I didn't get much reading done in February I read most of the February prompts for The AusYABloggers Reading Challenge in March.

Tempests and Slaughter - Tamora Pierce

read for the prompt Dark magic
Tempests and Slaughter is the first book in Tamora Pierce's new series The Numair Chronicles. The series is a prequel to the majority of her Tortall books, and specifically to The Immortals quartet. Over decades, Tamora Pierce has created an incredible world in which her stories occur; this book is no exception. Her writing is excellent, diving back into the world is a pleasure. It tells the origin story of Arram Draper, and sets up events that will later have huge impact. Best read after reading her other books.

Laurinda - Alice Pung

read for the prompt Self published / Small press
Laurinda tells the story of Lucy Lam, who wins the inaugural equal access scholarship at an exclusive private school. The story is told in the form of letters Lucy writes to Linh - a girl from her past - describing her difficulties in navigating the the foreign world of Laurinda. Lucy is smart and funny; my favourite parts were the interactions with her family. Quite a tense book while reading; worth the effort because incredibly well-written and very real.

Queens of Geek - Jen Wilde

read for the prompt Point of view protagonist with anxiety
Queens of Geek is a super-geeky, own-voices story, set over the three-days of SupaCon. With a diverse range of characters (i.e. what the world actually looks like), Jen Wilde does a great job of exploring a turning point in the lives of her two protagonists. Taylor is a passionate writer and reader, with serious anxiety and Asperger's while Charlie is an extroverted youtuber and actress attempting to recover from a bad breakup and also deal with a new crush. A fabulous and cute story: the friendships are adorable and the romances super sweet. Interspersed with all that, both Taylor and Charlie manage to learn a few things about themselves and activate some unexpected capabilities.

Breathing Under Water - Sophie Hardcastle

read for the prompt #LoveOZYA ~ Small town
Breathing Under Water is set in a small coastal town. It is beautifully written, full of wonderful descriptions and emotive language. Grace and her twin brother, Ben, have an incredibly close relationship, as well as a tight-knit friendship group and loving parents. As they move closer towards completing year twelve and trying to figure out their futures, tragedy strikes and suddenly everyone is adrift. The story explores the different ways people deal with grief, the impact it has on relationships and what it can take to move through it.