Hi all!
Welcome to my May Reading Wrap-Up for 2018! This was such a busy book month for me. As I am no longer working (patiently waiting for baby to arrive), I was able to read much more frequently and really soak up some leisurely time to myself. I cannot wait to share all of my thoughts, so let’s get started!
1.) THE ROSE & THE DAGGER (BOOK #2 OF THE WRATH & THE DAWN DUOLOGY) BY RENÉE AHDIEH (PHYSICAL BOOK)
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PLOT: As this is the second book in the series, I won’t give away the plot. Check out my April 2018 Reading Wrap-Up! to learn more about The Wrath & the Dawn.
MINI REVIEW: Much like The Wrath & the Dawn, I enjoyed this book but was not blown away by it. The writing, as always, was the standout. Renée has this gift of describing everything so vividly, making it all seem real. In terms of criticisms, I wish the magic system had been explored further and that there had been a little more world-building. I felt like the ending was quite rushed and too convenient but overall, it was a solid sequel and a satisfying end to an enchanting duology.
RATING: I gave it 4/5 stars.
2.) HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE (BOOK #1 OF THE HARRY POTTER SERIES) BY J.K ROWLING & ILLUSTRATED BY JIM KAY (PHYSICAL BOOK – RE-READ)
PLOT: I don’t really have to explain the plot do I? Well, in case you are one of the rare individuals that has never read Harry Potter before, I’ll be brief. Harry is an orphaned child, living with his nasty Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and cousin, Dudley. One evening, he is visited by a man named Hagrid, who tells him that he’s a wizard. Suddenly, Harry is whisked off to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he makes friends, meets enemies and learns the shocking truth behind the death of his parents.
MINI REVIEW: Re-reading Harry Potter was like sliding into a warm, comfortable bath. It was such a nice feeling. This time around, I dove into the beautiful illustrated edition, which was absolutely stunning. The artwork blew me away, adding an extra layer of magical depth to the story. I found myself gasping in awe at every turn of the page. I read it aloud to my unborn daughter and hope to do so when she’s older someday. It was such a wonderful experience. I cannot wait to own the entire collection.
RATING: Naturally I gave it 5/5 stars.
3.) QUEENS OF GEEK BY JEN WILDE (PHYSICAL BOOK)
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PLOT: Three best friends (Charlie, Taylor and Jamie), journey together from Melbourne to Los Angeles, to attend SupaCon, a pop-culture convention, spanning several days. Charlie, a famous YouTube sensation, attends to promote her new film: The Rising. Taylor and Jamie tag-along for support, with the added intention of meeting Skyler Atkins, the author of their favourite book series: Queen Firestone. Problems arise when Charlie’s awful ex-boyfriend and co-star, Reese Ryan, shows up to make her life difficult. Luckily, the gorgeous and popular, Alyssa Huntington, is there to save the day. Meanwhile, Jamie and Taylor, struggle to confront their undeniable feelings for one another, before graduating from high school.
MINI REVIEW: I don’t know what I was was expecting going in, but I loved this book from beginning to end. It blew me away. There was tons of important representation throughout the story, including characters with autism, characters with anxiety, bisexual characters, interracial couples and more. That is so refreshing to see in a YA novel. As someone who has suffered with anxiety all my life, I really related to the protagonist, Taylor. Plus, all of the fandom references soothed my geeky soul. I love that it took place entirely at a pop-culture convention. It was also extremely relevant, what with the rise of YouTube careers, vlogging and social-media. This book definitely deserves more hype and recognition.
RATING: I gave it 5/5 stars.
4.) LADY OF THE SHADES BY DARREN SHAN (AUDIO BOOK)
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PLOT: This is one of Darren Shan’s adult, standalone books. It follows an American author named Ed, who travels to London in search of inspiration, for his new novel. Through a strange twist of fate, Ed meets the beautiful and untouchable, Andeanna Menderes. She seems too good to be true, until he discovers that she is tied to a notorious crime lord. Startled by this shocking revelation, Ed finds his own world turned upside-down, as the ghosts of his past force him to confront a deadly secret he was hoping would remain buried forever.
