Books I Read in March

I somehow managed to read 14 books in March, which I know is a lot and I'm not quite sure how that happened. I will blame it on the fact that most of these books were relatively short, around 200 pages, I had quite a bit of free time during spring break, and I joined Goodreads. I've started to document all the books that I read on there, here's my profile if you want to check it out.

The Darkest Part of the Forest and The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black - I'm grouping these two together even though they're standalones, because I have the same things to say about both of them. The former is set in a modern, fairy tale inspired world, while the latter is an interesting take on a world where vampires are known. Holly Black has this amazing ability to write amazing novels set in creepy, haunting, but also beautiful worlds. I really enjoyed both of these books and I'm definitely going to be reading more of her books in the future.

Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis - I was a little hesitant to read this book because it sounded too similar to The Lunar Chronicles (one of my favorite series) as a futuristic, fairy tale retelling. It started off a little slow and I wasn't originally a huge fan of the romance aspect but it grew on me as the book picked up. This story was surprisingly dark and I really liked how Lewis adapted the story of Snow White in a way that didn't make the book too predictable. Overall it was really enjoyable, I think fans of The Lunar Chronicles will see a lot of similarities and it will be interesting to see how it compares to the last book in the series since they are both based off Snow White.

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan - I've been reading a lot of Levithan lately, and this one is definitely my favorite of his. I think the thing that stood out the most in this book was the perspective, and how it's narrated by men who lost there lives to aids is heartbreaking and gives a sense of hope. This book was just an intense read for me, it's a beautiful story, so well written, and it blew me away.

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall - This is an incredibly sweet love story between two college students, from 14 different viewpoints. I felt it was a really unique idea and the two main characters were adorable together. That being said, I did want to strangle them a little, because they were both painfully unaware of the other's feelings and it took them so long to get together. I really loved the characters of the various narrators as well, but I was not expecting to read from the perspective of a bench and a squirrel, and those ended up being a little weird for me. Overall I really just loved how cute this story was and I'm interested in what Hall writes next.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - I feel that this is one of those good, weird books. It's got a really interesting plot and I love how the photographs helped drive the story. Although there were some really weird points in this book that I was not expecting and I wasn't a fan of like the romance. I'm really interested in seeing where Riggs takes this series, and the second book in my TBR pile for next month. 

Fairest by Marissa Meyer - As I mentioned earlier in this post, The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite series and this is a companion novel to it. I thought this was a really insightful look in to Levana's life. I think it explained a lot about Levana's character, and at times I was a tiny bit sympathetic to her but overall it really touches on how crazy she is. I really enjoyed all of the details that set up the events of the other novels and I absolutely cannot wait for Winter to come out in November.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - I read this books with a friend and we had pretty much the same opinions on it. We both initially loved Finch's character but came to dislike him and we ending up growing to like Violet as the book focused more on her. I loved the story but I was really sad with how it ended. I also really like how the subject of mental illness was dealt with, and as a warning this book has suicidal and depression triggers.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - I'd seen a lot of hype about this book and it definitely lived up to my expectations. I really like the universe that Aveyard has created and I can't wait to see how she develops it. I did have a tiny problem with the romance in this book, because THREE guys were into the main character (why are authors still writing love triangles and in this case a love square?). I was completely taken off guard by the plot twist, and I can't wait for the rest of the series to be released.

The Kiesha'ra Series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes - I read this books series when I was in eight grade, and I stopped before the last book. I wanted to reread this series because the first book is one of my favorites books, and now that I'm older, I wanted to see how I would feel about the plot twist in the forth book. This time around I had the same opinions for the first three books. I still love the first book, I have a strong emotional connection to the characters and the story. I didn't have that same emotional connection with the second book, but I still enjoyed the plot. In my opinion the third book was the weakest, I felt that it dragged a little, but I enjoyed the plot developments. For the fourth book my opinions completely changed, this time around I absolutely loved the development and felt the plot twist and then ending were really well written. The fifth book was a nice conclusion and overall I really love this series, I love the universe the author created, the characters, and the stories. This series is so underrated and I highly suggest that people read it.

Alright those are all the books I read in March and my thoughts on them. I've already got a small stack of books to read this month! - Jessica