The WWW Wednesday meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.
To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:
- What are you currently reading?
- What did you recently finish reading?
- What do you think you’ll read next?
I was on holiday last week so didn’t post so this week I’m doing a bit of a catch up of everything I read over the last two weeks.
Currently Reading
As I was on holiday and have a week off work at the moment I’m currently reading some of those books that have been on my TBR pile for a while but haven’t had a chance to read. I was looking for something light yesterday so finally made a start on Paper Princess by Erin Watt (aka duo Jen Frederick and Elle Kennedy).
I enjoyed it so much I somehow managed to finish the whole thing by lunch time so now I’ve moved on to the second book in the series Broken Prince and as of writing this am 75% through.
On audio I’m currently doing a re listen (is that a thing?) of Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost. I originally listened to this (and the other two books in the series) in August last year but with the fourth and final book in the series, Into the Fire, out last month I decided to start from the beginning again to refresh my memory. It also helped make a three and a bit hour flight that little more enjoyable. I do have to be careful though as Jeaniene Frost books do have a bit of a tendency to make me laugh out loud.
Recently Finished
As I’m covering two weeks worth of reading there are quite a few books on my recently finished list this time. First up is King’s Cage, the third book in Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series. This was probably one of my most anticipated books of this year and I think I had maybe built it up too much in my head. I did like it a lot and there is some great writing and truly epic scenes but I didn’t love as much as I hoped I would. I’m planning to post a full review this week.
The second book finished was audio book Storm Siren by Mary Weber. It does have a lot of the common YA sci-fi/fantasy tropes (love triangle, special snow flake destined to save the world etc) but it’s a lot darker than a lot of the others and has enough unique aspects to it to make it worth a read (although I’m not happy about the ending). It also deserves special props for using the words “man treasures” to describe a certain anatomical area that gets kneed.
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, an ARC I received from NetGalley was the next book finished. It’s a YA thriller which is kind of like a mixture of The Breakfast Club and a murder mystery. Five very different teens end up in detention together but within 15 minutes one of them is dead and the other four are suspects.
As a huge fan of The Breakfast Club this was right up my street. I did guess fairly early on who did it but it didn’t really diminish my enjoyment of the story and there are enough reveals to keep you questioning. The highlight for me was the four characters and how they develop over the course of the story. It’s not out for a couple of month’s so I’m holding off on a full review until closer to publication date.
The next book finished, Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse, was also an ARC from NetGalley (I will get my shelf down). I’ve loved Skuse’s previous YA books so was excited to see what she would do with her first adult read and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s probably not one for the easily offended or the squeamish but I found it very funny.
It’s like a combination of Bridget Jones and Dexter, as the story follows Rhiannon, your average woman who just happens to be a bit of a psychopath. Like Bridget she keeps a journal but rather than recording her weight etc each entry begins with a list of the people she wants to kill, from the cashier at her local supermarket to co workers and even boyfriend Craig. It did worry me how often I kind of agreed with Rhiannon’s thoughts and it often made me laugh out loud. My main criticism was that it was maybe a little too long and lacked direction at times.
Next up, was the Upside of Unrequited by Becky Abertalli, author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (another NetGalley ARC). It’s kind of similar to Simon vs in that it’s a diverse coming of age story about a girl called Molly but while I was decidedly underwhelmed by Simon vs I really liked this one. This seems to be contrary to all of the other reviews I’ve read but I suspect it’s due to expectations. I went into this with much lower expectations and consequently enjoyed it a lot more. Again this isn’t out till next month so I’m holding off on a review till nearer the time.
My next book was Angel’s Blood by Nalini Singh. I can’t remember where I heard about this author but I bought this, the first in the Guild Hunters series a while ago and only just got around to reading. I wasn’t too sure about it at the start. First thought was “argh, not another paranormal romance” but within a few chapters I was completely hooked which is always good until you realize there are like 11 books in the series and you’re going to end up reading them all 🙂
After Angel’s Blood I decided I needed a thriller so picked up Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney (another ARC). It begins with main character Amber Reynolds realizing she’s in a coma but with no memory of how she ended up there other than the feeling that it wasn’t an accident. I absolutely loved this book. Completely gripping and addictive reading I finished the whole thing in a day. It’s probably my favourite thriller of the year so far and definitely a book I would recommend.
The final book finished (and started) yesterday was Paper Princess by Erin Watt, which as I’ve already mentioned above I won’t go into detail about.
Reading Next
Based on the number of books read over the past couple of weeks and lack of reviews I should probably take a break from reading to get caught up. I think I will however finally make a start on A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab. Despite being desperate to read it I’ve been kind of putting it off due to a combination of fear that it won’t live up to expectations and just not wanting it to be over.
Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below and I’ll respond when I can.
Happy Wednesday everyone.
Sounds like your experience of One of Us is Lying was pretty similar to me own 🙂 I just hope I don’t remember to post my review closer to the time as it seems so far away!
A Conjuring of Light is brilliant. I really hope you love it 🙂
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I know, I seem to have been reading my ARCs in the wrong order. Will no doubt muddle a release date at some point.
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You have listed so many books that I am excited for! King’s Cage is one that I cannot wait to read and I am glad that you enjoyed it. I have a feeling that I might have the same feelings toward it, though because I do have high expectations as well! Enjoy ACOL! 🙂
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Hopefully King’s Cage will live up to your expectations. There’s lots of Maven which is definitely something to look forward to 😀
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Sweat Pea and One Of Us Is Lying sound really interesting. The combination of Breakfast Club and murder mystery is such a good idea! I haven’t read any of V E Schwab’s books but they keep coming up on the blog posts I read, and everyone only have good things to say, so they’re on my tbr too!
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I would definitely recommend both although with Sweetpea I’m now a little worried I may be a psychopath. Haven’t killed anyone (so far) but scary how often I found myself agreeing with her.
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I felt a little like that when I read Eileen. There were times when I was raging with her- which I didn’t expect!
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So lucky to have an early copy of One of Us is Lying! I want that one so bad! Sweet Pea and Sometimes I Lie both sound extremely interesting! I really need to finish ACOL, but it’s so long and I can barely finish the shorter books I’m reading! 🙈
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Sometimes I Lie is probably my favourite from the list but Sweetpea and One of Us is Lying are also really good.
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I see One of Us Is Lying everywhere, I’m curious about it! I’m hoping to start reading Schwab next month 🙂 Happy reading!
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It was really good. Bit predictable as far as the who dunit but still compulsive reading.
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A Conjuring of Light is fantastic! And I do hope you find it meets expectations 🙂
One of Us is Lying is a book I keep seeing around and I’m definitely intrigued!
Happy Reading 🙂
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I’m fairly confident I’ll love ACOL but I don’t want it to be over. 😭
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One of Us Is Lying looks so good! I also loved The Breakfast Club.
Sweet Pea caught my eye, too. Enjoy your time off…and your reading. Here’s MY WWW POST
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Thank you. If you like the Breakfast Club you’ll almost definitely enjoy One of Us. Sweetpea was a really fun read and I’ve heard there will be a sequel 😀
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Wow lots of great books! Basically most of your finished reads are on my TBR as well. And I’m finally starting ACOL this weekend as well! I don’t want it to be over, but I’m too afraid I will run into spoilers if I don’t read it soon. 😉 Enjoy your books this week and happy reading! Here’s my WWW.
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This list has just reminded me that I have several of these books on my Netgalley shelf to read and have zero excuse as to why I’ve not read them yet! Thanks for spurring me on! ACOL absolutely blew my expectations out of the water, V.E. Schwab is a genius! Enjoy!!
Here’s my WWW.
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I currently have 39 books on my Netgalley shelf. It’s getting seriously out of control. Made some good progress reading now I need to review 😁
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Mine is a similar amount if not slightly more – woops!!
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It’s so easy to get carried away 🙂
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I recently finished One Of Us Is Lying and my experience sounds the same as yours. I’ve also got The Upside of Unrequited on my TBR so glad to see you enjoyed it
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A few people seem to have been let down by Upside but I really enjoyed it. I hope you do too.
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Yay for Broken Prince. I loved that series. I so want to read One of Us is Lying!
My WWW Wednesday.
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That series is totally addictive 😀 I finished Broken Prince this morning but think I need a break before the final book.
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I can understand that. There’s so much more drama to come! 😉
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I just read ACOL last week, I thought it was amazing! Officially puts the Darker Shades of Magic trilogy towards the top of my list of favorite fantasy series.
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This is an amazing list! Your description of Paper Princess has me running off to look for it and Sweetpea is one of my next reads. I also think One of Us is Lying sounds great and I’ll really be looking forward to checking it out!
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I’ve definitely been lucky in my reads over the last couple of weeks as all have been fantastic. I hope you enjoy Sweetpea.
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Ah I was the same about Conjuring of Light, putting it off (but not for too long), but in the end it was totally worth it!!
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I’ve been hearing that a lot. Thinking I may finally start it today.
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Awesome!!!
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I’m endlessly trying to resist Sometimes I Lie but it’s getting harder 😉
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Resistance is futile 😁
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