February is always an interesting month. It was a very strange month natural event wise. We had a bunch of snow here, which led to snow days and not fun teaching circumstances. We also had an actual earthquake. There was also a power outage one day. On the whole, it was a hectic month. But on the plus side, it was a fun month. I did a reading retreat with friends, and read a new all time favourite book.
Books I hauled in February:
- The Monarchs
- Animal Farm (Graphic Novel)
- Reckless Girls
- The True Love Experiment
- Cruel Seduction
- Electric Idol
- Midnight Ruin
- Wicked Beauty
- Radiant Sin
- Lovely Corruption
- Beautiful Vengeance
- Deep End
- Notable Shadowhunters and Downworld Denizens
- Quicksilver
- In the House of My Mother
- It’s Getting Hot in Here
- Famous Last Words
- Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales
- Scythe and Sparrow
Books I read in February:
1. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was well worth the wait for me. I was able to dive right back into the world pretty easily, which I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do. I love the dynamic between the friends, but I also especially enjoy the dynamic between Xaden and Violet. They have great I’d do anything for you vibe. It’s A+. The ending killed me. I cannot wait for the next instalment.
2. Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was fun to read in the sense that now I know who Derek Craven is. The romance was interesting, and there was a lot of action and hijinx. However, I definitely preferred book one. Derek Craven being the ultimate girl dad was fun.
3. The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was an interesting continuation of the series. It’s still not really my favourite ever, but I am glad that I read it. The time travel elements were interesting.
4. Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a very cute novella. I liked Mara a lot, and I thought her dynamic with the MMC was very cute. I loved how she was able to make it kind of a slowburn despite the novella length. I loved the friendship dynamics.
5. Stuck With You by Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was an interesting addition. I liked the dual timeline structure where you got the present but also the how they came to be at that point. I know it’s a common narrative device but it worked really well. I also love forced proximity, so being stuck in the elevator is great.
6. Sacred Hospitality by Olivie Blake
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a dun little prequel. It was interesting to see the character origins a bit more.
7. Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This novella was way more high stakes than the last two, but it was very fun to read nonetheless. I really enjoyed this book. The FMC and MMC had a great dynamic together, and I loved that he walked into a blizzard to save her life. I will admit the timeline had me a little confused in conjunction with the others.
8. The Family Experiment by John Marr
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: **I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity. This was very well-written and a very interesting read. It brought up a lot of interesting questions for me. I think that it’s worth a read. I liked that it referenced the other book I’ve read by John Marr, The One.
9. Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book was SOOO good. It had me giggling and kicking my feet. I loved the dynamic between Scarlett and Lukas. It was so so good. I finished the book and for the first time in forever, I wanted to immediately re-read it. I’m obsessed and this is definitely a new all time favourite book for me.
10. Owned by Fate by Tessa Bailey
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was my attempt at trying to hit the feel of Deep End, but I wasn’t the most successful. It wasn’t a similar reading experience for me for the most part, but I still had fun reading it. I just wanted a bit more development.
11. Suitor Armor, Volume 2 by Purpah
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity. This was such a good continuation of the series. I really enjoyed the art and the characters. The world is so wonderful and intriguing to me. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
12. Castle Swimmer, Volume 2 by Wendy Martin
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity. This was a really good continuation of the series. I really liked how it continued the story, and left things in a way that there will hopefully be more. Though it did finish most of the story from the first arc. I really hope that there is more because I love the characters.
13. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Another re-read for school. I enjoyed reading it with this class.
14. Dune, Volume 3 by Brian Herbert
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: These are interesting books. I don’t really have any desire to read the actual book of Dune, so this is a good way for me to still kind of know what’s going on. They aren’t really my favourite, but I will admit that the art style is fantastic. I love the design of the characters.
15. A Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a heavy hitting continuation of the series. I was a little shocked by how spicy it was as it’s been a while since I read the first two books. Persephone is an interesting character. It makes me curious about Hades’ point of view, so I will have to pick those books up at some point.
16. The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This wasn’t what I expected. I went in with pretty low expectations of the story, but I ended up loving it. The premise was pretty fun. I like stories about puzzles and games, so that was a really good element of the story. I found the main character really compelling, and she was very well-written. This book definitely made me cry.
17. The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This was a really interesting novella/short story. It was a bit of a slowburn, but I found it pretty intriguing by the end. The reveals came slowly and it made me really rethink the entire book. I definitely need to read more by Paul Tremblay.
18. Nothing Special, Volume 3 by Katie Cook
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity. I really love this world. The art is really well done, and so it the story itself. The characters are so interesting to me, and I felt they grew quite a bit over the volume. I hope that there will be more books in this world.
19. You Wish by Jeff Victor
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity. This was a super cute graphic novel. The art was really good. I liked the way the characters were designed and the panels were laid out. I also really liked the premise of the story, and the whole idea of ‘wishborn’.
20. You Wish, Book 2 by Jeff Victor
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: **I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity. This was a really good continuation of the story. The characters were really interesting, and I liked the expansion of the world.
21. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I’m really loving Ali Hazelwood lately. They are all so fun. I do love her newer stuff more, but it feels important to catch up on her back catalogue. This was definitely still really good though. I found myself enjoying the miscommunication trope used, which is not something I say very often. There were some good plot twists, and while I made some predictions, there was enough that kept me guessing. I had so much fun.
22. Promise Boys by Nick Brooks
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book was super well-done. I loved the structure of the different parts, and getting bits from all the witnesses and their perspectives on what happened. I liked also getting the boys’ perspectives on what happened. It was very well-constructed and put together. I think I just wanted the book to be longer and to get more of it.
23. The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: **I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity. This was a really hard read, but definitely very impactful. The premise reminded me a bit of My Dark Vanessa, though they are very different in the way they were written and the storylines. It was fascinating to watch the protagonist come to terms with what had happened to her. The reveals were slow and hard to read. It was good.
24. Wildfire by Hannah Grace
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I loved this continuation of the Maple Hills series. Russ and Aurora were really great characters, and I really loved their dynamic together. This story was very character driven, and that really worked for me. Both characters had excellent growth. I also loved the college hijinx. It was very fun and sweet.
25. Animal Farm (Graphic Novel) by Odyr
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really great adaptation. It was really beautifully illustrated. The art was sort of in the style of water colours and I felt it worked really well. It’s lovely. The story was really improved in my opinion by adding the pictures.
26. Dark Restraint by Katee Robert
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was an interesting continuation of the series. It was an interesting thing to read from the perspective of characters who are technically on the other side of the conflict. I found them intriguing. I liked Ariadne a lot. The minotaur was interesting in his own way as well. It intensified the world’s conflict a bit more, but I still want that part of the overall story of the series to progress further.
27. Nanny for the Neighbors by Lily Gold
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: This got me so unexpectedly emotional. I really enjoyed the book. The book she’s written are definitely a bit formulaic, but I find that really works for me. I like having a general idea of what to expect. I loved the FMC so much, and it was really good to see the way she navigated her relationship with the guys. It was very well-done. I definitely cried a bit at some of the reveals. It’s a great book.
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