February 2021 Wrap Up

After a great reading month in January, we hit a solid mediocre reading month in February! I was also feeling kind of slumpy, and had very little time to actually read, so there’s also that. Let’s chat about my February reads.  

Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The sunshine x grumpy book of your dreams! 

This was my first and probably favorite read of the month! I read Sarah Hogle’s first book last year, and I really enjoyed her writing and the way she wrote the interactions between characters, but that was a second chance romance, and I do not like those usually. But I loved Twice Shy! I loved the banter between the characters, and I really liked how slowly their romance progressed. It was such a wonderful romance and I really loved it a lot. Both characters need to be protected at all costs 

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Fun, but kind of unnecessary

This was fun! I really like Cardan and this series, so it was fun to spend a bit more time with the characters. The best thing about this was the illustrations, so I did have fun with it, but overall, in terms of the actual story and character work, I don’t think it offered much. My favorite thing about this series is angst, and there wasn’t much of it here. But yeah, had fun with it and it was super pretty. 

 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Rating: 3.5 stars
Summary: Good, not great

I finally read the Song of Achilles and it was… good? I liked it a lot more than Circe, but it was still lacking in terms of character work and development for me. I could not quite understand why Patroclus was in love with Achilles, and I wanted a lot more in terms of their relationship development. Still, reading about the Trojan War is always interesting for me, and I did enjoy my time with this one, but I just think that Madeline Miller’s writing is not really for me. 

To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: THE BANTER! THE TENSION!

This was such a great historical romance. Like I said, I don’t vibe with second chance romances, but this one was so great at establishing the relationship prior to the fallout Jamie and Violet had. I loved their interactions, and I think the romantic tension between them was so well written. I cannot wait to read the second novel in this series, and I could not recommend To Have and to Hoax more. You can find my full review HERE. 

Lanny by Max Porter

Rating: 2.5 stars
Summary: Technically so accomplished, but does not offer much beyond that

I was a huge fan of Grief is the Thing With Feathers, and was excited to read Lanny. While I do like Porter’s style, I think its novelty wears off. And in this particular book, I think it worked to the story’s detriment, since the book felt really emotionally void. I was not particularly engaged and I did not care at all, which is a problem when the actual plot is supposed to be quite harrowing. So overall, I think the writing is spectacular, but I did not get anything from this novel beyond that. More of my thoughts are HERE.  

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

Rating: 1 star
Summary: This is just a string of random events

I am gutted that I disliked this so much, since I’ve been meaning to read it for so long. But this book had no point. This is not really a story, this is just a random string of events that do not even tie together in any semblance of a plot. Everything felt really nonsensical, and the characters were incredibly one dimensional. There was just nothing to enjoy in this beyond it’s very interesting premise. 

 

Ongoing: How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue

I also started How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue and I am about 70 percent into it. It’s a fantastic story that explores colonialism and capitalism, but also at its core it’s a story about community and family, and I really am enjoying it immensely. More on it in my upcoming review and March wrap up, but I definitely recommend you preorder this one! 

I would love to hear from you! Tell me your favorite February read, I would LOVE to know.

In the meantime, happy reading

 

 

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