Tag: book wrapup

April Wrap Up 2023

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Not my best month, no 5 star novels and I didn’t get to my entire April TBR 😦

  • I read 17 books this month
  • Genre: 13 fantasy and 4 mystery
  • Gender of authors: 6 women and 6 men
  • Race of authors: 7 white authors, 4 Asian authors and 1 collection of varied authors
  • Age range: 11 YA and 6 adult
  • Format: 9 paperback and 8 ebook

Challenges

  • Prompt: Mystery
    • The Ashes of London
    • Moriarty the Patriot, Vol.2
    • The Cloisters
    • Final Acts
  • Sequel:
    • Moriarty the Patriot, Vol.2

Final Acts edited by Martin Edwards (DNF)

This was just a super uninspiring murder mysteries with slow pacing and engaging writing. Which is a shame as I loved some other collections I have read.

Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman (DNF)

Nothing particularly bad about this fantasy re-telling of The Scarlet Pimpernel. I just couldn’t stay engaged and for a fantasy book promising vampire aristocrats there weren’t many at all!

Soggy Landing by Alec McGovern (2 stars)

I couldn’t actually tell you what this graphic novel was about. I really liked the art style but that was about it! The plot was all over the place and not cohesive at all and it felt gory and sexual for no real reason.

Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber (3.5 stars)

A super fun and action-packed fantasy romance with major Parent Trap/Princess and the Pauper vibes. I loved the world-building, the romance (Team Shen) and I thought the magic was super cool. I will say it took some time for the plot to properly going at first and a bit too much telling and not enough showing for certain aspects of the narrative.

At Midnight edited by Dahlia Adler (3.5 stars)

Overall, I had a really great time reading these stories and I loved the amount of love, representations and magic I saw in these pages.

Sugarplum – 2 stars
In The Forest of the Night – 5 stars
Say My Name – 3.5 stars
Fire and Rhinestone – 3 stars
Mother’s Mirror – 3 stars
Sharp As Any Thorn – 2.5 stars
Coyote in High Top Sneakers – 4 stars
The Sister Switch – 3 stars
Once Bitten, Twice Shy – 3 stars
A Flame So Bright – 3.5 stars
The Emperor and the Eversong – 5 stars
HEA – DNF
The Littlest Mermaid – 2 stars
Just a Little Bite – 5 stars
A Story About a Girl – 5 stars

The Cloisters by Katy Hays (3.5 stars)

A book for academia fans and art fans everywhere. A really engaging story following a young art historian as she works at the prestigious The Cloisters renowned for its collection of medieval and Renaissance art. This started off super strong and I was so absorbed in the story and the interpersonal dynamics of the main characters but unfortunately this book ended in a super predictable and cliched way for my personal liking.

The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor (4 stars)

A really detailed and engaging historical crime novel. I will say that the mystery definitely takes a back seat in order to bring the historical fiction side of the novel to be highlighted. I would have preferred more mystery content but our two main characters are super captivating that I didn’t mind. My favourite part of this whole novel was the atmosphere. This book is set during and just after the Great Fire of London and Taylor did a great job weaving the terror and grief throughout the novel. You felt just as suffocated.

The Promised Neverland Series Vol.15-20 by Kaiu Shirai (5 stars)

What a way to end the series!!!! I want to give a standing ovation to this series and the author. So masterful. But… if I have to be picky I will say that Vol. 20 includes one of my least fave tropes and while I think it was the only answer to the tricky puzzle the author put himself in. I am still not a fan of the trope. Apart from that one tiny thing. 10/10! I cried.

