Monday, 12 October 2020

51-60 Books of 2020

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And today I will be looking at the books that I have read recently (basically the ten books leading up to when I completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge- I'm aware I've read another ten since then.)

Enjoy! 


51. The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang 

Set in France, with incredibly likeable characters you immediately start to love, I love that this book exists, because it's a book that wouldn't have been allowed to exist before the most recent years. I flew through this (not hard as it's a graphic novel) but even before I was through the first chapter I knew that. The Prince and the Dressmaker will make your heart flutter (because the book is just so damn cute), but will also make it flutter with panic because you want the best for these characters. Highly recommend. 


52. Loveless, by Alice Oseman 

This book was a new one for a number of reasons. For one, most of it's set in University, which is rare for a YA novel. Even rarer, it features the protagonist discovering that she is in actual fact, an asexual aromantic, and a big part of Loveless is Georgia coming to terms with that. I'm a big fan of Oseman's books, and Loveless certainly solidified that for me. Looking forward to reading more of her work in the future. 


53. The Lucky Ones, by Liz Lawson 

I didn't know what to expect, going into this. I knew the premise (May is going back to school eleven months after the school shooting that killed her twin brother; Zach's mother is representing that killer), but what I wasn't prepared for was the emotional turmoil I was going to experience. As May and Zach grow closer, you just want them to work out, even though you the statistics is close to impossible. Highly recommend. (Though there is a trigger warning- if you've lost a sibling, this might not be the book for you.)


54. Vicious (Villains #1), by V.E. Schwab 

55. Vengeful (Villains #2), by V.E. Schwab 

Not my favourite series by V.E. Schwab by any means, but it definitely holds it's own. I don't regret picking this series (and I'm excited for the third book, if there is one- I swear, I'm not sure whether there's going to be one or not at this point.) What I love about these is that none of the characters are good (except maybe Sidney.) But it's literally just terrible people doing worse acts of deed, and it's a breath of fresh air. I'm not going to forget about these characters for a while yet. 

56. Cinderella Is Dead, by Kalynn Bayron 

This was an interesting one. Again, not my favourite fairytale retelling, but it's a decent one, and worth reading if you would like a compelling story where the protagonist is the only one with her head screwed on straight. Cinderella is Dead takes place 200 years after the original tale took place, and now, young girls have just one chance to meet a suitable gentleman to wed, or they disappear... well Sophia would rather marry her childhood friend, Erin, but on the night of the ball, she flees the castle, and with the last remaining descendant of Cinderella and her stepsisters, leave to find a way to bring about the end of the ball as they know it- and the story just rolls from there. This was a fresh take on a classic story, and I'm glad I read it. Although I only rated it 3.5 stars, I definitely don't regret picking it up. 


57. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman 

My first Neil Gaiman novel, and not my last, because I'm reading Good Omens this month, despite having difficulty getting into this. I don't know what it was about this! For whatever reason, I had a hard time being motivated to pick this up. It wasn't the writing, or the world-building, and the characters were fleshed out enough, but there was just something that didn't sit right. But, I enjoyed it enough to give it an average 3 stars, and I'm excited to see what I think of his other work. (By the way, it's about a man that travels to find a star, so his love will marry him, and a whole bunch of crazy events start happening- it's honestly a better book that I'm making it sound.) 

58. Hunted, by Megan Spooner 

Hunted was a book I decided to stick on my monthly TBR as something to read at the end of the month, after I've finished everything else. It did not end like that- because I got sucked in straight away. Hunted sells itself as a Beauty and the Beast retelling- where Beauty is the one hunting the beast after her father goes missing. But it turned out to be so much more than that. You jump from Beauty's POV to the Beast's every other chapter, and honestly it lends so much more to the story. If you're a fan of mysterious, thrilling fairytale retellings, then I urge you all to pick this up. It's not too huge either, so you can fly through the audiobook in a couple of days. 


59. Rooftoppers, by Katherine Rundell 

Rooftoppers. I really enjoyed this. After loving Evernight, by Ross Mackenzie, I had been searching for another short middle-grade that I knew I would enjoy. Having loved The Wolf Wilder by Kathering Rundell a couple of years back, I decided on Rooftoppers, which is about Sophie, a girl that was told that she was an orphan, since she lost her mother when they were shipwrecked when she was just an orphan. Now, 10 years later, Sophie and her guardian run from authority, in the hope that Sophie will find a clue for her mother's whereabouts, with the help of the boy that runs the rooftops. What I liked about this was how realistic the characters were, even in the backwards ways of the 1940s. I recommend if you're looking for a quick, engaging middle-grade set in Paris. 

60. The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig 

To say that The Midnight Library blew me away would be an understatement. It took me completely by surprise by how quickly I fell into Nora's life, in her one day where she slowly lost everything she found near and dear to her, and makes a decision that means she will go to the Midnight Library. The Midnight Library is the place you go to when between life and death, and it gives you a chance to see which direction your life would take, had you made a different decision at one point. It was certainly an interesting read, and it shows you that you have a million possibilities waiting for you, whichever direction you decide to go on. Truly inspiring book. 5 stars. 


Okay! Those are all the books that I have to talk about today, so that'll be it! I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon! 
Byeeeee! 

Abi xxxx


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