Adventure in Aeldia is a year long challenge connected to the Orilium reading adventures made by YouTuber BookRoast. You can check out her introduction video HERE and my original post about it HERE. If you have any questions or comments please make sure to comment on this post and I will be happy to answer!
After April break from questing I am on my way to earn extra credit in restoration because us Necromancers find that useful! Last year I decided to forgo everything other than two monthly reading challenges and maybe next year I will manage to include some other questing options. Right now this type of recluse behavior goes well with my weird character! I finished reading :
Prompt: Title has multiple R’s
The Prisoner’s Throne (The Stolen Heir Duology #2) by Holly Black ★★★★★
This is the second book in a The Stolen Heir Duology. This duology is a continuation from the The Folk of the Air series by one of my favorite authors Holly Black. The trilogy can be read separately from this duology. I love the angsty modern fairytale twists the author is spinning in her stories and her characters have something exciting and tragic about them at the same time. I remember reading the first book in The Stolen Heir Duology and was so excited all the time I had to make little breaks from it. I read it at the beginning of the 2023. and my hype for the second book that came out earlier this year has been strong ever since! The most memorable thing about the experience of reading a book for me is how the book made me feel. These books make me want to read until my eyes bleed or until I finish the whole book – which ever comes first!
Holly Black has become one of my favorite authors ever since I’ve read The Cruel Prince back in 2020. Since then Cardan has been my favorite character and has influenced my reading so much that I have a totally different viewpoint on the modern fairytales and fey-like creatures in urban fantasy genre. Also I had to face some new and interesting kinks! For these reasons Holly Black has become an author whose books are a must buy for me. Reading these stories more than once has become something of a novelty since just a few years ago I was not into repeated reading of same books much. I even have a rant post from June 2021. just about books by Holly Black which you can check out HERE.
The main characters of The Stolen Heir Duology have won me over, both of them! The first book is written from Wren (FMC) POV and the second from Oak (MMC) POV. Booth characters have a star-crossed lovers vibe and both can be described as tragic and morally grey. This just happens to be a deadly combination for me. The amount of drama that was in between these two different POV’s and characters painfully honest and sometimes dark humor laced inner commentary glued me to the page. The sarcasm was probably what did me in. Both characters have a tragic background and question their own self-worth in most heartbreaking ways.
These books filled with longing and desire to be seen. Something about how Holly Blacks writes her characters is resonating with my inner book dragon. I fully plan on reading these again some day. I was at the edge of my seat for any interaction with Cardan and Jude and loved the little moments of them in these books as well.
There is currently a Kickstarter project on for a card game called Enemies and Lovers: The Crown of Elfhame based on these characters. For one of the stretch goals – the 1 million, which is probably not going to be achieved sadly, the author has promised to write a new Cardan and Jude story. You can check out the Kickstarter page HERE.
You can check out my journey for Adventure in Aeldia from the beginning of the year below:
One of the reading challenges I love participating in is May The Force Read With You, another work of the lovely Erik from Breakeven Books – you can check out his YouTube channel and show him some love with likes and subscribes HERE. You can also check this years announcement video HERE.
This is my third year participating in this reading challenge and you can check what my thoughts and experiences on it were last year HERE. In summary, last year I went to the Dark side and created my character and this year I will continue on the same path! This year the reading challenge has been designed with more guild options and there are some new choices for the readers. The gist of it has mostly stayed the same. Depending on my prompt choices and my guild each prompt will be earning points for my guild.
Memory (Vorkosigan Saga #10) by Lois McMaster Bujold
Last year I enjoyed reading science fiction in this reading challenge and will continue with one of my favorite space opera action series. It has been a few months since I’ve read the last book but I fully expect to get into it and love it!
Last year when I was choosing sides I was mostly swayed by the prompts but this time I decided to work on my already existing character and explore the dark side. This means I will be given the opportunity to learn some neutral powers and dabble in some dark corruptions!
Force Healing – Read a book that is a comfort read or has cozy vibes.
Loathe to Love You (The STEMinist Novellas #1-3) by Ali Hazelwood
Last book I’ve read from Ali Hazelwood was also her latest adventure into urban fantasy romance genre – Bride. I was not to thrilled with it but hope to enjoy her cozy STEM romance novella trio in this book more.
Force Empathy – Read a book you previously put down (dnf). Must start the book from the beginning. Rereads would also count.
From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1) by by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I’ve read this one already last year but since then I’ve managed to buy the sequel and will love to be reminded of my own impressions by reading it again. Also, my first reading was of a Croatian translation and wonder if my reading experience will be changed by reading the version in English. I will not go into wisdom of choosing a 600+ pages books as a reread for a reading challenge I am already too ambitious about.
Doppelganger – Read a book with at least 2 of the same thing on the cover.
Junak udaljene zvijezde by Franjo Jularić-Julari
I have this book on my Clock is ticking reading list for 2024. and there are a few different prompts I was debating it for in this reading challenge – namely Force barrier prompt that asked for a book with a cover I do not like (Just look at that creature on the guy’s shoulder and tell me those teeth are not looking suspicious! Helmet looks cool but the rest of the scene is a bit depressing. In the end I put it under the Doppelganger prompt for all those explosions and space ships on the cover. I am still unsure what to expect from this book and just hope it will not be long and painful experience.
Precognition – Roll a dice. Whatever number the dice lands on is the letter your title needs to start with (1:A, 2:B, 3:C, 4:R, 5:S, 6:T). – Roll: 1
Alpha (Shifters #6) by Rachel Vincent
While I was rolling the dice I was literally hoping not to get numbers 1 or 2 because one of the other prompts I was considering to use required those letters as well and I was not pleased with my choices. For the letter A I decided to use a book I failed to read in the Orilium challenge for the extra calling I was also very ambitious about doing. This is the last book of an urban fantasy series I love. Here is hoping May will be more productive for all my ambitious reading plans.
Deadly Sight – Read a book with a cover that has someone/something looking right at you.
The Sea Witch: A Little Mermaid Retelling (For the Love of the Villain #1) by Rebecca F. Kenney
This book is one of my latest smut fairytale retelling acquisitions. I was looking for an opportunity to read it as soo as possible. The cover art is a bit weird but I am hopping that this author will prove to be a good choice since there are more smuty fairytale retellings she did.
Memory Walk – Read a book that has something you fear.
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
I am not a fan of horror genre and this cover creeps me out the more I look at it. It is also one of the books from my Clock is ticking list so I am hopping to get it out of the way.
Drain Knowledge – Start a series
Republika kamena (Lex Legis #1) by Tanja Radman
I managed to squeeze in a book for my book club here that just happens to be first in a series I was checking out for a while now. It is a historical fantasy fiction by a Croatian author and I hope I like it more than I like the cover.
Transfer Essence – Read a book where the font size of the author’s name is bigger than the title or the author’s name is longer than the title.
Hunt (Wildcats #0.5) by Rachel Vincent
In the sea of long books I managed to catch a break with a novella from an already loved author. Until very recently I did not know this novella existed and I am ambivalent about it since it is a part of Shifter series where Alpha is the last book of but it is also an introduction to a new spin off series by the same author.
Force Lightning – Read a book where the main character has powers.
Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J. Maas
I decided to use this opportunity and continue another series I have been reading lately. I even included two books from Throne of Glass series in this reading challenge. The sheer size of these books will bring the extra kick to the challenge part since they are both over 650+ long and will be used to win Wanted Warrior title for my character if I succeed.
Vulptex – Read a book with crystals or ice on the cover
The Prisoner’s Throne (The Stolen Heir Duology #2) by Holly Black
From all the companion options I liked this one the best – crystal fox! Also I have had this book for two months now and was itching to get to reading it since I was absolutely in love in the first book of this duology!
Lightsaber – Read a book where the title and author’s name are different colors.
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
While I was looking trough the prompt choices and browsing my shelves this book just jumped at me and I am glad to have included it. I like the STEM romance more than I thought I would and hope for another cozy romantic read.
Droids – Read a book that has advanced technology
StarCraft: Frontline Volume 2 (Starcraft: Frontline #2) by Simon Furman
Taking a chance to include a book from a Buddy reading list for this year. This manga comic did not impress me greatly with the first volume that ended on cliffhanger and I hope this volume makes up for it a little bit. Futuristic was science fiction is not my go to read but let’s give it another try!
Smugglers – Read a book where the main character has your dream job.
Confessions of a Bookseller (Diary of a Bookseller #2) by Shaun Bythell
Another book from a Buddy reading challenge for 2024. and another book I did not manage to read for second Orilium calling in April. with a new job I got last month that took away my reading time I was thinking about the time I was working in a bookstore very fondly. I miss it and hope this book softens that ache a bit.
Galactic Empire – Read a book you feel pressured to read.
Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas
Next book in the Throne of Glass series and another 650+ pages chonker! I made a deal with a friend to read trough a series and then have a sit down and explore our impressions. She read trough it but I still have the last three books to read trough. By the looks of it we might make it by summer for that sit down discussion.
First Order – Read a book where the title starts with one of your initials.
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2) by by Jennifer L. Armentrout
After almost a year since I’ve read the first book I decided to dive into this series and have the first two books included into this reading challenge. I would have included more but I mixed up the reading order of other books and I am missing the third one of the series right now. Hopefully I will get them correctly soon so I can continue with the reading because I have a feeling I will like it that much!
I’ve decided to go with the moniker Wanted by reading all 4 available Partner prompts for my Sith calling and since more than one book I’ve decided to read is going to be over 650 pages long I am going for the Warrior achievement. The initials of my desired title Wanted Warrior are only accidentally the same as Wonder Woman I promise!
This is going to be another very optimistic reading plan and I will be giving it my all! I am perfectly fine with the option that some of these books might not be read and must admit that the amount of possible options have made the usual adventure of choosing my prompts and books more daunting than expected. So far the all the possibilities have proven to be a deterrent in being happy with my choices. The prompts were cool and accessible though. I decided not to think about the number of points my prompt choices give and focus on getting my title with as many books as I can!
The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5) by Holly Black ★★★★★
Neuromancer (Sprawl #1) by William Gibson ★★
The Chief (Highland Guard #1) by Monica McCarty ★★★
Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen ★★
Sin & Chocolate (Demigods of San Francisco #1) by K.F. Breene ★★★★★
Bride by Ali Hazelwood ★★★★
Kiss of the Blood Prince (The Fae Universe #1) by Alessa Thorn ★★★
Rent: Paid in Full (Bad Decisions #1) by Jesse H. Reign ★★★★★
Wolf King (Wolves of New York #1) by Bella Jacobs ★★★
1. How many books have you read last month? Are you happy with the amount you read?
In April I have managed to read a total of ten books. I am happy with the amount of books I have read even though I had a lot more ambitious plans to read more.
2. What was the best of all the books you’ve read in April? Any scenes or characters that made a lasting impression?
I have read some books I expected to like and loved them and some that have surprised me in a good way in April. This time I have three new favorites to add to my list!
The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5) by Holly Black I fully expected to love. I was reminded again why I love how Holly Black writes her characters. This was a short novella that makes me want to read the whole trilogy all over again. It made me nostalgic to read about some of the characters. It also helps that I was never into hating Taryn since this novella dives into her side of the story. After the readathons I have planned in the next few months I just might go back to reading The Folk of the Air trilogy again!
Sin & Chocolate (Demigods of San Francisco #1) by K.F. Breene I did not expect to love as much as I had. This author has been highly recommended to my by a bookish friend that loves urban fantasy even more than I do. Falling in love with the characters that had such blunt dialogues that bordered with crude but landed just this side of spicy and intriguing was a welcome surprise. This first book was a freebie but I am seriously thinking about getting the physical copy of this series for my shelf. That is how much I loved it. It might make me more into reading some other books by this author that I snagged when they were on freebie offer for kindle!
