February/March 2022 Wrap-Up

Hi All! It's been a while since I posted, so it's time to catch everyone up! I don't have a Rant & Rave for you today. For the month of March, I decided not to take on any reviews and work on clearing some books on my physical TBR. (This failed spectacularly, as between the Owlcrate boxes and a couple of preorders, I only cleared off one space on my shelf. I also just pre-ordered a copy of Book of Night by Holly Black, which will soon occupy the lone spot that I had cleared out.) That being said, I wanted to give my brief reviews of the books I've read since my last post so my next blog post isn't insanely long. My next post was going to feature Alice Hanov's The Head, The Heart, and The Heir, but she has requested I hold off on posting until closer to the release date. I'm currently working on a beta with no end in sight, so it will probably be a while before my next Rant & Rave. So without furthur ado: The books I read in February were Oracle of the Sun by L. A Robinson (a beta that hasn't been released yet), The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige, and Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen. I absolutely loved Oracle of the Sun, despite it being in such an early stage of editing. The book is based on Ancient Egyptian mythology, which I've always had a soft spot for. It was dark, with an unparalleled air of mystery regarding the characters and their relationships with the gods. The characters are well-developped and likable, without the need for romantic drama, which was a big plus for me. I'm so excited that I got to play a part in the editing and publication of this book. Working with L. A. Robinson was a delight, and I wish her the best with her book release! No date has been set for the release yet, but when it is I will certainly share it on here for all of you. The Ravens was a fun, witchy book woven with themes of sisterhood and trust. The plot of this book was interesting, but it felt a little shallow to me. Not in the way you'd expect a sorority book to be shallow, but more in the sense that it had an "all is right with the world" feel to it that didn't sit well with me. Perhaps it's simply my pessimism, or my preference for dark fantasy and hopeless endings, but I wasn't a fan of this atmosphere. Despite this, it was a great light, positive, heartwarming read with a crazy twist. Skin of the Sea is an oceanic, West African-inspired fantasy with some dark themes. It was the delayed December Owlcrate book, and it definitely lives up to the expectations I have for Owlcrate books. I really appreciated all the research that went into ensuring this book didn't "step on the toes" of the mythology it's based on. The level of respect for the book's mythological roots is incredible- the author even included notes on the mythology she drew from and why she chose certain myths over others. Without giving anything away, I think that Simi, the main character, made the right choice at the end. (If you know, you know.) The one thing I found mediocre in this book was the romantic side plot. Attempts to build up the love interest and their relationship seemed unnatural to me. While I could see the relationship happening, it wasn't believably portrayed, in my opinion. The books I read in March were Malice by Heather Walter, Only a Monster by Vanessa Len, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson, and The Eternal Machine by Aelina Isaacs. The ending of Malice was incredible! Even though I knew where the book was heading (it's a fairytale retelling), it was still so exhilarating to see Alyce break free from the mold she was ill fitted for and give in to her powers. The plot and world building were both excellent, but I did feel like the romance was lacking. This might be because Alyce and Aurora see each other so infrequently that it seemed like they skipped over the relationship building part of the story. Regardless, I thought the book was excellent and the ending was perfectly villainous. Only a Monster was the February Owlcrate, and it was exquisite! The book brings the excitement of a heist thriller and the lessons of historical fiction, into a modern(ish) fantasy. In a sentence that borders on breaking my no spoilers rule- the ending was sad, but perfect for the book. The pacing was excellent, and the characters were unique and lovable (or hateable, in some cases). I had mixed feelings about Gideon the Ninth. It was well-written (with plenty of witty banter), had excellent worldbuilding, and the ending was exactly what I was hoping for. However, it was really hard for me to push through the first half of this book. Other than the witty banter, it was practically all worldbuilding, which was extremely dense. I also found it difficult to connect to the characters. It kind of felt like Gideon was too nonchalant about everything- there wasn't enough emotional depth for the characters to ring true to me. I was also disappointed that the witty banter had slowed significantly by halfway through the book. A Forgery of Roses was another Owlcrate book. It had excellent pacing, relatable characters, and an interesting magic system based around art. My only real complaint was that I wish there was more history and worldbuilding to accompany the murder mystery plot. Finally, The Eternal Machine is a dark steampunk fantasy novel. The plot was well-crafted, the spicy sections were magnificent, and the ending was incredible. That being said, the characters were a little hit-or-miss for me. Many had interesting backstories. Some, like Novak, quickly became favorites, while others fell a little short in my opinion. I'm looking forward to reading the accompanying novellas as my physical books while I work on this beta. As a final comment- I've restructured my blog, and I'd really appreciate it if you could hit the follow button on the right-hand side. I can no longer send out automatic emails to new email addresses, so following me and giving me your email is the only way to get on my mailing list. I'm considering broadcasting some of my thoughts on TikTok as well. Let me know if this is something you guys would like to see in the future and I'll consider it more thouroughly. Finally, thank you to all my loyal readers! It means a lot that you keep coming back for more of my bookish opinions. As always, feel free to comment and start a discussion. I love chatting about books (or pretty much anything, to be honest)! Dana