❄️ January Reviews 🌨️
January 1st-31st
Book 1: The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac
By J. K. Rowling
Read January 1st-2nd
Release Year: 2023
Pages: 208
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A beautifully illustrated compendium full of facts, history, quotes, and trivia about the wizarding world. I loved the design of this, especially with the different illustration styles. Each of the illustrators did a marvelous job creating the layouts for each page and made them fit the content. My favorite pages are the map of the Hogwarts grounds, the tour layout of the castle, and the library. Most of the information in this book is directly from the books but that did not ruin my enjoyment in the slightest. It is a book I know I will be revisting many times in the future and a wonderful addition to any Harry Potter fan’s library.
Book 2: Walt Disney’s Mickey and Donald: Mickey’s Craziest Adventures
By Lewis Trondheim
Read January 3rd
Release year: 2024
Pages: 48
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This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I loved the humor and how it felt like the old Mickey Mouse comics, but was not a fan of the fragmented storyline.
It has an interesting premise with the writers making it as if they found pieces of an old comic story and pieced them together. The reader then is meant to fill in what they believe happened between the missing pages. There are times this works rather well and others that had me frustrated because I wanted more of a specific scene.
Overall, I enjoyed the art style and thought the story idea was interesting. I can’t help thinking though that I want the entire story not just the fragments. I’ve always been a fan of the Mickey Mouse cartoons and comics and I love the humor in this story.
*I received an ARC for review purposes. All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
Book 3: Heartstopper: Volume 1
By Alice Oseman
Read January 8th
Release year: 2018
Pages: 288
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Jan 8th, 2024 reread:
Rereading this volume was like seeing an old friend you haven’t in a long time. Charlie and Nick’s story will always be one of my favorites and Alice’s illustrations are stunning. I cannot wait to continue on and finally read what happens in the fifth volume for the first time.
March 31st, 2019:
This is one of the best graphic novels that I have ever read. I have loved Charlie and Nick's story since I first started reading it in the webcomic. I'm so happy that they are now getting published in graphic novel format. I can't wait for the next volume.
Book 4: Heartstopper: Volume 2
By Alice Oseman
Read January 10th
Release year: 2019
Pages: 320
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Jan 10th, 2024 reread:
These boys are just so sweet. I love revisiting their story after all these years.
2019 read:
I really love Charlie and Nick's story. I have since I first started reading the webcomic last year. This is just so great.
Book 5: Heartstopper: Volume 3
By Alice Oseman
Read January 10th
Release year: 2020
Pages: 384
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Yay the Paris trip! I remember avidly reading this every time Alice would make a new update. Definitely, the start of some hard topics in this volume. I love how we are getting more of Charlie and Nick’s friends throughout the story and the dynamic between the friend group. So sweet.
Book 6: Heartstopper: Volume 4
By Alice Oseman
Read January 10th
Release year: 2021
Pages: 384
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I love how a lot of the volume is told through both Charlie and Nick’s journal entires as they deal with very heavy emotional moments. This is full of talks about mental health and it hits hard. It was beautiful seeing Nick’s support for Charlie and the love between them grow more over the chapters. Also, I love how everyone chipped in to help Charlie. It’s wonderful seeing such a close friend group and the bond that they all have with each other. I love these characters so much. Also, Tori Spring is such a great older sister.
Phenomenal as always!
Book 7: Heartstopper: Volume 5
By Alice Oseman
Read January 11th
Release year: 2023
Pages: 336
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I love these boys so darn much! Finally caught up with all of Charlie and Nick’s story (I had only read about half of this book in the webcomics) and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in Volume 6. This volume was absolutely beautiful and I loved every moment of this chapter.
Book 8: Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth
By Natalie Haynes
Read January 16th-17th
Release year: 2023
Pages: 261
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Similarly to Pandora’s Jar, Natalie Haynes gives various stories of the goddesses that have been told throughout time in this book. I highly recommend her audiobooks which she reads herself. It was an entertaining read focusing on each goddess in great detail. The book starts with the Muses and continues on through Hera, Demeter/Persephone, Hestia, Artemis, Aphrodite, Athena, and ends with the Furies. I have read a lot of Greek mythology over the years and this still had me learning a bit about the goddesses.
Book 9: Hilda: Night of the Trolls
By Luke Pearson
Read January 18th
Release year: 2023
Pages: 96
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A great continuation of Hilda’s story. I love the characters and creatures throughout this series that make this an interesting fantasy world to explore. This volume hints to other adventures Hilda has gone on in and around Trolberg. Such an entertaining read.
Book 10: The Emperor and the Endless Palace
By Justinian Huang
Read January 18th-20th
Release year: 2024
Pages: 312
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I adored this interwoven Asian-based story with all my heart. It follows three different timelines of two men whose lives have been intertwined for centuries. We follow them through 4 BCE, 1740, and present-day Los Angeles. Slowly, along with the characters, we learn how they are connected to each other. Their romance was both beautiful and heartbreaking. It was quite hard to read at times because their love is quite destructive and painful. I’m a sucker for a tragic love affair, especially ones that make me cry. Add stunning writing and fantastical aspects to make a book I couldn’t get enough of.
Reincarnation stories have always drawn me in, and I knew I had to read this beauty as soon as I found it. It was intriguing trying to figure out who was who in the different time periods. I’m glad we kept going back and forth between each of them, and loved seeing how all the pieces fit together to tell their story. It felt like a puzzle, and I enjoyed how their identities were not always obvious.