The only unplanned book I’ve read in April also turned out to be another positive surprise – Rent: Paid in Full (Bad Decisions #1) by Jesse H. Reign. Marketed as M/M college romance with both main characters starting out as bisexual. The writing style got me hooked with its honest and sometimes crude and brutal display of a sexual dynamic. One of the two main characters hit so many morally grey vibes and red flags in perversely irresistible way. I loved that there was a happy ending to a story that could have turned out to be catastrophic and traumatic. My benchmark for the morally grey lovable book boyfriend has gone trough a complete reset!
3. Were there any not so good books for you last month? What made it hard or not enjoyable to read?
My April has been mostly about reading romance in all of it’s sub genres. Naturally, there were some that stood out in not so good way. Again I was made to pause and reflect on my reading preferences and how they sometimes differ from the mainstream opinions.
A book I started to read for the third time – Neuromancer (Sprawl #1) by William Gibson, proved to be a chore reading trough. In my opinion this book did not age well and the Croatian translation I was reading made the reading experience even more of a chore. The translated slang annoyed me, the whole cyber idea fell trough the cracks because of it. I can admit that some ideas this book presented were way ahead of its time but reading the original material source was not a pleasant experience for me.
I had such high expectations from a world renown classic of the romance genre – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. If I thought more about it I would have know to alter my expectations and curb my emotions. What was the final nail into the coffin of me ever reading Jane Austen again was my total disappointment into worldly bellowed character of Mr. Darcy. He was not awesome like so many people claim. He was normal! Admittedly, his normal was totally not normal for the time period he was in but I have a feeling that this character that makes so many people swoon is the bare minimum of human decency and was not impressed with him at all. He gave me angries!
4. How did the books you were reading last month fit in your reading plans if you had any?
In April I made some very ambitious reading plans with wanting to do two Orilium reading challenge callings. I ended up doing only one completely and one book from the other one. There was only one book I’ve read in April that I did not planned to read. Everything else was in a very strict structure and I had to make time for my reading in April the hard way because I just got a new job that is very demanding of my time.
5. Any updates on the series you are reading or are you starting any new series?
My April reading was very much about book series. Officially eight out of ten books were a part of a series. I say officially because Bride by Ali Hazelwood is technically a standalone but while reading it I had some book series vibes – mostly the background characters that were hinted at having their own stories that the author might explore in the future. This marketing a book as a standalone with an obvious option of open chance for a series is something I feel ambiguous about. Of those eight books that are a part off a series three I plan to continue for sure.
6. Would you like to recommend any books or authors you’ve been reading this last month?
Even though I did not manage to read all that I have planned and even because my planned reading made me feel a bit constricted I fully recommend planning your TBR. I like the sense of accomplishment when I reach my reading goals.
Final thoughts on April 2024. reading
April was a tricky reading month. If I compare it to some previous years It was great by both the number of books I’ve read and the number of books I’ve enjoyed reading. I am glad to have made big plans even though I did not read all I have planned to read. There were some timeline struggles on the way and I fully expect to have even more in May.
In April I’ve read ten books with a total amount of 3641 pages which is a good statistic to have!
This April I took a break from Bookopoly due to a very ambitious Orilium TBR for Spring Equinox. You can check out how that went HERE. Aftera month long break from Bookopoly I am happy to get back to it again.
This May my Bookopoly post boardgame showcase is Living Forest. This game won most of available boardgame awards in 2022. Family friendly theme and language independent game for 2 to 4 players that lasts around one hour. For more details on this game you can check HERE.
For braving my Bookopoly board I have chosen Spring standee piece because we are at leafy green springtime at this moment and the design is cute! This time Vivone made my rolls and I did hers. We both rolled some doubles which means we both have some bonus books to read in May.
Here are my Bookopoly rolls for May 2024:
Prompt: Stana recommends
Book: Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas
First roll for Bookopoly in May was a low sum of 3. It landed me on the corner tile with a prompt Stana recommends. My book buddy Stana likes long and serious books. Luckily for me we are both decided to read trough Throne of Glass book series and she highly recommends book five for me. Once we have both read trough the series we agreed to have a great time discussing how we liked the series. She already read through it and I am lagging behind!
Prompt: Sequel
Book: Memory (Vorkosigan Saga #10) by Lois McMaster Bujold
My first double for May came with a low sum of 4. It landed me on one of the most rewarding prompts – to read a sequel! From among many book series I enjoy and am in the middle of reading trough, I decided to go back to science fiction favorite and read the next book from the Miles Vorkosigan Saga. I think I am somewhere halfway trough the series and enjoyed it very much so far. I even read some books from the series multiple times without reading the last eight (?) books at all!
Prompt: Favorite author
Book: The Prisoner’s Throne (The Stolen Heir Duology #2) by Holly Black
My third roll landed me on another corner tile of the board. This time it was to read a book by a favorite author. Currently I have had multiple options for this prompt because I managed to hoard a stash of books by favorite authors in the past few months that I have not had the time to read yet! In the last minute I changed my mind and went with Holly Black. I quite enjoy her dark fairytale style of narration with drops of urban fantasy and optimal doses of drama and angst. In a strange and maybe even perverse way I like the struggle she puts her characters trough and get all into the story.
Prompt: Most recent purchase
Book: The Sea Witch: A Little Mermaid Retelling (For the Love of the Villain #1) by Rebecca F. Kenney
My highest roll and the only above average sum of eight landed me on a tile with the most recent purchase prompt! Lately I have been buying lots of romantasy book series and again had a lots of options to choose from. From the five books I’ve bought in the last two months I’ve picked a new author and a hopefully spicy Little Mermaid retelling with gender bender male Sea Witch. (I will be doing the rundown on all the books I’ve bought in the first half of the year sometime in the beginning of July)
Prompt: Small book
Book: The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
My fifth roll gave me a small book prompt – book under 300 pages long. In my priority TBR for the next few months I have a lot of big books – books more than 500 pages long. It was actually a challenge to pick a small book for this prompt. I went with this book because it is on my reading list for this year for my Clock is ticking project. You can check out more about Clock is ticking project HERE.