Other books I read but couldn’t form coherent thoughts about at this current moment in time:

  • Yona of the Dawn. Vol.1 by Mizuho Kusanagi (4 stars)
  • Moriarty the Patriot, Vol.2 by Ryosuke Takeuchi (4 stars)
  • Fierce by Mathieu Burniat (4 stars)
  • A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin (4 stars)

March 2023 Wrap Up

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  • I read 16 books this month
  • Genre: 5 mystery, 4 sci-fi, 3 fantasy, 2 historical fiction, 1 spy novel and 1 poetry collection
  • Gender of authors: 9 women and 7 men
  • Race of authors: 8 white authors, 7 Asian authors and 1 black author
  • Age range: 8 adult, 6 YA and 2 middle grade
  • Format: 10 paperback, 5 ebook and 1 hardback

Challenges

  • Prompt: Mystery
    • Usotoki Rhetoric Vol.1
    • Murder in Mesopotamia
    • Whose Body?
    • Promise Boys
    • Tokyo Express
  • Sequel:
    • Murder in Mesopotamia
  • Tor.com: The Wonderful Stag, or the Courting of Red Elsie

Nocean by Efa (2 stars)

This was a post-apocalyptic graphic novel that I read through Netgalley. Unfortunately, it didn’t really meet my expectations plot wise but I thought the art design was stunning!

Tokyo Express by Seiko Matsumoto (2.5 stars)

A Japanese post war classic crime story. It was super engaging in the first third and I found the ending result to be entertaining but the middle section of the book was incredibly boring. You spend most of the book watching the detective read a myriad of transport time tables and at first it was novel but by the 4th timetable I was bored.

Leo in Little Pieces by Mayana Itoiz (2.5 stars)

Another graphic novel through Netgalley this time a World War 2 memoir. A really interesting look at a first-hand experience of what it was like living in France at the time of WW2. I will say I found the narrative structure to be confusing as well as the art design not being, particularly to my taste.

The Strange – Nathan Ballingrud (3 stars)

A sci-fi western. The first I have ever read this genre mix. I loved the setting of a western-esque town on the planet Mars! The plot started off super interesting but I think the author was trying to do too many different things half way through the story I started losing interest and all the points didn’t really tie up.

Red Dust White Snow – Pan Huiting (3 stars)

I think the theme so far this month is an amazing start but a less-than-amazing ending. I loved everything about the beginning of this story. I was fully on the 5 stars train but after the 50% mark, the story just fell away from the author. I felt that this book should have been longer as it felt that the author forgot they had to wrap up the story and rushed the ending while the plot itself felt unfinished or under-explored.

Promise Boys – Nick Brooks (3 stars)

A really interesting YA thriller that tackles systemic racism, toxic masculinity and the education system. Specifically on how it affects black and brown boys. I thought the use of multiple POVS and multi-media was incredibly engaging and really pushed this theme of assumptions and how they can harm people. I thought the characters were really interesting. But I felt that the mystery itself was disappointing and not structured amazingly.

Whose Body? – Dorothy L. Sayers (3.5 stars)

A re-read from a book I listened to last Summer. I enjoyed this re-read more than the audio version. Peter Wimsey is a really engaging character and I think Sayers does an amazing job at the dialogue in this book. Incredibly entertaining. My favourite scene had to be the scene where Wimsey figured everything out in his living room. I was also not expecting the PTSD representation so much within this book.

Murder in Mesopotamia – Agatha Christie (4 stars)

Continuing on with my Hercule Poirot read-through. I had heard very bad things about this book so I went in with quite low expectations but I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I normally hate when Poirot isn’t in the story from the beginning but I found the first 100 pages to be engaging without him. This probably would have been a 5-star if it wasn’t for the complete 180 of an ending which was too over the top even for me.

The Trial of Lotta Rae – Siobhan MacGowan (4 stars)

A heart-breaking historical fiction novel about a woman who is let down by the man who was supposed to give her justice. I normally tend to read historical mysteries or historical fantasies so this was my first pure historical fiction novel in a long time AND I LOVED IT! MacGowan’s writing is so incredibly beautiful and her characterisation of Lotta Rae is amazing. Not only is it amazing but watching how she writes Lotta’s continuous growth and constant changing was masterful.

Juniper Mae: Knight of Tykotech City – Sarah Soh (5 stars)

A super fun graphic novel for a 7+ audience. With beautiful art design, a great female protagonist and the cutest frog-like sidekicks I have ever seen!

Spy x Family Vol.1 – Tatsuya Endo (5 stars)

I am so happy I finally got my hands on this series! Every great thing I heard about this is very accurate. I love the setting, the comedic writing and the characters. FOUND FAMILY IS THE ULTIMATE TROPE!

