Here we are, on the second day of the month. Once again, a reasonable day to be posting a wrap-up. Also, ❄️ Happy Groundhog Day 🌱 everybody!! Will we or won’t we have six more weeks of winter?!
Regarding January 2025 my reading was… fine. I didn’t end up reading as many books as I’d hoped I would, but I read twice as many as I did in January 2024, so I’m counting it as a win.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s get into my StoryGraph statistics from last month!
January Reading 2025
I read 2 books and 518 pages
😐 MOODS: I had three Moods in January, which was less than I did the month before. There wasn’t one mood that was bigger than the others this time, they were all the same size slice. The Moods were: Adventurous, Mysterious and Emotional.
👢 PACE: My books from last month were all medium-paced.
🔢 PAGE NUMBER: Everything I read was between 198 and 384 pages.
📖 FICTION/NONFICTION: It was once again all fiction in January. Per usual.
🎭 GENRES: There were four Genres in the books I read in January. Like my Moods from this month, all of the Genres also appeared equally. They were: Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult and LGBT+.
📄 FORMAT: This pie chart was actually correct for once. One of the books I read was digital and the other was a physical copy.
⭐ RATING: My median star rating for last month was 3.75. The ratings I gave were between 3.5 stars and 4.0 stars, so yeah.
📉 PAGES READ DAILY: My highest spike of reading occured from the 17th through the 19th. My other reading spike, as well as the only other time I read a novel this month, was from the 30th and the 31st.
So yeah, even though I wasn’t quite happy with the amount of books I read last month, it was still better than the same month last year, so I’m still satisfied well enough with it. I’d still like to do better for February, this coming month, however.
This month I’ve got a couple novels I’m interested in right off the bat, as well. First off is the last installment of the Emily Wilde series, Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales, but I’m also a little interested in Neal Shusterman’s new book, All Better Now. I’ve also still got books from my birthday last year as well as Christmas that I still have to read, and I’d like to get through one of two in February.
Anyway, as always, thank you for joining me in checking out my StoryGraph stats for my January reading in 2025. Thank you also for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic day/night!
…Annnd another week has gone by. Wow. I can’t believe we’re already in the last week of January. Heck, February actually starts this weekend. Time flies…
I think with regards to my posting last week, I definitely redeemed myself for the week before. ‘Cause I did five blog posts in one week – one day I even double posted! Also, I’m getting my Weekly Wrap-Up out at a reasonable time on Monday for once! Yay!
I haven’t read as much as I’d have liked though, and am hoping to do more of that this coming week. So hopefully this week will be great for both reading and posting!
Anyway, on with the wrap-up!
Tuesday 1/21: Top Ten Tuesday / Liar’s Kingdom Review
Last Tuesday, I actually posted two times. The first post was a Top Ten Tuesday post. Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It celebrates lovely lists, wonderful books and the bookish community. This week focused on the Ten Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection or TBR List.
The other thing I posted last Tuesday was a book review. It was of a new release and a Cinderella retelling called Liar’s Kingdom by Christine Calella. I was pretty excited about it, and it was on my interesting new books list for January, but I’m not sure if it lived up to the hype for me. I gave it ★★★✯☆.
On Wednesday, I did another Can’t-Wait Wednesday. It had been a couple of weeks since I last participated, but there’s another upcoming release I’m a interested in.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.
Last Friday, I participated in First Line Fridays for the first time in several weeks. First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words.
Yesterday, I – for the first time in a while – did another Bewitching Book Covers post. Bewitching Book Covers (formerly known as Majestic Mondays and Tasteful Tuesdays), is when I gush over a book cover that I like and analyze it (sometimes). It’s something I (clearly) haven’t done in a while, but really want to get back into doing.
So yeah, I was really happy with my posting for last week. Here’s to hoping that I can keep it up this week as well! That, and read more books. I wish I would’ve read more last week! 🍀🤞
Regarding what I want to read next on my TBR: I’ve decided to read This is How You Lose the Time War next, and then probably A Study in Charlotte. They’re shorter books, and I’d like to up my book count up for January as much as I can, what with my abysmal reading so far this month and with ur being so close to the end of the month.
Concerning my life beyond books and the blog… not too much is going on still. I have started doing more home cooking finally, though. Last week I tried a couple of new recipes, and I’ve baked a couple of things over the last couple of weeks, as well. I’m really happy with doing this, and I really hope I keep at it. I’m kind of afraid it’s just going to be another thing I drop after a bit, and that’s not really something I want. 🍗🍳🥐🍪
Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope you all have a wonderful day/night!
Ell has spent years slaving away for her cruel stepfamily. So when Prince Bayard—who seems to have difficulty recognizing faces—shows up at her door with a glass slipper, Ell allows him to believe she danced with him at the ball. There’s just one problem: Ell didn’t attend the ball and she’s never met the prince before in her life. But if it’s a choice between moving to the royal palace or staying home, Ell is willing to say anything to escape.
However, Ell finds that being royalty comes with its own problems. Bayard’s sister, the princess, has gone missing. The king is preparing for war against the fae. And Maxim, Bayard’s treacherous (and handsome) best friend, appears to know Ell is lying.
If Ell wants to keep this life she’s stolen, she’s going to have to roll up her sleeves and rescue herself.
My Review
I’ve never had a moment that sweet. Not even in my wildest dreams.
Liar’s Kingdom was one of my anticipated reads in the first half of 2025. Not only was it a fantasy novel, which I love, but it was also a fairytale retelling. And if you’ve read some of my other book reviews, you know how I feel about those. (As in, I can’t resist reading them if they intrigue me, lol.)
Though I enjoyed several aspects of the novel, it’s not my favorite Cinderella retelling. That honor still goes to The Lunar Chronicles.Liar’s Kingdom was definitely a very interesting take on the fairytale though, and I really liked the angle the book was going for.
Trude shrugs, a shy smile warming her face again. But she does not meet my eye as she answers: “I think anywhere, no matter how lovely, would begin to feel like a cage if you could never leave it.”
Ell was our protagonist. I really liked her throughout the first half of the novel, but aspects of her character started to irritate me the further I got. I did like how emotionally strong she was, however.
Bayard was the kind and handsome prince. He was probably my favorite character in the novel. I just loved how sweet and generally optimistic he was, and him being face-blind, and it being incredibly relevant to the novel, was very interesting.
Maxim was the a-hole edgelord type character, who the MC is inexplicably drawn to, that also secretly has a heart of gold. He kind of annoyed me from the get-go, honestly. Like, the second the description said he wore all black all the time, I was already Done with him. Not the character’s fault, I’m just starting to get tired of his archetype.
Trude was a sweet supporting character, and Ell’s first ever friend. I really liked her. We don’t get enough just nice and wholesome friend characters like this. I do wish she had a few more layers, though. She was a little bland.
But from now on, I intend to be honest. And I can honestly say that with my court of rodents and rogues and social climbers, I expect to live very much happily ever after.
I also enjoyed what the story did with Ell’s “evil stepsisters”, Amalia and Frieda. They had pretty good character arcs, and I loved them being dynamic characters capable of change as opposed to static bullies.
The plot of Liar’s Kingdom was a really cool take on the classic Cinderella story, and it’s by posing a pretty simple question: What if Cinderella wasn’t the girl from the ball but fit the slipper? What the author tried to do here was really interesting, even if I didn’t enjoy everything about the execution.
I didn’t really like the romance here either. I don’t consider it to really be a love triangle, because it was obvious who Ell was going to end up with, as well as who everyone was actually into. But occasionally it felt like it to me.
I can’t help it; I laugh in his face. “Please don’t tell me you intend to be petty and jealous.”
Maxim raises an eyebrow at me. “I’m never petty.”
“Oh, no?”
