This last month I’ve been away from home and visiting my sister who…has a marvellous public library system.
Have I tried to read the whole library in a month? Why yes. Yes I have.
Actually I used to live in this town so I still feel like this is MY library. I miss it so so much. And I just freaking miss having access to free books?! I’ve never had a lot of money to spend on books (not until a year ago when I got a freelance blogging job that could pay for a few books per month!) so like libraries have always been my #1 one to sate my voracious bookish appetite. Also it’s a great way to try books you might not like. No wasting money. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Also guess what I found on the library shelf!??!
There is a very very pleasant and circular feeling that comes from seeing YOUR OWN NOVEL in the library you spent your teens trying to read every book on the shelf. I am most gloriously happy.
anyway onto some mini library reviews!
also I apologise for not being caught up on comments/reading your blogs OR actually posting on Paper Fury afhsigosgso abandoning everything is new for me. But being away for a month really sent me behind and I’m rushing to do NaNo in like, um, 5 days. So bear with me!
THE IRON KING BY JULIE KAGAWA
★★★★☆ | Goodreads
I’m SO pleased I finally read this! I do love faeries and I loved Julie Kagawa’s Talon (although I still need to finish that series whoops) so why did it take me like 8 years to pick this up?! ShaME.
➸ IT’S FULL OF VICIOUS FAERIES AND BEAUTIFUL WILD WORLDS. Which is 1000% my kind of book. The plot was super fast, like you don’t get a chance to breathe with how much it throws at you. And it managed not to be graphic BUT be very bloodthirsty.
➸ IT DID HAVE TIRED TROPES THO. I’m so over boring love triangles and instalove lmaooo (not to mention you could fit all the diversity rep into a thimble).
➸ MEGHAN, ASH AND PUCK ARE ALL EXCELLENT. Well Meghan is about as dynamic as a smol loaf of bread and Ash is kind of funny with how melodramatic he is. But PUCK is the sassy light we all need. I know it’ll turn into a love triangle but Ash and Puck have actually more history, so like maybe they can just all kiss and move on to saving the world from freaky faeries. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
SEA WITCH BY SARAH HENNING
★★★☆☆ | Goodreads
Ok this just hurtled my limp body of the edge of Plot Twist Cliff and for that I am grateful. It’s not the antihero origin story I was hoping for though…it’s more like this chill/kind fisherman’s daughter gets forced into being the sea witch. I was hoping for morally grey mURDER JOHN. What does this say about me. One can’t say.
➸ SLOW START BUT THE ENDING WAS WOOOOAHHHH. Like it’s just Evie and this mermaid she rescued (Annemette) vying for the attention of two princes. There’s a fair. They chop wood and stuff. Threats to burn witches. Evie does lowkey magic and hides it. IDK. It also had a sort of love square happening which I actually liked for once!
➸ …BUT THEN THINGS WENT DOWN. The ending is PLOT TWISTS and vengeance and stabbing and dark magic!! It was perfect and surprising! But it like took 200 pages to get to?!
FURTHERMORE & WHICHWOOD BY TAHEREH MAFI
★★★★☆ | Goodreads
This was such a spot of delightful whimsy nonsense…!! It’s like an ode to Alice in Wonderland but not a retelling. And it totally reminded me of the magic and delight of middle-grade ahhhh.
➸ TAHEREH MAFI’S WRITING IS A DREAM, LET’S BE REAL HERE. I will read anything she writes just because of her style!! SO BEAUTIFUL. It’s a sensory feast. And this world is based heavily on colours so it was like falling into a shiny, glittery patchwork quilt. Although there were a few times when the prose got so purple it was a bit confusing. But mostly I just wanted to eat the paperback. They eat flowers and snowflakes that taste of sugar so I feel this was Mafi’s ultimate goal tbh.
➸ FURTHERMORE IS MORE RAMBLY THAN WHICHWHOOD. Although they both kind of suffer from the beginnings being really solid and interesting…and then the endings are rushed?!
