January Reading Wrap-Up 2021

January started off as a great reading month but unfortunately anxiety got in the way and sadly I couldn't read much as I'd hoped I would. However, I did finish six books in the month of January, one of which was over 500 pages but overall, I'm not very happy with my reading for the start of the new year. My favourite books of the month include: Master of One, Gentleman Jack and Book Love. 

Master of One by Jaida Jones (544 pages) ★★★

The first book I finished of the new year was the first book over 500 pages that I've read for a while so I was glad to start the year off with reaching a monthly reading goal. In Master Of One, we follow Rags a thief who has been caught by the Queensguard and forced through a series of challenges to find an ancient fae relic...however, the ancient relic turns out to be a fae. 

I loved the fae character, the challenges/action, the magic and world overall as well as the classic fantasy/quest style plot and the interconnecting characters. However, it was darker than I thought it would be and the romance was very minimal and far from prominent (which is how it was advertised). Overall, I did like the book and I'd definitely recommend it if you like YA fantasy. 

Captive Prince by C.S Pacat (241 pages) ★★

Sticking with the darker fantasy theme, I read Captive Prince which is a very highly rated and read book on GoodReads. We follow warrior hero Damen as he is captured and stripped of his identity by his enemy; the story following on from that premise is...disturbing and uncomfortable. There are so many trigger warnings for this book, the most obvious being rape. It personally wasn't for me and I wouldn't recommend it. 

Sketches of Korea: An Illustrated Guide to Korean Culture by Benjamin Joinau (354 pages) ★★★

Moving onto a couple of non-fiction books I read in January, the first is all about Korean culture, from music, housing, food and language to history, traditional dress, temples and much more. I love the layout, illustrations throughout and the easy to follow information. If you are interested in South Korean culture, as I am, then I'd recommend this book as a great basics guide. 

*Gentleman Jack by Angela Steidele (352 pages) ★★★ (3.5)

I have been meaning to read this ebook for years and in January, I finally got round to reading it - I'm glad I did! We follow the life, adventures and many relationships of Anne Lister, who was a regency era landowner, traveller and lesbian. The book details her family, home, financial struggles, her own view of her sexuality, romantic relationships and her many adventures around the UK and the world. 

Before reading this book I knew very little about Anne Lister and now I know just how remarkable she was! Anne Lister seems to have been a very ambitious, confident and intelligent woman who travelled extensively and lived as much as she was able to during the time period. I loved how well researched the book was and equally loved reading about Anne but it was a little bogged down at times (I think it could have been a little shorter or more condensed in places) and there were so many individuals mentioned that it became confusing at times. However, I would highly recommend it as a throughly interesting biography. 

Book Love by Debbie Tung (144 pages) ★★★

Lastly for the month I read a couple of adorable short and sweet comics from Debbie Tung. I read her previous comic in 2017 and liked it so I had to read more. Book Love illustrates book lover problems and habits which is definitely relatable for bookworms, like me. It was exactly what I needed, something sweet and adorable to distract from my anxiety. 

Happily Ever After by Debbie Tung (160 pages) ★★★

I also read her book all about the authors relationship and her marriage which was a very short, sweet and adorable comic book that I found to be quite distracting, entertaining and very sweet. I loved the simple illustrations in all three! I'd recommend all three cute comics I've read from Debbie Tung. 

Have you read any of these books? Did you have any reading goals for the new year? 

* AD - gifted ebook sent to me via netgalley- not paid