A Wrap Up: May 2019 Part Two

Hi, and thanks for stopping by.

Today's post is a reading wrap up for the month of May 2019. This is probably one of the smallest/slowest reading months I've had in a really long time, but that's mostly because I've had lots of fun stuff going on in real life - so it's all good! Let me know your favourite read of the month of May by leaving a comment down below.

Stephanie Garber’s Legendary

5 stars

I love the world of Legend and Caraval. I really thought I'd be disappointed by this second book when I realised it was in Tella's perspective and not Scarlett's, but I fell in love with the second sister just as much as the first (and surprisingly didn't miss Julian much!). There was more insanely well-written chemistry and the magical world was brought to life yet more vividly and the big reveal about Legend was perfect. I can't wait to read the last instalment, Finale.

M.F. Lorson’s Off-Center

3 stars

I found this pretty entertaining in places although it was really lacking in others. My main issue with the story was its at times almost dated feeling (the reaction to a pretty new girl muscling in on the dream guy, in particular, feels like a tale told 50000 times, always just pitting female characters against each other with a guy in the middle - boring). Was cool to have the school journalism/newspaper element and the idea of our protagonist branching out to new interests and making new friends.

Sophie Mackintosh’s The Water Cure
3.5 stars

A really, really strange book. I think if you like fiction surrounding cults/the kind of books following in that creepy, ethereal women thing (The Virgin Suicides (which I actually never finished), The Roanoke Girls etc.) then you’ll probably appreciate this story. Did some interesting stuff with themes of being a woman. The narrative style was really interesting and unique. Overall a lyrical though extremely odd read.

Jessi Kirby’s Things We Know by Heart

3.5 stars

I think the concept behind this book is really, really interesting; it certainly sets up for a painful, uncomfortable, sad story and I think Jessi Kirby does deliver that to a certain extent, in certain places. However, in a lot of other places it sadly just read as any random YA summer contemporary, with nothing in particular to capture the imagination.

Donna Tartt’s The Secret History

4 stars

I know this is a lot of people's favourite book of all time, and I guess I can see why in a lot of ways. In terms of construction, from a writer's perspective, it really is a bit of a masterpiece; Donna Tartt is entirely in control of the narrative and weaves the story absolutely expertly. I found it a really, really compelling read. However, call me sappy, I like a book with characters I can care about and a plot that really gets me in the chest with emotion; this had neither.

So that's it for another month! Favourite book? Probably a tie between The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and Legendary.

Till next time

Katie