February saw me start a new series that I’m completely obsessed with. They were thick books, so it took me a while to get through them. I’ll be finishing up the rest of the books this month. I also got a chance to finish my first nonfiction book of the year. Happy to finally get a start on that goal. Let’s get into the books I read in February.
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THE CARTOGRAPHERS BY PENG SHEPARD
I devoured this book! It kept me guessing the entire time, making it hard to stay away for too long. I will admit that when I read this synopsis, I thought it was another book about libraries and we know how much I love books about libraries or librarians. Well, it’s about maps. But a secret map and the search for self.
Nell Young’s whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field and Nell’s personal hero. But she hasn’t seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map.
But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can’t resist investigating. To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable and exceedingly rare. In fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence… because a mysterious collector has been hunting down and destroying every last one—along with anyone who gets in the way.
But why? To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret and discovers the true power that lies in maps.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
DO LESS: THE UNEXPECTED STRATEGY FOR WOMEN TO GET MORE OF WHAT THEY WANT IN WORK AND LIFE BY KATE NORTHRUP
An old client of mine recommended this book to me because it helped her do less for her business. That was a few years ago. 😅 This book has been sitting on my shelf for a while, and in the spirit of trying to read more nonfiction books, I figured this would be the perfect first one.
A practical and spiritual guide for working moms to learn how to have more by doing less. Do Less offers the reader a series of 14 experiments to try to see what would happen if she did less in one specific way. So, rather than approaching doing less as an entire life overhaul (which is overwhelming in and of itself), this book gives the reader bite-sized steps to try incorporating over 2 weeks!
I didn’t love this book. While there were some things that I hadn’t thought of before to incorporate into my life (which is why I gave this book 2 instead of 1 star), a lot of it felt unattainable. This book felt like it was written from a privileged lens, which made it hard to digest and take it seriously. When an author suggests that ‘working multiple jobs’ makes your life more complex rather than simple without considering that many people have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet is when I was absolutely done with this book. This was one of the many out-of-touch statements that really had me skim much of this book.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️
THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS BY CHLOE GONG
***TRIGGER WARNINGS: This book contains mentions and descriptions of blood, violence, gore, character deaths, explicit descriptions of gouging self (not of their own volition), murder, weapon use, insects, alcohol consumption, and parental abuse.***
I checked out Foul Lady Fortune and it was supposed to be my next read. However, when I reread the synopsis on Goodreads, the author suggested you read this duet before jumping into the series. So I put down Foul Lady Fortune and quickly requested this series to be put on hold at my library. The synopsis made it sound deliciously sinister. However, that’s not what I got.
A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.
But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.
This book is a little long-winded. There were many parts and descriptive language that I could have done without. It took 363 pages to finally learn what incident caused the domino to fall between Roma and Juliette. Chapter 30, out of 38 (39 if you count the epilogue) for my question of ‘What happened?’ was finally answered. After chapter 30, the book finally picked up too. Luckily for me, I have the next book waiting to be read, which, according to Goodreads, is better than the first, so I don’t have to wait too long to find out what’s next.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
OUR VIOLENT ENDS BY CHLOE GONG
***TRIGGER WARNINGS: This book contains mentions and descriptions of blood, violence, gore, character deaths, explicit descriptions of gouging self (not of their own volition), murder, weapon use, and insects.***
I can say that this book is much better than the first. Because we already know the characters, not much character development is needed. This book focuses on the mystery hinted at in the first book: who is behind the new threat and what will become of Roma and Juliette. While this was a better read, it was still long in a way that I didn’t think was necessary. But I definitely enjoyed the ending.
The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution. After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.
Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.
Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️☆
FOUL LADY FORTUNE BY CHLOE GONG
***TRIGGER WARNINGS: blood, violence, murder, weapon use, needles, description of human experimentation, descriptions of war, descriptions of head injury.***
This book continues the story of These Violent Delights but with the focus on Juliette’s cousins and Roma’s sister. You can jump into this duology without reading These Violent Delights, because the book does explain what happened. However, if you’re like me and want to know the details and context, I recommend you read the first duology. I’m really glad that I read the first series because I was able to make all the connections to where we found Rosalind in 1931.
It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue. Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.
Code name: Fortune. But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.
To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.
I will say that I enjoyed this book way more than the other two. I was hooked, the plot was a little more intriguing and captivating to me. Also, each chapter ended with suspense, which made it really easy to devour all 511 pages quickly. THE PLOT TWIST?!? I was not expecting what I read in the last few chapters. While the Silent Patient‘s plot twist was the best I’ve read in a while, this one was pretty high on the list. Rosalind punishing herself for what happened at the end of Our Violent Ends reminds me of how much I punish myself when I mess up. It was a great reminder that no matter what we did, we all should have grace without ourselves and be open to love. I grabbed Foul Heart Huntsman as soon I finished this, which I know I’ll likely enjoy just as much.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆
