Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

I am going through the Throne of Glass series a bit slowly and reading library books when they come in. I had mixed feelings about ACOTAR, but I did enjoy that series’s word building. I kept hearing from others that this is the better series. I like Celaena a bit better than Feyre. I like Dorian a little bit, but I do not really care about any other characters including the love triangle. Overall, I was meh on this book until the last 50 pages which had a set up for the next book in the series. There will be a nice change in scenery. Before that, I will try the next in the recommended order: The Assassin’s Blade which is the prequel novella collection.

May 24-25, 2024.

Words to Make a Friend: A Story in Japanese and English by Donna Jo Napoli and illustrated by Naoko Stoop

Cute and lovely children’s picture book about two girls who communicate in English and Japanese. I wish my library had the hard copy. Lovely illustrations.

Read on Libby app. May 27, 2024.

The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong

Narrated by Eric Yang. Audiobook for 23% and it was fine. I read most of it on hardcover. This book was darker than I expected. In the last couple of years, I’ve become more sensitive to some content. This book reminded me that I should check content warnings more often. This novel is a work of metafiction. It went between a graphic novelist Benson and the his version of his 13 year old self Benny. I was interested in Benny the kid and he was the only likeable main character. The other adults Benson and Constantine the Samurai had issues and they felt underdeveloped by the end. The novel was slow and difficult to read until it got to the metafiction part. Then it felt like an interesting time travel novel which was more enjoyable. Unfortunately, then it got dark again. The climactic ending felt abrupt and confusing. I understood most of it but it still felt disorienting. I was dissatisfied since I was not really feeling most of the characters. I am glad Benny was unharmed because there were many moments where he was vulnerable or at risk. I am not sure if I am glad I finished this book. It was distinctively written and I did feel for one of the characters. On the other hand, I didn’t enjoy the gloomy and humourless mood of the novel.

1.5x. May 26-28, 2024.