March is finally coming to an end! This has been such a long month for me. It started out tough but hopefully it’s going to end on an easier note. Somehow I did fit in a good bit of reading this month. I read eight books, which is good considering how busy I’ve been. Check out my March 2021 wrap up!
A Court of Silver Flames
Synopsis:
Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.
The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.
Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.
Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other’s arms.
My Rating: 5/5
My Full Review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/03/12/a-court-of-silver-flames-by-sarah-j-maas-review/
Where the Wild Things Are
Synopsis:
When Max dresses in his wolf suit and causes havoc in the house, his mother sends him to bed. From there, Max sets sail to an island inhabited by the Wild Things, who name him king and share a wild rumpus with him. But then from far away across the world, Max smells good things to eat…
Let the wild rumpus continue as this classic comes to life like never before with new reproductions of Maurice Sendak’s artwork. Astonishing state-of-the-art technology faithfully captures the color and detail of the original illustrations. Sendak himself enthusiastically endorsed this impressive new interpretation of his art.
Mary Pols of Time magazine wrote that what makes Sendak’s book so compelling is its grounding effect: Max has a tantrum and in a flight of fancy visits his wild side, but he is pulled back by a belief in parental love to a supper ‘still hot. Generations have shared this beautiful picture book, and children of all ages will want to return to it again and again.
My Rating: 5/5
My Full Review: I have never read Where the Wild Things Are. We bought it for my nephew, so I decided to give it a read. It was adorable! I’d recommend it for any child in your life. Or even just a child at heart.
Conjure Women
Synopsis:
Conjure Women is a sweeping story that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life. Spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women: Miss May Belle, a wise healing woman; her precocious and observant daughter Rue, who is reluctant to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a midwife; and their master’s daughter Varina. The secrets and bonds among these women and their community come to a head at the beginning of a war and at the birth of an accursed child, who sets the townspeople alight with fear and a spreading superstition that threatens their newly won, tenuous freedom.
Magnificently written, brilliantly researched, richly imagined, Conjure Women moves back and forth in time to tell the haunting story of Rue, Varina, and May Belle, their passions and friendships, and the lengths they will go to save themselves and those they love.
My Rating:3/5
My Full Review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/03/26/conjure-women-by-afia-atakora-review/
The Perfectly Fine House
Synopsis:
In an alternate reality where ghosts are as commonplace as the weather, the most terrifying thing imaginable is a house not being haunted.
Donna Fitzpatrick runs a surrogacy agency, where ghosts can briefly possess volunteers in order to enjoy carnal pleasures. She’s also working herself into an early grave. But that’s no big deal because death is no worse than puberty. That’s particularly evident in Donna’s twin, Kyle, a self-absorbed roustabout who spends most of his time high on sage. Kyle’s been in arrested development since his motorcycle accident fifteen years ago.
When Donna has a panic attack, Kyle insists she take a vacation at an abandoned mansion. There’s just one small problem: there isn’t a single ghost in Jackson Manor. And while an unhaunted house seems no worse than an oddity at first, soon ghosts go missing, natural disasters consume entire cities, and every afterlife on earth is threatened by the terrible secret behind . . .
THE PERFECTLY FINE HOUSE.
My Rating: 3/5
My Full Review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/03/19/the-perfectly-fine-house-by-stephen-kozeniewski-and-wile-e-young-review/
Uzumaki
Synopsis:
Kurouzu-cho, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is cursed. According to Shuichi Saito, the withdrawn boyfriend of teenager Kirie Goshima, their town is haunted not by a person or being but a pattern: UZUMAKI, the spiral–the hypnotic secret shape of the world. The bizarre masterpiece horror manga is now available all in a single volume. Fall into a whirlpool of terror
My Rating: 5/5
My Full Review: This is like the second manga I’ve ever read, so I don’t think I have the experience to do a full post on Uzumaki. I will say that it is creepy, the artwork is gorgeous, and it gave me everything that I wanted. I’m definitely going to pick up more of Junji Ito’s work.
Skyward
Synopsis:
Spensa’s world has been under attack for decades. Now pilots are the heroes of what’s left of the human race, and becoming one has always been Spensa’s dream. Since she was a little girl, she has imagined soaring skyward and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with her father’s–a pilot himself who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, leaving Spensa’s chances of attending flight school at slim to none.
No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, yet fate works in mysterious ways. Flight school might be a long shot, but she is determined to fly. And an accidental discovery in a long-forgotten cavern might just provide her with a way to claim the stars.
My Rating: 5/5
My Full Review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2021/03/29/skyward-by-brandon-sanderson-review/
Francis Laurent
Synopsis:
Birmingham, Alabama, is a bustling city on the move in the era of Prohibition. It’s a time of corruption, a time where it is tough to be an honest man of the law. Bureau of Investigation officer Francis Laurent finds that out the hard way when his partner and best friend August Day is gunned down in cold blood by a corrupt BOI agent and his gang of thugs during a high-stakes heist on the highway.
When Laurent’s commanding officer pulls him off the case without a good reason, this man of the law begins to suspect a cover-up and decides to take action to exact justice on those responsible. Finding allies in unexpected places, his winding tale of revenge and redemption is told through the eyes of his estranged daughter Raina, as she nears the end of her time in a state medical institution. If anyone can understand Francis’s desire to mete out justice and make the punishment fit the crime, it’s Raina. She has more than a few of her own demons buried just beneath the surface when it comes to playing judge, jury…and executioner.
My Rating: TBD
My Review: Coming Soon! Subscribe so you don’t miss it!
Black Butler Vol. 1
Synopsis:
Just a stone’s throw from London lies the manor house of the illustrious Phantomhive earldom and its master, one Ciel Phantomhive. Earl Phantomhive is a giant in the world of commerce, Queen Victoria’s faithful servant…and a slip of a twelve-year-old boy. Fortunately, his loyal butler, Sebastian, is ever at his side, ready to carry out the young master’s wishes. And whether Sebastian is called to save a dinner party gone awry or probe the dark secrets of London’s underbelly, there apparently is nothing Sebastian cannot do. In fact, one might even say Sebastian is too good to be true…or at least, too good to be human…
My Rating: 4/5
My Full Review: This was the month of manga. I decided to give Black Butler a try because my husband said I would love it. And I did enjoy it. I had a harder time following along, but at the end it all came together. I do plan to pick up volume 2 in the future.
So that is my March 2021 wrap up. I’m hoping April is a little easier. I also hope to continue this reading streak. I had gotten in a rut, but I think the new genres and formats are helping with that. What was your favorite read this month? Let me know in the comments!
Hope April is easier for you! It seems March at least brought you fun books to read, hope April does the same~