We’ve now finished the last week of March! Tomorrow, we’ll begin a brand new month. This week, I finished off the book I was halfway through. I then read through an advance reader copy (ARC) of an eBook that will be coming out next month. After that, I got started a library book that I’ve been waiting on and excited about for almost two months now. Here’s the full recap!

1. The Book Eaters – Sunyi Dean

CW: Misogyny, Child Separation, Child Abuse, Forced Marriage, SA, Heavy Drinking, Infertility, Traumatic Birth, Gun Violence, Pregnancy, Domestic Abuse

I’d read the first half of this one at the time of last week’s reading recap. I was already hooked then, and I loved it the rest of the way through. This one is a decadent treat for any lover of dark fairy tales. Our protagonist is descended from a line of “people” who aren’t quite human. Instead of eating food, they eat books and other writings. They then mentally retain the entirety of the work’s contents perfectly until the end of their days. It’s fascinating to watch how people develop based on which stories they are fed, and those they choose to consume.

Some members of this species however, are born differently and aren’t able to eat books like the others. Unless they receive treatment, they can eat only human minds and will starve without any. The protagonist’s son is one such case, and when the medicine he needs becomes scarce, we see how far she’s willing to go to save her beloved child.

I said this already last week, but it’s worth repeating: I need more protagonists who are mothers. I love a good, strong feminine rage in fiction (and sure, reality too at times). Despite what Shakespeare wrote, there is no fury like a mother whose child is threatened. Scorn can rarely compare. What the protagonist endures in a narrative that spans the majority of her life in moments is in turns heartbreaking, infuriating, terrifying, and inspiring. At each of these turns, there’s a burning craving to see her succeed. This one is dark and emotional, so be sure to check the content warnings and be prepared before diving in, but it is also delectable. I loved it.

2. Trial of Bronze and Blood – M.K. Deoradhán

CW: Misogyny, Graphic Depictions of Violence & Injuries, Graphic Depictions of Medical Procedures, SA, Parental Death, Abandonment, Suicide, Animal Death, Sexual Content

I want to give a very big thank you to The Nerd Fam for the eARC of Trial of Bronze and Blood. When I read the synopsis of this one and saw that it was a fantasy that pulled heavily from historical gladiators, I was very intrigued. This is the first installment of the Bronze and Blood Saga, and it will be available on April 15th.

Right away, I was drawn into this one. It began with instant action, fun banter, and characters I couldn’t wait to see more of. The world they inhabit is also extremely vivid. Descriptions of the environment are detailed enough that you can practically smell the air and feel it on your skin, without ever feeling like they’re rambling or superfluous. Both POV characters are very easy to relate to. Even when the reader knows a main character is hiding a plan or a motive, their inner monologue is still intimately relatable. Every battle they fought (and there were many) had me on the edge of my seat.

I enjoyed this book, but at the end I felt like there was something missing. That may have been because my expectations were set incorrectly. Seeing this book described in its synopsis as a “fantasy romance” suggested to me that there would be significantly more fantastical elements than there actually are. Yes, there is magic and there is a dragon, but up to this point, they have not proven essential to the narrative. While the land they are in is stunningly beautiful, it looks a lot like a Mediterranean island in the Roman era. It wouldn’t have taken much tweaking for this fantasy novel to have become an alternative history or historical fiction instead.

The way that the story has been structured, I would imagine that the second installment will lean more heavily into fantasy. I’ll be looking forward to that. I also felt as though we needed a deeper understanding of the factions in play for the final twist to make much sense. Hopefully the second book will dive into that territory as well.

3. Water Moon – Samantha Sotto Yambao

CW: (Check next week’s update for accurate list)

Back at the beginning of February, I got a message from a friend of mine. She’d just finished reading this one and had fallen deeply in love with the story, telling me I needed to read it. I put it on my library hold list right away without even bothering to reading the synopsis. there were already so many people waiting ahead of me that it just came through this past week. I’m sure there’s still a list waiting for me to finish as well.

I’ve only just begun it at this point; I haven’t even reached page 20 yet. Even so, I’m already starting to see why it’s so beloved and sought-after. I’ll admit it was an amusing coincidence that I read the first few pages while sitting inside a ramen restaurant. I don’t think I’ve gotten the entirety of the premise yet. All I know is that the protagonist is running a “pawn shop” that her father managed until his retirement. Instead of valuable trinkets, this otherworldly shop deals instead in choices when the owner no longer wants to carry their consequences. I love the concept, and all the characters I’ve met so far are extremely likeable. I’m looking forward to the rest of this one, and I’ll update you on it next week!

The Last Week of March is Over. Bring on April!

The last week of March has now passed us by! I did not finish the fourth book of the Fae Isles series as I had planned. Typically when I read a series, I space out the installments much more. Reading so many of these back-to-back burnt me out on that world a little bit. While I didn’t beat my deadline, I may get to that last book at a later date. I’ll be sure to let you know. Until then, I’ve got another few ARCs I’m excited for to keep me occupied. My physical TBR pile has also kept growing as my partner and I continue visiting all the independent bookstores in Massachusetts! You can join in along with us in our explorations – we have a whole playlist of bookstore videos for you to check out!

Keep an eye out on my YouTube channel or the main updates page here to follow along on all our bookish adventures. My reading recaps go out on Mondays and our bookstore adventures go out on Thursdays. As always, I want to hear from you! What have you been reading lately? Are you having fun with it? Have you read any of these titles, and if so, what did you think of them? Tell me everything, and follow along for more!