January Wrap Up

I started off the year with a month full of five stars and I hope that sets the tone for the rest of 2024!

I am someone who puts a lot of pressure on the first book I read in a year, as silly as that is! I figured rereading a favourite was a smart way to go. So I reread The Bear and the Nightingale and finally continued on with the series. Every single book was a five star for me and the series as a whole has become an all-time favourite. If I had to choose a favourite, I think there is something extra special about The Girl in the Tower! The Winternight Trilogy is atmospheric and so beautifully written, but Vaysa was the standout for me. One of the most memorable characters I have ever read.

Emily Wilde has quickly become my comfort series! I reread Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries for the third time in a year in anticipation for the release of Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands. Book two lives up to the first one and I think if you loved book one, you will be just as happy with the sequel. It was fun to see Emily’s character development and to following her story as she reluctantly forms deeper relationships. There was more action in this installment and we got some cameos from characters from book one, which I loved.

These are the two books in this series that I was interested in and they were fun reads! Worst Wingman Ever was adorable while also being heavy hitting, which is what I have come to expect from Abby Jimenez! Our main character is a hospice worker and her grandmother is one of her patients. There is a focus on anticipatory grief and only Abby Jimenez could make me cry in so few pages. I also thought the romance was the cutest thing and they exchange notes on her windshield. I swooned! With Any Luck was a little bit more forgettable for me but it is definitely steamier than Worst Wingman Ever! If you have seen the movie Good Luck Chuck, it is like that movie meets The Hangover. It was fun!

Time to Shine was my first hockey romance and I found myself surprisingly invested in the actual team! I read this in a day, so it was a fun and easy read and I liked Casey and Landon as a couple. My only issue is that they started to feel more like caricatures rather than real human beings. Everything about them was over the top and there was some miscommunication that, while understandable, was frustrating. Landon’s dealing with the loss of a family member and how that has affected his relationship with his parents, so while this is a sweet romance there are some deeper themes.

Lore of the Wilds comes out at the end of February and I need everyone to read it so we can talk about the ending! This book made me realize that I am more into antlers than I am into wings, and I don’t know what that says about it. I did enjoy the first half more than the second, but that is often true because I am someone who loves a good setup. It becomes more of an adventure story, which isn’t really my thing. That said, my favourite side character is introduced in the second half and that is when the love triangle starts to play out, so it was still really good!

I read The Witch and the Tsar for my witchy book club and I wanted to love this and it has so many of my buzzwords, but it just did not hit for me. Honestly, I was so bored throughout the first half that by the time we got to the second half, which was more intriguing, I could not get invested. Something about the writing and the choices that the author made in regards to retelling to story of Baba Yaga just did not work for me.

Tender Beasts comes out at the end of February and I absolutely loved this! I think Liselle Sambury is going to become a go-to author for YA horror. If you like family drama, murder investigations, and some gore, you need to read this. I had no idea where this story was going and where it went might not be for everyone but there is no denying that Sambury is brilliant. None of these characters are likable but that is what made me like them!

I am reading the Thursday Murder Club series with friends and The Thursday Murder Club was a reread for me! I think I appreciated this even more the second time. I do think that if you do not instantly click with the humour, which is very British, this probably won’t work for you. Do not go into it for the mystery! It is all about the characters and their backstories and their connections to one another!

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