January Reviews

"It has been January for months, in both directions" - Kaveh Akbar

Happy New Year! We did it! 2025 is off to a strong start, at least as far as reading goes. The rest of it is kind of falling to shit (executive orders that want to erase people, I got norovirus, etc etc), but at least I read several good books to start out the year.

Let's get to it!

All The Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows

Starting the year with a 500+ page sequel with political intrigue, mystery, romance, and magical world building was absolutely the start for the new year. Go me.

Still reeling from the violent plot played against them, the new title thrust upon them, and adjusting to their still new arranged marriage, Cae and Vel are summoned to the capital to meet the asa. But danger still lurks around every corner, and the attempts on their lives (and the alliance their marriage represents) seem to be coming from all sides. Cae and Vel will have to use everything they have to stay alive, as well as keep their relationship intact.

Since this is a sequel I won't talk too much (check out my previous month's review of A Strange and Stubborn Endurance for more thoughts on the magic of the world, main characters, and world building), but I will say this sequel builds out what was already so impressive in the first book, both in terms of characters and setting. I loved getting to explore more of the world, both through the brand new city they were in and the new characters introduced-- there's a new pov character named Asrien, who's given a few interlude chapters that really add to the story and perspective of Cae, Vel, and court politics.

It had some similarities to the first book, but overall I thought the new story line was unique without straying from a formula that worked for this world. Meadow's writing is beautiful, and I appreciate the mystery being woven as much as the characters trying to solve it. 

I had a great time with this duology, and was really into the idea Meadows put forth about what happens after you come out. You still reckon with yourself and your place in the world and your relationship with others and how your past can still impact your thinking, even after doing the difficult thing of coming out. But it was also a reminder than love and acceptance can be found in so many places, and I loved that.

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

This isn't the last Murderbot book, but it is I believe the original stopping point for the first sort of serialized story.

Another quick read, I truly love to alternate these with other books and just blow through them. Wells is such a witty writer, and it's so delightful to read something so human and not all at once. 

This one brought us back to the humans Murderbot originally rescued, who freed it at the end of the first book. It was nice to reconnect with the familiar faces and see that distance had not made them think less of Murderbot, only come to understand it and it's need better. I'm full of emotions about a not human not robot.

I've already gotten the rest of the series, but like I said I like to stagger them.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

This was the last book of my little friends traveling book club, where we each chose a book to read, marked it up, and then mailed it to the next person. We started it in 2023 and I finally got and read the last book. 

And honestly, reading your friends thoughts and comments along the way makes reading a book so much more fun, I cannot recommend this more highly.

Galadriel, or El to her non existent friends, is in her junior year at the Scholomance, a school for teenage wizards built to protect them from the magic eating creatures that would swarm them outside. But the school seems almost as dangerous, and when El is saved by shining savior boy, Orion, it's all she can do to just try and keep the status quo. But Orion actually seems to like her, and El starts to realize that a person cannot survive alone, no matter how much they may want to.

The worldbuilding in this book is Intense. There's pages and pages of lore dumps and anecdotes and information, and all of it can be a tad confusing but mostly compelling and exciting and terrifying. This magical world and magical school are Fucked Up, and El is a very informative if pessimistic narrator to lead the charge.

I was charmed by El pretty immediately, but it took my friends some warming up to her, but we all got to a place of rooting for her in the end. She's angry and spiteful and so, so lonely, trying desperately to survive in a place that seems to want her dead. The book has got a pretty big cast of characters, given the setting, and while some names and people are lost to apathy, the ones that matter and memorable, whether for good or bad. 

The romance was sweet and so slow burn, which was nice because I was more invested in the lore and friendship upgrades than the romance, but it did get me in the end and I think they're very sweet and perfect for one another in a way I wasn't expecting.

I honestly had such a blast with this book and it ended with the perfect cliffhanger to make me want to read the next one. 

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle

I've had this book for a while, just waiting for the right time to read it, and I really thought following up A Deadly Education with this other magic school book would work perfectly. 

Emory is still reeling from the tragic loss of her best friend last spring-- a drowning that only she survived. But the ritual that killed Romie did something to Emory's magic, and she must team up with Romie's cursed brother to figure out what really happened that night-- and how she can stop it from happening again. 

The world building in this book is Extensive. It's over 500 pages long (starting and ending the month with 500 pages), and honestly I did find myself sort of skimming through a decent chunk of it. Trying to keep track of all the tides and moon magics, what lore was believed to be true vs myth, how eclipse magic worked and their law system regarding it's use. Parts of it were more interesting that others, and I'm almost sorry to say that most of Emory's POV chapters were way less compelling for me than Baz's POV chapters. I was also just frustrated at Emory for falling for the Wickham of the story-- like, babe, come on, use some sense.

I liked some of the characters, including Baz and his friend Kai, and honestly most of the characters included in his chapters/storyline, at least a lot more than I liked Emory and her cohort.

The sort of political mystery/injustice within the magic system that Baz was uncovering was more intriguing, and I wish there had been more of that and introduced much sooner. As it stands, it wasn't enough to compel me to read the sequel, so this will be a standalone book for me.

Overall this was fine. I liked it enough to finish reading it, but it was mostly just kind of meh for me.

And that's it! I'm halfway through the next Murderbot book, so look forward to that next month!

Literary recommendation: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Media recommendation: I blew through the Netflix show "A Man On The Inside" in a day while I was sick and it was so good, I love Ted Danson