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?
The Magicians by Lev Grossman – 3ā – I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it either. The premise was a weird mashup of Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia, and it just felt like an unoriginal ripoff. Some stories pull off being inspired by others, but this one just changed the names around and smashed things together in ways that didn’t quite work for me with a really weird, uneven pace. It didn’t help that the main character was obnoxiously woe is me and treated women like objects. Some of the elements were cool, though, and I am curious to see what happens next. So, I plan to give the sequel a go.
In These Hallowed Halls by Various Authors – 3.75ā – I enjoyed this anthology. The stories were a bit hit or miss, and I’m unsure if all the authors really understood the assignment. However, many of the stories were riveting and gave me the dark academia vibes I was looking for.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt – 4ā – This book was slow and plodding with a heaping helping of pretentiousness. The characters were some of the most horrible people ever. There was intrigue, classics scholarship, murder, and ancient rituals. I loved every minute of it, and the story and atmosphere gave me everything I was wanting from a dark academia story. I liked that it was rooted in reality, while also being completely unhinged in very human ways. It explored the darkest aspects of human impulse while delivering a compelling critique of the insularity of the top tiers of academia and society.
What are you currently reading?
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater (11%) – I’m so excited to finally be reading the finale of The Raven Cycle. I’ve loved these characters and the story so far and am ready to see how it all ends.
Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout (19%) – This has been good so far. It is an easy read, and the FMC and the ‘high lord’ have some really thick sexual tension. š I’m also interested in learning more about the world and the magical powers.
What will you read next?
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald (re-read), 10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall
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 totally agree with your thoughts on The Magicians. Sadly, I didn’t feel compelled to continue with the series but I do hope it gets better! I’m very intrigued by The Secret History and have heard all good things about it so I’m glad to see you enjoyed it too. I’m keen to see your thoughts on Armentrout’s book as well! I’d pretty much given up on JLA being an author for me but then I read Celeste’s review for this one and immediately wanted to give it a try? š I hope you enjoy it and all your other reads!
Yeah. The Magicians was a major let down. If finishing the series wasn’t one of my goals for the year, I probably wouldn’t do it. I also already bought the box set expecting to love it… So, I’m going to try the sequel.
The Secret History was really good, but it is definitely a commitment. If you enjoy dark academia with awful characters that indulge in the absolute worst of human impulses, then you’ll probably love it, too.
I’m still not sure what I think of the JLA book. It is an easy listen so far, but it also feels like not a whole lot has happened beyond the sexual tension. I think romantasy fans will probably eat it up because it has a lot of familiar tropes and relationship dynamics. I actually had no intention of reading the book until I saw Celeste’s review. I’ve seen such awful things about JLA’s writing, but it doesn’t seem any worse to me than SJM or Fourth Wing.
i have seen The Magicians a lot and have thought about picking it up but have never yet. I don’t know if I will haha. I hope you enjoy your current reads!
Yeah. I don’t think I’d recommend it. It was fine, but there wasn’t anything that wowed me or felt super original. It honestly felt a bit like a Frankenstein monster cobbled together from parts of other stories that did things better.