MINI REVIEW: Darren Shan is one of my favourite male authors, however, this book was completely different to his YA/middle-grade series. I found the first half quite slow and difficult to get into. The second half on the other hand, was much more action-packed. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. It was too all over the place. The ending was also extremely strange and very far-fetched. I really wanted to love this novel, but sadly, I didn’t.
RATING: I gave it 2/5 stars.
5.) CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE (BOOK #1 OF THE LEGACY OF ORISHA TRILOGY) BY TOMI ADEYEMI (PHYSICAL BOOK) – SASSY BOOK CLUB PICK FOR MAY 2018
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PLOT: This was our Sassy Book Club pick for May. Children of Blood and Bone is the first book in a trilogy, set in a fantastical world inspired by West Africa. It follows Zelie (a teenage diviner – maji), Amari (a rogue princess) and Inan (a prince torn between duty and heart). At a young age, Zelie witnessed her mother (a powerful maji), murdered by royal guards, causing all magic to be stripped from the land. Present day, Zelie is given a rare opportunity to restore magic to diviners everywhere. Suddenly, she is thrust into an epic quest, alongside unlikely followers, with the promise that she will save everybody from impending death.
MINI REVIEW: I won this incredible book through a giveaway! I’m glad I did because I loved every single second of it. For a debut novel, Tomi did an amazing job creating such a vivid, colourful world, full of interesting creatures, landmarks and characters. The entire story was extremely well-developed. Each chapter flowed into the next. I became so immersed in the magic system and the journey. The chapters are quite short, making the tome simple to fly through. Tomi touches on issues that exist in our real world today. Trigger warning for strong scenes of violence, brutality and slavery. The ending made me want the sequel right now!
RATING: I gave it 5/5 stars.
6.) THE RAVEN BOYS (BOOK #1 OF THE RAVEN CYCLE) BY MAGGIE STIEFVATER (OVERDRIVE – AUDIO BOOK)
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PLOT: Every year, Blue Sargent stands with her clairvoyant mother, to watch the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself has never seen them, until a boy emerges from the dark, speaking directly to her. His name is Gansey. Blue soon discovers he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as the Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. However, Blue finds herself drawn to Gansey, who is on a quest to find the Welsh King of Glendower, in the hopes of being granted a magical favour. Blue on the other hand, has been warned that she will cause her true love to die.
MINI REVIEW: This interesting, quirky story was magical and whimsical right from the very beginning. It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. Maggie Stiefvater writes so poetically. I was really impressed by her descriptions of the Raven Boys. I felt quite connected to Ronan, Adam, Gansey and Noah. I also loved Blue’s sassy nature and maturity. However, I didn’t expect it to be so dark and confronting. Trigger warning for child abuse. There is still so much to be explained and explored. I’m really looking forward to diving into the rest of the series. Also, I listened to this on audio book. The narrator has a very relaxing tone. I highly recommend reading it this way.
RATING: I gave it 4.5/5 stars.
7.) THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO BY ALEXANDRE DUMAS (E-BOOK) – MONTHLY CLASSIC PICK FOR MAY 2018
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PLOT: On the day of his wedding to Mercédès, Edmond Dantes is falsely accused of treason. He is arrested and imprisoned without trial; sent to a grim island fortress off of Marseilles. A fellow prisoner correctly deduces that his jealous rival, Fernand Mondego, envious crewmate, Danglars and the double-dealing Magistrate De Villefort, framed him. With the help of his friend, Edmond plots his escape, discovering a fortune in treasure. As the powerful and mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, he enters the fashionable Parisian world of the 1830s, to get revenge on the men who conspired to destroy him.
MINI REVIEW: Wow! This book is long, so be warned. It is over 1,000 pages of plotting, revenge and drama. Despite the length, I really did enjoy how the Count achieved justice, after suffering for so much of his life. A lot of it was very far-fetched, but nevertheless, it gave me plenty of satisfaction watching the villains fall one by one, in very creative methods. I didn’t think I would be able to finish it before the end of May but I committed to 100 pages per day and managed to do so. An admirable effort if I do say so myself!
RATING: I gave this 4/5 stars.
I hope you enjoyed this post. I am very curious to see if I will get much reading done in June as my daughter is due at the end of the month. Stay tuned!
Peace & Love xoxo
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