First Ten Books I Reviewed (Top Ten Tuesday)

This week, we have a Top Ten Tuesday list that’s less a Top Ten list and more just a list.  The prompt this week from That Artsy Reader Girl asks us to share the first books we ever reviewed whether it be on our blog or on Goodreads or anywhere!  I’ve decided to stick with the first ten reviews from my blog, as it’s always fun to dust off some things I read a bit ago and share them again!

The titles will link to the review, and covers will link to Goodreads.

      

THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Steifvater
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Quick Thoughts: Oh boy, this is REALLY a throwback, back to when I toyed with doing a blog and then fell off for a year.  There’s a lot more flailing in here then I usually do these days, but I had just come off the high of LOVING a book and can you blame me?

CITY OF LIES by Sam Hawke
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Thoughts: The first book I reviewed when this became an actual book blog!  It was a fantasy murder mystery that I adored and needs some more love, so go check it out!

WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI by Sandhya Menon
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Thoughts: An absolutely delightful rom-com book, you’ve probably seen it on this blog as one of the few contemporary books I will constantly gush about!

THE ROOK by Daniel O’Malley
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Thoughts: I picked this up to read ahead of the Starz show (coming out later this year) and enjoyed the twisty murder mystery set in a supernatural bureaucracy, though some of the flashbacks ended up slowing down the story.

      

SEAFIRE by Natalie C. Parker
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Quick Thoughts: My first ARC review!  Before I had NetGalley figured out, I relied on what I had picked up from Comic Con to give me a little scoop.  This was a blockbuster movie in a book, a lot of fun action but a little skimpy on character development.  Still had a lot of fun reading it!

THE WAKING LAND by Callie Bates
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Quick Thoughts: I really wanted to like this one more, there was a lot of great description about the lead’s connection with the wilderness that saved this book from a lower score.  Ultimately, though, I found the plot and the characters to both change on mere whims, rather than any true development or logic, which made it a book I was way less invested in.

IN THE VANISHERS’ PALACE by Aliette De Bodard
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Quick Thoughts: This was the first book I was approved for on NetGalley, and I still remember how excited I was to finally be one of the cool kids!  This was a lovely retelling of Beauty and the Beast that absolutely sold me on De Bodard as an author…now I just need to get to the rest of her books….

ALL SYSTEMS RED by Martha Wells
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Thoughts: Murderbot!  The first of THE MURDERBOT DIARIES, this novella is a delightful romp with an AI that I sometimes feel I have more in common with than with actual humans.  100% worth the read.

  

THRAWN: ALLIANCES by Timothy Zahn
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Quick Thoughts: As a die hard Zahn and Thrawn fan, this book was a bit of a let down, as it became pretty clear early on that this was early marketing for Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge.  The author did the most with what he had, but I found the flashback structure undercut the overall narrative.

THE WINTER ROAD by Adrian Selby
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Thoughts: I found this book overly long with an uneven pace, but there was absolutely no denying the emotional impact the story had on me.  The villain was truly effective and chill inducing, and the ending brought me to tears.  This review also marks the first time I cracked and finally started using star ratings!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip down memory lane, and perhaps found some new books to read!