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’m currently reading three more titles for the N.E.W.T. readathon… The first is Radiance Of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah, a book I’ve been wanting to read ever since I read his memoir which made a huge impact on me. I’m finishing the last Fire And Thorns novella The King’s Guard by Rae Carson first though… And I’m also starting with Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman.
- WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?
1. The Girl Made Of Clay by Nicole Meier (2,5/5 stars) REVIEW 20/09
If you enjoy reading character-driven stories with flawed characters that are described in a realistic way, The Girl Made Of Clay is without doubt an interesting read. The pace is not the fastest, but the story captures quite well how the characters evolve over time. Did I think every aspect of the plot and behavior was credible? Not exactly. Did most of the characters annoy me and made me enjoy the story a lot less? Most definitely. But as one of the cliches goes: ‘it’s not you, it’s me…‘. And I really think that is what happened here.
2. City Of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab (4,5/5 stars) REVIEW 23/09
City Of Ghosts delivers right from the cover until the very last page. I knew I could trust my instincts when I picked up this title, but this first book of a new MG paranormal series has proven once again you cannot go wrong with anything Schwab writes. It was hook, line and sinker when I started reading City Of Ghosts and I had to put all other tasks on hold until I finished reading it. The writing, the characters and their development, the Scottish setting, the ghosts, the plot… There is a lot to love in this story, and Cassidy and Jacob have already found a place in my heart.
3. Half Bad by Sally Green (2,5/5 stars) REVIEW 21/09
I initially started reading Half Bad in Dutch, wanting to savour seeing that cover waiting for me near my reading chair. I have to say, I struggled a lot. First I thought it was the language, but I decided to switch to my English kindle version halfway through and I can confirm it wasn’t. There is just something about the writing style in Half Bad that really got on my nerves. There are a lot of short and halted sentences I just couldn’t grow used to, although I admit the writing style as a whole sadly just didn’t work for me. I struggled to keep reading as some parts of the story dragged, and I have to say that for a story this promising the plot kind of lacked action and more filling out in general.
4. The Shattered Mountain by Rae Carson (3,5/5 stars) REVIEW 24/09
There is no doubt that this second novella is a lot stronger than the first one. I think this has a lot to do with the main character of this short story, which is quite easy to like and root for. Mara is a very interesting and strong character and she does some amazing things along with the other characters. The romance in The Shattered Mountain didn’t bother me one bit even though some cliches were involved. I think this mostly has to do with the fact there is a lot of focus on the dire situation the group is in instead as well as the worldbuilding of this high fantasy story.
5. All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin (2/5 stars) REVIEW 23/09
I really do think this story has a lot of potential, but instead of focusing on the more interesting aspects of the plot, All These Things I’ve Done is mostly just another teenage romantic drama with a few twists. Instead of focusing on the dystopian setting, when chocolate! and coffee! are illegal and resources seem to be limited, or the whole mafia background of Anya’s family, we mostly see the typical high school scenes with star-crossed lovers, food fights and other cliche elements. Definitely not what I thought I had signed up for. To make things worse, the main character Anya is absolutely despicable.
6. The Ballroom by Anna Hope (3/5 stars) REVIEW 24/09
This historical fiction read set in a 1911 asylum has a very interesting premise and a lot of potential, but the story sort of fell flat for me. The pace was considerably slow and it took me a lot longer than expected to read this story… The focus was on the characters and their development, but sadly there was nothing much for me to keep me focused to them or create a proper connection; instead I was mostly left both just wanting to get it over it and wanting the story to deliver something more.The fact that Charles is a very unlikeable character doesn’t really help either. Surprisingly though, the romance in this story didn’t bother me that much.
7. Lies Between Us by Ronnie Turner (3,5/5 stars) REVIEW 27/09
I am so excited to have finally read this title by a fellow book blogger! I admit it took me some time to get used to the multiple POVs and I was confused at times how everything fit together, but there is no doubt this is a complex and very cleverly executed psychological thriller debut. I did guess some of the twists, some of the names are misleading and I was left with some questions after the final page… But overall it was still a very satisfying read.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?
I’m going to pick up two pending ARCs next: All This I Will Give To You by Dolores Redondo and The Wife’s Secret by Kerry Wilkinson. I’m also dying for a change of genre, so I’m hoping Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard will be the fun read I’m looking for. I also want to read In A Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware soon.
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I’m hoping to read City of Ghosts soon! I picked it up the other day, and I can’t wait!! I also read In A Dark Dark Wood not long ago and enjoyed it, it was different for me and I’ll definitely be reading more of Ruth Ware’s books at some point! 🙂 Great post!
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I hope you will enjoy City Of Ghosts as well! Victoria Schwab can’t go wrong for me. And I’m definitely looking forward to finally read one of Ruth Ware’s books soon. Happy reading!
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Lots of great looking books as always. I really enjoyed Gaiman’s take on the Norse Myths, hope you enjoy.
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That’s great to hear! I’m looking forward to it.
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I really want to read Norse Mythology. I like reading about all different mythologies. I also really want to read City of Ghosts, it sounds so good. It sucks that you didn’t like Half Bad. I own the entire series that I’ve been wanting to read, but just haven’t gotten around to them yet.
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Same here! I love mythology stories, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed Norse Mythology will be a good one… And City Of Ghosts was SO good! I do love anything Schwab writes, so my opinion might be a bit biased haha. I hope Half Bad will work out better for you… I have a copy of the sequel as well, but I’ll just leave it looking pretty on my shelves for the time being. 😉
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I enjoyed In a Dark Dark Wood. It definitely has that creepy vibe. I hope you enjoy!
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That sounds great! I’m looking forward to read it.
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It’s the perfect time of year for all these thrillers! I hope you enjoy them all.
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It sure helps getting into that Halloween vibe early! 😉
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I have a copy of Wake by Anna Hope on my shelf and have heard good reviews about The Ballroom too. Have a great week 🙂
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I’m curious about Wake! I might read it some day if I can get a copy. Have a great week!
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I’m intrigued to know what you make of Pretty Little Liars!
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I’m up for something light after a few heavy reads, so I might just read it next! 😉
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You’ve read so much recently!! I see you really didn’t end up liking Girl Made of Clay. Too bad. I love Ishmael Beah. I got to meet him, and he is such a kind person for all that he has been through. Looking forward to your next reads, especially the Ruth Ware, as that is one of hers I have not read but heard good things about. Here is my WWW post if interested: https://greatmorrisonmigration.wordpress.com/2018/09/19/www-wednesdays-september-19-2018/
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Wow that is so awesome you got to meet Ishmael Beah! He is a true inspiration… Radiance Of Tomorrow was just as heartbreaking and powerful as his memoir. In A Dark Dark Wood is actually my first Ruth Ware experience; I’ve been meaning to pick up one of her books for ages now, so I’m glad to finally do so.
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The Wife’s secret looks really good. I like Kerry’s books. I have watched Pretty Little Liars though haven’t read the book, I hope that you will enjoy it plus the other 3 books. Happy reading 🙂
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I like Kerry’s books as well! Fingers crossed this newest will be good as well. I’m actually looking forward to read Pretty Little Liars first though as I need a break from emotionally tough reads. Happy reading!
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Great job reading so many books! Sorry to see that you didn’t really enjoy many of them. Hopefully, this week will be better for you! 🙂
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City Of Ghosts alone already made up for the others! And Radiance Of Tomorrow was an excellent read as well. Have a wonderful week!
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Yay! Glad that you enjoyed City of Ghosts! Now I really want to read that book!
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I can highly recommend it! 🙂
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