Some other books that I didn’t feel I had enough to write a mini review about:

  • A Passing on of Shells – Simon Lamb (3.5 stars)
  • The Wonderful Stag or the Courtship of Red Elsie (3.5 stars)
  • Usotoki Rhetoric Vol.1 – Ritsu Miyako (4 stars)
  • The Promised Neverland Vol.14 – Kaiu Shirai (4 stars)
  • The Girl from the Other Side Vol.2 – Nagabe (4 stars)

February 2023 Wrap Up

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Another successful month. Not as great as January but still a great month.

  • I read 15 books this month
  • Genre: 6 fantasy, 3 sci-fi, 3 romance, 1 crime, 1 magical realism and 1 non-fiction
  • Gender of authors: 9 women, 3 men, 1 duo and 1 unknown
  • Race of authors: 9 white authors, 5 Asian authors and 1 Middle Eastern author
  • Age range: 10 adult, 4 YA and 1 middle grade
  • Format: 7 paperback, 6 ebook and 2 hardback

Challenges

  • Prompt: Romance
    • Inuyasha Vol.1
    • Blood in the Thread
    • The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
    • My Killer Vacation
    • Wotakoi, Vol.1
    • The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
    • This Is How You Lose the Time War
  • Sequel: Didn’t read any
  • Tor.com: Blood in the Thread – Cheri Kamei

This Is How You Lose the Time War – Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (DNF)

Now did I DNF this book 75% in? Yes… Was it super short? Also yes. This follows two women who are time travel spies that fall in love during a war. I personally found this to be too pretentious for me. Now I don’t mind my fair share of pretentious writing. But this writing made it super hard to follow which just left me not caring about the characters or their story.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – V.E. Schwab (DNF)

I have learnt that I am not a vibes person. If someone describes a book to me as nothing but pure vibes – I now know to stay away. Barely anything happened in this book and it bored me. It follows a young woman who makes a deal with a god to get out of an arranged marriage. The god ends up granting her basically a life of no ageing and we follow her during the time she gets this curse and then like 300 years later.

The scenes set around the time Addie makes her wish and the first couple of years as she learns and adapts were super interesting. I enjoyed learning about how the wish worked and what its restrictions were. But once that passed the rest of the book was just boring. It is literally just following Addie walk around New York. I didn’t think she was that interesting of a character so she didn’t keep me wanting to read more.

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku – Fujita (3 stars)

This was fine. I enjoyed it as a whole and I really enjoyed the friendship dynamic between the four characters. I cannot say though that I enjoyed any of the romance elements. I found them to be unrealistic and, in the case of one couple, very unlikeable. I did enjoy some of the topics of gaming and anime.

My Killer Vacation – Tessa Bailey (3 stars)

This was a fun easy read. It was a romance with a murder mystery side plot. I enjoyed the characters and I found the dialogue to be funny and fun. Was it the best mystery I have ever read? No. But it was super fun and added an extra exciting layer to the story. I will say that by the end I started to feel that the story got a bit cringe mainly because Bailey kept adding what I felt was unnecessary sexual dialogue in moments that I felt should have been left to be romantic. I also am not a fan of how quickly everything progressed within the relationship it was too fast for my liking. Finally, when will we free authors from the shackles of the ginormous man x tiny woman trope PLEASE!

The Sixteenth Century in 100 Women – Amy Licence (3 stars)

A super informative and concise look at women from across the world. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about women I didn’t know plus re-reading and familiarising myself with women from 16th-century history that I already knew.

Some of my favourite stories to learn were:

  • La Malinche
  • Elizabeth ‘Blessie’ Blount
  • Roxelana, aka Hurrem Sultan
  • Mary Boleyn
  • Women of the Devonshire Manuscript
  • Lady Nata, or Otomo-Nata ‘Jezebel’
  • Susan Clarencieux
  • Amye Robsart

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride – Roshani Chokshi (3.5 stars)

This was an interesting book to read. Overall I really enjoyed the story. I felt the book did a really great job of delving into the complexities of certain types of female friendship specifically the cases where it’s all-consuming and toxic with very strong sapphic energy! I have rarely seen this portrayed in media and I found it to be a really interesting dynamic. I thought the female characters in this story were expertly written. That being said, I will be critiquing the main male character as that man was boring. I didn’t really feel that he brought much to the story apart from being the force that allows us to find answers. I will also say that I found the constant reference and discussions of fairytales and folklore to be great at the start but it got old very quickly. It was over-saturation by the end of the book and I found myself skimming those paragraphs so I could get to the actual meat of the story.

