The Adventure Log is my monthly wrap-up post!
I cannot believe that it’s already the middle of April and that Q1 of 2022 has already happened. Getting older is truly just saying “I can’t believe time flies” over and over until you die, and I am kind of over the monotony of it all!
March was a whirlwind of a month for me – many work events and writing deadlines, which kind of tapped into my limited well of energy for reading and blogging. This wrap up kinda goes over the first quarter of the year because I randomly disappeared in the middle of January. Sorry about that, I’m back now!
Reading in January, February & March
From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows; I feel like every good reading month is followed by 1-2 months of hardly any reading. The pandemic really made it difficult for me to focus on reading and apparently that’s my new normal now? Boo boo, tomato tomato.
Check out All About the Bookly App to keep track of your reading and get charts like these!
February was a rough reading month for me in that I barely did any reading. I wound up shaking the shackles of the reading slump by re-reading the entire Reapers Inc series (7 books) by Angela Rouquet in the end of February/beginning of March.
Books Read in January
Fire Becomes Her by Rosiee Thor
Jazz Age Vibes + Fantasy World + Politics = This book is for me!
If you’ve ever felt the urge to punch Mitch McConnell in the face over the course of the past several years, Fire Becomes Her by Rosiee Thor might be the fantasy catharsis of your dreams. I love books that make me feel things, and this book ran me through an emotional ringer: rage and joy and everything in-between.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
This book was not nearly as good as the Caraval trilogy. It has a strong start but Jacks literally becomes the only interesting part of the book. Our heroine Evangeline is boring and flat – and since the book is in her POV, it’s a struggle. It also manages to have the worst feelings of repetitive first person narrationwh ile being written in third person? IDEK how this was possible.
I buddy read this with Jayati and Soph, none of us really enjoyed it all that much and to be honest I would have DNFd if I wasn’t invested in Jacks because of the other books.
Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson
re-read before diving into the sequel
Believe me when I say that Goddess in the Machine is the sleeper YA sci-fi release of 2020! This book has it all: intricate and complete world-building, gripping storytelling, and complex characters you can’t help but adore. This book is exactly what I wished Aurora Rising would be, and more people need to pick it up.
Devil in the Device by Lora Beth Johnson
This duology is my whole personality now & I’m not sorry.
Excellently plotted and intricately crafted, Devil in the Device is a fantastic end to an amazing sci fi duology. Honestly this book is just as good as the first and really takes the revelations from Goddess in the Machine and went “Hold my beer.”
I still need to write a full review of this one and look forward to re-reading it in the near future. If you like science fiction and linguistics… this is a must read.
Books Read in February
Reapers Inc Series by Angela Roquet
I didn’t read for like six weeks and that was sad. I opted for a re-read of the Reapers Inc series and that did the trick to shake off the vestiges of my slump! Ironically I tend to read the series in February apparently.
Books Read in March
A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson
I really wish I loved this one more than I did, but sadly the writing style and narrative flow just wasn’t for me. Everything felt too obvious and “on the nose”, the first-person narrative exacerbated that with the main character talking in circles about the obvious Red Flags, and then deciding to do it anyways.
I love the sibling relationship and Myra’s quiet determination to take care of her sister, no matter the risk. The scenes where they interact were so much FUN and I wish the narrative had more of the interactions instead.
While A Forgery of Roses wasn’t for me doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it. Read Meaghan’s 4.5 star review!
Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood
Within These Wicked Walls has characters you will both love and hate (sometimes at the same time!) with their own motivations and histories, succinctly developed worldbuilding to sweep you away, and the horrors of bleeding walls to add a sense of dread and danger. I absolutely loved every minute spent reading this debut fantasy, which is an Ethiopian-inspired reimagining of Jane Eyre, and Blackwood is an author to watch!
Things We Do In the Dark by Jennifer Hillier
ARC Review to Come
I still think about how much I enjoyed Jar of Hearts back in 2018, so of course I jumped at the opportunity to read Hillier’s upcoming July 2022 release. While I didn’t quite enjoy this one as much, it was a powerful and engaging read.
