Tag: writing

March & April 2024 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

Work and medical appointments seem to have taken over 2024 so far, and I’m once again late with my wrap up. But, better late than never I suppose!

Dark Water Daughter by H. M. Long ⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars – This adventurous pirate novel starts with a bang, opening on an exciting and intriguing scene as the protagonist faces the gallows. What drew me to this book was one of the narrators, Moira Quirk, who has been so fantastic on the previous audiobooks I’ve listened to. She was once again superb, capturing the mood and tone of every scene. The world building is creative and I enjoyed the epigraphs which provided a bit more insight into the magic. While plot and world building felt like the strongest aspects of this novel, along with the great writing and descriptions, the characters didn’t jump off the page. Some were stronger than others, but many of them were a little lacking in personality.

City of Vicious Night by Claire Winn ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 stars – I absolutely loved returning to this world and these characters in the sequel to City of Shattered Light. The author paints such a vivid picture of the world, and this instalment follows on excellently from the first book. I was gripped all the way through and couldn’t put it down.

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – After the dramatic ending of Empire of Storms, it felt strange to step sideways with Tower of Dawn in terms of the timeline, rather than following the plot straight on into Kingdom of Ash. However, I’m glad I did read this instalment, which follows Chaol on a different journey from that of Aelin and the others in Empire of Storms. I enjoyed seeing a new part of the world we haven’t been to before and meeting both new, and some returning, characters.

I have managed to keep up with my writing and have now reached 60,000 words! I’m very much over halfway but it still feels like there’s a long way to go before I reach the end.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

February 2024 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

We’re nearly halfway through March and I’m only just posting my February wrap up – where has the time gone! Life has been busy lately with work and medical treatments, so I’ve not had as much time for blogging as I would have liked. I also went on holiday to Devon in February to celebrate my grandparents’ 90th birthdays, and it was nice to get together with the family.

Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare ⭐⭐⭐.5 – I started reading this way back in 2022, so it took nearly two years to finish. I’m not much of a short story reader, so I’ve just been reading the odd story here and there. I enjoyed some of the stories in this collection more than others. The audiobook is narrated by a large cast and while some of the narrators were great, there were a couple that were very flat and just didn’t capture the story or characters at all.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This is a Regency-inspired fantasy with beautiful writing and an excellent audiobook narration from Fran Burgoyne. I loved the characters, romance and magic. The protagonist is a dressmaker who can sew enchantments into her garments which imbue them with emotions and memories. There is also chronic illness representation which I found relatable and emotional to read at times.

I’m continuing to plough my way through writing this book! Progress still feels slow but there is progress nonetheless. Now that I’m over the halfway mark, I’m looking forward to getting to write some of my favourite scenes.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

January 2024 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

The first month of 2024 is over and I had a great reading month! I finished three books this month and enjoyed them all.

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – It was great to return to the world of The Bone Season, which has such unique and detailed worldbuilding. Although I found parts of this book slow, the ending is action-packed and thrilling. The audiobooks for this series are fantastic. I’m looking forward to continuing Paige’s story in the next book in the series.   

Artfully Yours by Joanna Lowell ⭐⭐⭐.5 – This Victorian romance follows the relationship between an art forger and an art critic, a concept which immediately caught my interest when I was browsing for my next read. There were some humorous moments, but this novel also tackles some heavier subject matter too. I enjoyed the romance and the relationship between the protagonists, as well as the cast of side characters. I’d happily read a book about the sisterhood of artists! There is also disability rep and I found the descriptions of chronic pain especially relatable.

Fire Becomes Her by Rosiee Thor ⭐⭐⭐.5 – This Jazz Age-inspired YA fantasy is a great read which focuses on the development of the protagonist, Ingrid. This is definitely more character-driven than plot-driven, which was a struggle for me at times as I tend to prefer more plot-driven books, however I did appreciate how Indrid’s character arc was developed and executed. The protagonist was unlikeable at times, but I think that actually made it more interesting to see her grow and change. She had flaws and felt real. I would have liked a bit more detail in the worldbuilding to really make the settings pop, as that aspect could have been more vivid.

I got some new books this month as I had a voucher to spend from Christmas. I picked up A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon and Sheild Maiden by Sharon Emerichhs, as well as the Fairyloot edition of A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft.

January wasn’t the best month for writing. While I did write, I didn’t do as much as I would have liked. Sometimes though it can be good to have a short break from it to refill the creative well and come back fresh and excited (at least, that’s what I hope is going to happen in February!).

