March 2023 Wrap Up: I read 17 books!

It’s been a long time since I felt such a big desire to read as I did this month. Reading was the only thing I wanted to do and that made me really happy, I had so much fun and I read so much. It was incredible!

Since I’m going to talk about so many books, I won’t say any more. Here are my thoughts on the books:

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (4.5 stars): I loved so many things about this, from the very beginning the narrative voice worked for me and the writing was really good. I loved the found family in this book: 1) the 3 girls were so sweet and I loved the relationship the main characters formed with them; 2) The adults were great too, each one was very distinctive; and 3) The grumpy/sunshine dynamic worked so well and seeing the romance slowly develop was lovely. I think it strikes a good balance between fantasy and romance. This didn’t get a full 5 stars because there’s one scene where the hero says something really messed up in the middle of an argument and I think the heroine deserved better than the almost non-existent apology that she got.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (4.5 stars): The first part of the book is a lot darker than the rest, and domestic violence is a big focus. The rest of the story is a quest that it’s entertaining, and lighthearted while still dealing with heavy subjects, and full of a cast of mismatched but lovable characters: an almost nun, a witch, a fairy godmother, a knight, a bonedog, and a chicken possessed by a demon. I enjoyed following their journey and the challenges they face, as well as the small bits of romance, and I found the resolution to the conflict satisfying. The writing as always with T. Kingfisher was fantastic.

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin (4 stars): This book was so good. Just like the first installment, this has beautiful writing, a fascinating world and magic system, and complex, flawed characters and relationships. The Obelisk Gate is definitely a second book in a series, in the sense that not a lot happens. Important information is slowly revealed and events also slowly unraveled to put all the pieces in place. Still, I found this to be incredibly immersive, and learning more about the world and seeing the character development was fascinating. The ending was really good and it showed glimpses of what is coming in the next book and how heartbreaking it’s going to be.

White Night by Jim Butcher (4 stars): I’m surprised to have enjoyed this as much as I did after having a lot of issues with the last few books. This is a fun, easy-to-read series, I find the world complex and interesting, I’m invested in the characters and I’m glad that we are seeing more of the larger political storyline beyond the case-of-the-week plotline. These books can be formulaic but I have gotten used to it and it didn’t bother me so much in this book. The big issue I have with this series is the sexism passing for chivalry and the hypersexualization of female characters.

Where The Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire (4 stars): I enjoyed this so much more than the previous installment. It took me a bit to get into it but once I did, I was hooked. I liked Cora as the main character, and seeing Sumi and Regan again as well as meeting the new characters was fantastic. I enjoyed getting to see more of this world and learning about the other school for wayward children. Finally, I appreciate that this series addresses serious topics, in this case, Fatphobia.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (4 stars): The writing in this is beautiful and accessible, and I think it was why this book captivated me from the beginning. This short book is engaging the entire time, packs a lot of thematic content including a bit of philosophy, and weaves different storylines together very successfully.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (4 stars): This was such a warm, sweet, and hopeful book. Mosscap is such a precious character and I loved that he was such a big part of this book. Also, really enjoyed seeing people and Mosscap (a robot) trying to learn about each other’s cultures and societies. And the final message about the importance of separating our value from our productivity is one that resonated with me.

Blackmail and Babingka by Mia P. Manansala (4 stars): This was fun and easy to read, and the writing sucked me in. I love the tight-knitted Filipino family at the center of this series, all the other side characters, and all the mentions of Filipino food and desserts. The mystery wasn’t mind-blowing, I figured out who one of the bad guys was pretty early on, but I didn’t mind. The one thing I keep noticing in all the books is that the main character and her love interest have zero chemistry, he is very nice but he’s just there, and something I (and the main character) forget he exists.

A Sinister Revenge by Deanna Raybourn (4 stars): I’m so happy that I enjoyed this book because I was starting to consider DNFing this series. One of my main problems with the past few books was that the mystery started halfway through the book, which meant the first half drags a lot. But that didn’t happen in this book, I was interested in the story from the very beginning, and I liked that there were some personal stakes in the mystery, some of my favorite side characters were present and as always Veronica and Stoker were great.

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda (3 stars): I went into this thinking I was going to love it, I usually enjoy character-driven stories with little plot, but the distant tone of the story and the narrative voice didn’t completely work for me, and I think there were some interesting topics that could have been explored more deeply. Still, this is a very unique take on a vampire story so I’m glad I read it.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (5 stars): This is my first time re-reading this book, after reading it for the first time 10 years ago and I had forgotten so many details. I loved how the book didn’t show only Darcy’s pride at the beginning to then reveal later on his true feelings and personality, instead is clear from very early on how he admired Elizabeth. Also, the book made Elizabeth’s prejudices so much more obvious. I loved all their interaction throughout the book. I love Jane Austen’s writing, her very deliberate choices of what to tell the reader and when, her humor, and her ability to portray the class and gender relations of the time. My only issue with this is that the Lydia storyline, which takes somewhere between 30 and 40 pages of the book, dragged a little.

The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon (4 stars): I enjoyed this book so much more than the first book in the series, I really enjoyed the two main characters, the fake dating, their chemistry, and the way their relationship develops. I also really appreciated the friendship between women and the way learning disabilities were addressed. This book is definitely not very plot-heavy but I didn’t mind that too much. The one thing that I will say is that the steamy scenes are not that steamy.

The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon (3.5 stars): This was entertaining and easy to read, but I had a lot of issues with it. It’s always hard to have characters that are hooking up from the very beginning because it eliminates the tension and build-up, which it’s exactly what happened in this. A lot of relationship development happened off-page and it’s hard to be invested in a romance if you don’t see the characters falling in love. Also, the plot was not that interesting and not a lot happens. And the fact that they were in a relationship while he was auditing her workplace felt unethical, especially since he was promising her funds for something she wanted. And that, unfortunately, kept bugging me and pulling me out of the romance.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center (3.5 stars): It took me a while to get into this, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it until about 20-25% of the way through until the main characters finally met. I enjoyed the overall story, the character development of the protagonists, and the side characters. It was overall a sweet, low-angst story. Nonetheless, I wasn’t completely convinced by the main character’s feelings, it feel like they came out of nowhere and were very intense all of the sudden. Moreover, the book was ending in a way that felt natural to the story, but the author decided to add a “second” ending that felt unnecessary.

First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel (4 stars): This is a second-chance, slow-burn romance and I really enjoyed it! This is the type of second-chance romance that I like, it doesn’t rely on flashbacks or on the characters remembering what they loved about each other, the book actually showed why they were in love: the empathy and support between them, the small gestures that meant so much, the chemistry and connection. Beyond the romance, this book also did an excellent job of exploring anxiety, the stigma that comes with mental illness, and racism within desi communities.

The Singles Table by Sara Desai (4 stars): I really liked that and it was surprising because I thought the first two books in this series were just ok. But I LOVED Zara and I really liked Jay two. They definitely have a grumpy/sunshine dynamic which I really enjoyed. I had so much fun seeing how their relationship evolved from dislike to like to love, and their chemistry and banter were great.

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean (3 stars): This book was so disappointing. While I loved Sesily, who was rebellious and fearless, I found Caleb to be such a generic hero, there was nothing interesting about him and I felt like I finished the book knowing very little about him. The only thing I know is that he liked Sesily and he was very protective, that’s it. The concept behind this book is so interesting, a group of women who try to fight injustices, but it’s not executed well enough, so the plot ended up dragging and feeling like an afterthought.

What were the best and worst books you read in March?

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