Worlds Unlike Our Own

Hello readers, and welcome to another round of Mini Reviews, where I talk about some of the books I don’t write full length reviews for. It’s been a while since I did one of these posts! This installment, let’s chat about: The Game, Wings of Fury and Yes No Maybe So.

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The Game | Linsey Miller

A game turns deadly with a killer who picks his victims one by one, letter by letter.

Every year the senior class at Lincoln High plays assassin. Lia Prince has been planning her strategy for years and she’s psyched that not only does she finally get to play, she’s on a team with Devon Diaz. But this year, the game isn’t any fun–it’s real. Abby Ascher, Ben Barnard, and Cassidy Clarke have all turned up . . . dead. Can Lia stop the ABC killer before he reaches D? Goodreads

I have had this book on my TBR for over a year but I’ve been really hesitant to actually pick it up. I was rather pleasantly surprised though, because it wasn’t too bad at all, especially considering how poor some of the reviews I’ve seen are. This was a gripping murder mystery, woven into a game of Assassin that turns too real as players begin to die. It was fun following the clues and trying to unravel the plot, and while things started to get clearer closer to the end, the hints dropped earlier were very subtly done which made it quite hard to figure out.

The characters weren’t as developed as I would have liked though and I found Lia rather hard to connect to. I wasn’t too fond of the how this ended either since I prefer mystery novels to have a solid ending unless there’s a sequel planned which there doesn’t seem to be in this case – though I’d definitely be open to reading one! The culprit’s motive also felt a little weak given how well the tension was built up to that point. But overall, this was an interesting read and it was mainly the ending that brought my rating down, so I would still recommend this book.

Publishing Date: August 4th, 2020 (Underlined)

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Wings of Fury (Wings of Fury #1) | Emily R. King

My mother told me that men would speak about the Golden Age as a time of peace and happiness for all… However, the women of our age would tell a very different story…

Cronus, God of Gods, whose inheritance is the world. Among his possessions: women, imprisoned and fated to serve. The strong-minded Althea Lambros controls her own fate and lives to honor her dying mother’s plea to protect her two sisters at all costs. Althea’s journey toward crushing the tyranny has begun. It is a destiny foretold by the Fates. And she is following their visions.

On the southern isle of Crete, hidden among mortal women who have fled the Titans, is the Boy God, son of Cronus and believed dead. He shares Althea’s destiny to vanquish the Almighty—fate willing. Because Cronus has caught wind of the plot. He’s amassing his own forces against Althea’s righteous rebellion and all those who will no longer surrender or run. There will be war. If she’s to survive to write their history, the indomitable Althea must soar higher than any god… Goodreads

Mythological retellings have always been a favourite of mine, and I was really excited to hear about this book since I really enjoyed the author’s previous series. Tales from Greek mythology have been portrayed in many books, but what was different about this one was that it portrays the time before the Greek gods, when the Titans still ruled, which I have never seen before. There are of course, certain liberties taken with the facts, but fans of the originals will still find recognizable threads.

I loved the writing style and narration, both a significant improvement from The Hundredth Queen series. Althea is a great protagonist who does not hesitate to defend for herself and her sisters, and she really stands out as a strong character in this society where women have no rights. The author has done a great job narrating a story we already know while adding some interesting new twists to the tale, and after that action-packed ending, I can’t wait to see what happens in book two! This was a solid start to a new series, fast paced and a thoroughly entertaining read and I would highly recommend it!

Publishing Date: March 1st, 2021 (47North)

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Yes No Maybe So | Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed

YES
Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate—as long as he’s behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s face it, speaking at allto almost anyone), Jamie’s a choke artist. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.

NO
Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing—with some awkward dude she hardly knows—is beyond her.

MAYBE SO
Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer—and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural romance of the century is another thing entirely. Goodreads

Contemporary novels are a genre I’m very picky about, but with all the rave reviews I’d seen of this, I just had to pick it up and I can’t believe I waited so long to read this book! It has been a while since I read a Becky Albertalli book, but this reminded me of why I enjoy them so much. I went into this book expecting a cute romance – and it was, but it was also so much more than that. Since Jamie and Maya are canvassing for a political campaign, politics is naturally the major topic, but this book also addresses several rather delicate issues like religion and racism, and I was very impressed with the way it was handled.

It sends a lovely message about how you can stand up for your beliefs and make a difference even if you are too young to vote. Jamie and Maya were such likeable characters and it was easy to get invested in their stories. Jamie and Maya’s romance was adorably awkward, and I just loved seeing it develop, it was so gradual and realistic. This is a very relevant book in present day in so many ways and it’s a must read, even if, like me, you’re not generally a fan of contemporary novels. Highly recommended!

Publishing Date: February 4th, 2020 (Balzer + Bray)

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Have you read any of these books or do you plan to? I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!

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