Mini Reviews: Every Heart a Doorway, Take Me Home Tonight

February 4, 2022February 4, 2022 Kat Impossible8 Comments

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m going to do mini reviews more often this year. Sometimes there’s just not enough to be said for a whole post, but some thoughts still want to be shared. Both books for today are in the YA age range, but the content couldn’t be more different!

*links to Goodreads and Storygraph will be provided after the ratings!*

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children #1)

Publisher desrciption:
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.
But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.
Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.
But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of things.
No matter the cost.

My Thoughts:

Even before I read a single word, I just had a feeling that I would like this series and – to no one’s surprise – I was right.

For some reason, I thought that these books would be much more childlike, but Every Heart a Doorway is actually quite dark, weird and gritty. All of that’s fantastic, at least for me! With each book being around 200 pages, the whole series honestly seems like such a great palette cleanser between heavier books, if only they weren’t so expensive. I looked into it and I don’t think I can afford them at the moment, even though I definitely want to continue with the Wayward Children books.

“For us, places we went were home. We didn’t care if they were good or evil or neutral or what. We cared about the fact that for the first time, we didn’t have to pretend to be something we weren’t. We just got to be. That made all the difference in the world.”

I was especially surprised by the fact that I was really emotionally touched in the end. Considering how short and not entirely in depth the world-building was, I was rooting for those kids to get their doors back, to escape to those strange and at time gruesome worlds they were missing so much. It also got me started on wondering where my door would have led to, which world would have seen something special in me.

“You’re nobody’s doorway but your own, and the only one who gets to tell you how your story ends is you.”

I’m so very glad I finally picked this up!

CW: death, gore, transphobia (not condoned), body horror

Fazit: 4/5 stars! I wish I could dive into the rest of the series immediately!

Goodreads | Storygraph

Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson

Publisher desrciption:
Two girls. One night. Zero phones.
Kat and Stevie—best friends, theater kids, polar opposites—have snuck away from the suburbs to spend a night in New York City. They have it all planned out. They’ll see a play, eat at the city’s hottest restaurant, and have the best. Night. Ever. What could go wrong?
Well. Kind of a lot?
They’re barely off the train before they’re dealing with destroyed phones, family drama, and unexpected Pomeranians. Over the next few hours, they’ll have to grapple with old flames, terrible theater, and unhelpful cab drivers. But there are also cute boys to kiss, parties to crash, dry cleaning to deliver (don’t ask), and the world’s best museum to explore.
Over the course of a wild night in the city that never sleeps, both Kat and Stevie will get a wake-up call about their friendship, their choices…and finally discover what they really want for their future.
That is, assuming they can make it to Grand Central before the clock strikes midnight.

My Thoughts:

This book was a gift from my lovely friend, Marie! I cannot thank her enough for her generosity. Check out her review of the book here.

I have come to the very sad realization that I’m growing out of contemporary YA and that likely also means Morgan Matson. I’ve read every single one of her books (there’s a ranking for those coming soon!), but I had a really hard time staying engaged with this one.

The story is told from the POV of Kat, Stevie and Teri, but I quickly realized that I was most invested in Stevie’s life. When I was a 15-year-old teen, I was certainly a mix of all those girls and even if they seems super dramatic at times, I can attest to that being the authentic teen experience.

“Why do people see a benefit in disowning the things we loved when we were little? Why are we always casting everything aside?”

What I appreciate about Morgan Matson’s books is that they often focus on family and friendship and put the romance a bit on the back burner. It’s still there, but not always in the forefront. Take Me Home Tonight is no exception and even features a new dog to fawn over (another typical Matson feature). However, the events take such a ridiculous and convenient turn at times, that I couldn’t help but role my eyes. With Teri especially, I just couldn’t deal anymore, because it was neither necessary for the story nor believable. All of that ended in me clinging to Stevie’s more grounded parts and that not being entirely enough.

This was fun, but a bit too over the top.