I think that the world building was okay, but I wish there was a more fleshed out magic system. Like, fairies seem to be almost all powerful in terms of what their magic is able to accomplish and only really have one weakness. Granted it’s highly specific, but still. I hated that the fairy realm was called Fairyland. I just, I hated it. It’s the worst name.
As a whole, I think that Liar’s Kingdom was pretty good. I think that those who enjoy fantasy YA will like it, and especially people who like fairytale retellings. It was also well written, for the most part.
As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day/night!
Ugh. I’m late again. But at least I’m actually posting this on Monday this week, like I should. Last week’s Weekly Wrap-Up posting was abysmal.
Actually, the posting was abysmal in general this past week. I only got two posts out, which sucked. But at least I actually started reading a book. Finally, the first book of January 2025. It only took almost three weeks to start reading it.
Anyway, let’s start the wrap-up.
Friday 1/17: First Line Friday
Last Friday, I participated in First Line Fridays for the first time in several weeks. First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words.
Yesterday, I participated in my favorite monthly post, Birthstone Book Covers. Birthstone Book Covers is a fun little post created and hosted by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black.
Each month, for the post, you feature book covers that are either the same color of the month’s birthstone or include the color in the title. This month was January, and its birthstone is garnet. So the colors are all different shades of red.
So yeah, last week was pretty pathetic regarding my blog posting. But at least I started reading another book finally (I didn’t finish it before the week was over – but still). My main goal for this coming week is to just straight up do better in general. Here’s hoping I do it. 🍀🤞
Concerning what I’m thinking of reading next, after Liar’s Kingdom, I’m not fully decided yet. I still have to read The Raven Tower which I got a couple months ago, but I’m also very drawn to A Crown of Ivy and Glass, which I acquired about a week ago.
There are also a couple of books I got for Christmas that I’m interested in – namely A Study in Charlotte, This is How You Lose the Time War and The Wren in the Holly Library. But who knows when I’ll get to them all and in which order. I’d also like to finally get to the Crescent City novels sooner rather than later. Which book will I end up reading? We’ll just all have to see what happens together, I guess.
Regarding stuff outside of books and the blog… not too much is going on at the moment, honestly. It’s snowed a couple of times in the last couple of weeks, which was annoying at first, but other than that there isn’t really anything else that’s gone on. I do want to start cooking more at home, though. So I guess that’s kind of new?
Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope you all have a wonderful day/night!
I’m a little later than normal, but I’m here with another Weekly Wrap-Up. Ugh. Hopefully this won’t be a common occurrence.
Last week I was able to get out four different posts. Yay! And I’m pretty happy with the posts that I did. Now I finally feel like I’m caught up with all the end of the year/new year stuff. The business of the holidays is also over, which is a relief, honestly.
Anyway, let’s get on with the wrap-up.
Tuesday 1/7: The Most Interesting Books of January 2025
Last Tuesday, I posted a list of the books that I’m looking forward to this month. Or, at least the ones that I think look the most interesting. It was the Most Interesting Looking New Books of January 2025. As always, it’s basically only fantasy and science fiction, as those are the two genres I primarily read. This time I had six books on my list.
On Wednesday, I did another Can’t-Wait Wednesday. It had been a couple of weeks since I last participated, but there’s another upcoming release I’m a interested in.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.
Last Saturday, I finally posted my Yearly Reading Wrap-Up for 2024. (At least the first part.) It mostly consisted of a list of my statistics from The StoryGraph during the past year. There was so much of it, though, that I had to split it into two posts. Yup.
On Sunday, I posted the second (and final) part of my Yearly Reading Wrap-Up for 2024. The part of the post mostly focused on all the books I read last year, in 2024.
So yeah, I’m pretty happy with my posting from last week. Not as happy about the reading (of books) I was able to get done, but hopefully I’ll be better about that this week. There’s a new book coming out that I’m interested in, so I’m optimistic about it.