Prompt: TBR game
Book: Alpha (Shifters #6) by Rachel Vincent
My only bonus and a sixth roll got me a sum of the average total of seven. The prompt is a double fun one. I used a book I was planning to read in April for the Orilium Spring Equinox but had to let it go. I again added it for the May the Force Read with you this May for a prompt that was decided by another roll of a die – I rolled a 1 and by the rules of the prompt had to choose a book with a title that starts with the letter A. Hope to actually read this book and finish the series I loved!
My Bookopoly pile for May looks good! What I really like is the high number of books from my own shelf and books I’m very eager to read. Six books to read is one book more than the usual five. I hope to love more than half of these books and that makes me happy for May to start!
Last month I was very ambitious and tried to go for two callings for Orilium Spring Equinox. Naturally, I did not managed to read all the books for both Necromancer and Demonologist callings. When faced with the inevitable I decided to prioritize my Necromancer calling and made sure I finished it. I was not able to read my guild read and that part was expected.
This means I am on my second year studies for Apprentice Necromancer calling since last year in August I finished my Novice Necormancer status. You can check out my wildly ambitious TBR post HERE.
Here is a visual display of my finished TBR:
Here is the list of books with my rating for them:
Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★
The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5) by Holly Black ★★★★★
The Chief (Highland Guard #1) by Monica McCarty ★★★
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen ★★
Sin & Chocolate (Demigods of San Francisco #1) by K.F. Breene ★★★★★
Bride by Ali Hazelwood ★★★★
Kiss of the Blood Prince (The Fae Universe #1) by Alessa Thorn ★★★
Here are some statistics on my reading:
I was required to read seven books and one page of lore for this Spring Equinox. Two of the books I’ve read were library copies and one was a physical copy from my own shelf. Four of the books I’ve read were on my kindle in digital form. All of the physical copy books were in paperback.
I have read a total of 2613 pages for this challenge. The longest book was Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas with 645 pages and the shortest was the one page for lore with second shortest being the The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5) by Holly Black novella with 59 pages.
Only two books were in Croatian translation and all others were in original English. This time I did not read any books from a non English writing author. I will look to include some for Autumn Equinox in August.
All the books I’ve read are romance in genre with two having historical elements, four of them being urban fantasy genre and one fantasy genre.
Five out of seven books were part of a series with three of those being the first books of the series and two were a continuation of the already started series.
The books I’ve most enjoyed reading and rated with five stars in this challenge were both urban fantasy genre: The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5) by Holly Black and Sin & Chocolate (Demigods of San Francisco #1) by K.F. Breene
What is next in my Orilium journey?
This year I am doing the Adventure in Aeldia reading challenge all year long and have already decided on the book for May.
After April break from questing I am on my way to earn extra credit in restoration because us Necromancers find that useful! Last year I decided to forgo everything other than two monthly reading challenges and maybe next year I will manage to include some other questing options. Right now this type of recluse behavior goes well with my weird character!
The Prisoner’s Throne (The Stolen Heir Duology #2) by Holly Black
I still have some background character reading to do and that has been put on hold for now. You can check out my first three quests I did this year:
I will be doing these adventure quests once a month and will post a review once I’m done reading. In August I hope to do well in the Autumn Equinox and finish my Apprentice Necromancer calling studies.
Children’s Stories From Japanese Legends by N. Kato ★★★
Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas ★★★
Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★
Theirs for Christmas by Effie Campbell ★★★
Mongrel (Outcast Mates #1) by Lee Colgin ★★★★★
Dark Elf’s Ragdoll (Dark Delights #1) by Celeste King ★★
Pucking Wild (Jacksonville Rays #2) by Emily Rath ★★★★★
The Fae Kings’ Bargain (The Blood of Eyamiri Book 1) by Willow McCain ★★
1. How many books have you read last month? Are you happy with the amount you read?
As expected and with lots of stuff happening that took away my time from reading I am back to more manageable number of books read in a month: twelve! This is still an awesome number and I am happy with it.
2. What was the best of all the books you’ve read in March? Any scenes or characters that made a lasting impression?
The best of all books I’ve read in March was Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas. The first two books I barely held on and was mostly annoyed. The third book was a complete turnaround for me. I liked the characters more and enjoyed the action as well! I was still apprehensive in starting on the next book right away. I will be continuing with the series in April! To learn more about my impressions on this book you can check out my post HERE.
Honorable mentions on great reads go to:
Mongrel (Outcast Mates #1) by Lee Colgin for unexpected endearing smut and historical references.
Pucking Wild (Jacksonville Rays #2) by Emily Rath I might have liked it slightly less than the first book but the lovable characters and dramatic plot points were amusing and I will be reading the next book soon hopefully!
3. Were there any not so good books for you last month? What made it hard or not enjoyable to read?
I got two books in March I did not enjoy reading to the point of wanting to DNF them. The only thing that stopped me was my machoistic nature and desire not to let the book defeat me in this way!
First book that was hard to read to the end was Dark Elf’s Ragdoll (Dark Delights #1) by Celeste King. There were some terrible discrepancies with this book. It was like the author had her mind set with characters and a story but what came out on the pages were just fragments of it. Each and every character obviously suffered from delusions and talked to themselves – like author could not write them in any other way to explain them better. The characters felt plastic and lacked any real motivation – at times it felt like I must have skipped whole chapters where the character might have grown, got to know each other and made some decisions because in the next chapter BAM the reasoning was irrelevant and the decisions are being made that the characters from the previous chapter would not have even thought of. There were some weird word choices and stylistic figures that made me think this book needed a proofreader and editor. Most characters felt like they were from a cartoon for toddlers, especially the villains in their rather comic exclamations. Wanted to DNF this after first few chapters but I have made myself read until the end in order to understand my dislike more. And now I think this story and these characters actually lowered my IQ while I was reading. Rating of two stars instead of one is for the obviously intricate fantasy world but the execution was horrible.
