Hello everyone! April somehow came and disappeared so quickly. I know it’s been tough for a lot of people, but one thing I’m thankful for is all the time I have for reading :) I have been catching up on some of the bigger books on my TBR that previously intimidated me, and I ended up having a great reading month! It looks like the theme of my quarantine is blowing through some series I have been meaning to get to. So without further ado, let’s get to the reviews! 1. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
One sentence summary: Art student Karou’s fantastical drawings of beasts from another world are much more real than her classmates know. Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I am so mad at myself that I waited so long to pick up this book! I haven’t been this blown away by a book in a while. Everything about this was perfection, and I am now in awe of Laini Taylor’s masterful storytelling. My one-sentence summary above does not do this book justice, but I think part of the beauty of book one in this series is watching the fantastical mysteries unfold on the page. There is a wonderful world full of wishes, monsters, and angels that sucked me in immediately and hasn't let me go. For this reason, I do not want to say too much about the story, because I think it is something you should experience for yourself. This book is great for people who like stories about those secret magical places tucked away in nooks and crannies of our own world and characters you will instantly fall in love with. 2. Renegades by Marissa Meyer
One sentence summary: In a world of superheroes and villains, a member of the villainous Anarchist gang infiltrates a superhero organization to bring them down from the inside. Genre: YA SciFi/Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Marissa Meyer has proven to be one of my all-time favorite authors. Her work is so readable and fun, I haven’t been disappointed yet! I heard Meyer talk about Renegades at Book Con 2019, and she described it as a hero and a villain falling in love with each other without really knowing it, which instantly landed this book on my TBR. This book turns out to be so much more than that. This story shows us the black and white dichotomy we consume time and time again in superhero narratives, but blurs the lines by giving us both perspectives; one narrator is on the side of the villains, while one is on the side of the heroes. It’s impossible not to see parallels to our own justice system, where people are branded “heroes” or “villains” by nature of their privileges. Though book one only scratches the surface of themes like questioning authorities, I am excited to see where Meyer takes this in the sequels. Besides all that, this book is just SO FUN. It’s corny at times, but it comes across as extremely self-aware, poking fun at traditional superhero narratives in a lighthearted and loving way. The back and forth between our two main characters are hilarious as they each try to retain their own secret identities in front of one another. I recommend this book to young readers especially, but I think adults who can enjoy superhero camp (similar to The Incredibles) will also love it. 3. A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab
One sentence summary: Four Londons in four parallel universes can only be visited by those with a rare magic, but two despots seek to blur the lines between worlds. Genre: Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is another book I’ve put off for far too long. I had a blast reading about this intricately developed world, where Londons of varying magical degrees exist in parallel planes. The fascinating world that Schwab has crafted is the biggest drawing point in this book, despite the amazing characters at play here as well. I adored our hero Kell and found myself rooting for him the whole way through. Our heroine, Lila, often gets a bad rap, and honestly I can see why; but personally, I thought she added a lot to the story. Lila messes shit up, yes, but it’s FUN. She cracked me up, and her dynamic with the ever-serious Kell is perfect. One thing I always appreciate about Schwab’s writing is the cinematic nature of it; she somehow tells the story in just the right way to keep you riveted at every moment. Her writing is wonderful and coupled with her excellently crafted world and characters here, this book truly shines. I would recommend this book to just about anyone. 4. Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen
One sentence summary: In the final book of the False Prince series, stuff happens. Genre: MG/YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ As you may remember from my wrap-up last month, I adored book one in this series, and though I enjoyed book two I also felt a little disappointed. Book three has proven to be another downgrade. Though it wasn’t bad per se, it was just boring. This book, like book two, lacks the thing I loved the most about book one: the unreliable narrator. There is a plot twist in this book as in the others, and I saw it coming from a mile away; it really didn’t hit home for me. In book one I also guessed the plot twist, but I still loved it all the same because it was excellently done. Here, it felt like cheating. I would recommend this book if you have read and enjoyed the first two in the series and want to know how things with the impending war play out. Personally, I do not feel like this book pleased me in terms of how the politics, battles, or anything else played out. If it weren’t for the characters that I can’t help but adore, I might not have finished this one. Three stars for being a really “bleh” conclusion to an otherwise great series. 5. Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
