I can’t believe we’ve come to the end of 2021. It’s been one heck of a year on a personal level and on a world level. December has been kind to me. I turned thirty and I got engaged. I spent quality time with friends and family, and I read some pretty good books. I also got some pretty good books as gifts and pre-orders.
Books I hauled in December:
- You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus
- Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
- Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco
- Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha Ngan
- A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
- A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- The Righteous by Renee Ahdieh
- The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White
- The Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix
- The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
- The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin
- All These Bodies by Kendare Blake
Books I read in December:
1. Charmed by Carrie Mac
Rating: 3 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really like the Orca Soundings books as they’re high interest and fast paced. They’re great for reluctant readers. This one is definitely interesting. You really feel for the main character, though it definitely escalates quickly. I’d definitely caution you against going into this book lightly because it deals with some very serious issues.
2. The Trouble with Liberty by Kristin Butcher
Rating: 3 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This is also an interesting addition to the Orca Soundings collection. It, of course, escalates quickly, but it was fairly well written. Again, it deals with heavy content (as most of the Orca Soundings books do) so don’t go into it lightly, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re at all interested in the premise. Again, I enjoy the pacing of the story.
3. We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen
Rating: 3 stars
Format: eBook
Review: This is one of the other popular choices for a grade 8 novel study at my school so I thought it might be a good idea to read it just to see what it’s like. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t like it as much as the novel I usually teach to my grade 8 students. I found the characters interesting, and I liked that it was a more current story. The teenage characters were compelling. I just didn’t love the story as much as other books I’ve read recently.
4. Ball Gowns and Butterflies by Kelley Armstrong
Rating: 4 stars
Format: eBook
Review: I was really excited about this novella. A Stitch in Time is probably my favourite book of the year (as I keep thinking about it) and I wanted to see where the characters ended up. I loved reading about Bronwyn’s Christmas with William. It was festive and adorable. They’re a great couple and I’m super obsessed with them.
5. Snowstorms and Sleigh Bells by Kelley Armstrong
Rating: 4 stars
Format: eBook
Review: This one was also really cute! I didn’t love the couple in this one as much as from the first book and novella, but I did really still have a lot of fun reading this. It’s nice to see the couple grow and bond and sometimes you just need some super cute fluff.
6. Heart to Heart by Lurlene McDaniel
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Lurlene McDaniel was one of my favourite authors when I was a teenager, and I found a couple of her books in the library at my school, so I thought it would be fun if I could give them a reread, as it’s definitely been a long time since I read anything of hers. This one was very typical for her style of writing and I really enjoyed it. It gave me a good cry, which is definitely something you need every so often. I’m not sure it would hold up without the nostalgia, but I really liked it.
7. Marvel Meow by Nao Fuji
Rating: 4 stars
Format: eBook
Review: A full review of this can be found up on the blog here.
8. Orphans Volume 2 by Roberto Recchioni
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I enjoyed this continuation of the series. I find the characters really interesting and there are some really good dark twists in this one. The art continues to be beautiful and really brings the story alive. It’s a fascinating story arc.
9. Breathless by Lurlene McDaniel
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was an interesting read. It did hit me in the feels and I found myself really emotional while reading it. I really felt for the characters involved and it was really interesting. to get four different perspectives on the same story. Overall, the characters were somewhat simplistic, but I did really enjoy the story as a whole.
10. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This is probably one of my favourites of the month. I have been meaning to read it for a while, and I’m really glad that I finally picked it up. I liked that we got different character’s perspectives throughout the story. It subverted my expectations for what the story was about as I read through it. The story arc was compelling and totally twisted. I highly recommend this one.
11. Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoyed this thriller. It was one that I picked up at the start of the pandemic and had been putting off because I bought it in a mass market format. However, I drew it out of my TBR jar, which meant I had to read it. I liked the story because it made you ask some serious questions. The different timelines were interesting, and I liked that the timelines and the different character perspectives really helped you to understand what was happening. It gave you a fuller picture of what was going on while you were trying to figure out whodunnit.
12. Invisible Kingdom volume 1 by G. Willow Wilson
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I had fun reading this graphic novel. The art is beautiful and the colours are brilliant. The storyline is interesting and I liked all the different aliens you encounter. I found it really engaging.
13. Invisible Kingdom volume 2 by G. Willow Wilson
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: The sequel was just as good as the first. I liked learning more about the characters and the storyline. I was compelled by the overall story arc. I also still really liked the art style.
14. Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was such a good story and is definitely another favourite of the month. I really rooted for Yadriel as he tried to prove to his family that he was one of them. It was a fascinating story. I loved the magic system and the characters were so well developed. The story was really well written. If you haven’t already read this, you definitely should.
15. Invisible Kingdom volume 3 by G. Willow Wilson
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I enjoyed the continuation of the series. It really added to character development and world building. I found the continued storyline intriguing. I think I’ll continue with this series.
16. Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler
Rating: 4 stars
Format: eBook
Review: There will be a full review of this up on the blog closer to it’s publication date.
17. The Rumour Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra
Rating: 3 stars
Format: eBook
Review: There will be a full review of this coming on the blog closer to its release date.
That’s everything I read this month. What did you read?
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