March 2020 Reading Wrap Up

Hey, guys!

March was such a stressful month -- and of course, I put all of my stress into reading and escaping the situation. 

I had a good month of reading. The good books outweighed the bad. I had a good time when I read this month. 

What did you read this month? Are you quarantined? How are you all? 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Obsideo by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman

4.25 stars

This was such a wonderful and thrilling conclusion to the Illuminae Chronicles. I adored the audiobook production. It was the perfect mixture of fantastic voice acting, imaginative and insanely wonderful sound effects, and a phenomenal story. There were so many moments where this finale could be potentially ruined, but Jay and Amie really blew this one out of the water. Oh my goodness, AIDEN's parts were so captivating and I couldn't stop second-guessing every situation. 

Paula Spencer by Roddy Doyle

3 stars

Read for my Women and Literature class.

I really have a like-hate relationship with this book. I really enjoyed how this book dealt with addiction and the pursuit of sobriety, however, I really did not enjoy actually reading this book. I didn't like Paula much at all and this book hit too close to home. I was just sad throughout it.

Restore Me, Shadow Me, Defy Me, and Reveal Me by Tahereh Mafi

(all) 3 stars

Right before this entire enforced quarantine started, I decided that I wanted to listen to the second half of the Shatter Me series --finally. 

Unfortunately, these were just not as good as the first three books. It just felt like the writing has just not lived up to my expectations. Shatter Me, Reveal Me, and Ignite Me were just so fantastic, but these were just a letdown. There were so many moments that I genuinely enjoyed. I really am interested in reading the finale to the series, but I don't have high hopes for the character development, the world-building, or the writing. 

The writing just wasn't on par compared to the previous books. They didn't seem like complete drafts.

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas 

5 stars

This was by far the most phenomenal books I've ever read. It is, by far, my favorite read of the 40 that I've read this year.  Ugh, Sarah has done it again!

I'm so obsessed with the characters, the world that she's created, the slow-burn romance that developed, and the unputdownable story. I didn't want to put this book down. I would read a few chapters a day and force myself to put it down so that I could make it last longer. I desperately want the next book. This is everything I could have hoped for. I will re-reading this before the year is up. 

You absolutely need to pick this book up.

 

Highland Conquest by Heather McCollum 

1.5 star

Thank you Entangled Teen for the e-copy. 

This was such a let down of a read. I have a full review here:

{click here}

Once Upon An Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices 

edited by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed

4 stars

Thank you Amulet Books for the review copy and thank you Goodreads for hosting the giveaway. 

This was such a wonderful anthology. I've been far too uninformed about Eid, but now I'm a little bit more aware of what goes on. I absolutely adored this insight into so many family traditions. I'm so glad that I read this book because I've easily found so many authors that I adore. This was such a great way to get a "taste" of so many authors that I didn't have the pleasure of reading yet. 

This was flawlessly executed. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

4.75 stars

This was one of my Book of the Month picks. You can pick up yours for $9.99 {here} with code: TAKECARE

Another phenomenal read from Taylor Jenkins Reid. TJR has written such original and interesting novels. I adored that this story followed Evelyn's life and was parallelled with her interviewer's struggle through her divorce. This story was so powerful. It has resonated with me since I finished it. I cannot wait to read more from TJR. I need more of her fiction.  

Well Met by Jen DeLuca 

5 stars

I acquired my copy of this book through Book of the Month! Get your copy for $9.99 {here} with the code: TAKECARE

Another new favorite came from reading this delightful book. I cannot wait for the sequel/companion that follows Stacey, a side character we met in Well Met.

My full review can be found here: {click here}

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore 

4.75 stars

I'm not usually one who enjoys historical romance. They're usually just so unrealistic or much too mindless for me to enjoy. I love a romance novel where the couple genuinely appreciates each other. Usually, I cannot stand the female lead or the male lead -- the dialogue is cheesy, the chemistry seems forced or gross, and/or it's just written badly. 

This book -- oh my goodness this book -- was so beautifully done. Evie Dunmore is a new favorite that I cannot get enough of. Although the beginning was a little slow (that's why it isn't 5 stars), the characters were so delightful. I adored Annabelle and Sebastian's romance. It was a perfect sort of hate-to-love and enemies-to-lovers situation. Their angst and drama were perfectly backed by nineteenth-century customs and the early suffragist movement. The way that Evie Dunmore wove the history behind the women's rights movement into the story was so flawlessly done. 

This was a fantastic read.

You can also pick up a copy of this book for $9.99 through Book of the Month with the code TAKECARE through {this link}.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas 

 

5 stars

If you're new to my blog, FYI, I'm obsessed with Sarah J. Maas. The ACOTAR series is my favorite of hers. I had the pleasure of joining a group of my Instagram ladies and reading ACOTAR again. I picked up my paperback edition and annotated it during this reread. If anything, this reread just confirmed how much I love SJM and how much I adore Feyre's character. 

I cannot wait to continue my reread with ACOMAF. It's my favorite of the series. My English major brain loves to analyze and critically examine this story. I love it so much.

Anna K by Jenny Lee 

2 stars

This book initially piqued my interest, but as I got about 50% through, it just became a chore to get through. This felt 200 pages too long. I really enjoyed part of what I read, but I was so bored. This just wasn't for me. This has been compared to Gossip Girl and other gossip/angsty shows that I know I cannot stand. I should have known better, but I was hoping for more since it was an Anna Karenina retelling. To be honest, I've only seen the movie (I'm not reading an 800+ Russian tome) and even then I didn't like it. I was hoping to get some modern insight into the lessons from the book. Overall, I wasn't a fan.

Total Pages Read: 5, 275

Total Number of Books Read: 14

Average Rating: 3.61 stars

Genres:

YA Cont/Romance: 1

Adult Cont/Romance: 5

Adult Fantasy: 1

YA Fantasy: 6

Middle Grade: 1

Format:

Audio: 5

e-Format: 3

Physical: 7

Happy reading:
Olivia
~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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