Among Thieves

February 21, 2021March 4, 2021 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: Among Thieves

Author: M.J. Kuhn

Page Count: N/A

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: September 7th, 2021, Saga Press

Format: eBook/ARC

Review: M.J. Kuhn is definitely an author to watch. With this hell of a debut novel, Kuhn sets the stage for what I hope will be a series full of anti-heroes, powers, and crime. The characters are the “hate to love them” type, but you really do root for them despite the fact that they are smugglers, thieves, and cons. They also have good reasons for doing what they are doing, which really helps.

There were a few things here and there that I wished lasted longer in some places and shorter in others, but overall it was incredibly enjoyable. They pulled me in by saying it was like Six of Crows, but I also wish they didn’t, as I had to stop myself from comparing the two all the time, which is unfair: they are two different books that just happen to both be based on heists. But I also see why they would market it that way, so fair play.

Reader: Kymberly

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Paranormal · Romance · Young Adult

The Folk of the Air Trilogy

February 13, 2021 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, & The Queen of Nothing

Author: Holly Black

Page Count: 370, 336, & 300

Series: The Folk of the Air, Books 1-3

Publishing Date/Publisher: January 2, 2018 – January 8, 2019 – November 19, 2019 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Format: eBook

Review: I was never quick to pick up this book series for two reasons:

I read the Coldest Girl in Cold Town by this author and though I enjoyed it, I wasn’t terribly impressed.
The book synopsis for The Cruel Prince does not do it justice.

I have seen this book series mentioned enough times now that I finally decided to read it. As a result, I am going to do something I never do and review all three books together. Why you ask? Because I ripped through them so fast it doesn’t even make sense for me to review them individually. This was a book series that kept me reading late into the night and each book took me about 2 days to finish. I simply could not put them down. The romance is a slow burn (which I always appreciate), but it was the political intrigue and endless scheming that truly kept me glued to the pages. Jude is a very strongly written character, and it was fascinating to watch her turn her vulnerabilities into strengths. The pacing of this book series is excellent, and I was never once bored. Great cliffhangers and a great ending really cemented this as one of my favorite YA series of all time.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Contemporary · Fiction · Romance · Young Adult

Born Confused

February 13, 2021 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

Title: Born Confused

Author: Tanuja Desai Hidier

Performer: Marguerite Gavin

Length: 14 hr, 47 min

Series: Born Confused, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher:

Format: eAudiobook

Review: This was a very fun, coming-of-age novel. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. She finds humor in the mundane, and she paints a vivid picture of family and culture. I liked most aspects of the book, but the way the central romance unfolded annoyed me tremendously. It was a very believable premise leading up to the declaration of feelings, but the fall out that would of resulted feels a bit underplayed. Perhaps I have strong feelings about this because I personally don’t care for romance arcs where the relationship with the close friend is thrown to the wayside in favor of a romantic one.

Although it predates the Netflix series Never Have I Ever by a few years, I think that people who enjoyed that show would enjoy this book tremendously. It explores a lot of similar themes such as building a cross-cultural Indian/American identity, marriage, love, sexuality, family, and friendship.

I did not like the casting for this audiobook. The performer had a melodic voice, but she sounded way too old to be believably portraying a teen girl. Also, I am always a little leery of the accuracy of accents when a person is not from that culture.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: