Hello! I hope everyone is relishing the end of Winter as we move on into March. Last month I definitely felt the pressure of necessary homework on my leisure reading, so I didn't get to everything I thought I would, but I still read three books, which is nothing to scoff at. For the first time I can remember, I've found it hard to concentrate on my reading outside of schoolwork (which I've always had a hard time concentrating on, but I digress). Sometimes I find it difficult to prioritize, even when I know it's the right thing to do. Anyway, here's what I read last month.
(goodreads.com)
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand: I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book, but I'm actually really glad that I picked it up. A few of the BookTubers I follow have raved about how witty and fun this book is so I thought I deserved a little of that lightheartedness in my life. It was definitely an interesting take on historical events...in a good way. Lady Jane Grey is widely known as the "9 day Queen" because she ended up ruling England for only 9 days before being executed. Fortunately, there are no beheadings in this book (that I can recall) and focuses mainly on a vile plot to overthrow the true King Edward (Jane's cousin), along with a lot of nobility that can shape-shift at will into animals. It reminded me almost of a Patronus; but if the wizard turned into their Patronus form instead of projecting it. Needless to say this book was really entertaining and I honestly laughed out loud in several places. Very reminiscent of my Georgia Nicholson books, which I appreciated. I gave this book a
4 out of 5 stars.
(goodreads.com)
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge: This book took me by surprise. I had really enjoyed Hodge's other book Cruel Beauty and thought it would be along the same line, but I was wrong. This book was way more action-packed than the first and followed a heroine that resembled one of Sarah J. Maas' female characters, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Rachelle acts as a sell-sword to the King after surviving a harrowing ordeal in the forest which resulted in her becoming bound to its will. She is eventually tasked with guarding the prince, who has also been touched by the forest. Legend tells of a sword that could destroy the forest for good and release the souls it's claimed, so Rachelle and the prince set out to find it. This story propelled itself forward, relying heavily on the plot and the tension to save the kingdom. I would say that I liked this a tad more than Cruel Beauty, so if I were to recommend reading them in any order, I'd start with this one. I gave this book a
4 out of 5 stars.
(goodreads.com)
Caraval by Stephanie Garber: This was one of my most anticipated releases of this year and it did not disappoint (entirely). I loved
The Night Circus, so when I heard of this and that it was compared to it, I had to have it. Where
Night Circus revolved around two lovers over the course of decades, this story revolved around two sisters, Scarlett and Tella, who are sequestered on a remote and conquered island and abused by their father. They have always dreamed of attending the invite-only Caraval, but have never been allowed to leave. By chance, they are able to flee their island and get to the performance, just in time for one of the sisters to be kidnapped. The rest of the story follows Scarlett as she tries to find her sister through the twists and turns of the game. I loved that I couldn't guess where the plot was going to end up. This is no ordinary game and the stakes are more real than they seem at first glance, so I loved the suspense aspect of the story. I liked how mysterious all the characters were and how that played into the game and Scarlett's illusions. The only thing I didn't like about this book was how Scarlett described her feelings as colors. At first it seemed poetic, but by the end of the book I was cringing at the metaphors and symbolism because it just felt SO WRONG. I thought it must be because her name is "Scarlett" and she must have always resorted to visualizing her feelings as colors, but it didn't end up mattering in the plot of the story so I thought it was kind of pointless. Despite that setback, I ended up giving this book
4.5 out of 5 stars. It seems like the author has another book coming after this one, so I'm curious to see where it'll go from here.
Those are all the books I read last month. Let me know in the comments if you've read any of these and what you thought if you did. I'm about 75% through one of my other most anticipated releases of this year right now, so I'm excited to get that review up for next month. What you you reading right now? Let me know or follow me on Instagram to keep up with my reading lists! You can also check out reviews I write for my library
here under "Lax Literarian." Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
