The Enemyโs Daughter has two enemy settlements in a post-apocalyptic world. It follows Isadora, a healer, and Tristan, a boy from Isadoraโs opposing settlement. When Isadora almost dies, Tristan does the unimaginable: he offers to save her life using a rare magic. Now, they find themselves bound together, and Isadora finds herself questioning everything sheโs ever known.
My main critique was that I think this couldโve dug even deeper into the themes it presented. The first half was also a little repetitive, as Isadora tends to have the same thinking pattern over and over again.
However, I enjoyed Poetโs writing style and the tension. The Enemyโs Daughter is a fun read that moved quickly overall and was easy to binge! โฃThe vibes remind me a lot of the 2010โs dystopian era, so if youโre feeling nostalgic for that, you might like this one.ย
She’s always been great at first person POV, but Sunrise on the Reaping really throws you into Haymitch’s perspective. If you havenโt heard of the hype, Sunrise on the Reaping is the second prequel book to The Hunger Games. It follows Haymitch, Katnissโ mentor, during his games.
Collins really hammers in her messaging in this bookโand doesn’t shy away from making it devastating. The parallels and Easter eggs between this book, the original trilogy, and Snow’s book really tie everything together into a sad, haunting bow.
You canโt say much about this book without spoiling it, but just know it reads like a classic Hunger Games book, and Collins really puts Haymitch through the wringer. I honestly appreciated how unhinged he is!
When I saw the new trailer for the TheBallad of Songbirds and Snakes movie, I thought, Well, I guess Iโd better read the book!
Like a lot of people, when the book was announced a couple of years ago, I wasnโt sure I wanted to read it. President Snow is the villain of The Hunger Games, after all.
Hereโs the thing about this book: compared to Katnissโ close point-of-view in The Hunger Games, this prequel feels very distant.
The book is from Corolaniusโ point of view, sure, but itโs a distant third. Weโre not bathed in his fear, horror, and opinions like we are Katnissโ. When the Hunger Games happen, weโre nothing but a spectator alongside Corolanius, watching from the outside. Because of this, despite it being a literal life or death situation, it didnโt feel like it actually was a life or death situation, and I found myself skimming the depictions of the Games. Thereโs also a myriad of side characters, and most of them felt rather flat and blurred together.
All of that being said, I thought the ending was well done.
Overall, this book was just okay. I think Collinsโ publishers were probably like, โHey, you need to write a prequel,โ and she just had to roll with it. However, I do think it will translate better on screen when we can be more involved in the Games, so I still plan on watching the movie!
Itโs that time of year again! That time when we start thinking about everything we read in the past yearโwhat we loved, hated, and everything in between. This year, I revolutionized my reading by keeping a reading journal within my bullet journal. I kept notes there on each book I read. I found that this helped me internalize each book, think critically about the plot and writing style, and more clearly remember the books I read throughout the year.
Looking back on my reading in 2021, hereโs what I found:
My top genres were mystery and thriller, which Iโve never read much of before this year. Many of my favorite books of the year fall into this genre, including my favorite series of the year, Tana Frenchโs The Dublin Murder Squad and Anthony Horowitzโs Susan Ryelandโs series. In contrast, I also read some really bad thrillers and came to the conclusion I prefer crime/murder mysteries over physiological thrillers. Weโll see if this genre sticks!
I didnโt read much nonfiction at all, coming in with one essay collection, Disability Visibility, and just one memoir, Flesh and Blood by N. West Moss. I love memoirs, especially, so thatโs something I want to read more of again in 2022!
Letโs get to the best books I read this year, by genre but in no particular order:
Literary Fiction
The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott
Summary: In a world divided by a coup, climate disaster rages. The Rain Heron follows different characters as they try to survive as well as the appearance of a mythical rain hero.
Summary: Silvieโs dad is an Ancient Britain/Iron Age enthusiast. He forces his family to spend 2 weeks a year living in the woods with an Archeology class and professor. This year, things change.
Favorite Quote: โWithout a house, it occurred to me, it is much harder to restrict a womenโs movement. Harder for a man to restrain a woman.โ – page 59
This coming-of-age novel manages to have a conversation about misogyny and abuse in so little pages.
Content Warnings: Physical & Emotional Abuse
The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
Summary: Three sisters grow up on an isolated island with their father and mother. Theyโve been told the outside world isnโt safe, and they are made to perform horrible experiments on each other. When men arrive from the outside world, they realize their parents might not be telling the truth.
Summary: This is a fictionalized account of William Shakespeareโs family and the death of his son, Hamnet, during the Black Plague.
