My reading for this year continues to be a lot slower than it has in the past. This seems to be a general trend, but I also found myself contending with some major changes to routine and I still haven’t found my new groove. A recent obsession with the game Hades probably hasn’t helped. My reading for the month mostly focused on shorter, more fluffy content. I’m considering revising my reading goals down so they don’t become a source of stress. It seems I’m just not feeling it at the moment.
Mt TBR Status
Mt TBR @ 1 January 2021: 426
Mt TBR @ 31 January 2021: 430
Mt TBR @ 28 February 2021: 429
Items Read
14. Blackwood by Pia Foxhall. M/M shifter romance. First book in the Perth Shifters series. Reread.
15. The Gentle Wolf by Pia Foxhall. M/M shifter romance. Second book in the Perth Shifters series. Reviewed here.
16. Near Miss by Narrelle M. Harris. Contemporary f/f romance. A short story about the lead singer of a band and a hair dresser who keep almost meeting. Sweet and optimistic, though a little too reliant on the concept of fate for me.
17. Frostgilded by Stephanie Burgis. Fantasy romance. Epilogue novelette to The Harwood Spellbook series. In the midst of Winter Solstice celebrations at her college and a visit from her in-laws, Cassandra attempts to prepare for a very special anniversary with her husband. Another sweet story, predictable but perfect.
18. Five for Heaven by KJ Charles. Fantasy romance. Epilogue short story to the A Charm of Magpies series. Having fled China to Japan, Stephen hopes Lucien and the rest of the crew will settle in for a while. I enjoyed seeing the ways in which this “happily ever after” hasn’t been all smooth sailing, though the affection between all the characters remains as strong as ever.
19. Mission: Improper by Bec McMaster. Fantasy romance. First book in London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy. When large groups of people start to go missing without a trace, passionate rivals are forced to join a new taskforce and team up to solve the case. Entertainingly full of action and suspense.
20. The Mech Who Loved Me by Bec McMaster. Fantasy romance. Second book in London Steampunk: The Blue Blood Conspiracy. When the forensic investigator is given her first proper case outside the laboratory, she’s paired with a rebellious mech for protection. The series seems to be leaning heavily into the idea that opposites attract. I particularly enjoyed seeing the softer side of Kincaid, both with his family and with Ava.
21. The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard. Dark fantasy. First book in the Dominion of the Fallen. Read for book club. In an alternate history Paris, something keeps killing off members of one of the great magical Houses. A bit too grimdark for my tastes. While I appreciate characters with flaws, these characters seemed almost solely flaws and nothing else. A shame, because the worldbuilding was quite interesting. I particularly enjoyed the Chinese dragons.
Acquisitions
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
From Baby Brain to Writer Brain by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Witchmark by C.L. Polk
A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine