Tag: reviews

Let Me Catch You Up

Hey y’all, I apologize for being so quiet on here the last few months. I just wanted to catch you up on what has been going on and give you a brief summary of what I’ve been reading. My actual reviews will follow, but I wanted to also get on here and just let you know why things have been so sporadic from me. I also wanted to apologize for that. I was hoping things this year would be less hectic, with COVID being better controlled and not being under quarantine like last year. However, we’ve had some personal things go on that have made it seem just as hectic.

In the beginning of the year, I felt optimistic about things, both reading- and personal- wise. Then I received some devastating news from my former partner that I’m still trying to reconcile. It threw me for a loop and I ended up not being able to do any reading after that until mid-February. Lately, we’ve had many appointments to go to so our days are still quite busy and exhausting. Some nights I go to bed shortly after my son does, which is pretty early. Also, I’m still dealing with some health issues that I’ve had on and off since June 2020.

Let’s Catch You Up: What I’ve Been Reading

Reading-wise, I’ve been doing alright. I haven’t gotten to as many books as I would have liked. However, I’m still reading a good amount of books. I average about 5 books a month and am on track to finish my Goodreads challenge (65).

Our local library has opened back up and we’ve been frequenting that weekly. My son loves getting books out and it makes this bibliophilic mama’s heart sing. đŸ„° It’s also become a contest to see who gets more excited over bookmail: me or him.

I’ve mostly been reading ARCs this year, as I have many to review. However, in May and June I tried to focus my reading on monthly “themes.” May was AAPI Heritage month, so I tried to read mostly books written by AAPI authors. In the same respect, June was pride month, so I tried to read books that were lgbtq+ themed or written by lgbtq+ authors. Unless there was an ARC due that didn’t fit in those “themes,” I think I did pretty well.

I’ll include a list of the books I’ve read this year so far. As I’ve mentioned, reviews will be forthcoming, although some are already up. That’s it: that’s all I have to catch you up. Thanks for reading and bearing with me this year. Y’all are always appreciated. 💛 You can follow me on Instagram if you want more up-to-date reviews. Enjoy your weekend!

Books I’ve Read in 2021 Thus Far

  • July 2021
    • Mistletoe & Mischief
  • June 2021
    • The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling
    • The Prince and the Dressmaker
    • MeaningFULL: 23 Life-Changing Stories of Conquering Dieting, Weight, & Body Image Issues
    • You Should See Me In A Crown
    • Darius The Great Deserves Better
    • Of Princes and Promises
    • The Gilded Ones
  • May 2021
    • My Fate According to the Butterfly
    • The Henna Artist
    • From Little Tokyo, With Love
    • Love From A to Z
  • April 2021
    • On The Spectrum
    • Fox & Rabbit
    • The Dating Plan
    • Spin A Circle
    • The Forest of Stolen Girls
    • The Perfect Daughter
    • The Mary Shelley Club
    • House of Hollow
  • March 2021
    • Zara Hossain is Here
    • She’s Too Pretty To Burn
    • Heroine
    • Firekeeper’s Daughter
    • The Lake
  • February 2021
    • A Shot at Normal
    • The Seelie Queen
    • Yolk
    • Indivisible
  • January 2021
    • What Big Teeth
    • A Taste For Love
    • The Project
    • Amari and the Night Brothers
    • Last Night at the Telegraph Club

The Project by Courtney Summers

I received a free e-ARC of The Project thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

When I saw that Courtney Summers had a new book coming out, I was so excited. I read Sadie and I enjoyed it and gave that one 4/5 stars. I’d heard such good things about The Project and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

We follow Lo as she searches for her sister Bea, who has become a member of The Unity Project after a tragic accident left them parentless. Trying to expose The Unity Project as the cult she believes it to be, Lo goes to work investigating and asking questions. But when she gets close to Lev Warren to expose him for who and what he is, she begins to question everything she thought she knew. 

The synopsis sounded good and I know I already like Summers’s writing style. Unfortunately, the execution of it didn’t pan out for my personal tastes. 

The Project: The Scoop

This is being marketed as a thriller, and it is about a cult. Honestly, I didn’t get any thriller vibes at all. It felt too dry. There were times where I think it could have been trying to lead up to that point, but it never really got there for me. There just wasn’t enough suspense built. 

In regards to the cult aspect, I wanted more. We are told that people in The Unity Project are engrossed and enthusiastic members. We only really got to know a handful of people and how it’s impacted them, so I just wanted more detail. I also wanted answers to some of the questions that Lo went in search of but were just kind of forgotten about. 

Most of the characters were kind of flat for me, so I didn’t care about most of the characters. Some of the character traits didn’t make sense for the roles.

Overall, the story wasn’t terrible. If it hadn’t been marketed as a thriller/mystery, I personally would have enjoyed it more. As it stands, there wasn’t anything wrong with the story, it just wasn’t for me.

I know that I have an unpopular opinion. Although this book was a miss for me, I will still read other books by Summers. I encourage you to read some of the other reviews about this book, especially those that did enjoy this book. 

Publication is set for 2/2. 

The Project by Courtney Summers
Cover of The Project from My Netgalley Account

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

I won a free ARC of this book during SDCC online thanks to Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Legendborn is about a girl, Bree, who attends UNC Chapel Hill in a program for high schoolers. Upon arrival, she notices things aren’t as they seem. It appears there is some type of magic afoot. The more she learns about this magical society, the more she realizes her mother’s death isn’t as black and white as she was led to believe. We follow her as she joins The Order and the Legendborn and tries to uncover the truth of what really happened to her mom. But the more Bree finds out about her mom, the more she discovers about her past and truths about herself. What will Bree do with all of the knowledge and thus the power she is searching for?

Let me start off by saying, for some reason I hadn’t really heard much about this book. I saw it during SDCC and I was intrigued, but again, I hadn’t heard much hype. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with that. So, after I was lucky enough to win an ARC of it, I dove right in. That was the best thing I could have ever done for myself.

Y’ALL. I absolutely LOVED this book. It isn’t even on the SHELVES YET and I need to read book two! I can’t rave enough about how good this book is. It’s probably my favorite so far this year. I gave it a 5/5–my first of the year! It will be in stores tomorrow–September 15th. Let me get into why I love it and why you need to go get yourself a copy and read it ASAP!

Why I Loved Legendborn

Tracy Deonn has a gift. Her writing is amazing. It was lyrical and powerful. I felt connected to the characters and each character left me feeling different emotions. I was hooked from the beginning and didn’t want to put it down. The magic system was so interesting, too. I don’t want to go into great detail, because spoilers. But there were two main categories, really, and they were both developed pretty well.

Bree was such an amazing main character. I loved that she was such a strong female character who did what she needed to do despite what others wanted. Her “take no shit” attitude was one of my favorite qualities about her. Another favorite quality she possessed was her determination. Not only did she never give up trying to infiltrate The Order, but she never gave up trying to find out the truth about her mom. Her compassion was also an admirable quality. Even though she was there essentially for revenge, she still cared about the members of The Order and tried not to hurt them. I liked that Deonn included connections between Bree and a few characters (no spoilers!) and I’m so anxious to see where that goes in book two!

I liked the diversity that Deonn incorporated. It didn’t feel like any of it was included just to mark off on a checklist, and it felt more organic. There were a few same-sex relationships and non-binary representation as well. The discussion of racial disparity was a great inclusion in the book. Not only is it poignant as the story takes place in the south with mainly white characters, but it is important that we don’t forget the injustices and discriminations that still are prevalent in our world today.

Legendborn

July Wrap-Up

So, another month has finished. This month wasn’t as good for me, reading-wise, as other months, but it wasn’t my worst. I was able to read 6 books this month. There were some highs, and definitely some lows. I didn’t really have any mediocre books, it was either a hit or a miss.

My books this month were: Hannah and Soraya’s Fully Magic Generation-Y *Snowflake* Road Trip Across America by James Ward, Christmas Candee by Judi Thompson and Charlene Tess, This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf, Letters From The Light by Shel Calopa, More Than A Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood, and The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood.

My favorite books this month were definitely the two Syed M. Masood books I read: More Than a Pretty Face, and The Bad Muslim Discount. Both will be coming out soon (August and November, respectively), and they feature muslim protagonists. I really enjoyed Masood’s writing style and the characters that he developed were recognizable and stayed with me long after I finished the book(s). Both books received 5/5 stars.

My least favorite book was probably Hannah and Soraya’s Fully Magic Generation-Y *Snowflake* Road Trip Across America by James Ward. I was given the book for free in exchange for my honest review. There was nothing inherently bad about the book, I just didn’t enjoy it. There were so many things that happened in just the first few days of their road trip that I found it hard to believe. I originally didn’t rate this book but if I had, it’d have been a 1.5-2/5 star rating.

How was your reading month? Any favorites? Has anyone read any of these? Any recommendations for me?

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood

I received a free e-ARC of this book thanks to Edelweiss and Doubleday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this story we follow two characters and their families: Anvar and Safwa/Azza. Anvar is a Pakistani native who immigrates with his family to San Francisco in the 1990s. Safwa/Azza is living in Baghdad with her father and facing the fallout of the war until they also immigrate to San Francisco. We follow both characters from the 1990s through 2016 and see where their stories ultimately intertwine. 

Why I liked The Bad Muslim Discount

I really enjoyed this book and gave it a 5/5. I felt like the characters were developed very well. They were recognizable and we could see their thoughts, motives, and flaws. The way that Masood wrote them, I felt personally invested in their lives and wanted certain things to happen for them or to not happen. 

The Bad Muslim Discount covers so many important topics. Religion and what it means to be a “good” muslim is a key component of this book. Masood also includes the power of love, what it means to be true to yourself, family dynamics, the power of a community, and identity—both personal and collective.

One particularly poignant passage stood out to me (quote is from e-ARC and may change upon publication):

“‘America is still the most powerful nation in the world. So why are its people so terrified all the time?’




‘We live on stolen land,’ I finally said, ‘in a country built on slavery and reliant on the continued economic exploitation of other people. The oppressor always lives in fear of the oppressed. Americans have always been afraid, first of people native to this continent, then of black men, then of the innocent Japanese citizens they interned and now of Muslims and immigrants. So the real question, I think, is who is next?’”

I highly recommend The Bad Muslim Discount and urge you to read it. Syed M. Masood is writing amazing important books and you’ll be missing out if you don’t pick this up. Publication is set for November.

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood ARC