March is finally upon us! One of my favorite months of the year, it contains both my birthday and the Orange Beach Arts Festival (which usually occurs on my birthday. Lucky me to always have a festival thrown in my honor, haha!).
And while I’m usually very busy this month of the year, I’m sure many of my readers aren’t nearly so booked full. So, I’ve taken the chance to put together a list of a couple of books and webtoons that I think you’ll enjoy. I tried to curate the list to match the season, but regardless, I hope this list puts a ‘Spring’ in your step and gives you something fun and exciting to read!
- The Bee Dungeon: The Bee-ginning
- To be honest, this is the book that inspired this entire spring-themed blog post. The Bee-ginning is the first book in the Bee Dungeon series by Icalos. Originally, I think it was serialized as a webnovel online before being edited, formatted, and published on Amazon. Now it has an e-book, print, and audiobook available. I listened to the audiobook as I’ve been doing a lot of traveling recently, and I really enjoyed it.
- Anyway, this fun read is a LitRPG fantasy novel that asks the basic question: What could happen if instead of the hero being chosen to wield great power and beat back the darkness, a simple beekeeper was given the power by accident?
- Much like asking a farmer to save the world, this story is a hilarious take on a beekeeper being given control of an RPG tower and being told to save the world. Of course, he has no idea what he’s doing. And it’s GREAT to read someone else ‘living and learning’.
Rating: 🌸🌸🌸🌸
Original Book Blurb Here!
Belissar has always lived a peaceful life, if not a particularly easy one. Though he lost his parents, he was taken in by a kindly villager who taught him his life’s calling: beekeeping. But one day the local lord’s ruthless son, Ruckanos, comes to their humble village to claim his own tower, slaughtering everyone.
Luckily for Belissar, as he lies dying with an arrow in his back, a tiny worker bee decides to interfere, and he wakes up not only alive but a whole new bee-ing. Turns out his little savior is in actuality a core, and together they’ve swiped the tower out from under the murderous Ruckanos.
Now Belissar is king of his own beehive/dungeon. But with power comes more trouble than he could’ve imagined. In addition to building and protecting his own monstrous apiary with the help of his fellow bees, he must confront the encroaching doom known as the Hunger that haunts the world and consumes everything in its path, leaving only death.
A stronger, smarter, more confident, and far less peaceable Belissar is about to show his enemies that when you mess with a hive, you’d better be ready to get stung.
Surprisingly, despite opening like a hardcore LitRPG, I was happy to find that the story wasn’t just about the underdog getting stronger and returning for revenge. Rather, it’s a hilarious story about a man and his bees trying to apply beekeeping logic to fighting monsters. Certainly, the book does have a taste for Belissar’s betrayal and the resulting drive to grow stronger, but it’s no dark fantasy leading towards a revenge arc or dubious morality.
Rather, it’s lighthearted with the petty but amusing squabbles between the different queen bees, Belissar’s struggles to trust again, and the ever-present need for growth, both of the martial sort and personal. I was surprised to find that I loved the discourse between the bees. It was funny and gave a different perspective to Belissar’s struggles that I found really heartwarming.
I’m on book two right now, and there’s a particular scene where the bee conduit explains to a distraught queen bee that Belissar doesn’t love his bees because of what they can or can’t do, he just loves his bees and there’s nothing that the bees can do that will change that. I loved that scene! Right now it’s my absolute favorite part of the series and a big reason I’m recommending it.
It’s a heartwarming read that takes you away from your daily grind and brings you into an exciting fantasy world, but without high stakes or stress. Despite that, it maintains a great flow as Belissar has to solve different problems like acheiving peace with his bear neighbors or purifying the hunger: a malignant parasitic force that seeks to poison the world. It perfectly balances humor and bee-shenanigans with smooth progression into Belissar’s new duties as a tower lord, a supposed bastion against corruption.
