January Wrap-Up

I had a great reading month in January, and I'm feeling very optimistic about this year. I read a lot of books this month, so I thought I would compile the reviews I did and give you some quick thoughts on the books I didn't have time to review.

I started the month with two novellas that coincide with The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. What Really Happened in Peru, and What to Buy the Shadow Hunter Who has Everything by Cassandra Clare are part of the Bane Chronicles that follow the adventures of Magnus Ban, warlock. These were short and enjoyable. Magnus is my favorite character from the series so I enjoyed reading more of him. I will say, I enjoyed the second one more because Alec was in it, and I like reading about their relationship. There will be a total of ten novellas, but I don't know if I will end up reading all of them. More than likely I will just read the ones with Alec in them! But I would recommend checking them out if you like Clare's works.

Then came The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle- I read this in preparation for the third season of Sherlock and I won't say to much about it here, because I may do a separate Sherlock post, but of course I recommend and love anything Sherlock Holmes.

A Monster Calls  by Patrick Ness

Why We Broke Up, Daniel Handler and Elanor and Park, Rainbow Rowell double review

The House of Hades  by Rick Riordan

Out of the Easy  by Ruta Sepetys

I am the Messenger  by Markus Zusak

and finally, Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. This is the first novel in a fantasy series. I really enjoyed this book, and plan on continuing with the series. Fantasy series are kind of tricky for me. They can be too complicated or too concerned with war, politics, and strategies which bores me. This book had those elements, but they were not too complicated and didn't take center stage in a way that was boring. If you are a big time fantasy lover, you may not be too taken with this book. It is nothing revolutionary or mind blowing, but for me it was enjoyable and fast paced. I enjoyed the main character and the basic story outline. If you are hesitate to read fantasy or new to the genre, this would be a good place to start. If you are hard core into the genre, you may not be impressed with this one, but do try it and let me know what you think!

What did you read last month?