PERSONAL LIFE
February was rather eventful. Besides working, we worked quite a lot on our apartment. One evening, we went to the hardware store and then had to carry our new kitchen floor back home. It was kinda fun though. Hardware stores are, besides bookstores, my happy place. I just love walking around there and looking at everything, getting so many ideas about what I could change about my room. I did get some samples for potential new wall colours though my room is on the northern side of the house and I’m not sure if I want to risk it getting darker yet.
Over the course of a weekend, we then put the new floor in and renovated a bit in out kitchen, I painted a kitchen shelf and we tidied up. Our kitchen looks so much better and lighter now!
Our friend group went to a concert later in the month! We collectively got this as a present for one of our friends and if you ever want to have a concert full of screaming, jumping, running, action,… go to a Zebrahead show. Seriously, Zebrahead are amazing. I had the best time there. Support band was Sibbi hier, a German pop / skate punk band and those are the songs of my soul. 10/10 would recommend seeing both bands live.
I also started going to badminton practice again. I haven’t been there in 1 1/2 years, simply because I was tired and couldn’t get my ass up. But I finally went back and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in a while. I feel so good, so alive there. Badminton truly is the sport of my heart and soul.
BOOKS READ
Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson
Sorcery of Thorns #1.5
Elisabeth Scrivener is finally settling into her new life with sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn. Now that their demon companion Silas has returned, so has scrutiny from nosy reporters hungry for gossip about the city’s most powerful sorcerer and the librarian who stole his heart. But something strange is afoot at Thorn Manor: the estate’s wards, which are meant to keep their home safe, are acting up and forcibly trapping the Manor’s occupants inside. Surely it must be a coincidence that this happened just as Nathaniel and Elisabeth started getting closer to one another…
With no access to the outside world, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas – along with their new maid Mercy – will have to work together to discover the source of the magic behind the malfunctioning wards before they’re due to host the city’s Midwinter Ball. Not an easy task when the house is filled with unexpected secrets, and all Elisabeth can think about is kissing Nathaniel in peace. But when it becomes clear that the house, influenced by the magic of Nathaniel’s ancestors, requires a price for its obedience, Elisabeth and Nathaniel will have to lean on their connection like never before to set things right.
I loved this novella so, so much! There’s just something special about seeing your favourite characters leading a good life after everything they had to go through before. I loved how chaotic everything was and simply returning to this world was everything. Read my full review of Mysteries of Thorn Manor here.
Very Bad Kings by J.S. Wonda
Kingston University #1
Mable ist eine von fünf Stipendiatinnen, die jedes Jahr an der Kingston University angenommen werden. Die reiche Elite des Colleges hält allerdings nichts vom Charity-Programm ihrer Eltern und will Mable mit aller Macht vertreiben. Allen voran die Kings. Fünf abtrünnige Seniorstudenten, die im Hintergrund ein unmoralisches Spiel veranstalten.
Wird Mable gewinnen?
Und wie soll sie sich dagegen wehren, dass drei der Kings plötzlich nur sie wollen?
For the sake of it, I’ll keep my review in English (though you can read the full one in German here) just to come around and say that I did not enjoy anything about this book. The characters were boring and not a single one of them likeable. The consent was questionable, when it came to sex but also to things like… living? I guess. A big nope from me.
Happy Place by Emily Henry (ARC)
Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.
They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?
Mysteries of Thorn Manor might be my favourite book of the year so far but Happy Place is the best. As with all of Emily Henry’s books, it was easy to get into the story and to connect with the characters. I absolutely loved the friendship group in this one and how we see it developing and growing and maturing and changing. Happy Place deals with grief and depression so well and the found family aspect is so good! I love this book but also more than that. Emily Henry’s books usually do that to me: making me like them, love them and then adopt into my whole being. Happy Place is no different from that.
Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare
The Last Hours #3
Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.
After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.
Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.
For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.
Award for most disappointing book of the year so far. I found the book quite boring and while I read it quickly, I still had to really concentrate on focusing on the story. I couldn’t really bring myself to care about Cordelia and James anymore and when I say Thomas, Alastair and Matthew carried this book on their shoulders and were the only saving grace (heh) I mean it. Those three are the only ones I still care about. The rest of the book was unnecessary and boring drama.
BOOK HAUL
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
this is my favourite book and I needed another copy of it! 🙂
All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery–magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught–about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.
Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson
Sorcery of Thorns #1.5
Elisabeth Scrivener is finally settling into her new life with sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn. Now that their demon companion Silas has returned, so has scrutiny from nosy reporters hungry for gossip about the city’s most powerful sorcerer and the librarian who stole his heart. But something strange is afoot at Thorn Manor: the estate’s wards, which are meant to keep their home safe, are acting up and forcibly trapping the Manor’s occupants inside. Surely it must be a coincidence that this happened just as Nathaniel and Elisabeth started getting closer to one another…
With no access to the outside world, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas – along with their new maid Mercy – will have to work together to discover the source of the magic behind the malfunctioning wards before they’re due to host the city’s Midwinter Ball. Not an easy task when the house is filled with unexpected secrets, and all Elisabeth can think about is kissing Nathaniel in peace. But when it becomes clear that the house, influenced by the magic of Nathaniel’s ancestors, requires a price for its obedience, Elisabeth and Nathaniel will have to lean on their connection like never before to set things right.
Shanghai Immortal by A.Y. Chao (ARC)
Pawned by her mother to the King of Hell as a child, Lady Jing is half-vampire, half-hulijing fox-spirit and all sasshole. As the King’s ward, she has spent the past ninety years running errands, dodging the taunts of the spiteful hulijing courtiers, and trying to control her explosive temper – with varying levels of success.