Fazit: 3/5 stars! Unfortunately, not a new Matson favorite.

Goodreads | Storygraph

Have you read either of those books? Do you want to? Let’s talk!

Mini Reviews: Seven Days in June, Open Water

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 Kat Impossible6 Comments

I really want to make use of this feature a bit more in 2022, as I don’t think I can always provide a full length review, but there’s still books I like to talk about. This time, I want to focus on two very beautiful novels about Black joy, love and pain. In no way is this post meant to pitch the two against each other, but rather shine a light on both! Let’s dive in!

*links to Goodreads and Storygraph will be provided after the ratings!*

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

book cover of the novel "Seven Days in June"

Publisher desrciption:
Brooklynite Eva Mercy is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer, who is feeling pressed from all sides. Shane Hall is a reclusive, enigmatic, award-winning literary author who, to everyone’s surprise, shows up in New York.
When Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks fly, raising not only their past buried traumas, but the eyebrows of New York’s Black literati. What no one knows is that twenty years earlier, teenage Eva and Shane spent one crazy, torrid week madly in love. They may be pretending that everything is fine now, but they can’t deny their chemistry-or the fact that they’ve been secretly writing to each other in their books ever since.
Over the next seven days in the middle of a steamy Brooklyn summer, Eva and Shane reconnect, but Eva’s not sure how she can trust the man who broke her heart, and she needs to get him out of New York so that her life can return to normal. But before Shane disappears again, there are a few questions she needs answered …

My Thoughts:

Reese Whiterspoon really knows how to pick ’em, because this was also one of her book club picks (I’ve previously read Daisy Jones & The Six as well as Where the Crawdads Sing)! So, far I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read that she has chosen, even if not everything has become a favorite of mine. That’s what I call good taste and a definitely a way to get me interested in future novels that she endorses.

From the get go, Tia Williams’ voice is engaging and reels you in. I can’t remember the last time I read a prologue that got me so hooked, while I can also really commend the epilogue (as well as the whole story in between, of course). Add the setting in the world of literature to the great writing style and you have my whole attention. I don’t know what’s up with that, but I’ve read two books about writers, who express their feelings about each other through their stories, in a row and I love it.

“One thing,” she whispered, her lips by his jaw. She didn’t want anyone to overhear. “Before I forget.”
“What’s that?”
“Stop writing about me.”
Only Eva could’ve noticed the change in his expression. She saw the flinch. The slow, satisfied curl of his lip. His bronzy-amber eyes flashing. It was like he’d been waiting years to hear those words. Like the girl whose pigtails he’d been yanking during recess all year had finally shoved him back. He looked gratified. In a voice both raspy and low, and so, so familiar, Shane said, “You first.”

Over the course of seven days, you will fall in love and get your heart broken by our leads, Eva and Shane. Somehow their story is tragic, they face so many struggles and while all of that hits you emotionally, the writing never gets too heavy. You feel their past weigh on their present, but there’s also plenty of humor and joy to offset it. At the same time, this is not just about romantic love, but generational trauma, self-realization and motherhood. Truly a beautiful balance of topics and emotions in my opinion.

Definitely give this a go if you are into second-chance romances!

CW: self harm, substance abuse, absent/dead parents, kids in foster system, chronic illness, sexual content, racism, domestic abuse

Fazit: 5/5 stars! Engaging, funny as well as emotional – it took out all the stops!

Goodreads | Storygraph

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Publisher description:
Two young people meet at a pub in South East London. Both are Black British, both won scholarships to private schools where they struggled to belong, both are now artists – he a photographer, she a dancer – trying to make their mark in a city that by turns celebrates and rejects them. Tentatively, tenderly, they fall in love. But two people who seem destined to be together can still be torn apart by fear and violence. At once an achingly beautiful love story and a potent insight into race and masculinity, Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body, to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength, to find safety in love, only to lose it. With gorgeous, soulful intensity, Caleb Azumah Nelson has written the most essential British debut of recent years.

