Hi and welcome to my February wrap up!
February has been filled with many new obsessions. I don’t think I’ve ever read more in my life, I fell in love with a new fantasy book series on Japanese mythology, I got back into some Greek mythology fantasy books, I fell deeper into the black hole that is anime and I discovered some new (to me) music.
But… it also caused a bit of a blogging slump and for that I’d like to apologize to my blogger friends. I’ve been so sucked into my new obsessions that I’ve been slacking on blogging. I haven’t felt like writing a lot of posts so I stuck with just the basic: Top Ten Tuesday posts and reviews. I’ve also been so behind on commenting. So… I’m really sorry! Here’s hoping March will be better on that front.
Anyway, here’s my wrap up of all those obsessions:
What I read
The Titan’s curse by Rick Riordan
I’ve been continuing my Percy Jackson and the Olympians re-read and while I thought that I would read one book a month, once I was back into this world I just couldn’t let go. So I just… immediately binge re-read the entire series. I love The Titan’s Curse because it introduces Nico who is one of my favorite characters.
Rating: 5 stars
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
This is the book I’ve forgotten the most of since my first read, but it all came back to me and it made me fall in love with Annabeth even more. Also, bring on the Percabeth feels!
Rating: 5 stars
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
I knew this was epic, but I kind of forgot this book is basically just one big battle from start to finish… Still highly enjoyed it, the stakes were high and I felt on the edge of my seat for the entire book. So now I’m all ready to FINALLY start The Heroes of Olympus!
Rating: 5 stars
Red Winter by Annette Marie
Oh hi, welcome to my first new OBSESSION for this month! I fell in love with this amazing yet completely underrated series. Japanese mythology (Kitsunes 
), glorious worldbuilding, gorgeous illustrations, amazing characters, so much action and a swoon-worthy romance 
Rating: 5 stars | Check out my full review here.
Dark Tempest by Annette Marie
The sequel to Red Winter has all the things I already loved and somehow made them EVEN BETTER! The mythology and worldbuilding get so much richer, the illustrations are even more gorgeous, I fell more deeply in love with the characters, the adventure gets more epic and the romance absolutely killed me!
Rating: 5 stars | Check out my full review here.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
I must admit the hype kind of got to me for Caraval. I still loved big parts of it – the setting is so unique and magical, the plot is fast-paced and completely unpredictable, the writing is gorgeous and the sisterly bond between Scarlett and Tella was so sweet. But unfortunately I was a bit disappointed with the character development and the romance.
Rating: 4 stars | Check out my full review here.
What Light by Jay Asher
For some insane reason I had the sudden urge to read a Christmas-themed book this month (I’m not usually a big fan of Christmassy things). So I picked up What Light by Jay Asher and kind of read it in a day. It’s definitely a cute contemporary that is a fast read. But that was kind of it? It was a fun read but I didn’t think it was highly memorable either.
Rating: 3,5 stars
By Your Side by Kasie West
Ok, I absolutely LOVE Kasie West! Her books are super cute and adorable and swoon-worthy. And while By Your Side was definitely all of those things, it was also still a bit disappointing. The whole trapped-in-a-library plot was just not as awesome as I made it out to be in my mind and the characters were a little one-dimensional.
Rating: 3,5 stars | Check out my full review here.
King’s cage by Victoria Aveyard
And the Red Queen series is back on track! After a somewhat disappointing second installment, King’s Cage definitely reminded me why I love this series. Sure, it has its’ flaws but it is just such an intriguing, epic series that will sweep you into its’ pages before you know it. My heart is aching and I need book four now, though I have a sneaking suspicion that it’ll mess me up even more than King’s Cage did.
Rating: 4 stars | Check out my full review here.
Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
Three things about Tell Me Three Things:
(1) It is cute and fluffy and adorable and I am quite possibly in love with it and its’ characters.
(2) It has a penpal romance and penpal romances are what I now crave most. Like chocolate.
(3) It has made me want to use the verb ‘waffle’ in daily conversation from now on.
