This May, I had a bit of a reading slump. However, I still managed to read 10 books. Perhaps not so much of a slump after all. So, because I am absolutely terrible at writing introductions, here are quick reviews of all of the books I read last month.
1. Seconds, by Bryan Lee O'Malley
This is different from the things I usually read, but I still quite enjoyed it. The premise is essentially that the main character, Katie, gets do-overs every day, but there's a scary caveat. I thought the art was cute, even if the story was a tiny bit lacking. To be honest, I'm probably a tiny bit too old to have read this, which explains why I found it predictable. Overall, this was a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
2. The opposite of always, by Justin A. Renyolds
I really loved this book. I haven't read a lot of magical realism, but I'm on the lookout for more after how good this was. Jack and Kate are the main characters, with Jack narrating the story. They have a sort of love-at-first-sight kind of a thing, and then Kate falls ill and dies. Jack gets dizzy and falls over, before waking up two weeks earlier, where he has the chance to save Kate again. This was wonderfully written, and although I found the ending a little anti climatic, I loved the story. Five out of five stars.
3. Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
I read speak a few years ago, and I didn't love it. The graphic novel was beautifully done, and I liked the message it was trying to convey. So I went into this with mixed (but not really, because speak had an awesome impact) feelings. I was actually surprised by how readable this was, despite the many tragedies that the author had to go through. It follows her throughout her life and after publishing speak. Four out of five stars.
4. All The Rage, by Courtney Summers
This is the third book by Courtney Summers I've read, and I think I might just have to stop reading her forever. I find her writing dramatic, yet poorly done, and her plots somewhat incoherent. I did like the message that this had, but it was literally just like all of her other books. There was nothing to distinguish it or make it interesting. 3 out of 5 stars.
5. After the Fire, by Will Hill
After reading the Sacred Lies Of Minnow Bly, I've read pretty much every YA book about cults that there is. (There's only about three.) This one rose above the rest to be suspenseful and interesting. I found myself cringing along with the mc, as well as rooting for her throughout the whole novel. I really can't give a summary without revealing the whole thing. Although the plot twist was sort of glaring, I don't think it made the story bad. Five out of five stars.
6. Internment, by Samira Amed
This centers on a Muslim girl forced into an internment camp after Islamaphobia skyrockets. I thought the premise of this was interesting, but it didn't delve into the social issues as much as I would have liked. Instead it was a description of the camp and the things that they did in the camp, which I found slightly less interesting, although needed. The plot was a little slow, but it was very readable. Three out of five stars.
7. We Set The Dark On Fire, by Tehlor Key Meija
I've already talked about this in my pride month books post, so head over there to read about it! Five out of five stars.
8. The Weight Of the Stars, by K. Ancrum
Space is a sort of unexplored topic in YA, so I was really happy to see this book. It's about a girl who wants to be an astronaut, but lives in a trailer with her two brothers, who she can't leave. Then, she meets a girl who's mother is currently living her life out in space, having left when she was their age. Every night, they try to get transmissions from her mom. The book is a slow-burn romance and friendship. Five out of five stars for beautiful writing.
9. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell
I love graphic novels, but I usually read them too fast to enjoy them. This might have been the case here. The art was beautiful, but I found the plot lackluster and the characters confusing. Many of them were drawn in similar ways that made it hard to follow what was happening. Three out of five stars.
10. The Meaning Of Birds, by Jaye Robin Brown
Jessica and Vivi have the perfect romance, until Vivi dies. Then, Jess is left alone, with only her anger to guide her through her new life. This was really sweet and sad, but I really liked it. Four out of five stars.
So, I guess that's a wrap. May was a pretty good month for me, no one star reviews!
1. Seconds, by Bryan Lee O'Malley
This is different from the things I usually read, but I still quite enjoyed it. The premise is essentially that the main character, Katie, gets do-overs every day, but there's a scary caveat. I thought the art was cute, even if the story was a tiny bit lacking. To be honest, I'm probably a tiny bit too old to have read this, which explains why I found it predictable. Overall, this was a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
2. The opposite of always, by Justin A. Renyolds
I really loved this book. I haven't read a lot of magical realism, but I'm on the lookout for more after how good this was. Jack and Kate are the main characters, with Jack narrating the story. They have a sort of love-at-first-sight kind of a thing, and then Kate falls ill and dies. Jack gets dizzy and falls over, before waking up two weeks earlier, where he has the chance to save Kate again. This was wonderfully written, and although I found the ending a little anti climatic, I loved the story. Five out of five stars.
3. Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
I read speak a few years ago, and I didn't love it. The graphic novel was beautifully done, and I liked the message it was trying to convey. So I went into this with mixed (but not really, because speak had an awesome impact) feelings. I was actually surprised by how readable this was, despite the many tragedies that the author had to go through. It follows her throughout her life and after publishing speak. Four out of five stars.
4. All The Rage, by Courtney Summers
This is the third book by Courtney Summers I've read, and I think I might just have to stop reading her forever. I find her writing dramatic, yet poorly done, and her plots somewhat incoherent. I did like the message that this had, but it was literally just like all of her other books. There was nothing to distinguish it or make it interesting. 3 out of 5 stars.
5. After the Fire, by Will Hill
After reading the Sacred Lies Of Minnow Bly, I've read pretty much every YA book about cults that there is. (There's only about three.) This one rose above the rest to be suspenseful and interesting. I found myself cringing along with the mc, as well as rooting for her throughout the whole novel. I really can't give a summary without revealing the whole thing. Although the plot twist was sort of glaring, I don't think it made the story bad. Five out of five stars.
6. Internment, by Samira Amed
This centers on a Muslim girl forced into an internment camp after Islamaphobia skyrockets. I thought the premise of this was interesting, but it didn't delve into the social issues as much as I would have liked. Instead it was a description of the camp and the things that they did in the camp, which I found slightly less interesting, although needed. The plot was a little slow, but it was very readable. Three out of five stars.
7. We Set The Dark On Fire, by Tehlor Key Meija
I've already talked about this in my pride month books post, so head over there to read about it! Five out of five stars.
8. The Weight Of the Stars, by K. Ancrum
Space is a sort of unexplored topic in YA, so I was really happy to see this book. It's about a girl who wants to be an astronaut, but lives in a trailer with her two brothers, who she can't leave. Then, she meets a girl who's mother is currently living her life out in space, having left when she was their age. Every night, they try to get transmissions from her mom. The book is a slow-burn romance and friendship. Five out of five stars for beautiful writing.
9. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O'Connell
I love graphic novels, but I usually read them too fast to enjoy them. This might have been the case here. The art was beautiful, but I found the plot lackluster and the characters confusing. Many of them were drawn in similar ways that made it hard to follow what was happening. Three out of five stars.
10. The Meaning Of Birds, by Jaye Robin Brown
Jessica and Vivi have the perfect romance, until Vivi dies. Then, Jess is left alone, with only her anger to guide her through her new life. This was really sweet and sad, but I really liked it. Four out of five stars.
So, I guess that's a wrap. May was a pretty good month for me, no one star reviews!
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