January Reading Wrap-up and Mini-Reviews

1) THE ROAD OF BONES BY DEMI WINTERS (Adult Fantasy) (539 pages) (4.5⭐️)

Silla is being hunted by an assassin and seeks safety in Kopa. To get there, she must travel the treacherous Road of Bones. She hides away in a wagon only to learn it belongs the infamous Bloodaxe Crew. This book was a great start to my reading year. The world is immersive, the plot was equal parts romance and danger, and I enjoyed the multiple POVs. I do wish some side characters got more spotlight. I look forward to seeing how the magic system expands and the characters’ relationships grow in the proceeding books in the series.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7687274194

2) THE STORY COLLECTOR BY EVIE WOODS (Adult Historical Fantasy) (357 pages) (4.75⭐️)

On Christmas in 2010, Sarah Harper impulsively boards a flight to Ireland. There she finds a diary from 100 years prior belonging to Anna Butler. Anna is a farm girl who becomes an assistant to an American scholar studying the fairy faith. I have long been fascinated by the folklore and fairytales from different cultures, and this book fed that hunger well. This isn’t a book for those who are looking for modern fairy romantasy. However, if you enjoyed Emily Wild’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett then you may enjoy this one, too.

FULL REVIEW: Coming soon to the blog!

3) A THEORY IN DREAMING BY AVA REID (YA Fantasy) (399 pages) (4⭐️)

In the sequel to A Study in Drowning, Effy becomes the first female student in her university’s literature college. Meanwhile, Preston is plagued by dreams of a palace under the sea. A Study in Drowning is one of my favorite YA fantasies I’ve read, but I didn’t necessarily feel like it needed a sequel. So, I was anxious going into this book. The writing and setting is just as wistful and poetic as book 1. I appreciated the mental health representation – Effy is very clearly suffering from depression. However, I grew very frustrated by how Effy and Preston constantly sabotaged their relationship.

FULL REVIEW: Coming soon to the blog!

4) THE EX-GIRLFRIEND MURDER CLUB BY GLORIA CHAO (Adult Mystery) (320 pages) (3.75⭐️)

Three women (Kathryn, Olivia, and Elle) discover they all have the same boyfriend – Tucker Jones. They decide to get revenge, but in the process they end up finding his dead body. They decide to solve his murder before suspicion falls on one of them. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoyed books like The Best Way to Bury Your Husband by Alexia Casale or the Finley Donovan series by Elle Cosimano. I loved how the women formed a sisterhood rather than blaming each other for the wrongdoings of their partner. The humor was rather juvenile and gross, but this is an otherwise fun and quick read.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8266208069

5) THE MARIGOLD COTTAGES MURDER COLLECTIVES BY JO NICHOLS (Adult Cozy Mystery) (340 pages) (4.25⭐️)

Shortly after ex-con Anthony moves into the tightknit community of Marigold Cottages, a dead man is found on the property and he is arrested for it. When the beloved landlady Mrs. B takes the blame, the other residents (Lily-Ann, Sophie, Hamilton, Nicholas, and Ocean) must work together to solve the crime and free her. Despite there being quite a few to juggle, almost all of the characters are very well developed and likable. I really thought I had the murder solved, but the final reveal shocked me! This is a very good start to a cozy mystery series – I already preordered the upcoming sequel.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8184545832

6) MOTHER-DAUGHTER MURDER NIGHT BY NINA SIMON (Adult Mystery) (368 pages) (4.5⭐️)

Formidable business woman Lana Rubicon is forced to move to a small coastal town to live with her adult daughter (Beth) and granddaughter (Jack) after being diagnosed with cancer. When a man turns up dead with Jack as a suspect, Lana decides it’s up to her to find the killer and absolve Jack. This book worked for me because it was a combination of two things I like; a murder mystery and a family drama. Lana was an admirable female character, though she was also undoubtedly a terrible mother. In spite of the title, there was a lot more grandmother-granddaughter bonding than there was mother-daughter.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8290206347

7) ALCHEMY OF SECRETS BY STEPHANIE GARBER (Adult Fantasy) (322 pages) (3.5⭐️)

Holland St. James is informed that she is going to die at midnight tomorrow unless she finds the mythical Alchemical Heart. This is Garber’s adult and urban fantasy debut after two uber successful YA romantasy trilogies. I am a fan of her YA series which is why I rated this book as I did. This book feels like Garber was trying to replicate her YA plots and characters but in a different setting. I was absolutely entertained the entire time I was reading – I enjoyed how it walked the line of being a mystery/thriller in addition to fantasy and how none of the characters were who they at first seemed. However, I wish Garber had left her comfort zone to deliver a story that was more of a departure from her past ones.

FULL REVIEW: Coming soon to the blog!

TOTAL PAGES READ: 2,645

AVG. BOOK LENGTH: 377.86 pages

AVG. RATING: 4.18⭐️