We’re nearing the end of the year, and the end of the Read Harder Challenge, but there’s still time to finish, or even start the challenge if you want! In case you missed the beginning of this series, check out my first blog post where I explain what the Read Harder Challenge is, and how it relates to the following books!
Task 9 – Read a book recommended by a librarian
Book Read: “The Unmaking of June Farrow” by Adrienne Young
Even before this book was officially published, my co-worker Kat (many of you probably know her from Read Harder and One Read) was gushing about how much she loved it. Given that our reading tastes align pretty frequently, I knew I had to pick this up as my recommendation from a librarian. Unfortunately, this was one of the times where our reading tastes diverged. If you’ve read and enjoyed any of the following books, “June Farrow” might be right for you: “The Ten Thousand Doors of January,” “The Book of Doors,” “The Ministry of Time,” “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.” The majority of which I’ve read, and they just didn’t click for me.
The premise of “The Unmaking of June Farrow” is that the Farrow women are cursed, they eventually lose their minds, and after June’s mother Susanna disappeared, the small town of Jasper is just waiting for the same thing to happen to June. It begins for June when she hears things that aren’t there, sees things out of the corner of her eye, and eventually, a mysterious red door appears which may have the answers to her mother’s disappearance.
Why didn’t it work for me? Honestly, a lot of reasons, but my biggest issue is that for a magical realism book featuring time travel, it does it so poorly. Timelines don’t make sense, character relationships exist primarily because of time travel shenanigans (there’s a romantic relationship after a week??), it just frustrated me. That being said, I’m sure there are aspects to the magical realism and the romance that other readers will enjoy, and have, based on the overall ratings. I will also give props to Young for her descriptions, she does a phenomenal job of making the reader feel like they are in the settings they read about. Personally, I’m going to keep going to the Wayward Children series for adventures about going through mysterious magical doors, and the consequences of doing so. Continue reading “Reading Harder in 2024! – Part 5”
Anne Perry, famous for her Victorian-era mysteries, begins a new series set in 1930s Europe, with a great new heroine, young photographer Elena Standish. Elena is drawn into the hidden world of espionage through a nipped-in-the-bud love affair, which in turn pulls her grandfather to reconnect with his past in the secret service from the “war to end all wars.”