Rating: 4 stars | Check out my full review here.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Well, this was quite amazing. A must-read for anyone who is even the slightest bit interested in Greek mythology, but also just simply interested in well-written characters with wonderful development, epic and poetic prose and a romance that is as pure and beautiful as it is tragic.
Rating: 5 stars | Check out my full review here.
Other blog features
Top Ten Tuesday
- 28 February 2017: Top Ten Fictional Character Crushes
- 21 February 2017: Books I Loved Less Than I Thought I Would
- 14 February 2017: Books To Read If You Love Enemies-To-Lovers Romances
- 7 February 2017: Books I Wish Had More… Well… More
Waiting on Wednesday
Tag Thursday
- The Yuri On Ice Book Tag (read) (My first orginal book tag, YAY!
)
What I listened to
Continuing my quest to discover new (to me) music in 2017, I actually discovered quite a few new bands in February. Here’s my full playlist:
First of all, I discovered a band called Tonight Alive. They’ve actually already been around for a while but hey, I know I’m always late to the party. Their song ‘The Edge’ was actually on the soundtrack of the last Spider-Man movie. Which is funny in itself because a friend of mine once described my music taste as ‘Spider-Man music’ (as in the kind of music that is likely to be on a Spider-Man soundtrack, or any kind of superhero movie soundtrack). Well, he hit the mark here because this band would definitely count as Spider-Man music and I love it!
And then I discovered another band called The Vamps. They are a pop / pop-rock band that I maybe wouldn’t normally listen to, but I discovered them through their Shape of You Sing-Off with Conor Maynard and checked out the rest of their music. Their music is the kind of music that just puts a smile on my face and makes me want to dance and sing along.
What I Watched
TV
The 100
THE 100 IS BACK! This is probably one of my all-time favorite shows. I have loved every single season so far and I am eagerly awaiting every new episode each week. I’ve loved season 4 so far and I’m really curious to see how things will unfold. I’m also loving all the Bellarke scenes this season because I ship them so hard.
Death Note (Anime)
I started watching this anime early January and finished it this month. And my obsession with it has definitely grown. This anime is definitely dark, violent and creepy but I LOVE IT! It’s just such a smart and intriguing series which poses a lot of questions on morality and justice. It’s about a super smart high school student called Light Yagami, who one day finds a Death Note lying on the ground, dropped by a Shinigami (or God of Death). Write any name in the Death Note while picturing the face of that person, and they will die. So Light starts using this Death Note as a way to rid the world of criminals. Soon the police is on the case and they are working with a genius young detective called L in order to catch the person responsible for all these mysterious deaths.
Death Note (Drama)
Did I say I was obessed with this story? Because after finishing the anime I immediately started binge-watching the drama (it’s available for free on Crunchyroll) and I LOVED IT! Its a bit different from the anime in a few small and a few big ways, but I did really enjoy it overall. I liked that they gave Light a slightly different backstory to humanize him more, there is a bigger focus on the Light/L friendship/connection, Misa has a bigger role and I even liked what they did to Mikami. I was not a fan of what they did with the characters of Near and Mello though. Also, L is a bit different from the anime. They cut down on his quirks (the sitting, the sweets, the shoes) A LOT and made him just a bit more arrogant instead of socially awkward and aloof. But overall I still loved this so much and I kind of already want to rewatch.
The Royals
And now for something completely different! The Royals is a drama about a fictional British Royal family, starring Elizabeth Hurley as the Queen. I’ve watched most of Season 1 this month and I’ll definitely keep watching. It’s such a great mix of drama and humor and is just super addictive. Definitely a fun series to escape reality for a bit!
Other
I did keep up with the latest episodes on a few other shows, such as Shadowhunters (love this season, but especially Simon, Alec, Magnus and Raphael), The Flash (love the addition of Julian to the team) and Arrow (Eh. This show has definitely gone downhill in my opinion).
