Hello everyone!
Because this blog is a mix of both books and crochet projects, I decided to do a monthly recap of all the books I read each month. My friend Amy, who runs her own book blog, was my inspiration. I’ll make sure to link her blog down below!
I tend to do a mix of audiobooks and regular books. This month I was working on quite a few crochet projects, so I spent a lot of time powering through audiobooks. I also recap the crochet projects I work on; this month’s projects are linked here.
Let’s get to it!
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides - finished 1/5/21 (audiobook) 3/5 stars
I borrowed the audiobook from the library after seeing it on booktok, book tiktok. Its about a doctor, Theo Faber, who struggles to find out why famous artist, Alicia Berenson, stopped talking and tries to use therapy to reach a breakthrough. I do not particularly like thrillers, but I wanted to start the year out with something different. I was not a fan of this book for a couple reasons. The plot twist was good, but the story felt a little flat. There were a lot of red herrings that were meant to throw the reader off but felt more thrown together. I’m glad I tried something different, but this just wasn’t the thriller for me.
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare - finished 1/10/21 (audiobook) 4/5 stars
This was another audiobook I checked out from the library which I did on purpose. Cassandra Clare is a problematic writer most notably for copying other author’s ideas as well as uncomfortable plot lines. Clary Fray falls face first into the world of Shadowhunters after the mysterious disappearance of her mother, Jocelyn, and a strange encounter with teenagers covered in strange tattoos. Clary learns that the world she lives in has more secrets that she once believed.
I did not have high hopes for this series but for what it was it was good. The story itself was good, until the end. The ending really ruins the book. The ending directly leads into the sequel, which is nice but after hours of listening, this book was about 18 hours long, the ending jars the story. At times, Clary is not particularly likable, but the other characters make up for it.
A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey - finished 1/15/21 5/5 stars
This gem was a complete surprise that I happened upon at Barnes and Noble. Lila Reyes is sent by her Miami Cuban family to spend time with her aunt in Winchester, England after a trio of devastating losses. There she learns to work through her grief and learns how to move forward. It was perfect! I loved every second of it, from the small English town to the cutesy romance. It made me long for the English countryside. It was cute quick read that I can not recommend enough.
City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare - finished 1/16/21 (audiobook) 3.5/5 stars
This one was a bit of a letdown. The first Mortal Instruments book was pretty good, but the sequel lacked the push of the first novel. Clary now aware her love interest Jace is actually her brother deals with the longing want she has for him (Which ew gross!) and is trying to wake her mother up from a magical coma. She, along with Jace, Alec, Isabelle and Simon must find a way to defeat the forces against them and save the Mundane world. I simply could not get over Clary and Jace in this book. It was gross. The story also dragged on for way too long and was not as strong as the first one.
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare - finished 1/20/21 (audiobook) 4/5 stars
City of Glass rounds out the first half of The Mortal instruments series and was definitely better than City of Ashes. Clary heads to the City of Glass upon finding out the remedy to Jocelyn’s spell lies there. Clary and the gang Again, this story focused way too much on Clary and Jace’s want for one another. I truly do not know how I managed to convince myself to continue reading these books after City of Ashes.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco - finished 1/23/21 4.5/5 stars
I’m not going lie I didn’t really know a ton about this book before I bought it. The main reason I bought it was because the main character’s name is Emilia. I have never read a book where the main character has my name, so I decided to grab it and hope for the best and I loved it. Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are witches in Italy. But unbeknownst to Emilia, Vittoria was leading a secret life and now she’s dead and Emilia needs to figure out who did it and why. It lost half a star for me because I guessed the murderer at the beginning. As a whole the book was great. The seven princes of hell being the seven deadly sins?! What a concept. I’ve already preordered the sequel that comes out this fall and can’t wait to read it.
First Comes Scandal by Julia Quinn - finished 1/30/21 4/5 stars
Like everyone with a Netflix account, I am OBSESSED with Bridgerton and was dying to get my hands on copies of the books. I’ve ordered them all and they’re slowly trickling in. I was able to find this one on thriftbooks and snatched it up. First Comes Scandal is the last book of Quinn’s Rokesbys series. In the final installment, Georgiana Bridgerton, aunt to all the Bridgerton children, finds her reputation in ruins running out of options. In swoops Nicholas Rokesby, a childhood friend and future doctor, who agrees to marry Georgiana. I love historical fiction and I really enjoyed the book. It was a quick read and it gave me an idea of how Julia Quinn writes.
Thank you for indulging my book roundup. Until the next post!
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