Gaston Library discussion

It’s time for the next Monthly Reading Wrap Up! This Month I Read…

Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham- This was a Beauty and the Beast retelling that was really interesting and unique (spoiler alert, the Beast isn’t a prince but is still cursed to be a beast nonetheless). Beauty is recovering from some personal trauma and sees paying her fathers debt to the Beast as a way out and so begins our story. I really enjoyed this one and thought the world building and characters were interesting, well most of the characters. I think this book's main problem was that it was too short. It needed more time to develop the characters and flesh out the plot. It had a great base, but just needed a little more. The ending definitely left a lot to be desired.

The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin- I did not like this one much at all. The premise is interesting, especially if you're into medical dramas. However the characters were completely unlikable and were contradictory in some ways. There was too much going on in the plot in ways too. To cap it all off the clutch of all the drama being that one of the characters was embarrassed by her upbringing in a very stereotypical depiction of poverty in Appalachia so she pretended to be her friend? That just felt not only wrong, but didn’t make sense in the story at all. Maybe it rubbed me the wrong way since I’m from Appalachia, but who knows. Definitely wouldn’t recommend it.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott- I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. On one hand it was way too long and sometimes seemed to drag forever, especially the first half. There were many places that seemed outdated or that made me roll my eyes at its old time values, but I guess that is to be expected for something written in 1868. On the other hand there were moments that made me laugh, warmed my heart, and kept me hooked. There are the pieces of a story ahead of its 1868 time. These women and their stories do feel at times more substantial than they appear on the surface. I definitely wouldn’t read it again, but I’m not sad I stuck it through to the end.

What did you read this month? Be sure to share down below!

Happy Reading!