I refuse to believe that the first month of 2022 is already over
I’ve been pretty busy with school and have been basically studying all the time in January. There was a huge spike in covid cases in the country, but our school decided to ignore it and not close down and switch to online, so me being petty, I didn’t go either! I just stayed home and did my own thing and honestly, I enjoyed it very much.
This month felt so short but I did manage to get a lot of stuff done. I posted pretty consistently, read a book per week and of course, listen to music 25/8. Here’s everything in detail~

Reading




- Iron Widow Xiran Jay Zhao // I had such high expectations for Iron Widow because it was basically everywhere and almost everyone had nothing but praise for this. During the first half of the book, I was over the moon in love but as the story moved forward, everything shattered. Wu Zetian was supposed to be this “badass unhinged MC” but after a while, there was nothing about her that remained realistic. Not only that, but there wasn’t much character development going on and as someone who prefers character-driven stories to plot-driven ones, I was getting bored because there were no characters that had depth to root for. Overall, my first read of this year was very disappointing. [★★☆☆☆]
- Portrait of a Thief Grace D. Li // Another dazzling title I hoped too much from. I really wanted to love this one but I had the same problem again, the characters were too flat. The plot was so promising, Chinese-American students going on a heist to bring back art stolen from their country by colonizers and commentary on imperialism, but the lack of character development and oddly-paced plot ruined the whole experience for me. [★★★☆☆]
- The Jasmine Throne Tasha Suri // Finally a book which gave what it was supposed to give. The Jasmine Throne is a book that will leave you breathless. The lush backdrop of ancient India and two morally-gray lesbians who join forces to overthrow an empire, are sure to make this book one of your all time favourites. [★★★★★]
- The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea Axie Oh // This was such a beautiful novel! I enjoyed the way Oh blended mythology and history with fiction to create this stunning story. I’ll be posting a full review on my blog soon so, keep an eye out for that! [★★★★☆]

Blogging
MY POSTS
I posted five times this month and really enjoyed writing each and every one as them, especially my interview with the lovely June Hur!





FAV POSTS FROM FRIENDS
- Gauri @ A Book Chai interviewed June Hur on her latest release, The Red Palace. Her questions were so thoughtful and I really enjoyed reading this post!
- Krisha @ BOOKATHON gushed over The Red Palace by June Hur with an intricate review. I had so much fun reading her review because she conveyed the beauty of this book perfectly!
- Nina @ Tender Curiosity listed some webtoons to start with for beginners! I really want to get into webtoons this year so this post was very helpful for me!
- Gabriele @ QueerBookdom listed some 2022 queer debuts to be on the look out for! There are so many dazzling titles releasing this year so be sure to check out Gabriele’s post!
- Kashvi @ Misty Realms interviewed Aamna Qureshi on her novel The Lady and The Lion. Kashvi, being the icon that they are, has convinced me to read The Lady and The Lion and after this amazing interview, I’m even more excited!
- Lia @ An Ode To Fiction interviews C.L Clark on her novel The Unbroken. I really enjoyed The Unbroken last year so it was very insightful to read this interview!

Life
- I spent the New Year’s Day in Hyderabad with my family and had so much fun! I stayed in a hotel after almost two years which felt so odd because I was so accustomed to my house in the past years.
- As I mentioned in the intro, my school refused to close down even with almost 10,000 cases in the state alone so I was at home self-studying and I actually enjoyed it??
- I finally got vaccinated and had basically no side-effects which is good.
- On one random night, I had a Bollywood listening party with my friends and I cannot stress on how much serotonin that gave me. >2016 Bollywood is the best thing ever. [here’s my playlist with all my childhood favs!]
- I also re-watched 3 Idiots and sobbed and laughed like never before. If you haven’t watched the movie, I’d highly recommend it, especially if you’re a student!

- On the flip side, my finals are fast approaching. I cannot believe that I’ll be done with 10th grade and will have to move away from the place I’ve lived in ever since I was five. I’m excited and devastated at the same time because this is basically like a new chapter in my life. New place, new people and new experiences.

Expectations from February
I don’t really know what this month will have in store apart from all-nighters, lack of sleep and an abundance of stress. I’m going into the month with two promising books- Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie and Forest of the Stolen Girls by June Hur so there’s something that’ll give me a tiny bit of joy. Blogging wise, I have some stuff planned which I hope to post if time permits!

