Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: March 2021

Curious to know what I’ve been reading over the past month? Check out this post for my monthly reading wrap-up featuring 23 great books!

Happy April, everyone! For the past two weeks, I’ve been on spring break. That usually means lots of traveling for me; this year, though, even though I’m vaccinated, I decided to heed the CDC’s recommendation not to travel and stay put. Luckily, this meant lots of reading time, and I was able to read a whopping 23 books in March! I also had grand plans for lots of blog posts, and, well…that part didn’t happen. I found myself wanting a break from a lot of internet things, including this site and most social media, and it was honestly pretty delightful. But now I’m back, refreshed and ready to share lots of books with you this month, starting with everything I read in March! 

As always, I won’t be summarizing books here; I just want to give my quick thoughts and impressions on each book. So, if you want a summary, I recommend you check out Goodreads (and if you want to be my friend on Goodreads, you totally can!); book titles link to Bookshop, and if you decide to purchase any of the books from the site, I will get a small commission. But without further ado, here are all the books I read in March.

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Infinity Son by Adam Silvera

Since I chose to read only books by Black authors for Black History Month, I initially thought I would read only women authors for Women’s History Month. And then I went to a virtual book event for Infinity Reaper, the second book in this series which came out at the beginning of March, and my plan went out the window because I decided it was high time to get started on this series. And I’m glad I did, because I really enjoyed it-lots of action and twists and turns, though plenty of things to make me angry, and of course, the standard Silvera devastation. Definitely a good series to pick up if you’re a fan of urban fantasy, and I can’t wait until I’m finally at the top of the list for my library hold for Infinity Reaper!

A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

A very cute teen love story set against the backdrop of feuding pho restaurants! If you love a story involving food, this will absolutely make you want to find the nearest Vietnamese restaurant (if you don’t have a favorite already, of course). I also really liked the bit of family drama and mystery underscoring the whole plot. All in all, a great book to read if you enjoy a romance, or if you know a teen who does!

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

When this book came out in 2020, everyone was raving about how fantastic it was. I was still deep in my ‘no fantasy’ mood at that point in time, but thank goodness I’ve gotten over that, because Raybearer absolutely lives up to the hype. It’s a unique fantasy story, it has great friendship development, romance, adventure, plot twists, and more. I finished it and was honestly super annoyed that the sequel isn’t out until August (but you can bet I preordered it ASAP!).

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

I wanted to reread Moxie before watching the Netflix movie, and I was happy to find that my memories of the book held up and I enjoyed it as much the second time around. It could of course be more intersectional, but I think it overall avoids the trappings of white feminism, and would be a great intro for teens just getting into feminism (or a great way into reading for teens who loved the movie!). I, shamefully, still haven’t watched the movie on Netflix, but it’s on my list, and hopefully I’ll get to it before needing to reread this book for a third time!

Havenfall by Sara Holland

All I want in life is to spend my summer at a beautiful mountain resort in Colorado that secretly functions as a meeting place for people from different realms, some of which have magic! Since that isn’t possible, as far as I know, I’ll just have to live vicariously through the characters of Havenfall. This was another fantasy novel that sounded like an interesting premise from the get-go, but definitely kept me wanting more with the action and intrigue and unexpected developments. Luckily the sequel was published right around the time I read this one, but unluckily I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet!

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Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon

I remember being super stoked when I saw the initial tweets about this book a few months ago-I love each of these authors individually, so a book with all of their powers combined would have to be incredible, right?! You bet I clicked that NetGalley button the second I saw this one was available, and it did not disappoint! I loved the NYC setting, the interconnected storylines, the cute romances, and all of the amazing characters. This doesn’t come out until June, but I wholly recommend preordering it.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

I have to admit, I’ve been slacking a bit when it comes to the reading goal I set to read more books by Native authors, but I did manage to read one this month, and it was amazing. I love the mystery central to this story, and the main character reminds me of Veronica Mars, but it’s also a great story about a girl’s complex relationship with her own culture. This is a long one, and at times I found it a bit slow-moving, but overall one of my favorite reads of the year so far.