Second book I had problems with reading was The Fae Kings’ Bargain (The Blood of Eyamiri Book 1) by Willow McCain. I literally finished it on the first they of April since the last fifth of the book seemed to keep dragging on forever! I am still counting it for March! The cover should have been warning enough! The story started out interesting in a smutty way. There was drama and an elaborate magical world with all it’s machinations and gentry. There was a few smut scenes and after that a lot of mechanical political intrigue and no more smut at all. The focal point of issues within the plot of the book was the court intrigue and reactions and actions of nobles in it but for some reason even with multiple POV writing style the only thing that character really gave insight into were their own personal issues and drama. The magical parts were sometimes elaborate and sometimes scarce and at few points magic used to help with one thing was not used again when it would have solved the plot right then and there. The plot twist in the last few chapters renewed my interest some but did not hold for very long. The last parts of the book I had to force myself to read…
4. How did the books you were reading last month fit in your reading plans if you had any?
In March I have barely managed to read my Bookopoly TBR as planned since I read a lot of books outside any plans I made. You can check out how my Bookopoly reading challenge went in more detail HERE. Most of my reading was done in the first half of the month. I planned to read more from Throne of Glass series but ended up reading only two books
5. Any updates on the series you are reading or are you starting any new series?
From the book series perspective I leaned heavily into new book series in March. From twelve books read eight were part of a series and five of those were the first books I’ve read in a series. That leaves three books as a continuation of an already started series. With already mentioned Throne of Glass series and Jacksonville Rays series, I am tempted to continue on three other book series I have started in March: Legends & Lattes but I am not in any particular hurry with it. Necroscope simply because of already owning the second book on my physical shelves. And lastly Outcast Mates series because liking the mentioned characters and the writing style. Considering how many new book series I’ve tried in March I don’t think I’ve made sufficient progress on already started book series and will work on that in April.
6. Would you like to recommend any books or authors you’ve been reading this last month?
Lastly my March reading and trying out new book series was not as good as the previous few months. My recommendations this time go to reading more local authors and appreciating local folklore elements in fantasy and horror setting. This is best portrayed in Klopka i druge priče by Goran Skrobonja short story collection. This is a Serbian author with a fruitive imagination and I am glad to have managed to get my hands on this book!
Final thoughts on March 2024 reading
March was expectedly a slowing down period for me. I had some real life changes I am going trough and am forced to manage my time better in order to fit in reading time. While the number of books I’ve read in March is respectable by all standards I am still not pleased by the quality of my reading material in general. If I am going to have less time to read I will want my books to be more satisfying. In April there will be some challenges for me to overcome and I hope I managed them better and have some great books to read as well!
My reading pile for Bookopoly in March was cozy and manageable. If you want more perspective on my expectations you can check out my original post for the Bookopoly TBR in March HERE. As I expected there came a slowing down of my reading hype as it usually happens in spring time. The Sabordage boardgame cover had more romance than my TBR picks for Bookopoly in March!
Here are the books I’ve read in March for Bookopoly and what I thought about them!
Prompt: Boyfriend pick
Book: The Shadow over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft ★★★
Thankfully this was a short story. I did not like the narrative style and the parts with dialogue with the locals were hard to read especially for a reader whose first language was not English. The main characters moving about and naming of all the streets in a small backwards town were exhausting to read and follow. Other than that the idea was nicely creepy. Mystery and horror genre are so much not my thing…
Prompt: Highest rated
Book: Klopka i druge priče by Goran Skrobonja ★★★★
Lately I’ve been enjoying the short story collections by local authors. I am glad I read this book and will continue and recommend it to other as well. I enjoyed most of the twelve stories very much. The first story set the right pace and the last story left me in a contemplative mood. Some of the stories leaned heavily into horror and some reminded me of more classic science fiction with an ordinary protagonist in a world filled with things they can’t control with some extraordinary results. Mostly the stories were short and therefore tantalizing. Some of the elements from the local areas were so on the mark that even when the storyline turned to grotesque the story rang true and familiar more than I should like.
Prompt: Chance Card
Book: Necroscope (Necroscope #1) by Brian Lumley ★★★
Started out very slow. This book was more of a spy thriller with some horror elements than urban fantasy I expected. It might be just me but the seventies as a period are not that interesting to me. The characters were colorful if somewhat traditional. I’m upset that the author was not brave enough to use sex scenes even though he was very much playing his characters as molded by their sexual experiences – both positive and the negative ones, characters and experiences. But in the lieu of usual American writing style the sex is not okay to portray but the violence and gore are okay to portray… The version of the vampire described in this book is something I feel very reserved about even though the definition of the vampire in its essence fits it. There was a lot of history and science bits in this book. I appreciated the graphs and visual presentation of some of the math and science terms. It made the book more interesting and was a nice surprise from a mass market paperback edition I own and was reading. This book was at times very directed at male readers first and foremost and I mean this by the topic and the way the characters are presented. All female characters seemed one dimensional and even the one female character that was presented as a very powerful entity in her own right was just there to give the MMC pat on the back and a sort of motherly advice. I don’t really mind that a story was not meant for me as the reader but it did not help to keep my interest enough to read more books in the series either. I wish I had more interest in the characters in order to read the second book but I don’t see it happening any time soon.
Reading this book took longer than anticipated. I liked the homey slice of life approach to the story. The bookstore and parts where characters were contemplating reading and how stories affect us was an endearing experience and a reason for my high rating. The many varied characters were all interesting and the story let the reader only scratch the surface of each with lots of things left out and never to be explored. For me there was something missing. I am interested to learn more about the characters but would like something more gripping me to the pages. The next book will be on my radar but not a priority for now.
