March wrap-up

March has come to a close, and with it, my literary adventures for the month are over and it's time to delve into the five books I read last month. As I travel through last month's reads, we'll journey through fantastical realms, spine-chilling horrors, dystopian societies and romances of chance. Some books were unbelievably bad whilst others were un-put-downable! So join me as I review my reads of the month: some good, some bad, but all worth talking about... especially a particularly thrilling Y/A horror and a standout graphic novel.

Divine Rivals

Rebecca Ross

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

"When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, their fate depends on their facing the depths of hell... together."

I adored Divine Rivals. It was magical with great world building, intriguing magic and lore, a beautiful writing style, and most importantly, loveable protagonists with great tension. I loved the rivals-to-lovers. I loved the slow burn. And I loved the high-stakes political environment. I truly thought this would be my first five star read of 2024 (excluding rereads)... but it just missed the mark. Towards the end I felt like the relationship was rushed - I personally would've loved a bit more pining and angst to then develop into a relationship in the second book. The sudden speed with which their romance accelerated just took me out of the book and sort of broke the perfect spell it had put on me. I felt disconnected from that point onwards.

Having said that, it doesn't take away from how amazing this book is. Like I said, characters, plot, world... all 10/10 and I would definitely recommend it! I can't wait to read the next one!

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight

Kalynn Bayron

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

"Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the "final girl" at Camp Mirror Lake. But in the last weekend of the season, Charity's co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity's role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real..."

This was the first time I've ever read horror and it was a hell of an experience! This book was insanely good. The pace and tension was constantly running high - one of the most important things in a good horror/thriller. To be honest, I really devoured it, finding it so hard to put down, and my heart rate went crazy whilst reading! It was high-key terrifying but I loved the experience! 😂 The twists were utterly unpredictable and although I know it wasn't for everyone, I actually really liked the ending. I also loved how the book was so self-aware of the typical horror genre, with the characters referencing things like "the rules of horror movies" and "the final girl". It made for a really interesting take on the genre.

Overall, I think it's safe to say I was obsessed during the four days I was racing through this - I couldn't stop talking about it and recommending it to my friends and coworkers! It wasn't quite perfect enough to be five stars but it was sooooo close!! Read it - you won't regret it, I promise!

The Elite

Kiera Cass

⭐️⭐️.25

"The Selection gets fierce as rivals stake their claim on the prince. Six girls, one life-changing prize. America Singer will leave her pre-destined life for a world of glamour and luxury, if she wins…"

Yeah... so this was the real downer of the month, and the worst book I've read so far this year. Look, I'm just not a fan of The Selection series - I read the first book a few years ago and disliked it so much that I never continued. But in an effort to make my way through the oldest books on my tbr, I'm trying to complete this trilogy (and following duology)... I'm just not particularly enjoying the journey...

I just really don't like the characters. America is a boring protagonist who's the classic 2010s 'not-like-other-girls' girl, Maxon is not as loveable as some people think - he has loads of red flags... they tried to make him the new Peeta but failed spectacularly, and Aspen is just... there. The plot is also pretty boring, The world building is shallow - all we know is that there's different districts - sorry I mean castes - and there's rebels... so yeah not a lot. For those of you who are lucky enough to not know about this series, The Selection process is like The Bachelor but for the country's prince (the aforementioned not-Peeta).

Tbh it would've been a neat two stars if it wasn't for the last 40 or so pages slightly improving it. We learn a little more about politics, America actually does something rebellious for once instead of just pretending she's different, and a villain is revealed! The villain is now my favourite character, cause at least they're actually interesting!

So yeah. Wouldn't recommend. But if you really want to subject yourself to this series, at least do yourself a favour and listen to the audiobook - makes it about 10% better!

Seatmate

Cara Bastone

⭐️⭐️.75

"I have exactly 5 hours and 10 minutes to get from Boston to New York City or the professional opportunity of a lifetime disappears. My only travel option? The second to last seat on a discount bus. My nerves almost get the best of me, but then there he is, sitting down in the seat next to me. Tall. Friendly smile. Bright indigo streak in his brown hair. The perfect distraction."

Also not great, as you can tell the month was going downhill at this point. This was a really strange book - the characters, relationships and plot were all fine... but the writing style...

It was honestly horrible. About 70% of the book was just pure dialogue. Dialogue with no kind of action or "she said, he said", literally just the words they were saying, back and forth. Not only was it hard to follow but it felt lazy, especially when I know the author can write better than that. More than anything, it was just annoying and disappointing. I looked forward to the few chapters that were written properly and internally sighed when I realised the next 30 pages were just more dialogue.

The characters were actually really fun and the plot was really cute. If it wasn't for the poor writing style, it definitely would've been into the three star range!

Lore Olympus: Volume Two

Rachel Smythe

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

"Persephone and Hades must contend with new challenges to their burgeoning love in the fresh and funny second volume of the WEBTOON sensation which reimagines one of the most popular Greek myths in a vibrant contemporary setting."

Well if the last two books made my month of reading worse, this one certainly made it better! As I talked about in last month's reading wrap up, this is a graphic novel series about Greek mythology, specifically focusing on the tale of Hades and Persephone.

I honestly just love this series so much! There’s drama, romance, humour… and the most gorgeous art style ever! The colours are just so bold and fit together in aesthetically pleasing ways. This second volume was even better than the first, with plot lines developing, the romantic tension starting to grow, and the introduction of some iconic characters like Hecate and Thetis. It’s also hugely addictive - I couldn’t put this book down!

Overall I’m just a huge fan of the series and I know it’s going to keep getting better. Can’t wait to read the next one!

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And that's my March wrap-up complete! Apologies for the slight delay on this post, it's been a busy week. I'm already reading some really exciting books this month and can't wait to talk to you about them soon. <3