January has been an insanely good reading month for me. I know it’s most likely a classic case of start of the year productivity, but I’m really hoping I can keep it up. I ended the month on a huge 12 books and graphic novels read and honestly I’m very proud of myself.

Attack on Titan Vol. 6, Vol. 7, Vol. 8, Vol. 9, Vol. 10, Vol. 11 & Vol. 12 by Hajime Isayama 

Read:  01/01/22 – 31/01/22

I’m still absolutely loving the Attack on Titan manga if you couldn’t tell from the five columns of it I read this month. I am loving them so much that I just constantly rate them all five stars. I don’t think that will be changing any time soon. 

Currently, I haven’t reached the part of the mangas that I haven’t seen of the anime (did that make sense?). I don’t know if I want to finish reading them before watching the last season or the other way round. If anyone has read the entire manga and is also caught up on the anime let me know which you think is the best way to do it.  

Goodreads synopsis: Turning on their own The Survey Corps sets a cunning trap to capture the mysterious Abnormal Titan that broke through their ranks. As Arwin tries to determine the grotesque creature’s identity and purpose, scouts report Titans closing in on all sides! But they don’t seem to be after the humans – instead, they’re targeting the Titan!

Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin 

Read: 24/12/21 – 04/01/22

This was one of the books that I kept putting off for a ridiculously long time. I’m annoyed that I did that because it has been my favourite read of the year so far. I rated this 5 stars on Goodreads but looking back I think that was a little too generous so I’m going to take it down to 4.5. Isn’t it annoying that you still can’t do half stars on Goodreads?

Magic is my favourite thing, I always love books about magic and this was no different. The witchcraft in this book wasn’t like anything I have read previously and I’m excited to continue the series at some point in the next few months (that may be a little hope if you look at my track record for finishing series in the last three years)

Goodreads synopsis: For her sixteenth birthday, Louise le Blanc’s mother gave her three things: a sacrificial altar, a ritual knife, and a wicked scar.

Lou’s death would have ended the ancient war between the Church and witches, but Lou refuses to become a martyr. Forsaking her coven, she escapes to the gloomy city of Cesarine and hides her magic as a thief in the criminal underworld. But life in Cesarine has its own dangers. Huntsmen roam the city revered as holy men. Witches burn without trial. And the Archbishop, the Church’s austere patriarch, revels in violence.

As a huntsman, Reid Diggory lives by one verse: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

He’s devoted his entire life to eradicating the occult and making his surrogate father, the Archbishop, proud. Finally given the chance to capture a witch of his own, Reid is devastated when a foul-mouthed thief thwarts him—and doubly devastated when she too disappears. Hell-bent on bringing her to justice, Reid vows she won’t escape again. But when Lou tricks him into public scandal trying to avoid capture, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.

Marriage to a huntsman could provide real protection from the witches—if Lou can convince Reid she isn’t one herself. The secret proves difficult to keep as Lou begins practicing magic in secret within the heart of the Church, determined to prepare for her mother’s inevitable return. As time passes, however, Lou discovers yet another danger lurking: her own growing feelings for her husband. But Reid is still dangerous. He’s just as likely to tie her to the stake as defend her if he learns her true identity. With enemies closing in—and more than her own life at stake—Lou must decide who she can trust before it’s too late…and she’s not the only one with a secret.

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez 

Read: 06/01/22

*I was sent a copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review*

I have a full review of this coming halfway through next month so I won’t say anything here other than fun and cute. You need to check out Chef’s Kiss when it is available.

Goodreads synopsis: Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something…anything…related to his passion for reading and writing. But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won’t be as easy as he thought. Proofreading? Journalism? Copywriting? Not enough experience. It turns out he doesn’t even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when Ben stumbles upon a “Now Hiring—No Experience Necessary” sign outside a restaurant, he jumps at the chance to land his first job. Plus, he can keep looking for a writing job in the meantime. He’s actually not so bad in the kitchen, but he will have to pass a series of cooking tests to prove he’s got the culinary skills to stay on full-time. But it’s only temporary…right? 

When Ben begins developing a crush on Liam, one of the other super dreamy chefs at the restaurant, and when he starts ditching his old college friends and his old writing job plans, his career path starts to become much less clear. 

A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers #1) by Brigid Kemmerer 

Read: 29/10/21 – 20/01/22

No this is not a joke. I actually have finished this book. Shocking, I know, only took me three months. To be honest I was in two minds about whether I should edit my dates read because until January I had only read like two chapters.

In the end I really enjoyed A Curse So Dark and Lonely, not so much that I would rate it highly but enough that I will continue with the series. 

I liked the characters, but I wish it wasn’t so slow to start. 

Goodreads synopsis: Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

Extasia by Claire Legrand 

Read: 06/01/22 – 25/01/22

*I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Same as with Chef’s Kiss I have a review of Extasia coming in the next few weeks. 

Goodreads synopsis: Her name is unimportant.

All you must know is that today she will become one of the four saints of Haven. The elders will mark her and place the red hood on her head. With her sisters, she will stand against the evil power that lives beneath the black mountain–an evil which has already killed nine of her village’s men.

She will tell no one of the white-eyed beasts that follow her. Or the faceless gray women tall as houses. Or the girls she saw kissing in the elm grove.

Today she will be a saint of Haven. She will rid her family of her mother’s shame at last and save her people from destruction. She is not afraid. Are you?

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) by Maggie Stiefvater

Read: 27/01/22 – 29/01/22

So I finally got around to reading the third instalment of The Raven Cycle and once again I am kicking myself for taking so long. This definitely wasn’t my favourite instalment, but it once again had that unnerving atmosphere that also leaves you feeling somewhat cosy. 

I just how these books are written and honestly Gansey has my whole heart. 

Goodreads synopsis: Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.

Mothers can disappear.

Visions can mislead.

Certainties can unravel.

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WANT TO SEE WHAT I’VE BEEN READING LATELY? CHECK OUT MY GOODREADS HERE and my storygraph here

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Like this post? Why not read this one too: To Be Read: February 2022