Spice & Books

Weekly Updates (16/07/21- 23/07/21).

Hi! Welcome to another weekly reading updates. I say updates but it’s mostly a wrap up because I finished 3 books this week. So without further ado, let’s jump right into it.

Books I’ve Finished.

I read this book on a whim. I have been reading a lot of dark gritty fantasy novels lately and I needed some lightedhearted fun romcom to make me feel happy again. The Unhoneymooners was the perfect book for the occasion. I really enjoy reading a good enemy to lovers romance and Christina Lauren delivered everything I wanted from this boook. I loved Olive and Ethan’s chemistry. They were adorable. Their funny and silly banter always put a smile on my face. Their relationship didn’t feel rushed or forced and it was well paced. Even their misunderstandings were not of their own making. They weren’t directly involved in the situation but somehow got caught up in the middle of someone else’s drama. I thought that it was an understandable problem and Olive handled it like a boss. She was trying to protect her sister the best way she can. It was nice to see a good twin sister relationship in the book. Olive and Ami had a close bond with each other even with their different personalities. There could have easily been a sibling rivalry in the book but I was glad to see a good sisterhood between the two characters. They had their share of conflicts like every other sibling relationship but it didn’t leave a permanent rift between them. I wished the book was a little bit longer so that I could’ve explored all the relationship within the Torres family including Olive’s bond with her cousins. It felt good to read about a tight knit family where everyone is meddling but also supportive of each other.

I have a feeling that this series will be one of my top favorites of 2021. I really loved it. I thought it was a strong debut novel for the author and a new fantasy trilogy. I have so many thoughts on it so I will be doing a full review of this book pretty soon so look out for that in my future posts. ☺

I did it. I finally finished this book. I feel so relieved and sad about it. Relief because I have been reading it extremely slow but I am finally done with it. Sad because the book was depressing and harrowing to read. You already know my journey with this book from my previous weekly updates. I went through so many different stages of emotions while I was reading it. Sometimes I was hopeful because the characters were getting along better despite their harsh circumstances. But for the majority of the book I was horrified because it had a really graphic and realistic depictions of war and death. It never felt gory or disgusting. Abercrombie didn’t write those scenes to make us feel uncomfortable. He was just throwing straight up facts to our faces and left the readers to deal with it on their own. Its such a masterful writing strategy and I feel proud of myself because I could read a book that is so dark without falling apart at difficult scenes. I am even looking forward to the final book of the first law trilogy because the ending left a huge emotional impact on me. I want to see these characters that I have grown attached to reach their destination wherever it might be. It sounds really corny but that’s how I genuinely feel. This series has quickly become one of my favorites this year and I want to read more from this author.

So that’s a wrap for my very late weekly reading update. Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below. Until then..

Mid Year Book Freakout Tag.

Hey guys!! So everyone is doing this tag and I thought I should do it as well. I am a bit late to it ‘cuz mid year for me is from January to June so this tag will only cover the books I have read during that time. Well, let’s get on with it, shall we? 🙂

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2021.

I love Brandon Sanderson’s books. He has the ability to surprise me with his unique stories and his amazing plot twists. It was the same for Warbreaker as well. I fell in love with the world and the characters. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I can’t wait to read the sequel which I hope will come out in a few years.

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2021.

You know it was going to be here. Y’all know my obsession with the cradle series and why I can’t shut up about it. Skysworn is the fourth book in the series and its my favorite sequel so far because it answered so many of my questions that I had in the previous three books. I felt so satisfied to finally see everything come together and make sense. I love this series and it’s going to be present in a lot of book tags in the future.

3. New release you haven’t read yet but want to.

I don’t usually keep a track of new releases but I have been keeping an eye on this book for a while. I have heard so many great things about it and I want to read this book ASAP. Since I have been on a fantasy kick this year I think it might happen soon.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

I am looking forward to reading Jade Legacy which will release on November. I read Jade city in June and loved it. So I am excited to continue with the trilogy.

5. Biggest disappointment.

I was really excited to start this series. I was so hyped from all the positive things I heard about it but none of it lived up to my expectations. It wasn’t a bad book but I was so disappointed that it wasn’t anything new and original.

