February tried to kill me. It viciously attacked me with a case of the flu. I have never had the flu before, and I thoroughly hope to never have it again. No, really, never again. I couldn’t walk, eat, or breathe without severe pain. I felt like death warmed over for more than a week. I am finally back at work, and you can tell I have been gone. Insert exaggerated eye roll here. Now that you know how terribly February treated me, let’s get on to the good stuff.
Did I finish it, did I not?
My “please read me, I’m begging you” read: A Court of Wings and Ruin
Why haven’t I finished this? No idea; I have no valid excuse. This is ridiculous, but I swear I will be finishing this book in March!
My non-fiction read: ADHD for Smart Ass Women
Unfortunately, I didn’t touch this one in February. I’m going to come back to it; I just haven’t been there mentally.
My audiobook read: Ready Player One
I made some progress on this one! Again, it’s my walking to work read, so I only listen to it for about fifteen to twenty minutes about three or so days a week. I did manage to sneak in some listening time while dying in bed. Even so, I really should be farther than I am. I am still enjoying it, even if my husband doesn’t believe me.
My wonderling’s bedtime read: The Broken Hearts Club
Wah! I want to cry. This is so cute, but my little one hasn’t wanted a bedtime story lately, so we haven’t made much progress. And it was just getting good when we left off.
My “I want this to make me cry” read: You’ve Reached Sam
I am about halfway through this and I promise you I have cried during each session. This book is going to break my heart when I finally finish it.
My YA fantasy read: Violet Made of Thorns
I made it to chapter two… Why did I start this? I have no clue. Probably because I was too lazy to bring ACOWAR to work, and this was pretty.
My buddy read: Where the Dark Stands Still
I have missed buddy reading with Tae and Adds so much that I essentially got down on my knees and begged them to read with me. Addie broke my heart and turned me down, but she made it up to me by attempting to flirt back. Taylor, on the other hand, has agreed to read with me, even if it is only a chapter a month.
Okay, these I finished!
My “wow, this feels like Brothers Grimm” read: After the Forest
Date read: February 4th, 2024- February 10th, 2024
5 ★
This was so gritty and murky and dark. It tugged and twisted me. It enthralled and compelled me. It felt like a blend of so many of my favorite fairy tales while being completely unique and fun. The characters were so vibrant and distinct, with voices and flaws that were so believable that were it not for the magic, you could swear they were real. The love story involved was tender and complicated but not overbearing. Greta, our main character, was easy to love and root for. You just wanted her to be happy and for the men in her life to get off her case. I would happily read another book by this author.
My “I don’t know what I’m doing, guess I’ll read this” read: Rhapsodic
Date Read: February 12th, 2024- February 14th, 2024
2.5★
Okay, I have no idea why this series got so hyped up. It was basic at best and lackluster at worst. It’s supposed to be this intense high fantasy romance but modern-day. I’m sorry, Laura, but SJM did it better. I was not truly invested and kept hoping it would get better the farther I got, but it just stayed… meh. I considered starting the second one and even got maybe 15% into it when I talked myself out of it. My coworker Stephen lets me rant at him randomly about my reads, and I was in full-on rant mode about this book. He asked me one simple question, “Are you going to DNF it?” and it hit me; yes, I was. He saved me from dragging myself through three more books that I couldn’t care less about finishing. Maybe one day in the future, I will change my mind, but I doubt it.
My horror read: Tell Me I’m Worthless
Dated read:February 11th, 2024- February 12th, 2024
DNF
Yeah, I just could not get into the writing on this one. It made my brain feel like it was melting.
My “I’m reading this because it’s pretty” read: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Date Read: January 21st, 2024- February 2nd, 2024
4★
Vampires! I love a good vampire story, and this one was great. I mean, starting a book with a girl waking up in a bathtub in a house full of dead bodies? I was obviously hooked from the start. This book felt like a ride in angsty, bloody, insanity-fueled chaos, and I adored it. The friendship. The family bonds. The romance. The bloodshed! I loved it all. And to be honest, if vampirism were to truly be a thing, I could see the dystopian vibes of this book becoming our reality. Enforced curfews, vampires as reality television, and kids running away because being a vampire is glamorous and cool. And a rising death count across the globe. I could see it all, and that is what made this book so delicious.
My “well, that last series was a bust” read: The Never King, The Dark One, Their Vicious Darling, & The Fae Princes
Date Read: February 20th, 2024- February 26th, 2024
3★
Okay, I apparently have to have at least one pornographic series going at all times. This one was fantasy porn, with a teeny tiny bit of a retelling sprinkled in. A Peter Pan retelling specifically. And it was a solid three-star series from start to finish. There was a moment in book three where I was questioning if the author had gone off her rocker. Incest is a hard pass for me, as it is for most people, I would assume. There was a moment when I thought it may have happened. Turns out the author just did a shitty job of mapping out what happened between several of the characters in the past. But for a moment, she had me sweating it. If it hadn’t been explained I would have DNF’d this series so hard my head would spin. Other than that, I was entertained.
I didn’t make it to these…
My “I’m obsessed with this author” read: Dark Restraint
My ARC read: The Hemlock Queen
My retelling read: Beauty Reborn
And I won’t be getting to them in March. I have decided that March is my “finish them” month. I am going to finish all the books I started in the last two months before I start anything new. Now, let’s see how well I keep that promise.
What are you reading in March? What were your favorite February reads? Tell me in the comments below.
Until the next page,
Dani