So, it has been a very long time since I have rated the audiobooks that I've been listening to.
I've been steadily listening to books at work, but I haven't rated a book on audio since maybe June? It has been a long time, I posted a small star-rating wrap up like a month ago, but not the actual reviews. Keep in mind that I rate audiobooks out of 5 (I rate physical books out of 10 only because I'm more able to closely read them) and that I prefer to rate more that one audiobook at a time because my reviews are generally shorter. They'll probably be especially short today, as it's been so long since I've listened to these books. Without further ado, lets start this catch up.
Crown of Midnight by: Sarah J. Maas (ToG book #2)
Rating: 1/5
This book was just so much, but it also somehow felt like nothing. I really didn't like it. Like, I didn't know that Celaena could get any more obnoxious, and yet she still did. Can we talk about how the greatest assassin in the country can't stand to murder people? She has a come apart at the thought of murdering people and she lies about doing it and yet somehow we are supposed to believe that she's the best? No. She's just an annoying, obnoxious brat. She straight up jumped love interests for ultimately no reason. I just couldn't stand this book. To make a bratty, supposedly overpowered character even worse, there was the old "wow she's even more powerful than we thought" trope shoved into the ending. This whole book was just so predictable and irritating. I just hated that I had to read two stupid books that I didn't like, just to get the the books that represent the majority of the rest of the plot. Also, I didn't care much for the narration, I mean eventually it grew on me. there was just something about the way that she read a lot of it that was kind of toneless?
Heir of Fire by: Sarah J. Maas (ToG book #3)
Rating: 3/5
Let me tell you implicitly why I liked this book more than the last one. I've established that I do not like Celaena (Aelin, whatever), she's obnoxious, she's a brat, and she's not as good as she pretends to be. So, when she was talking to Rowan and she said something to the power of, "No wonder people hate and murder the fae, they should kill them." That was obviously paraphrased (its been so long), but that was the energy of what she said to this fae man (don't come at me with her backstory, it doesn't make it any less of a shitty thing to say). So when Rowan punched her right in her stupid mouth, it was just a dream. Finally, someone put her in her place. The fact that she couldn't overpower him as easily as everyone else also made the story more compelling. I guess you could say that the story is better because we finally get some vulnerability out of her. Also, Manon was pretty cool. Even though I don't know why we're pretending like she's all big and tough. She loves Abraxos and so do I. On a completely different note: can I just say that that weird forced romantic storyline between Dorian and that Sorscha was absolutely 1. Weird; 2. Unnecessary, and 3. Unbelievable. We're just supposed to sit back and believe that this man "suddenly" noticed her even though she has been around this whole time? Also, I did not care one bit about their romance, not even a little. I hated when it would switch to their POVs and I would be dragged through some pointless busy-plot. Either way, it was way better than the last one.
Wilder Girls by: Rory Power
Rating: 3/5
I though this book was fine. I think if I had read the physical book I would've really appreciated the writing. It was very descriptive and it had a way of bringing you into the world. The storytelling as a whole was very good, the narrators did a very good job with the book. Like, I liked the premise of the story. I thought it was very predictable most of the time, but the premise was interesting enough to keep my attention. I have to say though, I really hated the characters. Hetty was fine, but Reese and Byatt? Nah. Reese was so unreasonable. She just got mad at Hetty constantly and for no good reason. How am I to like a character like that? Everyone was just kind of mean to Hetty and why? Do not even get me STARTED on Byatt. She was just a huge manipulator and liar. I cannot stand blatant lying like that. She's just a shitty person. What she did to Teddy and the whole CDC center was just bad and I absolutely cannot stand her. To be real, most of the characters just felt very one-dimensional. Side note: why do people call this "female Lord of the Flies?" It really isn't. Beauty Queens by: Libba Bray is the book that you should read if you want a female Lord of the Flies retelling. This book couldn't have been Lord of the Flies on the basic idea that there were still adults around. The whole thing about Lord of the Flies was that there were absolutely no adults, so the children were having to sort things out for themselves. Anyway, I've gotten off topic very quickly.
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by: Mackenzi Lee
Rating: 5/5
Finally, we're at an audiobook that I actually really liked. I liked this book, the narrator was fantastic, he did a very good job with Percy. The writing was great, this one feels like it would be a very easy read. The way that Lee writes is just very engaging and it allows you to get engrossed in the story so quickly. Plus, she has such a way with characters and dialogue. Clearly, my perceptions of how much I like a book are usually very influenced by the characters (not as much for adult books, but for books that are intended for a younger audience, I like to feel connected to the people in the story). I love Monty, Percy, and Felicity with all of my heart and I want nothing but the best for them. Felicity is a great example of a. strong female character that isn't completely obnoxious and self-absorbed. I'm actually excited to read The Ladies Guide to Petticoats and Piracy because I really enjoyed her character so much. This story was fun, but it did have it's serious moments. There were quite a few delicate subjects that were breached and handled very well. But as a whole, it was fun, exciting, thrilling, and incredibly engaging. I recommend that everyone should read this book because I really did enjoy it.
Oof, that was a lot to get out (especially since it has been so long since I listened to these books). If my reviews seem to focus largely on the negative, it's probably because I tend to remember the bad longer than the good. I'm hoping after I write the reviews the next set of four (yes, there is another set of four and by the time I write it there will be a third set of four), I will be able to go back to rating the books two at a time, while they are still relatively fresh in my mind. Honestly, I don't review books on Goodreads until I write the reviews on here. So, right now my Goodreads says that I'm one book away from reaching my yearly goal, when I actually reached my goal either at the beginning of September or the end of August. C'est la vie.
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