Oh my goodness; February just flew right by, like an angry bird shot from the catapult on it's way to the target. Whoosh!

But, here in South Africa, we have this government-imposed thing called #LoadShedding where the electricity gets cut off for multiple hours a day - at the time of writing this we are without power for 7 and a half hours daily - and reading by candlelight has become a thing, again.

I'm always interested in what everybody else has been reading, so please let me know in the comments below, or on my other social media, what it was and what you thought.

Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence

I waited a bit too long to continue this series, which I almost never do because I like to binge read the whole series, and the danger was that I wouldn't be able to remember everything of book 1... but I was worried over nothing.

The author added a brief event heavy synopsis at the beginning of the book which serves to refresh the readers' memory, in case of this kind of situation; I am very grateful for this because I thought that this tradition was a thing of the past.

Nona Grey is fast becoming one of my all-time favourite female leads and I cannot believe that I haven't discovered Mark Lawrence sooner!

I did find the second book to be a little lacking compared to the first (isn't that usually the case?) but not by much and Grey Sister has many kickass moments, plot twists, and intrigue to ensure another great read; not to mention the "get you in the feelings" moments...

Book 3, here I come!

Rating: 4/5

Ian McKellan: The Biography by Garry O'Connor

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not particularly a fan of non-fiction; I mainly read to escape the day to day and the horrors of real life.

But, that being said, I'm not averse to reading non-fiction titles on subjects I really like and I really like Ian McKellan, for many reasons, and I was super happy that Jonathan Ball Publishers had sent this my way.

I can honestly say that I tried...

Garry's writing may be quite descriptive but it is also very heavy, and by heavy I mean Game Of Thrones heavy - you know what I mean? Once I have to force myself to concentrate on what I'm reading in order to remember the sentence I'm currently on (nevermind the fact the I couldn't remember the rest of the paragraph), it becomes work and I don't have time for that.

The author seemed more concerned over the actor's reasoning behind the choices he made, with the author pushing his opinion everywhere... in short, this book was more Garry and less Ian.

I did force myself to read a significant amount of the book but, eventually, I just couldn't anymore and DNF'd (Did Not Finish) this book.

Rating: 2/5

The Black Magician's Trilogy by Trudi Canavan

I first heard about this author when I joined #Bookstagram, about 4 years ago, and I eventually found this particular edition in really good condition at a secondhand book store; all three together, at the same time!!

And even then it has been sitting on my shelves for like a year...

The Magician's Guild

This was one of the few times where the characters overrode the story, for me.

In a world where all magic is reserved for the nobility and controlled by the crown, what an upset it was when a young girl from slums unwittingly releases her own magical ability and race for control begins.

Beautifully written characters and a good story, full of action, magic and a couple of plot twists thrown in for good measure, ensured that I immediately grab book 2 regardless of the fact that I intended to break it up...

Rating: 5/5

The Novice

After reading book 1 I absolutely had to jump into book 2.

Not long into the book, I was afraid to learn that the storyline wasn't as strong as in the first book, but I was so enamored of the characters that I continued reading; because I genuinely wanted to know! This series has some of the best characters in a series!

It's a good thing I stayed the course, though, because the storyline improved and things picked up and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

That ending, though, had me reaching for book 3 immediately!

Rating: 4/5

The High Lord

Gah! What an ending to an awesome series!

Action-packed adventure all the way, surprise twists and heart-wrenching moments all combine with magic, romance, and loss, to create a masterful series; one every fantasy freak should read!

Rating: 5/5

* Pick Of The Month *

Keyflame by Tallulah Lucy

I am so grateful to be part of Tallulah's review team and I got to read her book before it was released on 6 March this year.

Admittedly, I did read the eBook copy sent to me by the author, because I only got a physical copy at the book launch; which I got signed, obviously...

Read my full review here.

Do let us know if you've read any of these and what your thoughts are in the comments below - we'd love to hear from you! Until next time...

Keep smiling

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