Goodness, you guys! May is over! I can't believe it. The end of May is always so hectic for us with school wrapping up and the summer beginning. We're always busy at the end of May and then finally summer break! Woo hoo! Do you guys have any fun plans for summer? We're staying put this year and just having a lazy summer. I'm actually looking forward to it! Hopefully I'll get lots of reading done and just enjoy the slower and longer days. Ok, let's not procrastinate! Here are the books I read in May.
"Quantum Entanglement" by S.R. Watson and Ryan Stacks
Genesis just wants to finish school and not ruin her newest relationship. But when a series of strange events plagues her, she can't ignore that things are just plain weird right now. And when she freezes an entire coffee shop she doesn't think twice when a stranger tells her she's in danger and needs to escape. Elysian is all about wrestling and getting his girlfriend back. But when he experiences increased physical abilities and that little incident with his dorm catching on fire, it's not a far fetched idea that he's gifted. Elysian and Genesis find themselves connected on this new journey together, in more ways than one. Can they get through everything together? Including the fact that they may be demi gods?
This book had so much potential. It was like Twilight, Percy Jackson, and Harry Potter all rolled into one but make it college edition. Unfortunately, the book was extremely raw and unedited. It needed... More. More description just all around, everything was underdone in my opinion. I wanted to like this book but the lack of, well, everything, was off putting. I still gave it two stars because I though the premise was incredible. It just fell short.
"Cinderella is Dead" by Kalynn Bayron
In a world where Cinderella died 200 years ago and her story is still told as law for how to be a successful wife, Sophia finds she doesn't belong in this world. Not only are the women of her town disappearing without a trace, but the way women are treated doesn't suit her. Also, Sophia doesn't even want a suitor. She wants to marry her childhood friend, who also happens to be a woman. But they don't have that kind of freedom. Faced with being forfeited, she must attend the ball like all the young women of her town. Little did she know that ball would change the course of her entire life.
I really liked this book. The representation was amazing and I liked the feel of this fairy tale retelling. Imagine if Sophia teamed up with Merida from Brave and then went on a mission to save the kingdom from men. This is that book. The middle of the book is kind of slow and seems a little pointless but it comes around in the end. All in all, I can see why this book is so popular.
"Seven Days in June" by Tia Williams
Eva and Shane had seven problematic days together as teenagers. They hurt and they loved and they never saw each other again. Eva suffers from chronic migraines, has a successful book series that has pigeon holed her into a genre she dislikes, and has a daughter she'd do anything for. On a whim, she joins a writing panel discussion and gets ambushed on stage from a surprise visit from Shane. Shane has struggled with substance abuse his entire career, but still managed to turn out best sellers despite his lack of publicity. And the only reason he's come out of seclusion is to see Eva one more time.
This book was simply amazing. Oh, my gosh, the representation, the writing, the love, the trauma! It was so perfect! There were so many amazing moments in this book about POC culture and what POC writers have to face in the publishing world, not to mention just the pure beauty that is Williams writing. Please, please, read this one.
"Malorie" by Josh Malerman
This is book two in the Bird Box series. Malorie knows that she plays it safe and she gets ridiculed for it. But when the School for the Blind inevitably goes mad, she's glad she's always been cautious. And then years after Malorie and her two kids made their escape, she still lives behind the safety of her blindfold. Her kids, now seventeen years old, have never known life outside the confines of the summer camp they've called home for a decade. And when word from the outside world reaches them, Malorie has difficult decisions to make. Stay and hide or risk everything and brave the new world.
I would definitely not classify this as a horror like the first book. This is more of a personal journey for Malorie and her two kids, Tom and Olympia, as they navigate the new world. One of the things I think about a lot when reading (or watching) apocalyptic things is "ok, but what happens after?" I always catch myself wondering what's happening 5, 10, 20 years after that initial wave of damage. And this is the followup I was hoping for. Malerman gave me exactly what I wanted and we're, again, shown this extremely vulnerable side of Malorie that is extremely relatable and heartbreaking. I didn't love the ending, but it didn't ruin the book. Check out Bird Box one and then, for sure, read this. I think it was an excellent followup.
Alright! That's what I read this month! Did you read anything good? Have any suggestions for me? Drop me a comment, I'd love to hear about what you're reading. I'm going to be reading a little lighter in June, but I'm already really excited about summer starting. Let me know what's on your summer reading list! We'll talk soon, book nerds. Happy reading!
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