January marked the start of a brand new reading year. I’m excited for a fresh start and to read some really good books. I’m hoping to be able to tick more books off of my physical TBR, so I’ve joined a TBR challenge through bookstagram. Five of the books I read this month are from that.
The books that I hauled this month were:
- A Universe of Wishes by Various
- Lightbringer by Claire Legrand
- King of Fools by Amanda Foody
- Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Graceling by Kristin Cashore
- Fire by Kristin Cashore
- From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
- Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
- Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert
- The Camelot Betrayal by Kiersten White
- Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody
- Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
- Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore
- Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
- A Vow so Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer
- Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Now, for my reading wrap up:
1. Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins 2 by Matt Mercer
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Book
Review: I got this book for my boyfriend for Christmas, and also took the opportunity to read it before he did. I really enjoyed the continuation of the story. I haven’t really listened to the podcast or watched the videos of the actual campaign, but I didn’t need to in order to understand what was going on with these characters. I loved the characters in the story, and I really enjoyed learning more about them. I also enjoyed the storyline of the adventure they went on. I liked the introduction of new characters and how they contributed to the party. The art was beautiful. Overall, it was a solid good time.
2. Lore by Alexandra Bracken
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: I have a full review of this up on the blog.
3. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a really interesting story. I wasn’t convinced about the necessity of the sequel, but I quickly became okay with the concept. I really enjoyed the whole road trip premise, and I liked all the different points of view. The characters were fun, and I enjoyed how it was a take on the what happens after the hero solves the problem without it being a complete happily ever after. There was conflict and interesting developments. I’ll definitely continue on with the third book.
4. The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I really appreciated that this was a spin off and not a direct sequel to Sky in the Deep. I liked that Sky in the Deep was a standalone, so I wasn’t sure how I felt about the idea of this book. However, I did enjoy it. I liked seeing how the world developed. I was also really interested in the characters. This is definitely worth checking out.
5. Namesake by Adrienne Young
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There will be a full review of this up on the blog closer to the publication date.
6. The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Book
Review: I had such a fun time with this book! I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was a really interesting story, and I liked the twists it took on conventional Arthurian legend. Guinevere was a really interesting character and I was intrigued by the mystery of her. I will definitely be continuing on with the series.
7. Slay by Brittney Morris
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Book
Review: This story was interesting. It started off pretty exposition heavy, but I enjoyed the exploration of virtual reality gaming. I found it really intriguing when paired with the different ways of being Black and the different characters’ takes on it, and I appreciated the way the author presented the story. I quickly got fully immersed. I really rooted for Kiera and was pleased with how the story wrapped up.
8. The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I found myself a little disappointed with this book. I really wanted to love it because I love the world and love Lyra as a character. Lots of things happened, but I wanted something more. That being said, it was still an interesting story and the Magisterium still really sucks, but I just wanted something more.
9. One by One by Ruth Ware
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Book
Review: I really liked the premise of this story. I like isolated settings, because they really add to the spookiness of the story. This one was interesting because it included two points of view, and I found it both of them really interesting. It was well constructed and kept me guessing. I didn’t really predict what was going to happen, and while I liked the twist, I wasn’t completely blown away by the ending, which I needed for it to be a five. However, I still had a lot of fun reading this book.
10. Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a really interesting story. I’ve never read the thing that it’s a retelling of, but I liked the set up and the two points of view. It developed quite well and both of our main characters were really well developed. I was caught off guard by the ash fever thing, but I liked all the other parts of it and how the pieces came together.
11. Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Book
Review: This book really wasn’t what I expected. I found the premise interesting, and while I didn’t always like the main character, I found her intriguing. I wasn’t sure at the start if I was going to like it because it took a little while to properly immerse into the world. However, I ended up really enjoying it. I kind of want a sequel because I have so many questions still.
12. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Book
Review: I haven’t read this one since high school, so I thought I would revisit it. It was about the same as I remembered: a little bit weird, and a lot violent near the end. The ending is really good in that it’s very abrupt and I felt like that really suits it.
13. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I had so many complicated emotions as I read through this book. It was the first book in awhile to actually make me cringe with some of the descriptions of violence and I hated all of the men in the book. That was definitely the point. I liked that the women all came together in the end, and how it was a different kind of spin on the vampire story.
14. Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I have a full review of this up on the blog here.
15. The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I will have a full review of this up on the blog closer to its publication date.
16. Monstress Vol. 5: Warchild by Marjorie Liu
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Book
Review: This was an interesting continuation of the series. The art continues to be beautiful, and I liked how we learned more about the Halfwolf’s history. I also really liked all the action that happened in this one. It was very exciting. I am looking forward to reading the next one when it comes out.
17. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: There were parts of this book that I did really love, but honestly, I kind of felt like it was trying to do too much. There were all these pieces of the puzzle that were supposedly coming together and it was just a bit hard to keep track of. However, the writing was lovely, and I’m definitely glad that I read it.
18. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Book
Review: I wasn’t sure if I would like this book, and had a lot of mixed feelings at the start. However, once I got into it, I really enjoyed the premise of the story and the different points of view. I was really intrigued to find out what was causing the madness, and I really appreciated the translations of the different Romeo and Juliet characters into a different setting and time period. Every time I caught a little reference to the play, I got really excited. The start was kind of exposition heavy, but if you push through that, it’s really good.
That’s everything that I read in January! What did you read? Let me know in the comments!
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