Mini Book Reviews The Fourth
Hello all!
I’m still desperately scrambling to catch up on all the books I have read, but haven’t written about. So here is another set of mini book reviews. At least I feel better knowing I’m making good progress this way. Writing words still feels weird, like when you haven’t done something for so long it feels like you have to learn it all over again. Well, I’m teaching myself. Family things have finally calmed down (hopefully for good) so I’m determined to get back to doing all the things I meant to do the last six weeks.
Without further ado, here are more books I read in April.
Rock Hard by Nalini Singh- Rating- 10/10- Book three (according to my count) in the Rock Kiss series. I binged them. I split the reviews up however because I didn’t want to turn into a crazy fangirl who only repeats amazing over and over again. I like to think I am a better writer than that. Well sometimes. Okay, occasionally I’m better than that. Anyway, this is actually my favorite story in the series. It turned my heart into a happy mush. The chapter titles are pure gold, and one day I hope to be as good at titles. This story was just so heartwarming. Charlotte and Gabriel seemed so unbalanced at the start but by the end of the book, they were partners in every way. Watching their journey was honestly #couplegoals.
Rock Redemption by Nalini Singh- Rating- 8/10- This was my least favorite in the series, I’m sorry to say. It was still amazing because this woman is incapable of writing a bad book. What I felt was missing was the partnership between the characters. Noah needed therapy to work out his issues before the book took off and he got in a relationship. In many ways, I felt like Kit was his therapist more than anything else. Which is not how I want to feel about my romantic couple. What really pissed me off, however, is that the band members let Noah keep self distracting for so long without forcing help on him no matter if he wanted it or not. They forced help on Abe until they succeeded so what exactly was the difference? It was still a great story, with great character growth, I just have a few more issues with it than I expected.
Rock Wedding by Nalini Singh- Rating- 9/10- The final book in the Rock series. I binged them back to back because I fell into a hole. This was all read at the beginning of April, but like I mentioned in my previous post my life kind of exploded around that time, so these were a nice comforting place I could go to forget about my issues for a little bit. This book was a good conclusion to the series, both of the characters have clearly grown from where they were even at the begging of the book in comparison to the end. I was really proud of both of them. All the couples good screen time, which was nice. You all know how I feel about spending time with the group when it comes to books. I love romantic relationships but I also love the larger extended dynamic of families and friend groups.
My Dark Venessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell- Rating- 8/10- Here’s the thing, I was fully prepared to give this book the full rating of all the stars but when I started thinking about it I had some doubts. I discussed it with a friend and she had the same doubts. This book undoubtedly covers an important subject matter, but the problem is it spends too much time in the past and not enough in the present. We don’t get to see enough of Venessa’s growth, which is such a shame because she was an amazing character. Instead, we get to spend most of the book with her abuser instead. I wanted to see her fight to get herself back. There was too much time in college. I personally only needed a scene or two to understand in what dark a place she was, I didn’t need all that time there. I didn’t really care about her interactions with her professor, this added nothing to the story for me except frustration. Venessa herself was a fascinating character, which is why I’m frustrated we didn’t explore her enough. Not her in an abusive dynamic, but her. A person is not only made up of their abuse, and Venessa sadly seemed to be. At the very end, we got a brief glimpse that there is more, but it was the very end of the book. I still think it was a great book, I just have a few issues with it.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- Rating- 10/10- Oh my precious book. I read this twice before and this time was just as enjoyable as ever. Here also began my descent into Austen adaptations. This happens every time I read a Jane Austen book. I re-watched all the adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, Emma and, Sense and Sensibility. I also watched Northanger Abbey and, Mansfield Park. From there I fell into the Sanditon hole. Can we talk about what a crime it is that there has been no second season announced? Also, I feel like it’s time for another adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. It’s been fifteen years. Moviemakers, give me more to obsess about. Obviously I adore this book beyond all reason. It feels like a comfort every time I read it. Like a treat, I give myself to help me cope with really hard times and dark thoughts. I realize this book is not for everyone, but for me, it is a treasure.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer- Rating- 8/10- First of all I forgot this book is about a plague before I did this re-read. It’s been a few years since I read it so maybe I can be forgiven for that. What I can’t forgive myself for is the increased anxiety level I gave myself for the duration of reading it. Things are not nearly as bad in the real world as they are in the book but my imagination went into overdrive. For those who don’t know this is a SciFi Cinderella retelling. I loved this spin on the classic tale. It definitely felt like a first book in a series, with a lot of setup and world-building, but I still like the relationship that developed between Cinder and Kai. It was far from perfect, but there was a lot of potential, and knowing there are more books coming made me okay with that. I liked the complicated makeup of CInder as a person. Poor girl just kept discovering more and more things she has to deal with. The difficulties between humans and Lunars were also interesting. I wanted to know more about how the differences between the two species arose, but I really didn’t get any of that. There are multiple books still to go so I have hope that somewhere in the pile there are answers for me. If you need a good story and are new to SciFi I highly recommend this one. It’s easy to understand and really fun despite all the dark elements.
Okay, here we are. Those are some more books I’ve read in April. I’m hoping to catch up with all my reading by the end of May. I’m hoping all the yelling at myself, and the bribery will work. I’ll see you all next time!
