Wednesday, 1 May 2019

A Wrap Up: April 2019 Part Two

Hi, and thanks for stopping by.

Today's post is the second reading wrap up of April 2019 (if you want to read the first, click here) where I'll talk through the books I've read, their star ratings (out of 5) and give a brief review of each.  I really didn't get around to a lot of books during the rest of the month because I was so busy, so it's a short one!
Let me know your favourite reads of April by leaving a comment down below!!

Stephanie Garber’s Caraval
5 stars

I absolutely adored reading Caraval; I think I thought it was going to like all set in a traditional circus  etc, but it is so different to that, so much more entertaining and complex. There is some of the best chemistry I've ever read in this book and I was literally constantly surprised by who people turned out to be, the ways in which they behaved, the betrayals and reveals and secrets and twists. I cannot wait to continue with this series.


Angie Thomas’s On the Come Up
 4 stars 


This story does so many important things, but I think the one I loved the most was the huge emphasis it put on money/financial burdens; SO much of the YA I read (contemporaries at least) either literally doesnt refer to money at all (as if it is a concept that doesnt even exist in that fictional world) or has characters that are all so comfortably middle-class that its never a topic of interest. The money troubles in this novel felt real and scary and all-consuming. I also completely loved the relationship Bri shared with her Aunt Pooh; the final interaction we see them have made me tear up.

Tiffany Schmidt’s The Boy next Door
 3 stars


This was a pretty entertaining, harmless YA contemporary; I liked the focus on sisterly relationships, again the concept of financial troubles being relevant to the characters lives and the weird, magical-realism/fantastical English teacher and her magic books element. I do wish that Aurora had stuck to her guns a bit more though, romance-wise, because I was loving her independent woman moment (for the hot second that it seemed to last).

Jessi Kirby’s In Honor
4 stars

This felt really reminiscent of those lovely summery YA contemporaries written by the likes of Morgan Matson and Kasie West; cute, chemistry-filled romance, a road trip and some significant hidden depths. It was short, sweet and really enjoyable.

Muhammad Khan’s I Am Thunder 
 3 stars


There was a lot of really interesting, important content in this book that varied pretty widely from dealing with female facial hair, internalised racism, radicalisation, Islamophobia and the pressures put upon young Muslim women living in Britain. It was also the first UKYA book I've read with a female Muslim protagonist, so that was wonderful. I don't think the execution of the actual writing itself was the best though, sadly.

So that's the tiny second wrap up of April! Hope your May is wonderful.

Till next time

Katie






2 comments:

  1. Caraval was so good!! Can't wait to see your thoughts on Legendary!!

    ReplyDelete