New year, new series – January 2021 TBR

2020 was a rough year for me, just like I’m sure it was for every other person. I’d bet good money I’m not the only one glad to see the other side of 2020. Even though I don’t think it’s ever good to wish time away, I’m really ready for a new year and to focus on writing, reading and finding happiness in those two things again.

As we’re beginning the new year (which by the way, has already been made thanks to Harry Styles and Phoebe Waller-Bridge) I have to admit I’m just an absolute sucker for setting resolutions, new beginnings and new goals. I’m just one of those people that loves ticking things off to-do lists and just an overall fan of structure in general. When it comes to my reading life that’s no exception.

For the first month of 2021, I want to start tackling the series that I’ve had culminating on my TBR shelf for a while. I have 10 first books in a series I’ve selected that I’m excited to pick up. Am I expecting to finish all 10? Unlikely, but I’m excited about the pool of choices I’ve selected for myself.

The Stuck at Home Book Tag

Honestly, this whole ‘stuck at home’ thing really suits me. I’m not someone who gets bored easily. There’s a million things on my mind at a time and I know how to always entertain myself. So I love that one of my favourite bloggers and most cherished book friends Alex from Reading by Starlight tagged me in The Stuck at Home Book Tag. I love this tag because of the straight forward questions and also, it feels like a catch-up on what I’m reading, plan to read and what I’m doing whilst stuck at home!

BOOK REVIEW: THE SHADOWS BETWEEN US BY TRICIA LEVENSELLER

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:

1) Woso the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?

The Shadows Between Us was a book I set high expectations for, unfairly so, now that I’ve read this book. The premise of a girl wooing some kind of dark King, only to kill him and take his kingdom for herself, had me itching to read this book immediately. But this books lack of innovation quickly dissipated any excitement I had to read it, and left me fairly disappointed upon finishing it.

ARC REVIEW: THE RAVEN AND THE DOVE BY KAITLYN DAVIS

On the dawn of her courtship trials, Princess Lyana Aethionus knows she should be focused on winning her perfect mate, yet her thoughts wander to the open sky waiting at the edge of her floating kingdom. One final adventure calls. Upon fleeing the palace, the last thing she expects to find is a raven prince locked in a death match with a dragon.

Reviled son of a dead king, Rafe would do anything for his beloved half-brother, Prince Lysander Taetanus, including posing as him in the upcoming courtship trials. When a dragon interrupts their secret exchange, he orders his studious sibling to run. After suffering a fatal blow, Rafe is saved by a beautiful dove who possesses forbidden magic, just like him.

Unknown to the world above, on the foggy sea ten thousand feet below, a young king fights a forgotten war. He believes Lyana is the queen prophesied to save the world, and with the help of his favored spy, hidden deep in the highest ranks of the dove royal house, he will stop at nothing to have her.

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RATING: 🌟🌟

I requested this book from Netgalley with a giddy hope that it would be what the cover promised it might be: an epic fantasy romance set in the skies. But honestly this book was just… perfectly okay. Lately, I’ve read some really unique and well-written fantasy books and unfortunately for this book, it’s struggling to compete. It’s not unlike a lot of other YA fantasy series you’ve probably read.

So, what’s the reason I put this book down with only a quarter left to finish?

THE THRONE OF GLASS BOOK TAG

Hello bookworms! How is your weekend so far? A few months ago I saw Sahi from My World of Books participate in this tag, and as usual I just nominated myself to do it. Throne of Glass was the series I read as a teenager early on in my reading ‘journey,’ that made me fall in love with the genre. Despite not having popularised opinions of the later books, I still have really fond memories of reading the series and had to do this tag!