Prompt: Boyfriend pick
Book: Children’s Stories From Japanese Legends by N. Kato ★★★
At first I was delighted with this book. This small hardcover was obviously designed with care in mind. From the cover to shiny ribbon, sprayed edges and lots of illustrations both color and black and white. Some of the stories reminded me of weird folktales I already know. Some of the stories made absolutely no sense to me and some turned out to be so wise that it made my head spin. The colored illustrations seemed off to me and only after I learned that the book was published in India did I understand why. The colors and facial expressions were warmer than most of Japanese artwork. It was a cozy little book but I have my doubts about the stories being primarily for children. The reason for a lover rating on my part was due to some translation and writing style errors that kept popping up from story to story.
My thoughts on my experience with Bookopoly March 2024.
All up until the last day of March I was not sure if I was going to make it and read all the books from my Bookopoly TBR in March. In comparison to the first two months of the year there was a distinct lack of romance books in my TBR. While I proved myself I can barely keep up without romance books I will try not to repeat this again! In April I will be skipping Bookopoly in favor of doubling up for my Orilium Spring Equinox monthly reading challenge and you can check it out HERE.
For those who are not familiar with Orilium Spring Equinox reading challenge you can check out all the details and explanations in the announcement video made by lovely BookRoast HERE. Check out her channel for many cool videos and show her some love with likes because she has some great content.
Each year the syllabus – the list of courses one needs to read to complete a calling, is the same but each year every course has a different prompt. This way the number of books does not change, just the prompts by which the books are chosen.
At Orilium we have our guilds and I belong to The Archivists guild. This year we each guild has voted on their group read and mine has chosen: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi #1) by S.A. Chakraborty. I will probably not be joining in the group read since I already have picked most of my books and because I don’t have access to the book in question. My reading list is already long enough to without adding something new I would also need to buy.
This year started out extraordinary regarding the number of books I managed to read in the first two months. March has been lagging a bit. I’ve come to an idea to try and go for two different callings for this year’s Spring Equinox. Last year I was debating on choosing between Demonologist and Necromancer calling and ended up choosing Necromancer. This year I am going to try going for both. The total number of books I will need to read for both callings is very close to the number of books I have been reading during a month lately anyway. I might be setting myself up for fail but this year it is an unique opportunity to try it out since one of the prompts that I need to use across both callings is a single page on Orilium lore and that makes two complete books less in total! I hope I got that right!
For my first calling I will be continuing with the Necromancer and will be prioritizing it for reading first. For Necromancer alone I will be reading a total of seven books since one prompt is to go over one page for Orilium lore. Here is my list of prompts and chosen books for the Necromancer calling:
Shapeshifting – Mimics
Read a book by an author who blurbed your last 5 star read
Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas
This might be one of the most difficult prompts to chose a book for since I had to go over my physical books and search on my Goodreads a lot to find an appropriate book. In the end my 5 star read book was From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash) by Jennifer L. Armentrout which I’ve read in September 2023. and loved. I managed to find Sarah J. Maas praise and recommendation for it not on the book itself because my physical copy did not have any blurbs by other authors, but I found the praise online at one of the online booksellers pages. This was great for me since I have planned to continue with Throne of Glass anyway!
Animal Studies – Pebble Ducks
Yellow Title
The Lost Sisters (The Folk of the Air #1.5) by Holly Black
I have been so hyped on the newest Holly Black book and was pleasantly surprised when I found a novella from The Folk of the Air series that I have not read yet! Yellow title was just a lucky coincidence! Novella part is also great since I am worried about managing my reading challenge pile of books in April!
Inscription – Practical: Topography
Random pick out of three titles!
The Chief (Highland Guard #1) by Monica McCarty
This was a random pick out of three titles I’ve chosen that were already part of my TBR. First book was Neuromancer (Sprawl #1) by William Gibson – my book club reading assignment for April as a book that is published in the year I was born – reminder just how old I am. Second book was supposed to be some light read and a book I got as a present from a book club friend for this year’s book gifting event we organized – The Spark by Vi Keeland. And the last one and the one I ended up reading is The Chief (Highland Guard #1) by Monica McCarty. This particular pick is a part of a book series I will be reading for a buddy read this year. This is the first book in the series and I need to catch up to the third book. This copy will be in Croatian translation and borrowed from the library.
Spells & Incantations – Spell: Quick Count
Random number generator title length: 16
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I don’t remember ever being so frustrated with the number of books with 15 and 17 letters in the title that are on my TBR. I managed to find a few options for 16 letter but it was not a pleasant experience. I am improvising on this title length and using the Croatian translation title which is exactly 16 letters long. I will be reading it in Croatian translation from the library – Ponos i predrasude.
Conjuration – Blinding Prism
Color Wheel – Black
Sin & Chocolate (Demigods of San Francisco #1) by K.F. Breene
This author has been recommended to me many times by a dear bookish friend. I tried one other book by her and generally liked even though for some reason I did not continue that series. This one is urban fantasy and I love my urban fantasy with kick a$$ heroines. The title is what drew me in as well. I hope to love it enough to continue this series latter on.
Restoration – Regaining consciousness
A book I think could cure reading slumps
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
One of the newest books I have been hyped about in February. I got the physical paperback copy earlier this month and I hope to love it. I generally like Ali Hazelwood’s writing style and characters and have high hopes for this book! Please be good!
Lore – Interrupted
Reread the Legend of Dia
This is one of the reasons I am trying for the second calling! This one page counts as a whole book! and I get to read it twice – once for Necromancer calling and once for Demonologist calling! I like the artwork and the highlights of the story so far!
Demonology – Pacts & Contracts
A book you did not pay for
Kiss of the Blood Prince (The Fae Universe #1) by Alessa Thorn
I have many kindle freebies just waiting to be read! So for this one I got to browse trough many of the freebies I’ve gotten in the last year and those I have for years already. In the end I chose a book recommended to me by a friend. She loved the series and I will give it a try even though I am not that convinced because the Fae Prince on the sketchy cover version has deer antlers.
