 Hello, my darling extraterrestrials. I am Kim. This is Dustmoats and Velikor, and I read 16 books in March. That's a lot, even for me. A few quick updates before we get started. I upload something, book reviews, tag videos, wrap-ups, etc., something every week. It was on Wednesdays, now it's on Mondays, so make sure you hit subscribe so you don't miss anything. Secondly, I am upgrading my rig. This is my new Audio Technica 2500 USB mic. The stand came with a pop filter, and I'm just really happy. But I am still learning how to use it, so if you have any tips and tricks on how to best utilize, please let me know in comments. And can we have a little celebration for the fact that I caught up with my Goodreads challenge? I was way behind in February, and now I am actually 2.7% ahead. I think that's a victory. We are one quarter of the way through the year. I am one quarter of the way through my 130 book goal. I'm crazy. I know, but I think I can do it. I had a mini vacation this month, and I did a lot of reading, and the count comes into 16. Seriously, is there a job where I can read professionally? Because, um, I'm real good at this. I've been super on top of this whole booktube thing this month, so some of the books I read already have solitary reviews on my channel. I will put the little card thing up here. Up here? Up here? But anyway, on to the madness. First of the month was Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller. In this sequel to Daughter of the Pirate King, Alosa, with her fierce female crew and her titular lineage, steal something of vital importance from her father's private study and flee across the high seas, with the whole of the pirate king's army snapping at her heels. After that, I continue the Invisible Library series. Two, three, and four are The Masked City, The Burning Page, and Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman. My whole series review can be found right here, but basically they're like a steampunk, world-hopping mystery series with spies. This series literally has something for everyone. Number five was The Empress by S.J. Kincaid. This is the sequel to The Diabolik. Lots of sequels this month. This series follows a diabolik called Nemesis, a organic, humanoid hybrid that's been genetically engineered to defend the daughter of a galactic senator. When the senator falls out of favor with the emperor, he invites the daughter to join him at court, where it is understood that she will be held hostage to ensure the senator's good behavior. Nemesis is sent in her stead. Impersonating her mistress and her only friend, Nemesis walks into the belly of the beast and becomes embroiled in political machinations that she does not understand. This is a story of nature, nurture, the truth of self and personhood set in a galaxy that is more complicated than anyone truly knows. I got through it. That one was hard. Number six was The Heartforger by Rin Chepeko. My full review can be found here, but basically, like in a nutshell, it's necromancers and magical geisha warriors and politics and romance, oh my. Numero Siete, Bloodwater Paint by Joy McCullough. My review is here. This is a historical fiction told in verse form about the life, art, and trials of 17th century painter Artemisia Gentileschi. And it is beautiful. Onto number eight, Places No One Knows by Brenna Yavinoff. I'm probably pronouncing that wrong. This is a contemporary with a dash of magical realism. When Waverly Camden Maher tries to combat her perfectionism-driven insomnia by lighting a candle to try and go to sleep and astral projecting into Marshall Holt's life. They are both disasters in their own way. Her cuttingly analytical and strategic mind lead her to essentially stage a coup over her high school's social hierarchy and then run until her feet bleed. His extreme empathy overwhelms him to the point of constant inebriation. This book is a beautiful dual perspective as they each try to save the other. Numbers 9, 10, 11, and 12 are not the New Who doctors. They are the Thief, the Queen of Atolia, the King of Atolia, and Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner. These are the only rereads of the month. I was nerding out with stories with stuff about them, and I just had this overwhelming compulsion to read them again. These secretive beauties weave the stories of an ancient world where three small countries share a peninsula, a language, and a pantheon of gods not unlike that of the Greeks. Madcap thieves, politics, and besieged queens swirl together, and the world shudders with the impact of having one who is God touched in their midst. This series is on my all-time favorites list for a reason. Number 13 is Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. This book came out March 6th, and it's my next singular review, so check back next Monday for that. A mini summary for now. Zaele, her brother Zane, and the rogue princess Amari stumble into a quest to bring back magic to their unbalanced world. Alright, we're bringing it home. Numbers 14, 15, and 16 were A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, and A Conjuring of Light by The E. Schwab. I've been meaning to read this series forever, and the audiobook was available on Overdrive, and I got it, and now I'm obsessed. Rich with in-context world-building and vibrant, interesting characters, and complex, bloody magic. This series follows Kel and Lila across worlds and between London's as they search for answers to that ever-present question. What am I? That's all, folks. That is my 16-book wrap-up for the month of March. It was crazy. I'm a little crazy, but it was so fun. Remember to like and subscribe if you want to see more of this in the future, because I'm going to be doing this for a while. Did you like any of these books? Did you love any of these books? Do you know any books that you think I would like because I loved these books? Basically, just talk to me about books. That's really all I want in life. A viento!