January felt like it went very fast but also very slow. I feel like a lot of things happened and I had to deal with a lot of different circumstances. However, I’m fully glad that the month wasn’t too bad on the whole and I am also glad that I made it through the month. I was able to read some pretty good books this month, and I picked up some titles that I am pretty excited about as well. Let’s just jump into it. You’ll find my haul and wrap up below the cut.
The books I hauled in January:
- A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair
- A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair
- A Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair
- Where’d the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire
- The Charm Offensive by Alice Cochrun
- The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman
The books I read in January:
1. Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really interesting high fantasy novel. I found the story really compelling and I really liked all of the characters. The story kept me guessing, and there were some pretty solid twists that I genuinely never would have expected. I enjoyed the romance that began to bud over the course of the novel, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes in the rest of the series. The pacing was interesting, but I was fully compelled to see where the story ended up. I will be continuing the series!
2. Zeus: King of Gods by George O’Connor
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoyed this depiction of Zeus’s origin story. It was well structured and easy to understand. The art style was really beautiful. It’s an easy to read series and if you haven’t read them, you definitely should.
3. Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess by George O’Connor
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Athena is such an interesting goddess. I liked the way this story was told with little vignettes from her mythos. You get a really good picture of all the different sides of her. It’s also very beautifully illustrated. I highly recommend it.
4. Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory by George O’Connor
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I liked how this one overlapped a bit with the story of Zeus. It was also interesting that it mostly focusses on the story of Heracles and the trials he had to go through. I recognize that that is the origin of Heracles’ name, but I kind of wanted to learn more about Hera.
5. Hades: Lord of the Dead by George O’Connor
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Hades is such an interesting figure in mythology. I find him really interesting and have enjoyed reading retellings of Hades and Persephone. It was fun to read this version of this story.
6. Poseidon: Earth-Shaker by George O’Connor
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I enjoyed the narrative structure of this one. It was different then the other ones in the series and felt appropriate for the story of Poseidon. The art of this story continued to be really well done. It’s a very informative series.
7. Aphrodite: Goddess of Love by George O’Connor
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I don’t have anything super specific to say about this one. I like the art and I liked the story. It was interesting to read more about Aphrodite.
8. The Time Capsule by Lurlene McDaniel
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I picked this up because I needed a book to make me cry and Lurlene McDaniel books are a surefire way to do that. I will admit that the novel doesn’t hold up to my nostalgia about it, but I still found it a really interesting read. I like the characters, and it’s easy enough to follow along with. Ultimately it achieved my purpose and I cried a lot.
9. Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I am so glad that I finally picked thhis book up. I enjoyed listening to it on audiobook. I love the cast of characters in this story. The story was convoluted and twisty, and it really kept me guessing. I love the world that Cassandra Clare has built and I enjoy the way her characters interact. I think this series is one of my favourites of hers.
10. Isabel: Jewel of Castilla by Carolyn Meyer
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a re-read for me, and I still had fun while I was reading it. The story is pretty standard for one of these, but I don’t have the same attachment to her as I do some of the other figures in this series. She is still a pretty interesting figure with an interesting story.
11. In Every Generation by Kendare Blake
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I wrote a full review of this, which can be found up on the blog here.
12. Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I absolutely loved this book. It was such a cute love story and just what I needed when I read it. The story was well written and I really liked the characters. I understood where the conflict came from, and it was really interesting. I started it before bed and had to stay up until I finished it because I just really wanted to know what happened.
13. The Last Laugh by Mindy McGinnis
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: There will be a full review of this up on the blog closer to its publication date.
14. Borders by Thomas King
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I think I’d read the story before but the adaptation was really well done. The art was really beautiful. The colours were super vibrant. If you haven’t checked out this story, I highly recommend that you do.
15. Brzrkr by Keanu Reeves
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I will have to admit that this graphic novel isn’t my particular style. It’s very well drawn and it is an interesting story, but it’s a little bit more violent than I would usually enjoy. It would probably make a really good movie though.
16. A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Kari was the one who recommended me this book, and I’m so glad that I took the recommendation. I loved this story. I really enjoyed the reimagining of the Greek myth. I also really liked how Persephone and Hades were characterized. They felt really well rounded, and I loved their dynamic together. It’s not a book that will be for everyone, but I honestly had so much fun reading it that I highly recommend it.
17. Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This book was really well written and I found the premise really intriguing. I heard the author speak last year at Y’all Stay At Home, and I’ve been intrigued ever since. The book really held up to the hype around it. The main character is extremely interesting and I was gripped by her story. I really felt for her and I liked putting together the mystery as the story unfolded.
18. We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire by Joy McCullough
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a book that I picked up and started quite a while ago, but then set down because I wasn’t in the mood for it. I picked it up again this month and I’m so glad that I did. I think this is my favourite book I read this month. It’s an emotionally devastating story. I liked how it was intertwined with the historical story. The verse was really beautiful. Once I really got into it, I was unable to put it down. I highly recommend this story.
19. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol 1 by Joss Whedon
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I liked the idea of this graphic novel, but something about the execution of it just didn’t work for me. I like the characters and the art, but I just wanted someting a little bit more from the story.
20. Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I’m still really enjoying this series. The couples are always so cute. I enjoyed the secret dating trope in this story and the way that they were willing to work with each other. The level of compromise was really nice. I always enjoy the dual points of view.
21. Dune (Graphic Novel) by Frank Herbert
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: The art in this graphic novel was really lovely. I liked the colours and the designs of the characters. I hadn’t read the original novel of Dune before mostly because I’m intimidated by the size of the novel. However, I found this to be a really accessible way into the novel. It gives you a really good snippet of thhe start and it really got me intrigued. I’m definitely going to be continuing with the graphic novels. (And maybe one day I’ll actually read the novel).
22. #notyourprincess edited by Lisa Charleyboy
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I liked the collection. It was interesting to read the poems and also to read the comics and the art that went along with it. It’s a well curated collection and I recommend checking it out if you’re interested in the premise.
23. Johnny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I found this book to be not quite what I had expected. It was well written and I agree that it’s an important story. However, it wasn’t really my kind of book. It is pretty graphic, and I can understand the reasoning. There were parts of the story I liked, but there were parts tht I wasn’t super into. It’s definitely worth reading, but I would check out trigger warnings before reading.
That’s everything that I read in January. What did you read?
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