Happy Monday everyone! The sun is shining outside, it’s a bank holiday which means a Monday with no work and I’m here with some mini reviews of some books I read recently. A few of these are books that had been on my shelf for waaay too long and I can’t believe I waited so long to read them. Last time I did one of these posts I found it a much more relaxing way of reviewing so expect a few more of these, especially for backlist titles.

Today I’m bringing you four more mini review with a quick taste of what I thought and covers will take you to Goodreads if you want to find out more!

The Explorer by Katherine Rundell

★★★★★

This book is gorgeous in every sense. I loved the writing style, the vivid imagery, the characters but most of all this felt like a proper adventure. If I taught in a primary school I would 100% be wanting to use this with my class. It really is middle grade at its best and I’m not surprised it won so many awards. This is such an enchanting adventure that I’m sure will mesmerise young readers for years to come. The world of the Explorer is a fresh and vivacious one.

The Invasion by Peadar O’Guilin

★★★

I absolutely LOVED The Call so when I got my hands on a proof of book two last July I was really excited. For some reason it’s only recently that I actually read The Invasion and, for me personally, it just wasn’t quite up there with the first book. Granted that this is because I spent half my time confused (which is not a reflection of the book but of my own brain). I think I’m going to revisit this in a reread of both books around Halloween. One thing I can tell you is that the Sídhe are just as terrifying as ever!

The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

★★★★★

Exquisite. Honestly that is the only word that can be used to describe this book and Kiran’s writing. This is a lyrical, gorgeous story of love, loss and friendship. I loved that it had a historical setting but that Kiran has made history her own with this wonderful tale. Ami has such inner strength and determination making her a wonderful protagonist for young readers. Her story is both touching and adventurous, lit up with gorgeous descriptions and tainted with emotion. I just loved this book. Kiran’s writing is so special.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

★★★★★

I only read Simon Vs. a short while ago but I loved Becky’s writing. I’m ashamed to admit that The Upside of Unrequited has been on my Kindle for well over a year and I’ve only just read it but I am SO glad that I did. I adored this book. Molly is such a fantastic protagonist and it was refreshing to read a story about a fat character whose story is not about the fact she is fat. In fact this is very much a love story for Molly and I loved every moment of it. There were certainly parts that made my heart ache, especially between Molly and Cassie but the majority of the time my little heart was singing with joy. Becky Albertalli is definitely on my list of ‘auto-buy authors’ now!

Have you read any of the books I’ve rambled about above? I’d love to hear what you thought! 

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