“Most people have trouble recalling their first memory, because they have to stretch for it, like trying to touch their toes; but Joe didn’t.”
First line in The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
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?
I didn’t do a WWW Wednesday last week because time ran away from me (read: I watched too much football), so the two books I finished since last time are The Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty (which already has a review) and The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley. I’m going to focus on The Kingdoms here, and I gave that one 4 stars. It was awesome to have a new Natasha Pulley book to read, so I was really trying to savour it. It didn’t quite live up to the standard of her previous books in my opinion which is unfortunate because it felt very ambitious. And I did like that about it, but it also felt like it was rushing. Like it was trying to do more than could be fit into a typical standalone book. There were definitely moments where I had wished it would linger on some character emotions rather than move on immediately because there was also a plot to develop. Still, it’s Natasha Pulley and I don’t think it could hate anything she writes. Although, if you’ve never read a book from her before, I probably wouldn’t advice choosing The Kingdoms as your first.
What are you currently reading?
I’m reading Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell, and I’m 66% in. It’s a sci-fi story mixing an arranged marriage with a murder mystery, and it’s fine. It’s not doing anything unexpected and keeps any issues pretty simple. My favorite part of the story is how the characters deal with culture clashes and the issues that arise from those, but even that is kept pretty basic. There’s also a part of me that wishes the book would lean more into the world-building because it just tosses words around without much explanation. I don’t really read space operas, so again, I don’t know if I’m supposed to know what these things mean, but I’ve just accepted that I don’t. The story is still really sweet though, so I’m enjoying myself.
I’ve also started The Empire of Gold by S. A. Chakraborty, but I’m only 10% in, so I don’t have much to say. Only upset that I haven’t seen a certain character yet.
What do you think you’ll read next?
The Absolutist by John Boyne. I’m actually craving something that isn’t fantasy at the moment, hence the sci-fi book and now historical fiction.
First Line Reader 
Why do I feel like someone is suffering from Jamshid withdrawals? 😂 I’m already looking forward to your thoughts once you’re further into the book!
Also, I’ve just started The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and even though I’m only a hundred pages in and have no clue what is happening, the writing and the world have already ensnared me 😊 But I also want to understand stuff soon! It’s so frustrating that I have no clue what is happening, and I also want more Grace, she’s way more interesting than Thaniel! Please tell me there will be more Grace? 🙃
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You don’t understand how much I’m suffering! I just want the tiniest hint that he’s okay but I get nothing 😫
You reading Watchmaker is making me nervous. I knew you’d like Grace although it’s hurting me that you like her that much more than Thaniel 😅 I’d forgotten that it was that confusing. I had read The Bedlam Stacks first and knew the twist so I guess I didn’t notice 😄 I think you’re going to understand stuff soon 😉
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Well, maybe Thaniel will grow on me more as the book goes on 😉 I mean, Grace didn’t really have to do much apart from going to Oxford, being stubborn, and loving science to get me to like her, so it’s hard to compete… 😂
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I’m reading The Kingdom of Copper soon! I’m just waiting for my reading mojo to come back a bit, as it’s a chunker!
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I hope you like it just as much as I did! It’s a big one but I flew through it so it really didn’t feel like a big book to me.
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That’s encouraging for sure!
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