november 2024 reading wrap up
these are all the books I read this month!
November was a pretty good month for reading… I started off with an incredible fantasy series (more on this in a sec) and went off my TBR to read out of my usual genres. Here are my thoughts on them:
1. The Poppy War Trilogy, R.F. Kuang
**Check trigger warnings before starting the series**
Look, I admit this fantasy trilogy intimidated me at first. While I heard great things about this series from friends, the thick length of the books and the infamous long list of trigger warnings were also two factors I didn’t want to read The Poppy War for a while.
But after DNF-ing my last read in October, I needed something good — I also thought most well-known fantasy books were starting to mimic one another, and I needed something different. Vish, if you see this, thank you for convincing me to start the series lmao.
Anyway, that was how I decided to pick up the first book. It’s a historical military fantasy inspired by China’s history, culture, and 20th-century politics with magic (or ‘shamanism’ in the books).
Just for context, I already read Yellowface and Babel for the first time last year. I thought R.F. Kuang was a brilliant writer, and this was so apparent in her fantasy trilogy. The Poppy War was incredible. The next two books? Fucking incredible. I couldn’t put all three books down because I just kept reading and reading.
Everything about this series was well done, from the plot to the character arcs. The last book (The Burning God) got me chewing on my nails towards the end, but I can count the number of times R.F. Kuang got me inching towards the edge of my seat with the scenes she wrote. They were often intense, and some would leave you holding your breath as you waited for the next thing to happen.
While all of this may sound epic, it’s not for readers who want a light-hearted read. The Poppy War does include graphic elements of war, the aftermath of it, and other heavy themes like drug use, genocide, death, violence, and more.
In the end, The Poppy War Trilogy became one of my top 3 fantasy reads of all time (besides Legendborn by Tracy Deonn and Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao).
Verdict:
The Poppy War: 4.25/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Dragon Republic: 4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Burning God: 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2. Normal People, Sally Rooney
After The Poppy War, I wanted to read The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang, but unfortunately, I fell into a slump. I wasn’t in the mood for the books on my immediate TBR so I picked up a book that wasn't on it.
If you’re on BookTok a lot, you might know this book. It’s always recommended on that app with mixed reviews. Or, you might know Rooney’s book as a show that was released in 2020.
“Marianne, he said, I’m not a religious person but I do sometimes think God made you for me.”
Normal People by Sally Rooney is a love story about Connell and Marianne. While some parts of BookTok thought it was boring, I thought it was the opposite. Instead, I found the book real and tender. I loved the simplicity of the book and its intimate moments between the main characters. While they were flawed and complicated in their ways, they also felt human.
Now that I finished the book, I’m thinking about revisiting the show (I started a bit of episode 1 earlier this year but never continued) and checking out Rooney’s other works.
Verdict: 4.25/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. If We Were Villains, M.L. Rio
If we’re still talking about books recommended by my reader friends, If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio is up next on my list.
Think of it like this: The show Victorious, but make it dark academia and a murder mystery with theatre kids.
I honestly didn’t expect much from this book, but I did know that Sarah (another reader friend) kept talking about it. Dark academia also isn’t my go-to genre, but it was a genre I was slowly exploring.
I found If We Were Villains interesting and intriguing. I liked reading more about theatre, the characters’ immense passion for it, and their complicated dynamic with one another. I’d definitely recommend this book if you were a huge Shakespeare nerd like they were, because there were so many direct lines and references thrown in from his most famous plays like King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet.
Hell, I just checked out this blog that pointed out that Shakespeare’s tragedies was used to drive the book’s foreshadowing and plot format! This honestly blew my mind even further.
Verdict: 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. The Syndicater, Runyx
The Dark Verse series by Runyx is another well-loved series of mine, and two years after the 5th book (The Annihilator), the series ended with The Syndicater.
With the drama around this book’s release that’s been going around in the book community, I tried to keep an open mind when starting this book. But I ended up not finishing it at 37%. I thought the writing and other aspects of the book were repetitive, and the plot was non-existent. I also wasn’t a fan of the constant sex references or the fact that nothing major was happening the whole time I read it.
Verdict: DNF 🚫📚
5. Hexed, Emily McIntire
The Never After Series by Emily McIntire was another dark romance series I finished this month. All of the books are a dark retelling of fairytales, except for Scarred (Book 2) which is based on Hamlet and Wretched (Book 3), which is based on The Wizard of Oz. The last book, Hexed, retells The Little Mermaid with the Italian Mafia. It’s a pretty crazy concept, now that I think of it.
Unfortunately, like the majority of the books in Emily McIntire’s series, it was a 3-star read for me. It’s not my favourite compared to Wretched or Hooked (Book 1), but I did enjoy the plot. I thought there was a lot of tension between Enzo and Venesa at the start, and I liked their dynamic together.
While the Never After Series is a 3-star read for me as a whole, I’ll still recommend it regardless. I think if you’re getting into dark romance, you can check out this series.
Verdict: 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
6. Devil’s Night Series (#1-2), Penelope Douglas
The Devil’s Night Series by Penelope Douglas was another dark romance series that I heard of. It was pretty popular and people seemed to like it, so I decided to give it a try last year (in 2023).
I ended up DNF-ing Corrupt (the first book) at the time. I thought it was corny and bad so I didn’t bother continuing the series until now.
Safe to say, I hated Corrupt, although that would be a massive understatement. I thought it was one of the worst things I’ve ever read so far, with stupid characters doing genuinely concerning things. The book was a walking red flag for me.
But the next book, Hideaway turned out to be so much better. Kai was one of the “nicer” guys in the series, and I loved his dynamic with Banks. They had a lot of sweet moments and I’m just happy they got their happy ending with a house full of dogs.
I’m currently reading Kill Switch (Book 3). I’ll be reviewing them in the next reading wrap up for December plus the last book, Nightfall. See ya then!
Verdict:
Corrupt: 1.75/5 stars ⭐️
Hideaway: 4.25/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Featured image: pinterest
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