One of these days, I'm going to start catching-up and blogging these 'What I Read' posts on time, but today is not that day.
I'm still a month behind, and am just bringing you February's reads, despite starting this post weeks ago, so there really is no hope for me. I blame the migraine that arrived uninvited three weeks ago, and hasn't quite taken the hint to leave yet. I mean... so rude!
Anyway, I'm here to catch-up now, so... this is what I read in February:
February Reading Stats:
📖 9 books completed, 2 started.
📖 4 hardbacks.
🎧 5 audiobooks
📖 2018 pages (4462 pages including audiobooks).
🎧 83.43 hours listened at 1.1x or 1.2x speed.
📖 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 Average rating: 4.22 stars.
📖 Average book length: 527 pages.
📖 Average time to finish: 7 days.
I Read:
📖Brimstone by Callie Hart. 4⭐
📖The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman. 3⭐
📖Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco. 4⭐
📖Bonded by Thorns by Elizabeth Helen. 3⭐
🎧 A Court of Thorns and Roses (10th Anniversary Recording) by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐
🎧 A Court of Mist and Fury (10th Anniversary Recording) by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐
🎧 A Court of Wings and Ruin (10th Anniversary Recording) by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐
🎧 A Court of Frost and Starlight (10th Anniversary Recording) by Sarah J. Maas. 4⭐
🎧 A Court of Silver Flames (10th Anniversary Recording) by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐
And I Started:
🎧Dead in the Water by John Marrs.
📖A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher.
I was apparently in a romantasy mood in February, and my choices were strong on the enemies-to-lovers vibes. I read a couple of books I've been looking forward to for ages- Brimstone and Throne of Nightmares, went in for an ACOTAR reread, and rated most of the books highly, with seven out of nine awarded four stars and above. Only two out of nine were a little on the mediocre, just-okay side, and I consider that a win. I also began a John Marrs thriller and a T. Kingfisher horror that I didn't finish before the month was through, but thoroughly enjoyed both of them.
Favourite Reads: My favourite new reads of the month were two of my most highly-anticipated books from recent months- Brimstone by Callie Hart, and Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco.
Quicksilver was one of my favourite reads last year, so I was so excited to finally start Brimstone after the big cliff-hanger it had ended on. It was a fun read with so much to unpack, and while it wasn't as good as the last book, for the most part, I really enjoyed it. I loved the banter between Fisher and Carrion as they were forced to team up in The Third; seeing Fisher's softer, loved-up side (he has a mate, you know); and Saeris navigating life as the new vampire queen. I just could have done without the 929272810 times the words 'mate', 'maker', and 'solar plexus' flooded the books, as if the author had to hit a word-limit with all three. I guess she was taking inspiration from Sarah J. 'my mate, my mate, my mate' Maas, but dear God, we get it, Ms. Hart. They're mates. He's her maker. They have solar plexuses. There are other words, and they have names! Use them, before you give everyone a concussion from banging their heads against a wall. Also- what happened to the fox? Unforgiveable! I cried.
Throne of Nightmares is a book I'd been looking forward to for an entire year, after loving the previous books in the Kingdom of the Wicked spin-off series, Prince of Sin, and it didn't disappoint. It wasn't quite as good as Throne of Secrets, but I think that was more about the way there were stories within the story with questionable writing quality than the book itself. I enjoyed how Lor and Sloth found themselves living in Lor's favourite novels, and laughed my way through it. I especially loved how the storyline poked fun at the romantasy genre and booklovers who get excited over common tropes and other writing cliches. Being one such book lover, it amused me no end, and I found Lor and her inner thoughts about books and leading male book characters particularly relatable and hilarious. She's easily one of the most comprehensible book characters I've ever read about. I loved the relationship which developed between her and Prince Sloth in their forced proximity, and he was far more interesting, funny, and loveable than I was expecting him to be as the quiet, intellectual prince of the seven brothers. They're definitely a new favourite book couple. Even if Gluttony and Adriana still top the scoreboard of couples from the two series.
Favourite Listens: I had the best time working my way through a reread of the entire ACOTAR series- this time trying the 10th Anniversary rerecordings for the first time. It's such a comfort series for me, and I loved reacquainting myself with all five books- A Court of Wings and Ruin, and A Court of Silver Flames were particularly good in this format- although, I still think the Graphic Audio versions are better. I finished my reread just before the release dates for ACOTAR 6 and 7 dropped, and it's as if I knew I needed a refresher. I'm so excited for the next instalments, and can't wait to find out what happens next. I swear, if Lucien doesn't get a happy ending, Gwyn and Azriel don't end up together, and Cassian isn't alive at the end of it all, I will riot!
Least Favourites: My least favourite was Bonded by Thorns. It was another spicy fae Beauty and the Beast retelling, but with four cursed princes instead of one. They get tangled in a reverse-harem with a twenty-something human woman after she takes her father's place as prisoner in their castle, and vows to help them break the curse that turns them into wolves each night- which can only be broken when they find their mates. It sounded like it had potential, but I found it mediocre at best, and it read like a twelve-year-old's clumsy first attempt at fan fiction. The plot lines made little sense, the dialogue was cringe-worthy, and the relationships were weak and came out of nowhere. The m/m relationship was one of the few intriguing plot-twists to the story, but even that was unsatisfying because they were still dancing around each other by the end. I also wish that the authors had developed the FMC's abusive former relationship further, and had the princes find out what her ex had done to her. It was an interesting storyline, but it wasn't believable how she went from being a nervous and submissive person from years of abuse to a confident and free-spirited woman in a castle full of strange males the moment she stepped in to Faerie. It would have been great to gradually see her healing from her past and finding her confidence again, and it was a shame that it was expedited, and then glossed over. Is it too much to hope that it might get focused on later in the series? Because I'm going to have to continue it, even if it did frustrate me- I need to know how it ends!
So, that's the good, the bad, and the ugly about what I read in February.
Have you read anything good lately?
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