it seemed that she was both too scared to escape but not scared enough to take the steps she did and I found that a bit confusing for her and frustrating. That being said, overall it was an enjoyable read, and the last chunk of the novel had a great pace and set of twists, just the middle portion slightly let it down.
So, after nearly 90 minutes of typing there you have it, my completed reads so far this year. Have you read these and did you enjoy them? Do you have any other recommendations?
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