Reading Round-up: Maternity Edition

As you might imagine, I read a lot of books at the end of 2023/beginning of 2024 while I was on maternity leave and I had very little time to talk about them, so I will attempt to do a quick and dirty round-up of everything at last now that I’m somewhat more functional in the brainpan. We’ve got an eclectic mix of stuff on here, a lot of it cozy, some of it pulpy, some of it weird. In no particular order, here goes.

A Broken Blade/A Shadow Crown by Melissa Blair

I’d say this series falls pretty solidly into the romantasy category, being as it is fast-paced with strong romantic elements. If you liked A Court of Thorns and Roses, this one might be a good fit for you (and honestly so might Consort of Fire and The Foxglove King, depending on your interests and spice tolerance). It was a fun, quick read when I was shift sleeping directly postpartum and needed that. I’m excited for the final book in the series. (Fantasy)

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Everyone knows this book. I agree, it is what it says on the tin — a cozy fantasy adventure featuring coffee and snacks. There’s some sapphic romance of the very low-spice variety if that’s your jam as well. Another one of my shift sleeping reads. (Fantasy, LGBTQ+)

Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha

Dragons also seem to be having a moment, and this book was lots of fun if you like erotica (which of course if you’re reading Kit Rocha you had better). The spice level is high, but I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and concepts of divinity explored in the book as well. Plus the main male love interest is a shapeshifting dragon dude, which…yeah, we’re into it over here. I hope there are more shapeshifting dragon dudes popping up in various publishing corners. (Romance, Fantasy, LGBTQ+)

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

I really enjoyed this book, which was fast-paced, had a love triangle, and involved necromancy, catacombs, and layers of intrigue. It did remind me a bit of Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson, and I suspect necromancy and the aesthetic of the catacombs is having a minor resurgence since we’ve seen titles like Saint Death’s Daughter out recently as well. I’m loving it, so that’s good news for me! The last read of my shift sleeping era. (Fantasy)

The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley

This book was a fun retelling of the Robin Hood story, which held a special place in my heart as a child. Many were the days I would bop about pretending to be Marian, and I’ve got to say that Marian is a total badass in this book. It is worth the read for that alone. (Fantasy)

Paladin’s Faith by T. Kingfisher

Back on my romantasy shtick, this is the most recent book in the series. Each of the books in the Saint of Steel novels can sort of be read alone since they follow a different couple, but for maximum enjoyment you should read the other ones first. The rye humor of Kingfisher never fails to enchant, questions arise about demons, and our favorite orphaned paladins further explore their world. (Fantasy, Romance)

Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell

This book marks my shift into more serious fare. The structure of this short novella is experimental, and it was a hard read to engage with directly after having my son. Ultimately, though, I like to think this story is hopeful in its way. The prose is lovely, as well. While I felt a little as if there was something missing by the time I got to the end, I enjoyed the work as a whole. (Science Fiction, Climate Fiction)

The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty

I started this series way back in 2021 after checking it out from the Seattle Library system. It was fun to finally get a chance to revisit it while nap-trapped and/or nursing, since Chakraborty does such a good job with mothers in her text. 10 out of 10 conclusion to the trilogy. I wasn’t sure how everything was going to be pulled together, but it was, and it was excellent. (Fantasy)

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin

This is another example of me getting caught up on a series I hadn’t finished yet. The concluding book in a duology, I felt this book had some very accurate things to say about how public programs can be weaponized to kill what is best in a city. Plus the image of London as a Mad Hatter Alice really pleased me. (Urban Fantasy, Horror)

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

Another lovely horror tale from T. Kingfisher, I ended up preferring this book to the first in the series. I also don’t think you need to have read What Moves the Dead in order to enjoy What Feasts at Night, but it probably helps. Anyway, I really loved it, and that’s all I can say without spoilers. (Horror)

That’s everything I can remember reading for the past few months! Which doesn’t mean I didn’t read something else, just that I can’t remember it, a common conundrum for the new mom. Not sure how frequently I will be doing these Roundups going forward, but I hope you take a moment to read some of these excellent books. Tell me what you loved!