Overall, this was a very successful reading month for me. I dove into a new series that is highly addicting and entertaining, and read some highly anticipated books as well. However, this sudden urge to devour book after book interfered quite a bit with my studying schedules for my exams so that was a bit of a problem but that's the price of being a bibliophile. All of the reading I did this month put me ahead in my reading schedule to complete the 2017 reading challenge goal(::
Stats:
Pages read: 3385
Books read: 7.75
Average star rating: 3.71/ 5 Stars
Favorite book of the month: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
Pages read: 3385
Books read: 7.75
Average star rating: 3.71/ 5 Stars
Favorite book of the month: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
The first book that I read this month was of course A Court of Wings and Ruin by the amazing Sarah J. Maas. I had waited ten long months for this book and I think it's safe to say that my need for Rhysand has been fulfilled (although I wouldn't complain about an extra few books with him).
Star Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: Do I really need to explain this? It's Sarah J. Maas, no explanation is needed.
Who I would recommend this to: Any and all high fantasy/ YA readers.
Star Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: Do I really need to explain this? It's Sarah J. Maas, no explanation is needed.
Who I would recommend this to: Any and all high fantasy/ YA readers.
The next few books that I read this month were AP review books for the tests I had throughout the first two weeks of May. I will not be discussing them any further as I would greatly enjoy never having to think about them ever again.
After watching my favorite BookTuber discuss the Poison Study series, I decided to order the first book. Let's just say, this series is immensely addicting and I read the first three books in about a week (which meant I also avoided studying for my AP exams in doing so.... whoops).
Star Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder is immensely addicting, action-packed, and full of character and relationship growth. However, the writing isn't all that it could be and I just felt like a little something was missing in the writing. For these reasons, I gave this book 4 stars instead of five.
Who I would recommend this to: Due to the fact that this book broached sensitive subjects and focused mostly on the main character's growth and strength (rather than a large love focus) I would say that this book is more mature and leaning on the border between YA and adult. Therefore, I would recommend this to more seasoned fantasy lovers who are looking for an addictive series to jump into.
Bonus story about this book: I was reading this lovely book in my AP Psychology class and my friend who sat beside me initiated the following conversation:
Him: "Poison Study? What's that about?"
Me: "I don't really know yet, I'm only 15 pages in."
Him: "Wait... you're reading that for fun? Not for a class?"
Me: "Yeah?"
Him: "That's an interesting topic..."
THIS MAN THOUGHT I WAS LEGITIMATELY READING A NON-FICTION BOOK ON DIFFERENT POISONS???? I've never died more in my life.
Star Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder is immensely addicting, action-packed, and full of character and relationship growth. However, the writing isn't all that it could be and I just felt like a little something was missing in the writing. For these reasons, I gave this book 4 stars instead of five.
Who I would recommend this to: Due to the fact that this book broached sensitive subjects and focused mostly on the main character's growth and strength (rather than a large love focus) I would say that this book is more mature and leaning on the border between YA and adult. Therefore, I would recommend this to more seasoned fantasy lovers who are looking for an addictive series to jump into.
Bonus story about this book: I was reading this lovely book in my AP Psychology class and my friend who sat beside me initiated the following conversation:
Him: "Poison Study? What's that about?"
Me: "I don't really know yet, I'm only 15 pages in."
Him: "Wait... you're reading that for fun? Not for a class?"
Me: "Yeah?"
Him: "That's an interesting topic..."
THIS MAN THOUGHT I WAS LEGITIMATELY READING A NON-FICTION BOOK ON DIFFERENT POISONS???? I've never died more in my life.
The next book that I read in between the first and second books of the Poison Study series was The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. I received this book in the April OwlCrate book box(:
Star Rating: 3/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: I read this book in one day. I went into this book kind of wary because I wasn't sure about the synopsis, however it completely took me by surprise. It not only tackled issues present in the life of every awkward teenager, but it also included a wide diversity of characters which is essential in modern-day novels. This book was a really fun and easy contemporary to read through quickly (providing a nice little hiatus from my current fantasy phase). Although this book was a nice contemporary, that's all it was. It didn't really have any elements in it that I would remember after a few months, which is the reason it only earned three stars out of five.
Who I would recommend this to: Lovers of contemporary books who are looking for a diverse and light-hearted read.
Star Rating: 3/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: I read this book in one day. I went into this book kind of wary because I wasn't sure about the synopsis, however it completely took me by surprise. It not only tackled issues present in the life of every awkward teenager, but it also included a wide diversity of characters which is essential in modern-day novels. This book was a really fun and easy contemporary to read through quickly (providing a nice little hiatus from my current fantasy phase). Although this book was a nice contemporary, that's all it was. It didn't really have any elements in it that I would remember after a few months, which is the reason it only earned three stars out of five.
Who I would recommend this to: Lovers of contemporary books who are looking for a diverse and light-hearted read.
The next book that I read during May is one I also finished in one day, which was the second book in the Poison Study series, Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder.
Star Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: Honestly, since I read three (and a quarter) books from this series throughout this month I can't really remember each book specifically as the plot is just running together. However, I do remember that this book was more action-packed than the first and just as fast-paced. I did start to have a problem with the main character, Yelena, in this book as she is very impulsive and runs into issues quickly (even if it isn't the smartest thing to do). However, the character development and realistic relationship growth was phenomenal.
Who I would recommend this to: Again, I would recommend this to mature fantasy lovers.
Star Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: Honestly, since I read three (and a quarter) books from this series throughout this month I can't really remember each book specifically as the plot is just running together. However, I do remember that this book was more action-packed than the first and just as fast-paced. I did start to have a problem with the main character, Yelena, in this book as she is very impulsive and runs into issues quickly (even if it isn't the smartest thing to do). However, the character development and realistic relationship growth was phenomenal.
Who I would recommend this to: Again, I would recommend this to mature fantasy lovers.
Finally, the last book that I completed in May was the third book in the Poison Study series, Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder.
Star Rating: 3/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: I know what you are all thinking, why did I give this book a lower rating than the previous books in the series? Well, the problem that I was beginning to have with the main character in the second book became more pronounced in this third installment. She became far too headstrong and impulsive when she could have met less harm by simply enlisting the help of those close to her. In addition, I felt that things became a little more predictable in this novel. Overall, I still love the story but this book contained a few more flaws than the previous books.
Who I would recommend this to: Fantasy lovers.
Star Rating: 3/5 Stars
Reason for Rating: I know what you are all thinking, why did I give this book a lower rating than the previous books in the series? Well, the problem that I was beginning to have with the main character in the second book became more pronounced in this third installment. She became far too headstrong and impulsive when she could have met less harm by simply enlisting the help of those close to her. In addition, I felt that things became a little more predictable in this novel. Overall, I still love the story but this book contained a few more flaws than the previous books.
Who I would recommend this to: Fantasy lovers.
Stay tuned for my June TBR! (: