February Wrap-Up: A Month of Romantasy

In this episode of Reading Rendezvous, I’m sharing my February reading wrap-up, which turned into a full month dedicated to romantasy.

From elite dragon rider academies and intense political worlds to emotional relationships and familiar tropes, this month was all about getting lost in new fantasy worlds. 

This February wrap-up includes my thoughts on:

• A Court of Mist and Fury

• A Court of Wings and Ruin

• Fourth Wing

• Iron Flame

• Onyx Storm

• Quicksilver

• Brimstone (DNF)

• Alchemised (re-read)

If you enjoy fantasy romance, book wrap-ups, and personal  reflections then this episode is for you.

Don’t forget to follow the podcast, leave a rating, and join the conversation and for bonus episodes and extra content, you can also support the show on Patreon. Thank you! 

Transcript

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Welcome back to Reading Rendezvous. Before we begin, just a quick reminder. If you enjoy the podcast, I would really appreciate if you could follow the show and leave a rating or a review. It generally helps more readers discover this podcast. Now, February was officially romantic February for me. I intentionally chose to focus on this genre this month, and I went from fade to dragon led world and dark fantasy to even revisiting one book. So today I'll go through everything I read in February. Let's begin. The first book I read in February was A Court of Mist and Fury, which is the second book in the A Court of Torns and Roses series. This is an extremely famous series by Sarah J. Mas, and if you are listening to this episode, you have probably already read it or at least heard of it. But still, for that 1% who hasn't, which was actually me just three months ago, let's go over a short introduction to the book. A Court of Mist and Fury continues Fera's journey as she struggles to come to terms with the trauma she experienced under the mountain and the new reality of her life in the Fey World. The story explores her emotional struggles, her search for belonging, and also the struggles in her relationship with Tamlin. She also begins to understand both her own power and the complexities of each of the different courts. In this book, we also see the development of her relationship with Risan, which was introduced in the first book, and we learn more about his world and the dynamics of the Night Quart. Firstly, let's focus on what I really enjoyed about this book. I thought the writing was quite immersive. This was one of those stories where I could just let my imagination run free, which is something I really value in a fantasy book. I also really liked how the book explored Fera's struggles after everything she went through in the first book. I think this showed a much more human side to her experience, and it felt very realistic to me that she would still be affected by those events, even after. Personally, I really like this type of writing. Now, to be completely transparent, I did struggle with this book. I absolutely loved the first one in the series, but I didn't fully enjoy the second one in the same way, and I think the main reason for that was the way Tamlin and Reesand were portrayed. I personally found it difficult to adjust to the storyline that suddenly shows Tamlin in such a negative light, while Reisand is almost idealized in comparison. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Rheesand, especially how his character develops in the later books, but the transition here did annoy me a little if I'm being honest. I do understand that the intention is to move the focus away from Tamlin's arc and towards the evolving relationship between Ferah and Riesan, but I still found that shift a bit challenging while reading. That said, once you move past the initial adjustment, the book does become quite enjoyable and it really picks up towards the end. So I would definitely recommend sticking with it. After I finished The Court of Mist and Fury, I decided to continue with the next book in the series, A Court of Wings and Ruin. I also recently found out that the first three books form a complete arc focused mainly on Fera and Risan's story, while the later books focus on other characters. Honestly, I like this approach. It feels like the world which this story is built on can continue without making the original story overly long or drawn out. Now, A Court Wings and Ruin was a completely different experience for me. From the start, I absolutely loved the pace of the book and how Ferra's character continues to develop. She becomes fearless, determined, and cunning, which I really enjoyed seeing. She has grown into her power and is ready to confront Tamlin and the High Priestess for what they have done to her sisters. I found this book much more fast-paced, filled with strong battle scenes and mythical creatures, and I really liked getting a bit more background on some of the other supporting characters. To me, in this book, the world felt bigger, the stakes felt higher, and everything that has been building throughout the first two books finally started to come together. Out of the first three books, this is definitely my favorite. Now, would I recommend this series? I mean obviously yes. At this point, it almost feels like an entry ticket into the fantasy world. I do think it's worth sticking with it, even through the slower lines, because the payoff towards the end is definitely worth it. After finishing the Akotar trilogy, I moved into Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, which has been everywhere for quite some time, so I was really curious to see what all the hype was about. And oh my god, I was completely hooked. I think I read the whole series in just over a week. And again, for the 1% who haven't read this series, which until mid-February this year included me, here's a quick introduction to what these books are about. The series is set in an elite military college where students train to become dragon riders. The entire world is built around survival and strength, with plenty of political tension throughout. And the bond between rider and dragon plays a main role in how power and status are defined. It's a dangerous world, constantly on the edge of conflict, where leaders are willing to erase or hide important events from the public and doing whatever it takes to maintain control. This series is a romantic that follows the story of Violet and Zaydan, who, for all intents and purposes, begin as rivals, but whose relationship gradually grows into something more. I literally couldn't put this book down. I think I read the whole book in about three days. I loved everything about it. The storyline, Violet, Zaydan, Sassy Tairn, and everything in between. The romantic buildup in this book made me feel genuinely giddy while reading it. Almost like I was listening to a story about my best friends. And the ending? Oh my god. If you're wondering whether I squealed or gasped while reading, the answer is yes, I absolutely did. I also really enjoyed how real Violet felt, in the sense that she is dealing with a physical condition, and not even the magical bond with a dragon fully changes that. I think that made the story feel more believable to me. Overall, I am completely obsessed with Fourth Wing, and I think it's a great book. After this, I went straight into Iron Flame, because by that point I was already very invested in the world. But Iron Flame felt slightly darker and a bit slower at times, especially in the first half of the book. But at the same time, you do start to understand more about how the world functions and the political tensions become even more visible. To me, Iron Flame felt more like a stepping stone towards the next book, which is Onyx Storm. It was more like a build-up and expansion of the story. That said, I still enjoyed it and I absolutely loved Sassy, Teenage Andarna. The exchanges between her and Heron honestly made the whole reading experience 10 times better. And I also really like seeing the development in Violet and Zaydan's story. Finally, after Iron Flame, I continued with Onyx Storm, which did feel more fast-paced. I really enjoyed the quest-like structure of the story and learning more about the wider continent this world is built around. And this could just be me. But I really liked that I was left with some question marks at the end. And without giving too much away, there were things like why certain gifts were given, who the other brother is, which I believe everyone is asking this question, and also the choices made by Tairn, Andana and Zaiden. I actually really enjoyed this type of cliffhanger because it keeps me very engaged in the series. Onyx Storm also feels like another stepping stone towards what I assume would be the big finale in the final books. But unlike Iron Flame, which feels more like a backstory and world building, this one is faster and more devastating. And honestly a bit sadder as well. In my opinion, by this point in this series, we can really see what the world at war actually looks like. And again, the ending, oh my god, that fourth book needs to come sooner because I generally find myself spending more and more time listening to theories about what happened and what might come next. To end this section, these books are incredible. I highly recommend giving them a chance. I really, really enjoy reading them. The next series I decided to pick up was Faye and Alchemy, which includes two very well-known books, Quicksilver and Brimstone. For a quick introduction, this series is set in a dark fantasy world with Faye, magic, and alchemy. The society in the series feels divided with strong differences between those who hold power and those who are struggling to survive. The atmosphere of the book feels harsh and sort of dystopian, and the magic system plays an important role in how the world functions. Quicksilver was an interesting read for me. Let's start with the things I really liked about the book. First, I really like the dystopian dark type of world the story is building. I imagine it almost like it was taking place somewhere in the desert in a time that felt reminiscent of ancient or mythical civilizations. That was sort of the image I had in my mind. Ceres, which is the main female character, also feels very real to me at the beginning. Her love for her brother and her friend, her determination to keep them safe, and her selflessness made her a character I could easily connect with. And the storyline to begin with, felt somewhat new to me, and I think that sense of novelty came from how vividly I imagined that harsh, dry, and unforgiving world in those opening sections. That said, there were some parts I struggled with, especially in the second half of the book. I think apart from the environment the storyline is set in, everything else afterwards felt somewhat familiar. They are the same elements of Faye, hidden powers, and enemies to lovers' dynamics that are present in many other stories. Also, I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the relationship between Ceres and the Kingfisher. I understand that it's meant to be an enemies to lovers dynamic, but some of their exchanges felt quite harsh to me. I also struggled slightly with the more explicit scenes. I don't mind that kind of content in books, but I think at that point I hadn't read many fantasy novels that were quite so descriptive in that sense. So it did catch me off guard. Don't get me wrong, both Akotar and Fort Wing series include similar scenes, but in Quicksilver they felt more intense. But I think that might simply come down to personal reading experience and what I'm used to. Overall, I did think the book was okay, but I didn't become completely obsessed with it. Still, after Quicksilver, I decided to pick up the next book in this series, which is called Brimstone. And this was the one book this month that I didn't end up finishing. I did gave this book a fair chance. I actually restarted it twice, but I just couldn't fully connect with the story or the writing style, and I think sometimes that happens, especially when you've been reading within the same genre for a while, and your expectations or mood are quite specific. It's not necessarily that the book was bad, but those first few chapters just didn't work for me at that particular moment. I think the pacing and the tone didn't quite draw me in, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged. So I decided to stop and move on, rather than push through a reading experience that wasn't working for me. And I actually think it's important to acknowledge DNFs as a part of reading, because not every book will resonate with you, even if it might be the right book for someone else. So, to finish Fantasy February, I decided to reread Alchemized. Since I've already done a full episode on this book, I won't go into much detail here, but I wanted to mention it because it was still a very important part of my reading month. Honestly, rereading this felt just as emotional as the first time. Actually, in some ways, even more intense, because I already knew what was coming. And for me, it was a nice way to close the month by returning to a story that I knew I loved. And that brings us to the end of Fantasy February reading wrap-up. It was a very interesting month, and I can definitely say that I am a big fan of this genre now. I'd also love to hear what you read in February, especially if you focused on a specific theme. You can reach out on social media or through the links in the episode description. And if you'd like more in-depth book discussions and extended episodes, including bonus content, you can find those over on Patreon. The link is in episode description. Thank you so much for listening. And until next time, happy reading.