February 2022 Round-Up

February was an pretty mixed bag of a month for me – with some great times and some bad ones. And reading wise was pretty similar – averaging under 4 stars overall, with a lot of sub 3-star reads. I read a bit less than usual, and I think the high number of low-starred reads (which were the much longer reads) was to blame for that. I also completely failed to meet my readathon TBR, because I focused instead on review copies.

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Best New Release

One of my most anticipated reads of the month, A RIVER ENCHANTED, by Rebecca Ross, definitely delivered on all my excitement.

This Scottish-inspired fantasy is her adult debut, a gorgeous book about four young adults on an island split between warring clans where girls are going missing. It’s a slower paced book, so more time to enjoy and sink into the world and the relationships between the narrators as the mystery and magic unfolds. I can’t wait for the sequel (out next year!)

Best Backlist Read

BELGARATH THE SORCERER, by David and Leigh Eddings, is the first “new-to-me” book by Eddings – I’ve read the four big fantasy series so many time, but never this companion.

I was very sceptical going in – this is the history of the world told in full, but we already know the bulk of it from the two series. However, while there’s nothing new in the overall arc, it was really interesting to see all the details laid out. The cracking of the world was nice to see, as that’s very much mentioned without much detail in the book, and the fullness of the Battle of Vo Mibre too – the length and cost of that whole conflict.

Most Surprising Read

BENEATH CRUEL FATHOMS, by Aneela Deen, is a blog tour book I read. I mostly agreed because of the cover, which is gorgeous, though the blurb had me pretty sceptical that I was going to get a very run-of-the-mill land dweller-merperson romance where the danger was the other humans finding out.

It was much more than that, about corruption and powerful men abusing their positions. I liked the world, and (naturally) the fact that there were politics in the background. The big thing for me, though, was the way it handled infertility.

Best UK-Authored Reads

SABOTAGE ON THE SOLAR EXPRESS, by M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman, is the latest Adventures on Trains mystery in this MG series that began with THE HIGHLAND FALCON THIEF. To no one’s surprise, I utterly adored it, gobbling it up as soon as I got my hands on it (despite being partway through another book!)

This entry continues to show off the innovation that helps this series remain fresh and exciting with each entry. The pacing is different, as the book is set over a much shorter frame than usual, and the illustrations are as wonderful as ever.

Best Debut

THE JUSTICE OF KINGS, by Richard Swan, is a fantasy murder mystery. While that is a really fun part of the book in a great world, what really made this book stand out to me was the fact that the main character is not the book’s narrator (and it’s a first person book).

The reader never sees inside the main character’s head, instead seeing them through the eyes of another. It was a fascinating tool for a series that is about a corruption arc, and works so well. I cannot wait to see continue over the following books in this trilogy.

Most Anticipated March Release

I had hoped to get around to my ARC of WILD AND WICKED THINGS, by Francesca May, in February. But, alas, the long, slow, dull books slowed down my progress significantly as I never quite reached it. However, I should easily fit this one in before its end-of-the-month release.

This is a British-set 1920s historical fantasy that has been described as a Sapphic Gatsby meets witchcraft. It sounds like a wonderful combination, and I’ve been looking forward to this since I heard about it, so bring on the end of my current book!

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How was your February?