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 Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern – 4.5⭐ – This was one of my favorite reads so far this year. The writing was beautiful, and the story kept me hooked until the end. I liked the inclusion of all the different stories and how the narrative was a huge puzzle. It truly was a story within a story and had many layers to it. It tackled quite a few different themes, including the nature of stories, free will versus fate, and the new beginnings that arise from endings. The ending is the only thing that kept this from being five stars for me. The metaphors and imagery kind of took over too much and negatively impacted my emotional connection with the characters and their fates. I still cannot recommend this book enough! Dini and I had a blast coming up with theories as we buddy read the book, and I highly suggest reading this one with someone because it was a great experience. 🙂

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver – 3.25⭐ – I never thought I’d read a book about serial killers who murder other serial killers, much less one where the killers are so horny for each other. lol. The horniness sort of took over the story, but there was also plenty of humor and scenes that are not for the faint of heart. I’m really squeamish when it comes to things happening to eyes, which meant there were quite a few times I cringed while reading this one. Overall, it was fun and entertaining, just don’t go into it expecting anything serious.

The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten – 4.25⭐ – I really liked this follow-up to last year’s The Foxglove King. It had tons of court politics, and the additions to the world-building were fascinating. The cliffhanger has me itching to get my hands on the final book even though this one just came out yesterday. You can find all my thoughts in my review!

Enemies of the State by Tal Bauer – 3.5⭐ – I stumbled across this book on TikTok and thought it sounded fun. The “straight” president of the United States falls in love with his gay secret service protector? Sign me up. lol. This was an entertaining story, and the plot about rogue elements attempting to overthrow the government kept my interest. However, I found the relationship to be very unrealistic. The men were supposedly middle-aged and devoted to their high-demand careers, but they read like horny teenagers with little care for anything but each other. I enjoyed their dynamic. I just don’t think it was a very realistic portrayal of how the president of all people would respond in this situation. I was also annoyed that the word bisexual only appeared once in the novel that I can remember. It kept saying the president was straight even though he clearly WAS NOT and seemed like it was trying to capitalize on the fantasy of turning a straight dude gay. I just found it very unrealistic that he would have this sexual awakening and never even think about considering himself as bi or pan or even demi despite saying he’s done lots of research.

What are you currently reading?

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang (36%) – I’ve been waiting for this book to release, and my copy finally arrived at the end of March. I’m enjoying it so far. The different timelines are all interesting, and I’m curious to see how it all converges by the end. There are some weird turns of phrase, and some of the dialogue is a bit stiff. However, it isn’t enough to throw me out of the story.

A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden (15%) – I’m not too far into this one. I know the sequel just came out, and my library made both books available on audio. So, I thought I’d give them a shot. I’m liking it so far. It is a pretty typical start to a romantasy. A young girl in dire straits meets a beautiful, but potentially dangerous, man after being abducted from her home and carried to the enemy’s camp on the back of a dragon. I like the writing and am invested in the story.

Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust (23%) – I didn’t make any progress on this one this week. I think it might just be time to DNF it because I’ve had no desire to pick it back up for quite some time.

What will you read next?

Deep Is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson, Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan, Misery Bay by Owen Lach

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!