Hello, friends!
February flew by for me this year, perhaps because it was so short? Either way, I can’t believe today is the first day of March. I am ready for this winter to be over!
I read 15 (!) books in February, which is honestly shocking to me. I am very proud of my reading month, and think 15 books is a pretty substantial amount considering how short this month is. So, let’s dive into the wrap up!
Stats
5 stars: 2 books
4.5 stars: 1 book
4 stars: 3 books
3.5 stars: 2 books
3 stars: 4 books
No rating: 3 books
Physical Books: 5 books
E-books: 4 books
Audiobooks: 6 books
In the order I read the books:
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson / 3.5 stars- This was a re-read for me, as I read it in high school and absolutely hated it. I was fully expecting to hate this book just as much now, but was pleasantly surprised that I somewhat enjoyed it. I remember the language being super difficult for me to understand in high school, but now that I have read so much 19th century British literature it didn’t even phase me. Overall, re-reading this definitely gave me a new appreciation for the book!
Dear Justyce by Nic Stone / 4 stars- I wish I would have had the physical book available, but unfortunately I only had the audiobook, which didn’t mesh with me as well. While I did enjoy this story, I still think I liked Dear Martin better!
A Match Made in Mehendi by Nandini Bajpai / 3 stars- This book has been on my TBR for ages, so I finally decided to pick it up. While I think I would have eaten this up while I was in high school or even just a few years younger, I just didn’t necessarily care about all the teenage drama going on. However, I loved the Desi culture interspersed throughout!
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee / 3 stars- This is another book I think I would have liked a lot more if I had the physical book available for me. While I think the Asian representation during this time period was very fascinating, there were a lot of characters to keep up with and lots of drama that felt unnecessary, so I got a little bit lost.
The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1 by Kaiu Shirai / no rating- I’m still figuring out how to rate graphic novels, hence the no rating! Nonetheless, I really liked this even though it was not at all what I was expecting. The story left off in a very interesting place so I am hoping to continue with this series!
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn / 3 stars- I, too, have fallen prey to The Bridgerton hype. This is the first Regency Romance I have ever read, and I’m not sure if the genre isn’t for me or if I just didn’t like this book. I found Daphne quite annoying throughout the novel and there was a *very* questionable scene that made me super uncomfortable. I won’t be continuing this series, but I would like to try more Regency Romance in the future.
We Want Our Bodies Back by Jessica Care Moore / no rating- Poetry is something I am just now getting into, so I am unsure how to rate it still. While a lot of these poems went straight over my head, there were also a quite a few that really stood out to me.
The Art of Perspective by Christopher Castellani / no rating- This is a book I read for class, so I don’t have a whole lot of feelings on it. I’m not the biggest fan of books that tell someone how to write and had a hard time focusing on this one because it was so dense.
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas / 4 stars- This is an ARC I received via NetGalley, and I absolutely loved it! This Peter Pan retelling follows adult Wendy after her brothers have mysteriously disappeared. This is going to make a big splash when it comes out, because it was just so good!
A Dance of Silver and Shadow by Melanie Cellier / 3.5 stars- I went into this fully expecting to love it, but was just a little bit let down. This is a 12 Dancing Princesses retelling, and while I really liked the way the author made this story her own, it felt a bit tropey at times and I didn’t feel much of a connection to the main character or the love interest.
The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill / 5 stars- So when I said I don’t rate graphic novels, that did not apply to this one because it was the cutest thing I’ve ever read. The artwork in this book is absolutely stunning and so whimsical. The found family vibes in this book are strong and I am here for it. Can’t wait to read the next one!
(Also the characters are literally doing sign language in this book? How cool is that!)
Black Enough by Various Authors / 5 stars- This is the first anthology I’ve ever read, and I absolutely loved it! This is a collection of short stories by various Black YA authors about their experience growing up. There was not a single story in here I disliked, and I learned so much while reading this. Definitely my favorite book of the month!
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler / 3 stars- This is another book I read for class, and while I didn’t hate it, it just wasn’t really for me. I haven’t gotten into literary fiction much so this was just not something I would normally read. However, it was a quick book and definitely a unique story!
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko / 4 stars- I loved this one so much! The world the author has created in this book is so complex, with so many different layers and characters. The culture in this book was so beautiful and captivating. I’m so excited for Redemptor to come out later this year!
A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair / 4.5 stars – WOW…. this book. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this was definitely not it! This was such a fun, modern day take on Hades and Persephone. While this is not subjectively the greatest book ever written, it was just straight up addictive and I ate it right up. Can’t wait to read the sequel soon!
If you made it to the end, congrats! Leave your reading wrap ups in the comments below!
The Journeying Bibliophile 