Last week was also generally more relaxed. I didn’t get a lot of stuff done in general. This week I’m planning on getting some cleaning done, and maybe some other stuff around the house. I’m not sure what else I’m thinking of doing – I don’t really have any other plans for anything.
Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope you all have a wonderful day/night!
Hey everyone and happy Wednesday! It’s been a couple weeks since I last did a Can’t-Wait Wednesday.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.
This week’s book is:
Liar’s Kingdom by Christine Calella!! 👠🏰
It seems to be a take on Cinderella, and we know that I’m always here for retellings! And this one looks interesting.
Ell has spent years slaving away for her cruel stepfamily. So when Prince Bayard—who seems to have difficulty recognizing faces—shows up at her door with a glass slipper, Ell allows him to believe she danced with him at the ball. There’s just one problem: Ell didn’t attend the ball and she’s never met the prince before in her life. But if it’s a choice between moving to the royal palace or staying home, Ell is willing to say anything to escape.
However, Ell finds that being royalty comes with its own problems. Bayard’s sister, the princess, has gone missing. The king is preparing for war against the fae. And Maxim, Bayard’s treacherous (and handsome) best friend, appears to know Ell is lying.
If Ell wants to keep this life she’s stolen, she’s going to have to roll up her sleeves and rescue herself.
Are you looking forward to the release of Liar’s Kingdom? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?
As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a great day/night!
Hey everybody! Happy Tuesday! Seeing as it’s the beginning of the month (and the beginning of a new quarter), it’s time for the thing that I usually do this time of year. It’s time for The Most Intriguing New Books of January 2025.
I’ve decided to make this a monthly post, as opposed to quarterly (every three months) as it’s been for the past two years. Some months I’ll have more books to list than others – like there’s definitely gonna be some months where I only have two or three new novels that look interesting to me – but I’ve been considering this for a while, and think this is the way to go.
Since I primarily (almost exclusively, really) read fantasy and some science fiction, this post is gonna focus on all the new SFF reads coming out this month. As that’s what I like to read. And if you’ve seen this post by me before, you know the drill; I’m only interested in these books – there’s no guarantee that I’m gonna read all of them. There’s not even a guarantee that I’m gonna read even half of them. We shall see. So without further ado, let’s get going!
RELEASING: January 7th
A young ruler must forge a delicate alliance with the untrustworthy yet magnetic God of War to protect her kingdom in this stunning romantic fantasy filled with dangerous secrets, forbidden magic, and passion, from Sue Lynn Tan, bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess.
The young heir to a mortal crown, Liyen ascends a precarious throne when her grandfather dies, vowing to end her kingdom’s obligation to the immortals and take vengeance against those she feels responsible for his death. When she is summoned to the Immortal Realm, she seizes the opportunity to learn their secrets and to form a tenuous alliance to safeguard her people, all with the one she should fear and mistrust the most: the ruthless God of War. As they are drawn together, a treacherous attraction ignites between them—one she has to resist, to not endanger all she is fighting for.
But with darker forces closing in around them, and her kingdom plunged into peril, Liyen must risk everything to save her people from an unspeakable fate, even if it means forging a dangerous bond with the immortal… even if it means losing her heart.
RELEASING: January 7th
A bladesmith blessed by the stars. A prince with a dangerous secret. A god bound in shadows. From USA Today bestselling author Amalie Howard comes a scorching new romantasy that will leave you spellbound.
“His Imperial Majesty King Zarek requests your presence as his esteemed guest.”
When the gold-dusted court invitation arrives at Suraya Saab’s forge, she believes it’s a joke. Nobles might seek her skills as a bladesmith—one of few who can imbue her work with precious jadu, the last source of magic in the realm—but she has no qualifications as a potential bride for the crown prince. Still, the invitation is the chance at adventure, and the means to finally visit the capital city her late mother loved.
