March 2021 Wrap Up

Hello Everyone!

My reading surprised me this month. I was struggling to finish a book at the start of March so seeing that I ended up finishing 5 books made me feel so accomplished! I had my Spring Break this month and I really needed it both for my mental health and for my reading.

So this month, I read 5 books that all adds up to 2,265 pages according to StoryGraph which I think is pretty good.

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett: I continue to find Terry Pratchett’s writing style to be witty and fun to read. I’m finally adjusted to no chapters and I can appreciate the story better now. I really liked Esk as a main character and watching her force other characters to confront their gender stereotypes. I loved to see Esk and Granny interact and learn from one another. Worldbuilding continues to be cool and interesting. I buddy read this with my brother. 4/ 5 stars

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead: I know that I said that cliffhangers were brutal in other books in this series but I literally had to put the book down to breathe because I was so stressed in the last 40 pages. This book showed Sydney and Adrian’s romantic relationship and it was so beautiful. I loved that we got Adrian’s POV this time so we got his thoughts as well as Sydney’s. The open communication, the trust, and the want to get better was so great. Forbidden relationship angst gets to me every time. The slow build to the climax that I didn’t see coming was done well. I am still very attached to the other characters who continued to have relationship drama. I’ve found that non-POV romance Will They- Won’t They works better for me because the hints of the romance that Sydney or Adrian saw was fun for me. I did end up liking how Adrian’s mental health and taking pills was addressed by Mead. I didn’t think it would be done well the first time that it came up but I was proven wrong. I will end this with the fact that I hate the Alchemists as an organization and a vast majority of the people in that organization. 4.5/ 5 stars

Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead: ALL of the content warnings for torture. I was constantly on edge this entire book because it was so hard to read about what Sydney was going through. Sydney was going through torture but she was still tried to reach out and help her fellow prisoners. This showed that Sydney’s moral code is her own and she won’t be beaten down easily. That’s not to say that Sydney was unchanged by her experiences. Adrian had a full relapse when he couldn’t find Sydney and watching him go through that was hard to watch since he was acting like a dick. But Adrian pulled himself together and reached out to people who could help him. Richelle Mead knows how to write endings that make me want to pick up the next book immediately. 4.5/ 5 stars

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead: I think this was a really good ending to this series. I love that Sydney and Adrian get their happily ever after. Adrian choosing to go on medication is never demonized and I love that it was included. Sydney showed off her cleverness and magic abilities. The plot was fast paced and the antagonists were set up in previous books which I liked. I personally feel like the set up from previous books were wrapped up nicely in this one. 5/ 5 stars

The Black Veins by Aisha Monet: It took me some time to become invested in the story but I’ve really enjoyed reading it once I was. The characters snuck their way into my heart and I was so worried about them near the end. I loved to see them grow in each of them. Blythe was such a great main character. I didn’t agree with all of her choices but all of them made logical sense for her to make. So now I’m excitedly waiting until the next book is announced. I buddy read this book with Jessica @ Jessica Favor who you should check out 4/ 5 stars

I really enjoyed all of the books I picked up this month. I also clearly had a lot of feelings about the last couple of books in the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead.

I got my first shot of the COVID vaccine this week which is exciting! Make sure to check out where you live to see if you can get vaccinated.

This month, I became more aware of the strife that the Asian American community has faced both historically and recently. If you also want to learn more, check out Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta for some resources.

How was your reading month? Did you do anything interesting?

Thanks for reading,

♥️Sarah