My Thoughts:

Meeting a person you just click with, someone you can be your most vulnerable self around (until you can’t) – it’s rare and it’s beautiful and it’s what we get to witness in this book.

“It’s one thing to be looked at, and it’s another to be seen.”

Written in a second person POV, the style of writing takes some getting used to. We never learn the names of our protagonists, but hash glimpses of their lives, growing connection and the inevitable limitations of unconditional love. Some things you just don’t want to unburden, ultimately closing you off from the person who only wants the best for you.
Despite it’s short length of 145 pages, this book took me several days to finish. In all its poetic beauty, Open Water is quite heavy as it illuminates some of the more terrifying aspects of the Black experience.

“You have always thought if you opened your mouth in open water you would drown, but if you didn’t open your mouth you would suffocate. So here you are, drowning.”

Everything about this novel feels deeply personal and will have your heart aching. There’s many great references to music, films and literature, making it feel relevant and timely. I can only say that the impact of the introspective writing will last and linger much longer than the size of the book might suggest.

CW: racial profiling, police brutality, death

Fazit: 4/5 stars! Beautiful heart and gut-wrenching, but possibly not for everyone.

Goodreads | Storygraph

Have you read either of those two books or do you plan to? Let’s talk!

Mini Reviews: Teen Titans: Raven/Beast Boy

September 7, 2020 Kat Impossible4 Comments

As much as I like comic books, I always struggle to review them. Anyway, I really liked the Teen Titans, so, I figured I at least gave them a try with a mini review! Haven’t done of these posts in a really long time.

Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia (author) and Gabriel Picolo (illustrator)

A while ago, I would have firmly claimed to be a Marvel girl, but if we are being entirely honest, I am mostly consuming DC content now. While I have never watched or read Teen Titans before, I did watch DC’s Titans and liked it for the most part. This is entirely different, but I feel like that previous knowledge came in handy with Raven anyway.

The graphic novel very much focuses on Raven’s insecurities and her way of trying to figure out who she is as a person. Since she can’t remember anything, she tends to question everything instead of listening to her gut. She’s a teenager, so, she sometimes makes cringy choices, but I found those were easy to forgive.

Something I found confusing at times were the transitions between scenes, as they seemed very disconnected. I also felt like there was definitely some prior knowledge required, or you’d be a bit lost when certain characters started showing up.

Fazit: 4/5 stars! Interesting introduction to this series.

Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia (author) and Gabriel Picolo (illustrator)

I loved the illustration in this one even more than in the first one, even though it was both done by the same person. Gabriel Picolo has mentioned several times that Beast Boy is very near and dear to his heart and it shows. Especially the pages where Gar uses his powers for the first time are just swoon-worthy.

Again, this one also heavily focuses on the insecurities of the main character. For now, it’s what ties them together as they haven’t met yet. Gar just wants to be popular, not because he likes the people so much, but because he wants to prove a point. I understood why his friends were annoyed with him at times and appreciated that they had their own struggles to face. Still, there was a definite relatability to it, which made Gar very endearing.

Fazit: 4/5 stars! I was never once bored while reading.

Over all, I was really happy with these graphic novels! I think the illustration especially was excellent and I cannot wait for the third book (Beast Boy Loves Raven in Fall 2021). Have you read these ones as well?

Mini Reviews: The Pisces, Animals

December 14, 2019April 1, 2021 Kat Impossible4 Comments

Sometimes, during a spur of poor judgement, I am determined to read a bunch of adult general literature novels. There are a couple where I really ended up loving the stories, but more often than not, it’s a vast disappointment. However, I am super stubborn! I will finish even the most annoying reads, so here we are … with some new mini reviews of books I did not actually like.

The Pisces by Melissa Broder

Heads up, this book features a lot of sex scenes. You might have been smarter than me and already guessed that based on the cover, but I really didn’t go into it expecting that kind of content at all. I honestly don’t know why though, I am just naive like that.

