January 2025 Round-Up and February TBR
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Books Read: 6
Pages Read: 2,932
Average Book Length: 414 pages
Average Time to Finish: 4 days
Average Rating: 3.88
Top Genre: Fantasy
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Amina Al-Sirafi #1
Genre: Fantasy/Historical
Setting: 12th Cen. Middle East
Pages: 483
Format: Hardcover / Audiobook
Amina Al-Sirafi has not been a pirate captain of the Indian Oceans in ten years, retiring to a life of motherhood and doing her best to live piously. When a wealthy visitor offers Amina life-changing riches in return for the rescue of their kidnapped granddaughter, Amina, motivated by getting her family out of poverty, gathers her former crewmates, begs God for forgiveness, and sets sail one last time on an adventure full of djinns, sea monsters, and... humanoid celestial birds?
This was such a great book to start the year with. I was blown away when I read Chakraborty's Daevabad Trilogy, and with this I am still caught in that wind! The writing was funny and smart; full of intense and heartfelt moments, levelled with plenty of wacky ones. It was refreshing to read a fantasy about a woman who is over the age of twenty-eight (very specific age, but somehow the cap for a female fantasy character); her struggles with her past and how she is navigating motherhood in light of that is a narrative I do not read often in this genre. The side characters were insanely lovable and the third act was kind of ridiculous in an incredibly artful way.
I must give the audiobook narrators their flowers!💐 I don't usually listen to audiobooks because I am a little picky about their voices, but I really needed to get some house cleaning done so I had put this on and wow! It's written as though Amina were telling her story to a scribe; every so often we would hear their conversations and the scribe would sprinkle stories for context between chapters. Listening to the audiobook made me feel like I was in that room with them, listening as the scribe writes. It really elevated the experience!
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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The Echo Archives #1
Genre: Sci-Fi/Mystery
Setting: Alternate Dimensions
Pages: 384
Format: Kindle
Locked room mystery, taking place over multiple dimensions at a mansion New Years Eve party. Agent Kembral is having a fun night out for the first time since giving birth to her baby. She is only a few weeks into her maternity leave and she is not working tonight! (She ends up working that night. Without pay smh.) With help from rival agent Rika, they re-live the last hour of the year through multiple dimensions in order to save the city. Think Groundhog Day meets Inception.
This made me feel like I was playing those Nancy Drew video games. The mystery was puzzle-like, full of twists and quirky characters, but also a little repetitive. It's the nature of the narrative, but by the sixth echo I thought, where is this going? Yet, the fast pace, campy plot, and sapphic pining kept me engaged and made this a fun read until the last clock strike. Rika Nonesuch was a very cool character, and Kembral's new mother thoughts were a bit too close to those I have of my cat, so I guess I could kind of relate to her a lot in that way 😽
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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The Burning Kingdoms Trilogy #3
Genre: Fantasy
World Inspired By: India/Indian Epics
Pages: 528
Format: Paperback
This is the final book in The Burning Kingdoms Trilogy, and it was bittersweet for this to have come to an end. In The Jasmine Throne, we are introduced to two women of opposing kingdoms: Priya, who was raised in the Temple of the Yaksa water gods to be a warrior, and Malini, princess of the Empire and follower of the Mother of Flames. Throughout the series we see how these two women are struggling between loyalty to their country and faith, and their loyalty to each other.
I am actually emotional just trying to write this, I loved it so much! I only introduced our two main heroines, but there were fields of well-developed characters and points of views that bloomed this deeply intricate story of politics, religion, sacrifice, and love. Each character was thoroughly developed and made choices I both agreed and disagreed with. I grew so attached to each of them, especially Malini; her relationship with Priya was heartwarming and written so profoundly sweet and gorgeous and complicated and made me cry many times because I'm a SUCKER! Frodo and Samwise ass girls. The atmosphere was written lush and lyrical, adding blush to an otherwise macabre backdrop. This was a perfect ending to a trilogy that I will be returning to many, many times.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Genre: YA Historical Romcom
Setting: Medieval England
Pages: 392
Format: Kindle
Robin Hood's granddaughter, Mariel, is feeling the pressure to live up to his legacy now that she has been promoted captain of the Merry Men. With Robin Hood's retirement, we see they're no longer so merry when they kidnap healer-apprentice Clem. The Merry Men discover Clem is not like any kidnappee; with her golden retriever personality, she quickly finds herself a part of the crew.
