WWW Wednesday – March 17th, 2021

“Compared to the freezing weather outside, the stable was warm and steamy and alive with the sleepy murmurings of horses. “

First line in Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Hi, guys. I hope you’re all doing well. WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words, and it’s meant to give you all a little insight into my reading this week. I’ll answer the 3 questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish?
• What do you think you’ll read next

What did you recently finish?

Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima, which I, unfortunately, had to give 2 stars. Gotta say that the insta-love properly killed it for me, and it wasn’t just because it was insta-love. It was also because this book barely works as it is, but it definitely wouldn’t have worked had these two characters not fallen in love on sight. To me, that’s not a sign of a great book. It is, however, a really good example of how this book had some serious pacing issues. Everything happened too fast, and the best part of the book were 50 pages or so just before the halfway point where the characters were actually allowed to sit down and talk. It finally allowed the characters and myself to feel something, but as I mentioned, it didn’t last very long. I’m having some serious doubts about whether or not to continue with the series.

What are you currently reading?

I’m making my way through A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir, book four in the An Ember in the Ashes series, which I’m 64% into. After having had little luck with YA Fantasy this year so far, it’s so great to be back with something I know I love. I had forgotten a lot about this series, even how much I love Helene. She’s my absolute favorite character in this novel, so when I reach one of her chapters, I can’t possibly stop reading. I also love how Tahir just doesn’t hold back in terms of the brutality. She really doesn’t spare the reader, and that’s a great way to keep me engaged.
The only thing that’s hindering my enjoyment just a tiny bit so far is all the fight scenes. They are to be expected, I know, but such scenes will never be my favorite thing to read.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins. I’m very intrigued to see how this one compares to The Binding by the same author, which I really loved. The synopsis is quite vague, so I’m expecting some grand secrets to be revealed.