I thought I was going to beat my number from January, but I ended up bailing on not one but two books halfway through so I've only got three more again. Still, I was pretty pleased with the ones I did finish.
4. The Diviners by Libba Bray: I've read several other books by this author. Generally, I enjoy them but don't find them to be anything particularly special or memorable. That was true of this book as well. It was sort of a supernatural plot that was pretty generic, and most of it seemed to be setting up the next two books in the trilogy. The main villain/demon was also a bit too violent for my sensitive soul. What I loved about this book was the Roaring 20s setting and that the main character was a very stereotypical flapper teenager. The slang, fashion, and settings really gave this book a fun atmosphere, and I enjoyed that part of it. I kind of wish I had just read a Roaring 20s book without any demons in it, though. I doubt I'll make any effort to read the remainder of the series.
5. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore: The final book in my beloved Graceling trilogy, I wish I could say that I enjoyed this book more than I did. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy parts of it. I very much like the character of Bitterblue and liked following her journey from child queen to ruling sovereign. But I'm afraid I disliked more parts than I liked. The main problem is frankly that Cashore created too intense of a villain for me in Leck. His creepiness was evident but tolerable in the first two books, but learning the extent of his perversion and evil in this book overwhelmed my ability to enjoy the rest of the plot. There needs to be some kind of tool I can use to let me know which books I should avoid. Does this book contain child rape? If yes, I will pass. I was also very unimpressed by the love interest and found another character to be a far better fit as a partner for Bitterblue. So of course I've rewritten the ending in my head to be more satisfying. In all, kind of a disappointing end to the series. What is good about this is that the trilogy is only loosely connected, so my lack of enjoyment in this one does not affect in the least my love for the first two books.
6. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson: This one has been on my to-read list for quite a while and I really liked it! I'm excited to read the rest of the trilogy. The quasi-Catholic religious aspects were interesting and well-done, and I liked that the lead is not the typical kick-ass female that you get in a lot of books of this genre. She really grew into herself throughout the book, and I'm looking forward to seeing that continue in the next two. There were a few very shocking moments, as well, which I always appreciate, and I liked the detailed portrayal of the different cultures in the book. I like any book that gives me good details about the food everyone is eating! I definitely recommend this one to fans of YA fantasy.
Books I started this month and abandoned:
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed and Wild by Cheryl Strayed: The first is a collection of advice columns written by the author. I had read a few of her pieces online and enjoyed them, so I thought I'd give this a try since I tend to enjoy advice columns in general. Sadly for her and for me, the very first column in the book gave a detailed description of the sexual abuse the author had suffered at the hands of a relative as a 3-4 year old. I'm afraid this completely turned me off and I was unable to read any further. I have so little leisure time in which to read, and I'm not interested in spending that time reading about the most horrible things and people that the world has to offer. The second book is a memoir by the same author about her time hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. I was a little turned off by how unlikable she seems to be, or was at the point in her life when this book takes place. I made it about halfway through but couldn't stop rolling my eyes at her so I eventually gave up. Don't get me wrong, Strayed is a good writer but apparently she's just not up my alley.
I'm reading an amazing book right now that I'm sad I didn't finish in time for this month's reviews, but I'll be back next month to rave about it!
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