March 2024 Reading Wrap Up
March ended up being a woefully poor reading month for me - in fact, it almost ties with my lowest month last year, which happened during extremely difficult circumstances that most certainly are not responsible now. I’m really hoping that I’m out of this annoying slump, as I have lots of exciting reading to get to in April. Anyway, on with the stats!
March 2024 Stats:
Total Books Finished: 5
Total Pages Read: 1,856
Total Minutes of Audiobooks Listened To: 735 (12hr 15m)
Formats:
E-Books: 2
Paperbacks: 3
Hardbacks: 0
Audiobooks: 0
Ratings:
5 Star: 1
4 Star: 2
3 Star: 2
2 Star: 0
1 Star: 0
DNF: 0
And now onto the reviews. If you’re interested in buying any of these, please consider doing so using my affiliate links below, every purchase helps to support me.
The Doomsday Date by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
YA Historical Romance / 4 Stars / 2024 World Book Day Choice
It physically hurts me to describe this as “historical”, but given it is set in 1999 (which somehow is 25 years in the past) I’m not sure that it can realistically be described as contemporary any more. The Doomsday Date is specifically set on December 31st, 1999 and follows two friends, one of whom believes that the world will end at midnight thanks to the Millennium Bug and one who does not but has allowed herself to be roped into ticking off items on her BFFs bucket list. It’s a cute, if predictable, little short story that explores just what Sanjeet has on his list, and how Sola might fit into it.
Buy (Affiliate Links): Amazon
Reading Challenges: N/A
Weyward by Emilia Hart
Adult Historical/Magical Realism / 5 Stars / 2024 Purchase for Book Club
Weyward was my book club’s pick for the month and ended up being my only 5-star read in March. I loved the three different voices we followed: Altha in 1819, Violent in 1942, and Kate in the present day, and how all three of the stories connected to one another through time. In fact, I found it hard to pick a favourite. Every time a chapter would end, I was both annoyed at having to leave that plot thread behind and excited at getting to pick up another. I will say that this book really needs some hefty content warnings, and would advise readers to check out the trigger warnings over on The Storygraph before reading.
Buy (Affiliate Links): Amazon / Bookshop / Libro.fm
Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club (Sticker on the Cover), X-Files S4 (Sanguinarium/About Witchcraft)
Cursed Cruise (Horror Hotel #2) by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren
YA Horror / 3 Stars / 2024 Review Copy
Cursed Cruise ended up surprising me by being better than I expected, following the previous book in this series (duology? Trilogy? I have no idea at this point.) The story still relied too heavily on tired tropes, but I appreciated the way the character arcs were informed by events in the previous book, which allowed for growth instead of treading the same ground once again. Check out my full review for more and once again, many thanks to Random House Children's Books for the ARC.
Buy (Affiliate Links): Amazon / Bookshop / Libro.fm
Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club (At Least 4 POVs)
Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession (Six Tudor Queens #2) by Alison Weir
Adult Historical Fiction / 4 Stars / Pre-2024 Charity Shop Purchase
The second book in the Six Tudor Queens series was perhaps the one I was least excited to read. That may surprise some people, however, I’ve now read so many books covering these specific years that it’s naturally starting to feel somewhat repetitive. That being said, this was a refreshing take on Anne’s story that avoided painting her as a manipulative shrew and instead introduced her as an intelligent and ambitious young woman facing impossible choices. I’m looking forward to continuing this series ASAP.
Buy (Affiliate Links): Amazon / Bookshop / Libro.fm
Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club (Apostrophe in Title), Beat the Backlist (A Walk Through History), X-Files S4 (Max/Character Name in Title), Buzzwordathon (March/Character Name in Title)
Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
YA Thriller / 3 Stars / 2024 Review Copy
My final book of the month is another by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, meaning she bookends my month! This was an interesting and compulsive academic thriller with similar vibes to her debut novel Ace of Spades, but it felt messy with too many characters and predictable twists for me to rate it highly. Once again, you can read my full review for more and thanks to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for the ARC.
Buy (Affiliate Links): Amazon / Bookshop
Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club (An Academic Thriller)