WINTER 2021 WRAP UP

I am so happy to be writing this wrap up. This season, I finally got out of my reading slump and as I finished up all my assignments a while back, I was able to read more books than previous months.

Winter is definitely a favourite season of mine and I am quite sad that it is over. Even through I will miss it, I am excited for spring and even summer. Without further ado, let us look at the books I got to!

The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays
by Oscar Wilde

R A T I N G :

I have always wanted to get into classics more, especially those written by Oscar Wilde. This play was one I ended up loving more than I thought I would. I read it for one of my assignments where I had to analyse the play using different literary elements, and I really ended up enjoying it. It was probably one of my favourite assignments and I was happy it showed in the marks I received.

Oscar Wilde writes such witty and humorous characters that leave a smile on your face. The Importance of Being Earnest only interests me more to get to the rest of his works as soon as possible.

Small Things
by Nthikeng Mohlele

R A T I N G :

As this book is a prescribed novel for one of my modules, I recently reread it for an assignment where I needed to write a literary essay on the story and the relationships between the narrator and Desiree. This book is not my favourite I have been prescribed but I still enjoyed rereading it.

The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games #1)
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

R A T I N G :

This book was one I saw everywhere in the book community. So, when I received a copy from Penguin Random House South Africa, I was immediately intrigued to pick it up. Never did I think I would enjoy reading it as much as I did. This book got me out of my reading slump and for that I am unbelievably grateful. It has been a while since a mystery/thriller captured my attention the way this one did.

My full review for this book can be found here.

From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

R A T I N G :

Everyone and I mean everyone talked about this book/book series non-stop. I was so excited because of all the hype it received but I was quite disappointed in the end. I honestly do not get why so many people gave this book five stars. The story was not written badly but I did not like the characters that much. I just did not have that bond with them as I did whilst reading other fantasy series.

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

R A T I N G :

This book was written better but still, this is a dark fantasy series. I am not a fan of super dark books as I find that afterwards, I feel emotionally drained but I decided to keep reading this series to see where the story goes.

The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash #3)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

R A T I N G :

Jumped right onto this book after the second one. The books are entertaining and intriguing, do not get me wrong. However, the characters are just not ones I particularly care about. I, as a reader, could not form a bond with them. I liked the characters more in this book than the others, though. What has been bothering me quite a lot over the course of these books was that so many little things are repeated over and over that it turns into a big problem for me. We get that Poppy constantly wants to stab others with her dagger and that she asks many questions, and we also get that Casteel is obsessed with the idea of getting stabbed by Poppy, etc. There is really no need to mention is all multiple times in almost every chapter. All these small, repetitive things hindered my enjoyment. I might sound crazy, but these are just things that got my attention. Overall, the storyline was well done and if the repetition was edited out, I would have given each of these books one more star. Despite it all, I am looking forward to see where the story will go in the next book that will be released early next year as the ending of the third book left me speechless.

Midwinter Murder
by Agatha Christie

R A T I N G :

I have been wanting to get to more Agatha Christie books for the longest time. My grandfather loved her mysteries and so it is a plan of mine to binge many of them soon. I went book shopping with my dad a few months ago and found a stunning hardcover edition of a collection of her winter-themed short stories. I still need to finish this book but so far, I am really enjoying all the short stories. Really hoping I will get to more of her books soon!

This coming month, I will be participating in the Magical Readathon: Orilium – The Novice Path hosted and created by Book Roast. I am really excited for it and hopefully, in between studying for and writing exams, I will get to the books on my TBR.

If you would like to see what my thoughts are on the books I will be reading as I read them during the month, be sure to follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Goodreads.

Keep reading, stay safe and never stop telling stories.