Hello and welcome to my March wrap up! Spring has officially started and yesterday we’ve started daylight savings overhere. My body cooperates better in the summer timezone to be honest, so I’m looking forward to more nights on which I’ll be able to read or blog. Or actually do something. During winter, my body shuts down once the sun sets, so I end up sleeping nights away on the sofa. Anyway, March was a pretty decent reading month in terms of quantity. Quality not so much, since I had one DNF and one book being close to become another DNF. It’s the final day of March as I’m writing this post and I haven’t decided what to do with it yet. Since I’ve been on holiday for a week, I was able to finish more books this month than in the previous months. I’m still a little behind on reviews though. Let’s see what I’ve been up to readingwise, shall we?

The books I’ve read

1. Het schaarse licht by Nino Haratischwili – I started this month with a book that hasn’t been translated into English. This is a February leftover and I really enjoyed it although I was a little afraid that the concept wouldn’t speak to me. The story is told through a photo exhibition and since our narrrator wanders throught this exhibition, the story and the history of Georgia and especially Trblissi is told. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Nieuwe liefde in de kleine theetuin by Anne West – An originally Dutch book and whereas I enjoyed the first two books in this series, this one has lost its spark for me. This was already the case in the previous third book, but I’m glad this series is wrapped up now. All questions are answered and I had the feeling that there was nothing left to explore for these characters anymore. ⭐⭐⭐
3. Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli – This was probably my biggest surprise of this month since I wasn’t sure whether I would like this book or not. There were a lot of ARC readers who raved about it and this always holds me back a little. I started listening to the audiobook, but switched to the ebook quite soon. It has been a long, long time since I fairly enjoyed a YA fantasy. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Reason to Believe by Rebecca Yarros – I’ve already read this book back in 2022, but I wasn’t fully invested back then. I lost my reading mojo for a bit at that time. Now the Dutch audiobook was released so I gave it another chance and I enjoyed it as much. I remembered less than I expected, so it felt like I was reading this book for the first time. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. A Game of Fate by Scarlett St. Clair – I can’t remember anything about this book LOL. It was just fine, nothing special. ⭐⭐⭐
6. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang – I put this book on and off the TBR numerous times, but the release of the Dutch translation (yeah sorry) pushed me over the edge. I was afraid I wouldn’t be liking it that much since it’s satire, but thankfully It’s not as absurd as other stories within this subgenre. It’s probably one of this author’s lightest reads in terms of writing style and I ended up enjoying it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. Storm rond het landhuis by Anne Jacobs – Another book that hasn’t been translated into English and unfortunately it was meh for me. It’s the second book in this historical fiction series (even though it takes place in the 1990s), but I had the same problem with the first book as well. I own the entire series so I will be reading the final book though and I hope it will be more interesting. ⭐⭐⭐
8. Night Shadows by Eva Björg Aegisdóttir – A decent thriller for the setting I was in (near the pool at the hotel), but too simplistic regarding the thriller aspects. It’s a good starter for the newbies in this genre, but I’ve read so much thrillers in the past – even to the point of a genre bore-out – that it didn’t feel tense to me at all. ⭐⭐⭐
9. Jade City by Fonda Lee – Sometimes, you need to read a book three times before it actually grabs you and you are able to finish it. I’ve tried this novel twice and DNF’d it twice as well. Now I did a buddyread for it and I don’t know what did it to me, but it finally clicked. The pacing is a little off though, so that’s what costs this book a half star. ⭐⭐⭐,5
10. Dearest Clementine by Lex Martin – A forgotten backlist title that positively surprised me. Truth be told, I nearly put it aside after 2 or 3 chapters but I’m glad I pushed through. This book addresses such heavy and serious issues that provide deeper layers to this story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
11. Hallowed Ground by Rebecca yarros – I meant to read this book for years now, but I never did. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. You can’t read this book without reading the other books in the “Flight & Glory” series first though, otherwise you will be majorly spoilered. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
12. Glow by Raven Kennedy – I started this book on holiday, but left it untouched for a good while. I couldn’t remember who Queen Kayla was and she happens to be such an important figure for this story. Also, I nearly hit the 40% mark and not a single interesting thing has happened. This series always picks up near the end of each instalment and I just had enough. DNF @ 42%
13. When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi – I had such high expectations for this novel after enjoying another one by this author but I was rather disappointed. I didn’t feel any emotions which should be expected considering the themes of this book. The writing is good, the rest just not so much. Review is already scheduled for later this week. ⭐⭐,5
14. The Fine Print by Lauren Asher – Why, why, why have I waited this long to pick this up? I was reading another book alongside this BookTok hype and I honestly had a much better time with this one. Review will be up shortly. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bookhaul

1. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
2. The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy
3. Ochtendgloren by Corina Bomann
4. Jade War by Fonda Lee
5. The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons
6. When the Moon is Low by Nadia Hshimi
7. Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

I did a good job in bringing that TBR down I guess. I read 14books (of which 1 is a DNF) and just hauled 7, half of them. How was March for you?