Evening, Strangers! It’s time for my May wrap-up! This month was a much better reading month than April. I read nine books this month, most of which were on my TBR. I read a lot of good books, as well as some I had mixed feelings on. Well, enough dilly-dallying around. Here are all the books I read this month.
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
This one was a reread for me. I reread A Court of Thorns and Roses earlier this year and so it was only right that I continued on, especially with the release of the finale. I truly adored this book the first time I read it, but this time I was a little disillusioned. The writing wasn’t all that great, but I just love these characters so much. I really love Feyre’s arc in this story and how she and Rhys slowly fall in love. And I adore the Inner Circle. So, even though it didn’t touch me the way it did the first time, I still have to give this book four out of five.
2. Mockingbird Volume 2: My Feminist Agenda by Chelsea Cain
I really, really love this comic series and will never be over it getting discontinued. As for this edition, I liked it, but not as much as the first one. For one thing, it was too short. I wanted more story. For another thing, I didn’t quite enjoy this story as much as the first one. Still, it easily rates a four out of five.
3. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
As I said in my review, I had mixed feelings about this one. The pacing was slow and not much happened for a long portion of the book. I loved the side characters and the ending, but the main characters weren’t given much new characterization. There was also some problematic things in this book. I guess it was a pretty good series closer, but it wasn’t all I wanted it to be. In the end, I gave it a three and a half out of five.
4. A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi
Once again, since I’ve already reviewed this, I don’t have much new to say. I’ll just say that the writing was so beautiful, the characters were amazing, and the world was unique. Gauri and Vikram are a ship to die for. I gave this one a full five out of five stars.
5. The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace
I’ve been meaning to read this collection of poetry for a while, so when I saw it at Barnes & Noble I had to pick it up. As can be expected, this collection was empowering and moving. My copy is covered in tabs. I don’t really know how to review poetry, so I’ll just say that I loved it. I gave it four out of five.
6. Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente
It’s been a couple weeks since I read this and I’m still not quite sure what I read. It was written in the style of a fairy tale and kept me reading. It’s based on old Russian folktales and takes place during the Lenin era. And I loved Marya. Given all this, I had to give it three out of five.
7. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
I think I somehow enjoyed this book more the second time. Maybe it’s my new love for Julian. I don’t know, I just know I did. I love these characters so much and the plot was so good. I love how it’s a retelling of an Edgar Allen Poe poem (“Annabel Lee”). In fact, that seems to be how the whole series is going to go. I gave this one an easy five out of five.
8. Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
Ho. Ly. Shit. I am still so shook by this book. It’s been a week since my review, and I’m still not over it. Despite the traumatic ending that totally didn’t happen, I think this installment was even better than the first. Julian went even more Dark Side, the ships were amazing, and the plot twists were wild. This one was more character-driven than the last one, which I loved. And this book made me feel So. Much. Unequivocally a five out of five.
9. The Rose & the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
This one was another reread and I have to say… I didn’t quite enjoy this one as much as I did the first time. Maybe because it hasn’t been as long since I read The Wrath & the Dawn (which is excellent). Sharhzad didn’t always seem like herself and the overall plot wasn’t as good. However, great characters like Irsa and Rahim got great development and we got to learn a little bit more about how the magic works in this world (though not as much as I would’ve liked). This wasn’t a bad conclusion, just not as good as it could have been. I gave it three out of five stars.
And that, friends, is all the books I read this month. And it turns out I’m ahead by three books in my reading challenge. I can’t wait for all the books I’m going to read next month!
What about you? What did you read this month? How’s your reading challenge going? Let me know in the comments!
Until tomorrow, Strangers!
Strange Storyteller 