➸ AND WHICHWOOD IS BEAUTIFUL AND MACABRE. Thriving on that combo. I truly am. Laylee (in Whichwood) washes dead bodies and if she doesn’t do it in time, they’ll take the skin off living people and zip into it like an ill-fitting dress. Lovely image!! I’m so glad children’s books like this exist to freak me out!!
➸ I PARTICULARLY LIKE OUR HEROINES. They’re both stubborn and intensely themselves and quite stolidly opposed to the unfairness of life. They weren’t squishy “likeable” girls either, and I looove this. Give me the fierce argumentative ones who jump into trouble and wear bells around their ankles or ancient armour and will start fights AND FINISH THEM.
THE FORGOTTEN BOOK BY MECHTHILD GLÄSER
★★★☆☆ | Goodreads
This cover is an actual gift to the world and blessing to my eyeballs. And cover judging aside? This was fun but I was pretty unsettled by the romance yikes. It’s also a Pride and Prejudice retelling! But the protagonist, Emma, finds this book where whatever she writes comes true. So basically a soft gentle version of Death Note because Emma didn’t become a mass murder. But fine. Each to their own.
➸ I DID HAVE FUN READING IT. It’s set in Germany (it’s actually a translated novel which is lovely) and there’s an old castle turned into a boarding school. Emma has two epic good female friends! And there are creepy woods behind the school and people disappear but nobody’s super worried etc etc. I mean kids wonder off and magically disappear sometimes. It happens.
➸ IT READS LIKE YOUNGER YA. Emma is pretty quirky and bouncy…and it’s not passionately romantic or anything. ALTHOUGH…that brings me to…
➸ THE ROMANCE IS ACTUALLY CREEPY. Darcy is 20 and Emma is 16 and apparently this isn’t unusual for Europe, but it’s actually illegal in Australia. Not to mention a gross imbalance of power and maturity. They’re not madly in love or making out the whole book, but my opinion is: a heck no.
THE BURNING MAZE (TRIALS OF APOLLO #3) BY RICK RIORDAN
★★★★☆ | Goodreads
My first question is: HOW DARE YOU. I am actually broken here because I come to Riordan books to have a funny, safe, and gOOD time and yet my heart has been punched across the Pacific Ocean. That death better have been a typo is all I can say.
BECAUSE HOW DARE YOU.
➸ UGH I LOVE APOLLO’S SERIES. I didn’t remember much of the previous two, whoops, so I can’t remember even what their goal is lmao, but I still just love the action! The adventure! The freaky emperor’s and the super high stakes (which were made higher by actually going through on a dARK THREAT AAFJKSDAL). Apollo continues to be hilariously vain and I love him.
➸ THE PACING WAS PERFECT FOR THIS ONE. I just wanted to burrow into the pages and read forever basically. Also the poor characters barely got to eat one cheese enchilada in the whole book. My children need a nap. Pls.
➸ WE ALSO GET MORE OLD FAVES BACK! The last book featured Leo again, this time we get Piper and Jason. I actually want to reread Heroes of Olympus now because I don’t remember how it ended??? (Why do I not have a brain.) And I love that Grover starred here too. He’s such a tin can eating dork.
➸ OH AND YEAH IT RIPPED OUT MY HEART AND I’M STILL NOT OK. Thanks for that. I had literally no. idea. what. was. coming ajfdsladfjkls. Best or worst Riordan book yet?! WHO KNOWS. But I’m so entirely pleased I can never grow out of Riordan stories. Love it.
I’m glad you were able to use the library to read these gorgeous books! When I’m home I only request stuff and just read. I detest when people talk to me. So I’m glad you were able to make a little space and read!!!
It’s so so good to just have access to a library again! MAKES MY HEART BEAT. I miss it now that I’m home gah.
I remember hauling Iron King cos I liked Julie Kagawa’s writing, but I can’t deal with those tropes in the paranormal stories!
