As you can imagine, with February being what it was, I was barely aware that March had started but, honestly, that was because I was barely functioning on a human level…
But, lo and behold, the universe granted me a little break from my endless suffering which, in turn, gave me the small defibrillator jolt that sufficiently pulled me out of the doldrums enough to feel a tiny spark of hope again.
I was first given a little moment of joy when I was selected as a VIP guest for #BloomsburyBigNightIn, hosted by Tandem Collective Global (check them out on Insta) and Bloomsbury Global – instead of me telling you all about it, you could watch my #BBNI video that is up on my channel.
Hope can come in many forms and I was given a monetary one, the one I desperately needed the most; I hired my house out to a production company for three days – not being in one’s own space creates challenges of its own, though. I have taken footage and put together a video of my experience but the company keeps telling me that I cannot post it yet, even though the video is about me and not them…
This small reprieve has allowed me to fix a big problem and a multitude of little ones – the amount of stress that has been lifted off my shoulders felt like an actual weight and I can just breathe so much easier.
Also, and this was another big stress point for me, my ex-boyfriend finally moved out and I am able enjoy my own space again.
Blood And Moonlight by Erin Beaty
When PanMacmillan SA sent me this duology, I immediately fell in love with these incredibly gorgeous covers! I mean, how could you not? This first book, Blood & Moonlight, not only took me by surprise but it also blew me completely away; I had to restrain myself from breaking my TBR and jumping straight into Silence & Shadow.
There is an incredible amount of things happening in this book, which makes the pacing great and keeps the reader engaged, without being overwhelming. The characters are great, especially Catrin, and well-written and relatable while the story is refreshing and exciting.
You can expect things like:
- Secrets and intrigue,
- a medieval setting,
- slow-burn romance,
- moon magic.
I won’t spoil everything by telling you any more here, but you can absolutely check out my video review, which is up on my channel; don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there.
Rating: 5 stars
Pick Of The Month
Daughter Of The Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Xingyin’s mother is exiled by the Celestial Emperor for stealing his elixir of Immortality but when Xingyins’ magic flares she is forced to flee, disguise her identity, and seize an opportunity to learn alongside the Crown Prince – on a quest to free her mother she strikes a dangerous bargain which could lose all she loves or plunge the realm into chaos.
The pacing of the story has achieved an exquisite balance making it almost perfect; it is neither too fast nor too slow. Considering all the minute details, the back stories and the character-building going on, this is quite an impressive feat.
Find my full review here.
Work-Life Balance by Benjamin Chee & Wayne Ree
Each time I’ve been picked for a Tandem Collective readalong it is always a blast. This time around, we got to read something a little different – a hybrid between a novel and a comic.
The idea of taking Asian mythology and blending it with modern-day “corporate” is a clever take on the hierarchies of the system and finding one’s own balance between work and life (ugh, I just got the title…)
I loved Wayne’s art and I loved Benjamin’s writing style; the combination of story, comic, story, etc. forms a cohesive whole while, simultaneously, being able to be read individually – this will appeal to both kinds of people: those who read books and those who read comics.
I’m not going to lie, this book did confuse me a bit – not the story itself, exactly, but rather the why of it – until I made the connection that this is multi-generational… (shout out to Aqeelah for pointing it out).
As usual, I have also made a readalong video for Work-Life Balance (do check out my Tandem Collective playlist) and you can find it here on my channel. #WatchLikeSubscribe
Rating: 4 stars
Continuing with my audio adventure of the Discword series by Terry Pratchett, which is, sadly, nearing its end, I gobbled up the next 5 books in the series.
Do let me know what you’ve been reading, what you thought of any of the above, or if you have a suggestion/recommendation for me, in the comments below or on any of my other socials. Until next time…
Happy reading!
Mr Pink Ink 
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