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Third Quarter Reading Wrap-up
Sep. 30th, 2022 06:00 pmI'm still making good progress on my bingo card, although I might not finish as early as I did last year. I had a bit of a reading slump in July, I bought this Fantasy book and it was just wasn't working for me, I tried to push through, but finally gave up when most of the month had passed and I had barely finished 6 chapters. Luckily, I was able to make up for it in August and September. I finished eight books in the third quarter
Dancing in the Dark by Mary Jane Clark - this one had a really good set-up, girls going missing at the beach, but I really disliked the ending, which kind of ruins the value of a good mystery
The Lies We Tell by Meg Carter - this one was kind of an okay thriller, but I didn't like the ending. I guess I never really understood why the villains were targeting the adult daughter for something her father had been responsible for, aside from the fact that they were unhinged, and why didn't they go after father when he was still alive? This was never fully explained, and that bothered me.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russel - this is an extremely well written book, but dammit it was so hard to read sometimes. It is one of those books where I think it could really help people understand grooming from the victim's perspective, and how they don't understand that they are being groomed. However, it is such a heavy topic and some people might need to skip it, because this book sits with you after you have read it.
The Widow of Conrad County by Rachel Lee - This one was alright, sort of. I did like how the author handled traumatic brain injury, and the issues around grief, but I think my biggest problem is that for a romance novel it didn't feel very much like the couple was falling in love. Like, near the end of the novel when they declare their love for each other, it felt like it was way too soon for that, like they had skipped over a whole bunch of steps. I used to like this author, although it has been a few years since I read some of their stuff, I don't know if I expect more now, or if this is just not their best work.
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske - I really liked this one, it was a mix of fantasy, mystery, and romance. The magical world was interesting and fun, but also a bit creepy, like if a non-magic user finds about magic they trick you into drinking this stuff to strip your memories. First and foremost, this is a M/M romance, and I loved it! Even though the story takes place over a short period of time it felt very slow burn. If you like slash fanfiction at all I would give this one a try, it has that feel, but with the additional world-building and fantastical elements.
Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky - this graphic novel gave me big autumn vibes, part of it may be the colour palette used, and partly because one of the main characters is a witch. It also has a F/F romance, which is soft and sweet. That being said, I do wish it had given us more, I wanted more character development, giving more time for things time to breathe, and exploring the consequences of the character's actions more. Although, if I want more that may be a sign that there was a good kennel of a story here.
A Blanket of Butterflies by Richard Van Camp - this graphic novel starts out as your typical tough guy story, but then turns really sweet and nice at the end, with a good message about acceptance and redemption.
Ocean of Secrets, Volume #1 by Sophie Chan - this manga was alright, but it felt a little rushed, and I wish more time had been spent on developing the relationships. Also, the amount of times these people snuck in and out of the palace was ridiculous, like place guards what are you doing, sleeping with the back door open?
Dancing in the Dark by Mary Jane Clark - this one had a really good set-up, girls going missing at the beach, but I really disliked the ending, which kind of ruins the value of a good mystery
The Lies We Tell by Meg Carter - this one was kind of an okay thriller, but I didn't like the ending. I guess I never really understood why the villains were targeting the adult daughter for something her father had been responsible for, aside from the fact that they were unhinged, and why didn't they go after father when he was still alive? This was never fully explained, and that bothered me.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russel - this is an extremely well written book, but dammit it was so hard to read sometimes. It is one of those books where I think it could really help people understand grooming from the victim's perspective, and how they don't understand that they are being groomed. However, it is such a heavy topic and some people might need to skip it, because this book sits with you after you have read it.
The Widow of Conrad County by Rachel Lee - This one was alright, sort of. I did like how the author handled traumatic brain injury, and the issues around grief, but I think my biggest problem is that for a romance novel it didn't feel very much like the couple was falling in love. Like, near the end of the novel when they declare their love for each other, it felt like it was way too soon for that, like they had skipped over a whole bunch of steps. I used to like this author, although it has been a few years since I read some of their stuff, I don't know if I expect more now, or if this is just not their best work.
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske - I really liked this one, it was a mix of fantasy, mystery, and romance. The magical world was interesting and fun, but also a bit creepy, like if a non-magic user finds about magic they trick you into drinking this stuff to strip your memories. First and foremost, this is a M/M romance, and I loved it! Even though the story takes place over a short period of time it felt very slow burn. If you like slash fanfiction at all I would give this one a try, it has that feel, but with the additional world-building and fantastical elements.
Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky - this graphic novel gave me big autumn vibes, part of it may be the colour palette used, and partly because one of the main characters is a witch. It also has a F/F romance, which is soft and sweet. That being said, I do wish it had given us more, I wanted more character development, giving more time for things time to breathe, and exploring the consequences of the character's actions more. Although, if I want more that may be a sign that there was a good kennel of a story here.
A Blanket of Butterflies by Richard Van Camp - this graphic novel starts out as your typical tough guy story, but then turns really sweet and nice at the end, with a good message about acceptance and redemption.
Ocean of Secrets, Volume #1 by Sophie Chan - this manga was alright, but it felt a little rushed, and I wish more time had been spent on developing the relationships. Also, the amount of times these people snuck in and out of the palace was ridiculous, like place guards what are you doing, sleeping with the back door open?