Warning: This book will make you cry. I loved the magical element and creative liberties OโFarrell took with Shakespeareโs history.
Content Warnings: Death; Grief
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
Summary: Lifelong friends and penpals Eileen and Alice live very different lives. One is a wealthy, successful author post-mental health collapse and the other has been stuck in the same job for years. When they finally decide to visit each other, tensions mount.
Donโt come at me, Sally Rooney haters. No one writes characters, dialogue, and life like Sally Rooney. This is a beautiful novel about mental health, fame, and how friendships change over time.
Thriller & Mystery
The Likeness by Tana French
Summary: When a woman named Lexie is found dead, Detective Cassie Maddox, who looks just like her, goes undercover as Lexie.
This is my favorite of the Dublin Murder Squad books so far and has dark academia elements.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Summary: Drawing Master Walter Hartright teaches art at an estate and becomes intrigued by a crime and the mysterious presence of a woman in white.
This massive book is surprisingly readable and reminded me of my love for Victiorian fiction.
Like all Victorian fiction, there are themes of madness, surveillance, and lack of womenโs agency in society.
Northern Spy by Flynn Berry
Summary: Tessaโs word unravels when she finds out her sister is a member of the IRA.
This is a twisty novel about family, loyalty, and lies that helped contextualize the conflict in Ireland for me.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Summary: Carly drops out of college and travels to the haunted town of Fell, New York to investigate the disappearance of her Aunt Viv 20 years earlier.
There are some really terrifying ghost scenes in this, but this is ultimately one of the most heartwarming thrillers Iโve ever read.
Content Warnings: Sexual abuse
Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Summary: A woman, Cecily, disappears from Branlow Hall and the answer is hidden in a book by the late mystery writer Alan Conway. The family asks his ex-editor, Susan Ryeland, to find Cecily.
This book-within-a-book may be even better than the first book in this series! The plotting and double mystery is so cleverly written.
Young Adult
Yolk by Mary H.W. Choi
Summary: Jayne moves from Texas to New York for college and to flee from her first generation Korean parents. There she reunites with her older sister, June, who reveals she has cancer.
This is one of the most intense and emotional books Iโve ever read. Unlike other tear-jerker YA books that deal with cancer very badly, Yolk treats it with respect.
Content Warnings: Cancer; Eating Disorders
The Valley and the Flood by Rebecca Mahoney
Summary: Following the death of her best friend, Rose struggles with PTSD. One day, trying to escape her grief, she ends up in a strange town that she canโt leave.
Warning: You wonโt have a clue whatโs going on for the first 100 pages or so, but this book is so creative, emotional, and interesting that youโll want to keep reading. Itโs all one big metaphor for PTSD.
The Ones Weโre Meant to Find by Joan He
Summary: In a futuristic world destroyed by climate change, Kasey searches for her lost sister, Cee.
This book asks big questions about science and humanity, such as, if we donโt act to save the world now, when will we? And, when will we hold big polluters responsible? But at the center of all this is the complicated relationship between two sisters.
The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold
Summary: A group of kids try to survive a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by flu flies.
I loved everything about this book. Itโs about sacrifice, found family, hope, survival, and it had a huge twist that blew my mind.
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danworth
Summary: Dual timelines one-hundred years apart follow creepy happenings and strange deaths at The Brookhants School for Girls.
Admittedly this book could have been a lot shorter, but this sapphic mystery includes some of the best characterization Iโve ever read in YA.
The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters
Summary: When Natashaโs sister Rochelle disappears, she turns to the witchy girl, Della, who lives by the woods where she went missing.
Set in rural Tennessee, this is a really atmospheric and original fantasy/mystery with LGBTQ+ rep.
Fantasy
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Summary: A fantasy based on Pre-Columbian American mythology.
This is a complex, perfectly paced fantasy that follows multiple characters. One of the biggest problems I usually have with fantasy as an adult is the length, and this book didnโt lag for one second. Black Sun ended on a huge cliffhanger, and I canโt wait for the sequel.
Middle Grade
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
Summary: When orphaned siblings Anna, Edmund, and William are forced to leave London during World War II, they make a pact to find a new family in the countryside. Instead, theyโre placed with several horrible families. Their only solace: the library .
If you liked: The War that Saved My Life
I binged this cozy middle grade treasure in one sitting. This is a great story about found family, the tenacity of children, and how books can save lives.
Happy reading! I’m excited to see what 2022 brings and hope that everyone has a great year, reading wise and otherwise.
