I almost managed to go through thirteen books this month, but a couple of DNFs threw me off. Nonetheless, I still had a couple of (surprisingly) good titles. A bit belated, here’s everything I read in the month of June!
Frayed, by Kara Terzis. One out of five stars. How disappointing! You can read my full review on Goodreads but in short, this was obviously a debut novel that should have stayed on the drafting floor until a better editor could give the author some objective feedback. I feel like this book is making the rounds because the author started published on Wattpad as a kiddo and everyone loves young success, but this book just wasn’t good.
Tell the Wolves I’m Home, by Carol Rifka Brunt. Four out of five stars. This was a little slow in places, but it was a really good character-driven story that managed to be funny and touching at the same time.
Vanishing Girls, by Lauren Oliver. Two and a half out of five stars. Oliver is great at writing fast-paced books that suck you in and carry you along to the end almost without you realizing what’s happening. But the plot in this one was kind of madcap and it didn’t wrap up too neatly. It was still a good read for lying in the sun, though.
Each Vagabond By Name, by Margo Orlando Littell. Four and a half stars out of five. There were a couple of spots in this book where it slowed down a little and I started to worry that it wouldn’t have a satisfactory ending. But it was overall one of the most promising debuts I’ve read in a long time. Ramsy felt so real and the writing just flowed along from page one in such a way that I ended up finishing it in one sitting without meaning to.
Reality Boy, by A.S. King. DNF. I’ve heard so much praise for King’s books but I just couldn’t get into this, even though it was kind of an interesting plot. Oh well.
The Three, by Sarah Lotz. Two out of five stars. Well, that was an epic waste of five hours as I waited in vain for something creepy to happen. Meh! That’s all I have to say.
A Murder in Time, by Julie McElwain. Three out of five stars. This was kind of soap opera-y but still fun, and it was hard to guess the identity of the killer. I could have done without the little romance thrown in there at the end, but it was fun to see how you might try to solve a murder without all of the modern aids like fingerprinting, DNA, etc.
The Considerate Killer (Nina Borg #4), by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis. One out of five stars. I wish I hadn’t read this! It was a pointless addition to the series—no suspense, draggy chapters, pointless character arcs, etc. No good at all.
Terrible Virtue, by Ellen Feldman. Three out of five stars. This was an interesting concept—a fictionalized autobiography of Margaret Sanger. Unfortunately it’s not terribly expansive and I definitely recommend further research on the woman if you choose to read it, but it was a good starter for someone who normally doesn’t get into biography or nonfiction on the whole, and needed something to pique her interest. I’ll have a longer review of this book up on the blog next week.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism, by Grady Hendrix. Three out of five stars. This book was a weird mix of horror, comedy, and 80s pop culture. It was strangely readable, but a little forgettable, too. A good beach read for summer, then!
Be Frank With Me, by Julia Claiborne Johnson. Three out of five stars. I flew through this book, and I admit it has a certain charm, but after I finished it I had a headache. I don’t like quirk for quirk’s sake and this book is just brimming with it. Another one of those “beach reads” that is fun for what it is, but certainly doesn’t hold up to further scrutiny.
Vicious, by V.E. Schwab. Three out of five stars. I think I liked this book? But I’m not sure? It added some original elements to the whole “superhero” storyline that gets trotted out so often in fiction, but parts of it dragged. I did like how there was no clear cut “good” and “bad” guy—it was all shaded gray. It reminded me a lot of the old TV show Heroes, so if you liked that, you might like this book. Also, lots of other reviewers whose ratings I generally trust have rated this book much higher than me, so don’t be put off by my three-star rating! Just because I wasn’t in love doesn’t mean you won’t be.
Wink Poppy Midnight, by April Genevieve Tucholke. DNF, one out of five stars. Quirk for quirk’s sake and I couldn’t stand the writing style. I skimmed through enough to grasp the storyline and sent it back to the library. Pass!