September 2020 Wrap-Up

These Violent Delights
One of the most enthralling stories I’ve ever read. I’m super grateful for NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for this wonderful book! These Violent Delights is slow burn enemies to lovers —actually enemies, not just rivals — with fascinating political and social commentary. The book does a splendid job of explaining the historical context of Shanghai in 1920s and ties together intersectional issues concerning Western imperialism and cycles of violence. Not only that, the characters are lovable and genuinely interesting! If you want an in-depth review, definitely check out my goodreads.

The Burning God
Easily, easily my favorite read of September. Let me just say that I was BLESSED to have received an ARC and will forever treasure this ARC while simultaneously buying beautiful editions of the book. The Poppy War is my favorite science fiction fantasy series due to its rich plot in Asian history, culture, and the struggle against Imperialism. The eloquent and articulate writing surely make the book outstanding, but the emphasis on political and social issues is what makes TPW so unique to me. Growing up, I’ve hardly read much works from a Non-Eurocentric point of view and for that I commend Kuang for the richly imaginative plot on stories we often do not tell. Likewise, the stories in TPW are heavy and gruesome because they tell the story of humanity: who gets power? who has power? and who has the power to tell these stories?
Honestly, I was not ready to part with the trilogy and spent two days mentally preparing myself to read The Burning God. As soon as I started, I finished the book within 37 hours because I just could not put it down. And yes, it’s so painful and made me utterly miserable for days. This is what great writing is— the power to make the reader experience multiple emotions all at once.

Beach Read
This was SUCH an adorable contemporary romance. It’s basically rivals to lovers in the most fun and cute way possible, and it’s an added plus that they two main characters are both writers so there’s a lot of bookish vibes. Beach Read is an easy and interesting book for anyone who just wants to relax, and I highly recommend this book! Beach Read pretty much saved me during my book hangover. If you want an in-depth review, definitely check out my goodreads.

Girls of Paper and Fire
I love finding and reading diverse fantasy fiction. Girls of Paper and Fire utilized myths and legends from Asian culture, creating such an interesting world while simultaneously incorporating social commentary on colorism and sexism. Most importantly, the book takes an ingenious approach to how we amplify voices and particularly survivors’ voices. Girls of Paper and Fire is about healing and finding our own voice despite being silenced by forces outside our control.

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
Such a fun sequel to From Blood and Ash! This new series by JLA is fun while coupled with an interesting plot and worldbuilding. JLA had me constantly guessing throughout AKOFAF and I’m super excited to see how the story and worldbuilding progresses in the 3rd book!

And that’s it for now, thanks so much for reading! I will be uploading my reviews for These Violent Delights and The Burning God as soon as they are released, as well as a book recommendation list for Filipino-American History Month. Happy reading, friends!