It’s been ages since I’ve written a real book review (November to be exact), so I thought I was overdue to share a few thoughts on some of my reads from December and my first read of the new year.
Killer Instinct (The Naturals #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Contemporary/Thriller YA
I read The Naturals more than a year ago and I was slightly worried about remembering enough about Cassie and company after so much time away (yay book amnesia), but I had no problems getting back into the swing of things! I enjoyed this one even more than the first; I thought the pacing was spot-on and I was engaged the whole time. I hated the love triangle in the first book and I thought I had read in a review that it was even more pronounced in this one, but it actually bothered me less this time. She does choose someone at the end, but since there are at least two more books I’m a little curious if this is her final choice or not. I don’t have a strong preference between the guys but I’d hate for her to go back and forth. Overall though, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one!
4 stars/Content advisory: some violence
My True Love Gave to Me, edited by Stephanie Perkins
Holiday Young Adult – Some Contemporary, Some Magical Realism
I finally got to read this anthology this past holiday season and it was definitely a mixed bag for me. You can see my Goodreads review where I broke down my thoughts on each individual story, but I did not finish two of the stories, while a couple of others really stood out to me. My favorite overall turned out to be Stephanie Perkins’ story, which felt appropriate since it’s her anthology, and I was excited to find out that in her upcoming summer anthology, Summer Days and Summer Nights, we’ll get follow-up with the same characters!
3 stars overall/Content varies by story
In Between (Katie Parker Productions #1) by Jenny B. Jones
Contemporary Christian YA
I had gotten the e-book of this one for cheap or free a while ago and let it sit in my Nook for a long time. I had read one previous book by Jenny B. Jones and liked it but didn’t love it. I was also nervous because I feel that most Christian books are either not as well edited or they’re a little on the cheesy side, but I always want to find good Christian literature so I pick up something from the genre every now and then. I wouldn’t really recommend this book to people who are not familiar with church or Christian culture, even though Katie herself is not familiar with many of the terms used by others in the story either, however, I didn’t think it was cheesy at all.
The main character, Katie, has a great voice, and she made me laugh quite a few times! There were several great, quirky characters who felt natural and made the story fun, even with some serious elements thrown in. There was no romance for Katie in this book, which I missed a little but was OK with under the circumstances, but it looks like there will be in future books. There are three more books in the series and I definitely intend to continue!
4 stars
Quidditch Through the Ages (Hogwarts Library) by Kennilworthy Whisp (J.K. Rowling)
I love quidditch, but learning about it wasn’t quite as fun as I hoped it would be. There were some interesting tidbits though, and it was a fast read.
3 stars
The Archived (The Archived #1) by Victoria Schwab
Young Adult
This was my first Schwab book! And it was very different from what I was expecting. I knew this book wasn’t a typical fantasy, but I thought it was going to be more fantasy rather than the contemporary/urban fantasy?/magical realism?/I have no idea what the heck to call this genre it was. That wasn’t bad though, just very unexpected. I had a hard time really grasping the idea of the Archived and Keepers and all that. I mean, it was explained well enough, but I never felt like I really understood why everything existed and why everything was the way it was. Maybe – probably – I was just supposed to accept it as it was, but it didn’t make sense to me.
I liked Mackenzie well enough but she also drove me crazy with how she would never tell anyone anything. The whole thing with Owen was kind of creepy and I did not like it. I did really like Wes though, and he’s pretty much the main reason I want to read the next book.
4 stars/Content advisory: Some language, violence
Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts?
I’ve been wanting to check out the Archived for a while! I’ll definitely have to check that one out. Thanks for the mini reviews; they were fun to read!
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
Glad you enjoyed the reviews; hope you really enjoy The Archived!
I felt the same way about The Archived. I liked it, but something didn’t gel with me to make me love it. Yet, I can’t really identify what “it” is that was missing. I don’t know if I will ever read the next book.
I’m glad to know I’m not alone. Have you read other Schwab books? I’m hoping to like her later books more since she has such a big following, and I do have the e-book of Vicious waiting for me to read.
I have only read A Darker Shade of Magic and it was one of my biggest disappointments from last year. :/ I mostly blame the audio book narrator, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it just might be something about Schwab’s style.
Well I guess I’ll check out Vicious and see what I think, and go from there.
I really enjoyed The Naturals and Killer Instinct! I haven’t read the 3rd one yet, but looking at reviews, it might be even better – so I have to get to it soon! I haven’t read The Archived, but I enjoyed Darker Shade of Magic, and Schwab seems to be a beloved author, so I have to read more of her books. I hope you’ll enjoy Vicious more!
I don’t think I’ve read many reviews for the third book, but that’s good to hear! And I had thought that the third book was going to be the last one, but apparently not!
I just finished All In and I I really enjoyed it!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
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