So I only read 10 books in August which is lower than my average but I am planning to read a lot more in September despite going back to college.
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris **** – So I have read Red Dragon before, but I am binge reading the whole series and for those that haven’t read the series, there are 2 ways to read it. The first is publication order so Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Hannibal Rising or chronologically based on the series event so this would be Hannibal Rising, Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs and then Hannibal. This is because Hannibal Rising is Hannibal Lecter’s origin story. The opening of Red Dragon introduces us to Will Graham who is the detective who caught Hannibal but was almost killed in the process. Will is a great character because of his unique skill, he is what I’d can a projectionist, this means he can project himself onto the killer and make connections no one else can but it takes a great toll on his mental health. Will has already been gathering clues, but he doesn’t have much to go on, but he knows the only person he can share his unusual perspective with is the same man who tries to kill him; Dr. Hannibal Lecter. I really liked the backstory of Will and Hannibal’s interactions, but I would have loved to witness them first-hand.
2. Splintered by A. G. Howard ***** – So I am taking part in Dewey’s 24-hour reverse readathon and the first book I picked up was Splintered; a dark Alice in WonderIand retelling. I have read this series before and I can’t wait to see my sassy moth man and if you don’t get that reference then read the books. We are introduced to Alyssa, who is the descendant of Alice Liddell, from Alice in Wonderland but this isn’t a good thing as the women of the family are cursed to hear things like bugs and flowers talking which is the reason her mother Alison is locked up in Soul’s asylum. However, Alyssa tries to be a normal teenager throwing herself into her art and trying to get to London, but her father and best friend Jeb veto the idea which hurts Alyssa as Jeb is moving there anyway. Alyssa’s insecurities play a huge part in her life whether it’s about her mother, her looks or Jeb who she has a huge crush on and that makes her a very realistic main character. Alyssa learns through her mother that their family is cursed and begins looking for a way to break the curse, but she keeps hearing a mysterious voice guiding her, but she needs to get London.
3. Moth in the Mirror by A. G. Howard ***** – So this is the novella spanning the gap between Splintered and Unhinged and all I know about it is that it is a short story told from Morpheus’ point of view as he digs into Jeb’s memories of Wonderland mainly because he is Morpheus’ rival for Alyssa’s affections. Morpheus is obviously doing this with the intention of pushing Jeb aside and claiming his spot as the object of Alyssa’s desire, but I have a feeling this is going to forge a connection between Jeb and Morpheus that he wasn’t expecting. This is also told in a strange format as it is from Morpheus’ point of view but when he is inside Jeb’s head he almost becomes Jeb, so it may be hard for some to distinguish Morpheus from Jeb during these scenes.
4. Wicked Fox by Kat Cho **** – All I knew about Wicked Fox before picking it up was that it was a fantasy novel with heavy elements from Korean mythology. We are introduced to Gu Miyoung who is a Gumiho; a nine-tailed fox who has to consume the gi or energy from men in order to survive, but she hates that she has to take the lives of others in order to survive. We are also introduced to Jihoon, a relaxed young man who doesn’t really have a care in the world until one night he takes his grandmother’s dog Dubu for a walk and she escapes into the forest. Here Jihoon has a run-in with a mythological creature that his grandmother told him about as a child only to be saved by Miyoung, and he also ends up saving her. While he doesn’t know who Miyoung is, he is completely fascinated by the discovery that all the creatures from childhood bedtime stories might actually be real.
5. Beauty and Chaos by Michael Pronko ***** – Michael Pronko’s writing style is definitely realistic in the truest sense of the word. He discusses the hectic lifestyle of most people who live in Tokyo and how difficult something as simple as navigation can be in the city. While most people would find this disorientating, Pronko finds it to be magical with a little moment of calm and quiet that often come when you need them most before jumping back into the flow of life. One of my favourite things about this section is how Pronko talks about how he came to be in Japan and why he continues to live there and like most people who don’t have a plan, he just thought it would be interesting and it was, so he continued to stay there. I myself would love to move to Japan at some point in the future and I am studying to get a degree in order to get on the JET program.
6. Redwood and Ponytail by K. A. Holt ***** – So all I knew about Redwood and Ponytail before it was sent to me is that it is an f/f romance novel written in verse. After reading Vanilla by Billy Merrell which is an m/m romance novel written in verse which completely tore my heart out I was excited to jump into this one. Redwood and Ponytail follows Tam and Kate, Tam sees Kate as a stereotypical cheerleader and Kate sees Tam as another tall jock, but they will eventually get together and I can’t wait to go on this journey with them. The small “Now” section at the beginning of the novel leaves with so many questions about what the hell happened to cause the reactions from the girls especially Kate, but before we get too much we jump to “Before”.
7. Motions and Moments by Michael Pronko ***** – This opening section has to be one of my favourites by far as Pronko moves away from the philosophical question he has posed in his other collection to more practical ones. It was interesting to see some of the practical elements of living in Japan as a foreigner even though he has lived there for many years and how he often engages in the language dance with others to assess whether or not they speak English and how well while the other person is often assessing whether or not he speaks good Japanese. These little practicalities are very useful insights for someone looking to travel to or live in Japan in the future. Seeing the small insights into everyday life and what this means in context is delightful like the seemingly yet impossible choice between a futon or a bed is magical to read because it forces you to consider things you saw as insignificant before but take on a whole new meaning when you see someone else’s perspective on the issue. Pronko also doesn’t come across as a true Japanese person as he often makes mistakes and in awed by Japanese people and society despite having lived there for 15 years.
8. Untoward Awakening by Sara Secora ***** – It has been over two years since I read Throne of Lies, the first book in this series, but I remember loving it so much and feeling it was a really fresh entry to the YA fantasy genre. I must also note before I get into my review that Throne of Lies and subsequently Untoward Awakening have had a cover change which makes them more visually appealing and just plain beautiful, I would buy these books for the new covers alone. This series follows Princess Amethysta, heir to the Northwind Throne when we left her at the end of Throne of Lies, she was marrying Soren but also had some very strong feeling for Ark and I could smell a love triangle brewing. While love triangles aren’t something I enjoy, I do find that if they are done right they are intriguing and keep the reader guessing. Amethysta was also learning about her magic and questioning whether or not she is actually human, so to say I was excited to jump into Untoward Awakening was an understatement.
9. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami ***** – In the opening of Battle Royale, we are introduced to the Ninth Grade Class B from Shiroiwa Junior High in Kagawa who are heading on a school trip this includes Shuya and his classmates. Nothing seems amiss until they all fall asleep and wake up in a classroom similar to the one in their school, but they all have collars on a man tells them they have been entered into the Program. The Program takes place randomly and one class is chosen, they are taken to a secret location and forced to kill each other until there is only one man standing who is the “winner”. Before the Program has even started two students are killed and one is injured, and things are only going to get worse. I have read Battle Royale before and seen the movie which I highly recommended to everyone.
10. Cherry by Lindsey Rosin ***** – So all I knew about Cherry was it follows four best friends; Alex, Layla, Zoe and Emma who are all determined to lose their virginity by the time they graduate from high school. It was recommended by a friend who says it would make me laugh out loud, so I had to pick it up as I have been reading a lot of horror lately. The girls from a sex pact, however, all the girls are really different, Zoe is the shy one, Emma is laid back, Alex is the crazy one and Layla is the sensible one. Alex, however, has already claimed to have had sex, so her goal is to have good sex in the next 169 days or 6 months. We also very earlier on see the girl’s love interests for the rest of the novel, Layla has her boyfriend Logan, Zoe has Dylan, Emma has Nick and Alex is crushing on Oliver.
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