Hoohoo, guys!
Time for my September wrap up! I have not read a lot thanks to two hiking trips and a lot of uni work I put off until the very last moment. I’m not happy with my reading month but I read some amazing books, so that evens it out a bit. I have no idea what else to tell you, so I’ll just show you the books I read.
Noah can’t even by Simon James Green
Noah can’t even #1 | Scholastic | 04.05.2017 | 365 pages | contemporary YA | rep: gay, mlm | TW: blackmail, absent parent, alcohol, cancer, dementia
Poor Noah Grimes!
His dad disappeared years ago, his mother’s Beyonce tribute act is an unacceptable embarrassment, and his beloved gran isn’t herself anymore. He only has one friend, Harry, and school is…Well, it’s pure HELL.
Why can’t Noah be normal, like everyone else at school? Maybe if he struck up a romantic relationship with someone – maybe Sophie, who is perfect and lovely – he’d be seen in a different light?
But Noah’s plans for romance are derailed when Harry kisses him at a party. That’s when things go from bad to worse utter chaos. (goodreads)
What did I think?
I finally finished this book. Took me long enough. As every Simon James Green book, this was hilarious and awkward and made me laugh a lot. Unlike the other books I’ve read by him, I was annoyed by exactly that sometimes. It was very over the top, just too much awkward and too much drama and while I enjoyed parts, I was mostly rolling my eyes. But it was gay and talked about sex, parents and figuring out your sexuality.
The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi (ARC)
The Gilded Wolves #2 | Wednesday Books | 22.09.2020 | 416 pages | historical fantasy YA | rep: bi, Indian, Filipino, Jewish | TW: blood, death, mutilation
Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost — one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God.
Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.
As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.
A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job. (goodreads)
What did I think?
I loved it so much! This was such a great read, I enjoyed this mix of a Russian setting with magical elements and mythology so much. And I was so happy to see my favourites again and see where there story is going. There was a lot of action, but also tender moments and space for character focus and their development. These characters are so precious and I would die for them. Read my full review of the Silvered Serpents.
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (ARC)
These Violent Delights #1 | Hodder & Stoughton | 17.11.2020 | 464 pages | historical YA/NA with fantasy elements | rep: Chinese, Korean, mlm, trans | tw: gore, blood, death, shootings
The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang-a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns-and grudges-aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule. (goodreads)
What did I think?
In! This! House! We! Stan! Lovers! To! Enemies! To! Lovers! And we especially stan a Romeo and Juliet retelling in 1920s Shanghai with a violence craving Juliet and a very tired™ Romeo. This book was amazing, full of thrill and action and not letting me relax for even a second. There was so much happening and I wow, I enjoyed every single second of it. Before I ramble on, you can read my more rambly full review of These Violent Delights.
A Rogue of one’s own by Evie Dunmore
A League of extraordinary women #2 | Berkley | 01.09.2020 | 413 pages | historical romance | rep: queer | tw: cheating, sexism, mentions of war, homophobia
Lady Lucie is fuming. She and her band of Oxford suffragists have finally scraped together enough capital to control one of London’s major publishing houses, with one purpose: to use it in a coup against Parliament. But who could have predicted that the one person standing between her and success is her old nemesis, Lord Ballentine? Or that he would be willing to hand over the reins for an outrageous price—a night in her bed.
Lucie tempts Tristan like no other woman, burning him up with her fierceness and determination every time they clash. But as their battle of wills and words fans the flames of long-smouldering devotion, the silver-tongued seducer runs the risk of becoming caught in his own snare.
As Lucie tries to out-manoeuvre Tristan in the boardroom and the bedchamber, she soon discovers there’s truth in what the poets say: all is fair in love and war… (goodreads)
What did I think?
Ahhh this was so much fun! I loved Lucie and Tristan so much! The yearning, the realizations, their shared past, them knowing each other yet having so much to learn. Fierce female lead and insolent yet soft male lead? Nice!! Pranks! Consensual sex! And just so, so much fun. And such a wonderful ending as well. Loved it!
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Stalking Jack the Ripper #1 | Jimmy Patterson | 05.09.2017 | 318 pages | historical YA/NA | TW: blood, murder, gore, drugs, drug addiction
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.
Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world. (goodreads)
What did I think?
I was so looking forward to this since so many people loved it a lot. But I had problems really getting into this. I wouldn’t say I disliked it but I also did not like it a lot? I liked Audrey and Thomas, the love interest and Audrey’s uncle. But the plot was quite forseeable, I had the story figured out very soon and that robbed a lot of my enjoyment. I felt like the writing was not 100% for me and felt a bit flat. I still kind of want to read the next books because of the characters.
That’s it! Have you read any of these books? What did you think? How was your reading month?
Until next time,
