It’s time again to ask ourselves the three W’s:
Would you like to be a YouTube sensation?
What would your channel be about?
What would motivate you to hunt the supernatural?
Wait, no, that’s not right. We ask these three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.
Infinity Son by Adam Silvera
★★★☆☆ || Goodreads
This was a solid four-star read for me … until the very end. The ending was so out of left field and unfounded that I knocked a whole star off for that, because it irked me so much. In a nutshell, though: superpowers, teens with superpowers fighting to save the world, and lots of wonderful and terrifying fantasy creatures! You know I’m a sucker for superhero books, and this one definitely delivered. It was full of action and brotherly love and reluctant heroes. The only real problem I had with this (other than the ending, as I said) was the lack of world-building. Maybe this is because Silvera writes mostly contemporary and this is his first foray into high fantasy? The world was very limited and not as fleshed out as I’d hoped, especially because it sounds so fascinating and like somewhere I could fall in love with!
Witch Hat Atelier (Vols. 1 – 5) by Kamome Shirahama
★★★★★ || Goodreads
If you read manga and haven’t read this … DO IT! Don’t wait. I’d even go so far to say that out of all the manga I’ve read, the art in this is probably the most beautiful overall and just visually a joy to read. I was so impressed by the intricacy of the scenes and the gorgeous details. The story itself is also super cute. It seemed to be as a mix between the wholesome goodness and swoonworthy characters of Fruits Basket mixed with the magic and dark underbelly of Full Metal Alchemist. I devoured all five volumes in one day, and now I has a big sad, because the sixth volume won’t come out for a while. =/
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
★★★★☆ || Goodreads
Down Among the Sticks and Bones has always been my favorite of the Wayward Children books, but now, I think this may have finally dethroned it. I forgot how much I missed these characters, especially Jack, and I was so thrilled to have them all back together. Even better: they broke the “no quests” rule, like the bunch of rebels they are. Seeing the Moors again was exciting, because it’s beautiful and terrifying, and I’m not sure whether I would survive there or not, but it’s oh so tempting. We already got a peek of the Moors in book two, but this expanded on its beauty and danger and the world in general. The biggest thing that irked me was how underutilized some of the characters felt (Kade, in particular, who seemed to serve no real purpose, which is a darn shame) and Sumi’s character. Maybe I’m just not remembering her well from the first book (which I didn’t go back and read before this one), but she annoyed me so much in this. I remember loving her, but in this, despite it being Jack’s book, somehow it’s also Sumi’s book, because she’s the everything that needs to happen in this book. She has all the answers, all the motivation, all the solutions, and none of the nonsense and whimsy (except for her metaphors, which were very … Confectionary).
Watch Hollow by Gregory Funaro
★★★★★ || Goodreads
I picked this up on a whim from the library and … wow, guys. Did not expect how good this was. The cover didn’t really speak to me (apart from being a little creepy), and I actually had no idea what it was about, because reading blurbs is for losers. It ended up having just the right balance between being ominous, but not completely scary (so younger and middle MG readers would be just fine with this). The story was easy to get into, and I rushed through it in no time, enjoying every bit.
Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown
★★★☆☆ || Goodreads
So … the magic in this is kind of a lie? It’s mostly magical realism, and the wizard part is an allegory. And wow, I think the marketing for this could be better because of that. What this is really is not a fantasy, but a contemporary magical realism about a girl overcoming poverty, racism, misogyny, and all sorts of things. That being said, it was an incredibly powerful read, and there were several parts that just really hit me hard in the feels. It’s a really dark book for most of it, but it’s based on real life, and this is how some people live, so … yeah. The timeline was a bit all over the place and hard to follow, though, and the ending felt sort of lackluster and like, yeah, okay, and?
Reviews Posted This Week
Burn the Dark by S. A. Hunt
Status: 30%
Supernatural meets Stranger Things in award-winning author S. A. Hunt’s Burn the Dark, first in the Malus Domestica horror action-adventure series about a punk YouTuber on a mission to bring down witches, one vid at a time.
Robin is a YouTube celebrity gone-viral with her intensely-realistic witch hunter series. But even her millions of followers don’t know the truth: her series isn’t fiction.
Her ultimate goal is to seek revenge against the coven of witches who wronged her mother long ago. Returning home to the rural town of Blackfield, Robin meets friends new and old on her quest for justice. But then, a mysterious threat known as the Red Lord interferes with her plans….
I picked this up because it was comped to Supernatural, and I have to say that seems like a pretty apt comparison so far. I’ve only read one encounter so far with the supernatural, but it was pretty dang explosive (lame pun sort of intended) and full of actiony goodness. The main character, Robin, also reminds me a lot of Dean personality-wise and also with her brand of humor. So that’s all fun.
The one drawback I have with this is that there are so many characters, and the perspectives jump from one chapter to another without telling you what character they’re following. I’m having a really hard time telling all the characters apart and keeping them straight, and I’m not sure I’ve even met all the main ones yet.
I’m also 26% in and I don’t actually feel like anything substantial has happened yet. I’ve hit a bit where it’s starting to feel creepy and like I’m on the verge of something big, but … nothing so far. The first chapter started off really strong with a ton of action and stuff going on, and then it’s just dragged since then.
When I stumbled across The Will and the Wilds, I thought the author sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Charlie N. Holmberg writes the Paper Magician series. Once I figured that out (since I’m a little slow on the uptake) and read the blurb, I knew I had to read this. It’s giving me some serious Howl’s Moving Castle vibes, and all I want, really, is a cute, heartwarming story of friendship and coming together over potential life-threatening danger. Is that too much to ask?
