Hello everyone! Can you believe it's already July? I'm super hyped about my upcoming camping trip vacation and that means planning out what I'll read on the beach every day. July is always a great reading month for me because I can usually knock out at least four books if not more while I'm on vacation, not including the rest of the month. Before we look at my tentative reading list for July, let's talk about the two books I finished last month.
(goodreads.com)
An Ember in the Ashes was actually a book that I wasn't initially interested in. Desert fiction and Arabian fantasy don't really interest me or get me excited, so based on my judgment of the cover and synopsis, I didn't think I would like this book. I judged this book way too quickly, which I will never do again. The setting was actually based on Ancient Rome, which interests me greatly. I really enjoyed the characters of this book and the connections between each of them. The pacing at the beginning was a bit slow for me and I wasn't always sure what was going on. I still had a tough time picturing the setting throughout the book, so I spent a lot of time going back and forth between the cover and the map inside to help me out. I think Laia's development over the course of the book was great, especially since I found her annoying in the beginning. My favorite character was probably Elias because he was very conflicted, but also very noble, which is an anomaly for his "profession." I'm anticipating the sequel coming out soon to be just as action-packed as this first book, so hopefully I won't be disappointed. I gave this book
4 out of 5 stars.
(goodreads.com)
The second book that I managed to finish last month was
Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton. This book was recommended to me by a colleague and I wanted to give it a try. Set in the Scottish wilderness (and China for a bit) this book follows a young girl named Quinn and her fellow Seekers-in-training John and Shinobu as they work towards their goals of becoming full-fledged Seekers like their parents. Little do they know the price they are about to pay for that knowledge and power. I thought the concept of this story was intriguing and the setting was gorgeous. I'm a sucker for anything in the UK, so bring me there immediately please. The concept of Seekers, which is the main conflict in the story, still seem to be a bit ambiguous. By the end of the book, we understand what Seekers are doing now and the powers they possess through their artifacts, but we really don't understand what they are
supposed to be doing or what they are supposed to represent, before they were turned into something other. I'm hoping they elaborate more on that in the second book.
The characters were a little stagnant for me in the sense that I didn't think that any of them really stood out or did anything to be recognized as cunning, important, strong, etc. The character I liked the most and the one whom I thought had the best development and story line was Shinobu. He had the biggest transformation for me and I found myself rooting for him in the end. The story really revolved around him, with John portrayed as more of a villain (but even then, not really) and Quinn, whom I had thought was the main protagonist, but didn't really seem like it. Overall, I think I would read the second book just to see where the story goes from where we left off. I gave this book
3 out of 5 stars.
Ok, so now I want to talk about the books that I plan on reading this month. This will be a tentative list because things tend to come up and I may or may not get to all of these, despite my best intentions. I also tend to change my mind over the course of a month (for example, I had no intention of reading
Seeker last month until my coworker asked me to). These are books I want to read in the month of July and over the summer or have just been on my TBR shelf for awhile.
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The first book I plan on reading (or finishing) is
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I've already started it and it's taken me a long time to get to this book as it is. This book follows six outlaws as they strive to complete the most impossible heist. There's magic, backstabbing, and cunning gangs in this version of the Grisha world, which is a stark contrast to her other books. I wasn't a huge fan of Bardugo's Grisha trilogy, so I was hesitant to pick this one up, which is set in the same world. However, many Booktubers have been raving about this book, even if they didn't care for the original trilogy, so I thought I would give it a shot. So far I'm not disappointed, so we'll see how it goes.
(goodreads.com)
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs has also been on my TBR list, ever since I finished
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children last fall. As you may already know, the movie adaptation is being released by the end of the year, so I'd like to brush up before going to see it. I'm glad Tim Burton is directing, but it seems like they've already changed a lot of things about the characters so far, so I'm a bit wary. Hollow City is a continuation of the original book, taking place directly after the events of the first book and following Jacob on his quest to London to meet up with other peculiars in order to fend off The Hollows. This is one of the most interesting and unique story lines I've ever read and all of the characters bring something unique to the table, so I'm excited to continue with this series.
(goodreads.com)
It's been almost a full year since
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Sword of Summer was released and the next one will be coming out soon, so it's about time I read it. I've never read any of Rick Riordan's
Percy Jackson series or any of his other books, but the setting in Boston and the focus on Norse mythology had me interested in this book (not to mention the stunning cover). I've had this book in my hands countless times but have never been able to pull the trigger until now. This was my number one summer read on my list, so lets hope it lives up to the hype.
(goodreads.com)
Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman recently infiltrated my TBR shelf. I've been looking to fill the gaping void left by the Falling Kingdoms series (the next book doesn't come out until December) and this looked like a good fit. There seems to be similarities in the variation in character perspectives as well as the alternative motives and manipulations of these characters. The story takes place during an alternative past and follows a young Alexander the Great as he attempts to secure his kingdom. This looks really interesting and I'm totally in the mood for another great fantasy, so bring it on!
(goodreads.com)
Another book that's recently caught my eye is
Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. I don't know much about this series besides the fact that the kingdoms are separated by seasons, which reminded me immediately of ACOTAR, obviously. There seems to be a magical element as well, which is always interesting. This story follows a young female refugee of the fallen Winter realm as she trains to avenge her people and help them rise to power again. The cover is stunning as well, so I hope I have time to cram this book into my summer reading pile.
(goodreads.com)
Last, but not least, another long-time resident of my TBR shelf is the
Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. I really couldn't tackle a huge series with the amount of schoolwork I've had lately, so the summer is really the best time to dive into a new epic fantasy series. I've also been trying to read more adult books, regardless of genre, so I'm working my way towards that goal (albeit slowly). This series is raved about on Booktube so much it would be a disservice to myself not to read it. The main seller of this series is the magic system, which centers around Allomancy, (the manipulation of metals). Sounds like a fun and epic read to be sure. I can't wait to get into it!
As I stated earlier, this is only a tentative list of books I hope to read next month. In all likelihood, some many end up on August's reading list, but as long as I get to them before the fall, I think I'll feel accomplished either way. I have some new releases coming out at the end of the summer and the early fall that I have to make room for, so I'm eagerly anticipating the next few months of reading. What are you planning on reading this summer? Have you read any of these books yet? Let me know in the comments! Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