Anyway, I feel like opinions could be divided on this book. You’re either going to be all in and enjoy this or hate it … like me. Lucy, the main character, makes it really hard to root for her. I understand that her mental state was part of a series of questionable decisions, but she treated people who genuinely cared about her so terribly. Worst of all was, however, the animal abuse and neglect. That woman sedated a dog just because she was horny and wanted to be able to have sex in peace. It made me extremely uncomfortable to read. On a similar note in terms of my comfort with the story, there are also several mentions of suicide and it was brushed off way too casually for my taste.

Lastly, the actual reason I picked up the book – the merman/the magical elements set in a common world. I think the fantastical elements were integrated in the story quite naturally and I can’t fault the author for that. My problem though is that I didn’t see the point of it all. The way I see it, any other love interest could have been added and the story would have resulted in a similar ending.

Fazit: 1/5 stars! It literally wouldn’t have made a difference if the merman had been replaced with another land-based dude …

Animals by Emma Jane Unsworth

I don’t enjoy talking about books badly. In fact, if you go through the various reviews I have written on this blog, most of them are really praises or simply riddled with mediocre but not terrible ratings. But this book, I did not like it at all.

Laura lives with her wild best friend Tyler. They have a co-dependent relationship laced with alcohol and drugs. But Laura is also engaged to Jim, who pictures a more regular life for them now that they are taking on a serious commitment. Obviously, Laura can’t have both, but if you ask me, she doesn’t want both anyway. She wants to spend time and get wrecked with Tyler. She loves being miserable and every chapter was just an endless cycle of hangover induced bad decisions.

Maybe I envisioned something different for this book, but I simply could not see the point of it all. I did not understand why Tyler and Laura were so entangled and willing to destroy their health for … misery? I also did not see the point of dragging out the relationship between Laura and Jim when there wasn’t a single moment of them seeming compatible. Still, someone must have seen the point in it all, since this book was made into a movie.

Fazit: 1/5 stars! No, thank you.

Have you read any of those books? Did you feel differently about them? Let’s chat!

Mini Reviews: Dumplin’ and Locke & Key

January 31, 2019 Kat Impossible7 Comments

I am actually one book ahead of schedule for my Goodreads reading challenge and that has me super pumped. I started out the year definitely less in a reading slump than before, but now that some urgent stuff at work has crept in and I have been distracted, it slowed down again. Anyway, I wanted to share with you a couple more books I read this month, so here we go:

Dumplin‘ by Julie Murphy

I knew of the existence of this book for quite some time, but I never really paid attention to it (my bad, I am sorry). However, after the Netflix trailer for the movie adaptation dropped, I kind of knew I had to read it and I am so glad I picked up this book.

Dumplin’ was such a relatable and heartbreaking yet heartwarming read – I had the best of times flying through the pages. I don’t want to necessarily compare it to the movie (which Netflix still hasn’t released in my current territory by the way), but it had a completely different focus in my opinion. While I really enjoyed seeing more of Bo on the pages (he’s seriously such a great love interest. He’s not without flaws, but I love how he never really gave up on Willowdean), I felt like the mother-daughter-relationship was actually explored in a bit more depth in the movie. Both still had very interesting explorations of grief, confidence, changing relationships, experiencing life at different speeds and body shaming of all sorts; I enjoyed it!

Fazit: 4.5/5 stars! Would recommend, especially if you are into trying Dolly Parton as your reading soundtrack while you are at it.

Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft (Vol. 1) by Joe Hill/Gabriel Rodríguez

Reading comics every now and then just makes sense to me. It cleanses my pallet, because there is so much less text and sometimes that’s just what I need. I picked this one in particular due to it being free on my Kindle at the moment of my reading it and because this is yet another comic book that is getting adapted for the small screen. By now I don’t think I need to explain that I have a thing for adaptations anymore.

