Books 11-20 of 2021

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I've read some more books! (Big shocker there haha.) 

So today, I will be talking about them! 

Enjoy! 

11. Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5), by Sarah J Maas 

After the explosive ending to QoS, I was so excited to jump into this. Unfortunately, for me, it was a bit of a let down. It was mostly due to the change in pacing, but the ending definitely pulled up my rating. I really didn't want to DNF this series, particularly after how much I had enjoyed the series up to this point, but I feel like this could have been shorter. (Also, one of my favourite characters was basically non-existent in this, so that was another reason.) Still a decent read though. 

12. Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6), by Sarah J Maas

A book totally about Chaol! After the end of QoS, I was so worried about him (sorry Dorian shippers, but I prefered Chaol). But the fact that this started as a novella and ended as a book as big as this, I knew I shouldn't have been worried. Although this was a definite change of pacing to the other books (not unlike EoS),  but unlike book 5, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's actually up there on my top three for the entire series. If it wasn't the penultimate book in this series, I'd probably re-read this over and over because I enjoyed it that much. 

13. Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7), by Sarah J Maas 

I don't need to say how large this book is. If you haven't read it, most people have at least seen a physical copy. But, although KoA is the largest book I've read so far this year, I genuinely think that every chapter was relevant, and nothing felt rushed. KoA was bitter-sweet for me, as I imagine it was for most people that have made it to the end. I just didn't want to say goodbye to these wonderful characters. Phenomenal ending to an epic series. I have no doubt that I'll be re-reading the entire series again in the future. 

14. The FlatShare, by Beth O' Leary 

A wonderful, funny and short story about two people sharing a flat, who actually have never met. I loved the way they grew closer with notes, but that there were other things going on as well, so that it didn't feel like it overwhelming anything else. If I could read it for the first time again, I totally would, because The FlatShare was the perfect combination of funny and heartwarming vibes, and some of the tougher themes. I can't wait to read more of Beth O' Leary's books. 

15. The Switch, by Beth O' Leary 

A switch between a grandmother and grandaughter that switch places. Again, wonderful balance between serious and heart-warming scenes. A little shorter than The FlatShare, but just as fantastic. Highly recommend for if you're looking for a fast, engaging read for the weekend, a trip to a faraway destination, or even a 24 hour readathon. If you like fiction novels, you're sure to like this novel by Beth O' Leary. 

16. My Dark Vanessa, by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Difficult book, so be wary going into this. On the surface level, this is a book about Vanessa, at two different points in her life. One time period is Vanessa at age fifteen, when she starts a secret love affair with her English teacher: Jacob Strane. The second time period is when she is in her thirtees, when said teacher has been accused of sexually abusing another student. Some of the scenes are certainly tough to get through so I will once again warn anyone that is considering picking this book up to please, do the research on some of the trigger warnings that are included in this book. 

I do have a review linked into the title, so you can see more of what my in-depth thoughts are regarding this, if you wish. But honestly, I'm still not sure about what to rate this novel, even a month after finishing this. 

17. The Falling in Love Montage, by Ciara Smyth 

The Falling in Love Montage is an LGBT summer romance that is certainly nothing to be sniffed at. All Saoirsa wants is something temporary, before she heads off to Uni. Enter Ruby, who is the Romcom expert. The rules: only lasts for the summer, just romcom montage. After all, this romance is only temporary. 

I always knew I was going to enjoy this, because I'm always up for a watching of my favourite romcoms- I just didn't realise there were so many! I definitely need to start watching some of the films mentioned in this book- soon. Anway, I thoroughly enjoyed this and I can't wait to read more of Ciara Smyth's works in the future. 

18. We Are Okay, by Nina LaCour 

I actually remember thinking about this the other day. We Are Okay is a short book, but it packs a hell of an impact. It follows a girl called Marin who, after her grandfather suddenly passed away. She took the clothes off her back, her wallet and a photo of her mother, and ran. Four months later, her friend Mabel is coming to visit, and she knows she can't hide anymore. This is a book about coming to terms with grief and the truth, even after denying and shallowing it down for a very long time. It's a difficult book, but it's also incredibly freeing. I recommend this, if you're in the mood for a good cry. 

19. Girl A, by Abigail Dean 

With the fantastic things I was hearing about this book, I figured I'd end up loving it as much as everyone else. Unfortunately I found the story to be a little dull, I couldn't see the hidden meanings behind the words like everybody else seemed to, and apart from the relationships between a couple of the characters, I was genuinely considering DNF'ing this thoroughout. However, because of how short it was, no more than the 320 something kind of page count, I carried on, hoping it would pick up. The pacing never really did, but I enjoyed the character development after one particular reveal, which is why I carried on reading. Girl A currently sits on my unhaul pile, because I definitely will not be picking it up again. 

20. Romanov, by Nadine Brandes

I do have a review linked into the title if you want to know more about what I thought about Romanov, but in short, I was hugely surprised and impressed by this. I was hesitant going into it, knowing some people thought it slow and hard to read. But, even though it might be slower than some fantasy books I've read in the past (the genre is considered historical fantasy), I've in no mind agree that it was hard to read. I rarely read a book where a family has so much love for another, and that was the driving force in the book, the fact that you're rooting for something good to the Romanov family, that have been dealt bad luck at seemingly every turn. 

Okay! Those are all the books I have to discuss with you all today! I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to comment what you like, down below! 

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx