WWW Wednesday (37) – January 18, 2023

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:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

What did you read last?

Monster of the Week by F.T. Lukens – 5⭐ – I loved this sequel so much. Although, I didn’t like it quite as much as the first book. The main reason was the lack of cryptids. The villain of this book was a human, and the goal was to protect the secret of the cryptids from being revealed. I liked the story well enough, but the focus on the human foe wasn’t as interesting as all the different monsters in the first book. There were some super cute scenes with the cryptids in this one too, though, especially the unicorn. I just wanted more of it.

Bisexual Men Exist by Vaneet Mehta – 5⭐ – This was a really great book that should be required reading for any man questioning their sexuality. It had tons of stories from different bi men and discussed the recent literature/research in an approachable way. You can find all my thoughts about this one in my review tomorrow.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – 3.5⭐ – Well. I finally did it. This book has been on my radar since I first joined the book community and started this blog. I’ve been putting it off for ages, but I finally finished it. Was it a masterpiece? Not really, but I can definitely see why some people love it and others hate it. The writing wasn’t spectacular, and there were things about the plot and world-building I found annoying. However, there was just as much that I enjoyed. I liked the atmosphere of the book and most of the characters. The dynamic between Feyre, Tamlin, and Lucien was enjoyable to read, and I’m very curious to learn more about Rhysand. I think the story has barely scratched the surface of him so far. Certain parts of the book really sucked me into this world, such as the wyrm battle and the scene with the bogge, but the descriptions were definitely uneven in quality over the course of the book. I’m actually chomping at the bit to see what happens next, though, and I’m looking forward to continuing the series next month.

A Tale of Two Princes by Eric Geron – 3 ⭐ – This book was fine. I just found myself really bored while listening to this one. It didn’t help that the characters became harder and harder to like as the book went on… and not in an interesting way. They just became super bratty. The backdrop of the story was also nonsensical as no good reason was given for why Canada established a royal family in the first place or why the government had so much control over the family’s affairs. The side characters shined, though, especially Pax. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to make me fall in love with this book.

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – 4⭐- This was a beautiful literary fantasy about a group of outcast teens growing up in Mexico City during the 1980s. I enjoyed the split perspective between teenage Meche and the adult Meche in 2009. The best friends to lovers second chance romance separated by decades was well-written, and I loved the idea of the magic system based on music. However, I never really got a good sense for how the magic actually worked or what the rules were. It just seemed a bit half-baked. This didn’t keep me from enjoying the literary elements or the compelling story of these incredibly flawed humans. I recommend it if you enjoy Moreno-Garcia’s later works, but I’d definitely start with one of her more recent stories first.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson – 4⭐- I enjoyed this book and found it to be really easy to read. I loved the focus on magical books and the libraries that store them. The characters were fantastic, and the core trio had great chemistry and an entertaining dynamic. The only thing holding this one back from being five stars for me was the plot. The structure of it just felt off for some reason. The villain was revealed quite early in the story, and then it became a bit repetitive with the heroes and villain facing off multiple times. That being said, I did find the plot interesting and enjoyed the ride. I just kept feeling like the book should be over after each ‘climax’ even though there were hundreds of pages left. lol. Also, I loved the casual bi male rep. I enjoy a book that centers queer stories, but I also like when queer characters just exist without it being a big deal for the story. This book was a great example of the latter.

What was my favorite of the week? My favorite this week was Monster of the Week by F. T. Lukens. I loved this duology and wish it would be expanded into a longer series.

What are you currently reading?

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang – After loving Babel last year, I had to make this series a priority. I’m loving it so far even though it is definitely bleak. Rin is a great protagonist, and she has no shortage of compelling obstacles and horrible side characters to overcome.

Chainbreaker by Tara Sim – I just started listening to this one yesterday. I enjoyed the first book, and this one is already going in some interesting directions that I’m excited to follow.

What will you read next?

I plan to go ahead and finish off my TBR for this month over the coming week, including two ARCs and one book that’s been on my shelf for a while.

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!

14 thoughts on “WWW Wednesday (37) – January 18, 2023

  1. I LOVED Sorcery of Thorns, it was one of those books that just somehow hit every right button for me you know? Hoping to pick up the sequel novella tomorrow! Enjoyed hearing your thoughts about ACOTAR – I’ll probably read at least the first book at some point for curiosity’s sake if nothing else.

    • I’m reading the sequel novella right now. I like it so far. It feels like fluff, but in a good way that is still super engaging. I just really like these characters, and I’m grateful to spend more time with them even if the stakes are fairly low.

  2. Oh my word I can’t WAIT until you read A Court of Mist and Fury!!!!1 By far my favorite in the series. And I recently read Sorcery of Thorns too. It was great! The Mysteries of Thorn Manor is fun too – a really good follow up to SoT.

    • I’m reading Mysteries of Thorn Manor right now, and it is super fun so far. I’m actually pretty stoked to continue the ACOTAR series because I’ve heard so many times that the books get better after the first one. I’m intrigued by Rhysand and am curious to see what his deal is.

    • I LOVED the novella. It was adorable, and I loved that it was just relatively low stakes fluff. I enjoyed just getting to sit with the characters and watching their relationships blossom. That Silas is a crafty one. lol

  3. It looks like you had a pretty great reading week despite a few that were just okay. I can’t wait to read the Sorcery of Thorns novella and I’m glad to see you enjoyed SoT—I absolutely adored it. 😍 I can’t wait to dive back into Poppy War tomorrow and catch up with all of you. Happy reading, Chris! 😃

    • Thanks, Dini! It has been a pretty good reading week. I enjoyed SoT quite a bit, and I already finished the novella. I liked it even more than the book. lol. It was an absolute fluff piece but in the best possible way. I just finished Poppy War a few minutes ago, and I am reeling. I can’t wait to dive into the sequel soon.

  4. Excuse me, but ACOTAR is supposed to be your favorite read of the week, ahem! 😛 Just kidding. I already told you, but yes, on my first read through I wasn’t impressed by the writing quality, either. I think I might write up a separate review of sorts for my impressions reading it via graphic audio. The experience was definitely different.

    • A review of that experience is a great idea. Graphic audio with a full cast is hit or miss for me as a medium, but I tend to enjoy it more when I’ve already read the story at least once before.

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