WWW Wednesday (40) – February 8, 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?

The Pledge by Cale Dietrich – 2.75 ⭐ – This gay slasher horror/thriller book didn’t really work for me. There were too many holes in the timeline and the killer’s rationale, and it completely ruined things for me. The romantic relationship was cute, though, and I liked the main character. So, it wasn’t a total loss. See all my thoughts in my review!

Spare by Prince Harry – 4.5⭐ – I’ve seen a lot of different reactions to this book, and mine is not nearly as fanatical as some I’ve seen. I thought the book accomplished what it set out to do. It provided the rationale for why Harry broke with his family. Were there some super awkward moments? Yep. However, I found that they added a sense of rawness and honesty to the book, and most of them weren’t nearly as strange as they seem when taken out of context for sound bites. I’ve seen some people say that he was dragging the royal family through the mud, but I came away from the book with a sense that he loves and respects his family and the monarchy, even if he believes some of their decisions hurt him and his family. There were a lot of adorable moments that showed the loving care of the queen and all his family members, and I enjoyed reading them. Some individuals have pointed out historical inaccuracies. I’m sure there are plenty of them, but he admits as much in the book itself. This was his story based on his memories in his own words. All memories are inherently flawed, and he details exactly how his have been impacted by the traumas he’s endured. Overall, it was a very humanizing read, and I feel like I understand Prince Harry a lot better.

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard – 3.5⭐ – This was a pretty middle of the road YA fantasy. It was interesting, and I liked the general spooky vibes. The world-building, however, felt a bit basic, and the mix of contemporary culture within this isolated society didn’t really work for me. The writing was okay, but the constant ‘teeth clicking’ of the main character got on my nerves. It also didn’t make sense to me how they would quickly accept these outcasts back into the fold after the main character managed one kill. It made everything after in the story feel quite unbelievable, which is saying something for a story about spirits and nightmares. The thing I found most annoying was that none of the main mysteries were resolved in this first book. The story had a somewhat distinct arc, but so much was left hanging without any concrete steps forward that the resolution felt too incomplete.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab – 4.5⭐ – I really liked this book. The magic and world-building were super interesting, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters. I’m definitely curious to see where the story goes next.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert – 5⭐ – This book was so damn adorable. I listened to the entire thing in less than 24 hours because I just couldn’t stop. The childhood friends to enemies to lovers pipeline is seriously one of my favorite tropes to read, and this book did an excellent job with it. I also liked how the author depicted living with OCD and included casual bi male rep. The banter was perfection, and the characters were lovable and quirky. If you enjoy YA romance, this one is not to be missed. For a more detailed review, check out Dini’s thoughts, which are so well-written they inspired me to pick this one up! 🙂

What was my favorite of the week? My favorite this week has to be Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute. I just couldn’t put it down.

What are you currently reading?

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (29%) – I’m still working on my month-long buddy read with Celeste. I’m still liking this one more than the first book. It’s so interesting how Rhys and Tam have almost switched roles since the first book. Rhys is the savior with the cute found family, and Tam is the asshole. lol.

Prince of the Sorrows by Kellen Graves (33%) – I really love the general vibe of this book and the fact that it is queer AF. However, the writing is AWFUL. It was honestly giving me a headache, and I’ve had to set it aside for a bit. I want to finish it because I’m curious about the story, but good god it is hard to get through at times. It feels almost like someone is sitting in front of you yelling a rambling story without ever taking a breath. The comma splices and misplaced modifiers are everyone, and its just a lot.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles (13%) – I’m adoring this so far. That’s all I have to say. lol.

The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan (9%) – This one is off to a bit of a slow start, but I’m liking it. The prose is absolutely sublime, and I’m enjoying getting to see the capital of the empire and meeting some new key figures.

What will you read next?

I honestly don’t know what I’ll read next. I have so many books going at once right now that I haven’t really given it much thought. I’m usually a book monogamist. So, juggling four books at once kind of stresses me out. lol. I don’t want to think about adding any more right now…

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!

12 thoughts on “WWW Wednesday (40) – February 8, 2023

  1. I loved A Darker Shade of Magic!! Such a great world. I just got Tyranny of Faith in the mail so that is going to be a bit behind. Wish they would have sent it in last month’s email! I think Justice of Kings started off slower too. I hope you enjoy all your reads!

    • I just got the Tyranny of Faith audiobook in my email a few days ago. I think I’ll be able to finish it in time, but we’ll see. They really did wait until the last minute to let people request this one. It should have been in the December email.

      • Yes, for sure! I’m in such a weird mood this week too. I’ve read two chapters and moved onto another book at the moment. LOL

      • I’m almost finished with it, and I’m not quite sure what I think. It’s very well written and has a compelling story, but it is incredibly heavy and requires a good amount of attention to follow it all. So, I completely understand the need to be in the mood for it.

      • Oof… I’m regretting requesting that one now. Ugh. I so enjoyed the first book so didn’t want to miss out but now I’m wondering how I’ll get through it. I’m going to give it a good attempt Monday.

      • If you liked the first book, you’ll probably like this one too. I enjoyed it. It was just a lot to take in, and most of it was heavily focused on world-building and investigating the conspiracy. So, if you’re not in the mood for lots of descriptions and conversations about evidence, it’ll probably be a bit difficult to get into it. The action was top notch, though. I just wish there had been a bit more of it.

      • I’m 122 pages in and feel like NOTHING has really happened. I mean… a change of power but now they are trying to find the books. I am interested but I’m not sure if it will grab me enough that I’ll read it quickly. I can see what you mean already.

  2. The teeth clicking!! Yes, that bugged me so much. I hope the author realizes how it annoyed just about every reader and takes it out of the next book😁

    • I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who was super annoyed by it. There are so many other ways to show a character is nervous. I just wish she would have switched it up a bit or maybe used different phrases to describe the clicking. It was just super repetitive and annoying, and I really hope it isn’t in the next book.

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