Yes, it is November 16th and this is incredibly late but who even cares when time was cancelled in March. October was a month when I was in the mood for Romance but hated all the romances I picked up so we hate to see it. I am sorry this blog has lost all semblence of structure but that’s because I lost all sense of structure. Let’s talk about books.
The good thing about doing wrap ups late is that you have time to reflect. I initially gave this 3.5 stars, but to be fair it’s more 3 stars. This was good, there was nice tension between the characters (I can’t help but love a hate-to-love romance) but it got resolved to quickly and then things started happening so fast. Plus I hated the conflict at the end, it was trite and annoying. I think it’s time to accept the fact that I don’t like Christina Lauren books and just… stop reading them. Sad, I hate when I dislike hyped authors and books. But I also lowkey love it.
I have no excuse for liking this. I think it’s an objectively good book. I think the idea behind this story was brilliant, and I think the concept is so unique. The setting serves as a great backdrop to this idea and the themes the author wanted to explore. The writing really taps into that well. I also quite enjoyed the main characters and I think their dynamics were really fun.
However, this was way more historical than I anticipated, while the fantasy aspects are not as strongly done. I found the world-building haphazard and confusing, and relying too much on info dumping for my test. Moreover, the story never really gripped me, it lacked a coherent structure. So I would still recommend this, because I just think that whenever there’s a strong historical aspect I just cannot connect, my brain won’t process it.
Fang Runin just made me her bitch this year and who am I to complain. I love this series so much and I think the sequel is really great. There’s much more military tactics and war strategy in here, as well as a lot of political machinations and it was done really well. Also Rin and Nezha live in my mind rent free at all times. Also Kitay is an international treasure and must be protected at all costs. If you want more coherent thoughts, you can find them in my review HERE.
Tolentino’s writing really worked well for me. She writes in such a clear, precise and insightful voice and I really enjoyed the way she structures her arguments. She has this roundabout way of answering a question she poses that really worked well for me.
The collection as a whole is really strong, I do not think there was a weak essay in here, but I did enjoy some more than others. Standouts for me were Always Be Optimizing, The Story of a Generation in Seven Scams and The Cult of the Difficult Woman. The last one I really loved, it perfectly captured some of my own unvoiced problems with feminism and a lot of modern, popular feminist writing I read in recent years.
No thanks. I cannot believe that this is so hyped, I am too annoyed to even tell you anything meaningful here. I just found the characters to be so one dimensional, and I found the romance to be really bland and uninteresting. The renaissance fair setting was interesting, but I did not find it particularly compelling. It’s a skip for me.
So turns out I did not do a wrap up because all the books I read were meh. It’s hard being me.
I would love to hear from you! Tell me your favorite October read, let me live vicariously through you.
In the meantime, happy reading
If you want to buy any of the books I talked about (the dragon republic wink wink), you can use my Bookshop affiliate link if you’re in the USA! You buy a book and support local bookstores, and I get a small commission! Even if you do not want to use my own affiliate link, I would still recommend using Bookshop.org since a lot of independent bookstores are struggling and this is a nice way to help them out. You can even find your favorite local bookstore and support them directly!
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Inside My Library Mind 
oh dang, I really want to read RING SHOUT, I got at on hold at the library, and hope I’ll get the audiobook soon. I’m crossing my fingers 🤞🏼
~ Corina | TheBrownEyedBookworm.com
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I still would recommend it because I think a lot of people would absolutely love it!
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This month we can scream about The Burning God!!! Yay for suffering with friends! Also I really enjoyed the Always Be Optimizing essay from the Jia Tolentino book and agree it was one of the best (the best one in my opinion), I’m glad you liked the book! Pity you didn’t like Ring Shout so much! I think the style will work for me so I’ll still read it. Great wrap up!
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I AM 14% INTO IT AND NOT READY!! let me know when you pick it up! I am still recommending Ring Shout to everyone because I know that it’s good and my brain is bad. Thank you for reading my very late wrap up 💜
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Hahaha you think your wrap-up is late but mine has yet to exist oops.You’re absolutely right about time stopping in March, also aah I still haven’t gotten a copy of The Dragon Republic but I need it nowww
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i think we should be allowed to post the previous month’s wrap up during the whole month. does it help you get it faster if i tell you that the burning god is so.freaking.good!!
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