It’s just the way the mood goes sometimes.
🟣 First Time, Long Time by Amy Silverberg — I got about 20% in on the audio (narrated by the author, by the way) and still wasn’t sure what was supposed to be happening. The FMC just kept talking about her grief over her late brother (understandable) but also her daddy issues, and I didn’t understand what the point was to most of this. My fault for thinking this was more of a romance, but it definitely is not.
🟣 Heart’s Gambit by JD Myall — I really wanted to like this one, since it was a debut from a BIPOC author. But I just couldn’t get into it. I have so many questions. Why did the slave owner give them magic in the first place? Why are the families in such a feud, couldn’t you just work together to overthrow the evil magic lady? Why are the families so mean to their own children and/or grandchildren? The narrators (Alaska Jackson, Eric Lockley, Khaya Fraites) kept me listening long after I would have normally quit, but even their great intonation couldn’t keep me from losing interest.
🟣 The Lies of Lena by Kylie Snow — I was interested in this fantasy; I’d seen it all over booktok and bookstagram for a while. So I was super onboard for a duet audio (narrated well by Natalie Van Sistine and Kieran Regan). But this is a fantasy story, with elixirs and daggers and such. A fantasy….that has pizza? I was immediately taken out of the story and just couldn’t get back in. After the fact I learned that I should have looked at the trigger warnings ahead of time, so letting you all know to check those out before you choose to read! They were—a lot.
🟣 The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman — I tried, but The Wolf and His King just could not keep my interest. I put it down and tried a few times, but each time my mind would wander near immediately. I was intrigued by a queer medieval wolf shifter story, and yet, it was just a bit too boring for me. The prose and writing just wasn’t for me, unfortunately.