A shame about Sea Witch, I have seen it around but it sounds kind of disappointing…I’m glad the ending ramped up!
Witchwood etc. sounds sooo good and her writing sounds beautiful. I’m so behind on the Trials of Apollo and Heroes of Olympus series! Lovely reviews Cait! The library is the best <3
You kind of have to laugh at the tropes in the old paranormal books.😂It’s frustrating though, because they could be SO GOOD if they’d come out now, but like all revamped and stuff?! Oh well, I’m looking forward to her latest Shadow of the Fox fantasy *flails* And yeah Sea Witch was good but kind of not what I expected from that dark creepy cover.😂
Ooh excellent mini reviews!
I do quite like the sound of The Forgotten Book, and I’m always looking to read more translated YA. Although the romance would definitely make me feel squiffy.
I love my local library and try to visit at least once a month. I also use their online services for audiobooks so that’s a win, although the selection isn’t great.
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
Yeah the romance just made my skin crawl a little, even if it wasn’t a super heated one, it’s just?? 16 is a CHILD I can’t even move past that. But the rest of it was fun. And oh yes online libraries are AMAZING. Mine has a little overdrive option that I can use too, even when I’m back home, which is a relief!
Yayyyy I’m so happy that you found your own book in a library- the library from your hometown!!! That’s huge!!
All these mini reviews were fantastic (I really want to give ‘The Forgotten Book’ a try😊) and I’m glad you got to have access to a library even for a short time! I rely on mine cause I can’t afford to buy EVERY book I want to read 😂😂 plus my library has recently been rapidly expanding the YA section – to the point where the sfelves are literally overstuffed!! So I’m so so happy about that!
I just finished reading Leigh Bardugo’s Wonder Woman: Warbringer and I really liked it!! It had a good story line and I loved the dynamics that the characters had, although Diana catching feelings for Jason at the end (and him turning out to be half-god) was just not my thing ☹️ Hoping for a sequel, though!
Fabulous post, Cait!!
It’s absolutely surreal, I have to say!! Like you dream of something so long and then iT HAPPENS AJFDKSALDF. And yes I’m so lucky I could just devour the library solidly for a month. It really makes me so happy. And when I find new favourites, I know what to buy for rereads haha. But omg if I bought all of the 200 books I read per year…I can’t even imagine being that rich.😂
Aw I’m glad you liked WonderWoman! I wonder if it will get a sequel?? Bardugo does everything so well eep.
Yay for a good library! The death in The Burning Maze suckerpunched me too, I did not think it will actually happened! And I hope you’ll continue with the Iron Fey series, it’s been so long I think I’m due for a reread!
I definitely will for the Iron Fey! I’ve done the first two books, but I’m going to buy the 3rd now that I’m home (and I know I’ll like it 😂). And afdjsakld THEY BETTER BRING HIM BACK IN THE BURNING MAZE IS ALL I CAN SAY.
HOW DARE THEY
HOW DARE THEY INDEED. Now I’m terrified for Reyna, Frank, Hazel and Annabeth- basically those who haven’t appeared so far.
UGHGHGSGH AGREED. PROTECT THE CHILDREN. DON’T LET HIM HURT OUR CHILDREN.
Welcome back! I love the covers of Furthermore and Witchwood. I want to read them just for the covers. I hope you had a great time with your family!
Honestly relatable about their covers.😂They’re GORGEOUS. Even my 6yo niece was watching me read and was all like, “oh those are so pretty.” 😂
Ahhh, that’s amazing that you saw YOUR BOOK on the shelf!! I would die. Libraries are the best. Some of my earliest bookish memories are of me attempting to (and succeeding in) reading every single children’s book my local library had to offer. The librarians didn’t know what to do with me, lol. I think they even let my family break the unofficial “no one can check out more than 100 items at a time” rule.
