January Reads

As much as I like to say I’ve gotten back into reading, I’ve only read three books this month. But still, it’s more than I can say for the entire fall semester, so it’s got to count for something. I figure I could document this momentous occasion—that is, me finishing more than one book in this span of time—by discussing each book and my experiences with them.

Admittedly, I started this book back in December. But I finished it in January, so here it is on the list. I’d been craving a space setting with some sort of found family dynamic, à la Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and my roommate suggested this trilogy.

The first installment is a pretty standard YA novel that follows a squadron of space peacekeepers. Everyone has a designated role and unique skills that rarely overlap with one another. Despite changing perspectives every chapter, the story revolves around Aurora, who had been stuck within the folds of space for 200 years. She develops some sort of telekinetic powers that remind me of literally any Jean Grey-Phoenix arc. And her love interest is emotionally closed off, too!

Had I read this in middle school or even high school, I would’ve loved this book. Maybe. I would’ve at least been pretty into it. As it stands, I quite enjoyed it for what it was and am mildly curious about the other two books in the trilogy. While I’m not racing to find out what happens next, the book did hook me and I have no issue in at least attempting to finish the trilogy.

Without the slightest hint of my space fantasy mood, my friend gifted me this novel for the holidays. It came at the perfect time, and in the perfect size! The edition I got was so lightweight and easy to carry around that it made for the perfect book to bring with me anywhere. It scratched that itch of a goofy cast of characters getting caught in galactic shenanigans.

I’ve since gotten the box set for the whole series, but I’m making my way through the second installment at a significantly slower rate. The first book is wacky in all the right ways, and the second book definitely carries that style over. Reading them back-to-back is proving a challenge simply due to the deliberate unpredictability. If I know that something out-of-left-field is going to happen, it loses its edge a bit. Spacing these books out might be the way to go, so perhaps it’ll be on February’s list.

I’ve been losing my belief in algorithms for a while now. In an attempt to fight all the online suggestions, I’ve committed to roaming the aisles of my local library to find new reads. This title caught my eye among the new releases and proved a thrilling ride throughout.

I did predict the killer about halfway through, but I didn’t see the third act twist coming. I’m honestly still not sure how I feel about the ending and the main character’s personal discoveries, but Lexie was such an interesting and (somewhat) relatable character to follow throughout. I wasn’t delighted with the blunt prose initially, but with a plot this juicy I am eager to pick up another one of Coryell’s novels.

Currently, I'm only partly through Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I’m hoping to start another one of the library books I picked up, as well as the second Aurora Cycle book. I can also foresee some Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus rereads in my future, as the Season 2 finale launched me back into that world and I refuse to leave so quickly.

If you wish to follow along with my reading journey, I mainly log my progress through Storygraph (@prophetjournalist) and sometimes Goodreads.