My tally for the month of January is probably nine books (unless I finish Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros in the next day or two). I finished Mistress of Lies by K. M. Enright last week and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros yesterday.

Both books are fantasy; Both books have some questionable characters, meaning I’m not sure I like them. However, I did like the books. Mistress of Lies addresses the question of what to do about a leader and government that are oppressive. Questions of class and gender are also at play in the novel. Politics and deception are the tools of survival in this dystopian-like novel.

Fourth Wing is a faster read. It relies on action to tell the story. My jury is still out on how many stars I would rate this book (if I were the rating type). I found the profanity and graphic language excessive; the use of the f-bombs and s-words did nothing to develop characterization or the atmosphere or tone of the novel. They were more annoying to me than anything else. The setting of the riders’ quadrant and the “fly or die” and the weeding out of the weak through death reminded me of The Hunger Games where the only way to win is to survive. While some of the characters do form alliances–and romances, the overall attitude of “every rider for him/herself” is prevalent as is the spirit of distrust among the characters. While there are some genuine loyalties formed, there are not many.

My pick of the month, though, is The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong, the story of a seer who must travel across two regions to find her family of a former thief, an apprentice baker, and a mercenary in search of his missing daughter, and a reconciliation with her mother. It is a “feel-good” story in the end.

Now, I have to finish By Another Other Name by Jodi Picoult and Yarros’s Iron Flame. Also in my TBR stack is the latest installment of the Makaela Forsythe and Angus Brodie mysteries, Deadly Curse, a fun mystery with a feisty protagonist and her broody Scots “side kick” (although Brodie would definitely bristle and make that uniquely Scottish noise if he knew I called him a sidekick!).