In January 2020 I managed to read a total of 16 books.
I managed to complete all of my TBR jar prompts for January and am fairly pleased with my reading overall.
I managed to complete all of my TBR jar prompts for January and am fairly pleased with my reading overall.
Audiobooks -
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Narrated by Anne Reid
Length - 9h 1m
Star rating - 2.5 stars
There were parts of this book I really enjoyed, mostly the descriptions of the coastal path itself and the people they met on their journey. But overall it felt very repetative. There was a lot of bemoaning the reputation of the homeless and how it wasn't fair, yet then in the next section of the book they would be distancing themselves from the homeless and claiming they weren't like them.
Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
Narrated by Zara Ramm
Length - 9h 30m
Star rating - 5 stars
Review to come
Evermore by Sara Holland
Narrated by Eileen Stevens
Length - 9h 1m
Star rating - 3 stars
This wasn't as enjoyable as the first book in the duology but it did give me an ending I was happy with. I felt the secondary characters such as Liam and Ina could have been given a bit more time and development. Not great but not awful. A fairly average YA fantasy.
Narrated by Anne Reid
Length - 9h 1m
Star rating - 2.5 stars
There were parts of this book I really enjoyed, mostly the descriptions of the coastal path itself and the people they met on their journey. But overall it felt very repetative. There was a lot of bemoaning the reputation of the homeless and how it wasn't fair, yet then in the next section of the book they would be distancing themselves from the homeless and claiming they weren't like them.
Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
Narrated by Zara Ramm
Length - 9h 30m
Star rating - 5 stars
Review to come
Evermore by Sara Holland
Narrated by Eileen Stevens
Length - 9h 1m
Star rating - 3 stars
This wasn't as enjoyable as the first book in the duology but it did give me an ending I was happy with. I felt the secondary characters such as Liam and Ina could have been given a bit more time and development. Not great but not awful. A fairly average YA fantasy.
The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor
Narrated by Asa Butterfield & Andrew Scott
Length - 8h 39m
Star rating - 4 stars
This kept me guessing all the way through and I really liked the plot and characters. In fact I listened to this on audio and the only thing that let this down was Andrew Scott whose narration was mumbled and was an odd choice since he has an Irish accent for an English character.
A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan
Narrated by Rachael Beresford
Length - 7h 46m
Star rating - 3 stars
While this was an enjoyable story with some good characters I found the plot a little bit too obvious and slow. I know I am not the target audience but I believe a lot of kids would have worked things out faster. However it was well written and I will read the sequel.
Novels -
Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
Length - 496 pages
Star Rating - 4.5 stars
Once I got into this I really enjoyed it. Veronyka is a great character, I really liked her and was rooting for her all the way through the book. I also really came to love Sev too and hope we see more of his development in the next book. The story was strong with an easy to read writing style.
Length - 384 pages
Star Rating - 5 stars
Karen M McManus really knows how to write a good thriller/mystery, for a genre that isn't my usual one I adore all her books. I loved seeing all the old characters from One Of Us Is Lying appear but also loved the focus on the new ones, that balance is tricky and Karen really nails it. The truth or dare aspect was great and I didn't see the twists coming. Gripping read.
The Switch by Beth O'Leary
Length - 400 pages
Star Rating - 5 stars
Full review to come closer to publication date.
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
Length - 206 pages
Star Rating - 5 stars
Please see review here
The Girl who stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farook
Length - 272 pages
Star Rating - 3 stars
Sadly this didn't quite hit the spot for me. I did love the descriptions and the cultural aspects were really interesting. The elephant was fun though not in it an awful lot, and the character of Neel was lovely. Our main character I found hard to like and the plot felt too convenient and rushed especially towards the end. Even for a middle grade it felt too simplistic at times.
Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse
Length - 295 pages
Star Rating - stars
While I did enjoy this it didn't give me everything I was hoping for. Poe was developed well, with him questioning the things he was doing after his actions in The Last Jedi and we saw Leia dealing with the repurcussions of being thrown into space but the other characters we know were very quiet and almost not there. I guess that is the trouble with releasing a book before the new film has been released, you can't give too much away. Well written but lacking.
A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
Length - 445 pages
Star Rating - 5 stars
Please see review here
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
Sadly this didn't quite hit the spot for me. I did love the descriptions and the cultural aspects were really interesting. The elephant was fun though not in it an awful lot, and the character of Neel was lovely. Our main character I found hard to like and the plot felt too convenient and rushed especially towards the end. Even for a middle grade it felt too simplistic at times.
Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse
Length - 295 pages
Star Rating - stars
While I did enjoy this it didn't give me everything I was hoping for. Poe was developed well, with him questioning the things he was doing after his actions in The Last Jedi and we saw Leia dealing with the repurcussions of being thrown into space but the other characters we know were very quiet and almost not there. I guess that is the trouble with releasing a book before the new film has been released, you can't give too much away. Well written but lacking.
A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
Length - 445 pages
Star Rating - 5 stars
Please see review here
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
Length - 337 pages
Star Rating - 2.5 stars
This had such potential but I really struggled to connect with any of the characters. I found a lot of the magic repetative and the characters lacked depth for me. The mysteries were too heavily relied on the create intrigue but never actually came to any satisfactory revelation. A big let down.
New Avengers AIM vol 3 by Al Ewing
Length - 160 pages
Star Rating - 3 stars
This was a good volume and I liked the story progression. Obviously the Wiccan and Hulkling moments were my favourite and where they were left by the end had me very happy. I will always read the series these boys are in.
Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince by VE Schwab
Length - 112 pages
Star Rating - 3 stars
The art in this graphic novel is beautiful and seeing Maxim from A Darker Shade of Magic as a young man was interesting. I don't think it works as a standalone series however, if you haven't read the novels then this wouldn't offer you much. A fun read but only for those already invested in the series and characters.
Heartstopper vol 3 by Alice Oseman
Length - 320 pages
Star Rating - 5 stars
I adore this story so much! Nick and Charlie hold my heart in their hands with every volume. I do love how well Alice manages to weave in serious topics without feeling preachy or untrue to the boys. It truly is a beautiful story she is telling.
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