After the Necromancer calling pile of books I will try to catch up on the Demonologist calling pile of books. There are less books in total for the Demonologist calling for me to read – five if I don’t count the Lore page again!
There were several prompts that were repeated in both Necromancer and Demonologist callings. I followed the rules and chosen separate books for each prompt and here are the prompts and the books I will be adding in April!
Elemental Studies – Call Lightning
Source of light on cover – Table lamp
Confessions of a Bookseller (Diary of a Bookseller #2) by Shaun Bythell
I liked the opportunity to include a book from a Buddy readathon list for 2024. and one from my own bookshelf! This might be the only non fiction book on my TBR for April! The first book was just okay and I hope this one will at least keep the pace. Lately I have been daydreaming about owning a bookstore again and this might sober me up a bit or it might ruin me for a while…
Shapeshifting – Mimics
Read a book by an author who blurbed your last 5 star read
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
Second time for my 5 star book blurb author I went with Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo. On my physical copy of the book on the cover there is a praise by Stephen King! It has been two decades since I’ve read any book by Stephen King and coincidentally my second book club assignment for April is Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. I feel like I am going back to vampire stories and I feel good about it. Hopefully I will like Stephen King’s rendition of the vampire myth!
Spells & Incantations – Spell: Quick Count
Random number generator title length: 5
Alpha (Shifters #6) by Rachel Vincent
Finally I got a chance to finish urban fantasy series I fully own and like! Last one I read over a year ago – I think in December 2023. I don’t know how to feel about the series ending. I want it to end great and my own expectations are giving me anxiety.
Conjuration – Blinding Prism
Color Wheel – Green
Spiral Hunt (Evie Scelan, #1) by Margaret Ronald
For this prompt and the one above I rolled/spinned the wheel twice. Green covers I had were scarce and in the end I chose this book because it is also a part of another reading challenge I have going for 2024. – my Cloak is ticking list of books to read by the end of the year. You can check the full list HERE.
Demonology – Pacts & Contracts
A book you did not pay for
Wolf King (Wolves of New York #1) by Bella Jacobs
This time for my kindle freebie option I went with one of my favorite tropes – arranged marriage! There are also werewolves, spice and urban fantasy elements I like in general. I want to love this one even though the pseudonym of the author gives out infantile vibes.
Lore – Interrupted
Reread the Legend of Dia
I fully plan to read this page more than once! I already skimmed it some and liked what I read on the first go. The story has some dark points and they go well with my character, my guild and my choice of callings!
My Demonologist calling summary looks cool and inviting. I really hope I get to all of it! All these total to twelve books and I still have some books I need to read in April for some other reading assignments.
Adventure in Aeldia is a year long challenge connected to the Orilium reading adventures made by YouTuber BookRoast. You can check out her introduction video HERE and my original post about it HERE. If you have any questions or comments please make sure to comment on this post and I will be happy to answer!
Third month of the year is the last prompt path before Orilium Spring Equinox in April. This time on my path of prompts there are strange wild vines blocking my path and I need to cut trough them! One could say that I am again choosing violence…
This part of my adventuring path is a single choice with a prompt to read a book that is part of a series but is neither first or last in the series – something I have a lot of options for because I do love to read a lot of book series. This prompt also goes well with my this years idea to read more than one book in the series once I start reading it.
Prompt: Book neither first not last in the series
Book: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★
I finished the last year with starting A Court of Thornes and Roses first book in the book series of the same name by Sarah J. Maas. I finished of the whole series in first two weeks of January. I loved that series and joined the hordes of others by enjoying many artworks and fanart that people were inspired to produce after reading it. I wanted to read more from the same author so I even made a deal with a bookish buddy to read Throne of Glass book series and then have a bookish discussion about it. She started earlier in the year and finished the whole seven books of the series just last weekend while I just finished book three. She is reading the books in Croatian translation and has not the option to read the prequel novellas. I read the prequel novellas The Assassin’s Blade ( Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5) by Sarah J. Maas and the first book Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas in February. In March I have already read the second Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas and the third book Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas of the series.
The Assassin’s Blade ( Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5) by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas ★★★
Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas ★★★
Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★
I am technically half way into the series and I am having a lot of thoughts about it! From the artwork on the covers to the characters and their development trough the books and even in comparison to The Court of Thorns and Roses book series. I have actually ranted to two of my book buddies while I was reading and I think I will rant some more while reading the next books in the series.
First of I need to address the covers – the first editions that were printed with the FMC front and center on each book perfectly portray the tone of the books and with the visual design will appeal the right audience which is mostly young females. The second edition is in comparison dark and austere for most part and is going to appeal to those same girls that read it when it was first published and because they are older now will be more comfortable with more mature looking covers. Since I do not fit into those categories being older and have not read them before I am not a fan of either covers. I might like these newer ones if they were a bit lighter in tone and had some spark of magic on them revealed. Thematically both types of covers work and I can see that some work has been put into little details that match the plot of each book.
I liked the prequel novellas. It gave me a taste of what to expect and prepared me to continue reading while being irritated by the FMC. First and the second book did not impress me much and I had to take into consideration that the author was a teenager when she wrote them. In the first two books I had some serious issues with finding a single character to like and was annoyed at the prospect of reading another five books like it…
Heir of Fire was a completely new experience in comparison to the previous books in the series. Previous books had a single POV and gave out only FMCs view of things with some little passages fillers to add more information what is going on in general. The third book of the series turns all that around by adding a whole plethora of new characters that were never mentioned in the previous books and are only there to prepare readers for some big showdown with much more acting protagonists somewhere down the line. There are now four main POVs at least! The older characters I thought before to be dull and annoying have matured somewhat and while some are still dislikable to me, some are starting to be a lot more polished and have motivation in their growth.
The picture above is not mine and all belongs to the author artist, I’m just borrowing it to point out some interesting things about the characters it depicts.
Some of the new characters confuse me and I am very happy to meet some new characters that are well put together from the start. The character dynamic is much more interesting in this book. The drama that was part of every book up until now is somehow more active and less passive in this book. I am totally intrigued by the new characters and wonder how they will fit in into the big picture later on.
Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas
Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas
Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J. Maas
Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7) by Sarah J. Maas
Celeana/Aelin has collected a nice pile of friends, lovers and enemies and it will be interesting how well they will all play along together. I am still unclear on how some things work according to magic and elven things. The lack of actual sex scenes in this series is starting to be absurd. Characters share a bed, they share intimate moments but the author is adamant in clearly stating that they did not “go over the edge” because they were not ready to do so. All mention of the characters apparent promiscuity is in the background but never actually affirmed. And just like in the previous books when the characters profess their love and endless patience to wait for each other to be ready, the author decides to rather kill one of them off rather then let them have their moment.
Is she cruel or just reluctant to write the sex scenes here ?
The preparation for the future books is very tangible in this book which made it a perfect choice for my March Aledia prompt. I would like to read at least one more book of the series in the next week and I hope the prompts for the Spring Equinox will be announced soon so I might squeeze in some books from the series into it as well. My rating for this book is higher than the previous two and I hope the next one will be as good!
February was a busy reading month and playing the Bookopoly TBR for March was done rather early in the week just after Valentine’s Day. In the almost two weeks time I’ve been reading and trying to come up with the best possible options for the prompts I’ve rolled on. In February I had one bonus roll and a total of six books to read. If you want to check out my thoughts and experience on all the books I’ve read for Bookopoly in February you can do that HERE.
I’m continuing with showcasing boardgames with my Bookopoly TBR game and this time the game is Sabordage. Lighter and fun game for 2 to 5 players. It usually lasts under an hour and it can be tons of hilarious fun due to programable actions players reveal at the same time. Pirate theme fits great and each player has a standee with a little helm that can be rotated to choose a part of the ship you wish to upgrade for your action. Some parts have cannons of all sorts that fire and destroy other captain’s ship parts thus changing the size of the ships. The person with the longest ship at the end of the game is the winner. It’s relatively older game that can be found in the Renegade Game Studios edition for great price. You can learn more about the game HERE.
With my chosen game piece a swanky pirate Captain lady and her standee here are my rolls and prompts for March, YARRR:
Prompt: Boyfriend pick
Book: The Shadow over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft
My first roll landed me on one of the two possible Boyfriend pick tiles on the board. After carefully choosing his options from our shelves my BF got inspired by all the monster romance books I’ve read in February and decided to task me with reading one of the stories form a big book that collects H.P. Lovecraft works that I originally bought as a present for him. At first he wanted to go with At the Mountains of Madness but later changed him mind to The Shadow over Innsmouth and told me that the plot is more like those monster romance books of mine. I don’t think I’ve read anything by H.P. Lovecraft before and its about time to get that fixed. I like weird stories but horror has never been my go to genre so we will see how motivated I will be to read more from this author.
Prompt: Highest rated
Book: Klopka i druge priče by Goran Skrobonja
My rolls followed a trend of under average numbers and another small number got me just few tiles further on the board to Highest rated prompt again. In one hand I am reading lots of books from the top of my TBR with highest rated setting. On the other hand it is getting painfully obvious that the highest rating on my GR TBR has some impractical issues. Right at the top of my highest rated TBR are some not yet published books that caught my attention and some obscure ones I have trouble obtaining access to read. There were also some book series sequels I have more than one book to read before I can get to. From all the viable choices I picked . Its a short story collection by a Serbian author that was published in the height of the world pandemic and because of it did not get much publicity. I got my copy at the book fair two year back and it even has the authors signature and a personal message. I love short story collections and it has been a while since I’ve read one. I hope to love it and to be able to recommend it further to others.
Prompt: Chance Card
Book: Necroscope (Necroscope #1) by Brian Lumley
Third roll landed me on Chance Card tile and it has been a while since I’ve read one of the books from my Chance Card deck! After some careful shuffling I pulled one sleeved title and got Necroscope (Necroscope #1) by Brian Lumley. My reaction was bipolar at best – it is a chunky five hundred pages paperback that might take some effort to read through AND it is a vampire book series written in the eighties that has been on my shelves for a while and in theory I am very intrigued by it. I have first two books of the series ready and the series is twenty (!) books long! I want to love it and I am scared what happens if I do love it…
Next roll landed me on a tile that I land on quite often it seems – LGBTQ+. When we decided to include this prompt on the board what we had in mind was to include stories with different sexual and personal lifestyle orientation in order to create empathy and enjoy more diverse stories. I’m not up to speed on what are the latest abbreviation is and might even change the short prompt to more longer “different sexual and personal lifestyle orientation” because I like it better. As for my choice for this prompt it is the first book I’ve bought in 2024. I’m a bit confused with 0.4# part of the series since the book is published last year. I hope I will like it and I hope it will give me nostalgic feelings for adventure and roleplaying games. I’m looking for cozy vibes from this one!
Prompt: Boyfriend pick
Book: Children’s Stories From Japanese Legends by N. Kato
What were the odds to land on both possible tiles with Boyfreind pick prompt? So for his second choice my BF picked out Children’s Stories From Japanese Legends by N. Kato. I love stories and apparently in March I will be reading two short story collection for Bookopoly! This small booklet has illustrations and I expect to read some interesting and different cultural ideas. I wonder if I am going to like it because I also have a book with Chinese fairytales and any excuse to read original stories from other cultures and continents should not be missed upon!
My Bookpoly TBR has five books and they are all from my physical shelves! While I am not that happy with how constricting my prompts were for March I must admit that my chosen books will be interesting and with the exception of Necroscope (Necroscope #1) by Brian Lumley, they are all on the shorter side. I did not have the option to include crossovers with other reading challenges, book club assignments or even continuing some of the book series I am currently hyped about. We will see how my reading plans will hold up by the end of March because I expect April to be busy with Orilium reading challenge and I might even plan on less rolls depending on how successful I am with my reading in March.
anastasiaadamov 