Goodreads reading challenge
Dec. 29th, 2018 01:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crimisinI'm one of those people that suffers greatly from decision paralysis. So when I go to a library or bookstore and there are so many books I get very overwhelmed and have no idea what I'm doing. So when I started working on my goal of utilizing the library more (especially the digital catalog) I turned to my very neglected Goodreads account. To try to get some organization going. And since I was already there I might as well do the reading challenge.
Since it is almost the end of the year, and I have exceeded my reading goal I thought I would do a rec list.
Everything I've read (or reread) this year that I rated 4 or 5 stars.
A Note: I do star ratings based purely on the subjective level of enjoyment they are labeled as, and do not claim any attempt at objective critique based on quality.
A Second Note: I'm going to list them in reverse chronological order So it's very likely the books at the end will be titles and a vague "I remembered liking it!" I'm sorry but my memory is just....so bad.
The Scorpio Races
Technically, I'm still reading this one. But it's a reread so I still feel confident putting it here. The Scorpio Races is by far my favorite book by Stiefvater. It takes place on an island where every fall there's a Capaill Uisce (mythical Water Horse) race on the beach. The main characters are Sean (4 time winner of the race) and Puck (using the race to try to keep her family together.) One of the things I love about this book is all of the stories going on in the background. Everyone on the island has their own story playing out. For most of them we see tiny glimpses, but there are a couple more developed background stories that are pretty great.
The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a retelling of the entire relationship of Achilles and Patroclus. Told by Patroclus. I am familiar with the story of the Trojan War. So for me, the entire book is filled with this bittersweet melancholy where every good pure happy memory is foreshadowing the end we all know is coming. It's sublime. But it's sad af and the only reason that I can read and read this book is because somehow Madeline Miller managed to craft an ending that leaves you crying about the beauty of their love instead of wallowing in the tragedy of the story.
All for the Game
My experience with the All for he Game trilogy is that people either love it or they think it's one of the worst things they've ever read. I think it's because the level of suspension of disbelief involved is somewhere between One Tree Hill and Professional Wrestling. If you try to apply real world logic to this you're not gonna have a good time. If you want to read about a sport that's a cross between lacrosse and racquetball, a main character that's living under an assumed identity on the run from the mob, the world's most dysfunctional sports team trying to get the Championship, and their rivals a team literally owned by the yakuza; this is the book for you. It's pretty ridiculous, if it was a tv show it would be like the Riverdale of Sports Dramas. I think that says about all I need to say.
Warcross & Wildcard
I love Marie Lu. (As an author, not in a creepy stalker way.) Everything she writes is so cinematic. Warcross and the sequel Wildcard are about a young woman Emika Chen who is in pretty dire financial straits and working as a bounty hunter that gets caught up in The Warcross championship tournament. Warcross is a VR capture the flag game that comes free on the "neurolink" glasses that connect you to the new entirely VR internet. The descriptions of which are great, especially the Darknet. The book has got a very cyberpunk anime feel to it, which is very fun. I like it, a lot.
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda & Leah on the Offbeat
I normally don't read much contemporary, but this series is really cute. Simon vs is kind of a love story about 2 gay kids that go to the same high school falling in love over anonymous emails, but mostly it's a story about Simon getting blackmailed by someone who found these emails. That doesn't cute. But, it does get played very teen rom-com style. Leah on the Offbeat picks up the next school year following Simon's best friend Leah. it's hard to say what it's about without spoiling anything...so it's about falling in love with a friend/friends' ex and the really hard parts of senior year when you have to decide which relationships you'll prioritize in the future, and which you'll leave behind in High School.
Tales of the High Court
Is a 4 book fantasy romance series (with a 5th planned). They take place (for the most part) in the Harken Empire. The first 3 are m/m the 4th is m/m/f, and the 3rd and the 4th have trans mains. I go back and forth over whether these are 3* or 4*. The world building is great. And I like all the characters. I just feel like each book is just ...slightly less book than I want. There's just a very tight focus on the main story line and it feels like some of the side story lines could be more explored.
A Conspiracy of Stars
YA Afro-futurism. It's about people who left the origin planet (Earth) when it became uninhabitable and ended up on the planet of Faloiv. Faloiv was not the destination planet and while it's survivable with the right precautions it's not necessarily comfortable for humans. So the entire culture there is built up around science as a way to improve quality of life and scientists as the people that do that. The main character Octavia has lived on Faloiv all her life. In the beginning of the book something happens to her that opens her eyes to the changes in policy and leadership happening that make her question the future of life on the planet, and the ethics/morality of the settlement of N'Terra It starts a little slow but it ends strong.
Ash Princess
The description of Ash Princess comes off a little formulaic YA novel. There's not really a defense against that. But I don't think it needs a defense. Formulas work. Anyways. The reason I rated this as 4* when I've rated similar books at a 3 is because when I read the physical description of the main character I didn't picture a white girl, and the romance/love triangle situation was less offensive to my sensibilities than normal.
Girls made of Snow and Glass
This is a reimagining of Snow White where Snow White is a lesbian and the evil queen/stepmother is a well rounded sympathetic character. The narrative switches between the present Lynet pov and past Mina pov until Mina's story catches up to the present. Normally I'm not really a fan of stories structured like that but it worked pretty well in this case. Also, Lesbian Snow White is just a big draw for me.
A Crown of Wishes
Crown of Wishes is the sequel to The Star-touched Queen. IMO it's better, and it stands alone very well. It's kind of Caraval meets Indian mythology. The snarky reluctant relationship between the 2 leads is delightful.
Artifice
Not a book but a webcomic/graphic novel. Artifice is about Deacon an android soldier debriefing a psychologist about the mission that he was just on. A mission in which he disobeyed orders and fell in love with a human. It's a very fast read and I really like the art style.
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic
The entire Grishaverse is great. And really I recommend all of it all the time. Language of Thorns though is great even if you don't read the rest of it because it stands alone as a collection of in universe fairy/folk tales. Leigh Bardugo is excellent at this. Her style of prose lends itself so well to this format, and she's superb at world building. It's also a beautiful book the cover/binding are gorgeous and the illustrations are beautiful.
Love for the Cold-Blooded, or The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero
The title is a mouthful but this is probably my all time fav rom com. Pat West, college student, works as a night manager for Nicholas Anderson, billionaire. One night, Pat's misunderstanding of a request from Anderson leads to a case of mistaken identity that spirals out of control. Things seem complicated enough, but they get worse, because Pat is the son of Serpentissima (The Dread Serpent) a challenger (commonly known as a super-villain) and Nicholas...he's The Silver Paladin one of the Hero Corps strongest Heroes.
Wonder Woman: Warbringer & Batman: Nightwalker
I'm not really going to try to sell anyone on the DC Icons Series. Either you want to read about Batman and/or Wonder Woman being teenagers and doing YA novel things or you don't. It is a departure from how the characters are normally depicted, some people (myself included) thought it was a good and fun departure. Some people feel like it was OOC fanfic.
The Cruel Prince
The Cruel Prince is Holly Black's latest fairy story. You don't need to read The Darkest Part of the Forest or the Modern Faerie Tales to understand this one, but some of those characters make appearances. I expected not to like this one as much as I liked Darkest Part of the Forest, I really really loved Darkest Part of the Forest, but I think I do. Something about it is just really great.
Children of Blood and Bone
I'm starting to get to the earlier part of the year, so my memory isn't going to let me do this book justice. I liked the mythology, I liked the setting. The romance was weak but everything else made up for it.
To Kill a Kingdom
I know it says right in my profile that I don't like enemies to lovers, so rating this book this highly probably makes me look like a liar. It was just very well done. Also, I love mermaids.
The Hazel Wood
The thing I most remember about The Hazel Wood 7 months after reading it is that it verged on "trying to hard to be edgy" territory. But, I have a giant soft spot for urban fantasy, and an even softer spot for urban fairy tales. Fairy tale garbage with fairy tale logic happening in New York is great. It's so much my jam.
