I read 21 books! 📚 January Wrap Up!

That’s right. I read 21 books in January. 3 were physical reads & the rest were all audiobooks! With my new job I am able to listen to audiobooks while working for approx. 6 hours a day 5 days a week. So I have been going through the audiobooks! Let’s jump in because this is a long one!

Firstly I read This Lie Will Kill You which is a YA Thriller. I rated this one 3.5 stars so it wasn’t bad but I definitely had a couple issues. One was the pacing. At times it was fast paced and gripping but others I was kinda bored. Also the characters were kind of cringy at times and felt kinda flat. Enjoyable read and plot but just slightly poorly executed. I did also enjoy that it had some LGBT+ representation.

Next I finally read God Storm the sequel to Shadow Frost which was on my 21 books to read in 2021 list and I never go to it. Honestly this was no where near as good as book 1! It’s just not. I rated it 3 stars and it’s by no means a horrible book but it just didn’t live up to book 1. I found it slower, duller and more predictable than Shadow Frost. The magic system/world is of course still incredible but the execution of this one was just up there for me.

Next we have Day Zero which was a pleasant surprise. I had no idea what to expect going into this one. It sounded amazing but I hadn’t heard anyone talking about it. This one is a YA Sci-Fi with a slight dystopian vibe. I ended up rating it 3.5 stars. While I really enjoyed the characters & the world I did find the writing a bit flat and slow at times. I think it would have really benefitted from being fast paced to add a bit of thrill to the story line. The very beginning led off that way but then it kind of lost that throughout.

My first physical read of the month was You’ll be the Death of Me which I picked up the paperback of. This is another great work by Karen M. McManus but I’m still yet to find a book of hers that tops One of Us is Lying. I rated this one 4 stars and my only really issue with it was the pacing. This book took place in I think 1 day if I’m remembering correctly but there were a lot of times that felt slow or times where the romance was the focus which really added nothing to the plot. I’m not a huge fan of romance at the best of times but especially not in mystery/thrillers. More murder, less romance please.

Next we have a book that was just such a fun, wholesome and cozy read! I rated The Marlow Murder Club 4 stars. This one gives me Miss Marple vibes in the sense that it’s an older lady trying to solve a murder. Miss Marple has some experience in the field though whereas Mrs Potts does not. I loved the characters, the plot and everything about this. It was a little predictable which is why it didn’t get a higher rating but besides that it was just a fun read & I highly recommend giving it a go!

Next we have 3 books in the Death in Paradise series. I wasn’t able to find the audiobook for what I think is book 3. I was a little confused with these as Scribd said Murder in the Caribbean was book 3 but StoryGraph said it was book 4 and there is another book 3 but I couldn’t find it on any audiobook apps… So I have no idea really ahah! Either way this is a continuation of the Death in Paradise TV series and I it was a fun read. I love a good cozy murder mystery and this one also had a slight comedy aspect as well which I enjoyed. The MC was a little obnoxious at times but I think he was meant to be like that.. I rated them all 4 stars!

All These Bodies was my next physical read and this one didn’t quite live up to expectations. The plot was interesting enough but the execution was kinda bland. I feel like there wasn’t enough of the actual investigating and such that makes a good murder mystery. This one was basically the characters talking and not believing each other & then talking some more. Then there was one bloke who would come in a shove his weight around and act like a dick. But that was kind of it. It was a super interesting murder mystery but the execution just wasn’t quite there for me. I rated this one 3.5 stars.

Next I read the 7 books in the Wayward Children series that are currently out. So I reread books 1 – 6 and then read Where the Drowned Girls Go for the first time! My ratings for these actually alternate between 4.5 & 4 star starting at 4.5 for Every Heart a Doorway. I won’t talk about books 1 – 6 but for Where the Drowned Girls Go was really good. I enjoyed that it introduced more of the world outside the doors. It also dealt with some more serious topics like fatphobia & trauma. Loved it!

You can find my review for Where the Drowned Girls Go HERE!

Next we have my last physical read of the month which was The Last Legacy. So was I the only one that didn’t realise that this is not book 3 to Fable… This is actually a companion that follows a completely different character but does feature I think 2 or 3 side characters from Fable. So I was a little disappointed that Fable wasn’t the MC as I love her! I don’t think this one was near as good as Fable/Namesake. It was kind of predictable, especially for the romance.. Also the ending was a little underwhelming. Like there was all this build up and then it just kind of ended. Not my favourite but still a decent read so I rated it 3.5 stars.

Lies Like Poison is from the same author as This Lie Will Kill You and while that one wasn’t my absolute favourite this one was even lower on my rating system.. This one I rated 2.5 stars as I found myself bored, confused & really didn’t like the characters. It had so much potential with the plot but the execution was just not there. I found myself not even paying attention when it was playing as I stopped caring towards the end. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was listening to it on audiobook I would have DNFd.

Lastly we have the 3 books in the Cassidy Blake trilogy! This one is a MG Fantasy series and it was a fun ride. I really enjoyed the two girls but Jacob kinda pissed me off the whole series… Besides that I loved the settings. The world building was incredible. It did get a little predictable by the end of the series but I still recommend and enjoyed the reads! I rated all 3 books 4 stars.

We have finally reached the end! Let me know if the comments what your favourite book of January was! Mine was definitely Where the Drowned Girls Go!