June Wrap Up

Right, so, I realize that I’m quite a few days late to posting, and I’m very sorry. In my defense, I’m feeling under the weather, so I was just barely able to lift my fingers to type this post. My life lately has also been on a recurring cycle of reading books and watching Riverdale, which I’m not complaining about, at all. I’ve also been focusing on my new bookstagram, so that takes up quite a bit of my time. And I finally got out of my reading slump, so that’s great! I read (and listened) to quite a few books this month, so let’s get into this month’s wrap up!

The first book I read was A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas. Ok, look. I loved ACOTAR and ACOMAF, they were great. ACOWAR, however, was not that. I mean, as per usual, the writing is great, but the plot was really lacking, not to mention the diversity problems it has. In fact, most of Sarah J. Maas’ work lacks diversity a lot. She has a lot of talent and is a great writer, she just doesn’t use that talent to its full potential. There are barely any POC characters, and though this book introduced us to some LGBTQ+ characters, there were a lot of stereotypes and feelings of shame surrounded by them. They way I see it, if you’re writing about a made-up world with made up people, you should take advantage of that and make it a world where everyone is accepting. Our world isn’t like that, so make one that is.

Next up, we have Always and Forever, Jara Jean by Jenny Han. This book was really such a fun read. I’m so glad that Jenny Han decided to write another book about Lara Jean’s’ story, because it’s truly an amazing series, and this was the perfect conclusion to it. This is the third book in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series, so go check these books out!

The third book I read was Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare and ohmygod I just can’t. It was so insanely good that I can’t put it into words. This is the second book in The Dark Artifices series, which is a spin-off of The Mortal Instruments, so I can’t say much about it, but if you’ve read it, you can check out my spoiler filled booktalk here.

Neeext we have Caraval by Stephanie Garber. Up until I read this, I was still in a pretty bad slump, but I read this in the duration of one day and poof! No more slump! Caraval is about two sisters, Scarlett and Tella, who attend a mysterious carnival on an island many miles away from their home. When they arrive, Tella is taken, and whoever finds her first is the winner of that year’s Caraval. The story follows Scarlett as she plays the game to save her sister. In short, it was great. I’ve never read a book about a carnival or a circus, so this concept was really new to me, but also really interesting. By now, most people have read this book, but if you haven’t, go check it out!

The next book I read was The Diviners by Libba Bray. This book has been sitting on my shelf for ages. I tried reading it once, but I just couldn’t get into it. I finally tried picking it up again, and I’m so glad that I did! The story follows Evie O’Neill when she get’s sent to New York to live with her uncle after a party trick gets her in trouble. The thing is, Evie is a Diviner who can read objects and learn people’s secrets. After Evie arrives in New York, gruesome murders start popping up, and no one can figure out who is doing it. Is it the work of a serial killer...or something more sinister? Again, this book was great. I’m getting really into the paranormal genre, so if that’s what you’re interested in, too, then this is the book for you!

Next up we have Made You Up by Francesca Zappia. This book is about a girl, Alex, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age after an incident with the grocery store’s lobster tank and a boy who she thought she made up. Years later, still battling to figure out what’s real and what’s not, she moves to a new school where she meets Miles, the boy from the grocery store. All at once, her world starts to change. I think this book is so important, mainly because I’ve seen so few books in YA about schizophrenia. Not only was it super informative and eye opening, the plotline of the story is amazingly thought out and written. I know I recommend a lot of books, but this is the one I’ll assure people is worth it.

The seventh book I read in the month of June was Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amy Kaufman This is the second book in The Illuminae Files series, and of course, it was amazing. I read Illuminae in May, and it was absolutely wonderful and I love it a lot. If you haven’t read Illuminae, you should, because it’s great.

Next, we have Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. This book follows Violet White after a stranger comes to her small seaside town, and strange things start to happen. As I was reading this book, I was into it, because it’s pretty fast paced. But when I finished, I realized that though it moved quickly, the story was really lacking. I didn’t hate it, not at all. It just wasn’t...something. The writing is insanely beautiful, the cover is gorgeous, but the plot was eh. It presents itself as “gothic” but the only thing gothic about it is the old, rundown house that the main character lives in. In all probability, I’ll end up reading the next book at some point, but until then, this book just isn’t working for me.

The next book is one that I actually listened to as an audiobook, and that was The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud. I read this book back in September or October, and I didn’t appreciate it as much as I should have. I listened to it, and I loved it even more than the first time I read it. It’s a YA paranormal about a ghost hunting company on the verge of being forced to shut down. After they take a job that goes awry, they find themselves in some deep trouble. Reading this the second time around got me interested in it again, so I’m definitely going to read the rest of the series very soon!

The very last book I read was again, one I listen to on audiobook, and that was How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot. I remember starting this book a very long time ago, but I didn’t finish it. I was on a long car trip though, so I downloaded it and started to listen. As always with Meg Cabot’s work, it was a fun, light listen that I enjoyed not as something serious, but something fun and uplifting. It’s about a girl who’s done being unpopular and laughed at, so she follows the advice of a 1950’s self-help book about popularity. I enjoyed it a lot, so check it out!

And though it came late, I hope you enjoyed my June Wrap Up! Five Fan Favorites is coming your way soon! And if you haven’t checked out my bookstagram, here it is! Thanks for reading,

-Ari