Book Talk: January Wrap Up

I've had a surprisingly productive reading month considering school has started up again. This quarter's day-to-day schedule gives me plenty of opportunity to get the me-time I need to function as a human being in society. It just so happens that my me-time consists entirely of reading. It's been refreshing being able to indulge myself in so many worlds. I'm already doing better than last year especially considering none of these books were read for class, unlike last January. On top of all the time I've had to read, every single book I read this month was good. There was a little disappointment mixed in but that was my own fault for having high expectations. Ready to get to the books I read this month? Click the read more!

Stats:

• Books read: 8
• Genre:
• Dystopian: 1
• Sci-fi: 3
• Fantasy: 1
• Superhero: 3
• Total pages: 2,188

Books:

Champion by Marie Lu

The final book of the Legend trilogy! This was the series I was planning on reading with Allison but that didn't really work out aside from Prodigy... At least we gave it our best shot. It was fun experiencing a series with somebody rather than reading it on your own and trying to convince your friend to read it and then forgetting all the details by the time they get around to picking up the book. As for the book itself, I obviously cannot say much about the plot since it's the conclusion of its trilogy and all that. Naturally because of the situations our protagonists are in during this book, there wasn't as much action as there was in the first two installments of the trilogy but I think a side effect of that is higher stakes when there were action scenes because 1) they were always sending Day into the field despite his condition and 2) they weren't trying to tough it out anymore so they only had to physically engage when it was necessary. Champion didn't give me what I wanted in terms of character interaction at all. Everybody was so closed off from each other thinking they were protecting everyone around them but that didn't work, did it? Okay I'm going to backtrack a little and say that I did get something I wanted... It was a long time coming. (Was that a pun?!) (I'm terrible.) As far as the ending goes, I was satisfied in a kind of disappointed way. Like sometimes you're satisfied with something but other times you're just satisfied? I don't know how to explain my feelings about it, but it was definitely cheating. It wasn't realistic and the way that it was executed made it seem like a non-ending. Where's our closure?! Yeah, some authors choose to let the readers finish the story but if Lu would've taken a different turn the ending would be very different and I think there would be a lot more weight on everything that went down.

Just a personal note, I wish we could've spent more time exploring Antarctica for the sake of my own curiosity. It sounds like the coolest place in the world. Technology is advanced and there are points and levels and everything is a game. As far as dystopian worlds go, that's not a bad way to live. 

Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Expectations can drastically shape how to perceive something and that definitely applies to this book. It was marketed as Black Widow's backstory so I went into this book thinking I was going to get Red Room training and Natasha working for Russia and all that but nope, not a chance. The protagonist is actually an altogether new character. Ava is the girl that the Black Widow rescued many years ago in Ukraine and she made quite and impression on the girl but not the other way around, it seems. Nat has all but forgotten about Ava until the past begins catching up to the both of them. Then there's also the supernatural dream thing Ava has with this mysterious Alex Manor?! Not sure what that's about. (Okay, I do know what that's about but it seems too convenient. Inciting incident and all.) Of course they end up meeting and OF COURSE we immediately have a case of instalove on our hands. It's been so long since I've had to read such an overused trope. I think this quote best describes my feelings, "'Girlfriend?' Natasha asked. 'You met her when? A few days ago?'" Yes, literally a few days ago. In between chapters, there was a page of transcript from a debrief of some sort that was full of non-answers that didn't fill in any gaps but instead brought up more questions. I'm struggling with how much I want to include because everything I want to talk about is a spoiler and also why I'm disappointed in the book. That being said, this wasn't a bad book. I know I made it seem that way, but like I said in the beginning, expectations can make or break any experience. I wouldn't say don't pick up this book because it's nice to know about Nat's past even if it's not the part of her past that I was hoping for, but you definitely don't have to prioritize this one.

Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

WHAT A SOLID ENDING. I know caps is obnoxious but I am blown away by how amazing each book in this trilogy manages to be. The Starbound trilogy is hands down my favorite trilogy of all time. This set of companion novels takes place in space (!!!) with a corrupt corporation dealing with some alien (that should not be messed with) that brings all our protagonists together. I was especially looking forward to this installment because this was the book where all six main characters were finally going to team up and bring home the climax of the series. It was even better than I could've imagined. The story was woven together so well and it was easy to follow, which I appreciated. Because the second half of the book involved Lilac, Tarver, Lee, and Flynn as well, we didn't have as much time to spend with just Gideon and Sofia but it ended up working out fine. Their story alone would have felt forced and drawn out if they were the only players the entire 432 pages. The book was still told in their alternating perspectives so it wasn't like the rest of them stole the show or anything. While I can see how some people may have been a little bothered by how Gideon and Sofia's relationship was unfolding, I thought it was very reasonable. Gideon is a secret big-shot and has a huge target on his back while Sofia pretty much lies for a living. It's natural for them to have to learn to trust each other. I was very pleased with the way the overarching story played out. Kaufman and Spooner hit all the right beats at the right time. I really cannot stress how much I love this trilogy. The covers are gorgeous, the characters are well-developed, the crossovers are incredible, the relationships are to die for, and you never want to leave this world. It's overwhelmingly amazing. 

Irredeemable, Vol. 5 by Mark Waid & Peter Krause

I say this every single time I include a volume of Irredeemable in my Wrap Up but I'm going to say it again. There's not much I can tell you about this volume because I don't want to give away spoilers for the rest of the story. At this point, you should probably pick up this series yourself if you have the means. It's getting really scary. The team is falling apart and everybody is spiraling into insanity. We learn more about Modeus's motives and we gain even more insight as to how perceptive the Plutonian actually is. Another moment that stood out to me was at the beginning when Kaidan tapped into her power and brought out all the members of the Paradigm that have since passed. It was very touching and also turned out to be a plot device later in the volume, which was clever of them. I also loved the way the remaining members of the Paradigm got their information from The Hornet (along with his backstory (that got me emotional too)) about the deus ex machina. I'm still a little annoyed that there were characters introduced a volume or two ago and the last we heard they were left some place but managed to escape... Why even bring them into the story so early?! No point in grumbling about the past. I'm very much looking forward to where this storyline is going, especially with that epiphany at the end. 

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

The Little Prince is a classic French children's story that was always on my radar but I never had a reason to pick it up. At least, not until I saw the trailer for the new animated movie at the end of last year. In those short two and a half minutes, I managed to cry twice. That's a feat, even for me. Watching it again even now I still tear up. There's something magical about The Little Prince that touched my soul. That sounds cheesy but after reading this story, I feel like the core of who I am has been changed. The story itself was extremely charming but unexpectedly sad. Taking a step back, I think reading it now, in my last leg as a teenager, has had a big impact on the way it's affected me. It's that weird time where I am nowhere near ready to be an adult but childhood is a train that left the station long ago. The Little Prince shows adults from an child's eyes and it put into perspective the type of person I could be in the future. Every time I think about this book, I'm reminded that, "All grown ups were once children -- although few of them remember it."

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

There are some books that I always knew I was going to read, it was just a matter of when. Hitchhiker's is such a classic that I knew there was no question that it would be on that list even before I had really gotten into reading. I had very little background knowledge other than that it's science fiction, it's funny, and there's bound to be a pop culture reference that I will finally understand once I've read this book. I was right on all accounts. This probably sounds weird, but reading this book made me feel a bit nostalgic. It may have been my missing the innocence of childhood (I was reading Hitchhiker's and The Little Prince concurrently) or it could've been because the reality of space in Hitchhiker's is exactly what I imagined space to be when I was a kid. Weird aliens, planets being physically constructed, fun space travel, the whole thing. I really enjoyed the entire "Earth is a super-computer" predicament. I thought it was really funny and, honestly, it would explain a lot. The entire time I was reading this book, I had a smile on my face because everything was so out of this world, both literally and metaphorically. I will definitely be picking up the next book sometime soon. Don't panic. 

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona

Ever since Ms. Marvel first came out in 2014, I have heard nothing but rave reviews for it. Not only is it a new female superhero, she's a teenager, Muslim, and not ready for the major lifestyle change ahead. So far, most of the graphic novels I've read have twisted the genre so for me, this is a nice refreshing, innocent change of pace. Kamala Khan is so relateable because she's just another teenager who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time (or right place at the right time???). Having these powers thrust upon her, she has to figure out how they work and decide what she wants to do with them, all while trying to navigate her home life and figuring out how to be a teenager. This is a beautiful start to a beautiful origin story. I'm glad I've been watching Agents of Shield because I haven't read any other Marvel comics before and I would've been extremely confused as to how Kamala's transformation occurred but the TV show's got me covered. I'm excited to explore more of this world and to see how Kamala grows into her new identity that she has yet to solidify. 

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

I have been waiting for this book for so long. It feels much longer than a year since I'd read A Thousand Pieces of You but the wait was so worth it. This is only book two and the story is already so complicated. Just like last time, Marguerite has to go chasing Paul through the multiverse but this time around she isn't trying to kill him. She's actually trying to piece him back together because somebody (looking at you, Conley) splintered his soul into four parts. This, on top of Theo's deteriorating body (as a result of the Nightthief addiction), sends Marguerite on a wild goose chase across an old-fashioned Rome, a war-torn San Francisco, and a frightening New York (where we learn a lot about Paul and Conley, surprisingly), among other places. I loved that Marguerite knew that Paul was her soulmate and that was what kept her going through some pretty horrible scenarios and universes. It must be so nice knowing who your soulmate is. There's no guesswork. #relationshipgoals. The thing I really want to talk about is major spoilers and the ending is so AGH (you can't see it but I am clenching my fists and pretty much every other part of me). However, I will say that there were times when Marguerite got preachy about the whole "each version is essentially the same at their core" like I see that that is your internal struggle but you don't have to spell it out for us every time it crosses your mind. Nonetheless, I would highly recommend this series and not just for the covers, although that should be enough to get you on board. Just look at it. Seriously though, just thinking about the ending makes me want to explode and implode simultaneously. Somebody read this book so I can talk to you about it. Somebody save me from myself. 

This month was definitely a good start to my reading year. If I keep reading at this rate, I will have read 96 books for the year. That's a completed goal and a book to spare! Since I've had a good reading month (and not a bad book in sight!), I'm totally in the mood to talk about books. Let me know what you've been reading and if you've read (or are planning to read) any of the books I read this month!

On a side note, xo, Yvette is officially one year old! February 1st marked the one year anniversary of my blogging career (I use that term very loosely). I can't believe I've kept this up consistently for so long. I reread my very first blog post for memories' sake and I didn't cringe... I think that means my writing style has not changed in the last year. Hopefully that means it was good to begin with, not that I cannot recognize how poorly I write. That'd be embarrassing. Since we've reached this milestone together, I'd like to take a moment to thank you for reading my mish mash of a blog. This was a project for me and the fact that others can find something they can enjoy is very touching for me.


Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette

P.S. Would you count superhero as its own genre? Or would it fall into sci-fi or fantasy? If so, which? This is my dilemma every single month.