The Unwedding

The UnweddingTitle: The Unwedding
Author: Ally Condie
Genre: Thriller
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 337
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

I was really excited to read THE UNWEDDING because I know Ally Condie personally. When I found out Ally was writing a murder mystery, I was hoping the story would be more of a thriller. To my disappointment, it wasn’t. While the story’s suspenseful at times, I never had that edge-of-my-seat feeling I crave when reading thrillers.

Despite my disappointment with the mystery, I still found Ally’s writing a joy to read. As always, her writing has a poetic and lyrical feel and paints a clear picture of love, loss, and healing. The emotionality was my favorite part of this story. I especially loved reading the aspects of the story that were inspired in part by her life.

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The Widowmaker

The WidowmakerTitle: The Widowmaker
Author: Hannah Morrissey
Series: Black Harbor #2
Genre: Thriller
Format: Audio
Pages: 293
Length: 10h 39m
Narrator: Xe Sands, Adam Verner
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Hello, Transcriber, When I'm Dead
My Thoughts

THE WIDOWMAKER is a very dark thriller that kept me guessing until the end. It’s very thought-provoking and deals with hard subjects like child abandonment, abuse, and sexual assault. I thought the story was captivating and suspenseful. I love Morrissey’s beautifully descriptive prose. I also enjoyed that the story’s told in a dual POV. It took me a few chapters to understand what was happening. When I wasn’t listening to the audiobook, I was thinking about the characters and their lives.

I liked both of the main characters. I also liked the narrators for the audiobook. They both did a great job bringing Morgan and Investigator Hudson to life. I thought some of the secondary characters were a bit flat and could’ve been fleshed out more. I liked the little Easter eggs pointing to HELLO, TRANSCRIBER when Hudson was interacting with and talking about Sgt. Kole.

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Where The Crawdads Sing

Where The Crawdads SingTitle: Where the Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery
Format: Audio
Pages: 370
Length: 12h 12m
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

My Thoughts

I truly loved WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING until the last few pages. I think she would’ve confided in Tate about her past and the ending made it seem like she hadn’t. I feel it undid what the author was trying to say and/or show about who Kya grew to be after the trial.

While I’m a little miffed at the ending, I’m still glad I read it. I really loved Kya and I was invested in her life. I loved that she not only survived, but thrived despite the hardships she faced. I thought her story was beautifully told and emotional. I thought the dual timeline was the perfect vehicle for the story, especially the mystery aspect of it. I liked getting snippets of Kya’s life in the past as I wondered what lead to the present circumstances.

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Fourth Wing

Fourth WingTitle: Fourth Wing
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Series: Empyrean #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Format: Hard Cover
Pages: 517
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Iron Flame, Onyx Storm
My Thoughts

FOURTH WING was everything I wanted in a romantasy and more. I adored the characters, especially Violet and Xaden. I could feel the sexual tension between them from the very beginning and I loved it. I loved that there was no instalove, and instead a slow-burn romance that leaves you wanting for more. The secondary characters were amazing too. Rhiannon, Ridoc, and Liam were my favorite.

I loved the world Rebecca Yarros built. It’s a beautiful world based on folktales, lore, war, power, and political drama, which is my recipe for a fantastic story. I loved the Gaelic feel to the story thanks to the names of some of the characters, most of the dragons, and lot of the places. I also loved that riders are bonded to their dragon so we can hear their voices and get to know their personalities. I also adored the mythology. It was fascinating. The magical system with signets was fun to read about and experience.

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Hello, Transcriber

Hello, TranscriberTitle: Hello, Transcriber
Author: Hannah Morrissey
Series: Black Harbor #1
Genre: Romance, Thriller
Format: Audio
Pages: 296
Length: 9h 1m
Narrator: Angela Dawe
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: The Widowmaker, When I'm Dead
My Thoughts

HELLO, TRANSCRIBER was a captivating romantic thriller. Thanks to Morrissey’s beautifully descriptive prose, I zipped right through it as it hooked me right from the beginning and has left me thinking about the characters and their relationships. It’s more than a thriller with romantic fluff. It’s also a thought-provoking story that deals with hard subjects like spousal abuse, depression and suicidal ideation, homo- and transphobia, and drug use in minors.

I could see the big twist at the end. Knowing about the twist didn’t ruin the suspense or story for me, though, because I still wanted to know how everything would play out. I’m disappointed that Hazel and Nik didn’t stay together in the end. I feel like it could’ve worked out without damaging the overall feeling of the story.