June 2020 Wrap Up

Hello! This month was pretty difficult in terms of reading as I had final exams the first two weeks of June and a one week break before starting summer school. I also got way too distracted by mobage and Animal Crossing and may have spent more time playing games than reading (whoops). And with everything going on in the world, it was sometimes difficult to fully immerse myself mentally in a book.  Please check https://currentinfo.carrd.co/ to find petitions and gofundmes to support those facing global tragedies.

I managed to read a total of 4 books this month and will be continuing to read one book into July. Although I didn’t get through my June TBR, I’m still happy I managed to get through most of it! I hope to read at least 6 books next month (though who knows… there’s the Animal Crossing July update coming…)!

Books Mentioned:

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi

Circe by Madeline Miller

The Wicked + The Divine Volume 1 by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

“Magneto and Professor X. 

Superman and Lex Luthor.

Sydney and Serena Clarke.

Victor Vale and Eli Ever.

Great partnerships—now sourced on the vine. 

But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush with death, she’s gained the control she always sought—and will use her newfound power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. With Marcella’s rise, new enmities create surprising opportunity—and the stage of Merit will once again be set for a final, terrible reckoning.”

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4 stars

I really enjoyed reading Vengeful! It is a solid sequel to Vicious that brings back old characters, introduces new ones, and expands upon the world full of humans and EOs. I especially enjoyed Schwab’s writing and her ability to examine the grey spaces between good and evil through her morally grey characters and their actions. I love how these spaces weren’t just observed with the older characters, but the new ones as well. 

Speaking of new characters, I really loved Marcella and June. They are both strong women with unique powers that have their own agency and shape their world as they see fit. I especially love how Marcella is relentless and dedicated to herself; she defies what people expect of her and does what she believes.

This book wasn’t perfect. I had a couple of problems with the characterization and development of older characters. For one character specifically, it felt like their actions weren’t lining up with their morals that have been previously established in Vicious. The plot was also ambiguous at times and I didn’t really know where it was building up to. 

While this book doesn’t live up to the first book for me, I still highly enjoyed Vengeful. I recommend this book (and the Villains series in general) if you like strong characters and good world-building!

Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi

“Juliette Ferrars. Ella Sommers. Which is the truth and which is the lie?

Now that Ella knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, things have only become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the past that haunts her and looks to a future more uncertain than ever, the lines between right and wrong—between Ella and Juliette—blur. And with old enemies looming, her destiny may not be her own to control.

The day of reckoning for the Reestablishment is coming. But she may not get to choose what side she fights on.”

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 1.75 stars

This book was such a disappointment. I expected it to be not that great (considering the previous two were, well, yikes) yet I was more disappointed than I thought I would be. I sort of regret reading this book, but I wanted to know what happens in the end and find closure with the Shatter Me series. 

The plot? Horrible. The characters? Horrible. The writing? Horrible. (Okay I know this is a little harsh but like… it’s the Truth).

The plot wasn’t great: there wasn’t substance to it and it felt like a filler most of the time. The characters were handled poorly as well. I got annoyed with Kenji and Warner’s character, and I wasn’t that annoyed by them before. I don’t like Adam, but his character was handled very poorly. The writing was also just really bad!! I can’t believe I actually read through all of it!! I personally believe SJM’s writing is so much better than this (and even SJM’s writing isn’t that great).

Please do not read this last book. I do regret reading this book a little and I just want to forget about it!! All that matters in the end is that Warnette get a dog and they are happy!! 

Circe by Madeline Miller

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.25 stars

“In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology. 

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.”

I really enjoyed this book! After reading Imagine Me, the writing, worldbuilding, and characters in this book were a breath of fresh air and just *chef’s kiss*. I fell in love with Miller’s writing and her prose really engages you with her storytelling. I especially loved reading her detailed descriptions of the world surrounding Circe as well as the riveting action scenes. 

Miller’s development of Circe as a character was exceptional. We follow Circe’s journey from becoming a naive nymph to a strong woman hardened by the deceptions and betrayals around her. What’s beautiful about this book is that it is not only just a reimagining of Greeky mythology; this book, at its core, is a story about a woman’s life. The pain, suffering, love, desire, and motherhood in Circe’s life bring forth various feminist themes throughout the book. 

While I found the plot to be slow at some points and that there could’ve been more of a reimagining, I still really enjoyed Circe! It is an amazing book with beautiful prose, exciting plot, and fleshed out characters. I recommend this book if you’re a fan of Miller’s writing and enjoy reading about Greek mythology and strong, yet flawed, female protagonists.

The Wicked + The Divine Volume 1 by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

“Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead. 

A world where gods are the ultimate pop stars and pop stars are the ultimate gods. But remember: just because you’re immortal, doesn’t mean you’re going to live forever.”

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3 stars

I really enjoy reading science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary graphic novels and I have been wanting to read this graphic novel for years! It took me a while to finally get to this graphic novel since Saga completely ruined me (I’ll probably reread it soon because I miss it).

The artwork for this novel is stunning! I really love the vibrant colors and the artwork overall is just so beautiful. However, I found the plot to be difficult to follow at times and it felt a bit underdeveloped. There was a plot but there wasn’t really a direction it was heading toward. I also found it difficult to connect to any of the characters. I didn’t really like Laura since she is a fangirl who inserts herself into this group of reincarnated gods. I did find the other gods to be pretty interesting, but it felt like so many were being introduced at once that I didn’t know much about a character before meeting a new one. I would say the characters are undeveloped, but it is only the first volume and graphic novels are generally like that anyway. I am still interested in The Wicked + The Divine and I plan to catch up to it!

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

“When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.”

Technically I’m only on part four of this book, but I felt like mentioning some of my thoughts on it so far! I really, really love Yanagihara’s writing style. I don’t know how to categorize her writing style, but I really enjoy reading books that are similar to this writing style. I love how Yanagihara’s writing effectively conveys the character’s feelings and love for one another and it’s just *clenches fist* the best!! I also really like the general structure of this book so far! I like how there are some flashbacks interspersed throughout the novel, giving us more information on Jude’s character and what has happened to him in the past. Their friendship is just… so endearing and it hurts me when it gets fractured :( I’m getting really attached to all the characters and haha I haven’t even gotten to the sad parts yet I’m scared!!

But yeah hopefully I’ll finish this book by this week! 

This month was a little rough but I read a couple of really good books! I hope to read at least 6 books next month! :D

-lian