Knee Deep, Book 1 – Joe Flood (4 stars)

Following in a semi-post-apocalyptic climate change disaster world we follow a young girl who goes on a mission to find her parents. Great art, amazing character design, and an engaging storyline that left me wanting more!

The Promised Neverland Vol, 12&13 – Kaiu Shirai (4 stars)

What can I say that I haven’t already said before. Always a great read.

Blood in the Thread – Cheri Kamei (4 stars)

A powerful sapphic short story about 2 high school sweethearts who hide their relationship when one of them becomes a famous actress and how they navigate the toxicity and abusive nature of Hollywood.

I loved this short story so much. The writing was beautiful and atmospheric with amazing imagery. I loved the ending and how it tied into ‘The Crane Wife’ folktale.

Moonlight – Gill Lewis (4.5 stars)

A middle-grade story about a young rat going on an epic adventure to return a stolen jewel. I could see Disney or Studio Ghibli snatching up this story for an adaptation! This story has heart, exhilaration, plot twists and a strong message, throughout, of doing the right thing. With incredible settings, a fun myriad of characters and a plot that keeps you wanting more.

Inuyasha, Vol. 1 – Rumiko Takahashi (5 stars)

A manga about a young girl who falls through her family’s well and ends up in Ancient Japan. It’s there she gets caught up in the fight of good v evil. Inuyasha was not a disappointment! I loved the blend of history and fantasy. I love the lore behind this series and how we mix historical moments with folklore. I really like our main characters and their dynamic is super engaging. I just really wish Kagome was older than 15 as it was the only thing that felt a bit icky. I also want to add that I did not expect it to have any horror or gore elements whatsoever and was super shocked when the blood started spraying. Not a critique at all, I was just super unaware.

Godkiller – Hannah Kaner (5 stars)

This world was a great balance of taking well-known and highly loved elements of the fantasy genre but adding a fresh new set of ideas and world-building. I loved the staple of the very detailed world with a brewing civil war where we get a lot of detail about different cultures etc. but I loved the addition of the Gods. Everything surrounding the Gods from the ones we meet all the way to the long and twisted history of the Gods was by far my favourite part of the book. They added so much depth to the story not just in terms of varied and vibrant characters but also in terms of world-building and character motivation. 

We follow 4 different characters in this story all with secrets to hide and questions to answer. I found every single POV in this book to be engaging and exciting. I enjoyed all of their stories equally and I looked forward to turning the page and seeing who we were following next. I really enjoyed watching these characters as individuals and learning their story and learn who they are at their core but I LOVED watching these characters together and bond with each other.

The story itself was simple and detailed at the same time. The story is a quest story. A journey that leads all our characters to the same ruined city but the detail of the world and the history that we learn alongside this journey was so grand and detailed that it elevated such a simple concept.

The Mountain in the Sea – Ray Nayler (5 stars)

A near-future dystopia is about a young woman researching a possibly killer octopus. This book is so much more about an incredibly intelligent Octopus. This book is kind of a window to the future, to what our future may be like if we stray down the path we are going. Where AI and technology start to take over our world when corporations get greedy and we destroy our eco-system, over-fishing, capitalism, and modern-day slavery. This book covers a lot. This book covers so much that on paper you think how can this author cover all of these themes in a coherent and easy-to-follow/accessible way while also maintaining an engaging story about humanity and connection as well as a killer Octopus? Well, Nayler does all of that and more.

Speak of the Devil – Rose Wilding (5 stars)

This book swept under the radar at the last minute for me. It follows 7 women as we navigate their lives after the head of a man is found in a seedy hotel room. As the story continues you find that all these women had some connection to the deceased and as you unravel the secrets of the women you find out who killed him. This book is heavy for trigger warnings re. rape, sexual harassment, abuse, forced outing, alcoholism.