One sentence summary: After the events of book one, Karou and Akiva try to make sense of the war between chimera and angels. Genre: YA Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It’s hard to write a one-sentence summary for these, okay? As I mentioned earlier, you need to experience these for yourself. This book excels in broadening the world, lore, and characters of the first book. I was riveted by the intricacies of their societies, the gruesomeness of their wars, and the depths of each new character. Taylor has truly put a lot of thought and love into each element of this series, and we are just along for the wild ride. I highly highly recommend this series for those who like unique worlds, a cast of lovable (and also not-so-lovable) characters, humor, romance, friendship, battles, magic, and twisty plots. Basically, everything that makes a story perfect for me. 6. The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro
One sentence summary: Charlotte Holmes and James Watson investigate the disappearance of Charlotte’s uncle into the underground art scene of Berlin. Genre: YA Mystery Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Oh boy, do I have some things to say about this book. First, I will let you know that this is the second book in a series that retells Sherlock Holmes, but from the perspective of Holmes & Watson’s modern-day descendants. In book one, Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson attended the same boarding school in America and were falsely accused of a murder of a classmate. They worked together to clear their names and became the iconic duo we always knew they would be. Book two follows them on their winter break from school as . . . shit kind of hits the fan. This book is MESSY. I will give it that. All the negative reviews on GoodReads are literally not wrong. There are so many issues with this book, from the bizarre and confusing relationship between Charlotte and Jamie to the nonsensical plot to the ending that makes zero sense. It has the seeds of being a great sequel to book one; we add August Moriarty to the team, we are set in the beautiful underground art world of Berlin, and of course, we have the ever-present banter between Holmes and Watson. But so many of these elements felt half-baked. August didn’t get the development he deserved in the slightest, nor did he add as much tension to Holmes and Watson’s relationship as he could have. Despite that, these two had such a messy back and forth that was kind of cringey at times. It was impossible to tell their banter apart from their arguments unless Jamie flat out tells you in the narration. I also felt that the mystery in the Berlin art scene unfolded a bit too easily, and though it was fun to read about, it didn’t feel as well-crafted as it could have been. But you may have noticed that despite all this, I gave this book five stars. This will clue you in to the fact that my star system actually makes very little sense to anyone but me, LOL. I gave this book five stars because even though it had all these technical issues I absolutely LOVED it. I couldn’t put it down. I am obsessed with Jamie and Charlotte, and I thought their adventure in Berlin was so fun. I can totally see why so many people feel disappointed in this book, but I think for me I was just looking for the fun relationship back and forth between Holmes and Watson with a mild mystery in the background, and not, like, a really good mystery novel. Does that make sense? *slight spoilers ahead* I will say there is a massive trigger warning for PTSD related to sexual assault. One big criticism of this book is that many people think that Jamie was an asshole for bemoaning a non-sexual relationship with Holmes despite the fact that she is touch-averse due to a sexual assault in her history. If you read this book and felt this way, that is totally valid, but personally I do not agree. I never thought Jamie resented Charlotte for not having a sexual relationship with him; I think the source of their arguments is that she leads him on. He doesn’t know whether to move on and just be her best friend or to try to make a relationship work with her. Either way, he would be happy, but the dude just wants to know. Charlotte’s internal struggle is that she both wants an exclusive relationship with Jamie but isn’t sure she will ever be able to work through her traumas in a way that is satisfying to him (in her opinion), and I find that a very authentic struggle. I feel that part of the book was handled really well, written sensitively, and could be a great way for teens who experience a similar struggle to explore this topic. I will always praise this book for its forthright discussions about mental health, from addiction to PTSD to loving someone with both.
ANYWAY I have ranted enough about this book. This series is climbing into one of my favorites and has put me on a Sherlock Holmes kick. Time to go watch Benedict Cumberbatch be an absolute asshole.
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts! If you are catching up on some reads during quarantine, let me know what you’ve been loving!
Peace out,
Grace Kaye