March 2022 | Wrap-Up

Hello! And welcome to my March 2022 wrap-up featuring The Final Book Support Group and the Orilium: Gear-Up readathon. Below are some small, spoiler-free reviews of the books I read this month along with star ratings. I ended up reading 11 books this month, with a total of 6027 pages. Although that's less books than I normally read, I'm still pleased with the amount I read this month and the quality of the books. I'm also happy I got to a few chonky fantasy series finished as well. So without further ado here is my March Wrap-Up.

March Wrap-Up and Reviews!

 1. Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert ★★★★

This is the third book in the Brown Sisters companion trilogy. I read the first two books last year and enjoyed them a lot. This book follows Eve Brown, the sister who everyone believes needs to grow up because she's never had a 'real' job or relationship. After an impromptu interview, she accidentally knocks over her interviewer, Jacob Wayne, and gets the job as a chef in his B&B. Before long, she’s infiltrated his work, his kitchen, and even his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. This was a very sweet romance and the usual romance trope of 'miscommunication' was surprisingly well done and didn't feel frustrating. I loved all of the representation and the way Jacob was so kind to Eve throughout. The biggest issue I had with the book, and with a lot of romances in general, is how predictable the third-act break-up was. It made me not want to pick up the book towards the end because I knew the exact argument that would happen. Other than that, it was really sweet and I do recommend to fans of romances!

2. The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang ★★★★★

Getting around to finishing this trilogy officially ticks some books off my Fantasy TBR that I posted earlier this year. I can't say too much about this as it is the second book in the trilogy, but I can say that I loved it just as much as the first book. The only downside to these books is that we've left the school setting behind, but the politics and intrigue is absolutely incredible. Rin is such a flawed but realistic character which can make her frustrating to read from, but you still want to root for her. The other characters show the more grounded perspectives to balance this out as well. Kitay is easily my favourite character, although I love Sumi as well. Overall, this second book really holds up and I enjoyed it just as much as the first.

3. The Burning God by R.F. Kuang ★★★★

I read this book almost immediately after finishing the second. This is the third and final book in the trilogy so again, I can't say much. I did enjoy this book a lot, but there were a couple of things that happened in here that dragged it down to a four star. My biggest issue was that a couple of really huge things seemed to happen very quickly, but there were also a lot of long, drawn-out parts of the book where not a whole lot happened. I also didn't find the ending super satisfying although, in all honesty, I can't say what sort of ending would have left me satisfied because of the morally grey characters. Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I read it so quickly because I needed to know what was going to happen next. I love this trilogy and would happily read more by this author. If you're a fan of military/political fantasy then I highly recommend picking this up (although I would check for trigger warnings before you do because it is a grim dark fantasy).

4. The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty ★★★★

I thought this was going to get a 5 star but I ended up giving it a 4 in the end. I still really loved this book though. It's is a fantasy book following Nahri, a con-artist living in Cairo, who accidentally summons a djinn and ends up entwined in the politics of the secret, magical city of Daevabad. The writing was beautiful (and oh my god, the descriptions of food had my mouth watering); the depictions of the cities were so vivid that I felt like I was there. The characters were so well written and I ended up loving Ali's chapters so much. I only had two minor issues with the book that brought it down a star. One was that the romance, which I didn't find very believable (but that's more of a me thing I think) and the other was that the history was slightly confusing at times and I can't tell if it was me not understanding, or if the way it was described wasn't done in the best way. Basically, I couldn't figure out why the alliances were happening/had happened with certain people. And was it ever really explained why some are Djinn and some are Daeva? *Shrug* Overall, though I loved this book, this world, and the gorgeous writing. I highly recommend this to any fantasy lover, especially if you're bored of typical western fantasies!

5. The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty ★★★★

I did not expect that 5-year time jump, but I actually really liked where Chakraborty went with the story. I'm still not convinced by one of the love interests, but the characters were all fascinating throughout the book. I especially loved the politics at play, and it didn't feel as confusing as the first book since we got a lot more context. I can't say too much with it being a sequel, but I loved this book. Ali was still great, and Muntahdir had such interesting character growth. Overall, it gets a 4.5 stars but only because one character's chapters were less interesting than the others.

6. The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty ★★★★★

I half expected another time jump, but this book actually starts as soon as the second book left off. Since this is the final book in the trilogy, I won't say too much except that this was probably one of the best endings to a fantasy trilogy that I've read.  I loved that we got to see more of the world in this one. The characters became a lot more complex and had so much development throughout the book. I still didn't really like one of the characters, but their ending was actually really perfect so I was happy with that whole situation in the end. We also got introduced to some more really awesome characters and bad-ass women. Not only did the ending have a twist that I didn't expect, it also didn't make anything too easy for the characters. Overall, a brilliant end to a great trilogy.

7. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas (re-read) ★★★★★

A solid 5 star re-read for me! This is an urban fantasy following Bryce, a half-human half-fae party girl, who is given the job of investigating a series of murders because of her potential connection to them. Hunt Athalar, an enslaved angel who led a failed rebellion, is given the duty of helping her. As Bryce and Hunt dig deeper into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear. This book is probably Sarah J. Maas's best so far. I love her characters (especially Danika and Lehebah) and the setting of Crescent City is so creative and fantastically portrayed. The last 250 pages of this book are a whirlwind of twists and the ending of this book always leaves me shattered. A brilliant 5 star read.

8. House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas ★★★

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this anywhere near as much as I enjoyed the first book. The first book will forever be a 5 star read, but honestly, not a whole lot happened in this book. There were only 5 or 6 key moments in the whole 800 pages and I felt like it probably could've been shorter. It also just didn't have the stakes that the first one had. The only reason it got 3 stars was that I loved the characters (old + new) and their interactions and banter with one another. I do feel like this series suffers from having too many characters sometimes because I kept wanting a little bit more explored with each of them. The reveal of some of the history of the world at the end of the book was super interesting and I loved that aspect though. However, the final thing that happened in the book, I'm really still unsure about. I honestly don't know whether it's going to be cheesy or amazing so I guess I'll have to wait until book 3 to find out!

9. Talk to Your Cat by Susie Green ★★.5

This is a non-fiction book I picked up for super cheap at The Works bookstore because it looked like it had a lot of information on the history of cats and domestication. While it did have that to an extent, it didn't quite cover the topics I was most interested in. It was well-written and had interesting parts but just not what I was looking for. If you're interested in a book that looks a broad overview of cat breeds, history, and behaviours, then you should pick this up. If you're looking for anything more in-depth/detailed then I would look elsewhere.

10. The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa ★★★

Unfortunately, this wasn't a hit for me, it was just ended up just being okay. This book follows Lina, a wedding planner, who's left by her fiancé hours before the wedding. The news is broken to her by the best man and brother of the groom, Max, who may have been the reason his brother left Lina. Several years later, Lina is competing for a new job and has to work with Max for the marketing campaign, against her ex-fiancé. I will start by saying that it's great to see more diversity and representation, and that aspect worked really well. I loved Lina's family dynamic and discussions about food. I also loved her attempts at petty revenge (cake-eating and chilli peppers had me smiling). However, I didn't feel much chemistry between the two main characters and I really didn't like Max that much. Because of that, I felt pretty bored during his chapters and I just wanted to get to the end of the competition. It probably doesn't help that I read The Wedding Season earlier this year and absolutely loved that one which had a similar theme. Overall, it's definitely not a bad romance, but not one of my favourites sadly!

11. The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green ★★★★

I'm a huge Vlogbrothers fan so picking up this book was a must. I love Hank and John's numerous podcasts and books, and I really enjoyed John's podcast of The Anthropocene Reviewed, so I was glad I finally got around to reading his full book of the podcast. This is a non-fiction that literally reviews parts of the world on a five star scale (e.g. Diet Dr Pepper, Bluegrass, Mortification). John's thoughts on many subjects are beautiful and touching, while others are funny and silly. It's also written in short chapter bursts that can be read out of order if you just wanted to read a specific review. This book was humorous and cleverly written; filled with anecdotes and memories. If you want a fantastically written, witty book (that may or may not give you an existential crisis) then I recommend this book. I'd also recommend listening to the Dear Hank and John podcast for anyone who enjoys Vlogbrothers videos. Overall, I'd give The Anthropocene Reviewed a 4 out of 5 stars.

So, those are the 11 books I read this month! Let me know how your reading month went or if you've read any of the books above. Have a great reading month in April!