My Best Reads of Q1!

I can’t believe we are already one-fourth of the way done with 2025! It’s been an amazing year so far, especially for reading! Today, I thought I’d share my favorite books from each month of Q1 with you.

January - The Will of the Many by James Islington 

The Will of the Many

If you want a very in-depth review of all my thoughts on this book, you can watch my reading vlog for it here. 

If you’re looking for the quick and dirty - 

James does not explain one single thing to you, in the best way. You’re holding on to what makes sense in this world by a string for the entire book. It’s over six hundred pages, but never felt like it dragged. There’s a plethora of side characters to keep you entertained as you move from the city to school settings and back again. The world-building and magic system is delightfully on the nose - will is the magic as well as the power of a person. The last three pages end in a cliffhanger you’ll have to read to believe, leaving you panting for book two, The Strength of the Few, coming out in November.   

Even when I was rolling my eyes at the main character, Vin, being the best at this board game or sword fighting or reading people at the tender age of nineteen, I was still rooting for him. 

February - Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

Lore Olympus Vol 1

Every year when I’m deep in the winter, I find myself craving a dose of my favorite theme/retelling: Hades x Persephone. 

I’ve only read volumes one through three at the time of writing this, but I immediately bought every volume available after finishing the first one. I’m obsessed with the art style, the characters, and with the upper-crust vibes of Olympus. I don’t know what it says about me that my number one hero character is Hades, but I’m secure in it. 

Out of all the Hades x Persephone books I’ve read, this one might stay the closest to the true myth while bringing modern flare. 

March - Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

The Sea of Tranquility

I’m cheating a bit because I haven’t finished this book yet, but March was a tough reading month for me. I read a total of eight books, but I gave every one of them three stars. I didn’t feel like highlighting any of them as a favorite over another, but just twenty percent into The Sea of Tranquility. I already know this would be my favorite book of the month if I could finish it today. 

There are so many intertwined layers in this novel. We have three different POVs taking place in three different timelines - 1912, 2020, and 2203. So far my favorite is Edwin, a young man living in 1912 who has been sent away from his family in England for having polarizing political views on the colonies and is haphazardly making his way around Canada.Underneath the different times and characters, there’s a mystery that ties Edwin and a character living in 2020 together. I’m iffy on how I feel once we get to details of the pandemic, which I’m sure is coming based on the timeline of this novel and its publication date. 

I’m sure you’re all looking for an update on Red Zone Realizations and I’m happy to say that I have some. I did another round of editing for the emotional arc of the characters before sending it out to a new round of beta readers last week. I’m actively looking for an editor, and I’m very close to booking my most wanted cover artist! More details to come, but you can keep up with me here, on Youtube, Bluesky, TikTok, Instagram, Threads - basically anywhere!