The Books I Read In March 2023
- Alexa Burban
- Mar 30, 2023
- 7 min read
I have officially declared 2023 my year of Sarah J Maas. I have been devouring her books left and right, so enamoured by the worlds and characters she brings to life.
I'm also so pleased that with just three months into the year, I'm nearly halfway done my reading goal! There's no doubt in my mind that I won't be going over that this year.
Here are the books and my reviews for March:
⭑⭑⭑.5
Spoilers lie ahead but all I can say is, holy hell - Cassiannnn!!!
This was a much slower start than I would've liked. Part of it was my own fault in adjusting as Sarah switched the writing style from first-person (the previous three books) to third-person. I am not a fan of third-person writing and I never read books in this style so not only was I dealing with a slower start because of the plot, but I was struggling to keep my focus in the change in writing style. Thankfully, I was accustomed to it and the plot began getting better around the 40% mark and could enjoy the rest.
Gosh, my heart broke for Nesta. She had really been through so much and was coping in the way that felt the most natural to her only to be scolded, rather harshly by her new "friends and family" to get her life together.
I was very disappointed in what Sarah did to Rhys' character throughout this book. Starting with how poorly he treated Nesta (alongside Amren who I've never been a fan of) and then how he was coddling Feyre, when he said time and time again that he would provide her with choice and free will. Up until the end (when Rhys and Nesta reconciled), I'm choosing to forget a lot of what Rhys did and said in this book.
I enjoy a redemption arc so I knew I had to push through all the moments where I really didn't care for Nesta when she was being unbearable and short-tempered with everyone. There was nothing I wanted more than to see her happy and seeing her forgive and learn to love herself again was truly beautiful.
I adored her newfound friendship/sisterhood with Emerie and Gwyn, two faeries who have very dark pasts like Nesta. This bit, in particular, made me smile:
"Her two friends fussed over her, sitting at the kitchen table and drinking hot cocoa - a belated Solstice gift to Emerie from Nesta, pilfered from the House's larder. They ate dinner, and then dessert, and discussed their latest reads. They spoke about everything and nothing long into the night." - A Court of Silver Flames
Literally, the perfect night for me! Friends who read the same books and like to talk about them?! :')
They also made bracelets for one another with the following promise: "the courage to go out into the world when we are ready, but to always be able to find our way back to each other. No matter what." I cry!
And I cannot not speak about Cassian. CASSIAN!! My man was down bad for Nesta. From the moment he saw her, he knew there was something about her that he couldn't shake, even if Nesta didn't reciprocate or was vocal with the same feelings at the time. I love it when the man falls first and falls hard!
"'His eyes flickered. "I've needed you from the moment I first met you. And now that I get to have you, I don't want to stop."' - Cassian, A Court of Silver Flames
BYE BYE BYE!!!!
The major conflict wasn't as gripping as the past ones and I found myself not as invested in the side characters who play parts in the conflict. Honestly, I'm struggling to remember some of their names. I really want to learn more about Eris and what he's all about. Tamlin seriously can run and hide away. I still do not like that "male". Elain needs a personality that's not just the meek middle sister. Azriel needs his own story ASAP (pretty please SJM). I honestly just need more!
Overall, I was hoping to love this story more, especially coming from the high that was book 3 but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I'm sad to be leaving this universe but saved the novella (book 3.1) for when I'm missing it and need more from these characters. But I will recommend this series until the end of time! Obsessed!
⭑⭑⭑⭑
I was very hesitant about reading this book as I really did not enjoy book one (grumpy x sunshine is one of my least favourite tropes) but I was so pleasantly surprised by this and grew to love the previous hero and heroine.
Nash. Nash, Nash, Nash - this man?! This MAN! I really loved him and how he loved Lina. I love a man that's down bad. My heart also broke for him as he was living through the trauma and aftermath of the events in book one and trying to cope with his new anxieties. He found solace in Lina:
"Whenever you're close, everything is better. The closer you are, the easier I breathe, the less I feel like life is just a never-ending pour of lemon juice into an open wound that won't heal. You take away the dark, the cold. And you remind me what it's like to want to be here." - Nash, Things We Hide from the Light
I mean?!?!?
I also really enjoyed Lina's character, someone who really didn't want to let anyone in too close and has a history of keeping her walls up to protect herself from the hurt. I loved watching her slowly open herself up to the idea of love.