I have never been so strongly impacted by a book in my life. The harrowing, raw and truthful way that Wilding writes as we slowly learn more about these women and how one singular man’s actions caused a ripple effect in these women’s lives was a hard read but a powerful read. I really enjoyed getting into the mind of these women and living their stories and their truths. Some of the best character work I had read alongside a super engaging mystery where each time we learn something you feel yourself creeping closer and closer to the reveal of the murderer.

January 2023 Wrap Up!

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Here we are! We are already one month into 2023! How scary is that! This last month was my best reading month to date! I always start off too strong when it comes to January. Every Jan I read loads of books, probably powered by the fact that it’s a new year and new possibilities, and the following months while good never match up to the power of January. Let’s dive in!

Stats

  • I read 18 books this month
  • Genre: 13 fantasy, 1 historical fiction, 1 mystery, 1 non-fiction, 1 romance and 1 sci-fi.
  • Gender of authors: 4 women, 4 men and 1 various
  • Race of authors: 7 asian authors, 5 white authors and 2 black authors
  • Age range: 12 YA and 6 adult
  • Format: 13 paperback, 3 ebook and 2 hardback

Challenges

  • Sequel: Twilight Princess Vol.2 & 5 extra volumes of The Promised Neverland
  • Tor.com: Fruiting Bodies – Kemi Ashing-Giwa-Giwa

Fruiting Bodies – Kemi Ashing-Giwa (2 stars)

Plot: An alien fungal infection has ravaged a faraway planet, turning all but six of the colonists into ravenous alarinkiri. Inyama, a mycologist, is her species’ last hope. But it’s not expertise her fellow survivors want from her.

This just fell flat for me I’m afraid. It had such a great premise but I spent most of the story trying to figure out what was going on. I was a bit confused.

Night Train to the Stars – Kenji Miyazawa (2.5 stars)

Synopsis: A collection of short stories based on animals, nature and the growing increase in technology. These stories were written from the late 1800s- early 1900s.

Overall I felt this collection was a bit lacking. Barely any stories truly grabbed me but I did enjoy delving into the mind of this author and these little worlds he has created.

  1. A Stem of Lillies – 1
  2. The Man of the Hills – 1
  3. The Wild Pear – 1
  4. Night Train to the Stars – 2
  5. The Earthgod and the Fox – 2
  6. The Bears of Kametoko – 2
  7. Tokkobe Torako -2
  8. The Red Blanket – 2
  9. The Police Chief – 2.5
  10. Ozbel and the Elephant – 3
  11. The First Deer Dance – 3
  12. Gorsch the Cellist – 3
  13. The Thirty Frogs – 3
  14. The Ungrateful Rat – 3
  15. Night of the Festival – 3
  16. March by Moonlight – 3
  17. Down in the Wood – 3
  18. The Spider, the Slug and the Racoon – 3.5
  19. General Son Ba-Yu – 4
  20. Wildcat and the Acorns – 4
  21. The Dahlias and the Crane – 4
  22. The Fire Stone – 4
  23. The Restaurant of Many Orders – 5
  24. Kenju’s Wood – 5

Legends and Lattes – Travis Baldree (3 stars)

Plot: Retired barbarian Viv decides to set up shop and create the very first cafe in the city of Thune. Little does she know she can’t truly shake off the past.

Great characters and a beautiful cosy vibe but it was let down by the very quick pace and the fact that we simply couldn’t sit in the moment with the characters. We were always jumping from one plot point to the next leading me to not connect with the novel as a whole. I would also say that the big sapphic romance that was marketing was truly underwhelming and felt like a last min addition which was disappointing. Thimble though will forever be my fave!

TLOZ: Twilight Princess Vol. 2 – Akira Himekawa (4 stars)

Can’t go into too much detail about this as it will be spoilers but this was a solid volume. Literally no critiques.

The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books – Martin Edwards (4 stars)

Synopsis: In this book Martin Edwards breaks down the history of the classic crime era sectioning into subgenre, years and influencing culture whilst also recommending some iconic classic novels.

