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 Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro – 3.5⭐ – I wanted to like this book way more than I actually did. I think I would have loved it if the entire book had been like the last third, but alas, it was not. The beginning was super focused on the love triangle to the detriment of the supernatural mystery. It didn’t help that one of the love interests acted like a complete man baby and literally tried to trap the main character into a relationship. Once the location of the story switched to the spooky castle, I was hooked. It was creepy, and there were plenty of ‘run for your life’ horror moments that I really enjoyed reading. The aforementioned love interest even became a tolerable human being. lol. The resolution of the love triangle seemed a bit rushed at the end, mostly because all the focus was on the supernatural stuff by that point. It seemed almost like two separate, but related, stories mushed together, and the latter part was much stronger. If everything had been evened out and the entire thing set at the castle, I think this could have been a real winner.

Elf Defence by Lisa Henry & Sarah Honey – 5⭐ – This book had me laughing out loud so much. If you enjoy a ton of crass humor, questing elves with an intense hyperfocus on sex and a disdain for feelings, and queer love of all sorts, this book will be for you. It was just stupid, brainless fun, and I never wanted it to end. Long live the revolution! lol.

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell – 4⭐ – This was a really cool book. The time period and alternate Earth with magic were interesting. I liked the characters and found them easy to root for. The time travel plot got a bit convoluted, though. I’m still not entirely sure if what happened was entirely plausible. lol However, I’m sure the twist will give some people a shock, and I liked how it all came together even if I don’t necessarily understand exactly how it is possible.

What was my favorite of the week? My favorite this week was Elf Defense. This book had me clutching my side I was laughing so much, and I really needed that this week.

What are you currently reading?

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian (61%) – This is my favorite Cat Sebastian book so far. The setting of a 1950’s news room is fantastic, and the main characters are so clueless about being in love during the first half that I just want to mash their faces together so they’d get the hint. lol. I love that the book took the time to show the build up of the intimacy of their friendship and then how they navigated the switch of their relationship to a romantic one. There’s plenty of pain along the way, though, which shouldn’t be a surprise given the time period. I’m seriously scared of what will happen when their little love bubble gets popped because I’m sure something terrible is coming soon to force a third act breakup. I guess I’ll see…

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (50%) – I find this book very fascinating. It took me a minute to digest the world-building because it is very heavy on new terms for things that exist in our world. However, it is presented in an engrossing way that allows the reader to understand everything from the context and character experiences. I love the indigenous influences, but I wish there was more of the actual academics. The setting is a dragon academy, but I feel like most of the scenes don’t have much to do with the classroom setting or training. The vibe actually reminds me of Babel, and the book tackles some really thought-provoking themes related to colonialism and the ways education can perpetuate oppression of minorities and women. I just haven’t found the plot or characters to be super compelling yet, and the voice of the narrator feels a little too detached from the story.

The Will of the Many by James Islington (51%) – I haven’t been able to make any progress on this one this week. It had to go back to the library. So, I went and bought my own copy. I just haven’t had a chance to pick it back up since then.

What will you read next?

I’m still hoping to finish up my overdue May/June ARCs in the coming week so that I can focus on some back-list books and July ARCs in the second half of this month.

Darkhearts by James L. Sutter, Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee, The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

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!