March has been going pretty well. I got a good number of books read. I’m on track for my goal at the end of the month. I’m also trying to plan ahead for April. I will be going back to school for my medical coding class on April 15th. So I know things are bound to get busy. I still plan on at least trying to do the Orilium readathon by BookRoast. You can find information on this year’s readathon here.
I’ve missed a few years of the readathon for various reasons. I’m happy to be getting back into it though. This year is especially exciting because we are discovering dragons! I will be creating a new character. This time I’d doing an water earthling from Kerador. His name is Torrent and he’s coming in to Orilium as a Hearthkeeper. Here is a picture of my character
I also made a TBR for my Hearthkeeper calling. The books are a mix of things that I’ve read before. As well as other books I’ve been putting off in favor of reading new releases.
For Alchemy class I am using the The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold. The prompt for this class was that the title was in all capitals.
The novel focuses on two girls falling in love at the end of the world. The novel focuses on Liz Flannery a teen who has been holed up in a bookstore she used to work. She has been holed up there since a cataclysmic event called the Storm.
Liz plans to stay here for the foreseeable future until she learns about another Storm coming. At the same time another girl, Maeve out-of-towner, breaks into the bookstore looking for shelter. Though the two girls are at odds at first. Maeve has what Liz needs, the skills to repair the bookstore before the next storm.
As the two girls grow closer feelings spring up between them. Liz and Maeve realize they will have to deal with their own secrets and inner demons. In addition to the incoming storm. Will they be able to survive or will the own inner issues tear them apart?
Amazon: The Last Bookstore on Earth
This book follows the trend I seem to be on with sapphic dystopias. So I’m hoping it will be an easy read. I already love the setting and hope the book focuses on book collecting and reading some.
For the Restoration prompt I had to choose a book with an average rating of 4 stars. The book that I’m interested in reading for this prompt is one I read years ago. It was maybe six or seven years back. This book continues to rank highly as one of my favorites. Vespertine by Margaret Robertson.
Vesperinte tells the story of a kind of death cleric named Artemisia. She works with relics and puts the spirits of the dead to rest. However when her monastery is taken over by possessed enemy soldiers. She ends up with a powerful spirit called a revenant taking over part of her mind.
But there are darker forces at work and Artemisia must work with the revenant. She must learn how wield the power of a its holy relic. If she is to stop the evil that is growing. That is if she and the revenant don’t tear each other apart first.
Amazon: Vespertine
The next book that I’m reading is This Savage Song by Victora Schwab. For the Spells and Incantations prompt, I had needed a book that contained a word from the last title that I read. I’ve read a lot of her YA books. So I’m hoping to dip my toes a little bit into her adult works. I really enjoyed her YA novels and would love to have more to read from her.
This Savage Song focuses on a city overrun with monsters. It follows a young man and woman who have their home at stake. The two main characters must choose whether or not they want to become villains or heroes.
Kate Harker and August Flynn are both heirs to a divided city of humans and monsters. They have to decide if they will be good hearted. Will they treat the city better than their parents or be more ruthless? Kate wants to be as ruthless as her father. She wants to extort the humans and let the monsters roam free. Meanwhile all August wants is to be human and take care of the innocent. He is however one of the monsters and he can steal a soul with a simple bit of music.
But when the chance arrives to keep an eye on Kate, August jumps at it. Kate soon discovers August secret and soon the two find themselves fleeing for their lives.
Amazon: This Savage Song
The final book that I had to pick out was one for Elemental Studies. This prompt required a book with a fruit on the cover. I chose With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo.
The book focuses on Emoni Santiago who got pregnant her freshman year and from then on has had to make tough life descions. But she’s willing to do what has to be done to support her daughter and her abulea. She has one place where she can let go though, and that is in the kitchen. She adds a little something magical to each thing that she cooks and her food is straight up goodness.
Though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates she knows it is an impossible dream. Yet, once she starts cooking Emoni has no choice but to let her talent break free.
Amazon: With Fire on High
I have a few alternative books just in case the school work gets in the way of reading. However I’m going to try to at least stay on track for one or two longer books. Even if I don’t do all four. I can’t wait for the readathon and the fun community involved. Please come join us and follow the link below for access to all the information on the readathon. In the link above you can also find the readthon’s Discord.
Happy Reading
Solara
Rose's Book Garden 