Here’s the 5th edition of Le Noir Auteur Reads and the 2nd one this year! So far, I’m doing pretty good on my quest to read 2 books a month as dictated by my New Year’s Resolutions, so it’s nice to come into these posts knowing making reading a priority is panning out. For this installment, I am chronicling three books that couldn’t be more different from each other in their time period, subject matter, or length. Enjoy!
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sanchez
Idk what rock I had been living under not knowing that this book existed until this year but boy am I glad one of my favorite authors mentioned it on Twitter. The story of two boys whose friendship threatens to become something more is such a wonderful read. It reminded me so much of The Way He Looks, with the author perfectly capturing the character’s voices and making your heart ache and sing from page to page. This book kept me up till 2 or 3 in the morning because I was so obsessed with knowing how the story was going to pan out.
Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat
One of my most anticipated books of the year, Kings Rising proved to be everything I wanted in a Captive Prince finale. Pacat had me alternately shouting in joy and ready to fight her with what she put me, Damen, and Laurent through with this book. While many are brought into this fandom via the ilicitness of some of the actions (a king becoming a slave, and eventually a lover of the prince whose brother he killed), what got me to stay was the incredible character detail, the world building, and the shocking plot twists. Kudos to C.S. Pacat on finishing this trilogy!
Not on Fire, But Burning by Greg Hrbeck
If you like post-apocalyptic novels with race relations, mental health commentary, multiple timelines, and dire endings, well than this is the book for you. This is seriously one of the most challenging books I’ve read in a while, with it taking two weeks to get through the 258 pages. You’re in for a treat if you open this one up as the shifting characters, time periods, and dimensions blend together for a pretty unforgettable whole.