April was a great month for many reasons and reading 10 books this month was definitely one of the high lights. But before you think I’m insane, and read instead of sleeping, no worries, some of these books are quick reads, and one in particular is a little one. And besides, now I’m finally so on top of my reading challenge (currently 50% completed) that I’m willing to pick up a massive book from my TBR pile in May!
PS: I’ve added Goodreads links to the titles.
CITY OF ASHES
Cassandra Clare / 2008
My mission is to read the entire Mortal Instrument series but the books are just not clicking with me. There is something missing, it feels rushed at times, and yet, nothing really happens. I’m currently not feeling any of the characters except Alec and Magnus, but that’s because their characters clicked with me in the Shadowhunter series the most. All in all, going through this series seems like a hassle, but a hassle I’m willing to go through with.
ILLUMINAE
Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff / 2015
This sci-fi dystopian book that has an unique style of writing was my favorite read of the month! It was exciting, with twists and turns, and characters I loved because while they were flawed, they were also awesome. The story is focused on an ex-couple, who survive the attack on their planet, and are razing through space towards safety before the enemy ship catches up. It might frighten you a bit at first, because it looks experimental and different, but no worries, the story flows well and the style compliments the plot well.
CAPTIVE PRINCE 1
C.S. Pacat / 2012
This was an interesting pick for me because Captive Prince is not like any other book I’ve come by. It’s not fantasy with magic, but the plot does take place in an unknown kingdom, with very different social norms compared to our society. And it’s not for those who don’t enjoy LGBTQ themes which are heavily exploited throughout the trilogy. I liked it, the first book was a lovely start to a trilogy, that I ended up finishing this month. The story is about prince Damen, who ends up a slave for prince Laurent, who also happens to be in line for the throne for the enemy kingdom.
WE ARE THE ANTS
Shaun David Hutchinson/ 2016
One of the newest releases to the, yet again, LGBTQ community was a weird read to me. The main character, Henry has had a rough time, his boyfriend committed suicide and he doesn’t understand why he left him. Then he is constantly abducted by aliens and keeps waking up naked in random places. Besides, the aliens told him the world was going to end. But the book doesn’t feel fantasy but more like contemporary, so the mixture of genres felt a little odd to me. Though I did enjoy it, and I was almost happy with the ending as well.
CAPTIVE PRINCE 2
C.S. Pacat / 2012
The second installment to the Captive Prince series was not my favorite of the bunch, but it still had some elements to it that I liked. Out of the three, I thought of it to be the weakest, and that especially due to the lack of action, or in other words, it was not as action packed as the first and third book. The character development of Laurent in book two was amazing though, it was the high light of the series in so many ways, because the complexity of him was what kept me hooked. A lot of political intrigue entered the series in the second book as well.
CAPTIVE PRINCE 3
C.S. Pacat / 2016
The trilogy came to an end, and there were so many twists at the end, which made my head spin in a good way! Laurent’s and Damen’s final political stance was exactly the kind of end to this trilogy I was expecting. Also, Laurent became more and more interesting, complex and worth my time by the end of the series. And though I begun the trilogy liking Damen, I think I ended up loving Laurent more – which was an unexpected turn of events.
REBEL OF THE SANDS
Alwyn Hamilton / 2016
Another new release of 2016 that I picked up because I had heard many good things. Well, I guess my expectations were too high for what the book managed to deliver. Our main character Amani wants to escape her life, her step-family and get out of the small town filled and then ends up in the middle of a rebellion. The story is alright, but the writing style is a little messy, and some of the things just don’t add up. And well, I didn’t really connected to the characters, which is always the biggest disappointment for me.
WOOL
Hugh Howey / 2013
Adult dystopian is not the most common, or at least I haven’t stumbled on many of them, and Wool was surprising because of it. The characters were complex, interesting and most importantly, not annoying, which is the most common problem for many YA-books. The plot is focused on this silo, were the entire population of Earth is living. There is a mayor, a sheriff, IT department, mechanics etc., and these tasks and people keep the silo running until something shakes the order loose. The story did evolve a little slow for my taste, but once it got its momentum, I was hooked.
THE LITTLE PRINCE
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry / 1943
Finally, I picked up a classic, and The Little Prince was one of those classics that I haven’t read yet, and everybody seemed to love. Well, I didn’t end up loving it as much, but I think it is because it didn’t connect with me, and that’s okay. The Little Prince seems like a book, that if you read, and connect with, it becomes special to you, and if that happens, great, but not everybody will have that connection. Part of me also thinks that if I had read it as a kid, and then as an adult, I would have a different opinion about it.
AMERICAN PSYCHO
Bret Easton Ellis / 1991
I should be picking up more classics, cause I’ve been missing out. American Psycho is one of those books that I should have read ages ago, but I just picked it up this month and what an experience it was. Filled with violence, fashion and a compelling character, American Psycho was a good read. But my rating is not because the writing style was bad, nor that Patrick Bateman was boring, it was because I needed closure. And well, it’s alright, it wasn’t my favorite, and it isn’t the kind of book that I would read again, but it was still good.
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The amount you read makes me feel bad for not reading more! Have you ever read ‘We Were Liars’? I read that recently and loved it. Would love to know what you think!
Don’t feel bad.. I think it doesn’t matter how many you read, and just that you read when you get a chance.
I’ve read We Were Liars and I liked it. I gave it 4cups and I thought it was a very emotional read. I cried like a baby.
That’s true! I’m glad you liked WWL I flew through it I thought it was great. Which is odd because it’s really really not something I would usually read but it really captured me and opened me up to reading more books of the same kind.
I never judge a book by its genre. I think I like all kinds of things and keep my mind open for things that might not be something I like, and then I’m constantly surprised how much I love a book, that I didn’t think I would.
That’s a good way of looking at it. I’m the same with films, I’ll watch anything really so I should be like that with books. I’m getting there
Good luck! 😉
Thanks! :’)
I had been hoping Rebel of the Sands would be good, but oh well! There’s been a couple of super-hyped YA releases this year that have fallen flat for me. I think all the buzz on social media just sets some of these novels up to be disappointing.
Indeed. Passanger was one of those for me, it was so, meh, and I guess the hype really does mess things up for some of those books.
I have read both Illuminae and The Little Prince from your list. I liked the world building of Illuminae and I’m excited to read the sequel and where the story will go from there. I am not a fan of the romance arc though, it could do without it and the story will still be great. The Captive Prince trilogy sounds interesting.
Well, I didn’t mind the romance arc because at least it was different in terms of them being broken up in the beginning of the story. It kind of added a bit of dimension to their relationship. The Captive Prince is a really quick and interesting read, but there is some adult stuff there so.. yeah. 😀
I only read American Psycho, which is one of my all time favorite books but it was disturbing as hell. I remember the film being criticized for how gory and violent it was but it had 1% of book’s violence
I haven’t watched the film yet, but I can’t imagine it being as gory as the book, because I cringed like every time Bateman was doing something evil again. It was horrible to read, and yet, I kept reading.
The film is excellent but very toned down. However Bale captures Bateman completely
Of these I’ve only read American Psycho, and I actually liked the film better. I found Patrick’s thoughts to be a bit too tedious in book form, as lame as that sounds. lol
I will try to watch the movie soon.
Have you read the Infernal Devices… so much better than Mortal Instruments and much better characters. I also loved Wool!
I figured I’d finish with the other one first and then get on with that one. Then I would at least have a full understanding of the world.. As much as the series manages to construct it.