Now that we’re a solid week into March, it’s about time I get around to recapping the books I read in February, right? It wasn’t a huge month of reading, but it was a good month, and I absolutely loved all the books I read (minus feeling a little cheated by one book!) That being said, it was a good month leading up to now because the next installment of one of my favorite series is releasing this month! Three cheers for that, right? Let’s dive in…
Books I Read in February
I started my month reading Fable by Adrienne Young. I didn’t expect much of it, but I loved the cover, and I loved the idea of another high seas adventure. I was absolutely riveted start to finish. The idea of gem sages, a gem trade, mercenaries, free divers, storms, and swashbuckling adventures was enough to get me started. The story of Fable and her family, how her life becomes intertwined in West’s and more though? That was the heart of it all. The world-building is lush, the descriptions vivid and exciting, and the storylines are powerful. Needless to say, this one hooked me completely.
Since I loved book one so much, I dove right into the next installment of the series, Namesake by Adrienne Young. This is actually a two-book series. Fable and West’s story, their arcs, their development…it all wraps in two books. And everything you learned in Fable? Well, it throws you for a loop in Namesake. This is a sequel that actually outbid its predecessor for me, and the stakes are even higher than ever before. I absolutely loved this one!
The Last Legacy, also by Adrienne Young, is a stand-alone novel, but its set within the same world as Fable and Namesake, though this time following the ruthless and cutthroat Roth family in Bastian. After a childhood set apart from the Roths, Bryn returns to her family and is determined to learn the family business – fake gems – as they make their bid for legitimacy. In the process of doing so though, Bryn has to decide just how far she’s willing to go to fit in with her family, or whether she’s ready to break away. Powerful and emotive, I loved this one, but I definitely felt like the story could have continued and, at parts, felt a bit rushed. That being said, it was so well done that I highly recommend it.
I read A Crown of Petals and Ice by Shannon Meyer and Kelly St. Clare to continue the Honey & Ash series I began in September. I feel like I should have recapped the two prior books before diving into this one because I had a bit of a hard time jumping right back into Kallik’s world. I’m kind of torn on this one. On the one hand, I love that we got a full story line that wasn’t all wrapped up in ribbons and bows at the end, but on the other hand, I felt like Kallik and Lan’s story line kind of cheated.
I wish we could’ve seen a little bit more of the two of them together through the battles throughout this installment. That being said, we did just learn their will be a fourth book, so maybe we’ll get it there?
I finally got to read the third installment of The Broken Kingdoms series, Crown of Blood and Ruin, by L.J. Andrews. I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this one! I’ve enjoyed the past two books, but this one really dug into the secrets of Castle Ravenspire and just how high the stakes are to save the kingdoms. This is one of those series that blurs the lines between fantasy and Viking warrior novels in the best possible way.
Plus, we finally got the war that we’ve been building up to all this time. Elise grows a lot as a character here and is far less the damsel in distress that she was in the first book and Valen is, well, Valen. Amazing as ever, of course. And now we know we’re getting a fourth book here, too!
So, that’s a wrap on the books I read in February, and I’m thoroughly enjoying my reads in March already, thank goodness. I’m hopeful that I’ll continue this streak of good books, too, because there’s nothing better than winding down with a good book.
Tell me – what did you read in February?