January 2025 reading wrap-up

I read a total of 9 books in January and while some were a bit of a letdown, others definitely lived up to the hype. I’ve discovered so many new favourite reads and have had one of the best reading months in ages. I read eight fantasy books and one autobiography.

Spectacular by Stephanie Garber ⭐️.5

This is a Christmas novella set in the Caraval universe. It follows Tella as she tries to find the perfect Christmas gift for Legend. Caraval is one of my favourite series and I was so excited to read this one but it didn’t pay off. There are strange scenes that border on being abusive which are characterised as romantic towards the end of the book, which didn’t feel true to the original story or characters.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

There are aspects to this book I loved – particularly the main character, Bilbo. His sense of only wanting to stay at home, enjoying the finer things in life and not being bothered about adventures felt so real. I thought the fact they always needed something to eat was funny too. Tolkein’s story is filled with humour and relatable characters.

The pace of writing felt slow at times hence why I haven’t given a higher rating. I didn’t love the signing verses either. It definitely picked up as the characters went on more adventures. And I’m excited to read more from this universe.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the year of reading more books I’ve been putting off because I’m afraid they won’t be worth the hype. And this one is definitely a great introduction to a thrilling fantasy series. In some ways it’s predictable because it does start off as a Beauty and the Beast retelling – and then veers off into a completely different direction that’s utterly brilliant in the last quarter.

Feyre, a human, kills a wolf in the forest and is subjected to move to the Spring Court as a form of punishment for her crime. There she learns all about a world beyond the human wall, a world filled with magic, fae and evil villains. This was fun, entertaining and a great page-turner.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow. This was amazing. So much happened. 600 odd pages of pure magical escapism. I can’t say much about this one without giving spoilers but I can definitely see why this series became so popular. I loved learning about the fae’s history, the different courts and magic the high lords possess. I loved Feyre’s character development, the world building and the romantic DRAMA. I need to read this again, it’s so good!

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop

This was a lovely read. I don’t give star ratings for autobiographies because I don’t think it’s possible to rate someone’s personal experiences. This however was engrossing and a nice easy read, following Kelly’s time on the Broadway stage as a show girl, all the way through her acting career. She’s my favourite on Gilmore Girls so it was cool to read about her time on the show and how much it meant to her as well.

A Court of War and Ruins by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I binged these books. This is my favourite in the franchise so far. I still have one left in the series to read. I liked that it was centred more around the war and the planning for it and felt more fantasy driven than romance. Feyre’s sisters were a great addition to the plot and it was nice to get to know a lot of the other side characters, as well as meet the high lords of all the other courts. There are some funny scenes, mainly from Cassian, and emotional ones with Feyre and her family.

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️.5

This is a shorter novella compared to the massive chunky books for book two and three but it felt like filler and didn’t add much to the storyline. A lot of the characters felt like caricatures of themselves. Perhaps this would have been more enjoyable if it had not followed on from such a fantastic book. We see the characters chat about what to buy each other for Winter Solstice and other mundane things. None of which were very gripping to read about. There are moments where they talk about the aftermath of the war but it didn’t add anything to the story. I’d love to have seen more of Nesta and Elain’s points of view, it feels like Feyre’s storyline could have ended after the third book.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was brilliant. Set in a private school, following Bre after she loses her mother. At the school she discovers hidden magic and secret societies. She tries to uncover more about the unknown world around her and the secrets of the past. This book deals with grief really well.

There’s lots of Welsh culture and a focus on our myths and legends. I’m a huge critic when authors use Welsh culture for their story and gloss over aspects of our heritage but it was done in a tasteful way. The author even adds some of the Welsh language which was a pleasant and cool surprise.

The Baby Dragon Cafe by A. T. Qureshi️

I received an advanced copy of this book last year in exchange for an honest review. I don’t have a lot of great things to say about it and I hate being negative about books as they are subjective so I’ll be concise. This book put me in a reading slump in December and I picked it back up again this year. The characters weren’t interesting and the story was boring. I thought it was a cosy fantasy but it was just a romance with some random baby dragons thrown in – which added nothing to the plot. Sadly, it wasn’t for me but might be for you.