The concept of the series is definitely fascinating. It opens up the doors for so many possibilities and I am more than curious to see how this will translate in the show they are making. I am a sucker for a good supernatural story after all! However, an issue I have found with quite a few comics lately is that I don’t enjoy violent content. Sure, it’s gritty and dark and often the igniting incident that propels the characters into a new life, but … I don’t particularly want to see that?

Fazit: 3.5/5 stars! Whenever we start telling stories without the gore, my ratings for comics will be higher than average.

That’s it from my side. I hope you’ve enjoyed those really rather short reviews! Let’s chat in the comments below!

Mini Reviews: Heart of Gold, Venustransit and Ghostly Echoes

December 27, 2018 Kat Impossible5 Comments

Coming home for Christmas, I managed to not only catch up on my reading, but surpass my (adjusted) reading goal for 2018. I’ve definitely read a lot less this year than in the previous ones, but overall I am still not unhappy with the outcome. So, there’s that!

Click on the covers to get redirected to Goodreads!

Heart of Gold: Act I by Eli Baumgartner/Viv Tanner

I supported this graphic novel via Kickstarter and I am beyond happy I did. The final product is BEAUTIFUL with golden edges and a gorgeous sketch of one of the characters on one of the first pages for me. I adore it!

All the better that the content inside fits the great exterior. It’s such an interesting take on religion, damnation, love, faith and healing. It shows two entirely different approaches to those topics and keeps a mystery and tension going throughout the entire first act. The imagery is so beautiful and I honestly cannot wait to read more.

Heart of Gold is also available as a web comic here!

Fazit: 5/5 stars! I am 100% intrigued and here for it!

Venustransit by Hamed Eshrat

Venustransit is a German comic about a guy who hasn’t quite figured out his life, gets dumped bis his girlfriend and is stuck in a job he hates. It’s set in Berlin and I can almost see the street I am living in on the cover (so close!). I like diving into things I know the setting of and can try and figure out if I walked the same streets. Stuff like that never gets tired to me (except when it’s only historical fiction … like so often with Vienna).

While I wasn’t as in love with the drawing style as I was with other comics I own, the story had a clear line and still took a lot of creative liberties. It was interesting and I am sure relatable to a lot of people out there.

Fazit: 3/5 stars! Gets plus points for the setting.

Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

Ghostly Echoes is the third book in the Jackaby series. I only did a mini review for the second book, Beastly Bones, as well, so I feel like I should stick to that format of reviewing for now.

This series legit just keeps getting better and better. The story is becoming more complex, with more dots to connect and still so, so much to discover about the characters. The writing style isn’t really anything over the top and it all seems like light fun in the beginning, but by now there’s a lot more serious stuff happening and you are so emotionally invested in the fate of the characters. And there is a lot to worry about! This book even included a little detour to the underworld!

If you are into Sherlock-esque mysteries with a supernatural twist, have at it with this series. I can only recommend it!

Fazit: 4.5/5 stars! Here’s to hoping the last book will be equally as amazing, if not more so.

Have you read any of the books/comics I mentioned? Are you interested in some of them? Let’s talk!

Mini Reviews: Parsnips, Buttered and The Darkest Minds

September 30, 2018September 30, 2018 Kat Impossible15 Comments

It’s no secret that I have read very little during my time in Berlin so far. Being busy, tired and just generally occupied with other things will do that. I also have a very short way to and from work (which I love), so there’s not even really an opportunity to read on the train or so. But I am nonetheless quite happy I read something and here’s what that something was:

Click on the covers to get redirected to Goodreads!

Parsnips, Buttered: How to win at modern life, one email at a time by Joe Lycett

Every now and then, when the mood strikes, I like to dabble in some non-fiction books. And when I do, I am mostly drawn to works written by either actors or comedians I already know – Parsnips, Buttered was no exception to that.

