This was the month I was expecting my reading totals to plummet. Between Easter, the end of the semester, and a second trip home, I was not expecting to find time to read. However, my stress led to procrastination which led to elevating reading totals.
Thankfully, I was able to read a good mix of books, surprising everyone (including myself) when I read seven books this month. Without further ado, let’s get into the reviews.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller • 4.5/5 stars
This book had been sitting on my TBR for awhile, but after a rave review from fellow Her Campus writer Page Sutton, I was finally ready to jump into this popular book. Trust me when I say I was not disappointed.
The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the story of Achilles and Patroclus. Patroclus is the son of a king; after killing a boy in his youth, Patroclus is sent to Peleus’ kingdom. There, Patroclus meets Achilles, Peleus’ son; the two quickly become inseparable and do everything together. The story follows them as they grow up, from their training in the mountains with Chiron to the Trojan War and everything in between.
Going into this book, I wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy it. I don’t know a lot about Greek mythology and I don’t know the myth of the Achilles. Although this made some of the politics confusing, it didn’t prevent me from falling in love with Patroclus and Achilles and their relationship.
I loved reading from Patroclus’ perspective because he is the more reserved of the two and is often overlooked in other tellings of the story. He is so insightful and observant which made me fall in love with him even more. The ending tore my heart open; the closing lines are still resonating with me, and probably will for much longer.
Whether you know Greek mythology or not, this is a must-read book. Song of Achilles broke my heart in the best way possible; this is definitely a story I won’t forget.
If you want to hear another take on this amazing book, check out Page’s review.
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas • 5/5 stars
In April, I continued my reread of the ACOTAR series. I won’t go into a synopsis because this is the third book in the series, but I will urge you with everything inside me to please, please read this series.
In this book, I loved watching interactions between the inner circle because they are hilarious. They’re also quite compassionate as they welcome Feyre and her sisters into their group, making Velaris truly feel like home.
I didn’t remember page 666 (if you know, you know) and it absolutely broke my heart. However, it made me fall in love with Rhys anymore because it is reminder of the lengths he’ll go to promote peace and safety for all of his people.
I have so many things to say about this book and series as a whole, yet none at all. In short, I love this series with all of my heart.
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas • 3/5 stars
ACOFAS reads much like a Christmas novella; it is winter solstice and the inner circle is working to figure out their lives post-war while enjoying the holiday together. If you want a detailed plot, this isn’t the book for you because this one is solely vibes.
Above all, I enjoyed watching our characters be happy and simply enjoy the holiday together in each other’s presence. After such heart aching, both the characters and the readers deserve a bit of simplicity.
I thought there would be more spice between Rhys and Feyre considering the lack of plot, but there wasn’t much. My main complaint, though, is about the book’s narration style. Whereas the other books are written in first-person from Feyre’s perspective, this book was written in third-person and focalized through several different characters within the inner circle. Most of the writing was focused on the characters’ thoughts rather than their actions and conversations. I found this annoying and make it quite boring.
Nonetheless, I’m still in love with these characters. I think this was a good transition from Rhys and Feyre’s story to Cassian and Nesta’s.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas • 4/5 stars
All of my rereading led up to this moment so I could read ACOSF for the first time.
This book is told from both Nesta and Cassian’s perspectives. It is nearly a year since the war and during that time Nesta has been struggling to adapt to Fae life. She lives in a poor part of the city, frequenting taverns and being drunk more often than she’s not. Finally, Feyre makes the decision that Nesta will live at the house of wind, be trained by Cassian, and work in the library. Nesta must face her demons that have caused her to turn to liquor while also confronting the attraction between her and Cassian.
Meanwhile, Rhys and Feyre are trying to put together a new Treaty to maintain peace between Fae and humans. However, the human queens on the continent have dispersed; it seems that Beron, High Lord of the Autumn Court, is working with Briallyn, the human queen made an old crone by the Cauldron, to resist that peace.
Before this book, I hated Nesta––she is mean, selfish, stubborn, and ruthless. However, my hate has softened into dislike after hearing things from her perspective.
This book is much more character-based than others in the series. The main focus is on Nesta’s journey as she adapts to training and turns her life around. She initially resists her training, but Cassian eventually convinces her and she falls in love with it.
I loved the relationship between Nesta and Cassian, especially as they allowed themselves to be more vulnerable with one another. Initially, Nesta is afraid of vulnerability and puts up a front when she’s around everyone, but she gradually lets her guard down as she begins to accept the bond between her and Cassian. There’s no denying that Nesta and Cassian’s relationship puts Rhys and Feyre’s to shame in terms of physical connection.
However, I felt like the conflict with Briallyn got put on the backburner. I think it could’ve been made more of a focal point to elevate the situation and make it more significant. Instead, it felt more like a side quest than anything.
Nonetheless, I loved watching Nesta overcome her struggles and grow closer to Gwyn and Emerie, bonding over their trauma and troubled pasts. Overall, I loved this book much more than I expected to, and I think I might have to read more Sarah J. Maas very soon.
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren • 4.5/5 stars
The Soulmate Equation follows Jess, a single mother focused on making ends meet and giving her daughter the best life possible. She’s tried her hand at dating, but has been disappointed every time. Jess and her best friend, Fizzy, work everyday at their favorite coffee shop, Twiggs. Each day, they see “Americano,” a handsome customer that comes at the exact time each day.
