Hello fellow book lovers! I’m finally back here after a incredibly busy and marvelous month. Scottish Fiance has been upgraded to Scottish Husband, the wedding was wonderful, Edinburgh was glorious, and Priory of the Orange Tree has been released. What more do you need?
I didn’t get as much reading done this month as I have in past months, but I think that the whole ‘getting married’ thing is a good excuse. Take a look at my month in books below!
Books I read
Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh
The Armored Saint by Myke Cole
This Splintered Silence by Kayla Olsen
The Familiars by Stacey Halls
Everless by Sarah Holland
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
I managed to read seven* books this month, and like last month audiobooks really saved the day for me. Both Reign of the Fallen and The Bone Season were audiobook reads and I really enjoyed both books despite not loving both narrators (the Reign of the Fallen narrator was really weak). Otherwise I read a ton of backlist titles this month, which really helped out with my Beat the Backlist bingo card, which you can see below. Reviews are forthcoming for all of these books, so keep an eye out!
*Okay, fine, so technically I finished The Raven Tower this morning, March 1st, but February is a short month and I had like 30 pages to go. I’m counting it for February because I make the rules. Also, I loved it.
Books I DNFed
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
Sadly I did have to DNF a highly-anticipated book this month. The Ruin of Kings is a book I was so excited to read, but just didn’t click with me. I’m not going to write a full review for this book, so here are my basic thoughts:
After a lot of consideration, I decided to set this book aside. It may be one I pick up in a few years time, but for now it is not quite my cup of tea. I gave it my customary 100 pages and I just felt like it didn’t hit the mark.
While I loved the concept of the book, the execution didn’t work for me. The dual time lines, dealing with the same character at different points in his life, are fascinating and I really enjoyed the storytelling aspect. However, the worldbuilding was messy and interfered with the actual plot and story. I would begin to be pulled in, then a heap on information fell on my head and I was snapped right back out. The rhythm of the writing was off and just didn’t quite work for me. I just couldn’t get into this book!
I’d like to read more from this author in the future and I had insanely high expectations for The Ruin of Kings, but I just didn’t quite “get” it.
Book post
The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard
Opposite of Always by Jason A. Reynolds
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
I received five books from publishers this month, and I’m so thrilled! I’m currently reading The Raven Tower, which is super weird and wonderful, and have started the Witchlands series so I can tackle Bloodwitch, the third book in the series, as soon as possible.
I’m planning to have these all read soon, so keep an eye out for my thoughts!
Books I bought
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
The Queen of Crows by Myke Cole
Black Snow Falling by L. J. MacWhirter
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Provenance by Ann Leckie
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
The Last Highlander by Sarah Fraser
The Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
We Can Remember it for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick
Multiple copies of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit
Listen. I was on my honeymoon and a couple preorders came in. I stand by my book buying addiction.
Beat the Backlist
I’m getting closer and closer to filling up this card:
New to you author: Myke Cole
Cover love: Reign of the Fallen
Set in space: This Splintered Silence
One word title: Everless
Popular author’s first book: The Bone Season
That’s it for this month! I’m going to be getting back to reality here, but life is going to continue to be hectic.
Loved reading your thoughts about Ruin of Kings. The dual timeline seems to really make or break that book for people. Personally, I really liked that aspect of the book. I ended up giving Ruin 4/5 stars, but I definitely had some Thoughts about certain aspects, and I agree there is some very rushed world-building in places (especially towards the end, where the author is spending all her time setting up book two).
All in all, looks like a good month, especially for one where you did that trivial thing of “getting married”!
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It’s amazing how polarizing The Ruin of Kings is! I’ve seen people absolutely love it and absolutely hate it. I’m glad you liked it!
Thank you! It certainly did sneak up on me 😀
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Congratulations again! I think you still had a pretty good reading month despite being so busy. Hope your March is wonderful!
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Thank you so much!
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