February 2021 | What I’ve been reading
February was definitely a quantity month in terms of book reading, though perhaps a little lacking in the quality front. Although I did manage to squeeze in my most anticipated read of the year in, and absolutely loved it.
I’ve been making the most out of Kindle 99p deals and have a staggering collection now. I also started a buddy read with my friend Kat from @familyof5life of the Throne of Glass series, seeing us read 50 pages a day. It has been a really lovely experience getting to talk about books everyday or so and sharing thoughts on the series, even if I have read the books before. Going back over them has been a joy.
So here’s the nine books I read in February.
1 | The Viscount Who Loved Me | Julia Quinn
4/5 stars | The second book in the now infamous Bridgerton book series. I got it for 99p on Kindle and just could not resist seeing how the books compared to the Netflix series.
This book follows Anthony Bridgerton and his story in finding a wife. It’s a fairly predictable romance novel to be honest but it is a pleasant read with enough happening to keep you engaged and interested to the inevitable end. I really enjoyed the character development and back story of Anthony, as well as Kate Sheffield, who is the other main character of the story. I particularly enjoyed the Pall Mall game and the character relationships with other family members. The Epilogue’s at the end, truly had me grinning ear to ear and really made the story for me.
2 | Throne of Glass | Sarah J Maas
4.5/5 stars | This is a reread for me, and a buddy read with Kat from @familyof5life. With hindsight this book isn’t quite as good as some of the other books in the series though is an great starting point and still remains a good read with lots of action and suspense.
Caelena Sardothien, the assassin, has been taken in by the Crown Prince as his entrant to the King’s Champion competition. But can she win back her freedom?
Of course it is slightly predictable, but it is an excellent journey to the end, and Caelena is a wonderful charismatic main character with lots of wit.
3 | Romancing Mr Bridgerton | Julia Quinn
3/5 stars | The fourth book in the Bridgerton series, following Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington. I have to admit, I just didn’t love this book as much as the previous story I read. It’s a shame, as I really liked Colin in the last book, and in the Netflix series, but he’s mostly angry and unlikeable in this book which ruins a lot of the romance.
If you’ve seen the series, you’ll know more about Penelope, which ones sort of remove some of the excitement from this book, although that isn’t the fault of the book. The plot is reasonably good with the ending redeeming Colin somewhat.
I did enjoy many of the conversations however,band found Hyacinth a very fun character.
4 | The Silent Patient | Alex Michaelides
2/5 stars | This is a very hyped book which is what lead me to purchasing when I saw it in the Kindle Deals store for 99p. But like Blood Orange, for me, this missed the mark. I just didn’t get the hype.
This book is told from dual perspectives, the main character Theo, a pyshotherapist, and the diary of his patient Alicia who killed her husband. The premise is good and original and I quite enjoyed the format with the diary entries. There’s plenty of suspense building which was enough to get me through the book but I didn’t like it relate to any of the characters particularly, and I’m super fed up of everyone cheating on each other in thrillers as a reason for stupid or harmful behaviour.
The ending is where the reviews all rave. But I felt it was a bit predictable and although a fine ending, not as amazing as I was lead to believe. Perhaps I’ve just read too much fantasy where the endings have a bigger bang.
5 | Crown of Midnight | Sarah J Maas
4.5/5 stars | Second reread and second part of my buddy read. I really enjoyed seeing the characters of this book adapt, develop and change, especially from the last book in this series, and comparing against how I know it all ends. I loved Chaol and Dorian individually, though I think it’s a shame that they are so divided by their feelings for Celaena.
Of course the cliffhanger ending is what really makes this book and forces you into the next.
6 | The Quantum Curators and the Faberge Egg | Eva St John
3.5/5 stars | I found this on Prime Reading a we’ve now set up Amazon Household. A bit of a lighter read, and honestly I mostly picked it because I liked the cover. In all honesty it’s really quite a decent book with a unique plot and story.
There are two earth’s, alpha and beta, with parallel timelines but very different worlds of technology and history. Alpha Earth collects antiquities from Beta Earth using Quantum Curators to travel between the world’s and collect the artefacts before they become lost.
The plot follows the QC’s and their quest for a missing Faberge egg. It’s a clever plot with plenty of twists on both Earth’s. The character’s are likeable enough but not as focused on them as to make them truly lovable.
The cliffhanger ending is very good. Almost feels mean to be honest as there is still a good few loose ends that need to be tied up and answered and book two isn’t currently on Prime Reading. I am on the border of just purchasing the sequel which I think speaks for itself and the book quality.
7 | Children of Virtue and Vengeance | Tomi Adeyemi
4/5 stars | This is part two of the Legacy of Orisha series. I loved Book 1 in 2020 so was excited for the second part of the story. I really wanted to love this book, but the first half of it was a bit of a slog.
It was much slower paced with a lot of difficult relationship conflicts to navigate that mostly left me annoyed with the characters. A clash of stubbornness made for a few arguments and actions that really put me off Zelie and Amari.
The second half however redeemed the character traits with some amazingly unique magic systems and powerful plot points. It was action packed and much faster paced.
As the middle book of the series, it inevitably finished on a cliffhanger which has definitely left me wanting more, particularly with much if the protagonists conflicts between themselves now resolved.
8 | Heir of Fire | Sarah J Maas
4.5/5 stars | A reread as part of my series buddy read. I have to admit, I didn’t love this book so much on first reading it, but I’ve actually rated it better second time around.
Celaena is still very self pitying, but with hindsight it makes sense and contributes to her later story. She improves a lot and her a rooms later make her a well developed character. The introduction of Rowan is probably the highlight of this book. I also really loved reading back through the early story of Manon who is a great character but as this book isn’t about ruining the future books it’s easy to dismiss her parts as boring and filler.
I know this book is generally accepted as a bit of a full book in the series but I think it’s quite a pivotal book and is the first step into the more complex novels to come.
9 | A Court of Silver Flames | Sarah J Maas
5/5 stars | The next book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series, and my most anticipated read of the year. It is a massive book at over 750 pages, plus I was given the Waterstones edition with an extra bonus chapter.
This was a book and a half, and left me with a slight book hangover, and so far is my favourite book of the year.
Stepping away from Feyre, this book is a split perspective between Nesta and Cassian. It follows on some months after the A Court of Frost and Starlight book, where Nesta is struggling with the trauma from the war, being put in the cauldron and losing her father.
It is a deep thought provoking book, considering the darker side of trauma and mental health. There’s sisterhood and the building of strength and bonds. The mending of relationships and the wrecking through self sabotage. I loved the Valkyrie references and the Dread Trove for the new magical elements.
Nesta is both dislikable and earns much empathy. Cassian is just perfect to be honest. The new characters Emerie and Gwyn are beautiful and heart warming, and their growing friendship had me laughing and crying in equal measure.
This book is definitely a step up in the adult romance genre, with a lot of intimate scenes, which Sarah J Maas is becoming increasingly famous for. Personally they were well written and enjoyable, but not always hugely necessary to the plot which I preferred.
Without ruining the plot, it has predictable moments but in all the right ways, and I still wept my eyes out on three separate occasions.
I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series which I think will focus on Elain.
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