The Children of Red Peak

So, The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie had so much potential for me. A group of kids who survive a cult’s mass suicide get back together in their adulthood to figure out what happened when they were kids? Yes, please.

I hated the end, and it overshadowed all of the good parts of the book – I hated it so much, I gave it a one star on Goodreads.

The House of Eve

The House of Eve is a historical fiction novel by Sadeqa Johnson. Set in the 50s, it follows the paths of two women. I love books with alternating points of view, so that really worked for me. I always enjoy trying to figure out how characters in those circumstances will overlap. I thought this book was really well written and a great story. 4 stars.

Divine Rivals

I loved Rebecca Ross’ Elements of Cadence duology and will probably read everything else that she releases! In Divine Rivals, Iris is trying to hold things together. Her brother is missing in action on the front lines, and her mother’s substance abuse is out of control. Iris seeks out an opportunity to write for the Oath Gazette so she can find her brother. Her rival, Roman, is getting under her skin, but little does she know they have a connection stronger than she realizes. I thought this was a really unique fantasy novel and I look forward to the next book!

Adelaide

Adelaide moves to London and meets the dreamiest man she could have imagined. You watch as she tries to sort through this relationship and what should be a very exciting time in her life. There were times I wanted to scream at the page. When the boyfriend suffers a tragedy, Adelaide does everything she can to be there for him, even to her own detriment. The book was tough to read at times because of some mental health components, but it was really good. This felt like the coming of age story I could have used at 20. Genevieve Wheeler is a great writer, and I was shocked to realize this is her debut. She’s someone I’ll watch for in the future.

Project Hail Mary

I listened to Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and I’m glad I did. I quite literally laughed out loud every time I turned it on. It was SO great. Ryland wakes up on a space shuttle. Except he can’t remember his name, why he’s on a space shuttle, or who the other dead people in the shuttle are. He slowly starts to get his memory back and works to complete what he thinks is his mission. As the book goes on, you get to hear more about why he’s there, and the unlikely path that got him into space. I loved this and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a laugh and a great story.

The Roanoke Girls

When I finished The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel, I texted the friend who let me borrow it and said, “well, this was messed up.” It was a bit of a train wreck that I just couldn’t look away from. When Lane is 15, her mother dies by suicide and she goes home to live with the grandparents and a cousin her age, whom she hasn’t ever met. Over the summer, she learns about her family and all the dead girls it consists of. The story flashes between that summer and the present day when Lane is called home because her cousin has gone missing. The entire book is unsettling – you know there is something else happening, but it takes some time to sort it out. You can expect just about every trigger that exists in this book, too. This one is a wild ride.

Weyward

When Weyward by Emilia Hart came across as a BOTM option, I immediately knew I had to choose it. This novel follows three women – Kate in the current day, Altha in the 1600s and Violet in the 1940s. Kate flees from her abusive partner to a rural cottage she inherited from her great aunt Violet whom she had only met once. Kate realizes her aunt had a secret, and she’s determined to sort it out. The book jumps between the stories of the three women. I knew they would connect, and really enjoyed waiting it out until I learned how/why. Emilia Hart did a great job with this book.

The Marriage Portrait

A friend loaned me The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell for my spring break trip. While the number of books I brought was rather ambitious, I did hang on to this one so I could read it. This book is set in Florence in the 1500s. Lucrezia is set to marry an older man who was originally supposed to marry her older sister. The book follows her through the first year of her marriage, which is the only year of her marriage. It is interesting and hard to watch Lucrezia as she settles into her new life. There are so many things the reader gets to learn with her about her new life. You know something awful is coming, and that sense of dread builds through the entire book. It was really well written and makes me excited to read Hamnet.

The Bodyguard

I needed a quick cute romance, so I grabbed The Bodyguard by Katherine Center from my bookshelf. Hannah is a bodyguard who has been hired to protect a movie star who is reluctant to have any security. They have to keep everything on the downlow so they don’t upset his sick mother. Shenanigans ensue. This book was cute and touching. The romance was pretty light, but there was certainly a “get it together already” vibe. I liked this one.

Great Circle

Great Circle is my first book by Maggie Shipstead. This book was chunky and took me a bit go get through. The book follows Marian Graves and her twin brother Jamie. They are being raised by their uncle when Marian falls in love with the idea of flying and decides she is going to fly around the world, flying over both the north and south poles. The book jumps between their story and that of a young woman who is playing Marian in a film about her flight. I like when books jump back and forth, but my only complaint is that I don’t think this was balanced well enough – I wanted more of the woman playing Marian than I got. That was truly my only complaint though. This book is incredibly well-written and I will pick up more Shipstead in the future.