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

I really loved Sophie Gonzales’s previous YA novel, Only Mostly Devastated, so I couldn’t wait to read this one, especially since it featured one of my new favorite things, a teenager who gives advice in some way. The main character, Darcy, secretly doles out relationship advice to her classmates (for a fee, obviously), and when someone finds out her secret, a bit of blackmail ensues. Darcy has a lot going on, and is complex and flawed and definitely makes some cringeworthy mistakes, but I loved her, and I loved her love interest, and all of the friendships in the book. If you like queer rom-coms this should absolutely be on your list.

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

Setting aside for a moment the fact that I am (perhaps irrationally) angry with Maureen Johnson for writing FOUR BOOKS IN A NEW SERIES while still leaving us hanging regarding The Shades of London, I did enjoy this latest installment in the Truly Devious series. I honestly thought TD was just going to be a trilogy, and wasn’t sure what would happen given that the original mystery was wrapped up in The Hand on the Wall, but this book features the same great characters in a new setting with a new cold case to solve. I always enjoy a good mystery, but I particularly loved this book because of how funny it was. I will continue to read anything Maureen Johnson writes, while somehow holding out hope that one day we will get a fourth Shades of London book…

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

I do not care about Peter Pan. However, I do care about Aiden Thomas, and I did really love Cemetery Boys, and so I decided to give this Peter Pan reimagining a try. And I enjoyed it! I think it’s got a lot going for it-it’s very atmospheric, has some mystery/thriller vibes, and a touch of fantasy. It is pretty sad and has some upsetting things, so I would definitely recommend looking into it if there are certain topics you prefer to avoid in books. Overall, would recommend.

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Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher

I really loved this one! This was the second book this month that I read that was mainly set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and I have to say, I’m about ready to go spend my summer there. This book basically has it all-a cute love story, ride or die friendships, a scenic locale, bonding over shared experiences with grief, a reclusive teenage author, a local bookstore full of character (and characters), and more! This is pretty much a love letter to books and book lovers, so if that’s your thing, you’ll want to read this one.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

So whenever there’s a series like this where each book centers on a different character, I’m always afraid I’m not going to love the new main character as much as the previous one. Somehow Talia Hibbert has managed to make it so I end up loving each new main character EVEN MORE than the previous one. I loved Chloe Brown, and I loved Dani Brown, and I LOOOOVE Eve Brown so much. And her love interest, and the B&B where she randomly finds work, and the gruff but adorable B&B owner…honestly, an excellent romance.

Hot British Boyfriend by Kristy Boyce

Listen, I’m going to read basically any YA book set abroad, okay? So it was only a matter of time before I grabbed Hot British Boyfriend. And though the events that inspired the whole study abroad trip gave me some serious secondhand embarrassment, the main character’s actual experience gave me some serious envy because I want to go live in a manor in England for an extended period of time! I loved the setting, I loved the friendships, and I loved that the main character ended up with the right guy for her in the end.

First Comes Like by Alisha Rai

Similar to Act Your Age, Eve Brown, this was the third and final book in a series, with each book starring a new main character, and I was skeptical that I could love Jia as much as Rhiannon and Katrina, but of course I did. I also thought it was an interesting choice to incorporate vague references to the pandemic, though in their world, everything is fine now, as opposed to ours, which is still a dumpster fire. Anyway, the catfishing aspect of the book was infuriating, as were the overbearing parents/guardians, but the happy ending was lovely.

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Every so often I get the urge to catch up on the neverending vault of Shadowhunter books available, and I figured this spring break, during which I went nowhere, was the perfect time to tackle multiple gigantic novels. I actually read Lady Midnight fairly close to its actual release date, but hadn’t read any others since then, so a reread was necessary before continuing on in the series/universe. I have to say, though, that while I continue to enjoy visiting the world of the Shadowhunters every so often, it is getting VERY hard for me to keep track of everyone, especially as more and more characters from prior series show up in new books (I realize that getting to experience your favorite characters again is part of the fun, I’m just saying my brain can’t read 200 books a year AND keep track of everyone in the Shadowhunters universe). Anyway, I enjoyed Lady Midnight, Malcolm Fade sucks, and The Infernal Devices remains my favorite trilogy.

