The first month of 2022 is already over, and I managed to read 8 books. This kind of number only happens when I have time off during the month so I definitely don’t expect to enjoy this many books every month. It was a very solid start to my goal of 40 books this year though! I have also decided to change my approach to reviews this year - I think up until December I had reviewed every single book I read, but I don’t think that’s a sustainable goal for this year. I will probably only do a full review of the books that I really loved or had a lot of opinions about and just do mini-reviews of the others on my Instagram, and in my monthly wrap-ups. If there’s ever a review you really want to see, please don’t hesitate to let me know!
This entire series is a ★★★★★ read!
The first books I finished this year (and this month) were my re-reads of The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades and The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan. This is the spin off series from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series and finishing these three concluded my re-read of all ten books! I enjoyed my re-read as much as I first enjoyed reading the series many years ago, if not more since now I feel like I get a lot more out of them considering I know more about the ancient world. I definitely appreciated the skill of intertwining so many myths and customs from both Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome into the spin off series - this series is genuinely an absolute masterpiece. The House of Hades has always been my favourite of this series, but I think the The Mark of Athena may be equal to it now - I cannot get enough of Percabeth which is why these are absolutely my favourite in the series (they were done so dirty in the final instalment, although getting a Nico POV was such treat). If you’ve read the Percy Jackson books but not the spin off, I implore you to pick them up. They are an absolute treat!
Next, we were all blessed with Part Two of Lynette Noni’s A Very Medoran Kaldoras, something I had made myself believe would never happen. This was a very short e-book, but it answered all of the burning questions I had after finishing the cliffhanger of Part One. In a sense, I was pretty lucky because I only had to wait a couple of months between the two e-books, but I feel so bad for those who waited a super long time. Personally, I really liked Part Two (I know there has been a bit of contention surrounding it). I though it was a lovely way to truly close the door on Alex’s story in the best way possible, but of course, leave the for wide open for potentially more stories in the future? Who knows. I’m just happing knowing that after all Alex went through, she got her closure and her happily every after.
Both have gotten a ★★★☆☆.5 from me!
I finished two audiobooks this month, The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King by Holly Black. The Folk of The Air series is one that had been on my radar for a while, especially since it’s all over bookstagram so I decided it was time to jump in. The narrator on Audible is pretty entertaining, although there have been some really weird edits and volume changes throughout them which have been a bit jarring. After Jude’s mortal parents were murdered, she was taken to live with her parent’s murderer to live in the High Court of Faerie, where its dangerous to be a mortal. Prince Cardan hates her, and the intrigues of the palace just get more and more bloody. Throughout these two books Jude steels herself to what she has to do to claw at the power, and keep it once it’s in her grasp. I am very on the fence about these books. I definitely enjoyed them, but I wasn’t blown away by them. Jude is really annoying and her character just doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me. Her tumultuous relationship with Cardan is frustrating at times, but I also enjoyed parts of their rivalry and tension. I know some people absolutely love these books, but they haven't become my favourite. Maybe I would have enjoyed them more if I read the physical books not listened to the audio - I’m not sure - but overall these books have been good so far, but not outstanding.
★★★★☆.5
This month I finally got to If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio. This book was sold to me as The Secret History but with Shakespeare and actors instead of classical history students, and honestly, that is pretty much the vibe I got from this. Set at a prestigious arts academy called Dellecher If We Were Villains follows the seven fourth year Shakespeare students as their lives start to look like the tragedy plays they love so much, their lives intertwine with the plays they are studying, their language is one of their own devising their identities teeter between the world of the living and Shakespeares world. This book was brilliantly written and read like a play in more ways than one. The charters were loveable and despise able and all too real. If you love Shakespeare or The Secret History, stop putting it off and pick up this book!
★★★★☆.5
The final book I finished this month was Mythos by Stephen Fry which was my answer to this prompt Crestfallenpages’ bookclub ‘a book thats been on your TBR for a really long time.’ I have been saying that I will read Mythos for years. I don’t even remember when I got it but I know it was ages and ages ago. I am so glad that I finally got it read! Especially since I really enjoyed it. Fry has such a way of telling stories thousands of years old as if they were new. Although I was familiar with many of the myths in this retelling, I still enjoyed it greatly, and his style of storytelling is hilarious. I laughed and snorted my way through this book with little dignity but tons of amusement. He definitely puts his own flare to these stories, he makes them easy to read, he adds dialogue but doesn’t lose the essence or the heart of these old tales. It would be a wonderful place for someone to start their Greek Mythology journey.
In February I am hoping to finally finish Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb which I have been putting off for months. I am definitely planning on reading Elodie Harper’s The House with the Golden Door, which is my most anticipated read of the year and which I was lucky enough to be given an ARC from Netgalley! I would also LOVE to finish Queens of Jerusalem by Katherine Pangonis and The Queen of Nothing audiobook by Holly Black.