So as some of you may be aware I decided that 2016 was going to be the year that I increased the amount of books I read by posting my monthly progress at the start and end of the month in the form of 'TBR's' and 'Wrap Ups.' And whilst I only put 3 books on my January TBR I was only able to read 2 this month, which I was really disappointed with. But instead of just moaning about it, formulating elaborate excuses for why I wasn't able to read more I thought I would take this as a lesson from myself. In February, instead of being determined on finishing my books that I had put on my TBR, I'm going to focus on picking and reading books I feel in the mood to read. At the beginning of January I made the mistake of picking either fantasy books in huge series' or really thought-provoking books that require a lot of thought and concentration. As a student with a huge work load, this was probably the worst choice I could have made. In next week's post, my February TBR, I'm going to include a range of books so that I have a broad selection of genres and writers so that I don't get myself stuck in the same rut as I faced in January.
After that little rant, I'm now going to briefly detail the books I have read in the month of January! I will include just a few of my opinions about each book and whether or not they lived up to my expectations but if you want to read more, all of the books I have included I have written lengthy reviews with plot descriptions in the last couple of weeks.
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin 10/10
Having not read the television series or read any spoilers online, I went into this series knowing very little about the characters, plot or the fantasy world created by Martin. The first instalment was truly incredible. The multiple narrators and the fantasy world itself made the book a real page-turner from start to finish. It has been a while since I had read a fantasy series that explored such interesting themes and I know that the story will remain in my mind for some time to come. I can't wait to read the next instalments of the series and maybe explore other work by Martin.
Legend by Marie Lu 7/10
An interesting concept with some great characters, but, overall, it just wasn't my favourite example of a dystopian. I am probably a bit biased, having read quite a lot of dystopian YA series', but I just felt that the book itself was far too short and didn't really have enough time to effectively develop the whole world and concept Lu creates. A book is meant to make you wanting more, however, with this I felt that I was left wanting too much. I will say though that if you are interested in politics that the political aspect to it is rather interesting, being a politics student myself I think this is why I still liked certain aspects of the plot. 