May Wrap-Up 2019

May is behind us now. I didn’t realise until now that summarising posts like Monthly Wrap-ups and State of the ARCs could be exciting to write. This month I finished 4 books, all except one, from the Guangzhou library. I DNF-ed two(also library picks). None of them were ARCs 😂 I may have DNF-ed an ARC though…I can’t remember if it was this month.

Anyway, let’s see which ones captured my heart and which ones got the boot, shall we?

 

Books I read in May

The Defining Decade was a wake-up call. My sister had borrowed it and I didn’t expect it to be as impactful as it was. The author emphasizes that the twenties is not the time to monkey around, not committing to anything and all that YOLO stuff, and that it’s precisely when we should be aligning our endeavours with our goals. Filled with plenty of client cases that she’s handled, Meg Jay shows us painfully relateable examples ranging from our love life to our careers and to our selves, this book is one that I absolutely recommend people around their 20s to read(though those in their teens or above their 20s can find it eye-opening, too).

It was fortunate that I thought to check out May’s free reads on Riveted Lit because they had a wonderful road trip romance called Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour. It dealt with grief, family bonds, loneliness and opening up to people who care about you. I was (pleasantly) surprised by how long the story took and still didn’t want it to end! It gave me warm, tingly feelings and the romance was slow, which is just how I like them! Morgan Matson has crafted a realistic story with a responsible hand. She has become one of my auto-read authors!

Otherworld had a bunch of things I liked but it fell short of its potential. It’s reminiscent of Ready Player One, minus the heavy nostalgia but plus a little humor. To find out more about it, you can check out my review for it 😊

And as for Defy the Stars, oh my gosh, it was AMAZING! I have to write a review for it even if it’s not an ARC because I want more people to discover it ❤ In brief terms, it’s an intergalactic journey with a resourceful female protagonist(POC, too) and a slightly arrogant(unintentionally) but noble male character who also happens to be a robot. Throw in a rebellion, great character growth, a study of what it means to be human, and you’ve got a zing of a book! There’s so much more in it but I’ll save it for my review or this post will take too long!

Books I DNF-ed

I found Renegades not that captivating as there wasn’t much mystery. So I’ve put it off for the time-being. The City of Brass was slow-paced and the Muslim representation did not sit right with me. I’m assuming the MC is supposed to be Muslim(from the scarf and abaya-clad figure on the cover) but she does nothing to indicate that she is one. The love-interest didn’t come off as too nice either. Apparently, this book has polarizing reviews so you may find yourself in the group that loves this book(most of them gush about the lush world-building and exotic-ness).

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And that’s a wrap! It’s going to be a busy month ahead with quite a bit of books scheduled for reading and two book tours in July. Ahhhhh! So much to do!

I want to know from you guys, have you read any book that WOWED you this month?

12 thoughts on “May Wrap-Up 2019

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  1. Oooh I love that you’re doing monthly wrap-ups!! And I love the new graphics 😍😍 now I definitely have my eye on Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour and Defy the Stars 😱 I could use some amazing contemporary and scifi and those sound perfect!
    Also, so sad that you didn’t like City of Brass. It’s on my TBR but I’m starting to hesitate whether I want to read it or not 😨 I’m not keen on it if it has poor rep but the summary definitely intrigues me.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, thank you 😄 Yessss, I’m happy you liked the sound of those 2 books! God, Defy the Stars is an underrated book! I mean, it has its tiny flaws buy overall it had a lot of good stuff. Especially how the MC had a clear sense if agency and the romance did not come in the way of it unrealistically.

      Oh, City of Brass has divided opinions, mostly the ones who didn’t enjoy it were Muslims(though it doesn’t mean all Muslims disliked it, if you get my meaning 😁) and those who enjoyed it loved the worldbuilding. To be technical, I’d say it’s not bad rep exactly, because every individual can deviate, interprete or choose differently regardless of their religion. For e.g. a Christian who doesn’t practice the religion can’t be held as a reflection of Christianity, right, so I guess most of the characters in this aren’t practicing. I read in two GR reviews that they didn’t like how the only devout character was teased and mocked for being a prude. Maybe the author meant it only as a depiction of the characters behaviour and it might not be something she supports, because I feel like as a reader I can make my own judgement on this religious character. The other point is something related to Islam and its rules so I don’t think that’d bother you. I’ll just say that the whole jinn coupled with human thing isn’t an idea that should be encouraged.

      I feel like lately I haven’t been getting into many of the hyped fantasies…like Descendant of the Crane, City of Brass and We Hunt the Flame(oooh, gonna get some stink eyes for saying that!)

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I have been the same lately with many hyped fantasies! Descendant of the Crane was such a disappointment and I was expecting way too much from it 😭 I have just started to read We Hunt The Flame (I suddenly got an arc for it that I asked for months and months ago 😅) and I have to say that I really enjoy the author’s writing style so far. I hope it doesn’t flop but the fact that you weren’t a big fan definitely makes me wary 😬 I’m really worried about the romance that you mentioned in your review of the book – I’m usually not a huge fan of romance in fantasy. I’m only like 40 pages in so far so let’s see how it goes! But I’m definitely thinking that my review will have to have links to own voices reviewers 🤔 I’m not in the position to comment on much more than just my enjoyment of it lol 😅

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    1. Thanks for your lovely comment, Nicole! I was disappointed, too. I think maybe the reason why I didn’t take to Renegades is because of there didn’t seem to be much mystery to the story and how one of the main characters was kind of an anti-hero(which I get is a main aspect of the story, so it’s my fault). CandidCover.net loves the series so you could check out her reviews to see if it’s to your liking 😊 As for City of Brass, I detailed why I abandoned it in my reply to A Bookaholic Dreamer in this post 😁 I hope this has helped a little in making your decision!

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    1. There’s something attractive about wrap-up posts, eh? I love reading them, too 😆

      I’m sorry, too 🙁 Every individual has their own interpretations and engrained beliefs so it just reflects the author’s opinions I guess…

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    1. Woohoo!! So glad I’ve managed to pique your interest! I enjoyed another series of Claudia Gray’s, about time-travel/alternate-realities, called A Thousand Pieces of You. It was quite a lot of fun and there’s romance, twists and a bit of heartbreak.

      Like

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