I’m always up for a little murder and conspiracy, so Diamond City is definitely speaking to me, especially since I’ve been enjoying more urban fantasy lately. I’m also always a sucker for assassins. So sue me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I have five ARCs due on February 4 and 5 (because I’m clearly out of my mind), so I have some choices and no real idea what I’ll read after those two. I’m going to kind of play this one by ear and let the mood speak to me. I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy lately, so I’m thinking I’ll maybe break it up with Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line. Throw a little magical realism and mystery in there. But it could also be All the Stars and Teeth if I’m still feeling the fantasy vibe.
I love Supernatural❤️ I’ll be curious to hear what you thought about Burn the Dark when you finish it!
So do I, and while Dean’s character dynamic with Sam sometimes annoy me, I love Dean’s character in general, so I’m totally thrilled about that. xD
I just heard about Djinn Patrol the other day and I REALLY want to read it. It’s not really my blog genre though, so I may just buy a copy to read on the side😁
You should read it anyway! It sounds really good, either way, and I just couldn’t resist.
I’m curious about Watch Hollow. Enjoy your books and your week! Here’s MY WWW POST
It was a really good read, and there’s a sequel coming out this year, too! I definitely recommend it. 🙂
Enjoy your reading! I’m planning to listen to Come tumbling down as soon as I finish my current audiobook, can’t wait to finally read it!
(www.evelynreads.com)
I really enjoyed it! I hope you do, too.
I’m reading A Heart So Fierce and Broken now. The Will and the Wilds is on my TBR, but I never read the Paper Magician series. I hope Burn the Dark gets better for you!
I hope you like AHSFaB! Thanks. I don’t know if it’s just me or what, but I’m still struggling to try to get through the darn thing. xD
That’s the trouble with getting into a manga series sometimes; I find they’re especially fast reads. If you catch up on it you’ve got to wait, then once it does come out you quickly read through it and have to wait again. Hopefully you won’t have to wait too long. Have a great week!
http://musewithmeblog.com/2020/01/08/www-wednesday-january-8-2020/
They are very fast reads, especially if you’re enjoying them. There’s another volume releasing mid-year this year, so it’s not as bad a wait as some, at least. xD I’m trying to find some other manga to bide my time between now and then, though. I loved Detective Conan, but it’s about 10,000 years long, so maybe I’ll start that again.
I usually don’t read this genre, so they are all new to me. Enjoy your new year of reading!
Thank you! You, as well.
Come Tumbling Down is my new favorite of the series as well! And I’m definitely curious to see how I will react to Infinity Son myself now. Have a wonderful week and happy reading! Here’s my WWW.
Yay! I can’t wait for the next book already lol. I hope you enjoy it! It has very mixed reviews, though. I didn’t understand why until I was nearly at the end of it, personally. xD
OH I had never seen Watch Hollow by Gregory Funaro but now I’m really interested. That cover is just gorgeous. So happy you likekd it, I will be looking it up
There’s a sequel coming out this year (which is part of the reason I picked up the first one), and it’s a combination of cute and lower-MG spooky (for kids not quite ready for, like, Goosebumps level horror). It was such a cute read!
Ah man, endings are so important! I’ve knocked stars off for unsatisfying endings, too.
You’ve reminded me I need to read more Wayward Children. I read Every Heart a Doorway this time last year and never got around to the rest.
Yes! If I’m going to sit through 400 pages, no matter how much I liked those pages, I want it to feel worth it.
Definitely should read the rest! They’re short, too, so … good way to meet some reading goals/challenges? 😉 Two birds, one stone.
So many amazing books that I will again have to add to my TBR! I was going to say Watch Hollow’s cover looks scary AF but I’m curious to check it out because it looks so good (such a cover judger) but I’m glad that you enjoyed it so much! The book you’re reading right now also looks really good. I’ve never watched Supernatural because that’s the kinda scary that spooks me too much so would you reckon that this book isn’t one for the ultimate chicken like me? 😅 I’ve been so curious since hearing the title for Will of the Wilds. I’ve only read book one in the Paper Magician series and don’t know why I didn’t continue with it since I loved it. But have you read the whole series? Highly recommend? Happy reading, Sammie!
Your poor TBR. xD It’s not scary, I promise. It’s meant for lower MG readers who aren’t quite ready for, say, Goosebumps level horror. So it’s just a bit creepy, in the right ways.
I’m gonna go ahead and recommend you pass on Burn the Dark. xD It’s freaking spooky as hell, and I love it, but yeah, you’d probably not sleep for a week.
I haven’t read the whole series. I’m horrible. I need to. It’s on KU, and I have it for three months, so I probably should before I lose it. Ugh. I need more time in my days, please.
That’s a big “absolutely not” to the YouTube star. I would rather pick up Supernatural hunting for fun.
Watch Hallow looks so so good and I love everything you enjoy so I’ll have to grab it soon. Have a great week!
Molly @ https://silverbuttonbooks.com/2020/01/08/www-wednesday-january-8-2020/
Honestly, as it turns out, the YouTube thing didn’t play a huge role except in the “hey, look, I always have a camera recording things and make big bucks.” It wasn’t a hugely significant part of the story.
I hope you enjoy Watch Hollow! I’m looking forward to the sequel. :3
I am still so happy with you loving the Witch Hat Atelier manga. There’s nothing better than a recommendation working out. It really is a crime there’s only five volumes out, now we have to wait… The pain! Also Watch Hollow sounds great! It’s going straight on the tbr.
Yes! Ugh, I’m so glad everyone convinced me to read it. It’s just beautiful. Waiting is torture. Volume six is coming out this year, I believe I saw. So there’s that, at least.
I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!