Also, WELCOME BACK, WE’VE MISSED YOU. And good luck with NaNo!! Even though you probably don’t need it. Wasn’t there one year you finished in two or three days? xD
I BASICALLY SQUEAKED. I’m glad I was in that section alone ahh ahahha. And it was only there one of the weeks so that makes me super pleased people were borrowing it 🤗HOW IS THIS REAL LIFE. 😊😊😊😊
Omg but wait you can check out 100 items????? I’m kind of gobsmacked omg. We can check out 20, but back in 3 weeks!
And aw thank you!! I really miss chatting with everyone when I don’t blog. The community is so nice?!? *squishes everyone* And lmao yes last year I finished NaNo in 2 days but trust me, I’m writing WAY slower this time. 😂
Yay I love mini reviews! I’ve recently read Days of Blood and Starlight (I need a nap that book took me forever) which I was a little disappointed by tbh, like DoSaB is a five star book but I ended up rating DoBaS a measly three. And Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) which was better than book one, some of the old tropes such as girl in tailgate started disappearing and the main relationship is two best friends who put each other over guys, although the series is still a little trashy so kind of a guilty pleasure read.
I actually get most of my books from the library and only ever buy books that I either a) already read and love b) are anticipated releases c) one’s I’m 99.9% sure I’ll love. I’d rather not look at books I don’t like on my shelf
I’ve actually not read any of then 🙁 I want to read them tho and the Iron Fey might be on my list of priority series to read next year
I actually liked the DOSAB trilogy less as it went on too 😭😂 But I want to reread it via audio and see if my feelings change, because I freaking ADORED the Strange duology so much!! And hey no guilty pleasure reads. 😉 It’s ok to like books that aren’t super deep too! I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to VA but I kind of want to just to KNOW, you know?!😂
I tend to try and stick to books I’m like 90% positive I’ll like. It’s actually so stressful buying books ajfdklsad.
Great reviews!! Always amusing and interesting. I personally don’t find a romance like that creepy because he’s only four years older than her. But that’s just my opinion.
These books all sound so cool!K
Aww thank you! I’m really glad you enjoy reading them. 😜 And I don’t find 4 years age gap creepy in romances if the characters are older. It’s the age here that is huge warning bells. There’s SO much brain and maturity development between 16 vs 20. Way different than being like 26 vs 30.
I get that, definitely. 😉 If they were older it wouldn’t be so strange.
tbh, considering you’ve been (1) eating a whole library, (2) co-blogging with your nephew (a rising star in the book blogosphere for sure), and now (3) speedrunning NaNo, it sounds like you’ve had a great and productive month! Nothing to apologize for.
I haven’t been reading too much lately, but I did read Beneath the Sugar Sky (Every Heart a Doorway #3) which was fun and cake-filled and probably your kinda thing even though you weren’t too keen on book #1. (Cake pops growing on trees! Protag with anxiety!) Also I read The Dream Thieves last month and it was as great as everyone says.
VERY busy and flat out that’s for sure 😂 Watching my nephew start to write reviews has been the best thing lmao. I love him so much he’s adorable (and also really meant to me in his reviews??? who taught this kid smh)
Aw I do kind of want to continue that series after all because I want a book filled with cake ahhhhhh. And THE DREAM THIEVES IS A WORK OF ART OMG.
I haven’t physically been inside a library in a while, but most of the reading I’ve done this year has been library e-books. I never would’ve discovered graphic novels without the library’s e-book section, so there’s that.
I’ve been reading mostly picture books lately, but I’m in the middle of a graphic novel at the moment. It’s about a unicorn named Marigold Heavenly Nostrils and her human friend, Phoebe. Also, I just finished a middle-grade novel this morning, one of Kate DiCamillo’s; I’ve really enjoyed most of her books so far, but this one didn’t wow me.
It’s been a while since I read a YA novel. I really should, but… I haven’t had the best luck with YA this year. I haven’t read any of the books you mentioned here, although a few of them are on my want-to-read list.
