May Wrap-Up

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of posts. Life has gotten insane these past few weeks. But I still managed to read a bunch of books in the midst of all the chaos! So here are all of  the books I read last month.

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Rating: ★★★★★

I finally finished the Mortal Instruments series! I absolutely adored this book. It was a wonderful conclusion to the series. It answered everything that needed to be answered, it had tons of action, and was the epic conclusion the series deserved. I loved how that even though it was the last book, there was still plot twists scattered throughout it. Everything was resolved at the perfect moment, nothing felt rushed or drawn out. I was sad to say goodbye to all of the characters I have come to love, but it was comforting to know they were each given their own realistic and happy (sorta) endings.

Once was a Time by Leila Sales

Rating: ★★★★

Overall, I loved this book. The plot wasn't too complex, which is probably due to the author not sharing how exactly she perceived time travel to work in the novel. Whilst I feel like that was kind if lazy on the authors side, I think it fit with the story well. . I also loved how the time travel was from the past to the present (kinda). Not even that-but also to a completely different country! It was really interesting to read about Lottie adapting to the modern world, along with the American world with all of our weird customs. The fact that she had a 'normal' life besides being a time traveler was also really interesting. She had to deal with bullying (being the victim AND the bully), what the true meaning of modern friendship was, and just how to be independent and be herself not what others wanted her to be. It was really cool. 

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart

Rating: ★★★★★

It's hard to express how or why I love this book so much. It deals with many important topics, all of which are dealt with very well. The author does the characters justice. The story was a rollercoaster of emotions, and was written very well. One chapter I would be near tears and the next I would be giddy from happiness and the next I would want to throw the book in frustration. It was really well done, and was a hard but enjoyable read. 

The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly

Rating:  ★★

I wanted to like this story-but I just couldn't. I felt like the characters had a lot of potential, but they were under developed. The plot was also kinda of flat-nothing really exciting happened. Problems came, and the characters resolved them in some way. I feel like it had a lot more potential, but the author didn't take full advantage of it. I ended up forcing myself to finish it, because I was really bored by the end. But I think younger kids would like it, because of the simple plot and characters. But for me it was a big flop.

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

Rating: ★★★★

I loved this book. I have a full review of it here. This book was amazing. The plot and idea behind it was really creative, and even though it was the first book in the series a lot of things happened. I loved how he reintroduced new characters, and almost let go of all the old ones. But not quite, Rick isn't done with them yet. They still have a whole bunch of adventures awaiting them, and I can't wait to go along!

Demigods and Magicians by Rick Riordan

Rating: ★★★★

This book was really good. It was short, since it only consisted of three novellas, but it was really fun to read. It was cool to read about the Greek demigods meeting the Egyptian magicians, and how their magical powers could combine to create a super powerful force. It was super fun to read about percabeth, and Percy and Annabeth fighting together. And Sadie and Carter were hilarious as always, and combined with Percy and Annabeth, made a great group. The humor was really well done, and so was the action. 

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

Rating: ★★★★★

This book was amazing. My librarian recommended it to me when I told her I was interested in reading books about the Holocaust, and boy am I glad I did. This book was everything I ever wanted out of a Holocaust book. It made it feel real. Some books set in this time period make what happened seem like a made up story, but this one made it feel real. The plot was unique, and I really enjoyed it. I couldn't get my nose out of this book, and it really enlightened me about what people went through during the holocaust. I recommend it to everyone who is interested in the Holocaust, or wants to learn more about it.

So yeah, that's it! I'm pretty proud of myself for reading seven books this month. I had a really good reading month, and I hope I can keep it up for the rest of the year!