What Are You Reading Wednesday (March 24, 2021)

It’s time again to ask ourselves the three W’s:
What if you were a wizard and someone wanted you dead?
Would you flee for your life?
Would you make a stand?

Wait, no, that’s not right. We ask these three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
Which books will you read next?

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.

               

I didn’t get a chance to post last week, because things were absolutely crazy and I was swamped with work (both the paid kind and the school kind). So this week’s post looks much more impressive than it actually is. xD

City Spies by James Ponti

★★★★☆ || Goodreads
If you’re looking for some fun middle grade including high stakes and spies, this is the book for you! I’d been curious about it since it released, but I hadn’t read it. Since the second book was coming out, I decided to pick up the entire series! So many thanks to Mari @ Tirilu for recommending Scrib’d. It was a lifesaver! I was afraid I wouldn’t have a chance to read this book before needing to pick up the second for a blog tour, but I made it! There’s just something about spies that always hits the spot for me. Plus, the “adult” (and I use that term loosely) charged with rearing these children? A man named Mother who is absolutely adorable and sure to win hearts.

Golden Gate by James Ponti

★★★★☆ || Goodreads
This book was somehow even better than the first one! Oh my gosh. Where do I even begin? The squad vibes here are so strong. These kids just absolutely stole my heart. I loved that Mother also gets a deeper back story and more exploration into his character. In this, the kids continue their world travels, and I love the way the author highlights the different locations, but also all the unique cultures the kids come from. The mystery in this was quite exciting, and it kept me guessing! I thought for sure I had it figured out, but it turns out I was wrong. Oops? I’ll be looking forward to the next book!

All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter

★★★★★ || Goodreads
I’m not even sure where to begin with this one, guys. I don’t know. Have you ever wanted a dark fantasy smooshed together with a fairy tale filled with death and violence and irredeemable characters that somehow manages to pull a happy ending out of the ether? Okay, then read this book. First, it’s a dark Gothic fairy tale at it’s best. Such delicious drama and family secrets! The writing style took me a little while to get used to, but after the first couple of chapters, I slipped right into Slatter’s world like a bespoke suit. Yes to murder water horses. Yes to murder water fish people. And to murder. Yes to aaaaall this, okay? Just yes. Also, the main character is having none of this and is forced to really come into her own over the course of this novel. She refuses to be steamrolled by the patriarchy and deems her freedom too high a price to pay. I don’t think I can recommend this one enough!

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

★★★★☆ || Goodreads
Not gonna lie, I was a little worried that this would end up being a DNF. The beginning was rough for me. It was super slow and very telly, and I wasn’t feeling the characters at all. I definitely didn’t get the feeling that Ellie and her best friend were 17. Maybe 13 or 14, but 17? Pffft. I also didn’t get a best friend vibe from them. You’re telling me they’ve known each other forever and are best friends but don’t know what kind of vegetable the other doesn’t eat or that one of them is descended from a super famous creature? Naaaah. I also struggled a lot with the world-building, because it felt like things were sort of just mashed together and dumped on me suddenly. American Indian myths are true. Okay, got it. But then so are vampires. And faeries. And I don’t know what else. I felt like things were constantly sprung on me, and each one dulled the world just a little.

So why did this get four stars? Well, about 30% – 40% in, the book kicked into high gear, and oh my gosh! First, I loved all the stories of Six-Great, Ellie’s six times great grandmother. These were absolutely fantastic! Plus, once the story actually ramped up and was under way, it pulled me right in and was a whirlwind of emotion and action and mystery. So if you go into this one and it feels like it’s got a bit of a rocky start, I’d recommend hanging in there, because the best is yet to come!

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

★★☆☆☆ || Goodreads
Welp, guess I have a new least favorite Wayward Children book? It’s kind of disappointing, because a world based on horses sounds perfect for me. My grandmother was a horse gal (raised on a farm and had plenty), and I loved horses growing up (never had one, though I came pretty close, and I occasionally visited my cousin and her horses). I definitely went through a horse phase that I never quite got over (though I’m much less inclined to own one now because I’m lazy and don’t need that kind of work in my life). So where did this go wrong? I felt like nothing happened. It was 120 pages of nothing, 30 pages of awesome, and then 10 pages of what the heck even happened here and why did the book stop.

The 30 pages of awesome are what I go into the Wayward Children series looking forward to. It was a section where Regan actually gets to see the world she’s in (because for the majority of the book, for reasons I won’t get into, she actually … doesn’t …). There are fantasy creatures and subverted expectations and adventure and all sorts of fun things. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough to save the book for me. There was too much blah before it and practically nothing in terms of denouement after it and then the book just … stopped.

I ended up having to return Midnight Riot without finishing it, because I just haven’t had time to focus on it. I’ll be giving it a go when it comes around again.

I haven’t made a lot of progress on The Swimmers, either, though I’ve made some. I’d like to sit down and finish it this week, but we’ll see. I’m definitely still intrigued by this story and where it’s going!

A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
Status: 45%

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.

But Mona’s life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona’s city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona’s worries…

I am 1,000% in love with this story so far. The world is magical, but dark. It’s full of wonder (like dancing gingerbread) and also … well, murder. See? Perfect balance. The main character, Mona, is deliciously sarcastic, but not irredeemably so. She’s the kind of sarcastic that a kid can get away with without seemingly like a jerk. Very tongue-in-cheek sort of narration humor that I absolutely adore. It cracks me up, and the mystery has me hooked! I can’t wait to find out what’ll happen next.

   

Aurora Burning

I’ve got a double buddy read going on for this one. I think I was actually supposed to start it yesterday, but I had such a rough time with one of my assignments and I was so darn stressed that I didn’t pick it up just yet. I’m planning on it today, though, and I can’t wait! I need more of this crew in my life for sure.

The Accidental Apprentice

I read the first chapter of this already and was immediately in love! I was a little annoyed at having to set it aside, but my library loans are about to expire so I wanted to jump on that first. I’m fairly certain I’m going to fall madly in love with this book, so I’m looking forward to getting back to it!

What are you reading this week? Share in the comments below!

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