I really enjoyed reading this. It was like one big long list of book recs as well as some really interesting components to the British publishing/writing world and beyond. There were some books that I had read plus some books already on my TBR! I love the British Library’s contribution to the crime genre.

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 1 – Sorata Akiduki (4 stars)

Plot: A very loose re-telling of Snow White. Literally don’t go into this expecting Snow White.

Beautiful art, amazing characters, a protagonist you can’t help but root for! Plus a blossoming relationship between a prince and an apothecary! What I liked about this volume which I don’t see too much in manga was that each chapter was split into a different standalone story. Each story pushes the plot forward and we watch the characters grow but it was nice to see this structure over one continuous narrative.

Drifting Dragons, Vol. 1 – Taku Kuwabara (4 stars)

Plot: Follow a team of Dragon Hunters aboard their ship as we learn about them as individuals plus their interpersonal relationships. Also food is a major factor in this manga.

Probably the manga series I read this month with the best art-style. From the background design to the pictures of food. BEAUTIFUL! I really liked this more stripped back series where the focus is on the characters more than an over-arching plot. It was a big change to all the other series I was reading and it made for a nice break. I am so excited to read the next volume and see where the characters are heading next.

Children of the Whales, Vol. 1 – Abi Umeda (4.5 stars)

Plot: The world is covered by oceans of sand and 513 people live in isolation on an islandlike ship that is adrift on the sand. As he investigates an abandoned ship Chakuo — the island’s archivist — meets a mysterious girl named Rikosu. It marks the first time that an island inhabitant has made contact with someone from the outside world. Chakuro wonders if it is a sign that a new world awaits.

This was super, super good. The art was beautiful, the setting was unlike something I have ever seen and that ending was IMPACTFUL. It threw me so off guard. My jaw hit the floor. I am super interested to see where the rest of the series goes as we have only just scraped the surface.

The Promised Neverland, Vols. 7-11 – Kaiu Shirai (4-5 stars)

I WILL SCREAM ABOUT THIS SERIES UNTIL I AM DEAD. I literally cannot discuss too much due to spoilers but omg everyone pick this series up!

The Faraway Paladin, Vol. 1 – Mutsumi Okubashi (5 stars)

Plot: We follow a young boy who is being trained by 3 members of the undead but he soon starts to question who he is and what their stories are.

A manga I was not expecting to give 5 stars to, yet here we are. Such an underrated series with beautiful art. Found family, tragic backstories and really interesting lore!

Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo (5 stars)

Plot: A bunch of reckless individuals with nothing to lose but a lot to gain go on an insane heist.

I mean, I think everyone knows this book let’s be honest. I can’t believe it took me this long to pick it up. I picked this up for a book group I am apart of and I am so thankful I was able to read it. All the characters were so distinct and I truly enjoyed learning and following each one. I felt that Bardugo did a great job with her more morally grey characters as well and tackling such difficult topics. I thought the plot was really engaging and I flew through the book. I did get a bit confused in the beginning and the middle of the book but that ending had me shook! Cannot wait to read the sequel.

Legendborn – Tracy Deonn (5 stars)

Plot: After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. And that is literally all the can be said as I don’t want to spoil ANYTHING.

Now, here is another book I wish I had read way earlier! Literally everyone was talking about how amazing this book was and I knew I needed to finally see what all the hype was all about. I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!!! The lore, the magic, the exploration of grief both current but also generational. I loved Bree so much and I really enjoyed the romance in this book! I found the ending to be so incredibly powerful and I needed to read the second book ASAP.

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels – Janice Hallett (5 stars)

Plot: A true crime journalist/writer sets out to write about the Alperton Angels case and gets caught up in the conspiracies, lies and truths of what happened years ago! Told in Hallett’s iconic epistolary style.

Every January I can’t wait to sit down with the latest Janice Hallett novel and expect my brain to explode from my genius. This book was no exception. I literally read this book in 2 days. I was up late into the night to finish this book. Hallett’s brain is just so smart and talented. I found this book to be my favourite of the 3 she has written so far. The plot is so smart, the characters so interesting. I highly recommend this book.