The Black Witch
You know how dumbasses say that something is sjw propaganda just because there's more than 1 poc or a single gay couple? This book actually is SJW propaganda and it's fucking awesome. The main story of this book is the main character learning to recognize her privilege and learning how to leverage it to help others that are less privileged. With a nice side lesson of don't trust the history taught to you by imperialists. And it's all happening in a fantasy setting with magic and half a million fantasy races floating around. It's great.
Prisoners of Peace
Is a duology, The Scorpion Rules and The Swan Riders. In the future AIs are invented, and they realize that humans are destroying the planet with their consumerism and wars and it can't be allowed. Talis (an AI) takes over the world. Part of the laws that he puts into place as supreme ruler (or whatever he calls himself) say that every country can decide who their leaders however they want (monarchy/democracy/theocracy) but that every leader must have at least 1 child or grandchild that can be taken as a hostage. This hostage is the first to die when their country declares war. There are a lot of other new laws regarding warfare, but that's the important one to the main character who is one of the hostages and lives with the constant threat of death hanging over her head. These books are great because the author Erin Bow does such a great job subverting tropes.
Renegades
I haven't read Archenemies yet which is sad, but Renegades was great. A villain goes under cover as a hero. Lots of sticky questions about morality are asked. There are teenagers with super powers. There was a twist ending that was surprising, but also completely expected. Pretty Grade A super hero fare.
An Enchantment of Ravens
To be real with you I don't remember this book very well. It's entirely possible that this rating is just my pro fairy bias.
Heart of Iron
Anastasia meets Treasure Planet. With characters of color and lgbt rep. I love this book.
The Wicked + The Divine
I read Volumes 1-6. Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie are great. I loved their run of The Young Avengers, and I really liked this. It's pretty much my favorite comic book art ever. And Modern Mythology is one of those things that always gets me.
Monsters of Verity
Another duology, The Savage Song and This Dark Duet take place in a world where every act of violence births a demon. One half of the city is heavily militarized they kill demons on sight to keep their half safe, the other half is ruled over by a mobster who's made a deal with the demons anyone can be safe as long as they can afford the protection money. The main characters are the mobsters daughter and a demon raised by and fighting for the militarized side.
The Bone Witch
And it's sequel The Heart Forger are like The Name of the Wind meets Memoirs of a Geisha.
If you wanna be friends on Goodreads you can find me here. And if you have any questions about books mentioned on this post or that I have shelved on Goodreads don't hesitate to ask!
Since it is almost the end of the year, and I have exceeded my reading goal I thought I would do a rec list.
Everything I've read (or reread) this year that I rated 4 or 5 stars.
A Note: I do star ratings based purely on the subjective level of enjoyment they are labeled as, and do not claim any attempt at objective critique based on quality.
A Second Note: I'm going to list them in reverse chronological order So it's very likely the books at the end will be titles and a vague "I remembered liking it!" I'm sorry but my memory is just....so bad.
The Scorpio Races
Technically, I'm still reading this one. But it's a reread so I still feel confident putting it here. The Scorpio Races is by far my favorite book by Stiefvater. It takes place on an island where every fall there's a Capaill Uisce (mythical Water Horse) race on the beach. The main characters are Sean (4 time winner of the race) and Puck (using the race to try to keep her family together.) One of the things I love about this book is all of the stories going on in the background. Everyone on the island has their own story playing out. For most of them we see tiny glimpses, but there are a couple more developed background stories that are pretty great.
The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a retelling of the entire relationship of Achilles and Patroclus. Told by Patroclus. I am familiar with the story of the Trojan War. So for me, the entire book is filled with this bittersweet melancholy where every good pure happy memory is foreshadowing the end we all know is coming. It's sublime. But it's sad af and the only reason that I can read and read this book is because somehow Madeline Miller managed to craft an ending that leaves you crying about the beauty of their love instead of wallowing in the tragedy of the story.
All for the Game
My experience with the All for he Game trilogy is that people either love it or they think it's one of the worst things they've ever read. I think it's because the level of suspension of disbelief involved is somewhere between One Tree Hill and Professional Wrestling. If you try to apply real world logic to this you're not gonna have a good time. If you want to read about a sport that's a cross between lacrosse and racquetball, a main character that's living under an assumed identity on the run from the mob, the world's most dysfunctional sports team trying to get the Championship, and their rivals a team literally owned by the yakuza; this is the book for you. It's pretty ridiculous, if it was a tv show it would be like the Riverdale of Sports Dramas. I think that says about all I need to say.
