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Photo of book described in article with a cup of coffee
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MSU | Culture > Entertainment

Rating the Books I Read Over Winter Break

Victoria Yahn Student Contributor, Michigan State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

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As a full-time college student, I rarely have the chance to read during school. I knew that during winter break I was going to try and read as many books as possible, and that is exactly what I did. I decided to compile a list of the ones I read and review them. For anyone looking for their next read, here is a list of random books to look at. 

“Alchemised” by SenLinYu

The best book that I read this break was “Alchemised” by SenLinYu. Although it stemmed from a fanfiction based on the popular “Harry Potter” series, I still really enjoyed it. I loved the dynamic between the two main characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed how the plot was laid out. I was hooked the whole time while reading it, despite its lengthiness. 

However, there were a few things wrong with this novel. First, the magic system was a little confusing; I often found myself googling what different terms meant to try and understand it better. Additionally, the main character lacked motivation for why she did some of the things that she did. While these caveats can definitely be chalked up to the fact that it stemmed from a fanfiction, it was still a little disappointing. Despite these issues, the rest of the book was phenomenal. 

“Alchemised” is the perfect book for anyone who is looking for a more dark and gritty fantasy novel that has a little romance as well. I would definitely recommend “Alchemised” as your next read if you’ve been eyeing it for a while or just want to try something new. 

“The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” by Stuart Turton

As someone who does not usually read mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It follows one man as he wakes up in a different body every day to try and solve a murder. Not only was the concept of the novel very intriguing, it was also executed very well. I loved how the book was written, and I was never able to anticipate all of the twists and turns. 

I would say that this book is slightly confusing, so I would only recommend it to people who like a good challenge in their mystery books. While most of the book was fantastic, I would say that the end felt a little flat, which was slightly disappointing considering how good the rest of the book was. Still, I had a great time reading “The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.” 

For anyone who is a fan of complex and twisty mysteries, this book is the perfect one to add to your TBR. 

“In the Event of Love” by Courtney Kae

“In the Event of Love” was the perfect romantic winter read. The story followed two ex best friends as they reconnect to help save the small town they grew up in. I absolutely loved the small town feel of this book, and the two main characters were so cute together. 

My favorite thing about this novel was the LGBTQ+ representation. As a member of the community myself, I don’t often find a lot of romance novels that have a bisexual and lesbian as the main characters. This really made the book unique and stand out, and I mainly just loved the representation. 

“In the Event of Love” is a must read for anyone looking for a cozy winter romance or for anyone looking to add some more representation to their shelves. 

“The Deal” by Elle Kennedy

Whenever I am scrolling through TikTok looking for my next book to read, “The Deal” is almost always recommended. I figured I had to try it and see what all the hype is about. While the story and the main characters were pretty cute, the rest of the book just wasn’t for me. 

I have never been a big hockey romance fan, so that can definitely explain why this book wasn’t for me. But also, I felt like the plot and the writing just wasn’t the best. I have read far better romances than this one, so to be frank, I don’t really get all the hype.

However, if hockey romances are your thing, then I would say to go ahead and give “The Deal” a try. It’s popular for a reason, and I just don’t understand that reason. 

While this certainly wasn’t an extensive list of books by any means, it was all I was able to fit in during my winter break. I hope this list has been helpful in either adding a book to your TBR or finding your next read. I know I certainly enjoyed most of these books, and I hope you do as well. 

Victoria Yahn

MSU '28

Victoria Yahn is so excited to be apart of Her Campus! She enjoys writing about books and movies. Additionally, she is part of the editing team for her chapter.
She is a sophomore majoring in communication and journalism at Michigan State University. She helped start and run a Literary Magazine at her high school that published all different works from the student body.
She was born in New Jersey but moved to Georgia when she was in first grade. She has an identical twin sister and two older brothers. Additionally, she also has two Pomeranians. Her hobbies include reading, running and watching movies. She loves all things animals, so she has done a lot of fostering of both cats and dogs. She also volunteers at a local shelter in her hometown in Georgia. Some of her favorite books and movies include "Call Me By Your Name" and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower". She hopes to one day go into the book industry and become a publisher or editor.