People who have seen some of Joe Lycett’s work, know exactly what kind of ridiculous email-exchanges he gets himself tangled up in. This book is a hilarious compilation of some of his mischief, but it is by no means a guide or how-to-book. It’s just a little bit of short-lived fun that definitely got better with me hearing Joe’s voice narrate the whole thing in my head.

Fazit: 3/5 stars! I can see this working for some people and not at all striking the right chord with others.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Some of you already know this, but I won tickets to see a preview of The Darkest Minds in August. Even though I usually try to avoid dubbed versions of movies, I didn’t even mind it as much for this one and really enjoyed the film. In my opinion, that movie would have worked a whole lot better a couple years back, because dystopian YA book adaptations just aren’t really that sought after these days and all the adult reviewers kept comparing it to the likes of Hunger Games and Maze Runner, even though it could have been its own thing.

I am rambling too much tough. What I meant to say was that I enjoyed the movie, but that made reading the book in hindsight a little more tricky. It’s not that I think one or the other is better per se, just that there are almost as many similarities as there are differences and therefore reading can get a little tiresome.

For me, the book filled in some questions that were left open after watching the movie, while I generally enjoyed some of the visuals better than reading about those events. I am curious where this story will go, but it is not exactly a priority of mine. Chubs is definitely one of my favourite characters now and the guy who played Liam in the movie is on my radar for young talent!

Fazit: 3.5/5 stars! Is it wrong of me to say that the prime of those kind of stories is past?

Have you read either one of those? Did you read more installments in the Darkest Minds series? Did you see the movie and would you like a more thorough comparison from me? Let’s talk about it!

Mini Reviews: Comic Book Edition

July 31, 2018 Kat Impossible6 Comments

Since the mini reviews were quite well received last month and I didn’t have the best of reading months in July, I just wanted to do a short round up of all the comic books I read. I hope you like reading those too!

Click on the covers to get redirected to Goodreads!

Deadly Class, Vol. 1+2

I wanted to check out Deadly Class so bad before the show starts airing (check out the trailer here) and I got very lucky when a friend of mine decided to unhaul some of his comic books and I got them really cheap. I’ve heard so many people raving about this one, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I can definitely see the appeal in terms of the storytelling and dialogue, because it’s more than kids just beating each other up. It’s about depression, anxiety, moral ambiguity, tough circumstances and even tougher choices and all of it in a high stakes setting.

“This isn’t a dress rehearsal Marcus, you only get the one turn. Life is a series of unique opportunities. It’s our job to find the happiness in each one.”

Still, as I read on, I just found that the art style and the violence weren’t for me in this type of format. I think I can still see myself enjoying the show a lot, but as soon as I realised I was skipping panels because I really didn’t want to read or see what was happening, I gathered I probably won’t be continuing with the comics, even though I would like to know what will happen in the overall story.

Fazit Vol. 1: 4/5 stars! It was a wild trip!

Fazit Vol. 2: 3/5 stars! This kind of proved to me that I probably won’t be reading this on the long run.

Faith, Vol. 1

I gravitated towards this story because they want to adapt Faith for the big screen and I really wanted to check out what her character was all about. I can’t say that Valiant comics are what I usually strive for, so I kind of missed Faith’s origin story (which was in a previous series and not in this one) but I didn’t feel too disoriented.

As a character, I really loved Faith! It’s not often that you get to see a plus-size female superhero and such a funny, geeky and badass one at that. (The pop culture references were on point!) She charms you even when the story is only meh and you want to know more about her regular life, romantic entanglements and alliances.

On a side note, I am also very curious about the casting should they go forward with the movie! I can’t think of anyone from the top of my mind, which is sad if you think about it.

Fazit: 4.5/5 stars! I can see myself really following this character for a while.

Magritte: Ceci n’est pas une biographie

I don’t know if any of you know this about me, but René Magritte is one of my all time favourite artists. It’s not even all his paintings or themes, but he was one of the first artists I really discovered for myself and quickly learned to distinguish in exhibitions (Seriously, I can spot a Magritte a mile away). I don’t remember why, but we learned a lot about him when I was around the age of 10 and his life story just sort of stuck with me. I won this book and to get a whole graphic novel that’s basically a homage to his life, art and shortcomings as well as accomplishments was really great.