Warcross & Wildcard
I love Marie Lu. (As an author, not in a creepy stalker way.) Everything she writes is so cinematic. Warcross and the sequel Wildcard are about a young woman Emika Chen who is in pretty dire financial straits and working as a bounty hunter that gets caught up in The Warcross championship tournament. Warcross is a VR capture the flag game that comes free on the "neurolink" glasses that connect you to the new entirely VR internet. The descriptions of which are great, especially the Darknet. The book has got a very cyberpunk anime feel to it, which is very fun. I like it, a lot.
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda & Leah on the Offbeat
I normally don't read much contemporary, but this series is really cute. Simon vs is kind of a love story about 2 gay kids that go to the same high school falling in love over anonymous emails, but mostly it's a story about Simon getting blackmailed by someone who found these emails. That doesn't cute. But, it does get played very teen rom-com style. Leah on the Offbeat picks up the next school year following Simon's best friend Leah. it's hard to say what it's about without spoiling anything...so it's about falling in love with a friend/friends' ex and the really hard parts of senior year when you have to decide which relationships you'll prioritize in the future, and which you'll leave behind in High School.
Tales of the High Court
Is a 4 book fantasy romance series (with a 5th planned). They take place (for the most part) in the Harken Empire. The first 3 are m/m the 4th is m/m/f, and the 3rd and the 4th have trans mains. I go back and forth over whether these are 3* or 4*. The world building is great. And I like all the characters. I just feel like each book is just ...slightly less book than I want. There's just a very tight focus on the main story line and it feels like some of the side story lines could be more explored.
A Conspiracy of Stars
YA Afro-futurism. It's about people who left the origin planet (Earth) when it became uninhabitable and ended up on the planet of Faloiv. Faloiv was not the destination planet and while it's survivable with the right precautions it's not necessarily comfortable for humans. So the entire culture there is built up around science as a way to improve quality of life and scientists as the people that do that. The main character Octavia has lived on Faloiv all her life. In the beginning of the book something happens to her that opens her eyes to the changes in policy and leadership happening that make her question the future of life on the planet, and the ethics/morality of the settlement of N'Terra It starts a little slow but it ends strong.
Ash Princess
The description of Ash Princess comes off a little formulaic YA novel. There's not really a defense against that. But I don't think it needs a defense. Formulas work. Anyways. The reason I rated this as 4* when I've rated similar books at a 3 is because when I read the physical description of the main character I didn't picture a white girl, and the romance/love triangle situation was less offensive to my sensibilities than normal.
Girls made of Snow and Glass
This is a reimagining of Snow White where Snow White is a lesbian and the evil queen/stepmother is a well rounded sympathetic character. The narrative switches between the present Lynet pov and past Mina pov until Mina's story catches up to the present. Normally I'm not really a fan of stories structured like that but it worked pretty well in this case. Also, Lesbian Snow White is just a big draw for me.
A Crown of Wishes
Crown of Wishes is the sequel to The Star-touched Queen. IMO it's better, and it stands alone very well. It's kind of Caraval meets Indian mythology. The snarky reluctant relationship between the 2 leads is delightful.
Artifice
Not a book but a webcomic/graphic novel. Artifice is about Deacon an android soldier debriefing a psychologist about the mission that he was just on. A mission in which he disobeyed orders and fell in love with a human. It's a very fast read and I really like the art style.
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic
The entire Grishaverse is great. And really I recommend all of it all the time. Language of Thorns though is great even if you don't read the rest of it because it stands alone as a collection of in universe fairy/folk tales. Leigh Bardugo is excellent at this. Her style of prose lends itself so well to this format, and she's superb at world building. It's also a beautiful book the cover/binding are gorgeous and the illustrations are beautiful.
