February Wrap Up

 

Hello!!

This is the second time I am doing this and boy, am I glad I started this. Ever since my last post, I have been reading like a possessed person. No, seriously. I read a eight books this month, one of them almost a tome! I have read a lot this month and mostly I have enjoyed almost all the books which surprised me a lot. I also joined NetGalley this month which gave me a real chance of getting to read a book I had never heard about. I am guessing some people might have known about those but somehow I never did. My bad, I guess?

I put my Lord of the Rings re-read on hold because I was simply reading too many new and interesting things. Yes, I feel almost as if I am committing a sin by not continuing with Lord of the Rings but well, my love for that series will never really die and there’s room for more book love in my heart. I am sure J. R. R. Tolkien wouldn’t mind it so much. (I hope.) So, here are the books I read in February!

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

★★★★

I probably should have waited to read this book, I had literally just finished reading Milk and Honey the day before after all. But I couldn’t control myself and I started reading last night. I burned through this one like many others, of course. I did have to pause and think a bit as I read a bit here or a phrase there.

I think I am not a fan of this way of writing particularly but I must say that Rupi Kaur does it in a way that makes it seem so easy and almost amateur level but I wondered if I could have put forth thoughts the way she has, and the answer was no. I simply couldn’t. While I wouldn’t say I loved the book, I have to admit that it is a really good book. I couldn’t put it down and I just wanted to read more and more and get engulfed in her words.

Her style has changed in this one and one I really like, too! The way there’s a few pages of short things and then, there’s a longer, deeper part and it surprised me and delighted me to read it. It’s not a long read but it is a deep read. Sometimes I almost felt uncomfortable reading but that wasn’t enough to stop me.

The way she put the book in five parts was lovely and the bits about her mother really touched me, having lost my mother a few years back, I was reminded how much my own mum had given up to make sure I was happy. So, maybe a bit of a tear here and there was also present.

All in all, I think if you are thinking about reading it, don’t hesitate, do it. If even the littlest of parts move you then it was worth it, don’t you think?

 

Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams

★★★★★

 So, last month, I read the first book in the Memory, Sorrow & Thorn trilogy and I was absolutely obsessed with that book. I had a hard time imagining that the next book could top it, and in a way, I was right but that’s the curse of the middle books. Most of the time, the first book spends a lot of time building up the world, the characters and the lore, there’s action and there’s a hint of things to come. The middle book generally suffers from being a mid-point where a lot of things are sort of settled, in that that we know the basics and we are just waiting for things to happen, to move the plot along.

The same could be said about this one as well, we don’t see an awful lot of plot-development but we do see other things, things that frankly I wasn’t expecting to know more. We get to know more about the Sithi (sort of elves?), also more about the Storm King whose shadow has been present since the first book.

The various POVs also save the book, I mean, I don’t mind reading about Simon’s teenage mind and how his life has become hard and full of angst but a different POV always manages to freshen my mind. As I said before, Osten Ard is so wonderfully developed with it’s characters, it’s species, it’s lore, its history that I didn’t mind the slightly boring part where everyone just tried to reach the Stone of Farewell.

I am giving this one full five stars because it totally deserves it. I am on book three, part one and let me tell you, somehow it is better. I am loving every moment of it!

 

Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece by Stephen Fry

★★★★

I absolutely love mythologies; I have started to read more about Greek mythology since last year so this was a really good book as a starter. I also love Stephen Fry, his voice is absolutely divine when it comes to audiobooks. Harry Potter audiobooks proved that for everyone, I should think.

It is, by no means, the most extensive book on Greek mythology but I have to say, it’s the most fun! Listening to Fry is always a pleasure and to hear him talk about those classic tales in such a fun and modern (yet traditional) way was absolute pleasure. He managed to insert some relatable content so that even the people who never really cared for such things could take notice and listen. A solid four stars for this one because Fry totally deserves it.

 

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

★★★

This book has a separate review post and you can just click here to read it. I wouldn’t want you guys to read the review twice. 

One really good thing about this book? I fell in love with the way Perry writes, her writing saved the book for me, so I am gonna be on the lookout for her next books.

 

The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker

★★★★

 I have been eyeing this book for a while now and I finally got around to reading it. I haven’t read a lot when it comes to Vikings and their sagas and no, I do not count the Viking romances in this category. They belong somewhere else. I am not bashing the romances but they just never quite did it for me, oh well. It never hurt to look at the dashing guys, I suppose.

Anyway, back to the book at hand. This book is first part of trilogy and it sets up the scene quite nicely indeed. The author’s knowledge about the Vikings and their lives is really good and it shows in her writing. The story is based on sagas of King Harald that were written in the 13th century, I haven’t really read much about that but I read a bit more because of this book. The more you read, the more entangled you are in the lives of the characters. I loved every moment of it. I really got a sense of how these people lived their lives. Their suffering, their loving, their everything could, at times, become greater than the characters themselves? Did I say that correctly?

Yes, there were the typical problematic scenes where the times were absolute horrible for the women but there’s also a show of strength in these women, I like that this novel has women with quiet strength. Ragnvald’s mother shows a hidden, deep strength in her own way and then there’s Svanhild who is a badass in her own right. I would have loved to read more about Norse mythology but that didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would.

There’s two more books to come and I can’t wait!

 

Sleeping Giants (Themis Files 1) by Sylvain Neuvel

★★★★★

This book also has it’s own review and if you want to read it, just click here! 

Let me just say that I am head over heels in love with this series and be done with it.

 

Awakenings (Gennebar Rising Book 1) by Clint Geller

★★★★★

Read the review here!

I loved every moment of this book and I honestly can’t wait for more! Gimme!

 

Waking Gods (Themis Files 2) by Sylvain Neuvel

★★★★★

Read the review here!

My love and obsession for the series only grew with this second installment and I am really dying to read the third book now.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That’s it for February! I really enjoyed February as far as books are concerned.  So, have you read any of the books listed here? If yes, what are your opinions on them? If not, are you tempted to read them now? How did you find my reviews? Do you agree with them or do you have your own bit to add to them?

I have a few books lined up for March as well so be on the lookout for book reviews in March. There will also be a monthly wrap up for March, of course. It would likely be up in the first few days of April.