WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.
- WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?
I actually opened my copy of A Gathering Of Shadows by V.E. Schwab as soon as I finished the first book, because I simply LOVED A Darker Shade Of Magic. Since I haven’t been able to write a proper review yet though, I decided to put the sequel on hold until I do so I won’t be mixing up the plots… So I decided to start The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza instead. The plot is really intriguing so far and I like the detailed descriptions, but unfortunately I’m not really a fan of the main characters. There’s too much ‘bitching’ and too little character development or other things that might make me like the characters better… Hopefully things will improve later on.
- WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?
* The first title I managed to finish since last week was Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford. It’s not a bad read, but the plot is not really original and most of the humor felt either forced or was even slightly offensive…
* I then decided to read Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper and that turned out to be an excellent idea. Like Wonder, this middle grade book has a strong message that people shouldn’t discriminate or judge people by what they look like; it is what is on the inside that truly counts. A really fast read and definitely recommended even though some parts of the the plot are not completely plausible.
* I then finally started with A Darker Shade Of Magic by V.E. Schwab, and I’m still trying to finish a somewhat coherent review without it being just me fangirling all over the place. This book was BRILLIANT! I should have known after so many raving reviews and recommendations… Without doubt one of my all time favorite fantasy series.
* The last book I finished was The Beginning Of Everything by Robyn Schneider, which turned out to be a big disappointment. Such a shame, because I loved her other novel Extraordinary Means! Unfortunately, The Beginning Of Everything is basically full of cliches and annoying characters I really couldn’t care about… More in the full review.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?
I really should start reading Daughter Of Smoke And Bone by Laini Taylor next since it was the winner of the which series to read next? poll last month. I have been wanting to read it for ages, but decided to pick up Shades Of Magic first. I also want to try Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover… I’m keeping my fingers crossed this one will be as good as November 9 (unlike Ugly Love). The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is also still on my list… Hopefully some time soon; I just haven’t been in the mood to read historical fiction lately. My newest TBR jar pick is still The Name Of The Star by Maureen Johnson.
I know what you mean about The Girl In The Ice but it didn’t bother me so much, it seems to be the norm! As is lead female detectives who are amazing at the day job but can’t make their personal lives work.
Here’s my WWW – https://bookboodle.co.uk/2016/04/20/www-wednesday-april-20th
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess you’re right; most female detectives seem to have to be ‘bitchy’ and have a complicated personal life to become good at their job… It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it did stand out a bit too much in The Girl In The Ice for me. The plot is excellent though; I didn’t see it coming who was the murderer until the very end!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah the ending did come out of nowhere which was great. There were so many suspects though at least you could try and have a calculated guess..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very true! I actually thought the father might have done it at one point haha, although Igor was the best candidate throughout the book… I always like a surprising ending though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good call reading the Shades of Magic books before Smoke and Bone because they’re much better! I found Smoke and Bone disappointing because until about two thirds of the way through it was all kinds of awesome… and then something occurs and it all went downhill for me 😦 Hopefully the same won’t happen for you and you’ll love it.
Here’s my WWW: https://clairehuston.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/www-wednesday-20th-april-2016/
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always hate it when a promising reads turns out to be disappointing in the end! I will make sure not to set my expectations too high. I still have to read A Gathering Of Shadows first though… I have been wanting to start it ever since I finished A Darker Shade Of Magic, but I still haven’t been able to write a coherent review. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hugely enjoyed The Girl in the Ice but get what you mean about kind of ‘bitching’… I did really enjoy it overall but will be interested to see what you think of it when you’ve finished 🙂
Here’s my post: https://snazzybooks.com/2016/04/20/www-wednesday-20-april-2016/
LikeLiked by 1 person
I managed to finish it today and I still think the characters and constant bitching put a slight damper on an otherwise excellent read… The plot was really good and the plot twists even better!
LikeLike
Yeah that’s a valid point, definitely agree with you there, glad you still enjoyed it though! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really want to read The Girl in the Ice though dissapointed to see that the characters are not all that. I will wait to read your full review though. Crossing my fingers too that Maybe Someday will turn out to be as good as November 9. Enjoy your books.
Here is my WWW; https://dwgitau.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/www-wednesday-7/
LikeLiked by 1 person
The characters might not be all that likeable, but the plot itself is really good and mostly makes up for it. I’ve decided to start Maybe Someday next now I’ve finished The Girl In The Ice and the first pages sound really promising!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh you are already done with The Girl in the Ice? I can’t wait to read your review on it. I hope you enjoy Maybe Someday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I managed to finish it yesterday yes… Like I said, the plot is really well done and the plot twists definitely surprising, so that does kind of make up for the ‘bitchy’ characters. And I’m loving Maybe Someday so far!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I got impatient waiting for library’s on-order copies of A Gathering of Shadows to finally arrive, so I’ve bought myself a copy, too. I’ve got a few things to finish before I get to it, though. Good luck finishing the review of A Darker Shade… I’m currently trying to write a review that isn’t just fangirling as well, so I feel your pain.
Here’s my WWW: https://keysandopenmind.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/www-wednesday-20-april-2016/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha I can definitely understand why the wait would have felt too long… I really want to start reading A Gathering Of Shadows as well; hopefully I will be able to write down something somewhat coherent about A Darker Shade Of Magic tonight. 😉 So far it’s mostly fangirling, saying the book is brilliant and to just read it haha. Good luck to you as well!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved both Daughter of Smoke & Bone and The Nightingale. So if you need any help choosing what to read next, those would be my recommendations. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will definitely try to pick those up next! Daughter Of Smoke And Bone is 100% sure my next fantasy read after finishing A Gathering Of Shadows….
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s too bad about The Girl in the Ice. I hate when a good portion of the book is characters ‘bitching’ at/to each other. It ruins the story for me.
I’m glad you enjoyed Out of My Mind! I love that one!
Here’s my post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I totally agree; I would probably have giving the book a higher rating without all the ‘bitching’, because the plot and plot twists themselves are excellent. I’m glad I finally read Out Of My Mind, because it was such a good story! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m definitely excited to read A Darker Shade of Magic for all of the reasons you mentioned above. In my opinion, Maybe Someday was definitely better than November 9! I loved it.
Happy reading! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as everyone did (including me now! 😉 ), it’s SUCH a good read! I’ve just started Maybe Someday and the first two chapters look definitely promising. Happy reading!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sad you didn’t enjoy The Beginning of Everything. I really enjoyed that one. It might have been because I was actually vacationing at Disneyland while reading it! 😉
My WWW: http://www.anovelglimpse.com/2016/04/20/www-wednesday-april-20-2016/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Being at Disneyland would definitely help with the atmosphere! I really liked her other novel, but The Beginning Of Everything just was a tad too cliche for me… The fact that I didn’t like the characters didn’t really help either. I’m glad you enjoyed it though!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting to read about The Beginning of Everything. I was wondering whether to check it out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If I have to pick one, I would definitely recommend her other novel Extraordinary Means over The Beginning Of Everything. The plot is a lot more original and I liked the characters a lot better.
LikeLike
I hate it when the plot is great but not supported by the characters 😦 or the other way around. Both are needed for a book to work. The blurb for The Beginning of Everything sounds good, it’s a shame it did not live up to it for you. I’ll be waiting for your review before deciding on its fate. Now that I am back into fantasy, I might try A Darker Shade of Magic 🙂
Happy reading! 🙂
Here’s my week in books : https://chocolatenwafflesblog.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/this-week-in-books-april-20th-2016/
LikeLiked by 1 person
I totally agree; when either the plot/plot twists or characters don’t work it can definitely ruin a story for me… I still enjoyed reading The Girl In The Ice and the plot was excellent, but the bitchy characters did slightly ruin it for me. The Beginning Of Everything just was way too cheesy/cliche for me and I didn’t like the characters either… Her other novel was way better. A Darker Shade Of Magic is SUCH a good book though!
Happy reading! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you liked A Darker Shade of Magic so much. I really liked it too but haven’t been able to find the sequel available yet. Soon I hope. Happy reading and thanks for participating in WWW Wednesday!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you will be able to find the sequel soon! I finally managed to get a review together so I will continue reading the sequel tomorrow. Happy reading and thanks for hosting!
LikeLike
I’m so glad you enjoyed A Darker Shade of Magic. It’s definitely been one of my favorite new reads this year.
Happy reading!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good to hear you enjoyed it as well! Such a brilliant book; I already know it will appear on my list of 2016 favorites. Happy reading!
LikeLike