There were times I did not want one of the perspectives to switch to the next time period. I wanted to continue with what was happening next instead of going to another time. Then, I would get completely hooked on the next one. It became a cycle I enjoyed every minute of.
This book will not be for everybody, but it has everything I could have wanted from this type of story. It took me about fifty pages to get into it, and then I didn’t want it to end. Also, I enjoyed looking into the historical aspects of this story. The emperor and Dong Xian are based on historical figures from Chinese history, and I like how the sleeve is a part of their story. So interesting.
I highly recommend picking up Justinian Huang’s The Emperor and the Endless Palace. I will be adding it to my home library. Huang’s writing was beautiful, and I cannot wait to pick up more of his work in the future. Here’s hoping for more from this world.
*I received an ARC for review purposes. All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
Book 11: A Stroke of the Pen
By Terry Pratchett
Read January 19th-20th
Release year: 2023
Pages: 240
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It’s always a joy to read another Terry Pratchett short story collection. He had a style so distinctly his own that I love getting into every time. These are another great set of his fantasy stories. Many are ones that are clearly ideas he turned into other stories or took concepts further in the future. I love the whole story behind this collection. The audiobook is great and read by many different actors, actresses, authors, family, and friends of Terry. I love that they had his daughter read one of them. Beautiful.
Book 12: I Hate Fairyland, Vol 6: Last Gert Standing
By Skottie Young
Read January 22nd
Release year: 2024
Pages: 128
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It’s great having the young Gert back in this volume. Made me think of the old volumes in many ways and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens after the ending. I love returning to this world again.
Book 13: So This is Ever After
By F. T. Lukens
Read January 20th-23rd
Release year: 2022
Pages: 352
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I have spoilers for this book marked in blue and bolded.
So This Is Ever After was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I love the idea of seeing what occurs after the happy ending with a chosen one who isn’t ready for what happens after his quest. The plot is about him having to settle down into a role he does not feel qualified for and learning how to rule a kingdom along with finding love. It’s clever and could have been a lot of fun. Instead, it just kept me wanting more from most aspects.
The quest story is such a common trope in fantasy and I was looking forward to something different. After reading about the friends' interactions, I couldn't help but want more of their backstories. Arek is constantly explaining their bond but it feels flat. There are plenty of instances where one of the characters basically says 'Remember when this happened' and then briefly mentions something that is much more interesting than what is going on. This might as well have been set in a historical or contemporary fiction setting because the fantastical elements are barely used.
We don't ever get a full picture of the gang other than vague mentions of their characteristics. Each fits into the classic fantasy character archetypes but is never given time to be fully fleshed out other than Arek and Matt (Arek's best friend/ love interest and the mage of the group). Arek half the time is saying he doesn't know one of his friends well enough and then has Matt tell him more about them.
Spoiler-
The romance was frustrating throughout the majority of this book. I'm not a fan of miscommunication and this is just that the entire time. Arek and Matt are cute together and I enjoyed their banter. You can feel the friendship they have had since childhood and their love for each other is obvious to everyone but them. It had me wanting to knock their heads together and tell them to just talk to each other about their feelings.
I love the idea behind this especially the total Merlin/Arthur vibes that Arek and Matt give off. They are cute together but I think too much of the plot plays on Arek trying his plan of wooing someone to fall in love with him. This could have been a good jumping-off point but it should not have gone on as long as it did. Arek and Matt's relationship would have been the best part of the novel if not for Arek trying to woo everyone else instead. Good lord...
This book was compared to a cross between Carry On and King Arthur. Carry On was one of my favorite books I read in college and I still love it almost ten years later. It's one of the examples I will always give for an interesting take on the Chosen One story. The sequels are great examples of how to do the "what happened after the quest ended" story. Also, I've been obsessed with King Arthur stories since I was a child and was looking forward to a gay romance between two best friends. So, needless to say, my expectations were too high for this book and it disappointed me. I did have fun while reading it, though. It had me laughing out loud quite a bit and the friends grew on me by the end.
Book 14: 84, Charing Cross Road
By Helene Hanff
Read January 24th
Release year: 1970
Pages: 117
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An absolutely charming little book for all of the book lovers out there. It had me laughing out loud throughout the entire story and touched my heart by the end. Helene is so funny in her letters to Frank and her other friends she makes during the twenty years. This is just as great as everyone says it is. I highly recommend this little gem of a book.
Book 15: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
By Lewis Carroll
Read January 27th-28th
Release year: 1865
Pages: 175
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January 27th-28th, 2024 reread-
I decided to revisit Wonderland again for Lewis Carroll’s birthday. Alice’s story and the world of Wonderland is one I will never get enough of. I love the nonsense and zany characters.
Book 16: The Chromatic Fantasy
By H.A.
Read January 31st
Release year: 2023
Pages: 312
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The Chromatic Fantasy has stunning illustrations that look like a stained-glass window. H.A.’s artistic style is wonderful. I wanted to love this beautiful graphic novel, but I was not a fan of the disjointed way it was written. The premise was interesting, but I do not feel like it was executed in the best way possible. Often, the dialogue and objects used did not fit with the medieval setting and felt out of place. Modern aspects in a medieval fantasy setting can work and have worked many times before for me, but they do not work here. It felt like this was trying to be relatable and hip instead of focusing on the story being told.