Hello, readers! I hope everyone is having a lovely January. I read like I would never be able to read again. I'm doing something different this year with my reviews. Instead of doing an individual review for each book, as I have in previous years, I will do some short blurbs for each month. The reason for this is 2022 kicked my ass. I'm tired, and I expect 2023 to be a challenge. I also don't plan to keep up my pace of 10 books a month like I did in January. My next round of classes is starting up, so much of my time will be dedicated to research and working on my dissertation. (Yes, Tress. I KNOW. I'm a masochist.)
Anyways, instead of in the review A-Z tab, these will be in the dusty collect-all, that is, the Discussions, Hauls, and Misc tab. I've cleaned it up, but I may go in and do some more cleaning as a result of what I'm going to be doing for reviews. I'll also update where I put the books on the challenge. If you want to see the entire 2023 Reading Challenge, you can find it here.
Without further ado, here is my January reading (in chronological order).
1.) 
Book: A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
My Goodreads Rating: 5 stars
Space on 2023 Reading Challenge: #40 Read a "Dark Academia" novel
Book Review: I was instantly hooked when reading A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. I got it for Christmas with one of my B & N gift cards read it quickly, and the next day had to go pick up the second book in the series. It gave me a little Harry Potter vibes since it was an academic setting, combined with The Hunger Games since it was a sort of survival of the fittest trope. Add in the fact that the school is full of student-eating monsters for some spice. If you like Y.A. fantasy, I highly recommend it.
2.) Book: Serpent's Kiss by Melissa de la Cruz
My Goodreads Rating: 4 stars
Space on 2023 Reading Challenge: #3 Read a book with a female main character
Book Review: I will be completely honest, I don't remember a thing about this book. However, I clearly liked it at the time and gave it four stars. I'm not saying that it was bad or that I regret that rating. I don't remember specifics of what I liked because I didn't take any notes. I remember that the T.V. series didn't follow the book at all. So, do what you will with this plethora of information.
3.)
Book: The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
My Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars
Space on 2023 Reading Challenge: #10 Read a book that starts with the first letter of your name
Book Review: I really enjoyed The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik. I wanted to rush out and buy the third book in the trilogy, but I restrained myself since I had just gotten so many new books lately. I liked A Deadly Education more, but this one was good too. I'm curious how it will end, and I will likely be picking it up next time I'm in a bookstore.
4.)
Book: The Convent's Secret by C.J. Archer
My Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars
Space on 2023 Reading Challenge: #2 A book under 300 pages
Book Review: I forgot how much I enjoyed this series. This is another one that I had to buy the next book in the series right after. If you like Historical Fiction, Fantasy, and Mystery, this is a good series for light reading. The books aren't very long, but they're enjoyable. The magic system is interesting as well.
5.)
Book: The Ink Master's Silence by C.J. Archer
My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars
Space on 2023 Reading Challenge: #12 Free Space! Pick any book
Book Review: Similar to above; however, with this book, many plot points in the series got closed up. I was glad to see them be done because it will open up the remaining books to many more possibilities.
6.)
Book: Alice by Christina Henry
My Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars
Space on 2023 Reading Challenge: #20 Read a book with a one-word title
Book Review: This is my least favorite book that I read in January. It's an interesting Horror retelling of Alice in Wonderland. However, it wasn't really scary. It is, however, very gruesome, and I don't recommend it for anyone who can't handle gore. Most of the story centers around murder, rape, and human trafficking, so readers beware. I don't have subjects I'm triggered by, so I found the story intriguing; I wanted it to be a little longer and dive into more of how the relationship between Alice and Hatch developed while they were locked away. Not sure if I'll finish the series.
7.)
Book: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My Goodreads Rating: 4 stars
Space on 2023 Reading Challenge: #28 Read a book with a Neon-colored cover
Book Review: I finally caved and started this series. I was actively avoiding it because of how hyped it's been. I enjoyed it, and I see why many people enjoy it. It was a fun Beauty and the Beast retelling, though I have dubbed it "Sexy Stockholm Syndrome." I'll probably finish the rest of the series, but I wasn't so amazed by it that I need to consume all of the books right now. We'll save that for some other books I read this month.
8.)
Book: The Hunted by Jeff Wheeler
My Goodreads Rating: 3 stars
Space on 2023 Reading Challenge: #11 Read the next book in a series you haven't read in a while
Book Review: I read The Druid by Jeff Wheeler last year, but honestly, it could have been longer than that. I don't remember when it came out. The Hunted took me a while to get into because I needed to remember who the characters were and what happened in the previous book. Once I re-acclimated to it, I enjoyed it, but then the ending started to feel really rushed, and I got confused. I'll probably read the next book when it comes out because it's easy to acquire since it's on Kindle Unlimited.
9.)
Book: Savage Lands by Stacey Marie Brown
My Goodreads Rating: 5 stars
Space on 2023 Reading Challenge: #24 Free Space! Pick any book
Book Review: Me reading any other books until this series is discontinued. I was not prepared to love this book as much as I did. I finished the first book at 1 or 2 in the morning and dove into book two. I read it until 5 am, took a nap, woke up, and finished the last 100 pages. I am now on book 3 of six. If you like any combination of Paranormal, Fantasy, Dystopian, or Spicy books, I highly recommend them. If you are not a fan of swearing, gore, or VERY explicit sex scenes, I don't recommend it.
10.)
Book: Wild Lands by Stacey Marie Brown
My Goodreads Rating: 5 stars
Space on 2023 Reading Challenge: #35 Read a Self-published book
Book Review: Much the same as the review above. I am obsessed with this series. I make 0 promises to read anything until I've devoured it completely. My only real complaint about the series is that Stacey Marie Brown needs a thesaurus, but I am clearly not put off by it that much.
So that's it for January. Let me know your thoughts on books or if you like this new review format in the comments. Just know that if you don't, it will probably not change.
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