Well, January was a whirlwind over here! Almost literally (SO many storms), and figuratively because it’s been quite the busy month. I moved house and read 11 books! Not having any WiFi certainly made for a productive reading month.

My main goal for the start of the year is to finish up the 2024 edition of r/Fantasy Book Bingo and I managed to check off a whopping 6 books! That just leaves me with two left until I hit the bingo of 25 prompts checked off.

I also read a good number of the publisher copies I have been sent, knocking four off my list to read and review so I am also pleased with that progress.
I’ll do some very brief reviews of everything below in the order of reading.

Calypso by Oliver K. Langmead.
This book is a whole sci-fi experience. It’s written in verse and from 4 different and distinct POVs. The plot is simple, with the characters and writing style adding depth. A fantastic start to the year.
Full review here.

Forged by Magic by Jenna Wolfheart.
Not my usual choice, but I had fun nonetheless! A sweet, fairly straightforward fantasy romance between a feisty orc and a surly elf. This was easy to read, quite tropey, and it has dragons!

The Garden by Nick Newman.
An incredibly captivating and mysterious novel about two elderly sisters and their huge empty house and abundant garden. The characters are so interesting, the writing atmospheric and the story deliciously slow to unravel.
Full review here.

A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young.
Buckets of atmosphere, a sprinkle of magic and a compelling mystery is a winning combination for me. Young never fails to disappoint me – I ate this book up!
Full review here.

Nature is Never Silent by Madlen Ziege.
A non-fiction about animal and plant communication. I was very excited for this, but ended up disappointed. The book was good, but much better suited for someone with no, or little, prior ecological knowledge and not myself who has certifications in the subject.

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune.
A quirky sci-fi road trip with Klunes signature banter and found family vibes. This was a fun read, but had a darker undertone than his Cerulean series does. With a speedy plot and some loveable characters, Klune fans will adore this.
Full review here.

Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames.
Sequel to the fantastic Kings of the Wyld, this follows one of their daughters. The characters are fantastic, and while the wit from book one is still there, there are much more serious themes in this one. An excellent read.

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz.
A sci-fi that spans large blocks of time over three parts. I was expecting more climate themes than I got – this is much more of a political novel. It’s a difficult one to recommend, but if you enjoy characer studies and wide-world politics then you might like this.

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao.
Oh what a beautiful book. It’s magical, mysterious and whimisical, with tense undercurrents signalling that not everything is as it seems. There was some wonderful exploration of grief and healing, and I drank this book up like I was a person parched.
Full review here.

The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi.
Sequel to The Final Srife, we follow Anoor, Sylah and Hassa once more. I found this to be a huge step-up from book one, and particularly loved exploring the wider world beyond what we encountered before.

A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena.
A romantic fantasy following a disabled dancer who has to go undercover to spy on her King’s brother or forfeit her freedom. I loved the character of Vasalie, she was courageous and strong of will. This was a very bingeable book!

life happenings…

I thought I’d add a small section on the end of wrap-ups this year to summarise what I’ve been up to outside of reading.

In January, the big happening was a house move! It’s still chaos, I don’t have much furniture (hence the floor mattress), but it’s such a lovely cottage to be in. One thing I especially love is that almost every window has either a wide sill, or a window seat! Lots of places to perch with a book, or more realistically, lots of places for the cats to sit!

I’ll have my 2025 goals post up soon – as I mentioned at the start of this post I haven’t had any WiFi so all my new year bits have been done later than is normal! You may have also noticed I’ve been fiddling with the theme of the blog. I still have some bits to do, but I am enjoying the new look!

How was your January?