E-Libraries are great too!! I have a small one I can access, which usually contains mostly books I’ve read haha, but I did manage to loan some ones from there too to “take home” (I know I can access them from home too haha). I’m glad picture books are working for you this year! All types of books are good books 💛
AKFDAKJFLASKJFLASKJDFKJSALFDJSJKDFLAJD The Burning Maze killed me!!! i’m still not over it… OOOOOOH i just bought Sea Witch!! I’m excited to jump into it!! (lol i made a pun XD)
WE DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS PAIN IN THE BURNING MAZE 😭😭😭 HOW DARE HE. I WANT SOMEONE TO GO BACK AND EDIT THAT TYPO
I KNOW!! SOMEONE NEEDS TO!!
As someone from Germany, the age gap between Emma and Darcy is not common and definitely weird O.O And also illegal here, so I don’t even know why the author would put that in there.
On a side note, your review made me super excited to read the Iron Fey series, it’s been on my TBR forever!
omggg seriously?? A whole bunch of people on Goodreads told me it WAS common and that I was wrong. And I was just creeped out. Like ok if they were 24 vs 28, that’s different. It’s when you’re THAT YOUNG that it’s scary and creepy and bordering on predatory. 16 is not old enough, that is just a child. 😭😭
but yay about the Iron Fey series!! I need my order of the next book to hurry up and get here haha
Hello Cait! 🙂
I also adore public libraries and am totally on that buzz lately, it must be very hard for you without one nearby.
Huge congratulations on seeing your book in the same library you used as a teen, that must have felt pretty awesome. A huge milestone really when you think about it! So well done 🙂
I have literally not read any of these books (oops!) but I did order Save the Date by Morgan Matson and another Brigid Kemmerer book from my local and am very excited to get stuck into those 🙂
I am always so devastated when I don’t have a library nearby! I swear I am 87% made of books and I nEED MORE TO FUEL ME. 😂 But aww thank you about seeing my book in a library! It was just really really special to me and I’m so excited for it!
Also Brigid Kemmerer is an amazing author! I hope you like hers!
I’ve wanted to read Furthermore for SO LONG as well! I just prefer knocking out standalones to starting series, so I’ve never gotten around to it :/ I used to pride myself on how much I use libraries, but I’ve barely been doing that at all in the past year or so. So just a couple weeks ago, I finally renewed my library card and got down to business! I check out Eminent Outlaws: The Gay Writers Who Changed America by Christopher Bram (SO GOOD AHHH), East by Edith Pattou (quite good!!), and Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) by L.C. Rosen (fun, fluffy escapism). Happy reading!
Eleanor | On the Other Side of Reality
Hey at least there’s only 2 for that one! I think??? It feels like the series could continue. (And I kind of hope it does.😂) Aw, I’m glad you’re back into using the library! I mean, honestly not having access to a library for 1.5 years means I should have control on my TBR…I do not. What is my life.
I really want to read Jack of Hearts but it’s not out till FEBRUARY in the AUS/UK edition *howls*
I have yet to read Tahereh Mafi’s books (it’s been too long)! Furthermore and Witchwood both have such beautiful cover designs and they sound like great books!!
It must have been so exciting seeing your own book in a library, that’s so cool!!
Eeep IT WAS SO SO EXCITING! *happy flails forever* And oh I totally recommend all the Tahereh Mafi books. Maybe Shatter Me isn’t the best, but the series gets super good too. But Furthermore and Whichwood are so lovely!
I can’t function without libraries! I am in my public library almost once a day, and I love devouring shelves at a time, which would definitely be impossible if I bought them. 😉 By the same token, libraries let you be less picky. I mean, if I am going to spend money on this book, it has better be pretty spectacular, and with a library it ‘s perfectly acceptable to be just really good. I love reading your reviews!
YES! Exactly! It’s really freeing just to try absolutely whatever, because if you don’t like it…no loss. :’)