As much as I enjoyed the Six of Crows duology, I have no love lost for the original Grisha trilogy. Nonetheless, Nikolai still managed to win me over for his charm and wit. That’s why I was excited when Leigh Bardugo announced a spin-off duology dedicated to him.
STEPSISTER by Jennifer Donnelly
The first time I heard the term “retelling,” I expected it to refer to reimagined fairytales. I didn’t exactly expect these to be simply be stories inspired by fairytales. Stepsister, however, is exactly that which I had originally expected of a retelling. It builds upon the well-loved fairytale of Ashputtel, blood and all. It was entertaining with its dark humour as it continued to tell the story of how it might have continued. Stepsister was more detailed since it’s a novel rather than a short story but stylistically, it still very much read like a fairytale.
MARIAM SHARMA HITS THE ROAD by Sheba Karim
I’m not particularly fond of books in which the entire plot revolves around travelling from point A to point B. Yet, I tend to be drawn to road trip novels. I suppose this stems in part from the fact that I suffer from motion sickness. Actual road trips therefore aren’t exactly enjoyable. And so, reading is a way for me to experience these vicariously. On that front, Mariam Sharma Hits the Road absolutely delivered. I felt right at home with this trio.
February 2019 Overview
Yes, I know it’s April, and yes, I know everyone else is posting their March wrap-ups, while I’m here with mine for February. I could’ve skipped ahead but I didn’t like the thought of a gap in my archives for 2019, so here we are. Also, I read so few books in March, I need some motivation that I can get back on track this April.
WHAT IF IT’S US by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Believe it or not, there was a time that I loved cute romance books and adored books with meet cutes. As I hit my twenties though, I suppose I became somewhat jaded. I hardly reached for these books anymore, and when I did, I didn’t enjoy them anywhere near as much as before. Then along came What If It’s Us. I couldn’t stop smiling while reading it!
