I purchased all the books in this post
So, in February I read 8 books with a mix of genres from true crime to YA horror. I love most genres, and I really want to keep my reads diversified this year! Also, I've been trying to read a mix of old and new books, and this month I'm right down the middle which is perfect!
I read 4 physical books and listened to 4 audiobooks. Here's a quick look at all the books I read in the past month:
The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland ~ ☆☆☆☆½ - 4.5 stars. This is a young adult magical realism horror all about witches (for me this wasn't just YA if you like dark books, I think this would be great!) We have a lot going on, but kept me hooked the whole time. Each of our three characters is quite distinct - one has cursed herself beyond repair and is searching high and low for a witch to help save her, one is mourning the loss of her sister and will stop at nothing to learn a spell to raise her from the dead, and our third is a curse-writer who a serial killer appears to be hunting down the woman she's given spells to. They all come together trying to solve the crimes while each with their own story and path. There were a few conveniences to help the plot along but I just thought everything was so good! There is a lot of body horror in this book so if you are squeamish, you may have a hard time with that and it's kind of theme throughout the whole book - I don't love gore and it wasn't too much for me, it added to the setting and the vibes of this book!
Threads The Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou ~ ☆☆☆ - 3 stars. This is a YA Fantasy that was based around three sisters with powers descended from Greek Fates and our main character has the ability to cut people's threads. I wanted to love this - it gave the impression with the three sisters with greek god blood that it was going to have this Greek vibe through it, and some setting was briefly mentioned but it didn't really get the setting done for me. I loved their powers, but wanted to see more and our main character made some really awful snap decisions that just made it all not work well for me. I think I will read the follow up to see where this goes still.
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young ~ ☆☆☆½ - 3.5 stars. This is an adult magical realism that is set around our main character and her family has a curse. I really love Adrienne Young's writing so I will pick up all of her books and I love this dive in to adult magical realism. What worked for me was the setting and the character connections, but I did think the plot took a little bit to get going and honestly, I think I just found myself confused for too long and then I didn't really understand the explanation, so I just didn't get lol - might be a me problem and not a book problem!
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote ~ ☆☆☆☆ - 4 stars. This is the OG of True Crime novels and it was written back in 1959 - I'm happy to have read this and it's referenced so much! It is older so some of the wording and language was a little outdated but a really detailed, well researched book that provided a fulsome picture of this crime and the time that followed!
Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Illustrated by Lisa Sterle ~ ☆☆☆☆ - 4 stars. This is a YA fantasy graphic novel. This was a quick easy read - loved the art style and colour of this graphic novel. This focuses on a group of friends in high school who also happen to be werewolves and prey on guys that try and take advantage of girls until things don't go as planned!
God Loves Hair by Vivek Shraya ~ ☆☆☆ - 3 stars. This is a non-fiction book of short stories about adolescence, self-discovery and being different. These were really short tidbits though and I like a little more detail!
After The Forest by Kell Woods ~ ☆☆☆☆½ - 4.5 stars. This is an adult fantasy/fairytale retelling. This was a Hansel and Gretel "retelling" but set 15 years or so in the future when Hans is squandering the family money and Greta is baking some magical gingerbread to keep their family afloat. While the village folks are starting to question if she is a witch and the ruling people are looking to collect more money, Greta isn't sure what she should do. There are also dangerous creatures lurking around - wolves and bears in the forest nearby and the lines are blurred on what is good and evil. I loved the twists, the sentient book, the magic types, the potential romance. This focused very much in the beginning of characters and ambience and the plot really picked up in the second half and I enjoyed it!
I also read the big Illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with my little guy, so that's my eighth book!
March was overall a pretty good reading month - mostly good reads for me this month!
Here's a little refresh of my rating system:
5 Stars: Excellent/Fantastic/Amazing Read
4.5 Stars: Really Great Read
4 Stars: Great Read
3.5 Stars: Really Good Book
3 Stars: Good Book
2.5 Stars: Eh, It was Okay Read
2 Stars: Finished it, but Didn't Enjoy It
1.5 Stars: Not Good at All
1 Star: DNF (Did Not Finish)
What was the best book you read this month?! For me, it had to be The Invocations!
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