Books I Read in May 2021 (short reviews)

Hi guys, welcome back. 

I'm so sorry that my blog is currently a little all over the place and not so much about writing, but that's because I'm a little all over the place and not writing. 
For some reason I just don't seem to be in the mood to write and I decided to not force it right now. I do have a lot of ideas, but I'll get to them some other time.

Right now you're probably here to read about my reading month (and if not, I hope you're not lost, let me know if I can help you or offer directions). May was a better month than April, both mood wise and reading wise. 
I read 15 books (out of those only two were audio books, two were for university, two books I was sent to review and two were e-books, the rest were all from my physical TBR!) I'm so happy that I managed to get a few books off my physical TBR because it is getting out of hand. You might have seen on Instagram that I had to buy a second bookshelf and for someone who only has about 17 square meters, this is an issue. 

Anyway. Let's get into the short reviews. If you want to read them in real time, check out my goodreads, I always post my reviews on there right away and they are sometimes even the ones I end up posting on here, because I like what I previously said about a book. 

The Threat Below - Jason Latshaw (2.5/5)
See full review here

The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang (5/5)
One of my favourite books of the month, the year, heck maybe even of all time. I loved the concept, the OwnVoices representation, the romance, the characters, just everything. This is also a book that I'm considering for a reread and if you know me, that basically never happens. But it was just that good, I need to read it again!

The Case for Jamie - Brittany Cavallaro (3.5/5)
A Question of Holmes - Brittany Cavallaro (4.5/5)
I'm writing a quick review for the two of them together. I loved the Charlotte Holmes series soooo much. It was fun, quirky and for someone who loves Sherlock Holmes this was a very interesting take. It also talked about a lot of important issues, like mental health issues, drug abuse, rape, grief and more and did it in a very accessible way. The third part wasn't my favourite out of the series, but the fourth (and I think final?) was really, really good and made up for a few of the issues I had with part 3

The Storm - Daniel Defoe (2/5)
A Journal of the Plaque Year - Daniel Defoe (2/5)
Grouping these two together because they were both equally bad. Don't get me wrong, I see the value in them from an educational stand point and I enjoyed the discussions in my seminar, but these are books that I would never recommend to anyone. They were boring, insanely repetitive and unless you have to I don't see a point in reading them. There are so many other good classics out there. 

Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo (5/5)
Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo (5/5)
Excuse me please, why had I never read these books before? They were absolutely everything. I loved every minute of this series to a point where I dragged out book two for as long as possible to be able to read about Kaz and his Crew for longer. Leigh Bardugo is a genius when it comes to world building, Ketterdam came alive in my head and I could picture the atmosphere so well. The relationships that were developed amused me as well as broke my heart and there was such depth to everything. EVERYTHING. Like, I need five more books on the crows and Kaz and Ketterdam and Jesper, my baby Jesper... Honestly, why are there only two books?

Crashing the A-List - Summer Heacock (3/5)
I have to be honest, I had no idea I read this book or knew what I thought of it until just now. It was okay (according to my own review on goodreads) aside from the very toxic behaviour and insanely ridiculous premise. It only just worked out because the main character was very aware in a way (if that makes sense) of how ridiculous her story is and she stood up very well for herself when someone was toxic, so that made this book an okay escapism romance. But not one I would recommend. 

Josh and Hazel's guide to not dating - Christina Lauren (5/5)
This on the other hand is a romance I would highly recommend. You guys know I love Christina Lauren books and this has become one of my favourites. The chemistry between Josh and Hazel was there from the first page, their friendship was so beautifully quirky and lovely. I loved all the characters so much Josh's family and Hazel's mother were so nice to get to know as a beautiful support system for the characters. I stayed up until 3am and cried a little at the end, so I think that shows how I feel about this book.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See (4/5)
As I said on goodreads, this is not a fun or quick read. It is painful, uncomfortable and hard to stomach, but at the same time it is so detailed and interesting that I couldn't stop reading. The female relationship in this book was very intriguing especially with the addition of a secret language, but it was also very difficult to observe. Overall I would say be a bit cautious when you get into this and don't expect a lot of thrilling entertainment.

The Cruel Prince - Holly Black (4/5)
Boy did I have fun with this one. First I have to say though that the bullying aspect was done so insanely well that I felt very uncomfortable and bad for Jude. That changed very quickly though when I got to see just how strong and badass Jude is. She might become my new favourite main character. There were one or two moments where I felt like the story developed to quick and shallow, so I can't give it 5 stars, but I'm buzzing to read the full series.

Skin of the Night - Claire D. Bennett (4.5/5)
One of my most anticipated reads of the year. I've loved this book since I first saw it on Wattpad years ago, Claire is literally my idol when it comes to Wattpad fame and I'm loving this book today. The relationship and characters in this book are so mature and well written, the symbolism and language is so beautiful and if it hadn't been for the very sudden ending and a slightly dragging 250 page long weekend this would've been an absolute 5/5 book. Obviously it is still sooo good that I will read it over and over and ruin my expectations for men by fantasising over Will Night. 

Project Hail Mary - Any Weir (4/5)
See full review here

The Night Stalker - Chris Carter (4/5)
This was your average, well written and horribly bloody thriller. I love the Robert Hunter books and I want to read more of them, because they are just so out there and well constructed that I can't seem to put them down. I'm slightly in awe (or terrified) over how someone comes up with such great/awful killers. Brilliant, but not a full 5 star read. I'm still waiting for that one, but I'm sure Chris Carter will deliver. 

That was it for May. If you want to connect with me through Instagram, I'm super active there these days and I'd love to talk to you guys about all the books you've read (or the books you still want to read). 
Tomorrow I'll post my first June review, so I hope you like the double update :) Especially since I'm not writing about writing at the moment. 

As always, take care, stay healthy and read on. 
Lena 

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