I became a fan of Croucher's wit when I read Gwen & Art Are Not In Love last year. YA romance is not a genre I read a lot (I do not want to read about teenagers lol), but as a BBC's Merlin enjoyer, I was compelled by a queer take on the King Arthur legend; the sweet yearning, funny dialogue, and lovable characters made it a 5 star read. This one did not work as well for me personally. I did not enjoy the military take on the Merry Men, and sometimes I thought we were focusing too much on the plot! I know that's crazy to say, but I was often wondering where is the rom to this com? Seventeen year-old Mariel's struggles with perfectionism and dealing with two shitty parents makes this girl breathe out world-weary sighs I didn't even see until I was thirty. This would often make her attitude toward love interest Clem a little harsh and their relationship off-balance to me; sometimes it really seemed as though Mariel hated her! I did, however, like her development a lot; it was nice to see her soften and supported by her friends throughout the story, which is why I think I would recommend this to those more suited for the younger age category.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
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The Divine Dancers #1
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
World Inspired By: Hindu Mythology
Pages 368
Format: Kindle
Meneka is a celestial dancer and warrior of Lord Indra, king of heaven, known as an aspara. She is sent on missions to the mortal realm to seduce any who may oppose him, and once they’ve succeeded, Indra grants a wish. Meneka's wish is to be free from these missions, but a costly wish cannot be granted so easily. Lord Indra sends her on one last assignment: seduce Kaushika, a mortal sage whose magic is growing stronger and threatens Lord Indra's power. As Meneka grows closer to Kaushika and his followers, she finds herself torn between what she has always known and what she is learning, and she has to ask herself: who is seducing who?
Romantasies often dance the line between ridiculous and ridiculously fun, and this, I'm happy to say, was the latter. Hindu mythology was not something I was very familiar with prior to reading this, but Rao effortlessly wove in lore in a way that was easy to follow and did not distract from the storytelling. This world was vibrant and felt as colorful as the cover suggests. Our heroine Meneka was not perfect, but I liked how real her internal battles felt, yet she was able to remain idealistic and resilient. Although, to me, it was pretty obvious near the half-way mark that maybe Meneka should just take things into her own hands and leave both sides in the dust. It was a wonderful surprise when we are introduced early on that Meneka is bisexual, but it was a bummer that both love interests are kind of scary... One is a woman who is thousands of years old and has been her guardian since she was fifteen, and the other is a man whose sincere attempts at helping is just turning him into a morbid megalomaniac. I would have chosen the bear, but we will see what happens in part two.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Currently Reading:
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Roots of Chaos #1
Started: 1/26
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 823
Format: Kindle
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February Hopefuls
- The Antlered King (Raven's Trade Duology #2) by Marianne Gordon - I am soooooo psyched that I received an ARC for this!! The Gilded Crown was an emo folk tale and hidden gem. Rolling up my sleeves to defend Sullivain at all costs.
- Faebound (Faebound #1) by Saara El-Arifi - This was my favorite book of 2024 and I'm giggling and kicking my feet in anticipation of rereading this because my next read will be
- Cursebound (Faebound #2) by Saara El-Arifi - 2/18 pleasssseeeeee get here quickly because I'm so excited. Faebound was a refreshing take on the romantasy genre and El-Arifi has proven herself to be my favorite author between this and The Ending Fire Trilogy.
- Brewed With Love by Shelly Page - This one is a bit unusual for me because I do not read contemporary, especially not contemporary YA romance. The premise is cute and cozy; I mean, it's sapphic witches saving an apothecary! It's practically begging me to curl up on the couch in my jammies, book & hot tea in hand.
- Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde #3) by Heather Fawcett - my sweet fairy prince Bambleby I miss you so much
- The Night is Defying (The Stars Are Dying #2) by Chloe C. Peñeranda - I read the first book back when my goal was to have fun and be a hater. That is also why I'm picking up the second book.
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