Hello, everyone! It’s Wednesday! That means it is time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. I’ll be answering the following questions:
- What did you read last?
- What are you currently reading?
- What will you read next?
What did you read last?
Of Feathers and Thorns by Kit Vincent – 4⭐ – This was a really great story. I loved the world-building, and the magic system was interesting while also being really straightforward and easy to understand. The only thing that didn’t really work for me was the romance. The two main characters had more of a big brother/little brother vibe. So, when the smooching (and other stuff) started happening it just felt off. Some of the writing also wasn’t that good. For example, it seemed every character expressed emotion by wiggling their eyebrows. lol. I’d definitely love to see more stories set in this world, though, and hope the author uses this as the start of a series. It has great potential.
Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare – 4⭐ – I continued on my quest to catch up on all the Shadowhunter books. I’m so close. lol. I enjoyed this one. Some of my favorite characters in this universe were back in this one, and I loved getting to meet their offspring. The plot was interesting, but I’m beginning to think Clare is running out of ideas. The characters and story-lines all feel a bit rehashed at this point, and the almost incestuous nature of these families throughout history made it impossible for me to remember who is related to whom. This book also felt unnecessarily chunky at almost 600 pages. It was still easy and quick to read, though, which is one of the reasons I like these books so much. All in all, it was good, but this series has gone a bit stale for me.
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake – 5⭐ – This book was absolutely phenomenal. The romance had great chemistry despite being unconventional, and the mental health rep and writing were fantastic. I’m not going to say much because I think I’m going to review this one, but I absolutely LOVED it and devoured it in one sitting.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin – 5 ⭐ – I don’t even know what to say about this book. I’d seen so many great things about it, including Dini’s excellent review, but none of it prepared me for how in love I would be with this book. I never wanted to stop listening, and it shattered my heart into a million pieces, especially the NPC (IYKYK). I was ugly crying multiple times during this one, and I mean full on sobbing. I cannot recommend this book enough. If it doesn’t make you feel EVERYTHING, I question whether you’re human. 😉
A Thief in the Night by KJ Charles – 4⭐- This was a funny and romantic story. Despite being fairly short, the characters felt fully realized, and the story was entertaining. It is great if you are looking for a quick listen.
What was my favorite of the week? It is a tough choice between Alone With You in the Ether and TomorrowX3. Both were full of such raw emotion, but I think TomorrowX3 edged out the win. It was a truly powerful reading experience.
What are you currently reading?
The Sapphire Altar by David Dalglish – I’ve only just started this ARC, but I’m enjoying it so far and am super grateful it had a section at the beginning recapping the previous book. 🙂
Timekeeper by Tara Sim – I just started listening to this book this morning. I’m still not entirely sure what is going on, but I’m intrigued by the idea of the magical clock towers.
What will you read next?
I’m not sure… It will likely be something from my TBR, but I’m also in the mood to mood read. So, I don’t think I’m going to pick anything in particular this week.
I hope you’ve all had a great week! What have you been reading? Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? Let me know in the comments!
I agree with absolutely everything you wrote about Chain of Gold. 😃
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one that thinks the formula has gotten a bit stale.
Did you notice how often Anna “drops a wink”? I think it was Anna and not one of the other characters. It was written so often it was distracting to me. 🤣
Yes!!!! Lol. Clare is definitely not the world’s greatest writer. I’m just too invested at this point to stop reading them. I took a break for a long time. I’m almost caught up now and ready for another break from her. 😆
They’re fun easy reads. I like them as palette cleansers between other books, but I completely agree with you: she’s not the greatest. 🤣
That’s pretty much how I feel now too. I’m hoping to get back to them being palette cleansers once I’ve finally caught up. Reading one or two of them a month for the last six months has me burnt out on it.
I am SO HAPPY you loved Alone With You in the Ether…I knew you would!!! Ahhh. I’m inclined to go back and skim read it and bookmark some favorite passages before I write my review.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow consistently came up in my book club tonight, which focused on our top 10 favorite reads of 2022. When that many people list it in their top 10, I suppose I should make room for it haha.
There were so many great passages. So, that’s probably a good idea. I loved Tomorrow X3 so much more than I expected. It’s not my usual read, but it was so good. I’d love to see your thoughts on it if you decide to read it.
Maybe I can try to read it in March after my whirlwind of Feb ARCs has passed…I don’t think I have as many March ARCs. I make no promises, though!
THE NPC!!! 😭 You are not alone in the sobbing cos from that chapter on I was just LOST in all the feels and I was intermittently breaking out in sobs, lol. What a book! Thanks for sharing my review—it makes me so happy to see someone else loving it as much as I did. I also really enjoyed Thief in the Night and want more from these two characters! Looks like you’ve had a great start to the reading year, Chris. I hope you enjoy your next reads!
That chapter destroyed me. I was sobbing so much I couldn’t see. 😭 Luckily I wasn’t driving while listening to it. I loved your review, and it’s what finally made me request the book from the library. Thief in the Night was super cute and an enjoyable story. I’d love to have more of them too. Maybe one day… It really has been a great start to the year! I hope yours is going well too. Happy reading! 🙂
I’m glad that you enjoyed Tomorrow x3 so much. Alone with you in the Ether sounds interesting and I love that cover for Timekeeper so I will add both of those to my TBR. Have a great reading week.
Thank you! I really did love TomorrowX3 so much. It was also different from what I usually read, which was a nice change of pace. Alone With You in the Ether was very good too, and I’m definitely a huge fan of Blake after this one and The Atlas Six. Timekeeper is interesting so far, and I hope you like it if you decide to pick it up.
You’re definitely piquing my interest more with Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow! I’ll have to look more into that one.
It was so good. Definitely different from what I usually read, but I was hooked on it.