Book Talk: May Wrap Up

I've experienced a lot this past month, whether it be fictional or in real life, and while I feel like I could've read more, I'm not unhappy with my progress. I do need to be more proactive on checking off some books off my Popsugar Reading Challenge. From the looks of my bookshelf and my holds coming in from the library, I'm looking at at least two books crossed off the list! Until then, we can talk about the books I read in the month of May!

Stats:

• Books Read: 6
• Genre:
• Fantasy: 4
• Nonfiction: 1 
• Science Fiction: 1
• Page Count: 2,382

Books:

The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski 

Ah, the final book in the Winner's trilogy. A lot has happened leading up to this moment. The two previous books have been very turbulent for Arin and Kestrel's relationship and I was very worried that they were destined to this frustrating, never-ending dance. The first hundred or so pages were even worse than I could've imagined (in terms of their relationship) but slowly turned around. It's kinda like they hit a reset button and allowed the relationship to progress as quickly as their proud, stubborn personalities would allow. It was extra heartbreaking because they were finally letting their walls down and then it all happened. Of course, this book wasn't all about their relationship. We leave the court in this installment and it's a whole new ball game. The previous books in this trilogy featured intricate court politics and while that was still a small part of this book, there was a lot more war strategy. It was a nice change of pace. It also showcased how smart everybody is in their different ways. I still love how Kestrel is not a fighter but she's so fearless and smart that she's willing to take on anything. On an unrelated note, the game in this series, Bite and Sting, is mentioned a lot and also used to further the story in some places. It'd be cool to actually learn how to play the game and see what the cards look like. So if you like books with a lot of political intrigue, war strategy, and don't mind a slow-build relationship this is definitely a series to look into. 

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Are you into magic? Girl besties? Adventure? If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, Truthwitch is the book for you. There's this interesting, old, dying magic in this world that gives some people powers? I think? The world building was the most solid I've read... I'm hoping that means there will be more background in the upcoming books, but you never know. I just like knowing how magic works. There's also the legendary Cahr Awen (still not sure what they're all about) and the Carawen Monks that worship (?) the duo? I cannot say any of this with confidence. Despite my hesitance to boldly describe the world, it was a well-written book overall. I found the writing style to be very inspiring. I loved the way it flowed and there were so many words that just called to me. It makes me miss the days when my English teacher would give me a list of vocab words every week. (If anybody wants that job it's up for grabs. I love expanding my vocabulary.) I guess I should start talking about what I thought of the story now... Well, there are different types of witches, depending on which well (I believe that was the term they used) their power originated from. Safiya is a Truthwitch, meaning she can tell when people are lying... kinda. On the surface I understand why everybody wants Safi under their control, but then I think about it more and she's not all that powerful, so everybody is making a fuss for naught. She was kidnapped at least twice so I think everybody is being dramatic and making her power into something a lot bigger than it is. (Another grievance I had was with the lack of background for the politics. Who is who? Why do they all hate each other? Why are there no answers to my questions?!) On the other hand, I think Iseult is not getting enough attention. She's a Threadwitch (she can see people's auras and can figure out what they're feeling) and she's also a Nomatsi, which is an oppressed group in this society. The two make a powerful team, especially since they've trained alongside each other for a long time and understand each other. Girls lifting each other up? Sign me up. One of my favorite parts about this book is how Merik, a foreign prince, interprets his attraction for Safi. It's one of the most hilariously oblivious things I've ever read because it's so innocent and clueless. I should also probably talk about the antagonist even though this is getting long. His name is Aeduan and he's a Carawen Monk and he's also a Bloodwitch, which is as scary as it sounds, and his teacher/mentor was Evrane, who is a Waterwitch healer and is also Merik's aunt. There are a lot of moving parts and it's so worth the read. I can't really put into words how much I enjoyed reading this book, even though half of this is me complaining about the shortage of world building. 

The Crown by Kiera Cass

I find myself with a lot of caveats writing this post. Here's another one coming at you in 3... 2... 

Don't you think it's hilarious that Aspen is now called General Leger? It probably doesn't mean anything to anybody else, but every time he made an appearance, all I could think about was how I cannot escape accounting, even in a fantasy novel. 

On to the the actual book, I tried to justify giving it five stars, but I just couldn't because Cass was trying so hard to throw a curve ball it made the ending all the more foreseeable. Sometimes it was such an obvious attempt that it was almost physically painful to read. That being said, I couldn't help but get swept up in the romance. As I said before, Cass made plenty of effort to be different and that made the story very predictable. Even though I knew what was coming from like 48 miles away, I was okay with it because he was the one I had chosen for myself at the beginning of Eadlyn's story arc. There isn't much to say since 1) it's the end of a five-part series so I don't want to give anything away and 2) the story is really very predictable so anything I say would probably be giving something away. I'll leave you with my absolute favorite part of the book. Whenever there was a threat (usually in the form of Marid Illea), everybody's first response was, "Why don't we just kill him?" It was very in line with my own thinking and I would feel reassured that my team was ready to kill at any hint of danger. 

MKTG: the Principles of Marketing by Charles Lamb, Joseph Hair, & Carl McDaniel

We're nearing the end of the quarter so you know what that means! That's right, I'm finishing up my textbooks. I'm already investing so much time into them, I may as well put it towards my reading goal, right? If you couldn't decipher the title, it's a marketing textbook and it was a pretty easy read. Not that all the concepts were really easy, but this textbook make it digestible. The examples were fun, which is a product of the visible nature of (some aspects) of marketing. The chapters themselves were a little on the longer side for the amount of information they covered, but it wasn't too difficult of a read. I bought this book used but, miraculously, the code to access the online study materials was still valid. That thing is a dream. It makes studying so much easier, especially since my professor didn't give us a study guide for the exams. Overall, it's a great textbook to get a flavor of what marketing is all about.

Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I miss the days when this whole story was contained in their small town, and if not that, then their small group of family friends (and enemies). I'm a little tired of every story turning into a "save the world" thing when it really doesn't have to be. I honestly feel like Armentrout had a three book deal, then the publishers saw how successful it was after the second book and extended it to five. That being said, this story wasn't a complete bust. We still got a lot of Katy+Daemon and a lot more character development for secondary characters (mostly Luc and Archer, but also Hunter and them). The crew is facing progressively dangerous antagonists. This is the biggest bad the world has and ever will (probably) see. There's been a mass immigration of Luxen ready to take over the planet by any means. This includes brainwashing the Luxen that have already been living on Earth. On one hand, the Luxen were terribly frightening but on the other, the writing style was so casual that it was almost laughable. I get that these are supposed to be Katy's thoughts but sometimes it was so out there that it actually took me out of the story. The other side of the coin was Daemon's thoughts and those were all very possessive and jealous in an almost unbelievable way. I loved how it all worked out in the end. It was a very satisfying ending, just the middle parts are kinda forgettable. In fact, I had completely forgotten I even read this book until I went back and checked my Goodreads. It wasn't all for naught, though. If I think about it hard enough, scenes start coming back to me. When all is said and done, I really enjoyed this series. It was a wild adventure with lots of alien powers and a steamy romance. Very addictive and well-worth the read. 

The Rose & the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh 

Before I start talking about this book, I want to put it out there that it's hard to follow a book as good as The Wrath & the Dawn. I think if this book had been its own story, I would've given it a lower rating, but I can't say for sure because I really don't know what my perception of it would be had it not been TWatD's sequel. It got an extra star for the benefit of the doubt. One of my main problems with this book was the secondary story arcs. The primary story arc was fine and made sense but the secondary arcs felt incomplete. Almost comically so. It felt like Ahdieh had a bunch of ideas, which were great and had potential to be their own novels or novellas, but after a little bit it felt like she lost interest and just forgot about them. A character I was really interested in was Artan. He was so underutilized. There was so much potential in his character and his back story. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Ahdieh had intentionally left out his arc in order to write a spin-off. It doesn't make it any better of a decision, though. His family history seemed really intricate and I'd like to know more. Their connection to the book was too cryptic to make sense and it wasn't the type of mysterious that can keep a reader's attention. I also wanted more of Khalid with Shahrzad, but I guess there are fics for that? I don't have much time for those when I've got a mile-long TBR. Aside from all my gripes, I think Irsa was a great addition to the story. She brought a different feminine perspective and it was nice having both an intense, passionate love between Khalid and Shahrzad and the sweet, innocent love between Irsa and Rahim. Stepping outside of the romantic relationships, I also adored Irsa's relationship with Khalid. Who wouldn't want their spouse to get along with their siblings? What I'm gonna say for this one is if you already have this book on hand and ready to go, go ahead and read it, but there are better books for you to prioritize. 

Look at all these series I'm finishing this month! If you take out the textbook (which I've been reading over the past three months), that's four out of five series ends! I mean, it was about time for some of these series. I've been holding on to them for a while now. Have you read any of the books I've read this month? What did you think of them? Are you planning on reading any of them in the future? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette