Apparently it’s March already and I just didn’t realize it. February has come and gone in the blink of an eye, so this monthly wrap up is late. Or at least, later than I’m used to post these. However, this past month was such a blur. I was tired, had low energy, was busy, it was winter, I fell asleep on the sofa… So, the usual. Reading and blogging took the back burner, which means that I’m still behind on reviews. I’m still struggling with them though, haven’t found the right format and they seem to come easier to me in Dutch. This week I’m off work, so hopefully I can catch up! Furthermore, my reading is progressing so slow this year. I’ve read a total number of 10 books so far in 2026, whereas this used to be my monthly average in the past years. Last year, I read 8 or 9 books on average a month, against 5 this past month. Okay, enough of the moaning, let’s take a look on how my reading month actually turned out.

Books read

1. Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad

I have been meaning to read this book for months now, it occurred on multiple monthly and seasonal TBRs. However, you have to be in the right mindset for this one, or at least, that’s what I believed. This book is set in Palestine and we all know how much of a huge mess it is in that part of the world right now. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for decades, and I was hoping this novel would provide me with some new insights on it. It partially did, but the characters wanting to play Hamlet on the West Bank overshadowed it a bit for me. It’s logical considering the story is centered around actors and their desire to showcase their passion, but I probably had too high, and too unrealistic, expectations. The news solely talks about Gaza, and the West Bank is quite forgotten, although the conflict hits hard there too. As this book is set on the West Bank, we get a glimpse of what life looks like there.

• Set in: Palestine
• Backlist or newly acquired: Backlist
• Read format: Ebook
• Language read in: Dutch
• Read from: 02/02 to 02/05
• Rating: 3/5

2. The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

When I picked up reading again in 2017 (and started my blogging journey but oh well), I discovered the “The Lunar Chronicles” series by Marissa Meyer, which remains one of my most favorite series to date. However, her further releases failed to captivate me and I was hoping this book would change that. Wishful thinking maybe, because 1) it’s a stand alone which doesn’t work too well for me in fantasy and 2) it’s young adult, a genre I devoured years ago but have mostly outgrown by now. I still wanted to give this book a fair chance and opted for the audiobook. Rebecca Soler again does a fantastic job on this fairytale retelling of the fairytale of Bluebeard, but it still didn’t captivate me as much. I mean, I had an enjoyable few hours, but struggled with both plot and characters. It was just not really for me, but true fairy tale fanatics and the target audience would love it. I don’t know the original tale either, so that might be of influence here as well.

• Set in: An estate in a world clearly inspired by France
• Backlist or newly acquired: Backlist
• Read format: Audiobook
• Language read in: English
• Read from: 02/06 to 02/10
• Rating: 3/5

3. A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

Yes, I was surprised as well, but I really didn’t pick up another book for nearly a week. T. Kingfisher is an author whose books I’ve been seeing floating around a lot in the blogosphere. However, I never picked up one of their books. I had no more excuse as of not to when this middle-grade novel got published in Dutch. I still postponed reading it numerous times, because I was such a mood reader and in a huge reading slump in the final months of last year that I threw all my monthly TBRs out the window. Now was the right time for me to pick it up. And although I enjoyed my time spent with Mona and all the baked goods, I think this book wasn’t just the right fit for me. For the target audience it’s really tense and they would really enjoy it. However, I didn’t feel any urge or tension. It fell flat for me, but that’s completely personal. Mona was too juvenile for a fourteen year-old, but this also could be due to the translation. Anyway, I strongly recommend it for younger readers, but my expectations were just not met.

• Set in: A fantasy town which name I forgot
• Backlist or newly acquired: Backlist
• Read format: Ebook
• Language read in: Dutch
• Read from: 02/16 to 02/18
• Rating: 3/5

4. The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson

Mary E. Pearson apparently is a renowned YA author, but I hadn’t read any of her books. This is her adult debut and of course, it’s categorized as romantasy. I’ve seen quite mixed reviews, so I therefore put this book on my “maybe I will read it some day” list. Well, I needed a new book, found the audiobook and took the plunge. And honestly,this book doesn’t stick at all. The characters are okay, but the plot is boring. Not much seems to be happening. At least, on the page. I’ve seen another reviewer pointing out that a lot is happening off the page and we only find out whenever these events are mentioned and discussed on the page. And I noticed this too. This book is therefore not intriguing, as tension, eagerness and urge are lacking. It was just okay, but at some point I was just fed up. My attention drifted away too often.

• Set in: Elphame
• Backlist or newly acquired: None
• Read format: Audiobook
• Language read in: English
• Read from: 02/22 to 02/27
• Rating: 2/5

5. The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Last year I was left absolutely astonished by The Seven Year Slip by this author, so I wanted to leave a bit of space between that one and this book. Moreover, I saw mixed reviews for this one and I understand those. I still found my time well-spent with this book, but it was just less captivating for me. The middle was the best part as main character Florence shows a significant amount of growth there, but the ending feels both predictable and rushed. I don’t mind the predictable that much as this could be expected, but I do mind an ending that feels rushed. Again, not bad, but not jaw-dropping either.

• Set in: new York and Mairmont, USA
• Backlist or newly acquired: Backlist
• Read format: Ebook
• Language read in: Dutch
• Read from: 02/27 to 02/28
• Rating: 3/5

Bookhaul

1. In love at last by Kristina Moninger
2. A War of Wyverns by S.F. Williamson
3. Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
4. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
5. Fateless by Julie Kagawa
6. You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
7. Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho
8. Wish Upon a K-Star by Kat Cho

All in all, February wasn’t the best reading month. In fact, it’s a reading month we probably should quickly forget. The books were okay, but none will stick or rise above the others. Chosing a monthly favorite for this month in my yearly round up will probably prove to be a challenge. My average rating for this month is 2.8 stars, not that great to say the least. I hope spring will spring in March and with that my reading mojo will improve as well.

How was this past month for you?