Here at Chapter Break, we don’t always write a full review of every book we read. Well, now we decided to do these monthly wrap-up posts with roundups of our reviews this month and mini-reviews to fill in the gaps. Enjoy!
Mini Book Reviews
The Woman in Cabin 10: I loved the audio narrator and the witty banter was well done. But, I will say, I didn’t care for our main character. I found her annoying and over the top. There were a lot of plot gaps that I didn’t feel got explored, and character development was minimal. But I enjoyed the way the story was written, so much of the story I was wondering if we were in a “fight club” situation or if the woman was even real. The ending was great.
That’s all you get from me as a mini review this month. The other books I’ve read are either in this month’s full reviews or you will see them in next month’s full reviews.
THE MORTAL WORD: Political intrigue overshadows the mystery solving in this adventure with Irene, Kai, and Vale. We also learned more about the Fae and their narrative pull to everyone around them. That’s an interesting plot device, especially as Irene had chivalric tendencies toward a Fae Princess. And we learned all about Lord Silver’s narrative. 😉Overall a fun adventure!
TOTALLY FORKED: Honestly, fine. But also nothing to remark on. The main takeaway of this romance is to ask for what you want. And to not surround yourself with sycophants.
- The beginning of the novel left me confused and wondering where there other books between this and CROOKED KINGDOM that I missed? I found a lot of plot missing. Or I confused a lot of plot with the Nexflix series.
- What was the whole point of Nina’s storyline? Don’t get me wrong. I do agree that the Grisha in Fjerda need to be rescued. But I don’t see any connection with the rest of the story taking place in Ravka.
- Zoya’s storyline was the only one I had any interest in. Learning about her history (and maybe the future of the Grisha) was interesting.
- Do yourself a favor and only read the last hour or two. The rest of the story felt like filler.
- I’m going to stick with the series instead of reading the rest of this series. If anyone wants to spoil the ending for me, I’m totally ok with that.
MY OXFORD YEAR: I’ve had this on hold at the library since spring, but kept pushing it back. And finally the fates aligned and I wasn’t listening to anything else and needed a palate cleanser from the last book. (I’m looking at you, KING OF SCARS.) I had zero expectations going in and honestly, quite enjoyed this listen. Contemporary romance\chick lit which reminded me somewhat of JoJo Moyes. But I liked this a lot more! I’ve never been much into poetry, but appreciated how each chapter started with a different poem. Ella from Ohio is a strong lead character, balancing her graduate school work while also working for a presidential candidate back home in the states. Jamie is the dreaming poetry professor that she falls for. Emotional twist took me by surprise and I found myself balling on the treadmill. That was super fun! Good instance of the author as the narrator, which really worked for me. Overall, quite enjoyed this book!
Books we reviewed this month:
- [16 Aug] Ricky's Dream Trip to the Ancient Worlds of Egypt, Greece and Rome by William Stevenson ★★★½
Don’t forget to join our Book Bingo.
