June 2017 wrap up

This month has been very occupied - I had family in town and I've been blissfully busy with my beta reading. So June flew by and I only read 3 whole books. I also read one graphic novel and 3 short stories. 
​I have been also very slow at reading, bordering a slump even. But I'm okay now.

1. Locke and Key - Clockworks by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

This was absolutely insane! The most brutal volume up to date. I mean the first page is enough to make your eyes bleed! And it just doesn't stop! Also this volume has some of the best art. And the plot? Amazing!

The story is explained and nicely wrapped up around the time lines. So many things were uncovered and everything makes sense. It was fantastic to finally learn what exactly happened in the caves all those years ago. 
Also I was really surprised to see where all the blame lays. 

The moon is red and the water has turned to blood. 6th and a final volume is probably going to be complete insanity!

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2. Winter (The Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer

Sadly this conclusion to The Lunar Chronicles saga was my least favorite. While I completely adored the third book in the series, Cress, Winter was a bit of a let down.
It could also have been at least 200 pages shorter, as it felt very drawn out.

For starters there was not enough Winter in this, considering that this is HER book.

There was one instance in the book that brought me much grief. I didn't write the page of the quote but it went something like this:
Winter telling Scarlet about the girl she saved by making her believe that she was happy, so the girl won't commit a suicide. The girl did later anyway, and Winter realized that she had no right to manipulate the girl and not let her do what the girl wanted to do in the first place.

Basically, what I gathered from it is this: 
Don't try to talk people out of suicide because it's not your business, and if they decide to kill themselves is totally their choice - and that made me very, very mad.
I might have understood it wrong, or read too much between the lines. But if I did there's a chance that somebody else would too.
Suicide is definitely something you should and must talk people out of!
This is always talked about. People are encouraged to talk to suicidal people, to monitor them, to be there for them, to help them though their tough times. NOT TO JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE.
I do hope that I understood it wrong. But in any case, I think that was a horrible, horrible message to put in a book.

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3. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Just as with the Clockwork Angel I am left underwhelmed, bored even. 

I am not saying this is a bad series, I am saying that it is not doing anything for me. Maybe it's because I read the TMI first and TID is just way too similar?

Or maybe because I felt like there was not enough danger and evil forces in this book? Mortmain was a looming treat, but they were never confronted by him directly.
Lightwood was just a jerk, not really a treat.
Mechanical creatures were not scary at all.

There were very good things that I liked too.
Charlotte's and Henry relationship. Now that is a romance I could get on board with! I felt for them so much. I think they are very underrated.

I think I would have enjoy this series so much more if I read this first. But after reading whole 6 books of TMI, I guess I wanted something more original. I might pick up a third book, sometime. Not soon though. 

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4. Every heart a doorway by Seanan McGuire

This book was half: the most beautiful thing I have ever read
and half:
the biggest disappointment ever.

The magical worlds were borrowed, the boarding school idea is far from being new or even interesting anymore. Yes, it is laced with some beautiful writing, some amazing life lessons and some great diversity.
“Their love wanted to fix her, and refused to see that she wasn't broken.”
But that's it. There was really no story in it for me.

There were also few very problematic and insensitive things in this book that just didn't sit well with me at all.
Read my full review here.

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Every heart a doorway REVIEW

5. The witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo (a short)

WOW
This must be witchcraft because holy smokes it was fantastic! In few pages I was both mesmerized and creeped out.

This felt a lot like something Brothers Grimm would write : dark, delicious and traumatizing.
And I LOVED it.

This really has nothing to do with Grisha (now Shadow and Bone) trilogy. So even if you haven't read anything by Leigh read this. Give yourself a treat. A dark, very creepy treat.

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6. The demon in the woods by Leigh Bardugo (a short)

A short and sad little story about Darkling's childhood. Could probably be read on its own too, but it will make much more sense and be so much more enjoyable when read together with the Grisha Trilogy. 

Cruel, cruel children. 
Poor little 'Eryk'. Hunted like an animal. Like a trophy. 

Darkling is definitely a product of his environment. Cruel, cruel environment.

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7. The too-clever fox by Leigh Bardugo (a short)

This was enjoyable, but really nothing new. 
I definitely felt like I have read a tale like this somewhere in slavic folklore before. 
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I do really love the cover though! So pretty.

Those are all of my books and short stories that I read in the month of June. hoping to read some really good books in July, as June has been a little too mediocre for my liking.

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