What happened in January? It’s somehow 2025 now. I turned 40. And, I read seven books.
I blazed through the Holly Black “The Folk of the Air” series in a few days. I picked up Gabrielle Zevin’s “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,” a digital version of which has been sitting around on my iPad gathering dust. Why the heck didn’t I read that sooner?
I also picked up the sequels to a few series that I started back in December. “The Ever Queen” by L.J. Andrews was a disappointment. Way less fun and way more annoying than “The Ever King” unfortunately.
The second and third books in S.A. Chakraborty’s Daevabad Trilogy, on the other hand, were excellent. Ended the month on a high note for me, and I can’t wait to read the full series again.
- “The Cruel Prince” by Holly Black (The Folk of the Air #1) ★★★
- Human children stolen to faerie land face drama as teenagers. Didn’t like the first chapter + narrator is annoying. Dark and tricky faerie world. Grew on me over time. Quick read, and then I bought the next book.
- “The Wicked King” by Holly Black (The Folk of the Air #2) ★★★★
- Peak of the series. Fun and entertaining! Faerie world and characters in it get deeper and more interesting. FMC ends up trapped by her choices, and mistakes have real consequences. Read this in one day.
- “The Queen of Nothing” by Holly Black (The Folk of the Air #3) ★★★
- This book felt rushed. Characters make dumb choices and plot points feel arbitrary. This one put the whole series in the “won’t re-read” category for me.
- “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin ★★★★★
- Everyone told me I should read this. Lived up to the hype. Childhood friends reunite and develop video games, navigate life and loss. Different timelines and points of view interwoven with nerdy game references. Beautifully written.
- “The Ever Queen” by L.J. Andrews (The Ever Seas #2) ★★
- Sexy pirate book #2, way less fun than #1. This one dragged. The stakes felt contrived. The sex felt scheduled. The pet names got so. damn. annoying. Almost a DNF.
- “The Kingdom of Copper” by S.A. Chakraborty (The Daevabad Trilogy #2) ★★★★★
- Five years have passed since book 1. Nahri is flexing her healing powers into real political power. Ali finds new purpose in the desert, and matures into someone that I (reluctantly) had to love. Without giving more away, can I say, I adored this book and will certainly re-read.
- “The Empire of Gold” by S.A. Chakraborty (The Daevabad Trilogy #3) ★★★★★
- Characters and relationships shone through the series. Especially this book. Nahri’s final evolution is beautiful. She shifts from full-on con artist, to reluctant healer, to political mastermind. Everyone gets what they deserve in the end, against all odds. Love, love, love.
- “The River of Silver” by S.A. Chakraborty (Tales from the Daevabad Trilogy) DNF
- I was sad to leave Daevabad, so I picked up this book of short stories. Sadly, scraps and backstories from the books didn’t carry the same magic for me. Quick DNF after the first 2 chapters. Might try to revisit later.