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

November & December 2023 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left2 Comments

Happy New Year! I can’t believe another year has finished and gone. 2023 had a lot of ups and downs. I’ve not been as active here as I would have liked. Things have been pretty bumpy with my health, but hopefully things will improve as I now have a new diagnosis which will help me manage it better. I read quite a few books in November and December and ended the year by exceeding my 2023 goal of 18 books by reading 22!

Every Duke Has His Day by Susanne Enoch ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This book was absolutely charming and completely fun to read. I was thoroughly entertained the whole way through and laughed on more than one occasion. I adored the romance and was so happy with the ending I didn’t care whether it was predictable or not. Having been feeling a bit down, this was just the book I needed. If you’re looking for something light-hearted and fun, I would highly recommend this book.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This is a great YA fantasy with a touching romance and an interesting setting. It kept me reading from start to finish and had a heartbreaking ending. It’s not one of my favourite reads of the year, but I think that’s more down to personal taste than the quality of the book. This is an excellently crafted book and I would definitely recommend it.

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – The final book in the Grishaverse series! I can’t believe I’ve finally reached the end and won’t be returning to this world again. Unless Leigh Bardugo decides to go back to this world at some point, and I would be perfectly happy if she did. Rule of Wolves is a great conclusion to the series. Some old, favourite characters return which made it feel like a homage to the series as a whole and a bit of a farewell tour.

The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – As I enjoyed The Bone Houses, I was looking forward to returning to the same world, with new characters and a new story. This was a fun heist story and there were some great twists towards the end.

Whisked Away at Christmas by Mahi Chesire ⭐⭐⭐ – I was looking for a fun, Christmassy read and came across this on Audible. The story centres around a prestigious baking competition and a second chance romance. While I enjoyed the story, I think I would have enjoyed it more with different narrators, as the ones chosen for this audiobook were a little flat and didn’t bring the story to life.

Sisters of Sword and Shadow by Laura Bates ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I love Arthurian stories and tales of knights, so I just had to pick this one up when I saw it. The audiobook narration is great and works really well for this one as the writing has the feel of being told a classic tale of brave knights. The ending leaves things open for a sequel and I’d be interested in returning to this world and characters if the author does write another.

I ended the year pretty well, reaching the midpoint of my novel which is really exciting. I’ve been working on it a long time now, so to reach this milestone feels like a great achievement.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

September & October 2023 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

I’m a bit late with my wrap up – what happened to the first half of November?! We’re drawing towards the end of the year, it will be 2024 before we know it!

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – It’s taken me ages but I finally finished this series! This was a good conclusion to the trilogy and I always love reading Laini Taylor’s writing. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first two but it was still a great book.

Bride of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This romantasy novel had great chemistry between the leads plus plenty of magic and intrigue. The writing flows really well and drew me in right from the start. It was also great to see chronic illness representation which was well-written and relatable. 

Daughter of Winter and Twilight by Helen Corcoran ⭐⭐⭐ – This is a standalone sequel to Queen of Coin and Whispers which starts well and has some fantastic moments, but the slow pacing drew this novel out too much for me. The trials are described as a ‘race against time’ but there is little urgency and the characters spend a lot of time wandering inside the mountain not really knowing what they are meant to do. There are many elements I enjoyed and there’s great diversity in the characters, but this one wasn’t for me. 

I made really good progress on my WIP on October, writing more than I have in a long time and managed to hit 40,000 words which I am incredibly pleased with.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

July & August 2023 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

I’ve taken a bit of a break from blogging for the last few weeks as things have been a bit tough with my health and at work, so I decided to take a step back from other things like blogging. But I’m back to wrap up July and August. I might continue with bimonthly rather than monthly wrap ups for the time being and see how things go. I don’t want to give up blogging completely since I love it, but want to write and post at my own pace.

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall ⭐⭐⭐ – This was a really well narrated audiobook with an interesting narrative device – the story is told from the perspective of a hobgoblin narrator observing the events. However, the book was a little darker than I was expecting from the description and bright, pretty cover. The plot felt meandering and I wasn’t keen on the love interest’s persistent nastiness.

A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – I finally finished the Shades of Magic series! This was a great conclusion to a brilliant series, though I did enjoy the second book more. I’m really glad I managed to finish this before the sequel series – Threads of Power – comes out later this year.

The Comeback by Lily Chu ⭐⭐⭐.5 – Lily Chu’s first book, The Stand-In was one of my favourite books from last year. It was such a fun, entertaining read with a great story. Sadly, I just didn’t click with The Comeback. It felt slow and I found the main character quite annoying a lot of the time, and didn’t like her attitude and choices in places. It wasn’t a bad book, but I didn’t love it either. The audiobook narration was great though.