Movies
Death Note 2: The Last Name
You didn’t think my Death Note obsession would stop at the anime and drama, did you? OF COURSE I needed to watch the movies as well! Unfortunately I couldn’t find the first movie, but I figured I knew the story well enough to dive right into the second movie. And I did. The second movie basically covers the Misa and Yotsuba plot, with some minor and some major changes though. I did really like it as well and the characters were definitely more true to their anime characters than the drama (though I did feel the character of L was bordering a bit more on the side of creepy weird instead of adorable weird)
Death Note: L Change The World
L Change The World is a sort of Death Note spin-off movie focusing on the character of L. This is definitely a movie to watch if you are fan of the character of L and want more of him (which I am and I do). This has almost nothing to do anymore with the story of Death Note, so it’s not a real must for Death Note fans though. I liked the movie, but it did miss a bit of the magic of the Death Note story. Didn’t mean I didn’t cry my eyes out at the end though.
So… up next, I’m really hoping to read the mangas soon, but they’re also kind of expensive so I may need to rein myself in here…
The Choice
I used to be a huge Nicholas Sparks fan. I got all of his books and watched all of his movies. And I still love them… but I wasn’t super into The Choice. It was a fun and sweet movie that stayed pretty true to the book, but it wasn’t super memorable either. Maybe I’m just a little over my Nicholas Sparks love?
Pirates of the Caribbean
In anticipation of the new Pirates movie coming out this year, I started a rewatch of the previous movies, starting with the first one. I was actually surprised by how much of this movie I had already forgotten, so I’m glad I chose to rewatch it. I still love this so much though now I’m only more eager to watch the new movie!
Life update
Let’s see, in February there was the bad:
- I continued my job hunt with no luck so far.
And the good:
- I had my 8-year anniversary with my husband (since we’ve been dating, not our marriage anniversary) and we celebrated with an amazing dinner (including my favorite dessert) AND I got a major bag of candy as a gift. He knows me so well
- I met up with a former colleague and had a lot of fun catching up.
- I went out with some friends and had my favorite dessert again (yes dessert is definitely a highlight for me, can you tell?)
- I’m back to regular dance classes after I had to skip a lot of classes in January due to family obligations. Dancing’s definitely a big part of my life and something that just keeps me happy so I’m happy I’m back at it!
- I got tickets to see Sleeping With Sirens and Good Charlotte in June this year and I AM SO EXCITED!
I love your wrap up posts so much ?? Percy Jackson is such a good series to reread. I REALLY need to reread them again myself. I hope you enjoy HoO!! Sorry that Caraval fell a bit short for you! I feel like if I wasn’t so swept away in the world I would have been a bit disappointed too.
Sooooooo much good music. I love State Champs, As It Is, You Me At Six and Tonight Alive! I wasn’t the biggest fan of TA’s or YMAS’ new albums, but I love all their older stuff. Also, haha, I have a bit of personal grudge against The Vamps but finding music that makes you happy is the best ♥ Also yay for seeing SWS and GC!! I saw SWS live quite a few years ago and it was really good so I can only imagine that they’ve gotten even better.
Congrats on your 8 year anniversary too ??
Thanks Lauren! <3
Ah, I'm so happy I finally did my Percy Jackson re-read and I can't wait to dive into Heroes of Olympus! I just need to finish A Conjuring of Light first and I'm not ready for it to end so I'm making the book last as long as possible... Caraval was definitely mixed for me, because the worldbuilding and plot was indeed so magical and whimsical and amazing.
I'm still going through TA's and YMAS' complete collection so I'm kind of mixing their new and old stuff at the moment. But it is true that most of my favorites also seem to be coming from their previous albums at the moment. Haha, oops, sorry you have a bit of a grudge against The Vamps. Any particular reasons? I don't know anything about them, just that their songs make me smile 🙂 Ah, but I am SUPER EXCITED about seeing SWS and GC live! Mostly SWS, but I'm happy that GC will play the same concert because while I haven't kept up with their new music, I did love their earlier music. Guess I'll catch up in the next few months 🙂 But I was so bummed I missed SWS last year when they were in Belgium so I'm happy I got another chance to see them live 🙂
OMG SO MANY FABULOUS BOOKS! You’re reminding me that I need to reread the Percy Jackson series as well – I miss Percy’s sass and all the wonderful characters. And By Your Side was definitely a cute, quick read as well. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous recap!