"Being vulnerable doesn't mean you're weak. It means you trust yourself to be strong enough to handle the hurt. It's actually the purest form of strength." - Joel, Things We Hide from the Light
There were moments throughout that I didn't necessarily enjoy. Nash outing Lina in front of every one about her job was a low for me. He was overreacting and handled it poorly. I also cringed at most of the nicknames that were used throughout but it wasn't as bad as book one. I LOVE when characters from previous books in the series have roles in the current book. It's so fun to see where their lives have gone since their book ended and their character usually adds so much more to the plot. It also gets me so excited to learn more about other characters in the books to come.
I also gotta mention the beautiful author's note! AND I cannot wait for Lucian and Sloane's story!!!!
⭑⭑.5
I was really optimistic but unfortunately, it fell flat.
The heroine, Gigi, is a hopeless romantic and romance bookshop owner who embarks on a “cross country” English tour to meet the host of the tour who she has fallen for because he’s the narrator of her favourite book.
While the concept overall was adorable, the references to England and other romance novels was enjoyable, I found myself skimming chunks of the plot and going straight to the dialogue. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Gigi and her love interests, the side characters were random and one-dimensional, and I wasn’t as invested as I had hoped.
Not a favourite but I’m thankful to both Penguin Random House Canada (Doubleday Canada) and NetGalley for a physical and e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
⭑⭑
I really, really wanted to love this but there were so many moments where I just cringed that I can’t look past. HOWEVER, I did like Carter. He was the overly confident, dare I say cocky, hockey player who is the human form of a golden retriever. He was so fun to read and made me laugh a few times.
I’ve never read a hockey romance but I absolutely loved this:
“The corner of Carter's mouth lifts, revealing a panty-dropping grin as he props his chin on his gloved hand.
"I'm gonna score a goal for you." There's a sureness in his deep timbre, an arrogance that makes my stomach tighten with anticipation. With a wink and the shimmy of his hips, he skates backward and drops to his knees, spreading his legs as he stretches his groin and blows a big, pink bubble, all without taking his eyes off me.”
UM?!?!? Safe to say I will be trying another hockey romance.
⭑⭑⭑
A great start to a series! I’m so intrigued by where these characters will go. I really hope the series will be a wild ride and leave me gasping for air. There are seven books so I hope to be left emotionally distraught at least twice. 2023 really is my year of SJM.
⭑⭑⭑
As someone who grew up watching iCarly, laughing along to the silly jokes and plot points of the show, learning about Jennette’s traumatic life at the time when her character brought me joy was heartbreaking.
This was intense, devastating, and written with an immense amount of vulnerability. I applaud Jennette for wanting to share her story and doing so in such a revealing way. There were many moments where I audibly gasped at the context she was speaking about, and found myself becoming emotional for the experiences that she had lived.
Some scenes were quite graphic and harsh, and while, listening to the audiobook, narrated by Jennette, her words hit that much harder.
The book was very heavy, and I’m not typically a fan of non-fiction, so this was outside of my typical scope of enjoyment.
⭑⭑⭑⭑
I fell in love and had my heart broken all in the span of 50 pages. I haven’t recovered since. I loved this so much and just beyond excited for this series.
I’m also very pleased with myself cause I had a theory about something and was correct!
I feel like doing reviews for this series will get difficult as I don't want to spoil anything. If I do by accident, you've been warned!
⭑⭑⭑.5
This felt like a completely different book in comparison to the rest of the series. It was an information dump and the addition of many new characters. I loved watching the three original characters develop. The addition of Manon and the witches confused the heck out of me and felt like a very random add. I found myself skimming her parts as I felt it didn’t relate to the rest of the ongoing plot. I’m sure I’ll regret missing some bits later on in the series.
I absolutely loved the ending and would give it 4.5 stars. I’m so so so thrilled with how it ended and I’m genuinely so giddy to keep reading.
And lastly, I must mention, my fictional boyfriend aka, my love, Chaol. I. Adore. This. Man. I give him 5 stars just for existing!
My plan is to finish the Throne of Glass series in April although I have a lot going on in the month (a trip to Europe, my 25th birthday, a spa weekend, and starting a new job) I know I'll find a way to make time for the monster-sized books that are up next on my TBR.
xx
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