I was really disappointed to miss out on Fairyloot’s Legendborn set so was excited when they did a reprint and managed to get them! They arrived recently and they are so gorgeous.

I wrote quite a lot in July and managed to hit 30,000 words which felt like a big achievement! I’ve been writing a lot slower because of my health so getting to 30k was very exciting.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

June 2023 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left2 Comments

June ended up being a great reading month. I also visited my grandparents in Devon, which was nice to take a break and have some time to relax on the coast.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 – So, this book has been everywhere and hyped so much that I was a little afraid to read it. But when I heard it had chronic illness rep, I just knew I had to. I’m so glad I did. This book has action, twists and turns, romance and dragons. Getting to see chronic illness rep in a book like this just meant so much to me.

Dead Man’s Folly by Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐ – While in Devon, we visited Agatha Christie’s holiday home, Greenway. The setting for Dead Man’s Folly was inspired by the home so it was great to visit and then read the book and be able to visualise it. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as other Agatha Christie books I’ve read.

City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – It’s been a while since I read any sci-fi and I really enjoyed taking a break from my usual fantasy reads. The dark, neon cyberpunk world of this book is brought to life so vividly by Claire Winn’s writing. Plus, it’s fast paced with great protagonists and plenty of action.

As it was my birthday in June, I broke my sort of booking buying ban. I got a hardback copy of The Councillor which is one of my favourites, and Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou. I also went into Waterstones to buy Fourth Wing. It was so amazing to see it had its own table in the fantasy section, and I got a bit emotional seeing a book by a chronically ill author with a chronically ill character displayed like that.

I took some time away from writing while I was on holiday but managed to do some more when I got back, though not as much as I would have liked. Writing with chronic illness can be really hard sometimes.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

May 2023 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

Despite having a bad cold at the start of May, things picked up in the latter half of the month and I managed to do more reading and writing. I only finished one book this month but I have also very nearly finished Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, which has amazing chronic illness rep (and dragons!).  

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 – I just love V. E. Schwab’s writing. She always manages to draw me into a story. The Shades of Magic world is so magical and imaginative. This is the sequel to A Darker Shade of Magic and I actually think I enjoyed it even more than the first. We get to delve deeper into the characters in this book. There’s also a magical competition which is very cool. I’m off on holiday soon so will post my full review when I am back!  

As I was ill, I didn’t get to write as much this month as I had hoped. I did manage to write in the second half of the month though and am now at 27k. I’m working on a chapter from the perspective of the antagonist which is always fun and interesting to write.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

April 2023 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the Left2 Comments

I’ve been feeling really rough with a bad cold the last couple of weeks but I’m slowly starting to feel a bit better. I’m listening to A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab and am really enjoying it so that is providing something to look forward to while I sit at home feeling ill!

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Historical romance isn’t my usual reading genre but I love watching a good period drama film or show so decided to give this one a go. I’m glad I did as it’s a fun and enjoyable read with great characters, humour and, of course, romance.

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen ⭐⭐ – I was really excited for this one so was disappointed to find it wasn’t for me. I didn’t enjoy the writing style, which had a conversationalist first person narration and excessive inner monologue. The descent to darkness, thematically and for the characters, could have worked really well but there wasn’t enough atmosphere. I listened to the audiobook and the narration may have influenced my enjoyment of this one as I didn’t like the narrator’s style or voice. I’ll be posting a full review soon.   

Progress has been a little slow lately thanks to the aforementioned cold, but I’m still feeling optimistic about the progress I’ve made on my WIP this year. Hopefully I can get back into it soon.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!

March 2023 Wrap Up

M.T.Wilson @ The Last Book on the LeftLeave a comment

We’re over halfway through April and I’m only just posting my March wrap up. I don’t know where the time has gone! The last few weeks have been quite busy so I haven’t had much time for reading or blogging. Although I didn’t read loads in March, I did read the best book I’ve read so far this year and a new favourite, so from that perspective it was a very good reading month!

Legendborn by Tracey Deonn ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This book is phenomenal. I loved it so, so much. I had a feeling right from the start it would be a 5 star read and I was right. The writing, world, magic, characters, everything was just so good. Legendborn is an amazing debut and I am so excited to read the next book!  

Broken Web by Lori M. Lee ⭐⭐⭐.5 – I loved the first book in this series, Forest of Souls, and think its quite an underrated gem. The sequel suffered a little bit from middle book syndrome unfortunately. It just didn’t grip me as much as the first book did. However, I still enjoyed it and will definitely read the next book.

I have been getting back into writing again this year and progress on my current WIP is continuing steadily which is great! I’m around a quarter of the way through the book which is really exciting.

What books have you enjoyed this month? Chat with me in the comments!