Over quarantine, I think all of us took solace in activities that kept us (a) entertained and (b) sane. Some people watched the entire Netflix library. Others became exercise freaks. But me? I read.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been an avid reader – but as a college student, I don’t get to do it nearly as much as I would like to. Quarantine gave me the one thing that I hadn’t had in a while: time. And lots of it. So I read, and read, and read, and suddenly it was August and I’d finished 23 books since the start of quarantine. A big thing I did was marathon-read through different series; in total, I read four completed series. As expected, I have a lot of opinions, so without further ado, here are all my thoughts and feelings on the books I read over quarantine.
- The Diviners by Libba Bray
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“People always fear what they don’t understand, Evangeline. History proves that.”
The Diviners is a young adult paranormal and urban fantasy series set in 1920s New York City. It follows a large and diverse cast of characters, most of whom have magical powers—that is, they are Diviners.
These books were fantastic. First off, the cast is beautifully diverse; the representation includes people of color, LGBTQ+ members, a character who is disabled, an abuse survivor, as well as a character who struggles with mental illness. That much diversity in a fantasy series is honestly unheard of.
Secondly, the prose is not only beautiful, but deeply resonative. There’s a lot of commentary on America’s dark history of racism and classism, as well as sexism and homophobia. Although it’s fantasy, the analysis of these issues is still very relevant today and is incredibly powerful.
Best book in the series: Before the Devil Breaks You (#3)
My overall rating: 4/5 stars
- Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
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“The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain.”
Red Queen is set in a dystopian society where the peasant class, made up of the red-blooded populus, is ruled by the silver-blooded elite. The silvers have powerful, supernatural abilities that range from metal bending to healing to mind control. This hierarchy is threatened, though, when the red-blooded protagonist Mare Barrow discovers that she can wield lightning—an ability that has never been seen before, let alone in one who lacks silver blood.
I had mixed feelings about this series. Aside from some major plot twists, it was for the most part pretty predictable. There are also a lot of tropes in this series that I don’t totally love—love triangles, token diversity, and a female protagonist who is supposed to be a badass but is honestly just annoying. Speaking of the love triangle, I wasn’t a huge fan of the romantic subplot which was disappointing because I’m an absolute sucker for romance.
There were some good elements, though. Like I mentioned before, there were a lot of plot twists, all of which completely slapped me in the face; I seriously didn’t see any of them coming. And, for all the problems I had with it, I finished the series for a reason. With the exception of the second book, Glass Sword, the series was overall pretty entertaining. It just wasn’t anything special, really.
Best book in the series: King’s Cage (#3)
My overall rating: 3/5 stars
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan
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“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood. If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now.”
I bet you didn’t see this one coming. I am nothing, if not impressive.
You probably already know what these books are about, but if you don’t, the story follows 12 year old Percy Jackson and how his life turns upside down when he finds out that he is a demigod—that is, half mortal and half God. As in, Greek god. He goes to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp made for young demigods, and a lot of exciting yet emotional adventures follow.
Yes, this series is technically geared towards middle schoolers, but it’s a great read no matter your age. After finally reading this series at the age of nineteen years old, I highly regret not reading it earlier in my life.
Highlights: the characters are fantastic, the action is very well-written, and it’s hilarious. Seriously, Rick Riordan hits the nail on the head when it comes to clean but funny humor.
Best book in the series: The Titan’s Curse (#3)
My overall rating: 4/5 stars
- The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
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“I figure the universe is basically like a machine. I don’t know who made it, if it was the Fates, or the gods, or the capital-G god, or whatever. But it chugs along the way it’s supposed to most of the time. Sure, little pieces break and stuff goes haywire once in a while, but mostly…things happen for a reason.”
What can I say? I had a taste of Rick Riordan’s writing and I haven’t been able to stop since. (Seriously…even as I’m writing this, I’m in the midst of both his Trials of Apollo series and his Magnus Chase series. Am I addicted? Yes. Am I going to stop? Nope).
The Heroes of Olympus is a sequel series to Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Five new characters are introduced, but we still get to see a lot of the characters we know and love from Percy Jackson. It combines Greek and Roman mythology, which, although similar, are not the same. It follows the seven most powerful demigods of their age and their fulfillment of either a world damning or a world saving prophecy.
I absolutely loved The Heroes of Olympus. The characters are older than they were in the previous series, most of them at about fifteen or sixteen years old, so it feels more mature than Percy Jackson. They’re all likable and strong on their own, but what really makes these books so good is the “found family” the characters create. The relationships between them are heartwarming and beautiful, not to mention that they have a lot of A-list level banter. The adventures are, of course, a lot of fun, but the character dynamics are by far the best part.
My only gripe is that the last book felt a bit anticlimactic; it wasn’t as satisfactory as I would have liked. That being said, these are still fantastic books and they are definitely worth the read.
Best book in the series: The House of Hades (#4)
Overall rating: 4.5/5 stars
A lot of us are feeling the urge to escape with how crazy the world is right now. Personally, I think books are the best way to do that—especially the ones in this list, that describe worlds insanely different from our own. Complex characters, exciting adventures, emotional political commentary, and the beginnings of a revolution—what else is there to ask for?