Hi guys, I hope you are all well. It is the end of the month which means its time for another reading wrap up. I’ve read 4 books this month and I stopped reading one book. Other than reading, I have been loving watching the Winter Olympics. Anyway, let’s get started.

The Fifth Season / book 1 of the Broken Earth trilogy / N. K. Jemisin / DNF

Unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me, so I stopped reading after roughly 120 pages. The main issue I had was with the writing. I really like the concept of this book and the world building I read was great, but I struggled with the writing. I just couldn’t get into the flow of the story. This one wasn’t for me, but don’t let that put you off as it’s got a lot of great reviews. I seem to be in the minority here.

Shroud of Eternity / book 2 in the Nicci Chronicles / Terry Goodkind / ★★★

To be honest, I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first book, but I still thought it was a good book. I don’t know why but I found myself more aware of the writing while reading this sequel and the repetitive nature of the writing annoyed me a little bit. The plot had potential but I felt it was a little lacking and there wasn’t enough character development. Despite this I did still enjoy reading this book and I’ve also learnt that this isn’t a duology as I thought. I have more thoughts for this book so a full review will be up soon.

Elysium Fire / book 2 of the Prefect Dreyfus Emergency series / Alastair Reynolds / ★★★.5

* I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I had no idea that this was part of a series when I requested it, but I still ended up enjoying this book. I think I would have benefited from reading the first book, however it’s not completely necessary – some things may have just gone over my head a bit. I thought the plot was compelling, the characters are well written and it was easy to settle into the flow of the writing. I find that I really enjoy sci-fi crime stories so this was an enjoyable read for me. Reynold’s does a great job of creating tension that builds throughout the book. Overall I thought this was a great read and I am definitely interested in checking out other books by this author.

Jade Dragon Mountain / book 1 of the Li Du Novels / Elsa Hart / ★★★.5

I really enjoyed this book. The setting was what drew me to this book in the first place and it didn’t disappoint. The mystery was well written and I liked that it’s left to the reader to try and figure things out until it’s resolved at the end. I like mystery books that allow the reader to come to their own conclusions. One thing that did frustrate me though, was the villain in the ending. He basically admits everything and doesn’t seem at all bothered that he’s been caught… to me that doesn’t make sense. I never quite understand villains who confess to everything and tells everyone their evil plan, but maybe that’s just me. I still really enjoyed this book and I am interested in reading it’s sequel.

The Good People / Hannah Kent / ★★★.5

This is a historical fiction book set in Ireland in 1825.  I thought the plot was compelling, the writing was great and the characters were complex and flawed. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I have to say she writes very atmospheric books. In this book Kent does a great job at creating an atmosphere of unease that grows toward the end of the book. It is quite a bleak story and the pacing is quite slow, because we are more focused on the characters and their development. Overall I thought this was a great book and would definitely recommend, especially if you enjoy historical fiction. If you enjoyed her other book, Burial Rites, then I think you will enjoy this book too.

Sovereign / book 3 of the Cromwell series / C. J. Sansom / ★★★★

This was a fantastic instalment to this series and it was great to be back with these characters. Sansom has once again written a compelling story and a mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. The character development through this book was great to see and I can’t wait to see how things progress in the next books. Basically this book was just as fantastic as the first two and I am excited to get to the three other books in this series.

The Initiate Brother and Gatherer of Clouds / Initiate Brother duology / Sean Russell / ★★★★

This was a fantastic fantasy duology with great characters, a compelling plot and an intriguing world. One of my favourite things about this duology is the political intrigue. Personally I love fantasy with political intrigue and this book does it so well. It is so interesting to see the inner workings of this world and how each of the characters interact with each other. Russell has done a great job at creating intricate story-lines and threading them all together. The world is wonderfully realised and it was so interesting to see the different cultures and beliefs. Overall I thought this was a fantastic duology and I would highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy political intrigue alongside fantasy.

I am currently reading Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb, which is the first book in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy. In terms of my TBR for March, I think I’ll continue on with the Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom and I want to read Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Other than that I’ll just see what I feel like reading at the time. I may try to get some rereading done in March, because there are quite a few books that I want to revisit. What was your favourite book you read in February? I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

Pippa