It’s time for another review dump! I’ve been gone for a while, but I hope to maintain a more regular schedule this year. I also thought that starting the year off with a review dump seemed fitting. Here are ten or so books that you can (maybe) add to your reading list for the year.
The Last Wish, Sword of Destiny, and Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapowski
Overall, I’ve enjoyed The Witcher saga so far. Henry Cavill being recast is a travesty for the TV show, but we still have the books and videogames for enjoyment. I think the fantasy world and setting is extremely interesting with the idea of witchers being monster-killing machines that are now falling out of fashion in a world that has been mostly tamed. Sapowski also has a unique style of writing for his main character. He’s like James Bond with a sensitive side, and every girl that comes around seems to fall for him. This might bother some readers (it is eyeroll-worthy for me at times), but I find I can overlook it since Geralt is quite tender and compassionate. The most major complaint I have is that sometimes the character responses/motivations seem confusing. A lot of things are implicit rather than explicit, and I find I have to do some guesswork on my part to fill in the blanks. I have the next few books in the series, and I’m excited to continue Geralt’s journey.
Heart of the Raven Prince by Tesonja Odetta
This novel is a fantasy retelling of Cinderella. As a big fan of retellings, I was definitely interested in reading this book. The fae/fantasy setting gives it a unique premise, and the story itself adds quite a few more twists and turns than the original. It’s a little contrived in certain points, and the characters can be overdramatic, but overall it’s an easy and fun YA read. I did appreciate that this book circumnavigates the typical love-triangle trope, and the main love-interests have very genuine motivations throughout the story that create a sincere romance. It’s a decent, fun, light fantasy retelling.
The Harry Potter series by She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named
I won’t say too much here because most everyone is familiar with these books, and this one was a reread for me. I read the HP series once when I was around eleven years old. I remember climbing into my moms bed in tears after reading Dumbledore’s death scene (the series is twenty years old, this isn’t a spoiler anymore). Rereading it gave me the same experience of diving into a completely new world. It’s unfortunate that the author has such bigoted views, and it’s also unfortunate that some of those views are now recognizable to me through her work.
A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
These books are great for people who like very romance-heavy fantasy. I do not fall into that category. I read the first two and decided that it wasn’t worth it to continue on, but there were some things that I appreciated about them. The fantasy and magic system is really low-risk, which made it one of the less-appealing aspects of the story to me. The main character learns to use her magic very quickly, and there doesn’t seem to be any downside to using the magic in excess. Some people are really powerful and some aren’t, and that’s about the most explanation you get. However, I did think the separation of the kingdoms was unique. The kingdom is split into different lands by season and time of day (Spring Court, Day Court, Night Court, etc.). It’s a simple concept, but Maas takes the time to flesh-out the world which was something I did appreciate about the books. I also appreciated that there was a love-triangle concept, but the idea of someone being torn between two people wasn’t really present. The main character falls out of love with one character and then realizes her love for another, which made the situation feel more mature. There’s also a lot of sex, so be prepared for that. Not the best series for me, but not a bad series overall.
The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero and Tom Bessell
I had been looking forward to reading this book ever since I saw the movie by the same name. This book is about the making of what is now a cult-film: The Room. If you’ve never heard of this movie, it’s one of the worst movies to have every been made. The production is inconsistent, the plot has a million holes, and the script is god-awful. It’s great. The movie version of The Disaster Artist is fantastic, and the book goes more into depth about Tommy himself and Greg’s thoughts and feelings about the filming The Room. The movie does a good job portraying the making of The Room and adding a little more comedy than was probably present during filming; whereas, the book gives further background about the production process, the amount of money Tommy spent, and about Greg’s personal life/his friendship with Tommy. I was interested in these aspect, so the book was satisfying to me. It’s also fairly funny, but not as laugh-out-loud funny as the movie. One reviewer said they were in tears throughout the book, and I don’t think I even chuckled. But maybe that’s because I spent all my chuckles at the movie instead.
Night Watch by Stephen King
I love me some Stephen King. There are quite a few short stories in this collection, and I think the only one I’d previously read was Children of the Corn. Knowing that this short story was included in this collection, I was excited to read what else King had come up with within the same time period. While not all of these short stories are rock-solid, they were all at least entertaining. If you like Stephen King, you’ll like this book. If you’ve never read Stephen King, you may enjoy this book as an introduction, but I would recommend one of his full-length works like Misery or The Shining to start with instead.
Unmasked by Paul Holes
What a book. I’ve never read a true crime book before, and I’m not sure I’ll read one again. This book was mentioned on the podcast I listen to (My Favorite Murder), and I’m a big fan of Georgia and Karen, so I decided to give it a try. It’s an excellent book that discusses Holes’s obsession with crime and solving cold cases. However, reading about the cases was much more difficult for me than listening to someone speak about them. I think the lighthearted (and sometimes super dark) comedy that’s sprinkled throughout My Favorite Murder makes the stories more digestible. The format of two people simply having a (grisly) conversation is a little easier on the mind as well. Reading about the murders from Holes’s perspective with no interjections or asides was a little bit too much for me. I would say this is a great book for those interested in the process of solving cold cases as well as those interested in what having a career in crime is like on one’s personal life. It’s not for the fainthearted.
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
I really enjoyed this book. I have a few more of Kingfisher’s novels lined up to read because this one was just so pleasant. The fantasy world was really interesting, and the characters were well-written and easy to root for. There is a really tender romance that I enjoyed, and it made me realize that I’m a much bigger fan of the softer, slow-burning romances. I think that’s why I enjoy older romance novels like Emma and Persuasion so much. Kingfisher also has very consistent writing throughout her book which I’m also a big fan of. Often times I’ll read an okay book with glimmers of good writing, but this is a good book with glimmers of great writing. I’ll take that any day of the week because it’s so much more enjoyable to read. I would easily recommend this book to someone looking for a light read (it’s on the shorter side) with great characters, an intriguing plot, and a sweet romance.
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
This one I have mixed feelings about. I thought the concept for the world building and overall plot were really unique, but it’s one of the first times in a while that I’ve noticed contrived writing and situations in a book. What I mean by contrived writing is that rather than smoothly transitioning from Point A to Point B in a plot, the author has to tell the reader how they made that journey, and also why they did it that way and not another way. For example, “We can’t do this easier solution because it would mean xyz. We have to do the more difficult, more dangerous plan because of that super small issue that we just can’t figure out.” This always frustrates me and pulls me out of the story. When the plot starts to seem unreasonable, it is being made complex for complexity’s sake, not because that’s the direction the story should move in. This is also the first book in a rather long series (I think there are seven books so far), so a lot of it seemed to be setting up future events. What happened so far worked decently as a standalone, and I don’t feel the need to continue the series. Also, TW for mentions of SA.
And that is a quick review of the last 10(ish) books I’ve read. I have some more in-depth reviews coming up, and the first Arc of a Scythe book is missing from this list because I want to finish the full series and do a review of all three novels. Stay tuned for some hopefully regular and consistent content!
The Lit Wiz