July 2018 | Wrap-Up

Hi friends!

Well, July has been an insanely busy month for me, but I’ve survived.

I successfully defended my thesis…now just actually need to get on those edits. I just got done moving from New York to California AND I’m looking for a big girl job.

BUT in the midst of all of the things, I managed to complete 12 books and I’m SO close to finishing a 13th (and I’m in the middle of so many….like 4 or 5).

BookTube video:

Coming eventually…

---

Stats:

ReadAThons:

Tome Topple: Completed 6 (!!!) books

• My Lady Jane
• A Discovery of Witches
• The Last Magician
• A Court of Thorns and Roses (not technically a tome, but needed for the other two)
• A Court of Mist and Fury
• A Court of Wings and Ruin

Retellathon: Completed 4 books, started a 5th

• A Court of Mist and Fury
• A Court of Wings and Ruin (not technically a retelling, I know)
• Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
• Arrowheart (modern mythology retelling)
• The Surface Breaks (started)

Summer Biannual Bibliothon: Completed 4 books, started a 5th, 6th, and 7th. 😬

• Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
• The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
• Arrowheart
• It Ends With Us
• The Surface Breaks (started)
• Furyborn (started)
• Girl Made of Stars (started)

Ratings:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 1

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ – 2

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 5

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ – 1

⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 3

Pages read: 5,355

---

The books:

Book 1: My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows –

Rating: 4/5

Review: This was a book I really wasn’t interested in reading, but I’ve seen so many people rave about this book and I finally took the plunge. I’m not going to lie, this one was a bit weird at first. Once the story got going, it was really quite enjoyable! If you like twisted history, Monty Python, or some good 4th wall breaking, this is one you should definitely check out!

Oh, and the horse thing makes more sense the more you read lol.

Book 2: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Rating: 4/5

Review: I was pleasantly surprised by this one! I loved the romance and cliffhanger. There were some parts that were a bit slow, but overall, it was a fun read. This book reminded me why I loved paranormal romances like Twilight, but also what an adult version could be. Full review available here.

Book 3: The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

Rating: 4/5

Review: I adored this book when I first read it and it was still a fun ride on the reread. A lot of my original comments still hold true and I’m super excited for the sequel! Full review available here.

Book 4: A Court of Thornes and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 4/5

Review: I’m debating if I should do a full review, but overall I thought this book was fine. Yes, there are some problematic elements, but ultimately, this was a fun retelling. Personally, I didn’t get the Rhys hype in this book and I was really feeling Tamlin. I also don’t blame people for liking this book. It was fun. It started off a bit dramatic, but overall it was just a fun and trashy retelling.

Book 5: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Okay, many people say this is the best book in the series and I totally agree. I HATED the arch Tamlin’s character took. I thought it was super forced to make Rhys the good guy, but other than that, I actually really enjoyed this one. Now, there were some things I didn’t love, such as shaming Rhys for his predicament from book one. I also wasn’t totally in love with how fast Feyre went from Tamlin to Rhys, but eh, the book was still fun. I actually really enjoyed the sexy time scenes. They were a fun break from the drama in the plot and some good smut.

Book 6: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 4/5

Review: Okay, so this one was shaping up to be a bit better than book two until the freaking end. I don’t want to spoil anyone, but if you read the book, I think you know what part *death* I’m referring too. Other than that, it was a solid conclusion. The series was fun overall and I can see why so many people like it. Though, I can also see some of the problematic elements and why some people detest this series. I liked it though (except that ending).

Book 7: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Rating: 3/5

Review: This one really disappointed me because I was just expecting to love it. I kept waiting for that wow moment to come, but it never did. There was this intriguing set up with “the inner dragon” but it the outcome was more so so. I’m not sure if I want to continue on with book two, I’m going to wait for some reviews. As for book one, it wasn’t bad, it was just a bit…lackluster.

Book 8: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: So many people love this story, and I can see why. It was a bit of a slow burn and even when I thought I knew where the story was going, it still took me by surprise. This is a book that revels in its melancholy setting and I personally thought it worked really well. Ava is not actually in the book until the half-ish-way point, but getting the back story on her family helped set the scene. By the end, I was in tears. I can see why many people love this one and it’s one I already want to reread.

Book 9: Arrowheart by Rebecca Sky

Rating: 3/5

Review: As a lover of Greek mythology, this one felt like it had a lot of untapped potentials, but I can see how someone will love this one. It was a cute read, but it wasn’t for me. Full review here.

Book 10: It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

Rating: 4/5

Review: Amanda picked this one for me to read as part of the #SBPT and I’m not gonna lie, I was super apprehensive to read a Colleen Hoover book as she’s so controversial. I ended up enjoying this one a lot more than I thought I was going too! Full review here.

Book 11: Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

Rating: 5/5

Review: This is one of the best books I read this year. It was absolutely heartbreaking, powerful, and creates a great dialogue. This is another book I’m thinking about doing a full review on. I want to go as far as to say that this is Speak for the modern age. I don’t think I have been this moved by a book since Evelyn Hugo. There were so many important topics discussed in this book from victim blaming, blind support of a family member, and a very important discussion about how sexual violence, trauma, and long-term effects. Once this I really respect the author for doing is showing that all sexual violence is bad, and there isn’t this pedestal of someone’s trauma being “worse” or “more traumatic” that another person’s. I don’t think I’ve seen an author approach the topic that way before and I think it’s incredibly important for readers to understand. Personally, I think that if you can handle the subject matter for this book, I highly recommend that everyone reads it.

Book 12: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Rating: 3/5

Review: And the final read of the month was one I wanted to love so much, but it kind of missed the mark for me. As many of you know, I usually go into my books pretty blind and I this story took a turn I was not expecting. It went from a fun story about a guy working with a quirky book lover to a story about secret societies, mysteries, and hidden conspiracies. While the concept was pretty strong, I thought the execution could have been a bit better. That being said, I was incredibly stressed out from moving and coming off one of the best books of the year so it might have just been the wrong time for this one. I didn’t hate it, I can see how others love it, it just wasn’t for me.

---

What was your favorite July read?

Be sure to let me know below!