So when Jing overhears the courtiers plotting to steal a priceless dragon pearl from the King, she seizes her chance to expose them, once and for all.
With the help of a gentle mortal tasked with setting up the Central Bank of Hell, Jing embarks on a wild chase for intel, first through Hell and then mortal Shanghai. But when her hijinks put the mortal in danger, she must decide which is more important: avenging her loss of face, or letting go of her half-empty approach to life for a chance to experience tenderness – and maybe even love.
The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten (ARC)
When Lore was thirteen, she escaped a cult in the catacombs beneath the city of Dellaire. And in the ten years since, she’s lived by one rule: don’t let them find you. Easier said than done, when her death magic ties her to the city.
Mortem, the magic born from death, is a high-priced and illicit commodity in Dellaire, and Lore’s job running poisons keeps her in food, shelter, and relative security. But when a run goes wrong and Lore’s power is revealed, she’s taken by the Presque Mort, a group of warrior-monks sanctioned to use Mortem working for the Sainted King. Lore fully expects a pyre, but King August has a different plan. Entire villages on the outskirts of the country have been dying overnight, seemingly at random. Lore can either use her magic to find out what’s happening and who in the King’s court is responsible, or die.
Lore is thrust into the Sainted King’s glittering court, where no one can be believed and even fewer can be trusted. Guarded by Gabriel, a duke-turned-monk, and continually running up against Bastian, August’s ne’er-do-well heir, Lore tangles in politics, religion, and forbidden romance as she attempts to navigate a debauched and opulent society.
But the life she left behind in the catacombs is catching up with her. And even as Lore makes her way through the Sainted court above, they might be drawing closer than she thinks.
Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare
The Last Hours #3
Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.
After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.
Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.
For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party-or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.
But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones-the most elusive of all faeries-lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all-her own heart.
The Last Sorceress by Bonnie Wynne (ARC)
The Price of Magic #5
One sorceress fractured the world. Two may be enough to doom it.
Gwyn’s victory against the risen dead has come at a terrible cost.
Aranor has fallen. In the capital, another sorceress rules from a stolen throne. Survivors of the demon war flock to Ailbhe Ahriddin’s cause – and at her side: Alcide, captured and bound, his royal blood the key to enacting Ailbhe’s ultimate scheme.
Scarred by loss and the choices she’s made, Gwyn now holds Alcide’s fate – and the fate of the world – in her bloodstained hands. As she struggles to unite a broken continent, ancient enemies begin to align, testing their powers against her own.
Lives will be lost and sacrifices made as the final battle looms. And in her darkest moment, the Ninth Sorceress will face an unthinkable choice.
Because magic comes with a price. But is it a price Gwyn is ready to pay?
Let’s Be Wild by Nicole Böhm & Anabelle Stehl
Mit ihrem neuen Job in der angesagtesten Influencer-Agentur New Yorks geht für Shae ein Traum in Erfüllung. Nicht nur, dass sie in die Fußstapfen ihres Onkels und Mentors tritt, sie kann darüber hinaus einen positiven Einfluss auf Social Media nehmen. So zumindest ihre Hoffnung. Doch es ist nicht so leicht wie gedacht, sich in New York zu behaupten. Das muss auch Shaes bester Freund Tyler feststellen, der gemeinsam mit ihr einen Neustart wagt. Shaes Kollegin Ariana und die Fotografin Evie versuchen in der Weltstadt ebenfalls nach den Sternen zu greifen und müssen dabei so manchen Rückschlag hinnehmen. Aber ihre Freundschaft gibt den vieren die nötige Kraft, die eigenen Träume niemals aus dem Blick zu verlieren.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
Amina al-Sirafi should be content. After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates, she’s survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural.
But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman, she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse: retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum. The chance to have one last adventure with her crew, do right by an old friend, and win a fortune that will secure her family’s future forever? It seems like such an obvious choice that it must be God’s will.
Yet the deeper Amina dives, the more it becomes alarmingly clear there’s more to this job, and the girl’s disappearance, than she was led to believe. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savor just a bit more power… and the price might be your very soul.
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory’s purpose.
To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.
The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother’s past is coming to upend her fate.
When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.
ON THE BLOG
- Women With Swords Part 2
- Seven Percent of Ro Devereux by Ellen O’Clover review
- Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson review
- Very Bad Kings by J.S. Wonda review
BLOG VISITS
posts by other bloggers I loved reading
- The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty review by Becky @ Becky’s Book Blog
- Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee Review by Becky @ Becky’s Book Blog
- Das Lied des Achill von Madeline Miller Rezension by Gabriela @ Buchperlenblog
- Found Family YA Books You’ll Love by Nyx @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books
- Do Three Star Ratings Count as Negative? by Krysta @ Pages Unbound
- How to Kiss Your Grumpy Boss by Jenny Proctor Review by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl
- Favourite Adult Romance Authors by Caro @ Bookcheshirecat
And that was my February. I didn’t read a lot but that’s okay, I did some other exciting stuff!
How was your February? Which books did you read? Have you tried something new or rediscovered something you love lately?
Until next time,
Ahh exciting, working on the apartment! I also love browsing in stores and imagine what your room could look like. It’s always so fun! 🙂
I’m happy to see you enjoyed Happy Place, I can’t wait to read that one, it sounds so good!!
I hope March has been kind to you so far! <3