I slightly dipped in March, only reading 5 books but I'm blaming it on me feeling slightly slumpy towards the end of the month. I'm not gonna dwell on it, just gonna look ahead to April and all the books I'm excited to get to!
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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevado
I get the hype! As someone who tends to lean away from books written in verse (it's just not my favourite way to consume fiction), I have to admit I was blown away by the beautiful writing and the strength of Xiomara. A teenage girl discovers a love for slam poetry whilst battling with her religious mother over the need for self expression and freedom. It touches on a lot of different topics such as body acceptance, rape culture and sexuality and they're all done with such deft and power. Acevado is quickly becoming an author I adore and I can't wait to read my third book from her, The Fire on High at some point in the future.
The Revelry by Katherine Webber
Unfortunately this YA mystery was a bit of a disappointment for me. I'm aware of Katherine Webber and her middle grade books but when I saw she had a new mystery release on Libby, I immediately downloaded it. We're following two best friends who live in the strange town of Ember Grove where no one speaks of strange events and disappearances. Bitsy and Amy are determined to attend a secret end of summer party, the revelry, a party they're not invited to but the consequences of attending threaten to tear their friendship apart.
I just found this book to be very underwhelming. I didn't feel any connection to the characters, the plot was a little all over the place and the writing felt repetitive and verging on annoying. She might end up being a second chance author as I'm keen to try another of her books. You can read my full review here.
The Searcher by Tana French
I moved onto an adult thriller from an author I've been dying to read from. Set in rural Ireland, an American ex-cop sets up home in a dilapidated house hoping for a quiet retirement but is drawn into the dark secrets of the small village and the disappearance of a local boy. I was entranced with French's writing from the very first page and I loved the slow, unfolding of the mystery. It's gritty and tense and has the unease of realising your neighbours aren't who you thought they were. I loved the setting and the different characters in the community and it builds up to a satisfying ending. It was a gripping read and was such a change of pace from the quick, twisty thrillers I usually pick up.
What happens when a 100-year old man escapes his nursing home, sets out for the bus station and steals a suitcase along the way? Escapades that get more and more ridiculous as you read and the back story of a man who has apparently come into contact with a ton of important historical figures and events. What saved this for me was the narrator. He had such a fun, storytelling voice that kept me focused on the story when my mind wanted to wander. He brought the humour and the warmth of the story and it's probably why I rated it higher then I might have if I'd read it physically. I've just bought the second book (second-hand) so we shall see how I fare with it.
The Windsor Knot (Her Majesty The Queen Investigates #1) by S.J Bennett
After reading The Thursday Murder Club last year, I've been on the lookout for some more British cozy mysteries and this premise is definitely intriguing. I mean, The Queen is investigating crimes?? This definitely had the fun factor, with an interesting murder and engaging characters. I did find it odd reading from The Queens POV at times though and just trying to get into the head (albeit extremely fictionalised) of this figure that's been there my whole life. It was also strange to read a mystery where the Queen was piecing it together but a lot of the running around was being done by her secretary. The mystery did get a little confusing at times as there's a lot of suspects/figures within the investigation but overall I did have a good time reading it.
What did you read in March? Have you read any of these? Leave a comment below. Happy Reading!
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