I always love the promise of a fresh new year of reading. It just reeks of potential and excitement. I have to admit that I am off to a good start with my reading. I read some really interesting books and got some interesting books hauled in. I ended up reading 18 books in January. I’ll dive into the review below the cut, but know that I’m planning on catching up on my reviews for the last couple of months from 2024 as well.
Books I hauled in January:
- The Golden Compass (Graphic Novel)
- The Subtle Knife (Graphic Novel)
- Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
- Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
- Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
- Anna Maria and the Fox by Liana de la Rosa
- Mislaid in Parts Half-known by Seanan McGuire
- The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
- First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
- Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham
- The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
- Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
- The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
Books I read in January:
1. A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I loved this book. It was so much fun to read about a witch who accidentally summons a demon and they way they ended up falling for each other. I really liked how the world was built and the way the system of magic worked. I also loved seeing our female main character stand up to her truly awful family and the demon stand up to his mentor.
2. Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I loved this continuation of the series. Charlie and Nick are so well suited for each other. They really fit together as well. I liked seeing the growth in their lives and seeing them deal with issues that comes with growing up like university and the potential of a long distance relationship. It’s a significant moment in someone’s life. Alice Oseman is a great writer, and I really enjoy her art style in the graphic novels.
3. The Golden Compass (Graphic Novel) by Stephane Melchior-Durand
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I liked this graphic novel adaptation, but not as much as I loved the book. The story was well-adapted but missed some of the detail from the original book that just diminshed a little bit of the charm. The art style was really cute, and I really liked the way various characters were illustrated.
4. Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I was so excited to read the next book in this series. It was quite the conclusion to the duology. I was on the edge of my seat with the suspense and the stress of wondering how the story was going to wrap up. I love Roman and Iris together. They have an amazing dynamic. The plot was well-developed and there was lots of intrigue. I was really pleased with how the story came together at the end, though there was definitely some heartbreak.
5. The Couple at Number Nine by Claire Douglas
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was such a twisty mystery, and I had so much fun trying to put all of the pieces together. I did end up guessing the twist at the end of the story, but it was one of those guesses where it’s satisfying to have been proved right. I felt accomplished. The different perspectives in the story really helped to add to the atmosphere of the mystery. It was really tense.
6. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I picked this up because a friend was reading it, and I am very glad that I did. I really loved that I did. I really loved the feel of the book, and enjoyed the unique feel of the premise of the story. June was a really interesting character, and the ‘curse’ on the Farrow women was quite intriguing. I also really loved the romance. It was a lovely additional layer to the story.
7. Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I have always had this sense of fascination about the Duggar family, not in a way where I related to what they stand for, but in that it’s so different than how I live that I just have been curious to know about the why. So I was excited to listen to this memoir written by Jill Duggar to really see more of the behind the scenes. It soudned like a really rough situation for her, and it’s awful to hear how she was taken advantage of and not justly compensated for what she contributed. I’m glad that she has a supportive husband. It was cool that she narrated her own audiobook.
8. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I had so much fun reading this book. It was well-written and had such an interesting premise. I liked Cassie as a character. She has an interesting set of skills and an interesting backstory. I liked the storyline and how it gave serious Criminal Minds vibes. The love triangle was fun. This book just read as so purely YA in the best way possible.
9. Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I really enjoyed reading more about Viv and seeing where she started off. I like her as a character so it was interesting to see more about where she came from prior to the events of Legends & Lattes. It was fun to see her fall in love with reading. The necromancer plot was interesting. I especially enjoyed the epilogue.
10. Enter the Body by Joy McCullough
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a reread for me. I wanted to listen to it on audiobook, and it was a very good audiobook. It was cool to hear the different voices of the characters, and I also liked that the author was one of the readers.
11. The Safest Lies by Megan Miranda
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was an interesting mystery, but ultimately not my favourite one that I have read. I was interested enough to finish the book, but I found myself a little disappointed by some of the events. I just didn’t get why she would want to be with that guy after finding out he caused her accident, and why he would want to be with her after everything else. I just didn’t think the romance was a necessary element to the story.
12. Playing With Fire by April Henry
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: The story was realistic and hard to read in some ways because of that. I enjoyed the structure of the main story with flashbacks and events from when the main character was little. Shee definitely had a rough go. There was some decent intrigue, but I wanted there to be a bit more to the ending.
13. When Ghosts Call Us Home by Katya de Becerra
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I had so much fun reading this book. It was well-paced and made me think a little bit about some of the books I have read by Kate Alice Marshall. I liked the main character and how we were slowly shown that the things she thought were true were actually not true. I also liked the development of the friendship and then relationship between her and Arthur. He was a good character and was good support for her.
14. The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This book was an interesting read. I liked the use of the multiple perspectives. It was really interesting to use multiple bits of the perspectives to try and put together just what had happened in the story. I was pleased with how the story was put together and how it played out in the end. It worked out well for the main character, and I was glad that she was safe.
15. Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoyed the continuation of the series. It was well written, and hit a really good spot when it comes to YA tropes. The characters got more development, which is good to see. I also liked the definition of the romance between Cassie and the boy she ended up choosing in this book. It was really cute in an angsty way, but I can tell there is more angst to come in this series.
16. Wings in the Wild by Magarita Engle
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: The start of this had a lot of potential, but it was missing some development. I wanted more from the characters and more from the story. I loved the poetry, but I wanted the book to be longer. I also kind of really wanted this story to be illustrated.
17. Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was such a cute graphic novel. I loved the way it subverted certain expectations you might have. The main characters were well-developed, and the story was really great. I really loved the illustration of the characters, and the use of blue to accent certain details. I also likedthe development of the romance. They were really cute together.
18. Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was an interesting story with lots of twists and turns. It was structured in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat as you try to put the mystery together. It was tense and twisty. It wasn’t my favourite mystery, but I had a great time nonetheless. It really goes to show that family can be quite complicated.
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