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?

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes – 3.5 ⭐ – I liked getting this story from Medusa’s perspective, but I didn’t really love this one. The transitions felt too abrupt going from character to character at a fast pace. I also didn’t like the characterization of Athena. She was super bratty and seemed way too childish for almost the entire story.

Anatomy by Dana Schwartz – 4⭐ – I was surprised by how much I loved this book. The vibe was dark and gritty, and the body horror was truly horrifying at times. I also really loved the main character. She didn’t let anything get in the way of her dream of becoming a surgeon, even though women weren’t allowed to be surgeons during this time period. The romance was okay, but I honestly liked everything else about the book and plot more than the romance. lol.

Immortality by Dana Schwartz – 3.25⭐ – This one was super disappointing. This was definitely a time where I would have preferred the story be standalone rather than a duology. The gritty vibes and body horror I loved in the first book were pretty much gone. The main character’s major choice at the end felt rushed, and I honestly couldn’t tell you why she chose what she did. I liked the new love interest and thought the two of them had great chemistry, but the plot just wasn’t as compelling as the first book. In many ways, the events of the first story felt like an afterthought, with the author quickly tying up loose ends in the last bit of the book rather than making those story threads part of the larger story. I just didn’t love this one as much.

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong – 3.25⭐ – I was surprised by how hard it was for me to get through this book. I devoured Foul Lady Fortune and was excited to go back and read the initial duology that started it all. The prose in this book just did not work for me. I also didn’t really love the whole monster storyline. I think I may have liked it better if the focus had been more on the blood feud and Roma and Juliette’s relationship. There was just too much going on, and the author didn’t do a great job of balancing out the politics, relationships, and monster story. On the bright side, I know the author’s writing improves because I loved FLF. So, I’m still excited to see where the second story goes.

Always the Almost by Edward Underhill – 3.5⭐ – This book was fine. I liked reading a contemporary trans perspective, and the focus on the piano competition was enjoyable. There were some delightful characters, especially the piano teacher and the best friend, and I adored the love interest, Eric. Unfortunately, I intensely disliked the main character to the point of almost DNFing the book. He was super selfish and treated everyone horribly. I get that he was dealing with the coming out process on top of the general self-centeredness of teenagers, but I found it to be extremely off-putting. Luckily, there was a great deal of character growth, but it came too late in my opinion. I also wish Eric’s character had been explored more deeply. His latinx heritage was only mentioned one time in passing, and it seemed there was so much more to him than what the reader got to see. I loved his character and just wanted more of him! Finally, I hated the cheating arcs and how they were handled. So, this one was a bit of mixed bag for me.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty – 5⭐ – This was such a fun book. If you like pirates, adventure, and characters with sparkling, yet a bit crass, personalities, I think you’ll love this book. I loved that it centered middle-aged characters going on an adventure, and I enjoyed the setting of the Indian Ocean. The story felt rich in history and culture despite being fictional. I haven’t read many fantasy books with Muslim main characters, and I feel like I learned a lot about the Middle East in the Middle Ages while also being thoroughly entertained. I’ll definitely be looking for more books set in that region and time period now. All I can say about this one is GO READ IT!

What was my favorite of the week? This week’s choice is easily The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi.

What are you currently reading?

Solomon’s Crown by Natasha Siegel (26%) – I had high hopes for this one going into it because I love this period of French history and was stoked to get a Philip and Richard queer alt historical account. So far, it is living up to my expectations. The writing is good, and I find both men interesting. There’s plenty of political drama, and the sexual tension is just starting to turn up. All in all, so far so good.

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (5%) – I just started this one for this month’s buddy read with Celeste. I’m not very far into it. So, I’ll just say that I am totally here for Feyre’s vengeful era.

Rubicon by J.S. Dewes (16%) – I am loving this book so far. The first chapter left my mouth hanging open in a mixture of surprise and awe. It has slowed down a little since then, but I’m enjoying getting to know the world and the main character. Check out Caitlin’s thoughts at Realms of My Mind to read the review that convinced me to pick this one up.

What will you read next?

I think I’m finally going to dive into Legendborn, but I also need to get to some library books and ARCs. So, we’ll see.

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!