Iโve been trying to read more sci-fi and dystopian, so I was excited when I won this book and got it in the mail!
The Ones Weโre Meant to Findย follows sisters Kasey and Cee. Cee is stuck on an abandoned island with nothing but a robot for company. She has amnesia, but she does remember her sister, Kasey, is out there somewhere. And she needs to find her.
Kasey is a 16-year-old STEM prodigy living in an eco-city, which is basically a city hovering in mid-air thatโs an oasis from the rest of the polluted planet. She has always felt like a loner, and she canโt stop thinking about when Cee went missing.
I really liked how Kasey and Cee have opposite personalities. Cee is a caring, social butterfly, and Kasey the quiet loner; their characters are foils of each other, and it works well.
I read Heโs debut novel, The Descendant of the Crane, and I feel like both her writing style and her characterization have improved! The pacing was great, and I enjoyed seeing the plot unfurl, along with a massive plot twist.
That being said, if Iโm being honest, I sometimes wasn’t sure what was going on in Kaseyโs chapters. Because sheโs a scientist, her chapters contain a lot of science, and I had to re-read certain paragraphs, especially since He created the future science herself. I honestly feel like I need to just re-read the entire book to get a better picture, as I sometimes had a hard time picturing what the world looked like. I almost wanted more info dumps, because scientific and futuristic technology was thrown at the reader rather than explained.
I also had a bit of a hard time connecting with Kasey, as she often felt a little too unfeeling; however, I know that was intentional, so I didnโt let it affect my overall rating.
I was especially invested in Ceeโs story and the mystery of her past. I loved the themes of humanity, sisterhood, and the environment. And not to mention, I love the cover!
Here’s the thing: This was a highly entertaining read. Itโs basically The Bachelor but in a dystopian America: drama, drama, drama. Once I reached page 140, I was a little more invested, because thatโs when the worldbuilding actually started.
The world itself is interesting, and I wish there was even more of it! I think the overall themes and commentary on the current American society are great, including purity culture, self worth based on class, and the USโ relationship with China, despite the main characterโs name being too on the nose.
BUT
The writing is…not great. Too much telling. And if felt too unpolished, too unedited.
The dialogue is stiff and too direct. Aspen’s character is such an asshole; Maxon comes off as a little, well, off; America is basically, โOh, poor me. Everyone thinks Iโm beautiful enough to win this contest, but I donโt think Iโm good enough and want to go home to my asshole boyfriend.โ
I also couldnโt help but compare this to The Hunger Games the entire time I was reading. That might be my own fault, but I think there were just too many similarities (though watered down similarities, to be fair).
This had the potential to be a great commentary on American society, but what can you do!
Between continuing to distance from others and the wintery weather, my reading was a major comfort and escape this month. I’m also happy with the diverse genres and authors I was able to read this month. I read two nonfiction books (one memoir and one cookbook), and two books by Indigenous authors, both of which work in favor of my 2021 reading goals. Hereโs what I read:ย
The Woman in White: Started off the year with an atmospheric, satisfying classic mystery.ย
Elatsoe: Spooky magical YA by an Indigenious author. My only criticism is that this read VERY young to me.ย
Moon of the Crusted Snow: actually a literary dystopian as promised (unlike Migrations) Written by an Indigenous author.
Migrations: The low point of my reading month. Do not recommend this one. Read my review.
Salt Fat Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking: This made-to-be-read cookbook changes the food game! Check out my review. ย ย
After the Eclipse: A Mother’s Murder, a Daughter’s Search (audiobook; not pictured); A heartbreaking memoir about the authorโs motherโs murder. Also a criticism of the explorative nature of true crime as a genre.ย
Iโve wanted to read Migrations since before its release. It has great ratings on Goodreads, which proves that you need to take ratings with a grain of salt. I did, however, see a 1 star review from a trusted reviewer. Because of the dystopian aspect, I wanted to read this for myself.
I was disappointed.
The actual style of the writing is the only thing I liked about this book. Itโs lyrical yet concise. But there are glaring holes in the world building and the plot. Then thereโs the biggest problem-Franny.
Migrations alternates between two timelines: the past and present. In the present, almost all animals have gone extinct in the world. There arenโt many fish left, and people who still fish are hated. Franny worms her way onto a fishing ship to follow the last migration of Arctic Terns. She tells the captain she is an orithinogist, and that she thinks the Arctic terns will lead them to fish. She is right, for the most part, so she stays on the boat.
We are introduced to Frannyโs tumultuous childhood in Ireland. Her mom disappeared when she was young, and she lived with her fatherโs mother in Australia. Back in Ireland, Franny sits in on at University and meets the love of her life- Insta love style. She and Niall marry immediately, but very quickly itโs a struggle for Franny to stay.