Love for the Cold-Blooded, or The Part-Time Evil Minion's Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero
The title is a mouthful but this is probably my all time fav rom com. Pat West, college student, works as a night manager for Nicholas Anderson, billionaire. One night, Pat's misunderstanding of a request from Anderson leads to a case of mistaken identity that spirals out of control. Things seem complicated enough, but they get worse, because Pat is the son of Serpentissima (The Dread Serpent) a challenger (commonly known as a super-villain) and Nicholas...he's The Silver Paladin one of the Hero Corps strongest Heroes.
Wonder Woman: Warbringer & Batman: Nightwalker
I'm not really going to try to sell anyone on the DC Icons Series. Either you want to read about Batman and/or Wonder Woman being teenagers and doing YA novel things or you don't. It is a departure from how the characters are normally depicted, some people (myself included) thought it was a good and fun departure. Some people feel like it was OOC fanfic.
The Cruel Prince
The Cruel Prince is Holly Black's latest fairy story. You don't need to read The Darkest Part of the Forest or the Modern Faerie Tales to understand this one, but some of those characters make appearances. I expected not to like this one as much as I liked Darkest Part of the Forest, I really really loved Darkest Part of the Forest, but I think I do. Something about it is just really great.
Children of Blood and Bone
I'm starting to get to the earlier part of the year, so my memory isn't going to let me do this book justice. I liked the mythology, I liked the setting. The romance was weak but everything else made up for it.
To Kill a Kingdom
I know it says right in my profile that I don't like enemies to lovers, so rating this book this highly probably makes me look like a liar. It was just very well done. Also, I love mermaids.
The Hazel Wood
The thing I most remember about The Hazel Wood 7 months after reading it is that it verged on "trying to hard to be edgy" territory. But, I have a giant soft spot for urban fantasy, and an even softer spot for urban fairy tales. Fairy tale garbage with fairy tale logic happening in New York is great. It's so much my jam.
The Black Witch
You know how dumbasses say that something is sjw propaganda just because there's more than 1 poc or a single gay couple? This book actually is SJW propaganda and it's fucking awesome. The main story of this book is the main character learning to recognize her privilege and learning how to leverage it to help others that are less privileged. With a nice side lesson of don't trust the history taught to you by imperialists. And it's all happening in a fantasy setting with magic and half a million fantasy races floating around. It's great.
Prisoners of Peace
Is a duology, The Scorpion Rules and The Swan Riders. In the future AIs are invented, and they realize that humans are destroying the planet with their consumerism and wars and it can't be allowed. Talis (an AI) takes over the world. Part of the laws that he puts into place as supreme ruler (or whatever he calls himself) say that every country can decide who their leaders however they want (monarchy/democracy/theocracy) but that every leader must have at least 1 child or grandchild that can be taken as a hostage. This hostage is the first to die when their country declares war. There are a lot of other new laws regarding warfare, but that's the important one to the main character who is one of the hostages and lives with the constant threat of death hanging over her head. These books are great because the author Erin Bow does such a great job subverting tropes.
Renegades
I haven't read Archenemies yet which is sad, but Renegades was great. A villain goes under cover as a hero. Lots of sticky questions about morality are asked. There are teenagers with super powers. There was a twist ending that was surprising, but also completely expected. Pretty Grade A super hero fare.
An Enchantment of Ravens
To be real with you I don't remember this book very well. It's entirely possible that this rating is just my pro fairy bias.
Heart of Iron
Anastasia meets Treasure Planet. With characters of color and lgbt rep. I love this book.
The Wicked + The Divine
I read Volumes 1-6. Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie are great. I loved their run of The Young Avengers, and I really liked this. It's pretty much my favorite comic book art ever. And Modern Mythology is one of those things that always gets me.
Monsters of Verity
Another duology, The Savage Song and This Dark Duet take place in a world where every act of violence births a demon. One half of the city is heavily militarized they kill demons on sight to keep their half safe, the other half is ruled over by a mobster who's made a deal with the demons anyone can be safe as long as they can afford the protection money. The main characters are the mobsters daughter and a demon raised by and fighting for the militarized side.
The Bone Witch
And it's sequel The Heart Forger are like The Name of the Wind meets Memoirs of a Geisha.
If you wanna be friends on Goodreads you can find me here. And if you have any questions about books mentioned on this post or that I have shelved on Goodreads don't hesitate to ask!
