Reading Wrap-Up #1

Notable reads for winter 2025

This winter was filled with satisfying reads. Most had romance, the vast majority were fantasy. I have omitted some books because they were not impressionable. Looking back at my reading tracker, I forgot that I even read some. This is why I love to track every book! Some honourable mentions are “The Pairing” by Casey McQuiston, “The Magician’s Daughter” by H.G Parry, and “Dream Girl Drama” by Tessa Bailey.

Quicksilver

Near miss

What can I say? I enjoyed it! The first of Callie Hart’s “Fae & Alchemy” series sucked me in. Before reading, I was aware of divisive reviews and watched many people express their dislike on BookTok. Ultimately, I am in the category of accepting it despite its flaws.

The cover could use some work. Not that it really matters, but I definitely would not have picked this up based on the imagery alone.

There are many needless F-bombs dropped. It adds to the novel’s tone, and proves the protagonist, Saeris, is a tough no-nonsense fighter. But her actions speak for themselves, and the swearing becomes overdone and jarring, akin to Sarah J. Maas’s em dash obsession.

Hate me all you want, but I think I like the shadow daddy trope. It’s so overdone now, but I thought the magic system was intriguing enough. I enjoyed the world that Hart created, but admittedly, I had to push past the endless Q&A for the first half of the book. Saeris was thrown into the fae world and instantly learned everything through a long series of 20 questions.

As a writer, I considered this a good lesson on Show Don’t Tell.

Will I read the next one? Yes.

The Assassin’s Apprentice

Hit

Wow. I’ve been meaning to read Robin Hobb’s books for ages and I am so glad I finally did. This book was a joy and a comfort. I cannot wait to read on.

Fitz was a complex character, even though he was so young. The story unfolded perfectly and left enough untold for me to want to grab the second book. I’m a fan of Hobb’s prose and her character development. Plus, the magic system involves dogs! If you love animals and fantasy, I cannot recommend this enough.

I took a breather from romance and stepped into court politics, and I couldn’t find a flaw if you forced me. I loved the subtle intrigue and the satisfying ways it all came together at the end. I see why readers love Fitz and the Fool.

One of my favourite cozy influencers, @peruseproject, drew me to this series, and I am glad I took their advice.

One Dark Window & Two Twisted Crowns

Hit

Such a stunning duology! I cannot wait to read more Rachel Gillig novels. I read “One Dark Window” over a weekend, and immediately purchased the sequel. Reading “Two Twisted Crowns” quickly as well. The playing cards were a unique way to introduce magic in this world and added to the conflict that Gillig’s characters navigated through. More political drama!

I wasn’t a huge fan of the rhyming monster in Elspeth’s head. The folktales were a bit draining for me to push through to get to the action. However, they set a lovely, mystical tone. Overall, I wouldn’t have taken them out.

If you need a quick fantasy to immerse yourself in, perhaps to read on vacation, or to get out of a slump, I highly recommend “The Shepherd King” duology.

The Beautiful Ones

Hit

Silvia Moreno-Garcia never disappoints! This is a character-driven Belle Époque romance with a dash of magic thrown in.

Nina attends balls and navigates the elite society season while trying to please her cousin and his malicious wife. Nina has a telekinetic gift that impresses the famous performer Hector Auvray and the schemes and plotting take off from there.

The multi-POV was a captivating way to tell this story, it even had me rooting for Valerie sometimes. I felt the plot was low stakes—the world was not in danger of ending or anything, but I was hooked the whole time.

The Atlas Complex

Miss

I want to like this. I loved “The Atlas Six.” But Olivie Blake’s final book in the “Atlas” trilogy is not doing it for me. Has my Dark Academia phase come to an end?

I’ve been trying to finish this since January. It is now April and I’m still only halfway through. I’m persevering but hope feels lost. Gosh, it is pretentious and I know that the characters are meant to be morally grey and uptight, but it is off-putting. On top of the familiar characters dragging along through long-winded exposition, we are introduced to a slew of new POVs that I couldn’t care less about.

A positive? The illustrations are lovely and the cover art is nice! As always, it suits the story well.

I can’t wait for it to end, I need to speed read and get it off my list for good! Will I read more Olivie Blake after this? Probably not, three is my limit. I’m giving it my all here.

Audiobooks:

The Binding

Hit

When I stared listening to this book, I had no idea what a wild ride I embarking on. This was beautiful, heartwrenchingly impactful. Emmett can bind unwanted memories into a book to make a person forget. Trauma, secrets, love. It was an immersive read that I feel doesn’t get enough attention. I will be reading more Bridget Collins.

Witchmark

Hit

This was a re-read. What can I say? I love C.L. Polk. I love this series. Support Canadian authors! I think I’ve read everything Polk has written, down to their novellas. The magic is mesmerizing and there is a reason this won the World Fantasy Award. It’s the reason I fell in love with Gaslamp Fantasy. If you enjoy “Witchmark,” I also recommend Freya Marske’s “A Marvellous Light.” I would love to use both series as my comps when I start querying, but I feel like they are not recent enough.

Book Lovers

Hit

I always see mixed reviews for this Emily Henry novel, it’s still my favourite one. I decided to listen to it as a re-read in preparation for “Great Big Beautiful Life,” and it still holds up. Currently waiting for the new romance to be ready on my Libby holds. I will say, listening to it made me realize I hate the “sissy” nicknames that pepper this story, as well as the ultra-dependent sisterly bond. But those are my own traumas talking. Overall, it gets a bad rap, the Charlie/Nora relationship is top tier!

Currently Reading: “The Maid” by Nita Prose

Currently Listening to: “Stormsong” by C.L. Polk