Deals with heavy topics of child abuse, cycles of abuse, and statutory rape. It’s painful to read at times, so be sure to be in the right mindset when picking this one up.
More of a mystery than a thriller, so go in with the right expectations
Posts Around the Blogosphere I Loved
I want to read some of YOUR favorite posts that I’ve missed! Leave a comment with a link so I can check them out, and be sure to check out these posts I read and loved in January before going on another hiatus.
- Caro @ Bookchesirecat is hosting another Out of Your Comfort Zone Reading Challenge for 2022!
- Claire @claireify made a triumphant blogging return with the most inspiring return post: 2022 is Ours
- Speaking of blogging comebacks, the iconic Shealea @ Shut Up, Shealea returns with a fantastic post on shifting your blogging mindset in 2022
Personal Update
This is my first monthly wrap up of 2022, which should explain a bit about how things have been going. I took an unplanned hiatus after a very energetic January with lots of content creation… and then I just stopped. I’m a little annoyed but I know that it’s time to be kind and not beat myself up for needing time. And it’s hard to blog when you aren’t reading.
Work’s been busy with the world opening back up and the past month and a half have been event heavy. I still find my work rewarding and think I won the lottery team-wise, though. The busier I am, the more “down” my downtime is, though. Less reading and more video games & watching tv!
My in-depth personal updates can be found on Patreon: March in Review
As always there’s no pressure to join but if more behind-the-scenes blog content, reading vlogs, and extra essays are something you’d be interested in – for as little as $2 a month you can support me & my content, along with some cool features that are in the pipeline.
Let’s Chat!
It feels super good to be back, friends! I missed the community so much during my hiatus and am full of energy to dive back in.
💬 How was your March? Did you do anything fun?
💬 What books did you read and enjoy?
💬 Share a link to one of your recent posts for me to check out!
You definitely made me want to push Fire Becomes Her up higher on my TBR. I feel the Mitch thing almost daily.
YES MY JOB IS DONE! 🎉 (I hope you enjoy the book as much as I do!)
I read The Goddess in the Machine duology last year and while I didn’t love it as much as you, I certainly think a lot of YA readers missed out on these books.
Yea I do think the duology certainly isn’t for everyone – the linguistics will make it hard and annoying for some readers. But for those who are linguistics nerds? Hell yes! Sorry you didn’t love it as much as me though I am glad someone else has read the books!
You definitely made me curious about Goddess in the Machine, it sounds really intriguing especially as I felt a bit let down by Aurora Rising 🥺 Also thank you so much for sharing my post! I hope you find some time for reading this month ❤️
I found Aurora Rising rather boring! Goddess in the Machine won’t be for every reader but I highly recommend it if you like linguistics and more hard-science/tech sci-fi.
Yay! I’m happy you’re back and yeah, March was definitely a wild time.
“Getting older is truly just saying “I can’t believe time flies” over and over until you die” – I too am over this.
I feel like if the three of us were actually reading Once Upon a Broken Heart not as a buddy read but on our own, we may have collectively DNFed the book – half of our group chat in Discord was probably me whining for a good week or so over Evangeline, lol, but then again, that might have been all three of us grumbling as a group like three peas in a pod.
It’s good to be back and this year is a blur. April went by even faster. MAY IS NEXT WEEK, WHAT?!
Oh yea I probably would have DNF’d Once Upon a Broken Heart if not for you two. Then again, I was slightly more ~intrigued~ because I’ve read Caraval and love Jacks… whereas you two hadn’t and didn’t even know it was a spinoff lmao.
Yay, you’re back!! 🥰
Right, I caught myself saying how time be fast all the time.. and I never know which day it is ahaha not helped with my randomized schedule « all over the place », but I can’t remember if something happened last week, month or even year anymore 😂
Ouuh yess to having escaped the slump; rereading old faves is always a good way to go!
The cover of fire becomes her is truly stunning.
I’m back indeed and it feels GOOD! Literally every day at work it’s some form of “omg it’s almost May HOW” or “the fiscal year is almost over, we need to begin working on reports”/ One thing I don’t miss is a randomized schedule – I don’t think the way my brain functions now would work.
The insides of Fire Becomes Her are equally amazing!!!