How did 2022 start off for you? Did you find a new favourite book already? What are your plans for February? Let me know in the comments!

ahh i’m so sorry iron widow ended up disappointing, THE SYNOPSIS SOUNDS SO GOOD and everyone has been screaming about it! BUT AHHH THE JASMINE THRONE! I’m reading it currently (about 75% through) AND AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAID! The writing and the worldbuilding IS PERFECTION!
YESSSS 3 IDIOTS IS SO GOOODDDD 😭😭
Good luck with boards and HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZING FEBRUARY!! ❤❤
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i’m so sad i didn’t love iron widow, mayhaps it wasn’t a book for me 😔 ahh i hope you are enjoying/enjoyed the jasmine throne!! 3 IDIOTS BEST MOVIE 😤💓 thank you so much, hope you had a lovely feb too ✨
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Great post!! I’ve wanted to read The Jasmine Throne since its release, I keep hearing amazing things. Very interested in Portrait of a Thief, too. And I loved Iron Widow, I’m sorry it was disappointing to you 💛
Have a great month!
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thank you! i hope you love the jasmine throne too, it’s a brilliant book ✨ the portrait of a thief didn’t quite work out for me but i hope you enjoy it more than i did! i hope you have a great feb as well! 😁💞
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Ahhh I hope you fall in love with webcomics this year <3
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i cannot wait to dive into webtoons asap, thank you for your post once again! 🥰
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Oh…not Iron Widow😔 I can relate to Portrait of a Thief. The story fell flat in many places and I had to push myself to read it. Good Luck with your finals!
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i was so salty that i didn’t enjoy iron widow 😭 thank you so much! 💝
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this was my most anticipated book and I don’t know what to expect anymore, smh. Always a pleasure🧡
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10th grade is such a mood, honestly. Pre-boards are coming and I feel so unprepared.
Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea was so beautiful! Hoping to read Portrait of a Thief this month. 🥰
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please i can’t wait for 10th to be over, it was such a stressful year. my pre-boards are in march and i totally relate! at least actual boards are in april, we can hopefully prepare well for them. i hope you enjoy the portrait of a thief more than i did, have a great feb! 🥰💞
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Iron widow is so hyped up everywhere and it is pretty high up on my TBR, but I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy it too much! And ahhh I’ve heard SO SO much about the jasmine throne and I CANNOT wait to read it!! That synopsis has me sold!
3 idiots is such a comfort movie for me, and I love singing ‘all is well’ whenever I’m down and upset hahah. 😭😭😂😂
Have a great February!💖
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i hope you enjoy iron widow more than i did, it definitely wasn’t a book for me 😭 YESS JASMINE THRONE IS WORTH ALL THE HYPE IT’S SO GOOD!! and omg yes! 3 idiots is such a comforting movie, i literally can’t find a movie i love more than it. aal izz well and give me some sunshine have been on repeat ever since i finished my rewatch, they’re my favs 😤💞
hope feb is amazing for you as well! ✨
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Oh man! Everybody is raving about Iron Widow around me. Sorry it didn’t work for you. I’ve been meaning to read The Jasmine Throne. Hopefully, this year I will get it.
All the best for your boards! I totally understand the pressure it gets in India. You will do well 😊
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iron widow is basically a hit or miss so i hope you enjoy it more than i did! and omg jasmine throne is such a brilliant book, hope you love that one too! thank you much 🥺💓
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Thank you so much for the shout out 💚! It really gives me joy to see other bloggers appreciate my work (I should start blog hopping more 🤔).
My 2022 did not start very well. My entire household got infected by that dammed virus and yesterday my glasses broke in half, so not a great start.
A silver lining though, I was seen by one of my inspirations for my blog and I got so many amazing authors reaching for interviews 💚.
The negatives outweighs the positives, but I want to try maintaining a positive attitude (I am a pessimist at my core, so that is going to be a challenge 😂).
I am sorry Iron Widow disappointed you 😔. I really liked it. I am very happy you loved The Jasmine Throne though (it was such a great start to the series. I have to be honest that I am a tad apprehensive about The Oleander Sword. I am very excited, but I fear the sequel curse).
You are finishing high school, right? And after that you are moving away to pursue tertiary education? I hope your exams all go well!
Great post 💚!
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my pleasure! i really love your blog and you totally deserve the recognition! i’m so sorry about your family (hope everyone is okay now) and your glasses, it sucks to break them, i literally broke mine today and i’m basically blind without them lmao 😭 (good thing i had a spare pair!) i’m actually just finishing 10th grade, so i have two more years of high school left but my school doesn’t offer the subjects i want to pursue so i have to move to a different school due to that. thank you so much, i hope you have a great rest of february! 😊💕
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Thank you 💚😭!
Everyone is okay now and I managed to find a cheap pair of glasses in which my lenses fitted. I am sorry you broke yours too. I am the same. My sight is very bad 😅.
Oh, that is annoying. I hope you will have a nice time at your new school though!
Happy remainder of February to you as well 💚!
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