I’m not going to sit here and pretend that March was a magical month. We’ve watched the war in Ukraine escalate as lives are lost, we’ve seen yet another wave of COVID virus mutation make its way through our populations, watched inflation absolutely cripple those already struggling monetarily, and we are all out here just doing our best to not come apart at the seams.

I think my overall feelings are reflected in my reading for the month. I didn’t find joy in much that I read and a lot of my reading just felt like going through the motions. Not every month can be a winner.

Read

King of Scars (King of Scars #1) by Leigh Bardugo – This was the book that wouldn’t end. Yes, it went on and on my friends. But, once I started reading it, I didn’t know what I was getting into and forgot half of the plot line by the end. Honestly, not a whole lot actually happened in this story but that doesn’t mean it didn’t drag on for nearly 600 pages. It was enjoyable enough and I liked spending some time with Nikolai and Zoya but I could absolutely have done without any of the Nina chapters. Those were just painful and not in the fun way. (young adult, fantasy) 3/5

A Hunt of Shadows (A Trial of Sorcerers #2) by Elise Kova – Look, ya’ll. I love Kova’s Air Awakens series and her Married to Magic books bring me joy. Heck, even the first book of this series was good! But this one? Big yikes. The main character became incredibly dull and single minded. She no longer had any depth and there was a massive lack of development in her character. Her whole this was she is angry and is going to do something about it no matters who gets hurt in the process. Her thoughtlessness and incredibly poor decision making made this book really ragey for me and I will openly admit that I skim read the last third of this book. (young adult, fantasy, romance) 2/5

Captured by the Monsters by R.L. Caulder – Often when my reading is feeling a little slumpy, I find myself picking an erotic fantasy or erotic romance to read from Kindle Unlimited. The majority of the time it helps lift me from my reading slump and that is exactly the reason I picked up Captured by the Monsters. Unfortunately, this book was so bad it did not cure the slumpies as it was meant. Ya’ll, I know erotica doesn’t necessarily need a good plot but I would take something akin to entertaining. This was not it. (adult, erotic, fantasy) 2/5

The Case of the Deadly Doppelgänger (Dr. Riberio’s Agency of the Supernatural #2) by Lucy Banks – This series is fun, easy to read mysteries with a supernatural bent and a cast of characters that are quirky and unique. I was quick to get invested with Kester as he learned how to operate within his father’s supernatural agency and began figuring out who he was and wanted to be within those parameters. (adult, supernatural, mystery) 4/5

Only a Monster (Monsters #1) by Vanessa Len – Would you believe that this book came in not one, but two book subscription boxes? This title wasn’t on my TBR before it showed up at my door…twice. I figured the universe was trying to tell my something so I gave it a go. It was…I can’t even say fine. It was borderline horrible. The pacing was scattered and horrific, the lead character was a chore to read and full of shouty drama, the support characters had no substance, and the overall plot was a joke. Hated this book. (young adult, fantasy paranormal, romance) 1.5/5

Hooked (Never After #1) by Emily McIntire – I am very open about enjoying erotic romance from time to time and, unlike Captured by the Monsters, this one was a winner. There are triggers in this book for violence, abuse, murder, and death of a loved one and overall it is rather dark. This title takes themes and concepts from the classic Peter Pan myth and turns it into an erotic romance with an evil Hook as the central character and he is just as horrible as I hoped he would be. (adult, erotic romance) 3/5

The Never King (Vicious Lost Boys #1) by Nikki St. Crowe – I apparently had a mini-theme in March. That theme was erotic Peter Pan/Hook retellings. This one featured a wicked Pan and his equally depraved Lost Boys kidnapping a descendant of Wendy Darling because they believe that only she can return Pan’s shadow. There was a little plot, a little erotic action, and a little bit of violence. I also appreciated how unapologetic this Darling was about her wants and desires. Fun, quick little read for a bit of brainless time. (adult, erotic, romance, fantasy) 4/5

The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout – I absolutely loved this installment in the Blood and Ash series! Poppy coming into her own and figuring out who she is and who she was meant to be, violence, romance, big reveals…oh, I was living reading this! If I had one complaint, and that would just be me nitpicking, I wish we could get old Cas back. I miss the feisty and mischievous Cas, this love sick one is not nearly as fun. (new adult, fantasy, romance) 5/5

I also read From Blood and Ash, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, and The Crown of Gilded Bones this month as part of my Blood and Ash series re-read but I don’t think I need to rehash my thoughts about them again here.

Total Read: 11
Total DNFed: 1

Hauled

• Only a Monster (Monsters #1) by Vanessa Len – OwlCrate (Feb)
• A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft
• A Forgery of Roses by Jennie S. Olson – OwlCrate (March)
• The City of Dusk by Tara Sim
• The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller
• A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Fox Meadow (e-arc)

DNF

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft – This title was one of my most anticipated of 2022 and I had preordered it in December of 2021. When it arrived on the release date in March, I dove right in, anxious to be caught up in the story. Sadly, after attempting two of Saft’s books I think their writing just doesn’t jive with me. The location didn’t spark anything, I didn’t care for the character motivations, and their personalities just didn’t really get their teeth in my either so I DNFed just before the halfway point in the book. I can see this title being well loved by many people, it has the bones for it, but it just wasn’t for me.

Non-Review Posts

• February Wrap Up
• March TBR
• Last 5 Books I Added to my TBR
• WWW Wednesday | March 9
• Cat Markings Book Tag
• Book Spotlight | At Midnight: 15 Beloved Fairytales Reimagined edited by Dahlia Adler
• Last Three Books Added to my TBR
• WWW Wednesday | Mar 23
• Book Spotlight | Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor

Ya’ll, I’m tired. Tired in a way no amount of sleep is going to magically correct. Life just has me feeling really overwhelmed lately. On social media etc we all tend to post our highlights, the best parts of our lives, and leave out the bad stuff. But the bad is still there and there shouldn’t be any shame in talking about it. I think it would make people feel less alone.

So here I am, exhausted and drained, barely able to function through daily necessities. Will it get better? Absolutely, it always does, but in the meantime it is rough and I’m just doing my best.

Please take care of yourselves. We all deserve a little kindness, especially from ourselves to ourselves.

Happy reading 🖤