Thanks so much! Ah, I love the Percy Jackson characters so much as well, it was so worth the re-read 🙂
I haven’t still read Percy Jackson… LIKE WHAT AM I DOING? Congrats on the anniversary, and yay candy! BUT I AM SO PROUD I MADE YOU INTO A DEATH NOTE FAN I RAISED YOU WELL.
OMG, Percy Jackson is definitely worth the read! I hope you’ll get to it soon 🙂 And YAY, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE DEATH NOTE REC, IT WAS THE BEST EVER!
I really want to read Tell Me Three Things, even more now with your short summary of it! And YES DESSERT should be celebrated and be the highlight of every single day ahah, I am a big dessert person just as well 😛
Also, very happy to see you are watching The Royals, I am OBSESSED with that show, it’s just SO good!
Oh, definitely read Tell Me Three Things, Marie! It’s so cute and lovely and I hope you’ll love it 🙂 Haha, yes, dessert should definitely be celebrated and be a part of every single day 😉 I’M SO HAPPY you love The Royals too! I randomly watched the first episode and got hooked. I’m still on season one but I’m so planning on binge-watching all seasons now 🙂 I really love Eleanor, she’s amazing!
I don’t know why I’ve never really done anime or Japanese mythology? I really need to give them a try!
You’re making me want to re-read PJ…. I just did The Hidden Oracle so I’m actually hungry for more Riordan… 🙂
You know the problem with your review for Kings Cage? Now I need to read it… But in order to do that I need to do Red Queen and Glass Sword again… Red Queen is okay, but can I reread Glass Sword? I’m not sure. Maybe I just dive into King’s Cage without giving it the appropriate re-read – how much could I have forgotten??? What do you think?
Song of Achilles looks amazing. I’m adding to my TBR IMMEDIATELY.
Happy 8 years! That’s AWESOME! Sorry to hear about the job hunt still being a dud. I hope that changes for you this month!
I only really got into anime a few months ago and now I’m obsessed and desperately trying to catch up to the lifetime of anime I’ve missed 🙂 But Japanese mythology is really interesting, I wish there was so much more of it out there!
I totally understand about the Riordan-hunger, I really want to read all his books now 🙂
Haha, I’m happy my review made you want to give King’s Cage a try! I felt the same way about Glass Sword, it really disappointed me. I think you can skip the GS re-read if you read a quick recap. I mostly had a problem remembering the characters that were introduced in GS. One of them has a POV in King’s Cage and I was like “Who is she again?” But I looked up a quick recap online and it helped me remember, so hopefully it would help you as well without needing to re-read the book 🙂
Song of Achilles is sooo good, I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Thanks so much! And yes, definitely hoping March will be better on the job front 🙂
LINDSEY! Did you see on Xpresso Book Tours that there is a tour/blitz for the 3rd book in the Red Winter trilogy? Also all three are available to request for review??? I thought of you IMMEDIATELY! Although that may be where you got them from!!!
AAH OMG, I did not know that, thanks for thinking about me! I’ll go check it out, though I am already so lucky to have been approved for review by the publisher, but I’m always up to spreading the love for these amazing books 🙂
Looks like a great reading month! Also looks like your good outweighed your bad which is always a good thing 🙂 Happy anniversary !! Hope you have a wonderful March!
Haha, yes it’s definitely nice to weigh the good versus the bad as it usually makes you realize it’s not so bad 🙂 Thanks so much!
