I’ve read a lot of books during quarantine. And I really do mean a lot. My recent reads include over 20 books. Some have been great, some just okay and others plain embarrassing.

During moments of high stress, I tend to read a lot more fantasy and I also revisit what I like to call mindless reads to give my brain a break. I won’t bore you with 20 reviews. But, here are some reviews of the best and worst recent reads.

The Grace Year

by Kim Liggett

**

I read this book in January, so maybe not one of my most recent reads. But, I couldn’t leave it out because it was one of the most anticipated YA releases of 2020. If I was reviewing this book based on the cover art alone, it would get a five. It’s so simple yet poignant. Alas, books shall not be judged by their covers alone and this one had a lot of potential with too little editing and too much ambition. It was a dystopian, feminist, thriller, romance and murder mystery all in one. It did too much, said too little and at times I felt like I got whiplash from its sudden turns and change in tone.

The Diviner’s Series

by Libba Bray

****

The last book in this series, The King of Crows, came out at the beginning of 2020 and of course I had to reread the other three books in the series. Overall, this series gets four stars from me. It’s creepy and crawly and carries a pretty powerful message in a few ghost stories. However, the last book was my least favorite. After four incredibly heart pounding reads, the last book felt anticlimactic and a little dull. Don’t let this scare you away. If you like a good ghost story wrapped in history and social commentary on the sins of the United States, you will love this series. It’s definitely on my “to-buy” list and I can’t wait to add it to my library.

Wayward Children Series

by Seanan McGuire

****

This is another phenomenal series that gets four stars from me. These books are what I would call novellas. They’re short, but they pack a lot of creativity and world-building in just a few chapters. The premise is that there is a school for all the children who have fallen through doors (like Alice from Alice in Wonderland) and come back to their own world. Think of the turmoil and psychological impact of falling through a magical door and then, years later, ending up back home. Crazy. Who thinks of this stuff?? McGuire did, and she did a wonderful job of telling their stories.

I recently found out that McGuire had released two additional books in the series, so I reread the first three and then read the new ones. So good. Each book can stand on its own, but they’re much more fun together. This series would get five stars, but there are a couple things that keep me from reviewing this as the perfect read. First, McGuire is committed to representing diversity in her books, which I love. But, she can get preachy and heavy handed about it. Second, when one character is brought back from the dead it’s all fun and games. But once a second character comes back, it starts to feel forced.

The Twilight Series

by Stephanie Meyers

*

One of the more embarrassing recent reads. I hadn’t read these books since I was 14, and even back then I didn’t like them that much. But I had several books on hold on my Libby app and I wanted an immediate read, so here we are. They are just as bad as I remember, awkward, weird and full of truly the oddest plot holes.

Also to clarify, I did not read New Moon. I actually could barely read it back when I was 14. Even then I knew that Bella’s reaction to Edward leaving was unnatural and unhealthy. As an adult, there’s no way I could have reread that. 10/10 don’t recommend.

Station Eleven

by Emily St. John Mandel

*****

Yes, five stars. Because I loved this book that much. Of course, I read it in March as the world was ending (or so it felt) and that was an inconvenient time to read a book about a super flu that kills nearly everyone and ends civilization as we know it. Nevertheless, Station Eleven tells a gripping story with realistic yet not too complex characters. It reveals the different ways humans have of handling a situation and the light mystery threaded throughout is wonderful. Of course, most readers will solve the mystery before the end of the book, but this book isn’t about the mystery or keeping us in the dark. It’s more about telling a story that I connected so fully with, that all I really wanted to do was turn the page and spend more time in that world.

The Forgetting

by Sharon Cameron

***

3.5. This book was a fun read. It had enough romance, action and mystery in it to keep me engaged and wanting more. I was genuinely surprised by some of the big reveals and I always wanted to read just one more chapter. The characters are a little two-dimensional and I found myself not caring enough about them. The storytelling also felt shallow at times. But overall, the story is gripping and fun and full of adventure and, the ending was surprising to me and more complex than I thought possible of this book. Overall a very enjoyable read.

City of Brass and Kingdom of Coppery

by S. A. Chakraborty

****

These books are both phenomenal and two of my favorite recent reads. Here’s what worked for me: I love a good Djinn story, there’s enough action and intrigue to keep the reader engaged, the story itself is a fun yet serious and captivating adventure. But what really got me is the complexity of the characters and outcomes. There is no immediate success or assurance of life simply because you are good. Also, there is no purely good or purely bad. Just people, influenced by other people and by their complicated history, doing their best. Some are greedy, some are selfish, some are blinded by ambition or hate. Most have a mix of all of the above. Even the most moral characters make immoral decisions birthed from their misunderstanding of a situation or their own rigidity. I mean, even when I was stressed by the characters I was also impressed by Chakraborty’s ability to write such complex people. The second book was my favorite, because as with most fantasies the first book takes several chapters to lay out the new world we’re in. The third book releases on June 30 and I am barely containing myself.

House of Salt and Sorrow

by Erin A. Craig

** 

2.5 stars. I wanted to love this book so, so much. And there was a lot of potential for love. This is a creepy, eerie, stormy seaside retelling  of the 12 dancing princesses, but with murder and Inception vibes. But, it could have done with a lot more editing. What went wrong for me in this book is that I never quite believed it, and with just a little more work from the author I would have and could have been thoroughly creeped out and intrigued. Instead I was raising my eyebrows a lot and a little confused.