It’s all-in-all a very enjoyable fantasy story. If you enjoy LitRPG elements, don’t mind bees, and enjoy a slower paced, cozy adventure rather than an action packed marathon of danger, this is a good book for you! It was a relaxing escape while I was driving across half my state, and while it was perhaps a tad predictable, it also wasn’t boring. The novelty and short chapters kept the pace well in tune with the story. I certainly recommend it this spring for anyone looking to add a little color and spring to their reading list.
- The Beloved Gardener of the World Tree
- Now, this… is only for all my romance girlies. Sorry guys, but you should skip this one. Really. Go on down a bit.
- First off, yes! It’s a webtoon! And it’s a cringe romance with a very low bar for action, plot, or higher-thinking. And you know what? I’d say that’s just fine. Not every book you read needs to be Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia. When you’re ready to kick back and relax during spring break or after spring break, this is a good option for any girl who likes cheesy, dependable romances mixed with some good ol’ fantasy.
- Obviously, I can’t rate it too highly due to that… but it’s still a fun spring read for anyone looking for some veggie brain time.
Rating: 🌸🌸🌸
Book Blurb Here!
This webtoon is a romantasy focused on the story of Lilith La Noella, a noble girl with a poor constitution but a love for horticulture. Now, originally, she was fated for execution after failing to save the world tree and being blamed for it. However… this Lily has already read the book and is determined to write her own ending!
So, she’s done her very best to separate herself from anything the original Lilith would have done in order to avoid her gruesome fate. From breaking off her engagement to graduating university, Lily has striven to live a completely separate life from anything happening in the capital. Unfortunately, destiny has a funny way of coming a-knocking. He fiance reappears to bring her back to the capital in order to care for the ailing world-tree; a harbinger of her doom in the original timeline!
If you’re female, a fan of silly tropes, and are craving a dependably happy ending, this webtoon is a great fit for you! Jump into spring with plenty of magical plants and horticulture with The Beloved Gardener of the World Tree. I enjoy this one when I want something simple, sweet, and with just a tad bit of mystery to keep me reading. No anxiety, no worry that it won’t be a happy ending, just sweet flowers and cute romance found here!
Alright, guys. Back with me? This one is more on your side of things.
Farming With QI
Rating: 🌸🌸🌸
Farming With Qi is another series that started off as a serialized webnovel. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this one as highly as the other one due to a couple of things, but it’s still a fun read and I do believe that it’s the perfect book for someone out there, just not me.
It’s set in a post cultivation world where cultivation has largely faded into obscurity for mysterious reasons. Now, the rich outbid each other over dying remnants of Qi-filled artifacts and ancient remnants or world’s most powerful golden age. Meanwhile, the poor eek out small lives in the mountains, farming and fishing for their daily needs.
It’s one of these farmers that the story follows. Ren Kai is a young man attending the academy in the hope of lifting himself and his family out of the farm-to-table life they depend on. However, one day through complete accident, Ren Kai is given the ability to discern and use Qi, the mythical power of the long gone cultivation clans.
Much like the Bee Dungeon, Farming With Qi asks and answers the question of what would happen if a mere farmer were to be given super powers. The answer: a whole lot of comedic fun and dramatic escapades as Ren Kai proceeds to drag himself, his family, and even his tiny farming village out of poverty.
Personally, while similar to the Bee Dungeon, I would definitely place this series deeper into the cozy side of cozy fantasy. While it does have a decent amount of conflict, none of the stakes or suspense is particularly gut-wrenching or heart-stopping. It does keep good pacing, but after the first few conflicts between country bumpkins and city-folk it does become a little predictable. Almost all of the conflict between characters was either over Ren Kai’s sweet heart or Ran Kai’s assumed status, as many of the antagonists are rich heirs that make it a habit to look down on the less wealthy. And Ren Kai? He’s from the country. He doesn’t exactly wear Armani even when he starts earning good money.
That said, I still enjoyed it. Many of the resolutions were comedic or unexpected, for all that it didn’t feel like much was at stake. For anyone looking for a fast paced, but relaxing read, this story certainly fits the bill!
