Welcome one, welcome all, to my March Wrap Up!
Two important and entirely unrelated events happened in March – Captain Marvel was released and I went to hear V.E. Schwab speak at Waterstones in Liverpool. Both of these things were awesome and experiences that I wish I could repeat. On the one hand, Captain Marvel was amazing – from its nineties-heavy soundtrack to Brie Larson kicking ass and doing it FOR HERSELF (not to prove anything to anyone, let alone a dude), I loved everything about it. And, on the other hand, hearing V speak about her writing process was great – she’s always so inspiring and this talk/signing was no exception. I made sure to get my unsigned books of hers signed too and let her pick her favourite of the Illumicrate ADSOM character tarot cards to sign – she picked Holland, for those who are curious!
Moving onto other bookish things, how did March’s reading go? Well, it was an odd sort of reading month as I felt like I was in something of a slump even though I know that, deep down, I was doing pretty well, I just happened to be reading reasonably long fantasy books. Considering the ratings I ended up giving these books I read, it’s clear to see that I was reading some really brilliant books too so I couldn’t be too disheartened by how long it seemed to take me to finish a couple of them. I was also very aware that the Magical Readathon and Camp NaNoWriMo were both on the horizon in April so I didn’t want to tire myself out with reading and writing too much in March.
But before looking to the future, let’s look at March in more detail, shall we?
In March, I read a total of 4 books – 4 fiction and 0 non-fiction – and 1 was a re-read (marked by *). This amounted to 2267 pages in total.
In terms of format: 2 were hardback, 1 was a paperback, and 1 was an ebook.
As for genre, 3 were fantasy and 1 was a historical fantasy.
Onto the books themselves…
Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty
Rating: 5/5
Genre: fantasy
Format: hardback
Pages: 625
Read: 21st February – 3rd March
Challenge: Around the Year in 52 Books (Week 18: A book related to one of the elements on the periodic table of element – copper)
Review: This book gave me such a tense reading experience because all my favourites seemed to be making risky and/or plain silly decisions. This world is so rich and complex and this second book really built on the wealth of world building and character development in the first book and took it to a whole different level. I will never be over it.
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
Rating: 4/5
Genre: fantasy; historical fantasy
Format: paperback
Pages: 393
Read: 5th – 16th March
Challenge: Around the Year in 52 Books (Week 49: A book written by a Far East Asian author or set in a Far East Asian country – China)
Review: “This is a book that has a lot more going for it than it says on the tin: seemingly an alternate history fantasy where dragons are added into the Napoleonic Wars, Throne of Jade also grapples with very real and grounded concerns of that same era. The book interrogates political questions of the time, specifically matters of Chinese isolationism, British colonialism, and the slave trade, to name but a few.” (Full Review)
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab *
Rating: 4/5
Genre: fantasy
Format: ebook
Pages: 401
Read: 13th – 26th March
Challenge: Around the Year in 52 Books (Week 19: A book by an author who has more than one book on your TBR)
Review: A long overdue re-read of the first book in one of my favourite fantasy series! Re-reading this having recently heard Victoria talk about her work (and telling her pick her favourite tarot card to sign afterwards) helped me to appreciate Holland SO much more in this opening book than I ever really had at this early stage before. I could (and probably should) do an updated review of this series but, for now, my 2015 one still says pretty much all I need to say.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre: fantasy
Format: hardback
Pages: 848
Read: 3rd – 28th March
Challenge: Around the Year in 52 Books (Week 11: A book related to one of the 12 Zodiac Chinese Animals)
Review: I don’t even know how to begin to explain this book. Complicated high fantasy, ostensibly a Saint George and the Dragon retelling that turned into so much more. This is lush and complex fantasy and, though I had some personal issues with the pacing and development of the story, I couldn’t rightfully rate this anything lower than I did because it was just so thought out and well done. It’s a highly anticipated and hyped book that, when all is said and done, deserves all the hype and more. (Full Review)
How did your March reading go?
What was your favourite book you read this month?
Please do share in the comments below and let’s chat books!
The Terror of Knowing 
4 responses to “Wrap Up | March 2019”
Oh you had a great reading month with those ratings. I really want to read Priory and I have the first 5 books of Temeraire on my shelves to read. Must get to them.
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I’ve heard great things about Captain Marvel, but those movie always give me a headache by the third act. Adding The Priory of the Orange Tree to my TBR!
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Wow! You read some kick-butt books in March. All perfect for Women’s History Month as well :)
I have Spinning Silver and Uprooted by Naomi Novik but I REALLY need to look into her other works. Throne of Jade sounds AMAZING.
I can’t read this much high-fantasy in a month. I have to mix it up with lighter reads, so I’m super impressed that you managed to read all of these. Great wrap up! I look forward to seeing what you read in April :)
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I still need to read a V.E. Schwab book! I want to read Priory but I honestly feel It will take me a long time to read it. Ha. Have a great April.
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