Franny is the most unlikable narrator I have ever encountered. There is nothing redeeming about her. She is so chaotic that sheโs not even a believable character. And the authorโs excuse for her behavior? Sheโs a โwandererโ. Sheโs unable to stay in one place. Why? Itโs in her blood.
SPOILERS: Frannyโs defining character trait is violence. She sleepwalks and attempts to strangle Niall in her sleep. Sheโs in jail for murder, and itโs unclear if it was on purposeful or not. She also managed to kill two more people over the course of the present narrative. And yet. Franny is a wonderful swimmer and saves multiple people from drowning over the course of the story as well. Her character is completely unpredictable but predisposed to destroy and leave.
In the past, we know that Franny served time in prison. Itโs eventually revealed why. She (accidently?) rammed headfirst into another car, killing Niall and the woman in the other car. Franny claims she did it on purpose. Then she reveals that she saw an owl, which distracted her from the road. Franny is an unreliable narrator, so we donโt really know. Which brings me to my next point.
Niall, Frannyโs husband, is seemingly okay with the fact that Franny will just leave him when she feels she has to. By the end, we are made to understand their relationship is like this-Franny is a wild thing, possibly a bird, possibly something else. She is untamed. Niall is a scientist and by trapping Franny, heโs able to study her closely. But Franny, being a wild thing, kills him in the end.
Franny succeeds(?) in following the birds to their last migration. destroying everything else around her in the process. She plans to spread Niallโs ashes into the sea there. She also plans on killing herself. She spreads the ashes, and then submerges herself, fully intending to end it. But she doesnโt. The book ends with her being released from prison for the second time of her life. Her dad, who has never been part of her life and who is a convicted killer herself, is waiting to pick her up. They drive off together.
Then thereโs the complete and utter lack of worldbuilding. This is apparently set in the not-so-far future in which climate change and human behavior has made most animals in the world extinct. For some reason, fishermen have received the bulk of the blame for this act (maybe because there are still some fish in the ocean? Itโs not very well explained). This could have been such a rich world and the extinction of the animals could have added another layer to Frannyโs story. Instead, the state of the world is barely acknowledged throughout the story.
Overall: With more developed worldbuilding, maybe I could have forgiven some of Frannyโs erratic behavior in this book. Or maybe not. Either way, I donโt recommend reading this. Migrationโs book description first reminded me of one of my favorite books, The Lightkeepers by Abby Geni. After reading Migrations, they canโt be compared. Save yourself the pain and read the Lightkeepers instead.
Anna: Itโs the end of September! The leaves are officially starting to change, and it was cool enough today to break out my boots! Itโs supposed to be 90 degrees on Wednesday, but Iโm still embracing fall to its fullest! Hereโs what I read this month:
5 stars:
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
4 stars:
The Wise Manโs Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Bloomland by John Enlehardt
3.5 stars
California by Edan Lepuckiย
3 stars:
Eden by Andrea Kleine
The take away from this monthโs wrap up is that if you havenโt read The Glass Castle, you need to. There will be a review coming soon! What did you read this month?
Anna: New favorite book alert!ย Dystopian is one of my favorite genres, and Iโm trying to read more sci-fi. Borne had the perfect amount of both! Verdict: 5 stars
In an apocalyptic city, a corporation called the The Company that has poisoned and polluted the world. Strange creatures roam the remaining landscape: Mutant humans, Company proxies, and most noticeably, the Company’s biotech experiment gone wrong, a giant flying bear called Mord that terrorizes the City and its survivors.ย
Rachel and Wick live in a dilapidated apartment building, spending hours every day fortifying their home to stay alive. One day while sheโs out scavenging, Rachel finds a sea-anemone like creature that she takes home. She names it Borne.
Sounds crazy, right? It is. Borne is adorable, but at the start of the book his nature and purpose is unknown. Wick is suspicious that Borne may be more deadly than he appears. Rachel begins to care for Borne like a mother would a child, except he grows in size and intelligence faster than any human. Rachel and Borneโs relationship is sincere, heartbreaking, and unable to define. This book had me thinking a lot about what it means to be good. Thereโs also an overall question of if we can control or nature or not, or if weโre predestined to be what weโre made to be.
Borne is the most creative and quirky book Iโve read in a long time! It was so original and I loved the three central characters, especially Borne. What I found most impressive is its ability to be light and laugh-out loud funny despite its dark setting.
takes two to book review 