I don’t know what I was feeling this month. I came out of an epic October read and into this. I honestly thought I was in a bit of a slump, but I still managed ten books.
I continued re-listening to the ACOTAR series. And all I have learned from this is how much I cannot believe ACOTAR is sung about over ToG. After ACOMAF and ACOWAR, the series isn’t nearly as strong as ToG. I completely skipped ACOFAS, and then ACOSF only made me dislike Nesta even more than before. I had hoped the second time around I would understand why she is so beloved, but I cannot bring myself to like, never mind love this woman. But despite all that, I still LOVE this series. I love the world, the characters, and some of the plots. I will always return to Prythian. <3
Hello, Ali Hazelwood! Why have I not found you sooner?! SO, I began with DEEP END, having seen so much of it, and never knowing what it was about. Wow! Lukas and Scarlett are a great couple, and I spent two nights up past midnight working through this one. I loved the chemistry, the competition, but I did not love Penn. It would have been a five-star if it had not been for this weird spanner in the works character. But THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS was a star above. The Adam and Olive fake-dating trope was done perfectly. Dr Adam Carlson will forever be a peak book boyfriend, and I was literally begging for the slow-burn to explode. So when it did––yes! So well done, the characters were so lovable, and after only two reads, Ali Hazelwood has now slid into my auto-buy author list. I’ll be slowly working through her extensive catalogue from heron-in.
Earlier in the year I read Funny Story by Emily Henry, so it only makes sense that I read more of her work. BEACH READ was my second book of hers, and it didn’t disappoint. The slight rivals-to-lovers trope was cute, and I’ve now realised between Henry and Poston’s books that I’m totally into rom-coms about authors! I have counted down the days for Callie Hart’s BRIMSTONE. I had this on pre-order for nearly six months, and I had given Quicksilver and Kingfisher’s POV a re-listen in anticipation of its release. It was a great follow-up with no major advancement in the storyline. But I don’t care. I love this world, this magic system, and most of all these characters. Carrion Swift is hands down one of the best supporting characters in a book series. And there’s such a great plot for him in this book. I listened to this on audiobook, and like with book one, the male/female narration was brilliant.
A few shout outs to the other books I read but did not fall into the love category. HERE ONE MOMENT by Liane Moriaty was a great Book Club read. I had to rush it due to poor time keeping skills, and it’s not my usual genre, but I didn’t dislike it. Grady Hendrix’s WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS was a dark thriller. Again not my usual genre, but it was on sale and I grabbed it. Really intense, but a little dark and without a happy ending, which always effects my rating on a book. A bare mention to NEVER BEEN SHIPPED and THE WITCHERLYS. A bare mention.
