Month: March 2022

The Atlas Six Review

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The Alexandrian Society is a secret society of magical academicians, the best in the world. Their members are caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity. And those who earn a place among their number will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. Each decade, the world’s six most uniquely talented magicians are selected for initiation…

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they must spend one year together to qualify for initiation. During this time, they will be permitted access to the Society’s archives and judged on their contributions to arcane areas of knowledge. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. If they can prove themselves to be the best, they will survive. Most of them.

February 2022 Wrap Up

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Another really successful reading month but I can tell this is where my streak ends. I had a pretty solid month in terms of ratings and I am loving the books I am picking up in terms of variety. Let’s hope this continues for the rest of 2022.

  • I read 10 books this month
  • I DNFd 1 book this month
  • Genre: 6 fantasy, 2 contemporary and 2 non-fiction.
  • Gender of authors: 5 women, 4 men and 1 gender-neutral.
  • Race of authors: 4 white authors, 4 asian authors and 2 black authors
  • Age range: 5 YA, 3 adult and 2 middle grade
  • Format: 5 paperbacks, 3 ebooks, 1 audiobook and 1 hardcover

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo (DNF)

This was a book that was on my TBR for ages and I decided to listen to this in audiobook form. Unfortunately, due to the constant stop-start of the audiobook as I only listened to it on my commute I just didn’t connect to the story. I think this is a story best read physically.

A Taste for Poison by Dr. Neil Bradbury (4 stars)

This was really good. Since working at the bookstore I have started to branch out more with the books I am reading and I wanted to start reading more non-fiction. I really liked how the book balanced the more sciencey elements alongside the true crime stories. It was reading this book that made me switch from listening to fiction audiobooks and start listening to non-fiction audiobooks. 1. Because I would be able to branch out more and 2. I wouldn’t fall into the trap as I did with the above book as much because I don’t have to follow specific characters and storylines.

The Promised Neverland Vol. 1 by Kaiu Shirai (5 stars)

Oof! This is a series I will be finishing this year, I am that invested. I had heard so many great things about this series both the anime and the manga. I did hear though that the anime’s second season to a dive compared to the first and was very rushed so this prompted me to seek the manga out instead of the show. Going into it I expected to enjoy it but boy did it live up to the hype. The storyline is amazing, the characters are great and I love the art-style.

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki (2.5 stars)

This book unfortunately did not work out for me. I felt the book tried to cover too many things at once and then couldn’t fully commit to all the storylines. The art-style was not my favourite and I found the main character to be borderline unlikable. This was a miss for me.

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell (3 stars)

This book I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I was going to. This book was fun and an easy read.

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin (5 stars)

THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING I WANTED AND MORE! I read the first book in Jan 2021 and while I enjoyed it I did come away a bit confused with certain elements of the world and the magic system. I was nervous going into this book as I was worried I was going to feel the same way. This series has been praised so highly I just wanted to enjoy but this book just is everything I have needed in a fantasy novel. It’s like the author had been inside my brain and wrote a book specifically on things I like in books. 10/10. I want to finish the series this year.

Demon Slayer Vol. 1 by Koyoharu Gotouge (2.5 stars)

Now this one did not slap as much. Again, this series is super hyped and I wanted to try the manga before I watched the show but I was left feeling slightly unimpressed when I read it. I didn’t feel that it was doing any brand new and I just didn’t finish the book with any strong feelings.

That being said I decided to give the show a go due to the praise I have seen on social media and the TV show I LOVE!!!!! I did struggle with the first couple of episodes which funnily enough were all the stuff mentioned in volume 1 so maybe if I had continued the manga I would have liked it more? But now I am watching the show I feel like I am going to stick with the anime instead.

Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds (4 stars)

This was a really good and poignant graphic novel. I felt the art-style really elevated the story and I found the story to be really powerful in getting its message across. I read this book fairly quickly as I was so absorbed in the story and the main characters’ journey in that lift.

The Ultimate Discworld Companion by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs (3 stars)

This was a fun book for fans of the Discworld series. I decided to read the book as I felt this would be a nice way to be able to learn more about the world without having to read all the books in the series as I just didn’t love the writing style. I loved the illustrations in this and being able to learn so much.

The Last Firefox by Lee Newbery (4 stars)

This was a super fun and exciting story about learning to believe in yourself and your capabilities. I found the writing to be super engaging and the illustrations to be beautiful. This book made me wish I had a pet fox.

The Promised Neverland Vol. 1 & 2 Review

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Life at Grace Field House has been good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious foods and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems… Emma, Norman and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of the woman they refer to as “Mom,” all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean clothes and the perfect environment to learn—what more could an orphan ask for? One day, though, Emma and Norman uncover the dark truth of the outside world they are forbidden from seeing.