sarah anne reads: vol. 1
sarah anne reads: vol. 1
satisfying duology conclusions and binging comfort reads.
Confession, y’all: I’ve been in what feels like a multi-year reading slump.
2015 and 2016 were fantastic reading years for me, I think largely due to my participation in the booktube community. 2016 was also the year I decided to read 100 books, which was both a wonderful and terrible idea.
Coming out of 2016, I was in a bit of reading hangover… and I feel like I’ve never fully recovered. I’ve read some good books since then, but few that I’ve really, truly loved. And I’ve struggled to find a consistency in my reading life that gets me back into my normal rhythm of reading about a book a week.
In terms of numbers, this reading year is off to a pretty great start, largely due to my decision to re-read the Lunar Chronicles after recommending them to a friend. And,if you’ve read the Lunar Chronicles, you know they’re an extremely binge-able read.
I’m hoping the momentum of reading six books in January will propel me into the rest of the year and help me to find a new reading rhythm that’s been sorely lacking since 2016. Fingers crossed, everyone!
📚 January 2023 Reads
🩸 Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First, let me say, I love a good duology, so props to Ryan Graudin for that. This was a wonderful conclusion to the story begun in Wolf by Wolf, and overall, more exciting and engaging. She, of course, rips your heart out at the end, but I can’t say I’m surprised she doesn’t give you a perfectly happy ending. Still, a solid duology I’ll definitely be recommending to fans of alternate history.
🦿 Cinder by Marissa Meyer | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve always been a fan of a good fairy tale retelling, and these are some of my favorites. As you might guess, Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella in which our main character is actually a cyborg. The post-WWIV society makes for a really unique adaptation of a super familiar story, and the side characters are just as, if not more, interesting than your main ones, which I always love.
🐺 Scarlet by Marissa Meyer | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sassy, spunky heroines are my fave, so of course I’m a fan of Scarlet. The relationship is a bit insta-lovey for my tastes, but it’s YA and also a fairy tale, so… it was bound to happen. This second book introduces one of my favorite characters in the whole series, and overall bumps it up a notch from where we started in Cinder.
🌙 Cress by Marissa Meyer | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
This one was, and still is, my favorite in the series. You get more action, more adventure, more characters, and overall more fun. As with the others, it’s an inventive retelling of Rapunzel, with the sweetest heroine and a snarky, slightly cocky hero who is also protective and a little unsure of himself, making for a ridiculously adorable couple and a delightful story.
🪞 Fairest by Marissa Meyer | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
If you love villain origin/backstories, you’ll probably enjoy Fairest. Unlike a lot of authors, Marissa Meyer in no way attempts to make Queen Levana sympathetic or misunderstood. She’s twisted and pretty terrible from the get go, which makes the backstory all the more fascinating, in my opinion.
🍎 Winter by Marissa Meyer | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
A fantastic conclusion to the series, this one keeps you on the edge of your seat pretty much from start to finish. But Winter rounds out the ensemble cast in a fantastic way and this is one of my favorites for how Meyer incorporates the iconic elements of the fairy tales into her retellings.
for full length reviews…
📖 Currently Reading
A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman — Still, slowly, working my way through this one. I do still love Emily’s words, but it’s not packing quite the creative punch it did upon first read.
The Boy Who Lost Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente — My husband and I are slowly working our way through this delightful middle grade series and, goodness, Catherynne M. Valente’s narration is so whimsical and exquisite. I love it so dang much.
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer — Because you can’t binge read the Lunar Chronicles without finishing things out with Stars Above.
That’s it for the books this month! I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading lately, and your thoughts on any of my reads if you’ve read them too!
Happy reading, everyone!
P.S. For more bookish fun, let’s be friends on Goodreads!