I don’t know about anyone else, but life has been… chaotic? I’m not even sure that’s the right word to describe it. Unrelenting? It didn’t help that I spent most of March either sick with a cold or sick with food poisoning.

But regardless, I’ve still been finding time to read. I read 10 books in March and April with the list including quite a bit of fantasy:

• Quicksilver by Callie Heart
• Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
• A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty by Stacia Stark
• The Passion Test by Chris Attwood and Janet Bray Attwood
• The Woman Destroyed by Simone De Beauvoir
• Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli
• Rule of the Aurora King by Nisha J. Tuli
• Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman
• Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
• FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven

Let’s get into the reviews!

Quicksilver by Callie Heart

If you’re not a fan of romantasy (romantic fantasy), this one is not for you.

Saeris is a human struggling to survive. When she steals gold from the queen’s guard in hopes of making a little money, she’s taken into custody and sentenced to death. As she’s dying, a strange man saves her and brings her to the fae realm – a realm she previously thought didn’t exist. Saeris soon finds herself in the middle of a major conflict with a grumpy and unhelpful teacher. But he’s also kind of handsome…

Note: This is not for young readers.

Rating: 9/10

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

This was an odd book, but it’s also a winner of the Noble Prize in Literature, so maybe take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Janina (who hates being called that) finds herself interested by a string of strange deaths in her small community. While others are scared, you begin to get the sense that Janina isn’t all that sad or worried. She seems to enjoy the mystery and keeps inserting herself into the investigation. While the police seem completely uninterested in the opinions of a reclusive old woman, their reluctance to listen won’t stop Janina from getting involved.

Rating: 7/10

A Kingdom This Cursed and Empty by Stacia Stark

This is the second book in the Kingdom of Lies series, so spoilers for the first book, A Court this Cruel and Lovely, may be ahead. Proceed with caution.

After the ending of the first book which included some major surprises, Prisca is working to forgive Lorian for his lies while also trying to accept her fate. She’s the hybrid heir and their potential Queen. But she doesn’t feel like a queen and she’s not sure she’s the best person for the job. Regardless, she finds herself working to protect her fellow hybrids and assemble allies to try to restore their kingdom.

Compared to the first book, this one felt like a lot of traveling and reflecting rather than action, but I still need to know what happens next!

Rating: 8/10

The Passion Test by Chris Attwood and Janet Bray Attwood

The vibe of this book isn’t for everyone, but I really enjoyed parts of it. The authors talk about the importance of defining your passions (goals) and being specific. In short, you ask yourself: “When I am living my best life, I am…” And then draft about 10 statements. Once you have those 10, you narrow it down to about 3 to 5 true passions. But the authors explain it better than I did, so check it out!

If you end up reading this, be prepared to reflect on what you want out of life.

Rating: 7/10

The Woman Destroyed by Simone De Beauvoir

In a series of three different stories, Simone De Beauvoir explores the lives of three women all facing different struggles. One story involves a woman grappling with her husband’s affair. Another story involves a woman dealing with her husband and son as they all age and change over time. I’m a bit confused what was happening in the third story.

I’ll be honest, this book wasn’t for me. That said, there are plenty of reviews from other people calling it a must-read, so maybe I’m the outlier here.

Rating: 6/10

Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli

Imagine a season of The Bachelor, but with deadly challenges and obstacle courses. That’s the sort of competition that Lor has been kidnapped from prison to compete in. The winner will become the Sun Queen to rule alongside Atlas, the Sun King. But we soon learn there’s more to Lor than meets the eye. She has secrets that have the power to change the world.

I thought this was a fun read and immediately picked up the sequel!

Rating: 7/10

Rule of the Aurora King by Nisha J. Tuli

This is the second book in the Artefacts of Ouranos series, so spoilers for the first book (above) may be ahead. Proceed with caution.

Still reeling from the Sun Queen trials, Lor now finds herself the captive of the Aurora Prince, Nadir. He’s convinced she’s hiding a big secret and he wants to know what it is. He’s right, of course, but Lor doesn’t know who she can trust. But in need of help, Lor and Nadir become reluctant allies. It turns out, their goals may be intertwined after all.

So, some of the drama between Lor and Nadir felt a bit repetitive, but I can’t wait to see where this story goes next.

Rating: 7/10

Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman

I thought this was a very interesting read. Basically, how you move your body (or don’t move your body) shapes it over time. So, if you sit a lot, you lose the ability to move your body in certain ways. Katy Bowman makes the case that the more ways you can move your body, the better.

I listened to this as an audiobook, but I think it would have been better as a print book. There are a lot of exercises that are referenced and described that would have been easier to understand in text.

Rating: 8/10

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

I had seen a lot of hype about this book online… and it delivered.

After achieving her lifelong dream of becoming a highmage (the first woman to ever do so), Sciona finds it’s not quite what she thought. She faces constant sexism and bullying in this male-dominated institution and is forced to take on the janitor as her lab assistant. But this assistant isn’t what she expected. Sciona soon finds herself reexamining everything she thought she knew about herself, her home, and magic. What will she do with the truth that she uncovers?

I thought this book was beautifully written and I got a little teary-eyed at the end. It left with me a lot to think about. I’m immediately adding another one of the author’s books to my TBR list.

Rating: 10/10

FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven

In the face of a major hurricane, the managers of a theme park offer their employees the opportunity to stay in the park and help keep an eye on things in exchange for a hefty paycheck. On the surface, it seems like an easy gig. There is plenty of food, water, and other supplies on site. But those who chose to stay soon find themselves fighting for their lives in a Lord of the Flies kind of situation. Told via a series of interviews with park employees, the story jumps around between all of the different “tribes.” Horrible details are revealed.

I’m still mulling this one over. I’m not sure I found the end to be satisfying. But was there really a way to wrap up a story like this? Also, I need more answers about the ‘warthogs.’ I found them to be the creepiest part of the entire book and the biggest mystery. The chapter with the hotel gave me serious chills.

Fair warning- this book is pretty gruesome, so proceed with caution.

Rating: 7/10

Want more reviews? Check out what I read in February 2025!

As always, I want to know what you are reading. Please leave a comment below.