This month I had a pretty good reading month, despite being quite busy. I took part in two readalongs this month with Tandem Collective UK, (Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and Piranesi, my copy of JSAMN was gifted to me by Tandem and the publisher but I bought Piranesi myself) which were a lot of fun. I didn’t finish JSAMN as it is rather long but will continue with it doing a volume a month until I’m done as I loved part one.
I had a mix of arcs and older books this month, which worked really well for me, and I enjoyed everything I read!
I read:
K-Pop Confidential by Stephen Lee – 3.5 Stars
– A really fun read which showed some of the darker sides of the K-Pop industry, but also showed some complex family relationships, strong friendships, the price of fame and a dash of romance. Definitely recommend this as a quick read with a good message, but I found it ended abruptly, and I initially struggled to get into it. It was really enjoyable after I clicked with it though!
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Vol 7 – 5 Stars
This arc (Infinity) is quite dramatic, and has a lot of excellent moments between the ‘new’ and original senshi. We learn more about Sailor Saturn and Hotaru’s friendship with Chibiusa. I love this arc, it’s a lot darker than some previous arcs, and raises some interesting questions, especially in terms of the difference in what the senshi are willing to sacrifice to save the world.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik – 5 Stars
This book was so amazing! One of my most anticipated books of the year, and it definitely lived up to my hopes. The characters were amazing, the plot was gripping, I adored the magic system and the concept of the Scholomance, everything about it drew me in. 100% recommend! I have a full review up here if you’re interested!
Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan – 4.5 Stars
I’m really enjoying the PJO books! They’re really fun adventure stories, and I’m really invested in the characters. In this one we got to see more of the Gods, which I loved! We also to meet some new characters, and things got a whole lot more high stakes! I have been having a great time reading this series and will definitely be checking out the other Rick Riordan books in this world!
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke – 5 Stars
This BOOK. It has my whole heart. Honestly such a bizarre, sad, beautiful and gripping book. I had no idea what I was getting in to when starting this, and I think that’s the best way to approach it. I adored Piranesi, the house and the sense of loneliness and of time, and I connected to it all so strongly I think because it had such echoes of being chronically ill. I want to read this one again soon. It is a masterpiece.
A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe – 3 Stars
This was fun read, I loved the alchemy aspects of the book, which I found fascinating, and loved learning more about it as it went along. I couldn’t really connect to some of the characters, and the second half of the book felt at a very different pace than the first half which threw me a little. But overall it was a really enjoyable book, and I liked the premise, writing style and the alchemy. I will check out this author’s future works!
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon vol 8 – 5 Stars
The conclusion of the Infinity arc, which has some heartbreaking moments with gorgeous art, and the most difficult challenge the senshi have faced yet. It’s a brilliant conclusion to a very emottional arc, and I loved it. We lose four senshi here, but we will see them again eventually. We then have the beginning of the Dream arc, and the Dead Moon Circus’s arrival which brings new information, enemies and allies.
Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan – 4.5 Stars
Another great PJO book! More Gods, more monsters and some really emotional moments (I swear I’ve cried in every book in this series now?) that I hadn’t been expecting. This one had a lot of twists and turns (fitting, as mostly it’s in a labyrinth) and had the return of a few new favourite characters from the previous book. I can’t wait to read the next book!
So that was my month in books! What did you read?
Eldritch Fae 