Even the best intentions may get lost along the way. I had the idea to start a book blog at the end of 2023, but kept putting it off. I didn’t want it to feel like a chore and I was afraid of people reading it. Because of that, there are books I have read at the beginning of 2024 that deserve to be discussed. So let me go grab the ones I read in January and February.

**I scour the shelves for my January and February reads. They sit on the tall bookshelf beside my chair and have been slowly filling up after years of collecting books, with some hidden behind others, or some resting on top. I find each book in order and stack them high in my arms. I bring them back to the low resting table and gently place them down. I keep them in two piles: January reads and February reads. Now, we can discuss them.**

This first book I read this year is one that I won’t talk too long about, since it is one that I wrote a review on, which will be my next post. The first book I read was Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. This book is an adult fantasy that follows 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail, who is entering the rider’s quadrant of Basgiath War College. I was very surprised by this book and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It was never dull and the characters were all ones that I very much enjoyed reading about, including the dragons. I think that the story was unique and it kept my attention the entire time I was reading, making me want to read more. If you are interested in more of my thoughts and my rating, you should check out my upcoming review!

The next book I read in January was The War Widow by Tara Moss. This is an adult historical fiction set in the 1940s following private investigator Billie Walker. Walker is presented with a missing person’s case and is hot on the trail to solving it. I ended up only giving this book 2/5 stars. I picked this one up at my public library as a free book during their summer reading challenge and thought it could be interesting. Something that really bothered me about this book was the excessive descriptions of everything. Every room, outfit, etc was described in this book, and it was described multiple times, like the lipstick she wore (Fighting Red, if you were wondering). I also felt like this story was not captivating. I never really wanted to pick this up, and only finished it because I had already put a lot of time and effort into it. The pacing was also a bit off putting for me. The story was quite slow until close to the end where we had multiple different plot points coming together. Towards the end, I did start to enjoy the book a bit more, but I don’t think it was enough to make me recommend it or boost my rating. Overall, this was a story that was just not for me.

January was a very slow reading month for me, so this was actually the last book that I read. I finally read The Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken, the final book in the young adult dystopian series The Darkest Minds. I started this series in 2020 and have been really enjoying it. It definitely serves some sort of nostalgia for me, and I always think about this series fondly. This book is one that takes place five years after the end of the original series, so I was kind of nervous about that, but it actually was still really good. I enjoyed being back with these characters and once I got into the story, I was engaged and wanted to see what would happen. I enjoyed the story, the action, and the characters, especially the cameos from the main characters in the other books. It makes me sad that there are no more books in this series, but I am glad for what we have. I highly recommend checking out this series if you haven’t read it yet. The original books follow a dystopian world where kids are dying before turning ten, and if they survive, they gain powers. Ruby is our main protagonist and is stuck in a camp where the kids with powers go, before escaping and meeting other kids. The story is great and the characters are all so endearing. I ended up giving this book 4/5  stars. 

Moving on to my February reads, we start with King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo, the first book in a young adult fantasy duology. I have read a lot of Leigh Bardugo in the last few years: Wonder Woman Warbringer, the Six of Crows duology, the Shadow and Bone series, Ninth House and Hellbent, and the Demon In the Wood graphic novel, and I have enjoyed a majority, so I decided to continue with the Grishaverse. I liked this one while reading but I feel like it’s one of those ones where you like it while reading but don’t think much of it outside of that. This story follows characters we meet throughout the other Grishaverse series and brings up issues from that. I enjoyed this one and I was never bored, but I feel like it wasn’t one that was overly exciting, and while things were happening, it didn’t always feel that way, like the plot was toned down. I still can’t fully put my finger on it. It was still an entertaining read and I will continue to the sequel, but it’s not my favorite by the author, so I settled on a 3.5/5. 

The next read is Not Here to Stay Friends by Kaitlyn Hill. This is a cute YA romance about two friends that end up on the set of a reality dating show. This was a cute read but another that I don’t think of much. I thought that the story was entertaining and the setting was one that was different, and I really enjoyed the fact that the main character was an aspiring screenwriter. I loved getting to read scenes where the main character was talking about her passion. I enjoyed this one and gave it 3.5/5 stars. 

Next up we have another YA romance. It was February so I was in the mood for a lot of cute, fluffy reads. I read Places We’ve Never Been by Kasie West. I have been reading Kasie West for years now and always like to pick up one of her books. They are always super quick to fly through and are entertaining to read. This one is a road trip story of two estranged friends trying to find their way back to each other. Just like the rest of her books, it was a cute, quick read. I have this one at 3/5 stars.

My final read of February was Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Tashikazu Kowaguchi. This is a Japanese translated book set in a cafe where four stories are told of people traveling in time. This is in no way an action packed time travel read, but instead a character driven story. Even still, the story was a very interesting one and I actually enjoyed it. I really enjoyed how thought-out the rules were of this time traveling and found it interesting why each of our characters was traveling. This was a very cozy and atmospheric read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy read. This one was 3/5 stars for me. 

**I stack the final book in the pile to my right, getting them ready to be put back on the shelf.**

These are all of the books I have read in January and February. Feel free to share your own thoughts on them, and stay tuned for my March and April reads, which will be coming soon.

xoxo,

Just another reader