One day, Jess finds enough courage to talk to Americano and learn his name––Dr. River Peña. He is one of the lead scientists at GeneticAlly, a company focused on finding long-term love matches based on genetics. He invites Jess and Fizzy to come to the office for a presentation about the company. Fizzy happily obliges, dragging Jess along with her. Fizzy gifts Jess a kit and, in a moment of stress, Jess impulsively mails in her sample.
However, when the test comes back a few days later she quickly regrets her decision––even more so when she’s called in for a meeting with GeneticAlly’s executive board. There, she discovers that there is a 98% match––the highest match ever––between her and Dr. Peña. Now, Jess and River and thrust on the national stage as they must navigate the press, science, and their own hearts.
The first thing I loved about this book is how it seamlessly blends math and science into the narrative. Dr. Peña is a genius geneticist and Jess is a statistician whiz; they’re able to bond over this frequently in the book which made this quite unique from other romances.
I found the concept of finding soulmates through genetic data quite interesting. Throughout the book, both Jess and River question their feelings and wonder whether their Diamond Match score influences their actions and emotions. It leads to the bigger question of whether or not it is good to know everything––including who you’re statistically and genetically suppose to fall in love with. Fizzy also ponders this question as she looks for base matches to hook up with.
Jess is a great character who constantly grapples between putting her family first and taking time for herself. Her daughter, Juno, is a such a cute kid, although her dialogue makes me think she’s something like twelve, not seven. She also has a fascination with science that bonds her and River; they’re relationship made my heart melt.
I wish we could’ve gotten to see more intimacy between River and Jess; there is a big time jump in the epilogue that skips a lot of the in between. Other than that, I had very few complaints about this book and will definitely be reading more from Christina Lauren in the future.
Venom and Vice by Jill Ramsower • 1/5 stars
Before I begin this review, I would like to thank NetGalley and Jill Ramsower LLC for providing me with an ebook ARC of this release.
Venom and Vice tells the story of Ashley, a human turned Fae after a near-death incident. Since the incident nearly six months ago, Ashley has had to adapt to her new lifestyle and try to harness her magical powers. When she reconnects with Merlin, the Fae who brought her back to life, he teaches Ashley how to feel and unleash her power. However, just days later, her power once again goes dark, unable to be accessed.
Unbeknownst to Ashley Cazek, the right-hand-man of the Erlking, Lochlan, has used blood magic to bind Ashley’s power and prevent her from using it. He does so to protect her but quickly realizes that he made a mistake.
As all of this is happening, a mysterious creature lurks through the city and preys on young women. Cazek, Lochlan, and the rest of the Huntsmen must band together to fight the enemy, but the creature continues to evade them. They also begin to realize that the creature’s attacks are personal.
I went into this book pretty blind and wasn’t sure what I was about to read. The book immediately starts with an electric scene between Ashley and Cazek, but I felt that their following encounters didn’t match the chemistry portrayed between them in their first interaction.
Although this book is mainly romance with fantasy elements, the romance isn’t overly spicy or descriptive. I felt that the relationship between Ashley and Cazek formed as a result of proximity rather than true connection.
The plot is elementary at best; the characters spell everything out for the reader, leaving nothing in the subtext. The characters clearly portray their emotions and motives are even more clearly spoken. All of this left me feeling unsatisfied and bored because there was hardly anything to engage with as a reader. The plot moved quickly which helped me move through the book, but I’m not sure I’ll be picking up the next book in the series.
Slammed by Colleen Hoover • 2/5 stars
Like many other readers, I am obsessed with everything Colleen Hoover writes and want to read everything by her. That being said, I was excited to be able to get my hands on this book, but found it to be the weakest Colleen Hoover book I’ve read to date.
Slammed is told from the point of view of Layken, a high school senior whose whole life as been turned onto its head after her father’s sudden death nearly six months ago. Just before the beginning of the school year, Layken’s mother, Julia, explains that the money has run out and there is a better paying job for her in her hometown in Michigan. Julia uproots their entire family and move across the country just in time for Layken’s senior year.
Layken is outraged, but Michigan becomes much more enjoyable when she meets the boy across the street, Will, and forms an immediate connection with him. The two go on a first date and there’s no denying the electricity between the two. However, the next week they discover something that will uproot their entire connection and make them question everything.
I really wanted to love this book, but I couldn’t make myself love the characters or the writing style. I though Layken was annoying, immature, and self-centered. She acts like an immature brat to her mother, often withdrawing to her room to brood rather than facing reality.
I also didn’t see the attraction between Layken and Will on their first date. To be honest, it gave me second-hand embarrassment at times. Because of that, I didn’t understand why they thought it was worth it to fight for their relationship.
She and Will’s relationship can’t be revealed so they must deny their attraction, but they’re constantly at one another’s houses. This is in part due to their brothers’ friendship, but still didn’t make much sense to me. It seemed like none of the characters made rational decisions; even Julia, Layken’s mother, understands the situation, yet still allows Layken and Will to be around one another.
The writing style felt stilted and awkward at times, which is unlike the other Colleen Hoover books I’ve read. I’ve heard good things about the second book in this series, so I may continue in hopes that things get better, but I was not blown away by this one.
It has been a crazy month of reading, which means this was a crazy long article! Thanks for staying to this point. I’d love to see what you’re reading, too, so let’s definitely be friends on Goodreads.
Until next month, happy reading!