December 2022 Wrap Up

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What a year 2022 was! All of my wrap up posts are now officially up so if you want to see my year as a whole, check it out! December was an alright month reading-wise. I did move into my very first home so I was very pre-occupied with other things!

  • I read 10 books this month
  • Genre: 6 fantasy and 4 mysteries
  • Gender of authors: 4 women, 4 men and 1 various
  • Race of authors: 5 white authors, 3 asian authors and 1 various
  • Age range: 6 adult, 3 YA and 1 children’s
  • Format: 5 paperback, 3 hardback and 2 ebook

Portrait of a Murderer – Anne Meredith (DNF)

This was such a shame as I bought this book back in Dec 2021 and waited a whole year to read it! To be honest, I don’t have any criticism of the book itself, it just took a direction I didn’t expect nor did I care for. While I expect it to be a traditional murder mystery it was more of a character study of the murderer itself. Which for me, it was not what I was looking for.

Babel – R.F. Kuang (DNF)

This one actually broke my heart. I had been following the process of this book and its publication from the minute Kuang announced it. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it. I have a more detailed account of my reasons for DNFing on my wrap up posts.

The Christmas Murder Game – Alexandra Benedict (2.5 stars)

This book was about a woman who goes back to her childhood home to play the “titular” game and learn about her mothers mysterious death. This book was fine. It filled the Christmas themed gap I had which was great and I really enjoyed the main character but the story was predictable.

Marple – Various Authors (3.5 stars)

This was a really enjoyable short story collection all involving the incredible amateur detective Miss Marple created by Agatha Christie. Here are my individual ratings. My favourite story was A Deadly Wedding Day by Dreda Say Mitchell.

  • Evil in Small Places – 3
  • The Second Murder at the Vicarage – 2.5
  • Miss Marple Takes Manhattan – 3.5
  • The Unravelling – 4
  • Miss Marple’s Christmas – 4
  • The Open Mind – 4
  • The Jade Empress – 5
  • A Deadly Wedding Day – 5
  • Murder at the Villa Rosa – 2
  • The Murdering Sort – 3
  • The Mystery of the Acid Soil – 4
  • The Disappearance – 3.5

Blue Exorcist Vol. 1 – Kazue Kato (3.5 stars)

This story follows Run who finds out that his dad is Satan himself and he goes on a mission to become a Exorcist and defeat his father. I watched the anime years and years ago and was always disappointed that I never watched the second season but now I can just read the entire series!!! I felt this was a solid first volume setting up the characters and all the important plot points.

Kai and the Monkey King – Joe Todd-Stanton (4 stars)

This was a great story with beautiful art design, plot and characters. I want to own everything Joe Todd-Stanton creates!

Murder at the Theatre Royale – Ada Moncrieff (4 stars)

This is a Christmas historical murder mystery set at a theatre. I requested this on Netgalley on a whim as I really wanted to read some Christmas themed mysteries and I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. The writing was really easy-reading, the main character was really engaging and the mystery worked so well for me. I ended up finishing this on a bus journey home and nearly missed my stop as I was so engrossed by it.

The Lost Metal – Brandon Sanderson (4 stars)

The final book in the Wax and Wayne quartet. This was also my first proper foray into understanding the Cosmere etc. I enjoyed this story, I felt everything was wrapped up nicely and I enjoyed learning about the Cosmere. That being said it did not pack a punch the way The Hero of Ages did and I knew how things would go for a lot of the characters we meet. So while I enjoyed it, it was not my favourite in the series.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Vol. 3&4 – Kanehito Yamada (4.5/4 stars)

What a perfect way to end the year. Volume 3 was my favourite so far. I love the characters, I love the world, I love exploring Frieren’s backstory. I need to read every single one of these volumes.

My 2023 Reading Plan!!

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And we must officially say our final goodbye to 2022! Onwards and upwards to 2023! A very different year 2023 will be. Last year was more about picking what I wanted when I wanted but now I have a nearly 200-book physical TBR and it’s time to start whittling it down. This year will be focused more on tackling the number of books that I own!