What Did I Read This Spring? │SMALL THOUGHTS #5

Did you all have a lovely Spring? It’s my absolute favourite season, so I was out with my camera, making the most of the blossom and the birds. I still managed to get plenty of books reads from my TBR though! I’ve narrowed it down to three highlights for you guys.

A Sea Change by Cassandra Clare

Most travellers are running from—or searching for—something. But not Shadowhunter Matthew Fairchild and his loyal golden retriever, Oscar Wilde. No. Matthew is searching for himself aboard the Majestic, a grand 19th century ocean liner sailing from Greece to Constantinople.

Matthew wants nothing more than to mourn the death of a friend and peacefully enjoy his travels before reuniting with his friends James Herondale and Cordelia Carstairs at the London Institute of Shadowhunters—a secret society of angel-blooded humans who protect the mundane world from demons and Downworlders. But that’s interrupted when someone is murdered on the ship—and a vampire Downworlder lurks in the darkness.

Together with Sylvain Verlac, a mysterious and captivating Parisian Shadowhunter with a secret grief of his own, Matthew must find the murderer on the Majestic before death strikes again.

Do you have any idea how thrilled I was when I found out Matthew Fairchild would be getting his own novella? My boy DESESRVED this. His character arc was one of the most devastating things about The Last Hours trilogy for me, and I needed a more satisfying ending for him. Finally, I got it in A Sea Change. It gave us a chance to see Matthew heal from his trauma and find new reasons to be happy. And I adored every second of it. If I’m being honest, I kinda want a bit more of him and Sebastian Verlac.

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maeher

ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer―naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain―and his entire nefarious empire―out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.

I actually read both this first book in the series, and it’s sequel Apprentice to the Villain. It took me a long time to warm up to the first books because I was finding it all a little too predictable, and I was just a tad sick of Evie telling me how delicious The Villain was every five pages. But the final quarter of the book actually drew me in enough to want to pick up the sequel. Which turned out to be a massive improvement. So I guess I’ll be carrying on with the series? 

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Effy has always believed in fairy tales. She's had no choice. Since childhood, she's been haunted by visions of the Fairy King. She's found solace only in the pages of Angharad - a beloved epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, and then destroys him.

Effy's tattered copy is all that's keeping her afloat through her stifling first term her prestigious architecture college. So when the late author's family announces a contest to design his house, Effy fells certain this is her destiny.

But Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task: a musty, decrepit estate on the brink of crumbling into a hungry sea. And when Effy arrives, she finds she isn't the only one who's made a temporary home there. Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar, is studying Myrddin's papers and is determined to prove her favourite author is a fraud.

As the two rival students investigate the reclusive author's legacy, piecing together clues through his letters, books, and diaries, they discover that the house's foundation isn't the only thing that can't be trusted. There are dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspiring against them - and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

I looooooove me a bit of a magical realism, dark academia combo. This book was exactly my cup of tea and the vibes were immaculate. Effy was such an interesting main character, and I was rooting for her to finally stand up to her oppressors. I’ve picked up the sequel from my local library so I’m excited to see what comes of her and Preston’s thesis, and how it changes everything for their communities. 

What’s been your favourite book of the season? Let me know!

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