Hello Fanciful Readers! Once more, a month comes to a close (the progression of time is funny that way), and I have come to tell you about the books I read in March. I had a pretty good reading month, though I am still working on proper reviews for some of these books. Here I’ll tell you my basic thoughts about these books, what I liked about them, and what I didn’t. Mini book reviews, if you will.
The first book I read was Washingon Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I read this in preparation for the next book that I read (you’ll see in a minute). I quite enjoyed it. I was already familiar with the characters, setting, and story, but it was nice to experience the original. There were a lot of delicious sounding descriptions of food to enjoy, and I like the ambiguous ending. 3/5
Right after reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, I galloped into Christina Henry’s Horseman. This acts as a retelling of sorts, and a sequel all at once. I really enjoyed the eerie atmosphere, and returning to Sleepy Hollow years after the original, where we follow Brom and Katrina’s grandchild, Ben, as he attempts to solve the mysterious spate of child murders in the woods surrounding the Hollow. It was nice to see some transgender representation in Ben, and the tone of the story felt appropriate for continuing the legacy of the original. There were some repetitive moments that were mildly frustrating, but overall, I really enjoyed this one. 4/5
Next up was Maureen Johnson’s The Vanishing Stair, book two in the Truly Devious series, and a bit of a departure from the previous reads. This does involve a murder mystery of course, but it does not fall within the horror genre, and unless I am really bad at picking up clues, there are no supernatural elements. This one is all about people kinda sucking, and kinda being great. This follows Stevie as she continues to attempt to solve the Truly Devious murders and kidnappings that started off the previous book, which occurred in the 30s at the school she’s attending. I enjoyed some of the new twists that popped up, but some reveals were kind of disappointing to me (which I of course cannot tell you about lest I spoil the entire thing). 4/5
My final read for March, freshest in my mind as I finished it in the early hours of the morning when I couldn’t sleep, is Darcy Coates’ The Ravenous Dead, Gravekeeper book 2. As my regular readers might know, I love Darcy Coates. She is one of my favourite haunted house and ghost story authors. I will read anything she writes, and generally, she doesn’t disappoint me. I was pleased with the progress of Keira’s story. After her ghostly adventures in the first book, Keira is continuing with her new mission- to help the ghosts trapped in Blighty Graveyard move on to whatever comes next. If only things were that simple however. I loved the banter between Keira, Mason, and Zoe. As always, Coates does a great job with her still living characters as well as her dead. There were some convenient moments toward the end, but they didn’t much dampen my enjoyment (you’ll get this once you finish reading). Also, look at that cover. It’s gorgeous. I don’t spend a lot of time with covers as I read primarily on my Kindle, so sometimes I am surprised by how beautiful the books I read are. 4/5
Overall, I had a great reading month in March, and I am looking forward to what comes next. If you’d like to see my loose TBR for April, click here!!! What are you reading in April, Fanciful Friends?
Rebecka O'Malley 