Quick Lit: May 2017

Quick Lit: May 2017

• Jun 30, 2017

One of my worst blogging habits is my inability to write about what I've read in a timely manner. So, I'm trying something new: recapping what I read at the end of each month and linking up to Modern Mrs. Darcy. I feel like "traditional" reviews have declined in popularity, although I'll still be writing some every month, so I'm hoping this will be a fun way to share what I'm reading. The exception will be review books that I can't discuss yet! 

Yes, you read the post's title correctly. I am finally posting my May Quick Lit. To be honest, I had most of these mini reviews written at the beginning of June but kept forgetting to take photos of the books. Oh well! 

If you missed it, in May I reviewed The Bone Season, The Mime Order and The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon, Disruption and Corruption by Jessica Shirvington and The Mothers by Brit Bennett. I reviewed a number of other books in June, but I'll link to those in my June Quick Lit post.

THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO BY TAYLOR JENKINS REID | I don't want to begrudge an author the opportunity to write in a new genre or try something completely different. But if I'd read this without the author's name attached, I'd never have guessed the truth in a million years. This didn't have any the trademark TJR qualities I've come to love, and it breaks my heart to say it. Every character in this book was incredibly unlikeable, a number of aspects of the plot were just too convenient, the ending was awful and the theme/message was done in such a heavy-handed way. I'm so very sad to say that I So Disliked It.*

A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN BY SARAH J. MAAS | If I had to choose my "most anticipated book of 2017," it would be this one. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it, and re-reading the first two books in April just increased my excitement tenfold. Thankfully, it completely lived up to my expectations! The action was intense, the emotion was palpable, and I loved exploring more of the Courts in this world. But it was the characters who truly brought this book to life and have made this series an all-time favorite. I adore the Inner Circle - individually and as a group! While ACOMAF is the best in the series, ACOWAR was amazing and I'm So Obsessed With It.  

HUNTED BY MEAGAN SPOONER | This is a book that ended up on my radar because I kept seeing other bloggers talk about it. In this Beauty and the Beast retelling, Yeva (Beauty) must track down her father after he disappears while hunting a mysterious creature. Her search leads her to a ruined castle, a strange Beast and a curse. While I enjoyed the descriptive writing and the wintery fairy tale vibe, the pace was just so slow. It felt like nothing was happening! And I wasn't very invested in the characters, which was a bummer. I was So Okay With It overall, but I'm definitely in the minority with that opinion so it's probably worth a try for fans of retellings!

GOODNIGHT FROM LONDON BY JENNIFER ROBSON | Goodnight from London is set during WWII and is the story of an American journalist, Ruby Sutton, who is given the chance to move to London to report on the war. I thought the story had a lot of potential, the time period was well researched, and the focus on a war reporter felt unique among most of the WWII fiction I've read. However, it was just lacking that bit of oomph for me. I found most of the characters forgettable, the plot a bit too predictable (possibly because I've read a lot of this time period) and wasn't emotionally invested what was happening. I was So Okay With It for those reasons.*

THE ROYAL WE BY HEATHER COCKS & JESSICA MORGAN | This book is one of my all-time favorites - and not just because I love Go Fug Yourself and modern royalty! Bex Porter is an American who falls in love with Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. It's loosely inspired by William and Kate, but it definitely stands on its own merits. You can read my original review for more in-depth thoughts on why I love the book so much, but I can now recommend the audiobook version, too! Narrator Christine Lakin was such a delight to listen to, and she somehow managed to make me love the book more - even though I was already So Obsessed With It! 

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review.