Another six books were successfully added to my wrap up courtesy of May and the major proportion where I spent it at home. The three contemporary books I read were a part of a charming trilogy called Crazy Rich Asians, while the two paranormal fantasy books I finished were the first two books of an on-going series, Fortuna Sworn. The last book I managed to devour this month was a middle-grade book titled City Spies which was quick and clever. All in all, I'm truly grateful for each of their existence in my life, especially after the fact that I was only able to finish two last month.
Crazy Rich Asians follows the story of an insanely rich family from the Young, T'sien, and Shang clan starting with Nick Young who currently lives in New York with his girlfriend, Rachel Chu. Other than his closest cousin Astrid Leong, he hasn't introduced Rachel to any of his family members yet nor that he fills Rachel in on how wealthy his family is. Meanwhile, Astrid Leong is the daughter of the famous businessman Harry Leong and the sometimes stingy Felicity Young. Astrid may have not shared as big of a portion compared to Nick and Rachel in this book, but she certainly is the most famous in this family: she's gorgeous, classy, while flies to Paris regularly to shop. However, her life turns upside down when she finds out that her husband, Michael Teo, is cheating on her and her son.
This book was overall delightful and fun that I couldn't have asked for a more entertaining book to start this month with. If you want to read something hilarious with relatable family dramas, you should go pick this book up and devour it if you haven't. Crazy Rich Asians had been an unexpectedly fun fictional getaway I would be happy to dive into again one day.
This dark paranormal fantasy book follows the story of a Nightmare called Fortuna Sworn who lives among humans while tries to blend in by working in a bar called Bea's. Nightmare is a creature that can taste fear with a single touch and Fortuna is unfortunately the last of her kind. Much to her dismay the latter case occurs as her brother has gone missing for about two years, which explains why Fortuna instantly jumps on the opportunity when a mysterious Fae called Collith promises her that he will bring her to her brother in return for something big.
I would say that I enjoyed this book so much. Sutton's writing style was very beautiful in addition to easy to visualize. I could easily talk about Fortuna Sworn all day because regardless of the fact that it's dark it fit my longing for a good fantasy book really well. If you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses or a big fan of Faes in general, I think Fortuna Sworn is made for you too.
(Please skip this part if you haven't read Fortuna Sworn)
After Fortuna finds out that Laurie is actually the king of the Seelie Court, Fortuna makes a bargain with him. She needs Laurie's help to bring her and Damon home while in return—after knowing the real reason for his regular visits—Fortuna swears to always summon him every time Collith is in danger. Soon, Fortuna finds it difficult to have a balanced life in between being a queen of the Unseelie Court and having a normal life with his brother Damon. Aside from the fact that Damon still hates her, there's something quite odd about his brother that she has yet to comprehend.
Given the fact that this book was more about how Fortuna tried to rule and have a life outside the court at the same time, all along I couldn't dismiss the feeling that everything in this book would have something major to do in the next installments. For me, Restless Slumber felt like a necessary collection of events where we got to discover some constant developments before the true conflict burst out and actually took place. In conclusion, this book was amazing to the level where it deserved a five stars rating and a barrage of praise. I really can't wait to meet the characters again later this December.
(Please skip this part if you haven't read Crazy Rich Asians)
Still following the drama in the Young, T'sien, and Shang clans, China Rich Girlfriend explores the story of a similar pretentious lifestyle starting with Nick Young who is secretly getting married to his girlfriend of years, Rachel Chu. His mother, Eleanor Young, has tried multiple times to stop his wedding but something even bigger catches her attention: a sudden discovery regarding her soon-to-be daughter-in-law turns out to be a life-changing experience neither of them would ever think of having. Meanwhile, thanks to Charlie Wu and his secret devotion to Astrid, Michael Teo is now a well-known rich man in town. Even though the fact that their marriage is saved soothes Astrid, she now has to face Michael's ugly temperament whenever things don't go exactly the way he wants it to be.
In conclusion, China Rich Girlfriend was a charming guilty pleasure read I would be happy to visit again someday. The drama was delivered cleverly and thus it was an overall exciting experience for me as a reader. I had anticipated some entertainment when I first signed up for this book that in fact while I was happy to find out that it was even more hilarious than the first one I wasn't at all surprised. China Rich Girlfriend explored an even more challenging family drama with a better perspective. While recognizing the characters wasn't big of a problem anymore, I found myself enjoying every bit of the drama thoroughly.
(Please skip this part if you haven't read Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend)
Still following the story of the Young, T'sien, and Shang clans just like the previous two books, an unexpected reunion happens when the entire family members decide to go to Tyersall Park and pay Shang Su Yi a visit on her deathbed. While Su Yi is very sick, some of them, without shame, have started calculating their very moves in order to get Su Yi's attention and thereby gaining her also massive fortune, especially the one and only Tyersall Park whose soon-to-be owner is still debatable.
Overall, I found this book very enjoyable and great. I was drawn to this character-driven trilogy as a result of its clever narration and though I admit I laughed a lot during the last installment's drama, I also happened to shed some tears much to my surprise. It captured the sense of sorrow brilliantly without weighing too much on it, so all in all, this book was still entertaining as a whole. Though I may not be in a major hangover right now, I'm sort of frustrated as my mood to start a new book has slightly decreased.
City Spies follows the story of Sara Martinez, a twelve-year-old girl who uses her ability as a hacker to break into the New York City foster care and expose the ugly truth about her foster parents. As a consequence of her action, Sara is thrown into a juvenile detention facility instead of getting justice and is not allowed to use any computer for a long period of time. Though as luck would have it, a strange man who claims himself as an MI6 secret agent comes and rescues her out of nowhere. Sara's journey as a spy then starts in Scotland where he brings her to meet the other spy kids: Sydney, Kat, Rio, and Paris. And before she knows it, they once again move to Paris where her very first official mission takes place.
This book was overall a quick and thrilling read for me. With good storytelling as an addition to a fast pace, City Spies felt like something everyone should pick up for a fun middle-grade read experience. I could certainly picture my younger self picking up this book and enjoying it as much as I did now. Not to mention the fact that it's kid-friendly, City Spies was packed with clever mysteries and dare I say, captivating. At some points, I was even reminded of Enid Blyton's mystery books I used to read all the time as a kid as their vibes felt pretty similar somehow: the riddles weren't very easy to guess though not exactly complicated either.