It’s a weird story for sure, but so was Magritte’s art. I liked that they kept the surrealist approach while making it their own and also educating people on parts of his life some might not have known about. It was really fun and with a certain unexpected ending.

Fazit: 4/5 stars! Such a nice short homage to Magritte!

That’s it for today! Have you read any of these or do you have thoughts on them? Let’s chat in the comments below!

Mini Reviews: Beastly Bones, The Song of Achilles, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

June 26, 2018 Kat Impossible34 Comments

I love telling you guys how I feel about books! That is pretty much why this whole blog exists, so that I can rant and rave about all the things I am passionate about. However, sometimes I don’t have that strong of an opinion about my last read, or I simply don’t think it warrants a full review. That is why I took a page out of my good friend Marie’s book and am introducing mini reviews on the blog! That in no way means that there won’t be any more full length ones in the future, but every now and then I am just going to do a cumulative post of some of my recent reads with only a short summary of my thoughts.

Click on the covers to get redirected to Goodreads!

Beastly Bones by William Ritter

Beastly Bones is the sequel to Jackaby, which I read and loved not very long ago. I legit ordered this one right after I finished the first book and have no regrets. This time around I enjoyed the mystery of the case a little more, as it seemed less predictable. We are now getting farther into the characters’ backgrounds and are starting to uncover some secrets as well as an overarching plotline for the rest of the series. As much as book-to-book cases would work for this format, I am kind of glad there’s also something more than the people connecting the story throughout the series.

The only reason I am docking one star is because I was frustrated with how little faith or interest Jackaby and Rook showed in each other’s investigation techniques. It took them forever to solve something they might have realised far quicker if they had listened to one another. They do acknowledge that mistake by the end, so I feel like it shouldn’t happen as much in future parts.

Fazit: 4/5 stars! A worthy sequel and … dragons!

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Folks, I have to be real with you, I feel bad because I didn’t love this as much as apparently everyone else in my immediate friend circle did. I adore Greek Mythology, I like a good slow-burn gay romance, I am ALL for books that make the unreal seem real, but still … the book didn’t click with me the way I hoped it would.

First of all, it took me forever to really get into the story. I felt it was too slow, until it finally picked up some pace around the halfway point. Then I wasn’t too happy with a certain cheating plotline … but ultimately, while I know this is mainly a love story and rightly so, I felt like this would have just been utterly confusing in terms of names, places and events for people who are unfamiliar with Greek Mythology beforehand.

Having said that, The Song of Achilles is definitely quality content and a beautifully devastating story that will hit you right in the heart! I understand every single person who was emotionally distraught by the end of it, because so was I.

Fazit: 4/5 stars! Takes you right to Ancient Greece!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

This is another book everyone kept screaming at me to read and I actually had a signed copy for a while (that traveled with me through all of Canada), so I have no idea what took me so long. The only thing I do know is that the trailer was the thing that finally got me to pick it up for real and I am so grateful for that! To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before just made me all mushy and soft inside.

It has all the things I love in a YA contemporary, from pretend relationships to letters to adorable love interests to a strong focus on family – I honestly couldn’t have asked for anything more! I adored the characters and was excited to read a book with an Korean-American MC.

I don’t know what to say other than I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book and once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. I literally finished it in one swoop and stayed up until 2 AM to do so. Very few books have managed to make me want to miss out on precious sleep.

Fazit: 5/5 stars! A perfect YA contemporary with a more than promising Netflix adaptation that I cannot wait for!

So, how are you all feeling about the mini reviews? Do you like them or do you prefer the longer format? (Again, I am not giving up on regular reviews!) Have you read any of these books and have thoughts on them? Let’s talk!