December Mini Reviews

Most of the time I don’t like writing full reviews of books (even in 200 words or less), because the more I feel like I have to be a critic, the more critical I feel toward books. I’d rather just read books and enjoy them, then post some thoughts on them afterward. Here’s a few books and companion stories I read in December.

Before I Go to Sleep, by S. J. Watson

This was the my book club’s choice for December, and I absolutely LOVED it. Right away, I was drawn into the story and basically did not want to put it down. The fact that the main character loses her memory every night when she does to sleep makes for a great mystery. The storytelling in this book was phenomenal. Some parts were so intimate, so beautifully female that I was astounded to discover that the author is male! In any case – this book was a great mystery, with really interesting storytelling. All throughout the book, I kept exclaiming and tell my husband how much I loved it and how much he needs to read it. I’d basically recommend it to everyone I know.

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The Archived, by Victoria Schwab

I’ve been a Schwab fan since I read The Near Witch in 2011, so I was super psyched to be able to get my hands on an ARC of this one. She did not disappoint! The story is captivating, curious, and interesting immediately. It has a lovely storytelling style, switching back and forth between first person, and sort of a “letters to Grandpa” perspective. The world was magical, and definitely unique compared to any other fantasy story I’ve read. I have to admit that I wasn’t very interested in the main love interest, but he did grow on me a bit as the story progressed. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book, because OMG did this story end in a great place! [NOTE: I read this book as an ARC, borrowed from my sister, who receives many, many awesome things in her mailbox.]

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Girl of Nightmares, by Kendare Blake

As the sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood, I was curious where this story would lead. While some things went as I expected them too, Blake did throw some surprises in there, too. There’s a whole new magical world introduced in this book that I was very intrigued by. I wish it could have been explored more fully, but for the context of Cas’s story, it just wouldn’t have made sense to do that. Overall, it was a satisfying conclusion to the story, and each of the characters got a nice chunk of “camera time,” so I was happy.

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Roar and Liv (Under the Never Sky #0.5), by Veronica Rossi

Getting to delve back into this world just made me remember how much I loved Under the Never Sky — and made me want Through the Ever Night even more! This was a great companion piece. I had been curious about Live, since she’s only mentioned in UtNS, and I really enjoyed the parts that involved Roar, so I was excited and pleased to read a whole story about them! In this piece, we also get to see a little bit more of Perry, which was really nice. It shows a bit more about the dynamic of their tribe, and Perry’s family, which was really nice. Now… gimme Through the Ever Night!

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Annabel (Delirium #0.5), by Lauren Oliver

Going into this, I didn’t realize it was going to be about Lena’s mother. But wow, am I glad that it was! Annabel is one of the characters in this series that I’ve always been so curious about — especially considering the way Lena feels about her, and everything you learn in Pandemonium. I loved this story. It fit so well inside the Delirium world, and it helps explain a bit about Lena’s mom. My only wish, as with the other companion for this series, that it was longer!

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The Spring Before I Met You (The Lynburn Legacy #0.25), by Sarah Rees Brennan

Okay, so I really enjoyed the other companion for this series, and I also enjoy the actual book Unspoken. So I was naturally excited to find out that there was another companion story! This one is about Jared, and it definitely sheds some light on what his situation was like before he moved to Sorry-in-the-Vale. We get to learn a little bit more about him, and from the interesting perspective of his high school guidance counselor. I liked this story, and I think it was a nice companion to the series. It made me like Jared just a little bit more, but I’m still not his biggest fan by any means.