I also really enjoyed the focus on farming and food. Throughout the story, Ren Kai focuses on finding ways to secretly earn money through his new abilities. This is usually different kinds of farming qi-enfused produce. Beleive it or not, this story actually inspired me to plant my own garden! Though I doubt my harvest will be nearly as fantastical as Ren Kai’s, I’m definitely looking forward to all the tomatoes I’ll be able to eat this summer! Watermelon too!
But, all things considered, my favorite thing about this book was that Ren Kai stays loyal to his sweet heart, Chu Meiyun. Now, I’ve only read two books out of the series and I’m not sure if I’ll continue reading, but throughout these two books Ren Kai is often tempted with other women in various situations. And in every situation he always stays loyal to his crush and later girlfriend.
His rich friend takes a bunch of girls to the beach? Ren Kai tells him to leave him alone. Another rich friend wants to go do karaoke with a bunch of courtesans? Ren Kai leaves him on read.
Throughout both the books I read, Ren Kai stays incredibly loyal to Meiyun. And I really loved that. It’s part of why I’m undecided on continuing the series.
On one hand, I love Ren Kai’s developing relationship with his sweet heart. She’s also got some kind of mysterious background he doesn’t know about yet that I’m very curious about.
On top of that, it’s fun to read with decent pacing and a very likeable main character.
But, it’s also somewhat repetitive. The antagonists are always arrogant, rich heirs with an IQ of five and more money than sense. Ren Kai always comes out on top, even if in unexpected ways (though, I’m fine with this, I love happy endings after all). And the main plot of Ren Kai being a secret Qi user doesn’t seem to have advanced much at all by the end of book two. His finances are better. He’s lifted his family and his village out of poverty, and is even dating Meiyun.
But, the main story hasn’t progressed. I still have no idea why Ren Kai can now see Qi or why Qi vanished from the world in the first place. The reader is also held at arm’s length during the writing as well, making it difficult to understand what Ren Kai is thinking or develop a deeper attachment to the character. Similarly, his romance falls flat without much actual substance behind it. As much as I love a loyal relationship… Ren Kai’s relationship receives very little screen time beyond any conflicts that happen to occur while he’s on a date. There’s no funny conversations, no inside jokes, no romantic moments between the two.
And while, no, this certainly isn’t advertised as a romance, it is certainly one of Ren Kai’s driving factors as the main character. He constantly showcases loyalty to Chu Meiyun and holds marrying her as a reason to become wealthy and rise from poverty.
So, even if the book isn’t a romance by genre, it should endear the relationship to the reader. Because it matters to Ren Kai and thus, it should feel like it matters to the reader. But alas, it falls flat. There are comparatively few heartwarming scenes between the two beyond what the plot needs.
And I know it probably sounds like I’m lambasting this story. But I really, really wanted to love it. I think it had a lot of potential, and in book one I really loved Ren Kai’s character and how things were playing out. I just can’t ignore the faults that become more prominent in book two.
Thus, while I do recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy read that doesn’t take itself too seriously, I can only give it three out of five stars. I’m not sure if I’ll be continuing it when I have a lot of other amazing titles on my TBR list, but if I do, I’ll be sure to update ya’ll on if the story turns around.
Updates
And that’s it for book recs. I’ve not been the biggest reader since middle school, but I do hope you enjoy these additions to your spring reading.
As for my books, I have officially finished the first draft of Plummet. I’ve also received it back from the editor marked in red and will soon be running through the second to last round of edits.
After that, I’ll be sending copies out to my beta readers for feedback and any last minute corrections. Personally, I’m really excited about this part, because I’ve really put my heart into this book, and I can’t wait to see my beta readers’ reactions. Most of them have read my other books, and I know that I’ve grown while writing Plummet. I hope I can surprise them with the most amazing adventure into fantasy yet!
If you’d like to become a beta reader or receive an ARC copy, feel free to leave a comment. I’m always looking for more feedback before a book goes live and I’d love to send you your own ARC or beta copy!
Until next time!
Isekai Dragon 