What I read this month: December ‘24
unannounced book notes
Hi! I’m looking back at the books I’ve read this month with pride because they are all different genres (Hurrah!). I usually gravitate towards literary fiction and stay there, but this month, I decided to try new genres, starting with a mystery thriller and continuing with fantasy.
At the end of the month, I returned to my comfort zone of literary fiction and ended with a BANG!
Let’s dive in.
Penance by Eliza Clark (2023)
This was my first approach to Eliza Clark’s work, and I have no regrets—just many thoughts.
Penance is a fictional true crime story narrated by Alec Carelli, a disgraced journalist aiming to write something as iconic as Capote’s In Cold Blood (I mean, sure). The book recounts the brutal murder of teenager Joan Wilson, who was tortured and set on fire.
I could see how Eliza Clark set out to do two things: (1) critique true crime as entertainment and society’s obsession with it and (2) tell a gripping murder mystery. On the first front, she absolutely succeeds. Clark holds up a mirror to our compulsion to consume tragedy. But as a mystery thriller? The stakes felt too low, and I couldn’t get myself to care about the unraveling of events.
The story lacks surprises or urgency. Maybe it’s just me–this is my first incursion into mystery thrillers– but I coasted through the revelations rather than being gripped by them.
That said, the writing is excellent. Alec Carelli’s narrative is journalistic—clinical, detached, fact-over-feeling—and works perfectly. Clark captures how innocent games escalate into horrifying violence: the girls play at killing, then chillingly follow through.
Another highlight is Alec Carelli himself. He wants to write “literary” true crime while condemning the culture that consumes it. He’s deeply flawed and complicit, and the book thrives on contradictions: entertainment that critiques entertainment, violence that feels mundane, and teenage perpetrators who are somehow still lost girls.
So here I sit with a mixed review. The concept is sharp, the writing polished, but the story’s heart—its tension—didn’t grab me. I closed the book feeling like I’d read something clever, just not something I loved.
Also, I’m now tempted to try a true crime podcast. Are all of them lousy?
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2015)
Following with fantasy was an obvious choice to maintain the theme of trying new genres. It’s the genre I’m least familiar with. After a bit of back-and-forth with Claude over recommendations, I picked A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, one of the most popular series in the genre. (Using AI to choose what to read has led me to great reading experiences during 2024. Try it!).
The story follows Feyre, a mortal who, after killing a faerie in the woods while hunting, is taken to the magical realm of the Fae. She is trapped in a dangerous world of political intrigue, magical bargains, and looming threats. It took me just a couple of pages to realize that the plot was very familiar to me—yep, it’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling.
When I realized I was bummed. REALLY?! The most popular Young Adult Fantasy Series is a Beauty and the Beast retelling? I was a little shocked but stayed committed.
Another thing I was unsure about was the whole new world of magic and Fae politics. But Maas did an excellent job of easing me into it. I was soon hooked, eagerly flipping through pages, excited by the tension and the stakes, which felt high at every turn.
What stood out to me most was the sense of danger. Everything felt life-or-death, and the suspense kept me invested. The protagonist, Feyre, is annoying as hell, and her character development is slow. But the book is more plot-driven than character-driven, so I didn’t mind too much because the action was engaging.
The writing? Meh. But the fast-paced action carried the story forward. The world-building was fun, and Maas’s ability to draw me into Feyre’s struggles kept me hooked, even when the prose didn’t blow me away.
Overall, I’m glad I gave it a shot. It’s a good introduction to fantasy and a great escape. While the writing isn’t stellar, the plot and world-building make it worthwhile, and I’m continuing to the next book (someday).
Here’s to trying new genres in 2025.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (2024)
As mentioned, I finished the month (and year) with a BANG!
Martyr! follows an Iranian man, Cyrus, whose parents have both died (one in a plane crash and the other by suicide sometime later), grappling with the concept of death. He learns about a dying artist in Brooklyn who is spending her final days in a museum and talking to visitors about anything they choose, and he visits her, deciding to write a book about martyrs.
The story touches on many topics successfully, such as grief, martyrdom, sobriety and addiction, family, apathy, and social and cultural identity.
This book contains interesting ideas. Cyrus believes it is more meaningful to sacrifice oneself while enjoying life, and he also thinks some deaths are “more useful than others.” Some of his beliefs are extreme, making the story compelling.
It made me think about choosing to live life as you feel it is supposed to be instead of as it is. The protagonist lives his life as a martyr and molds everything around that. The story shows how painful that is, but martyrdom is supposed to be painful, so it depicts how the character succeeds in that regard.
“If the mortal sin of the suicide is greed, to hoard stillness and calm for yourself while dispersing your riotous internal pain among all those who survive you, then the mortal sin of the martyr must be pride, the vanity, the hubris to believe not only that your death could mean more than your living, but that your death could mean more than death itself—which, because it is inevitable, means nothing.”
The writing is also beautiful. If you like literary fiction and haven’t read this yet, put this one at the top of your list.
Have a fantastic start to the year! Next week, I will share my favorite books of 2024, as I love reading these kinds of posts.
-Catalina
You can find me on Goodreads and The Storygraph.