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Find out what I’ve been reading and loving lately before you reach for your next book!
I feel really good about the start of my 2023 reading! I finished five books in January and they were all three or four stars. No new favorites yet, but I did mostly enjoy everything I read this month, which is a nice change from 2022.
My goal in January was to read five books and to read every single day of the month. I’m not sure I will try to keep the second goal going, but it was important to me to set a daily reading goal in January so I could get back in the habit of reading.
All five books I finished in January were books from my shelves or Kindle. I am trying to focus on my shelves again this year and try to get my physical TBR somewhat under control. Not sure how that will work out since I am finally off the Fairyloot waitlist and just grabbed three books in my February Book of the Month box.
Related: Is a Book of the Month Subscription Worth It?
Books I Read in January
Rules For Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall
I knew better than to choose a YA book for my first read of the year. I set myself up for this disappointing start to 2023.
The first 100 or so pages was intriguing. I loved the urban legend aspect of the story, as well as the mixed media format.
Unfortunately, that’s all I can say that’s positive. Somewhere in the middle, this book just started to feel like a bunch of creepy scenes strung together. I don’t know if some of the events on the road just went over my head, but it was hard to follow. The characters weren’t well developed because I had a hard time remembering who was who while reading.
The twist was fairly easy to predict because it was so cliche. I think with some better editing, this could have been a great book, but it was about 100 pages too long. The ending set up a spin off with two of the characters, but I don’t think I’ll be continuing their journey.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
#readwithallison2023 Prompt: Book about family relationships
A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows by Holly Renee
Okay this is not perfect but it was fun and that’s all that matters! I stayed up way too late to finish reading.
Definitely could have been fleshed out more, especially in the beginning. But I also didn’t mind the shorter read because it’s exactly what I needed this month.
Rating: ★★★★☆
#readwithallison2023 Prompt: Book with a mythical creature
A Kingdom of Blood and Betrayal by Holly Renee
I know the point of this series is more fae smut than plot, so bear that in mind for my review.
It was too much ????️. Like excessively annoying at the most unlikely times. I finally started skipping those parts halfway through the book because it’s just the same scene and conversation over and over.
The plot for this series is fantastic though. I love the entire concept of the Starblessed and prophesy. I wanted more of that and more of Adara and Thalia. I would have loved an Evren POV in this one so we would know what happened while he was gone.
This book was basically ACOSF but with Feyre and Rhys instead of Nesta and Cassian. I think without the excessive ????️, it would’ve been five stars. But I would have liked less of that as Adara fell for Evren instead of just wild lust every time they’re together.
Rating:★★★★☆
#readwithallison2023 Prompt: Book in a series
The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
Finally a solid mystery/thriller! Probably more of a 3.5 star read but rounding up to 4 since it was bingeable and I had a good time.
This is not a new favorite, and I did predict the killer very early on. But the multiple POVs and timelines made this story so captivating!
I would say this is more of a mystery with thriller pacing. You get the POVs of an FBI agent, a lawyer, and a therapist. There’s some mild twists along the way and you’ll see some of it coming. And with any investigation, you chase some leads that you aren’t sure fit the story.
All in all, I enjoyed this story. The characters were believable for their roles in the plot and I was definitely intrigued from the very beginning.
Rating: ★★★★☆
#readwithallison2023 Prompt: Book with multiple POVs
Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens
Just Haven’t Met You Yet wasn’t my favorite, but I did enjoy it. I like a romance book that has a little bit more going on plot wise.
My only complaint was this was a bit too long. It felt like forever before the actual plot from the synopsis actually started and by then my attention was dwindling a tad.
I liked the ending though and it had some amazing quotes about life, family, and love, so I gave it four stars.
Rating: ★★★★☆
#readwithallison2023 Prompt: Purple Spine
Carry Over TBR
These Twisted Vows by Lexi Ryan
My library hold for These Twisted Vows finally came in the last weekend of January, so I am listening to the audiobook and will continue into February.
Books I DNF’d in January
Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro
I wanted to like this book but after picking it up and putting it back down since September, I decided to walk away from Ordinary Monsters.
The premise is super interesting (basically historical fiction X-Men), but this book is just so overwritten. If you enjoy books with backstory on every character you come in contact with, then you’ll probably love this.
I decided to officially DNF because even if I did manage to finish the book, I knew I had no intentions of struggling through the next book in the series.
The Rewind by Allison Winn Scotch
This book got terrible reviews on bookstagram, but I decided to give it a chance anyway. I was actually really excited about this book and grabbed it as an add-on in my December BOTM box.
But I only made it 89 pages before understanding exactly what all the reviews were saying. These characters were extremely unlikable, to the point that I didn’t want them to end up together.
There was literally nothing happening in the plot. And I hated how the author would suddenly cut to a past POV in the middle of a chapter with no warning. I think it would have flowed better if there were past and present chapters.
What books did you read in January? Did you read any books for the 2023 Reading Challenge? Let me know in the comments!
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