Ten Trends to Seduce your Bestfriend by Penny Reid

I like to think of my favourite authors as my palls. I'm not one to enjoy partaking in social events and I am not a fan of hanging out, so reading books is my way of being social. Thus, the authors I enjoy reading are people (minds, really) I tend to meet quite often and philosophize with. 

Penny is one of my best palls. There's always someone to relate to in her books. I also love the exceptionally well-combined sarcasm, wit, romance, and nerdiness of her stories. Her heroines are always smart, quirky and cool. 

Winnie's character is absolutely unique. To the point, I think she is superhuman. As a teacher, I can't even imagine having the mental power and time to work on so many side projects. Nevertheless, her passion and creativity are truly inspiring and schools around the world might be different if there were more teachers like her. 

I am Byron. Well, not entirely and not due to the same reasons, but I have always been bad at communicating in a way that doesn't offend people or make them think I find them inadequate. I am far from the smartest person out there. I guess it is just the way I speak? There's this line of Byron's that resonated with me "I don't know how else to be other than either silent or honest". With the development of the story, he wanted to change, but at the same time wanted to be accepted by his loved ones for who he was. The latter was a big part of Winnie and Byron's romance- them learning how to be together, which I really enjoyed. There are many great books out there that I often am annoyed with due to the instacompatibility. In addition, I did have the feeling I met Darcy from a different universe. His love confession was everything!

The story is brilliantly plotted. I had the feeling of reading a modern-day Jane Austen novel. Penny is a master choreographer. She wrote a great love dance that Winnie and Byron performed that kept me on my toes. I must acknowledge the extraordinary ability that Penny has to make two lead characters sound like two different people. What I mean is the vocabulary range that each character used, and the way their monologues were written were individual to each hero/heroine. 

All in all, this is an extremely romantic and nerdy story that discusses plenty of important aspects of our modern lives (e.g. body positivity, sexuality, relationships, science, educational system). It is definitely one of my Penny favorites and I just love the feeling I'm left with after reading her books: optimistic, swoony and content. 

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas

A paperback copy of this book has been in my possession since the end of February. Most Maas fans might think I am insane for waiting this long to start reading the second Crescent City novel but hear me out. 

First, I'm busy. Alas, I am not a professional reader, although I wish I were, so I must work to afford all the books I read in my free time (among other things). Second, I sometimes like to put off reading books I know will bring me great joy in order to indulge in them and have a better reading experience. So, yeah, this one just had to wait. 

I'm on chapter 22, so I've read about a fourth of the book. Did the first book in the series have so many POVs? I can't recall. Perhaps I should've reread it. Instead, I opted for a summary. I know, I know. Shame on me. Well, I'm busy and I just wanted to get on with it.

I digress. The multiple POVs. I know it adds layers to the story and provides a more dynamic reading experience that keeps the reader on their toes. Nevertheless, I find it a bit tiring. I need to be quite focused to keep up with the events. Also, I kind of feel I'm missing out on character development. Speaking of characters- I find Bryce's quite confusing. What's her motivation? She seems quite controversial. Will get back to her later. 

So far the book is intense and, true to herself, Sarah has a surprise waiting for us around every other corner. Updates to be posted every week. 😺

Reading progress page 626/800

I expected to be absolutely consumed by the book and sort of felt apprehensive when I started reading. Believe it or not, I dislike being obsessed with a book, because it often leads to this feeling of loss once I've finished reading it. It also might result in dissatisfaction with the books I read afterward, which is unfair. 

So far, I am pleasantly surprised that reading the book does not interfere with my work/life. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to pick it up and read and my life more or less consists of reading, working, and working out. However, the alternation in POVs allows the reader to just leave the book for a while. I feel relaxed while and after reading. Nevertheless, considering Maas's affinity for writing intense endings I expect to be losing my marbles when reading the final 100 pages. 

Reading Progress Done 

I AM LOSING MY MARBLES! Sarah did not! Ahhhh! I hate myself for not making the connection earlier. It all began in Kingdom of Ash. We saw everyone there for the first time. The hint at parallel universes. However, I was absolutely consumed by Aelin's story (my favorite SJM heroine) to ponder over other universes. I mean, I did lose it when Aelin saw Rhysand and Feyre while falling but didn't pay much attention to the other worlds. One of them was described as a great city near a river with tall buildings and the other one as a great ocean. Possible where the mer come from? Also, the different kinds of Fae? The shifter fae? Rowan, Gavriel, Fenris? I'M LOSING IT!

Damn, but Sarah is good. She is next level. I marvel at the way she weaves her stories. How did she manage to plan everything? She must've had plans about the Court and the Crescent City series while finishing the Throne series. 

I am absolutely delighted that this was not a case of the second book syndrome. Not surprised though, since I was absolutely consumed when reading the Court and The Throne series. The stories got better and better with each installment. Therefore, I am looking forward to reading the next Crescent City novel(s)!