February 2024 Reads and Recap

I think February might turn out being even better than January with these reads. Murder mystery, fantasy, modern fiction, and science fiction - I liked the variety each of these novels had to offer. Check out my book reviews below!

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbaith | 4 ⭐

The Cuckoo's Calling is the first in the Cormoran Strike detective series. Written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, this cozy mystery was full of suspense, celebrity drama, and a quirky private detective who doesn't always seem to have it together.

Cormoran Strike is recently single and a former British army detective who was dismissed after a serious injury in Afghanistan. While he's trying to regain his footing and pay his business's bills in London, the famous model, Lula Landry, falls from her balcony and is smashed on the pavement outside her flat. Rendered a suicide, the police seemingly prove without a doubt that Lula must've jumped. Her adoptive brother hires Strike to privately investigate her death - a death that her brother believes was murder.

The story follows the investigation, but it peppers in moments of Strike's time deployed and how that has affected him as well as details about his personal life. We get to know Strike and his detective strategies in this book and can see how it is setting up for more books in the series.

With a bit of suspense, clever gumshoeing, and a trip into the world of fame, The Cuckoo's Calling delivers a great story that will have you wanting more.

The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton | 4 ⭐

This book utterly destroyed me. The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton slams in to the reality of climate change and sea-level rise with this devastating and poignant novel. Wanda, a strange child born in the middle of a violent hurricane, hangs on by a thread through her life as Florida is slowly reclaimed by the water that surrounds it. If you like dystopian future fiction, this book delivers. *Bonus: As of this writing, The Light Pirate is available on Kindle Unlimited!

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas | 4 ⭐

How to begin? The highly anticipated third installment of the Crescent City series was overflowing with action, magic, love, and suspense. Bryce Quinlan must figure out a way to return to Midgard and defeat the evil Asteri to free her world from their life-sucking parasitic hold. Along her journey, she meets allies from another world not so unfamiliar to her own, yet totally different. It is there that she learns of her true history - her true lineage - and how she can help her people and release the full force of the magic bound within them and banish the Asteri forever.

This was my favorite book of this series. There was a balance between the mystery, magic, and action that kept the story moving and my pages turning. I loved the crossover between the worlds and look forward to see Sarah J. Maas tie this all together in future books. She is a supremely talented author and these books are epic and entertaining.

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross | 4 ⭐

Ruthless Vows follows the adventure of Iris and Ronan, lovers who are fatefully separated after a violent attack in the war between the gods Dacre and Enva. Ronan is taken below to Dacre’s realm where he is physically healed, but his memory of his life before is lost. Iris returns to her home city to try to find a way to get the truth out and rescue Ronan. But will he remember her? Can he? How can they, mere mortals, possibly defeat a vengeful god?

Rebecca Ross delivers in this nail-biting conclusion of this duology. Iris and Ronan’s relationship is rich and beautiful, and each character plays a vital role in the tale. I love the mystique of Ross’s writing and each of her books has me hoping she does even more.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab | 5 ⭐

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue has been on my TBR list for ages. I finally snagged a copy and was impressed! Why did I wait this long to read it?

Adeline LaRue is born in the late 1600s in France, and in an act of desperation to escape an arranged marriage, she makes a deal with the darkness for more time and to be free. Little does she know that the darkness plays by its own rules. Cursed to a life where she is forgotten the moment anyone looks away from her, where she can hold on to nothing for long, but she is immortal - unless she yields her soul to the dark. Adeline vows that she will not let the darkness win, even though she cannot say her name or tell her story, she is determined to outsmart her curse. The book jumps from Addie's past - everywhere in history for the last 300 years - to her present day, 2014.

The concept of Addie being "invisible" was unique, and they way Schwab weaves through each of her stories was masterful. I loved how I got to explore different periods of history and tread the edges of Addie's curse with her as she discovered how she could bend the rules. It is well worth it to traverse time with Addie in this gripping novel by V.E. Schwab.

Maame by Jessica George | 5 ⭐

Maddie is 25 years old, British Ghanaian, and living in London in present day. Her father suffers from Parkinson’s disease, and as his primary caretaker, she shoulders the weight of her family’s burden. Her brother is too busy, and her mother lives in Ghana 50% of the time, so it is just Maddie. She’s trying to work her way up in a publishing career, deal with her family, and learn how to be out on her own in the world. With her family breathing down her neck, expecting her to be their “Maame,” or mature woman in Twi, Maddie tells the story of her coming of age and finding out who she is.

Funny, honest, and unexpectedly thought provoking, Maame has been one of my favorite books this year. I listened to the audio version, which was read beautifully by Heather Agyepong. *Bonus: As of this writing, Maame is available on Kindle Unlimited!