On the surface, it looks like I’ve had an incredible February book-wise. Unfortunately, that’s not really the case. I did read quite a few great books, but I also had two DNFs which is the most I’ve ever had in just one month.
I’m also behind on my reading challenge, which is not fun. I could easily catch up by reading a few graphic novels, but I’m trying to not do that this year. Obviously, graphic novels count towards your challenge and I don’t see them as cheating, but I’m challenging myself to read longer books this year.
Heartstopper: Volume Five by Alice Oseman
Read: 1/2/24
Don’t ask why it took me so long to get around to this, I don’t know. I did love it though. I wouldn’t say it’s my favourite of the series so far, but I’ve never thought to rank them other than knowing that volume three is my favourite.
Synopsis: Nick and Charlie are very much in love. They’ve finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick’s house … But with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change?
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
Read: 6/1/24 – 3/2/24
As you can see from the read dates, this book took me a very long time to get through. This definitely affected my reading experience, this would probably have been at least a 4.5, but the reason why it took so long was at no detriment to the book. It always takes me longer to get through physical books because I only like reading in natural light.
The ending was absolute chaos and I am here for it. I love Suren.
Book Review: The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
Synopsis: A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.
Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.
Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.
Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.
Experimental Magic by Iris Beaglehole
Read: 30/1/24 – 3/2/24
I’m really enjoying this series so far and I’m actually planning to read the next instalment in a couple of weeks. I don’t know if I’ll actually have time, but I hope so. It’s very cosy and pretty light-hearted, something that I really appreciate at the moment.
Book Review: Experimental Magic by Iris Beaglehole
Synopsis: It’s the Spring Equinox in Myrtlewood, complete with strange disappearances, a quest to uncover heritage and a journey beyond the veil… Rosemary and Athena are just settling into their new life in the unapologetically magical village of Myrtlewood. After so many years in financial turmoil, things are looking up, and Rosemary even nabs the perfect part-time job while waiting on a certain handsome vampire lawyer to process her inheritance. Life is surprisingly peaceful until strange disappearances throw everything into chaos leading up to the Spring Equinox. Meanwhile, Athena is newly enrolled at Myrtlewood Academy but feels woefully unprepared for magical education. She has enough on her mind with the enigmatic Finnigan and his aloof behaviour, not to mention the disappearance of her father, Dain.
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
Read: 4/2/24 – 10/2/24
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
This book was a solid 4 stars for me right up until the end. The last few chapters quickly upped my rating to 5 and honestly, it’s insane. If you’re a fan of vampire books, this is for you. It’s a slightly different take on what we already know about vampires and of course, the tea is a nice touch.
ARC Review: A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
Synopsis: On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.
Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.
Love on Deck by Kasey Stockton
Read: 11/2/24
Something I don’t do very often anymore is spend an entire day reading a book, I see it as a luxury that I often can’t afford. However, this was a Sunday and I didn’t have anything going on. Also, this was super cute and I didn’t want to put it down.
I adore fake dating books and while it didn’t last too long here, it was still super fun.
Book Review: Love on Deck by Kasey Stockton
Synopsis: He calls it fake dating, but she calls it being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Lauren Foley and Jack Fletcher already tried to be amicable once—on a blind date that ended in complete disaster. Now, years later, they have to put up with each other for the sake of her sister and his best friend, who are eloping on a cruise to the Bahamas. But that’s not the worst of it. No, Lauren’s in even deeper water when she finds herself agreeing to play Jack’s fake girlfriend for the duration of the cruise. Now the only thing on her mind is trying not to strangle him when he dials up the charm, but it becomes harder to remember exactly why she ever hated him in the first place. Jack, on the other hand, is enjoying the perks. Until the cruise lands on American soil again and real life hits them square in the face. Lauren is up for a promotion at work, and Jack promised her something that would secure it. But promises are easily broken, vacation life doesn’t always translate to the real world, and sometimes enemies start that way for a reason.
The Princess Fugitive by Melanie Cellier
DNF
I struggled my way through around 60% of this book before finally deciding to give it up. Hardly anything happens in the first half and I spent the rest of what I read itching for the trials to start. I skimmed a couple of the chapters where they take place and the suspense just wasn’t there.
I’ve enjoyed Melanie Cellier’s books in the past so this was a real surprise.
Book Review: The Princess Fugitive by Melanie Cellier
Synopsis: Princess Ava used to be a weapon – sharp, strong and beautiful. But when she fails at her most important task, she’s forced to flee from her own family.
Only her personal bodyguard, Hans, remains loyal. Hans claims to know the real Ava but she finds that hard to believe – after all, she’s been the villain so long that she can’t remember anything else.
But deep in exile, Ava learns her kingdom needs a hero and she might be the only one who can save it. The catch? She’ll have to ally herself with the very people she blames for her downfall.
But in a game of life and death where the stakes are an entire kingdom, winning over her enemies will only be the beginning. Can one fugitive save her people, her kingdom and, hardest of all, herself?
In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood, the girl in the red hood has been swallowed up by the wolf and must decide if she’s willing to fight for her freedom, no matter the cost.
Delicates by Brenna Thummler
Read: 20/2/24
This is my favourite instalment so far. Eliza’s character brought so much to the story and the pacing felt much better this time.
Graphic Novel Review: Delicates by Brenna Thummler
Synopsis: Marjorie Glatt’s life hasn’t been the same ever since she discovered a group of ghosts hiding in her family’s laundromat. Wendell, who died young and now must wander Earth as a ghost with nothing more than a sheet for a body, soon became one of Marjorie’s only friends. But when Marjorie finally gets accepted by the popular kids at school, she begins to worry that if anyone learns about her secret ghost friends, she’ll be labeled as a freak who sees dead people. With Marjorie’s insistence on keeping Wendell’s ghost identity a secret from her new friends, Wendell begins to feel even more invisible than he already is.
Eliza Duncan feels invisible too. She’s an avid photographer, and her zealous interest in finding and photographing ghosts gets her labeled as “different” by all the other kids in school. Constantly feeling on the outside, Eliza begins to feel like a ghost herself. Marjorie must soon come to terms with the price she pays to be accepted by the popular kids. Is it worth losing Wendell? Is she partially to blame for the bullying Eliza endures?
Kim Reaper, Vol. 1: Grim Beginnings by Sarah Graley
Read: 21/2/24
The art style of this graphic novel is so cute, it’s definitely what drew me to it. This is a fast-paced chaotic story with an adorable sapphic couple. I’ll definitely be checking out more of this series in the future.
Graphic Novel Review: Kim Reaper Vol. 1 by Sarah Graley
Synopsis: Part-Time Grim Reaper. Full-Time Cutie!
Like most university students, Kim works a part-time job to make ends meet. Unlike most university students, Kim’s job is pretty cool: she’s a grim reaper, tasked with guiding souls into the afterlife.
Like most university students, Becka has a super intense crush. Unlike most university students, Becka’s crush is on a beautiful gothic angel that frequents the underworld. Of course, she doesn’t know that.
Unaware of the ghoulish drama she’s about to step into, Becka finally gathers up the courage to ask Kim on a date! But when she falls into a ghostly portal and interrupts Kim at her job, she sets off a chain of events that will pit the two of them against angry cat-dads, vengeful zombies, and perhaps even the underworld itself. But if they work together, they just might make it… and maybe even get a smooch in the bargain.
Protect Me Not by Danielle Keil
Read: 20/2/24 – 23/2/24
I’ve been enjoying Danielle Keil’s books lately and when I saw she has a retellings series, I had to check them out. The references are pretty subtle and that worked really well in this context. I did think it was going to be a fantasy though, that was a little disappointing.
Book Review: Protect Me Not by Danielle Keil
Synopsis: At Fairview-Teller High, light mixes with dark. Good with evil. And heroes with villains. But there’s a reason students call it Fairy Tale High. They’ll get their happily ever after– even if they have to fight for it.
Popular girl Jessa is caught off guard when the school bad boy—the guy she hates—moves into her house temporarily.
Not knowing how her friends, or the rest of the school, will react, she keeps her new housemate a secret.
Though Jessa loathes Adam for humiliating her at school last year, the more they’re around each other, the more her hatred starts to wane.
And when Adam kisses her?
She doesn’t hate it—or him.
But it does ruin everything.
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
DNF
For someone who says they love retellings, I DNF’d two of them last month. I actually started this book at the beginning of December and finally decided to pick it up again. I read three more chapters before deciding that this is boring. Which is a little harsh, but I really wasn’t vibing with it.
Synopsis: Sometimes to truly know a person, you have to read between the lines.
Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing after college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, still living at home, and one of the few Black employees at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to prove her worth and finally get the recognition she deserves. All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a quick pep talk or three. How hard could it be?
But Izzy quickly finds out she is in over her head. Beau Towers is not some celebrity lightweight writing a tell-all memoir. He is jaded and withdrawn and—it turns out—just as lost as Izzy. But despite his standoffishness, Izzy needs Beau to deliver, and with her encouragement, his story begins to spill onto the page. They soon discover they have more in common than either of them expected, and as their deadline nears, Izzy and Beau begin to realize there may be something there that wasn’t there before.
They All Had A Fear by Michele Leathers
Read: 22/2/24 – 23/2/24
I wasn’t sure whether to continue this series as there are so many fatphobic comments from the characters. Thankfully, that slowed down in this instalment and I really hope that’s the end of it. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to like these characters when they think and say such horrible things.
Anyway, this was the best instalment so far and the stakes felt very much real this time.
Book Review: They All Had A Fear by Michele Leathers
Synopsis: The strange deaths and dead bodies surfacing in this previously quiet and quaint little beach town are terrorizing the local residents and tourists alike. Everyone is asking if it’s safe to go swimming in the ocean, but eighteen-year-old Winter Covington wonders if there is even more danger lurking on land. She will soon discover the answers to these questions, if she can avoid becoming the next victim, but that won’t be easy, because Winter’s new roommate may be a killer.
Reluctantly Yours by Erin Hawkins
Read: 25/2/24 – 29/2/24
It felt great to end the month on a lighthearted read. This was a really great fake dating book. I liked the characters and I always enjoy it when he falls first and harder, it’s so good.
Synopsis: Barrett
I’ve rebuilt my father’s media company with hard work and determination, but my single status leaves me on the outs with the one businessman I need to get close to. A little white lie and I’m suddenly in love, head over heels. Now I need to find a fake girlfriend, someone to keep up appearances without any emotions.
When I find my mother’s fiery assistant in a compromising position, it’s the perfect opportunity to get what I want: a girlfriend for business appearances, without any feelings involved. I won’t let the fact that I’m wildly attracted to the petite redhead get in my way.
But the closer she gets, the more my heart thaws and all too soon I find myself having to choose between the business deal I’m determined to land and the woman I’ve fallen hard for.
Chloe
After two years as editorial assistant to JoAnna St. Clair of the famed St. Clair Press, I’ve been given a chance to take on my dream job as an assistant editor.
When my childhood best friend asks me to host her bachelorette weekend in the city, I’m thrilled to show everyone how amazing my life is in New York. (Things not included on the tour are my shoebox of an apartment or my romance book collection that is the only thing keeping me warm at night.)
But when I fail to confirm the restaurant reservation and I’m left with no event location an hour before the party starts, I’m desperate. Desperate enough to use my boss’s penthouse for a party while she’s out of town.
No one will ever know. That is until her cold, dismissive, and annoyingly hot son walks in.
In order to keep his silence, Barrett demands a favor in return: he needs a date for a business dinner. That’s easy enough until his mother finds out and he seals my fate by telling her we are dating. It’s that or kiss my job goodbye.
While I’m reluctant at first, the more time we spend together, the harder it is to fight my attraction to him. Beneath that brooding, icy demeanor lies a heart of gold.
But when a scandalous discovery puts his deal at stake, and our relationship to the test, will Barrett prove he’s all about business?
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: Graphic Novel Review: Kim Reaper Vol. 1 by Sarah Graley