January Reading Wrap-Up

I can't believe I forgot to share my January reads with y'all! Better late than never, I guess. I read 5 books in January and most of them were audiobooks because my brain was not cooperating with reading print and e-books. Here are the books I read and my mini reviews.

The Undertakers (Murder and Magic #2) by Nicole Glover

Black American • Historical Fantasy Mystery

The Undertakers is a multi-genre adventure!

We follow magical investigators Hetty and Benjy Rhodes, living in Philly after the Civil War, as they investigate the death of Raimond Duval. Raimond appears to have died in one of the many fires plaguing the city’s Black communities. When his son Valentine is also found dead, they suspect that this mystery is deeper than it seems.

Hetty and Benji’s investigation skills compliment one another, which makes this story entertaining. Each time I thought I’d figure out the case, another clue emerged! While I was glad that I couldn’t immediately figure out who the culprit was, I also felt like there may have been too many moving pieces. This made the pace drag a bit for me.

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The Improvisers (Murder and Magic #3) by Nicole Glover

Black American • Historical Fantasy Mystery

The Improvisers is probably my favorite book of the Murder and Magic series, so far.

Book 3 focuses on a new generation of the Rhodes family through Velma Frye, a woman of manyyyy talents. She’s a pilot, a former bootlegger, a jazz pianist & can wield celestial magic. Although her favorite thing to do is fly, Velma also works as an investigator for arcane oddities for a magic rights organization. When her latest investigation leads her to a murder on her family’s stomping grounds, she realizes that she might not have to do this work alone.

I had a fun time following the twists & turns this story took! We get a look at what people thought of flying planes & exploring the arts scene for Black folks in the early 20th century United States.

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Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola

Black British Contemporary Romance

Bolu Babalola’s follow-up to Honey & Spice is full of life!

I got lost in her world and forgot myself because the characters feel so true and yet, poetic. Kiki Banjo has always been relatable to me as someone who puts my whole heart into music. Her vulnerability, sharp wit, loyalty, and passion are addictive in this story. It was longer than I expected but I hardly noticed and actually got sad when I finished it.

This is romance but it is also literature! I wholeheartedly recommend this book as well as Honey & Spice to anyone looking for that 90s R&B kind of love.

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Summoner's Circle by Coral Alejandra Moore

AfroLatina • New Adult Urban Fantasy

If you’re looking for an entertaining urban fantasy novel w/ a college-aged lead & non-western magic, Summoner’s Circle may be for you!

Dari Jiménez is an average student at a college in Moonlight Bay, Oregon. One day, while working in the library, she’s attacked by a mysterious creature and quickly saved by a tattooed woman with a mohawk. The woman claims that Dari has untapped powers inherited from her mother & needs to learn to harness them quickly to protect herself. In between combat sessions, classes, and work, her boyfriend Tyler is starting to suspect that she’s keeping something from him.

Summoner’s Circle is a relatively quick read packed w/ themes of self-discovery and intuition. I enjoyed the magic system & exploring Dari’s family’s past. I wish there was more on that & hoped there would be a second book because the ending is a bit open-ended.

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The Chainbreakers by Julian Randall

Black & Caribbean • Middle Grade Fantasy

This middle grade/YA fantasy centers on community, resistance, and memory. I love the original storytelling that imagines Africans who freed themselves and others from their would-be enslavers and lived.

The Chainbreakers follows a young girl named Violet Moon, of the Sun People, who must rescue her father from the Children of the Shark. According to their lore, the chainmakers were cursed by the gods for their cruelty & forced to the depths of the ocean where they became Children of the Shark, creatures endlessly hungry for the souls of the chainbreakers aka The Sun People.

The actions & creativity of Violet and her crew are thrilling & sometimes playful. Her community is loving & compassionate as well as fierce. I'd definitely recommend this book to everyone!

If any of these books interest you, I hope you'll check them out from your local library and/or purchase them via Bookshop.org or Libby.fm!