Ah – looks like you had a packed February 🙂 I adore Annette Marie’s books – the covers are gorgeous too – and the third one cant arrive soon enough. I thought it was supposed to release this March but I haven’t seen any advertising for it at all 🙁 Otherwise I didn’t realise KIng’s Cage wasn’t the final book – I was really looking forward to seeing how the story ended so not sure how I feel about the story being dragged out further…
But Happy to see you are becoming obsessed with Anime lol. I loved Death note, although I never watched the live adaption. One of my other favourite manga/live dramas (the anime is ok too) is The wallflower (Yamato nadeshiko Chichi Henge) by Tomoko Hayakawa. You might want to check that one out too 🙂
All the best for March!
Yes, the Red Winter series is soo good, I love them so much! I’m super curious for the third book and cover as well, I haven’t seen it yet but I think it should be available end of March, beginning of April.
I understand how you feel about the Red Queen series – I did like King’s Cage but I feel like it could have all been a bit more condensed and put in three books. Also I’ll probably have forgotten big parts already by the time the last book comes out 🙂
Thanks so much for the anime recommendation! I can’t get enough anime right now, so I’ll definitely be checking it out!
Wishing you a happy March as well!
Dessert is like one of the most important parts of LIFE so I think you’ve got your priorities in order.? And yay for Death Note!! I read all the mangas last year and I seriously need to actually sit down and watch an anime for once. I keep telling myself I have to try it! And I looove Pirates of the Caribbean. I know so many people are rolling their eyes at ANOTHER ONE coming out but omg I can’t wait.?
And yay for liking Caraval!! I’ve hard it’s not quite as good as the hype says, but I’m still glad you mostly liked it! This also reminds me how much I need to read Song Of Achilles…. *tries not to be buried alive by TBR* ?
Haha, yes, dessert is probably one of my top 3 priorities (depending on my mood maybe even the number one priority 😉 )
Ahh, Death Note is sooo good! I’m hoping to read the mangas soon but they’re pretty expensive so I’m trying to rein myself in a bit for now. But I LOVED the anime and would love to compare it to the manga.
I’m so with you on Pirates of the Caribbean! As long as they keep making them, I’ll just keep watching them 🙂
Caraval is definitely one of those books that’s a hit or miss. I was a bit disappointed but still enjoyed it overall. And yes, Song of Achilles is AMAZING, definitely worth the risk of dangerously high TBRs 😉
Great wrap-up! And despite a blogging slump, it seems like you had some really awesome things happen in your life! And yes YES to pudding and candy…..they’re beyond delicious 😉
Hope March is a better month for blogging, and that you have amazing luck with your job hunting 🙂
Thanks so much! Haha, yes, dessert is sooo important 🙂
I LOVED Red Winter and I didn’t realize that the next book was out. I definitely need to go get that right now!!
Ah I’m so happy to find someone else who loved Red Winter! Yes, the sequel is already out and the final book in the trilogy will also be out in the next few weeks so you could even binge-read them 😉
Wonderful wrap-up post Lindsey <33 Oh now I so gotta re-read Percy Jackson!! Percabeth <33 And you have had some all-time favourites this month! I'm buddy reading The Song of Achilles and really scared for my characters!!
Also, Belated Happy anniversary <3 *have some cake* 🙂 Good luck with the job hunting and have a great March!!
Thanks Uma! I was so happy I finally did my Percy Jackson re-read as it reminded me of how much I actually love these characters <3 Ahh, hope you'll love The Song of Achilles! Be sure to have some tissues ready though... And also, YAY CAKE ;)
Congrats on the anniversary! 🙂 Oh and kitsune! I’m so curious about that one and you aren’t the only one to rave about it. I so need o start that one. I’m also curious about Death Note the drama. I never got into the anime.
Thank you 🙂 Oh, I’d highly recommend Red Winter, it’s such a great fantasy <3 I did really love the Death Note drame. It has a few changes from the anime so maybe you'd still love it even if you couldn't get into the anime.
YES! I was addicted to Death Note. I don’t always like the live-action versions of anime, but I thought that one was pretty well done.
YAY another Death Note fan 🙂 I haven’t seen that many other anime live-action adaptations yet, but I did really enjoy The Death Note ones.