mARCh Madness Wrap Up!

So, in February I decided to create a reading challenge so I could catch up on all these backlist titles from last year, and even some from long before that — basically books I’ve been meaning to read but they kept getting pushed aside because I was reading so many ARCs. I created a challenge because I thought it would be a fun way to force myself to read books that weren’t ARCs – and it worked!

I had set myself a TBR of 15 books for the mARCh challenge: some books I had had on my TBR for years and some were recent releases – a good mix, I would say. Out of those 15 books, I read 9, which I think is a pretty good effort!

Books read:

This romance was just fascinating: a love triangle between the President and the Vice President of the USA … that ends in a poly relationship?? Um, fuck yes. (Btw it’s not Trump with Pence, it’s Maxen and Ash and you’ll love these guys 😂.)

★★★★.5

Add to GR.

 

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I had been seeing this book EVERYWHERE: Twitter, GR, Tumblr, you name it. I finally decided I just had to read it, and I’m so glad I did. This was a buddy read with Silvia (which was difficult because we live in different countries and time zones), and we were messaging each other our theories and just generally screaming about the book. Please read this book. It’s so relatable and just beautiful.

★★★★★

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I’ve had this webcomic on my TBR for a very long time, and I’m so glad I’ve finally read it! It is literally the most sweetest thing I’ve ever read. The romance is very fluffy, although I think it’s about to get sad soon so be wary. The author is in the middle of publishing the first book, and I can’t wait to read it in physical form.

★★★★★

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I had a love-hate relationship with Autoboyography. I did like some elements of the book, and other parts irked me a bit. I liked the characters but some of their decisions annoyed me, particularly Tanner’s towards the end. Basically I think this book is pretty average, but I’m glad I read it.

★★★

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I’ve been dying to read this book since it was first announced, and omg this book was incredible. It’s a very fast read and took me only a day and a bit to read, and I loved reading about beloved characters I thought I wouldn’t hear from again.

★★★★.5

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Out of all the books I read during the challenge, In Other Lands was by far my favourite. The characters were so loveable, the writing was hilarious, and the plot was awesome. I’m definitely going to be rereading this book sometime in the future, maybe even again this year.

★★★★★

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This book has been on my TBR for such a long time, and I’m so happy I finally read it. Lesbian pirates, kraken-like creatures, pirate Queens and government conspiracies – this book has it all. It was such a fun ride from start to finish. Definitely read it!

★★★★

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The final book in These Vicious Masks series was such a wild ride, I’m still trying to process everything. The humour was just as dry and sarcastic as the other books, and the characters just as loveable. It was a satisfying ending and I’m so upset the books are over. I’m looking forward to whatever else these authors put out.

★★★★

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The final book I read was unlike any other. It was such a strange reading experience: the plot was wild, the characters are the very definition of morally grey, and the writing was beautifully written and paced out. I read this 600-page beast in 3 days because I genuinely couldn’t put it down. I HIGHLY recommend this strange book.

★★★★★

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Extra books

Because I’m such a contrary person, I couldn’t stop myself from reading a few extra novels that weren’t on my official TBR. NONE of them were ARCs so this wasn’t against the rules, lol.

Opal: Maggie Stiefvater’s short story was a cool segue into her Dreamer’s trilogy which will focus on Ronan. This short story is set from Opal’s perspective, the little dream creature that Ronan dreamed up. The story sets up a bit for the new trilogy, and it also showed us what Ronan and Adam’s relationship is like which was sweet. ★★★★

Nick and Charlie: this novella is about Nick and Charlie, the characters from Heartstopper, during Nick’s final months of high school. Charlie is very worried about their relationship when Nick goes to university, and they fight about it. The book is a little sad, but mainly cute and a lovely look into Nick and Charlie’s future. ★★★★★

The Foxhole Court: this was a reread with Shan and I’m so glad I read it again! I’ve been wanting to reread it for a while because I was starting to forget what happened, and on this read I picked up many things I missed during my original read. ★★★★★

Hamilton’s Battalion: this collection of novella’s is just incredible. All stories are set during the American Revolution in Alexander Hamilton’s battalion. The first story is about a Jewish woman who had faked her own death to join the war disguised as a man and what happens, years later, when she meets the husband she left behind who is now a spy (m/f). The second story is about a young Black soldier who’s trying to make his way back home to find his sister after the war, and and young British soldier who joins him – at first they annoy the hell out of each other, but soon they begin to fall for one another (m/m). The last story is about a young Black woman who works as a secretary for Eliza Hamilton – as she writes up the stories people come to Eliza to tell about their interactions with Eliza’s husband, Alexander – and meets another young Black woman – a business woman – who shows her that’s there’s more to life than what she believed (f/f).  For all stories: ★★★★★

I’m so glad I made this challenge. It was a fun way to read the books I had been meaning to read for a long time, and it rekindled my love of books. Every time I finished a book I had been wanting to read for ages, I felt really satisfied. And that encouraged me to keep going.

What do you think of my challenge? Have you read any of the books I mentioned, or planning to? Let me know!