But what awaits her in Kaldari is nothing she could have imagined—and fraught with danger. It’s not the crown prince, but his impossibly handsome, illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who captures her interest…and her ire. The invitation isn’t a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the Starkeeper—a girl rumored to hold the magic of the stars in her blood. And across the city, unrest is brewing between the noble houses and the rebel militia.
When the rebels attack, Suraya and Roshan find themselves on the run, trying to deny their simmering attraction and the knowledge that Suraya herself might be the Starkeeper. But Roshan is guarding secrets of his own. And with no control over the power stirring within her, Suraya has drawn the attention of a dark god, an immortal whose interest might be the biggest threat of all.
RELEASING: January 7th
From the hugely acclaimed author beloved by literary lights, including Emily St. John Mandel, Kelly Link, and Mona Awad, a dark dystopian fairytale about an idyllic country ravaged by war—and a girl torn between safety and loyalty.
Sofia Bottom lives in Elysia, a small country forgotten by Europe. But inside its borders, the old myths of trees that come alive and faeries who live among their roots have given way to an explosion of the arts and the consolations of philosophy. From the clarinetists to the cabaret singers, no artist is as revered as Sofia’s brilliant mother, the writer Clara Bottom. How can fourteen-year-old Sofia, with her tin ear and enduring love of ancient myths, ever hope to win her mother’s love?
When the country’s greatest enemy invades, and the Capital is under threat, Clara turns to her daughter to smuggle her new manuscript to safety on the last train evacuating children from the city. But when the train draws to a suspicious halt in the middle of a forest, Sofia is forced to run for her life and loses her mother’s most prized possession. Frightened and alone in a country at war, Sofia must find a way to reclaim what she has lost. On an epic journey through woods and razed towns, colliding with soldiers, survivors, and other lost children, Sofia must make the choice between kindness and her own survival.
In this stunning novel set in an imaginative world yet reflective of our own times, Heather O’Neill delivers a vivid, breathtaking dark fairytale of life, death, and betrayal.
RELEASING: January 14th
Ell has spent years toiling away for her cruel stepfamily. So when Prince Bayard―who seems to have difficulty recognizing faces―shows up at her door with a glass slipper, Ell allows him to believe she danced with him at the ball. There’s just one problem: Ell didn’t attend the ball and she’s never met the prince before in her life. But if it’s a choice between moving to the royal palace or staying home, Ell is willing to say anything to escape.
However, Ell finds that being royalty comes with its own problems. Bayard’s sister, the princess, has gone missing. The king is preparing for war against the fae. And Maxim, Bayard’s treacherous (and handsome) best friend, appears to know Ell is lying.
If Ell wants to keep this life she’s stolen, she’s going to have to roll up her sleeves and rescue herself.
RELEASING: January 14th
A SFF thriller where a mysterious, otherworldly tower appears in the sky above the UK with a single word emblazoned above its doorway… ascend. A great read for fans of Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart.
When a mysterious tower appears in the skies over England, thirteen strangers are pulled from their lives to stand before it as a countdown begins. Above the doorway is one word: ASCEND.
As a grieving teacher, a reclusive artist, and a narcissistic celebrity children’s author lead the others in trying to understand why they’ve been chosen and what the tower is, it soon becomes clear the only way out of this for everyone… is up.
And so begins a race to the top, through sinking ships, haunted houses and other waking nightmares, as the group fights to hold onto its humanity, while the twisted horror of why they’re here grows ever more apparent – and death stalks their every move.
RELEASING: January 28th
In this glittering debut fantasy, a mage bereft of her powers must find out if she is destined to save the world or destroy it. Perfect for fans of Andrea Stewart, James Islington, and Samantha Shannon.
In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city’s legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she’ll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power.
When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria’s elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war.For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she’s ever known.
For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she’s ever known.
So yeah, these are all of the books releasing in the in January 2025 that I’m at least a little interested in. What books are coming out soon that you’re looking forward to? Do we share some of the same ones?
As always, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!