6. Biggest surprise.

Nothing really. I don’t think I have been surprised by any book I wasn’t expecting to like. I have been disappointed by popular books but surprised? Nope.

7. New Favorite author (Debut or new to you).

Will Wight from the Cradle series. I am not going to elaborate on it. He is criminally underrated and I have made it my life’s mission to promote his series😂.

8. Newest fictional crush.

Grim from Blackthorn and Grim trilogy by Juliet Merillier. There were so many characters I could choose from but Grim’s character stuck with me the most. He is so sweet and supportive. People always underestimate him because he looks like giant musclehead on the outside but he is really perceptive and observant about his everything that is happening around him. He is calm and level headed, a trait that’s always been an anchor to Blackthorn when she is driven by rage and grief. He is just a genuinely good person and I really adore him.

9 & 10. A book that made you cry and a book that made you happy.

I combined the next two question because it had the same answer for me. I have never cried to a book before but this one made me really happy and emotional. Three days of happiness is a book I have previously talked about many times before. It has so many beautiful and emotional moments that you just can’t help but smile with teary eyes. It’s about finding happiness in the little moments in life no matter how small that life is. I still think about it sometimes and I probably always will think about it. 😌

11. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

Honestly I don’t know. I want to finish some series that I started early this year like the First law trilogy and the other standalone novels by Joe Abercrombie and The Murderbot Diaries by Martha well. I am not sure how busy the second half of the year is going to be for me so I am not planning anything for my TBR. This is all I am hoping to get to at least.

I guess that’s all for my book tag😁. I hope you enjoyed this post. What’s the best and worst books you’ve read in 2021? Share your anwers in the comment section down and below and we can have a chat. Until then..

Weekly Updates (9/07/21-15/07/21).

Hey guys!! Welcome to my weekly reading updates. So I have been on a fantasy kick these past few months and I don’t know how to get out of this blackhole I have pushed myself into😂. With the way I am flying through some of the series, I might get burned out pretty soon but I also don’t want to stop because I am so excited to read all the amazing books out there. But let’s see how far I can go with my overexcitement this year🤭. Anyways let’s talk about the books I have been reading this week.

BOOKS I’VE FINISHED.

As you might know from my previous post, I really enjoyed the first half of the book. And I stand by the fact that it’s still a great story. I enjoyed Chloe and Red’s relationship and I was happy with how everything was wrapped up in the end. But I felt a little bit sluggish for a while in the second half of the book and the miscommunication between the characters at the end didn’t help much with the slog. I am not a huge fan of this trope and most of the time it turns me off from a book. Fortunately it didn’t take much page time and I was glad to see it get sorted out in a clean way without any added drama which I really appreciate. Despite the faults I really loved Chloe Brown. She was badass till the end and it was satisfying to see her get her happy ending.

Rate – 7.5/10.

BOOKS I’M CURRENTLY READING.

City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty.

I am 30% into the book and I am already hooked on it. It is so good. I am just mesmerized by the sheer attention the author has given to the world building. Everything in this book feels so exotic and rich. Daevabad is a beautiful place and I can just feel myself loving that place too. It makes me want to travel to Egypt and enjoy the ambience of their culture. There is so much information packed in the first 100 pages of the book and I have to say their history is a lot messy and complicated than I expected. It is a past full of tragedy and unfairness and I am interested to know how or if there is a way to fix the mistakes of their ancesters. I really like Nahri’s character as well. At this point in the book I can’t fully describe her personality but I can say that she is really smart and crafty. She is unpredictable and takes no shit from anyone and its all I want from my female protagonists. I am always looking forward to all the mischief she will get up to next. We also get some details on the political scenario of Daevabad from the perspective of Ali who is the youngest prince of the kingdom. I have only read one chapter from his PoV so I don’t have enough to comment on his character except that he seems naive and impressionable but I am keeping an open mind about him. The book has a bit of a learning curve and not much happens for the first quarter of the story because it’s all about understanding the world and their culture. But I appreciate knowing everything before diving headfirst into the plot. So let’s see how it goes.

Before they are hanged (The first law#2) by Joe Abercrombie.

I am about 80% into it and it’s still so freaking good. Joe Abercrombie is so honest in his portrayal of war and death. He does not hold back any punches and shows us exactly how badly it can hurt but in a very sarcastic way. His book isn’t dark for the sake of being dark but the world the characters are living in is an absolutely horrible place to be in. It’s so hard to read more than 2-3 chapters a day because of all the misery and suffering we see in the book but I feel so invested in the characters and what they are upto that it’s hard not to get back to it. Some of the characters that I thought were no less than a wallpaper in the first book surprised me a lot in this book and I am so excited to see more of their character evolution. I can’t wait to see how everything gets wrapped up. I don’t want to spoil much so I’ll only say that Jezal and West are owning the book right now.

Becoming by Michelle Obama.

I am still listening to the audiobook for this book but it’s going a little bit slow bacause I am not used to audiobooks yet. But I am liking it so far. I love the way she talks about her family and how she was raised in a run down neighborhood. She didn’t have much while growing up but her parents worked hard for her and her brother and she in turn worked hard for a better life as well. Its a quality of her that I deeply admire and it makes me feel happy that I picked up this audiobook.

So that’s it for my weekly update. I hope you enjoyed this post. Don’t worry!!. I haven’t given up on reviews and tags😂. So make sure to keep an eye on those too. See you next time.

Weekly update (1/07/21- 8/07/21).

Hey guys!! Welcome to my weekly reading update. I have seen some bloggers do update posts before and it seemed like an interesting idea. So here I am trying another new thing for my blog because I am an inherently lazy person to think about new ideas🙈. Anyways, lets see what I have been reading this week.

BOOKS I’VE FINISHED.

Skysworn (Cradle#4) by Will Wight.

I know you guys are probably tired of watching me talk about this damn series every month but I guess you’ll just have to bear with it because I am insanely in love with this series and will probably never shut up about it. I’ll try my best to keep it short🤭. I finished the fourth book today and I think this was probably my favorite installment so far. Will Wight is incredibly harsh to his characters. His world was already a dark and bleak place to begin with but after everything Lindon and his ragtag group of friends have been through in these past three books, I can’t help but want them to take a long break. I really really want them to get one night of good sleep. I love this series but my gosh, it can be exhausting sometimes to watch the characters I have grown to love push themselves so hard. I really hope it gets better for them in the next volumes. It was hands off another great addition to the series.

Rate – 9/10.

BOOKS I’M CURRENTLY READING.

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie. (Page- 236/584)

This is the second book in the first law trilogy. I read the first one, The Blade Itself back in January and I really enjoyed it. It has been more than 6 months since then and I wanted to continue with the series before I forget the events of the first book. I started it in June and I am about 40% into it as of now. It’s taking me a long time to get through it. I am really enjoying this book but it’s not exactly a binge worthy read. It’s not an action packed plot focused story. It’s heavily character driven to the point that it makes the chapters feel episodic to read. The characters themselves don’t make it easy to read as well because we are following a group of morally ambiguious people who have done shitty things in the past but are trying to do better at the present. Not gonna lie, where I am currently at in the book, these people are absolutely miserable and I am not even exaggerating on this. Nothing is going well for them because they are in a politically or geographically difficult locations where they can’t let their guards down. They are being cornered from every direction and I don’t see how they are going to get out of it. But I am really invested in their journey and I am curious to see how they go on from here. This series could have easily become depressing to read but Joe Abercrombie writes grimdark in a way that is sarcastically humorous. Glokta’s inner monologues are particularly hilarious to read. I think he might become one of my favorite characters by the time I am done with this series. Fair warning to people who are interested to start this series, it’s extremely graphic in nature and I advice not to read it if you feel triggered by graphic violence.

Get a life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. (Page– 150/307)

With all the dark fantasy series that I have been reading so far, reading this book feels refreshing to my soul. I am loving it so much and it’s been a long time since I have enjoyed a good contemporary romance. I am only about 50% into the book at the time I am uploading this post which is incredibly fast for me because I started it yesterday. Chloe is an amazing character. She is suffering from a chronic disorder called Fibromyalgia that causes her chronic body pain and she is under a lot of medications for that reason. She doesn’t have a social life because of her condition and she has become so used to her introverted lifestyle that she doesn’t even like interacting with anyone except her family. She is always grumpy and irritated because she is in constant pain and her body is fatigued most of the time. I love how the author is exploring her disability in the book. Chloe is a strong woman and the way she handles her condition with so much dignity and pride makes her more tough and endearing to me. I am really loving her budding relationship with Red who is her love interest in the book. They have an amazing sizzling chemistry with each other. He is so sweet and supportive of Chloe. I like the fact he is able to see past the tough mask she puts out for the world and tries to understand her on a deeper level. This book is incredibly tropey and predictable but in a very adorable way and I didn’t know I needed that until I started reading the book and I am really excited to see what happens next.

Becoming by Mitchelle Obama. (Audiobook)

This book is officially my first foray into non fiction. I don’t normally read anything from this genre but I wanted to give this audiobook a try because it’s narrated by Mitchelle Obama herself and I love the way she speaks🙈. I am a huge admirer of her. I have seen her interviews and she has this strong presence that makes you want to listen to what she is saying. I love how she carries herself with so much effortless grace and elegance. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this book if I had started to physically read it. She puts so much emotion to her narration it makes me want to stick around for more. I have only listened to two chapters so far because I started it yesterday so I can’t comment on the book itself but I would really advice listening to it because Mitchelle Obama has done a fantastic job on her narration.

So thats it for my first week of July. I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know how your month has been going so far in the comment section down below.

See ya next week!!

June 2021 wrap up.

Hey guys!! Today I will be doing my June wrap up. If you have been following my blog for a while you might know that I issued the first book challenge to myself where I said that I’d be reading the first book of some of the popular series for the next three months of summer starting from June. Well, good job to me because I ended up reading all those books that I had planned for my June tbr as a part of the challenge and then some more🥳. It may not seem like a huge deal to a lot of people but for me it’s a victory since I have never in my whole life stuck to any reading schedule🙈(unless it’s for school or college). Now that I have achieved this small goal I feel extremely smug and satisfied so I deserve to brag about it just a little bit don’t you think? 🤭Anyways, let’s get into the wrap up, shall we?

1. Jade city by Fonda Lee.

I did a full dedicated review of Jade city if you want to check that out. It was an absolutely fantastic book. I loved the characters and the magic system and can’t wait to read more from this author.

2. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson.

Sanderson is really good at making a fool of me. I don’t know where he gets his ideas from but I am always so blown away by his attention to detail to every aspect of his books. He writes stories in a way where he doesn’t give us all the information at the get go and let’s us figure it out as we go along with the story and the characters. His books are like the pieces of a puzzle where we’re always grasping at all the clues and trying to piece them together but every thing clicks only at the end. It’s such a thrilling adventure and I always end up having so much fun with them. Warbreaker gave me the same vibes as well. Sanderson has always been very descriptive when it comes to his worldbuilding and magic systems. His magic is always unique and complex. The biochromatic system in this book was a bit hard to understand at first but once it made sense it stayed that way until the end. It’s not my favorite magic system in this universe but it still stands on its own with its complexities and the questionable way it’s acquired by collecting Breaths. I also really loved the discussions on religion and theology the characters had in the book and the way it was used to judge someone based on what faith they choose to believe in. The dialogues were brilliant and intellectual. Some of the best scenes in the book have to be the moments when the characters are just sitting together and having a normal conversation or as normal it can get with the all the scheming and subtle manipulations they have to do to achieve their goals. None of the characters were one dimensional. They had the perfect mesh of flaws and strengths and it was fascinating to see them question their own beliefs or moralities and trying the best they can to survive in a country on the brink of war. The only thing that didn’t make this book a 10/10 for me was the ending which felt a bit rushed. There wasn’t any loose ends to the plot but there were a few characters that don’t meet and interact with each other until the last 50 pages of the book and I wanted them to have more page time because their encounter was important to the story. But the book itself was just chef’s 😘

3. Blackflame (Cradle#3) by Will Wight.

If you are someone who loves manga and anime, trust me when I say this, you will absolutely fall in love with the Cradle series. I haven’t binged on anything so hard the way I am doing with this one. It’s so good and it keeps getting better with every book😻. It has one of the best and the most brutal magic systems I have seen in a while and the characters are absolutely badass. I haven’t mentioned this before but one thing that I love the most about the books is the gender equality. There is no discussion on whether a woman can do something or not nor is their any demand for their rights. Men and women have always been equal in this world and it’s so seamlessly written in the books that you wouldn’t know it until someone points it out for you. It took me three books to realise that😆. I have the full review of the first book if you wish to know about my thoughts in detail.

4. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Taheer.

I was a bit afraid of starting this series because of its popularity and the fact that a lot of YA fantasy feel the same to me these days. And I was right to be skeptical because although it was enjoyable to read there were few issues I couldn’t get past no matter how much I was prepared for them beforehand. Starting with the good, I loved Laia’s character. She was so strong despite her naivety about the position she was was forced into. Her resilience was admirable as no matter what the world threw at her she didn’t yeild and kept going because she was adamant about completing her mission and rescuing her brother. She made me want to hang on to the book until the end. Here’s where the problem starts. Elias was a good character as well but I didn’t care for him for the majority of the book. I didn’t like his indecisiveness and his constant back and forth between the two female characters. His relationship with Helene made more sense to me than his infatuation for Laia so I wasn’t a fan of the love triangle in the book. There was so much going on in the lives of these characters that I don’t think romance was even necessary. The lores and the myths in the book were really interesting and so were the trials. But they didn’t hit the landing the way I wanted to. The author was trying to make the trials high stakes and she succeeded to some extent but everything worked out way too easily in the end. I am sure what I didn’t like in the book are the things that so many other readers enjoyed. I used to be a huge fan of YA fantasy but they just don’t work for me anymore. It’s one of the reasons why I switched to adult fantasy and science fiction this year and I have had a pretty good experience with them. There are some exceptions so I haven’t completely given up on this genre and I still believe that I will find something great in the future that will totally appeal to my current tastes.

5. Tower of Thorns (Blackthorn & Grim#2) by Juliet Merillier.

As you all know last month I read The Dreamer’s Pool, the first book in the Blackthorn and Grim trilogy by Juliet Merillier and I fell in love with her writing. In June I decided to continue with second book in the trilogy and I am happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed with it at all. Tower of thorns starts few months after the ending of the book 1 and this time our dynamic duo are off to solve the mystery of the Tower of thorns that harbors a magical creature. I have said this before and I will say it again Merillier is an amazing storyteller. I don’t know much about the Irish folklore but I was still sucked into her magical world without needing to know its history. She is brilliant at building up tension and intrigue in her books. It makes you want to keep reading no matter what. The mystery in the first book was predictable but the second one was more puzzling and confusing. We don’t get all our answers until we reach the end. I was satisfied with how everything was wrapped up but I was also left with a bittersweet feeling. The tone of the book was melancholic and it stayed that way till the end. We also get more character development for Blackthorn and Grim. The first book was more focused on Blackthorn’s past which is still the central overarching plot of the trilogy but in the second book we get to learn more about Grim’s tragic backstory and how he tries to confront his fears and trauma. I have to say Marillier is a master at crafting negative emotions. She described Grim’s anxiety and panic attacks in a way that felt genuine and authentic. I love Blackthorn but Grim stole the show for me in this book. He has the kindest and gentlest soul that is so easy to fall for. I just love him and I love this book so much🥰

6. 86-Eighty-Six (Volume#7) by Asato Asato.

If you have been following my blog for a while then you know how much I love reading light novels. I did a light novel recommendations post few months where I talked about how much I love 86 by Asato asato. It’s one of the best written light novels so far. I am not saying it in regards to the prose because I don’t like commenting on that when I read a translated book but the plot and the discussions about war, ptsd, racism are what made this book one of the best in this genre. It gets better with every book and although this volume wasn’t the best of the bunch, it was still so good and hopeful. It had a more light hearted tone than the previous ones. It’s heavily character focused so we get to see so much emotional growth from the characters. I personally have been looking forward to it ever since I started this series last year and I am so happy that the author delivered what I was expecting. I can’t say more because it’s book 7 and I don’t want to spoil anything but I really loved this volume and I want more people to read this series. I did a full review of volume 1 if you want to know more about my thoughts on this series.

So that’s it for my wrap up. I am so happy to have a good reading month and I hope you did as well. Stay healthy and Stay safe☺.