Mini- Reviews

For some reason, I've recently (in June, because that month was a bit mad) read some books that I just don't have that much to say about, or that I don't think I'll write a review for because of how long ago I read the book (travelling really messes with your schedule). So here's some little review snapshots.

City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6)
Out of Ten: 5/10
I fluctuate constantly on how I feel about this book. There were parts that I did enjoy, but I think, overall, the style of the storytelling wasn't for me. These have always kind of been brain candy books for me, something I didn't read for it's stunning literary merit, but for the fact that it they somehow pulled me in despite their flaws. That said, there were a lot of flaws for me in this one. While I enjoyed the cameos from The Infernal Devices, I don't know if they all were necessary. There was a lot of (probably somewhat unnecessary) stuff inserted to tease for the next series in the Shadowhunter world. Some of the relationships seemed a little problematic (put diplomatically), and some issues were treated in a way that didn't really work for me. I didn't particularly care for the ending, just in how it came together a bit too neatly for my tastes. All of this said, I went through this one very quickly, and there were parts that I enjoyed. I keep changing the rating on this one.

Rivals in the City (The Agency #4)
Out of Ten: 8/10
If Y.S. Lee were to suddenly get up one morning and say "I'm writing a fifth story," I would be completely on board. The ending was open enough to allow it, but it was still satisfying enough as a conclusion to wrap up the story. I enjoyed this one a lot. Something Lee does very well is put you in the world of Victorian London- the good, the bad and the ugly of it (and there was a lot of ugly in Victorian-era London). I did kind of miss that banter (there was less in this book, just due to circumstances), but I still really enjoyed this book as a whole. I just wish there was more of the story, both character-wise and mystery-wise. It was so short. I could do with a fifth book, I really could. I wasn't planning to write a full review for this... but now I'm tempted.

Lola and the Boy Next Door
Out of Ten: 3/10
This was possibly more of an "it's not you, it's me" situation. I don't typically read contemporary romance novels, though I seem to keep looking for ones that will change my mind about the genre. This was not one of those books. I didn't like Lola, and I have a hard time with books where I don't like the narrator. Lola was just sort of unlikable for me. I didn't like her, I didn't like how she looked at other people and the world, and I honestly didn't understand her at all despite being in her head. I just didn't enjoy any of the characterizations in this book, and I wasn't a huge fan of how the storytelling played out. Again there was a cameo, which I kind of have mixed feelings about (talk about a clingy couple).

The Lovely and the Lost (The Dispossessed #2)
Out of Ten: 6.5/10
These books are strange in that I just kind of read them casually. I wasn't eagerly anticipating them, but I still read the first and picked up the sequel. They're something I'm not incredibly invested in, but enjoy reading nonetheless. As the second book in a series, this one more or less did what it was supposed to do. That is to say, it carried on the story, introduced more of the mythology that the author has created and built up some of the characters. It was fine. Other thought than that, please tell me we've put that feeble love triangle out of it's misery. This book just didn't really pull me in completely, though I will still  pick up The Wondrous and the Wicked when it is released.