Am I the only one who felt like November sped by? The whole year seemed perfectly well paced, and then suddenly it just picked up speed for no reason at all!
I still ended up having a solid reading month. I struggled a bit at the start because I picked up a book I’m still trying to get through. I’ll talk about that one later, but overall I’m quite happy to have finally crossed some books off my list.
This month, I read The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow, To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth, The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson, and Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford by Julia Fox.
The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow
This short story was a complete accident. I stumbled across it and read it immediately, because I ahve never read anything by Alix E. Harrow before. (Embarrassing, I know. No excuse. It just hasn’t happened yet.)
It’s a dystopian fairy tale that took no time at all to get through. The writing is incredibly engaging, and the imagery is stunning. The story itself just wasn’t quite my cup of tea, but it was a cool, atmospheric start to the month. I’ll definitely consider picking up something else by this author soon.
Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford
This nonfiction biography by Julia Fox follows Jane Boleyn, sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn, who managed to survive the downfall of one queen only to serve three more before her own execution.
She’s a fascinating figure, and I like how many threads Julia Fox weaves together while exploring her life. That said, I’m still reading it. I think I picked it up at the wrong time, because I’m struggling to get through it despite enjoying the content. But if I put it down now, who knows when I’ll pick it up again? So I’m reading about five pages a day, and hopefully I’ll finish it within a month. We’ll see.
To Clutch a Razor by Veronica Roth
I adored When Among Crows so much that I actually delayed reading its sequel because I was scared it wouldn’t live up to it. I really didn’t need to worry because To Clutch a Razor was absolutely fantastic.
I love this world, I love Roth’s writing style, and I can’t wait for more. I also had no idea going into this that it wasn’t the conclusion, so I was thrilled to realize there’s more coming. Easily my favourite read of the month, and honestly a strong contender for my favourite of the year.
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
This is the first book in a new epic fantasy trilogy, and my reading experience was strange.
I picked it up because people I trust were raving about it, but I didn’t love the writing style from the start. Still, the book is gripping and engaging, and that made it easy to overlook some flaws because it did take me along for the ride. But by the end, it felt a bit unpolished. Some phrasing was odd, some sentences were broken strangely, and the third-person omniscient approach didn’t always land (even though it is a cool idea).
My biggest issue was the character motivations and overall plot. In broad strokes, I like the idea of the story, but a lot of it didn’t make sense by the end. Several characters made inconsistent choices without much justification. I do not want to give too many spoilers, as this is not the dedicated book review for this book, but I wish I understood why the author decided to go forward with this plot. It felt as if there were easier ways to get where the story eventually ended up that would not create as many issues as this take did.
I’ll still pick up the sequel in hopes of getting answers, but it really needs to deliver them or I won’t enjoy it.
And a bonus one…
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
I know—this one isn’t fantasy. But every autumn, without fail, I reread this collection of short stories. It’s perfect for the season and endlessly comforting, and it got me through a lot of foggy mornings.
I am not counting towards my books read this month or this year, but if you have not had the chance to read this yet, do yourself a favour and try it.
All in all, November was a pretty solid reading month—some hits, some surprises, and one iconic reread. I’m looking forward to seeing what December brings and to closing out the year with a few more memorable books. I am planning to get around to a few more new releases from this year before January, so I am excited to welcome the most wonderful time of the year and read even more.
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