christianreader | Kiwiria's May Reads (Reply)

Ravnenes hvisken - Malene Sølvsten, 3.5/5, 707 pages
(The Whisper of Ravens)
Well-written and interesting concept. I really liked it and enjoyed that (most of) the characters were more nuanced than you often see in YA literature (the social worker, Grethe, especially. She actually wanted what was BEST for Anne, which made for a nice change). It was very readable, and the open ending didn't bother me too much.

So why the 3.5 star rating? First of all, it was too easy to put down. I just didn't care enough for it to ever become a real page-turner. I liked the characters, but never grew to love them. So while I never considered giving up on it, I didn't feel any urgency to finish it either. Which brings me to "secondly" - it was just too long! There was a LOT of downtime. Page upon page that filled in the characters' backstory, but did nothing to move the story along. It never got dull, but I did start to wonder if the book really needed to be 700+ pages long.

In the end, I found more things to like than not, so I'm glad I've read it. But despite the open ending, I doubt I'll read more books in the series. At least not anytime soon.

The Consumption of Magic - T.J. Klune, 4/5, Audiobook ~17hrs
I knew going into this that it was very much a transitional novel - the second novel in a trilogy type of thing - and this was very true. Nothing was really resolved, and while it didn't end on a cliff-hanger, it was blatantly obvious that there was more to the story. Still, there was character development, there were more dragons, there were new issues to overcome, there was a tad too much foreshadowing (but thankfully fairly contained) and there was just as much banter and sass between Sam, Gary, Tiggy and Kevin as I had expected. I "read" this as an audiobook narrated by Michael Lesley. He does a brilliant job of making all the characters come to life, and it's one of the few circumstances where I actually prefer the audio version to the written one (usually I have no preference either way). So good!

Discount Armageddon - Seanan McGuire, 4/5, 334 pages
I had been told that this was very different from the October Daye books which fortunately turned out to be true. A lot more fantastic creatures, a lot less fae and a super fun read. I mean... how often does a book include quotes such as "Life as the chosen religious figure for a colony of cryptid mice can be a lot of things, but it's definitely never boring." or "We all make mistakes. Luckily for us, there are very few mistakes that can't be solved with a suitable application of either lipstick or hand-grenades."? Any book that does is A-OK in my eyes :-D

I loved it - it was just the right mix of wacky and sensible for me to enjoy it. Most of the characters were likeable, and the ones who weren't were still (relatively) 3-dimensional. I enjoyed seeing the friendship grow between Verity and Dominic and absolutely loved Sarah!

Though the first book in a series, it actually reads quite well as a standalone novel as well.

Sheets - Brenna Thummler, 4/5, 224 pages
I was utterly charmed by this graphic novel. The drawings are breathtaking (the colouring especially) and the storyline really sweet and touching. I felt for Marjorie from the very beginning, and though she should really have called the police on Nigel the first time he trespassed, with her being a 13-year-old with an absent father, I can understand why that didn't happen.

Wendell grated on my nerves at first, but as we got to know him better, I started understanding why he acted out the way he did. He did seem somewhat younger than his 11 years, but I'm willing to blame being dead for reverting to a younger childhood.

I loved the end and how the laundrette did become a "spa" after all.

Parasite - Mira Grant*, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~16hrs
I enjoyed it just as much this time around, and don't know why I never got around to reading the rest of the series! It's a fascinating plot (even though I'm amused by how much sleepwalkers resemble zombies :-P ) and I'm looking forward to seeing where Mira Grant takes it from here.

A Wish Upon the Stars - T.J. Klune, 5/5, 450 pages
My favourite since the first book in the series. It made me laugh, it made me smile, the end was sappy as anything, but the getting there was well worth the ride. It's so far removed from what I usually read, but I'm extremely grateful to Laura and Leslie for reviewing it on their podcast and pushing me out of my comfort zone. I never thought I'd come to love a wizard (no longer apprentice), a hornless (or not?) gay unicorn, an adorable half-giant, a dashing and immaculate knight and a sex-crazed dragon as much as I do. They'd go through fire for each other, and their friendships just work.

I do wish we'd heard more about the other dragons and the time spent in the Dead Woods, but absolutely LOVED Sam's entry back into the "real world". That couldn't have worked out better if it had been scripted.

Flora bora slam!

Little Moments of Love - Catana Chetwynd, 5/5, 160 pages
I love Catana's comics, and have been eagerly awaiting this book ever since I first heard about it. It did not disappoint. Sure, I'd seen most of the comics before on her tumblr, but having them together in one place for easy perusal still made it totally worth it :-D

Catana and John are so cute together without being overly sappy or unbelievable. There were more than a few comics I had to show my husband, because "this is US!!!", and I finished the collection with a happy smile on my face.

My only complaint? It's too short!

Breaking Up is Hard To Do... But You Could've Done Better - Hilary Campbell, 2/5, 150 pages
Unfortunately I wasn't terribly impressed by this collection. I really wanted to like it, but many of the stories were just too short - I'd have preferred a follow-up of some sort to a lot of them.

The illustrations were well done, but offered nothing new to the story. However, this was more the fault of mistaken expectations rather than anything else. I'd somehow gotten the impression that they'd be comic strip representations of the stories told, which wasn't the case at all. They complimented the story but couldn't stand on their own.

Not a bad book, but not one I'm all that likely to reread either.

Almost Midnight - Rainbow Rowell, 4/5, 144 pages
Two sweet short stories that are basically just fluff, but still enjoyable. Midnights was my favourite (partly because I'd read Kindred Spirits before - partly because I'm a sap) and I really want to read more about Mags and Noel now :-D

Sleeping Giants - Sylvain Neuvel*, 5/5, 320 pages
I'm rereading the series in preparation for the third book, and enjoyed this just as much this time around!

Algeria Is Beautiful Like America - Olivia Burton, 4/5, 176 pages
Beautiful story. Both writing, drawings and plot.

I know very little about the history of Algeria, so found this account very interesting - both from a historical and a "personal" (on Olivia's behalf) point of view. I can understand the urge to explore your roots, and found Olivia's experiences both poignant and relatable.

I really liked how Mahi Grand (the illustrator) did some panels in colour and others in black and white. It was a great way of emphasizing Olivia's experiences.

Excellent story of Olivia's journey and self-discovery.

Book of the Month: A Wish Upon the Stars
Biggest disappointment: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do