Aaah, it’s my first wrap up! And also the last wrap up of 2020 ๐ This took a lot longer than I thought it would! I’m not sure if I’ll do the same going forward because it was very time consuming but we’ll see. Anyway, here’s what I read this month:
Favourite Book of the Month: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
My first read of the month and it was a five star! I absolutely loved this historical magical realism novel. It had the sweetest lgbt romance, and it was so full of soft, whimsical moments. Just a real, wonderful slow-paced read. I’ve recently bought Bedlam Stacks and I can’t wait to read more of Pulley’s writing.
2. Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
So this was my first review on here and honestly, this book was a bit of a disappointment. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it as much as I thought I might. I found the heroine rather irritating, and I thought everything came a little too easily for her.
3. Clockwork Angel Trilogy by Cassandra Clare
My next read was actually a reread of one of my favourite series. I didn’t see the point in writing a review (anything I could say has already been said a thousand times), but I loved spending more time with Will, Jem and Tessa.
4. A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
This was such a wonderful Beauty and the Beast retelling! BatB is one of my favourite fairy tales so I knew I’d enjoy this one–and I really did! The characters were fantastic, there was some brilliant rep and the plot came together really nicely in the end.
5. The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep by Laurie Faria Stolarz
This was the first ARC I ever read, I managed to get it as a Read Now from Netgalley and whilst I wasn’t blown away I did like it enough to finish it. I won’t say too much about it because the book isn’t out until March (I have a review lined up for end of February I think), but if you’re a fan of thriller/mysteries you’ll definitely enjoy this one!
6. Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibaรฑez
This was another five star read for me, I loved how culturally rich this was, and the character development was beautiful. The sequel is out end of this month and I can’t wait to get it!
7. Winter’s Orbit by Evarina Maxwell
This was my first accepted request on Netgalley! It comes out next month and it is absolutely fantastic. It’s such a fun, romantic trope-filled book that really plays on my AO3-fangirl loving heart. I have a review lined up closer to release date but in short: I loved it!
8. The Prince and the Troll by Rainbow Rowell & Hazel and Gray by Nic Stone
Honestly these were pretty much a waste of time. I found The Prince and the Troll boring and very confusing, whereas Hazel and Gray was just utterly disturbing. Out of the two I probably preferred Rainbow Rowell’s offering but…eh, neither were particularly great. They were free though on Amazon Prime so there is that.
This was another ARC and it was such a wonderful adventure on the high seas. I absolutely adored the heroine, Fable, she was so full of determination and grit. I’m desperately waiting for the sequel to be released now so I can continue following her journey!
10. A Throne of Swans by Katharine Corr & Elizabeth Corr
This was a bit of a strange one. Hot Key Books did a giveaway for some of the ARCs of a few of their books on Netgalley and I was lucky enough to be chosen for this one, and two others. I actually own a signed copy as well, because I was so sure I’d love it. I mean, the cover is stunning and it sounded so interesting. But I just could not get into it at all. Aderyn’s privileged way of thinking was grating and the love interest was a bit of a dick. All in all it was a bit of a disappointment.
11. The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge
This was one I really enjoyed…but I felt it was missing something. At the end a lot of stuff went unsaid and it just generally felt a bit unfinished. I think it was a bit too much sequel-baity. But I did enjoy the Norse mythology, which was refreshing compared to all the Greek stuff out there, and it was delightfully creepy at times.
12. The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz
This was another one that just felt a bit unfinished. I loved the idea of a mysterious town, and the paranormal abilities, but again too much was left unexplored. The hero in particular suffered from a dark past that was never actually explained. I’m still interested in the sequels because I’m hoping more is explained, and it’ll be nice to discover more about the town and the many mysteries that were brought up in this one.
So, that’s my wrap up for December! Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?
As always, Happy Reading,
Lea x
Lea's Literary Life 