Clare's March Wrap Up and April TBR

March Wrap Up:

March turned out to be the best reading month I've had in ages! Not only did I read Twenty five books which is a ridiculous amount - but I enjoyed almost all of them!

25. Can't Buy Forever by Susan Laffoon: I just struggled with the writing style in this and never really connected with the characters which was a shame.
24. The Dragons Price by Bethany Wiggins: I struggled with this for a few reasons. Firstly - the main character felt very special snowflake. Also the depictions of the different races felt problematic to me (with a dark skinned "savage/exotic" race known to be barbarians). And also - in a book with Dragons in the title there weren't a lot of dragon interactions. I just want a good dragon book (seriously recommendations please?).

23. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab: Kind of a disappointment - I did actually enjoy the first book but I just didn't get into this one and I doubt I'll finish the series. I guess V.E. Schwab is just not for me?

22. The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard: Fun, slightly longer than it needed to be maybe but a lot of fun and very intriguing. I will definitely be continuing the series at some point but not just yet.

21. Angels of Music by Kim Newman: An interesting reimagining of the Phantom of the Opera with a Charlie's Angels angle. This was definitely unique and quite a lot of fun but it felt disconnected as a narrative.

20. The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles: I loved the mother figures of this book and Zoe's little brother was adorable. But it almost felt like two different books with the two perspectives and it was definite insta-love. 

19. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab: Actually really enjoyed this. Despite some problems with world building I liked the characters. And the ending is fairly complete.

18. Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza: Loved the world building, it was a bit confusing at first but it felt very detailed and imaginative. Unfortunately didn't get attached to the characters as quickly. Will probably re-read this before the next book comes out.

17. Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North: Sheer fun, I really really enjoyed this. It's a bit like mixing a video game with a book (two things I love) and it was very entertaining. I know I'll be returning to this many times to try and get different endings but I am only going to count it as read once because it seems like cheating?

16. The Valiant by Lesley Livingston: Plenty of drama and secrets and backstabbing. I was slightly disappointed because actually I adore Lesley Livingston's other books (especially Wondrous Strange) so whilst I did enjoy this I didn't love it as much as I expected to.

15. A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn: Much as I love Veronica Speedwell she hasn't quite reached the same heights as Lady Julia yet. I am still really enjoying this series and very much look forward to the next!

14/13/12. Silent Night/Twelfth Night/Bonfire Night by Deanna Raybourn: These are the three final novellas in the Lady Julia series and I thought they were a nice way to end the series. It was great to see Julia and Brisbane really work together and to see them get a relatively complete ending especially as it doesn't look like we'll get more of these books! :(

11. New York, Actually by Sarah Morgan: Sarah Morgan's books continue to delight me. They're so light and fun but at the same time so character driven. All of her characters feel real and complex and that just adds so much to the romance and the story. 

10. Blood Tide by Claire McGowan: I have a full review for this linked below but basically I loved it. It had all my favourite elements of a mystery (locked rooms/isolated islands) and also an intriguing personal story for the main character which I am excited to see developed in future books.

9. The Courage of a Samurai by Lori Tsugawa Whaley: Again, full review linked below. This was kind of a different book for me - I don't often read self-help books but I found this to be actually inspiring and really interesting.

8. Starfall by Melissa Landers: I didn't love this as much as Starflight but it was still so great to catch up with these characters. I really need to read the Alienated trilogy by Landers because I love her writing.

7. Frostblood by Elly Blake: If you follow me on Twitter you'll know that early in the month Frostblood saved me from an oncoming reading slump and thank god! It was so addictive and exciting and I adored the characters. I did however, really like the ending of this one. So I may wait until the series is complete before I continue because I really hate cliffhangers.

6. Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller: Loved the main character, loved the premise, loved the world, loved the action. Genuinely so excited for the next book. 

5. Done Dirt Cheap by Sarah Nicole Lemon: Probably my biggest surprise of the month. I went in not really knowing anything about it - drawn by the fact its been blurbed by most of my favourite authors. And discovered an incredible story with characters that felt so real to me. I was sorry that it had to come to an end!

4. The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova: Ari and Florence are two of my favourite fictional characters... ever? I adored them and need more. Cvareh did take a little longer to grow on me but I ultimately did like him a lot as well.

3. A List of Cages by Robin Roe: Thank you very much to Vera @ Regal Critiques for recommending this to me. It was such an emotional and powerful book. Julian was such a precious character I just desperately wanted to protect him and Adam was just like a sunbeam.

2. Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas: Each new Kleypas book is better than the last I swear. I adored pretty much everything about this book and I could have read about these characters for hours. 

1. Dating Sarah Cooper by Siera Maley: And my favourite book of the month is this! I freaking loved the main characters and all their interactions and the drama. It felt a little like Faking It (only way better) and I already want to re-read it!

Reviews Posted This Month:

• Courage of a Samurai by Lori Tsuguwa Whaley
• Blood Tide by Claire McGowan

Challenge Progress:

• 58/200 Goodreads Reading Challenge 29%
• A Classic a Month: Completed! It was a re-read of The Princess Bride and I'm really hoping to read something new to me in April! 
• When Are You Reading Challenge: 1900-1919 - The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard

April TBR:

This is a fairly loose TBR because I have some review books I'd like to read this month and a couple of new releases as well? But these are all books I got in March but haven't had a chance to read yet and I am excited for them! 

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare), Facebook and Instagram to keep up with what we are reading.