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Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

I’m pretty sure this was the book where Julian went from “cute boy who makes some questionable decisions” to someone I outright disliked. He is SO manipulative, and Machiavellian. Not my favorite. I also am already hazy on the details of this book, having read like 3 more Shadowhunters books since this one, but…I think there’s a trip to Faerie? Which I always enjoy, even though it’s dangerous. And the Unseelie King is terrible, and the thing that happens at the end of this book was THE WORST. That is all.

Almost There and Almost Not by Linda Urban

I took a brief hiatus from Shadowhunters to read this middle grade book for review, and was pleasantly surprised by it. Ghosts aren’t my favorite, but it isn’t a spooky story-it’s honestly much more like realistic fiction, but a couple of the characters happen to be dead. It was a really sweet book, and a really gentle way to approach some serious topics like alcoholism and neglect. Definitely worth a look if you know a kid who could use a book like that!

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

And here we go again. My annoyance at Julian reached its peak in this book, and also the straight up fascism in the world of the Shadowhunters meant I had to take a LOT of breaks while reading this. Also, when battles last for like 100 pages, that’s maybe too much battling (at least for me!). Anyway, despite my somewhat love/hate relationship with these books, I’m curious to see where the future trilogy she’s planning goes, given what we know about Ty and Kit at the end of this book, and also the cliffhanger she just happened to throw in at the very end. I will say that, as someone who is wholeheartedly Team Magnus, I was very happy about some of the final events in the book.

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu

Despite being a huge fan of Magnus Bane, I somehow missed that there was an entire trilogy devoted to him and Alec?!?! So, upon discovering that (or, more likely, rediscovering, since I’m sure I heard about it at one point and just forgot), I immediately had to shelve my plans to start The Last Hours trilogy in favor of MORE MAGNUS. And they did not disappoint-as I mentioned earlier, any book set in Europe is a good book to me, and if you throw in some demon fighting, all the better. Having Magnus and Alec as the stars was just a treat, and honestly, having a book by Cassandra Clare come in under 400 pages was a treat as well.

The Lost Book of the White by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu

Well my anxiety was certainly increased in this installment of the Magnus trilogy! I was not thrilled with the return of some characters and the places they had to visit (aside from Shanghai, of course, which was lovely), and at this point I was having a lot of difficulty figuring out where this fit into the Shadowhunter timeline in general (should I have reread the original 6 books? Perhaps. Do I have that kind of time? NOPE.). Nonetheless, after 3 giant books focused on Emma and Julian and their crew, it was nice to go back to a story featuring the original cast of characters. Plus, you can never have too much Magnus!

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Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi and Joshua David Stein

I’m a big fan of Top Chef, and I’m also always trying to read more nonfiction, so anything that combines those two things is a bonus. I really enjoyed learning more about Kwame Onwuachi’s life leading up to Top Chef, and I thought each chapter was strong. I would have enjoyed hearing more of the behind the scenes details from his time on the show, but I recognize that’s just a personal thing, and it doesn’t take away from the quality of the book. 

K-Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee

I have yet to listen to a song by BTS or BlackPink, but this is like the 4th K-Pop themed YA novel I’ve read in the somewhat recent past. And I’ve enjoyed every single one, including this one! I mean, yes, I did find the overall sexism infuriating, and the ending was just a bit vague for my taste, but seeing the inner workings of a company that manufactures K-Pop idols is fairly interesting, and I really enjoyed the main character, how she grows throughout the novel, and her relationships with friends and family. I promise, even if you don’t care about K-Pop, this is a fun book!

The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

This is another book that basically everyone on earth has raved about, and, let’s be honest, RIGHTLY SO. I don’t even know if I can describe why it’s so great-I mean, I loved the whimsy of the island, and I loved every single adorable child who lives in that house (but especially Theo and Talia!), and I loved the perfectly sweet, slow burn love story, and obviously there were parts that were so sad and anger-inducing but it was just. SUCH a good story. So, if you are one of the few people who is later to this party than I am, PLEASE read this book.

And that brings us to the end of this month’s wrap-up of all the books I read in March. Tell me, what was your favorite read last month?

Want to read more monthly reading wrap-ups? Check these out:

• Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: February 2021
• Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: January 2021
• Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: December 2020

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