This month I have read a total of 9 books. I took part in two24-hour readathon’s during October and this has probably contributed massively to that total.
The Wrath and The Dawn – Renee Ahdieh
3.5
This book proved difficult for me to love. I wanted to the story to be magical, filled with wonder and dark romance, with intrigue and deep explanations, as well as stunning descriptions of a different world and culture. But it didn’t quite transport me the whole way there, and so I feel it fell short of what it could have been. It took quite a while to read, because I had no inclination to continue along with the story, and that is never good. However, I will be picking up the next one, some time, eventually. When I do, perhaps that will make me re-evaluate this review.
Autoboyography – Christina Lauren
4
I would recommend Autoboyography to others, but I don’t think that this book was really for me. I found it hard to put myself back into that mindset of being 18 and cyberstalking crushes and so on. Parts of this book definitely made my heart sore, especially when the characters are struggling with their own identity and how they want to live their lives. If you don’t have much experience of this yourself, or feel like you need to read another perspective on what coming out stories can be, then Autoboyography is good for you. It deserves the 4 for being a good book, which deals with touch themes in a solid way. But it personally wasn’t a favourite.
There’s Someone Inside Your House – Stephanie Perkins
5
This is a stereotypical, high school slasher novel, in all its bloody, gory goodness. If you do not like slasher movies, then this book is really not going to be for you. Unlike Perkins’ other works, which primarily focused on romance, this has some romance, with a good healthy dose of blood and guts thrown in. It was this aspect that kept me hooked. I think the addition of gruesome murder scenes, alongside a cast of characters that I enjoyed learning about, and an attack in the nude, made for a really great read. I devoured this book, and if you like slasher horror movies, then you will too.
Birth of a Killer – Darren Shan
3
Not a lot happens. Genuinely. This book isn’t bad, and it’s a nice addition to the story of Larten Crespley, who was a cool but mysterious character within the Cirque Du Freak series, however, not much happens in this book. I think that this would have benefitted from being double the length, and actually having some major plot point take place within this novel; instead, it was used as a way to set up the next novel and the rest of the series. I’ll read the rest, but it hasn’t left me desperate to find out what happened, so it probably won’t be anytime soon.
The Snowman – R L Stine
1
The Snowman is a very small and, now, relatively old novel. R L Stine was the master of horror when I was a child, and so I wanted some nostalgia when I picked up this point horror novel. But I was thoroughly disappointed. They just don’t seem to live up to the test of time and I felt like I was wasting my time reading this.
Wonder Woman: Warbringer – Leigh Bardugo
3
I preface this with a note about my dislike for DC superheroes. I’m not particularly fond of them, and so not really fond of Wonder Woman anyway, but I picked this up as I do like Leigh Bardugo. After struggling through the first chapter, the novel picks up, and the pacing becomes much more steady and enjoyable. Bardugo does a great job at Witty dialogue, and Diana is an extremely funny and likeable character. I didn’t see the plot twist coming and I thought it was fantastic. So why a 3? Really, it is just because it isn’t something I’m overly into, and Bardugo didn’t convert me. It took me longer to read than it should have because although there were many good parts, I wasn’t really that interested in constantly reading it. I would give this higher, but if you like the same type of books that I do, I think you’d just give this a 3 too. Read this if you have nothing else to read, but don’t pick it up over another option.
Hallowe’en Party – Agatha Christie
5
This is definitely a one sitting kind of book. I had my post-it notes out, and a pencil to make notes and tried to figure out the clues as I went along. Annoyingly, I changed my mind at the last minute, from the person I had thought all along, but it was still immensely fun. Agatha Christie novels always seem to transport me into a world of puzzle and murder, and they are so clever that I become instantly engaged. This is a lesser known one of her Poirot novels, which means that fewer people have seen the killer in adaptations, which is great.
The Diviners – Libba Bray
4
1920’s, New York, Flappers, Ghosts, Murder and Mystery. Sign me up! I mean seriously, for all of it, I have already purchased the next two books, and I really hope this becomes a complete series. I loved the characters, and the personality within this text, I also found the killer to be immensely creepy and thinking about him now, I get the shivers still. The downsides? There is quite a bit of 1920’s slang which I enjoyed, but could be annoying, and the book just… didn’t go the way I thought it would? I don’t want to say more about why because that could ruin it, but ultimately, I think that there should have been a slight adjustment in one aspect of the book. This is a big book and can be quite dense to work your way through, but for me, it was worth every minute.
Turtles All The Way Down – John Green
3
Okay, I’m honestly not massively fond of John Green’s writing. I think it is okay, and I will read a book by him if I have nothing else to pick up, but I don’t think I’m going to be seeking out anything more. This is now m third John Green novel, and while I like him on Youtube and Tumblr, and I love Crash Course and so on, I just don’t like the angsty voice used within the novels. That said, this is a very personal review of what to some people, will be a very effective, and great book. I’m certain the portrayal of anxiety and the way in which this is shown in the book, will either really hit home with some, or make others realise just how detrimental something like this can truly be. For those reasons, I would recommend this book to others. Just not me.
Afternoon Literature 