Queen of Books: JULY '20 WRAP-UP

Time for another wrap up!

I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe during this global pandemic. Please wear your masks and practice social distancing. Also, if you have a minute, please take a look at this link for resources on how you can help the BLM movement and other issues around the world: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

Okay, my public service announcements are over.

This was a good reading month as I participated in the Reading Rush and other challenges.

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first book I read was Defy by Sara B. Larson. This was a reread for me and I really enjoyed it. Defy is about Alexa Hollen who has been masquerading as a boy in order to be a member of the Prince's guard. She's one of the strongest fighters but when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace, she can't defeat him and is abducted along with her fellow guard and best friend Rylan and Prince Damian. The three are taken into the jungle and enemy territory. I really liked the Mulan vibes from this book however, I really could have done without the love triangle. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The second book I read was Ignite by Sara B. Larson which is the sequel to Defy. I think I liked this one more then the first book though they were pretty close. I can't say much about this one without spoiling the first book, but I loved seeing the characters develop especially Alexa. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The third book I read was Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi. I love Tahereh Mafi's books and I bought this one shortly after it came out but I never read it. This is about Alice who lives in the magical land of Ferenwood, where everything is colorful. However, Alice is colorless which means she also has no magic and it makes her an outcast. She feels like she'll never fit in until she gets the opportunity to join a boy named Oliver on a journey to the land of Furthermore, the land where her father disappeared many years ago. This was a hard book to get into because the writing is so different but I ended up really liking it. The world is so interesting and entertaining. My main complaint is that the ending was really rushed. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The fourth book I read was Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland. This is the sequel to Dread Nation which was one of my favorite books that I read last year. I loved how much more we got to learn about the characters and how the relationships really developed in this book. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The fifth book I read was Lifelike by Jay Kristoff. I bought this back in 2018 when it was released but I didn't read it until this month. This book is described as X-Men meets Romeo and Juliet meets Mad Max. Lifelike is about a girl named Eve who lives in a post-apocalyptic USA and she builds robot gladiators so she can earn money to help her sick Grandpa, who is her last remaining family member. However, everything goes wrong when one of her gladiators is destroyed and she stops the other robot with the power of her mind. Her newfound ability is revealed to all due to the fight being public and now a puritanical organization is after her. On her way home with her AI robot Cricket and best friend Lemon Fresh, they discover an android boy who recognizes her. Together they all go on the run from the people after her and she learns more about her past. I loved the plot of this and I also loved how fleshed out and complex all the characters were. I can't wait to read the next one and find out what happens because this one had like 6 plot twists. I rated it 5 Crowns.

The sixth book I read was Frostbite by Richelle Mead. This is the second book in The Vampire Academy series and I really enjoyed it. This series is a new guilty pleasure of mine as it is so different to what I originally thought. I really liked learning more about the characters and their lives. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The seventh book I read was Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead. This is the third book in The Vampire Academy series so I can't say much without spoiling but I think this was my favorite of the series so far. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The eighth book I read was Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf. This book is one of my new favorites. I've had people recommend it to me for awhile now and I was very wary about picking it up but I really enjoyed it. Bring Me Their Hearts is about Zera who is a Heartless aka the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. She is bound to a witch named Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family however, she wants freedom but with her heart under Nightsinger's control, she can't go anywhere. But, when Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince's heart in exchange for Zera's freedom, Zera accepts. Crown prince Lucien hates the royal court and doesn't care for any of the girls sent to court in hopes of impressing him, until Lady Zera who challenges him. I really enjoyed this book and I loved that the relationship was enemies to lovers and super slowburn. I rated it 5 Crowns.

The ninth book I read was City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. This was a reread for me but since I didn't remember most of the book, it was like I was reading it for the first time. This is the first book in The Mortal Instruments Series and it's about a girl named Clary who figures out she is a Shadowhunter (a warrior dedicated to ridding the world of demons) when her mother is kidnapped. It's a pretty fast paced book and I think I read it all in one day. I really enjoyed it even though I don't like the idea of Clary being only fifteen years old! I rated it 5 Crowns.

The tenth book I read Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. I bought this as soon as it was released back in 2019 but I waited until this July to read it. This is about Elisabeth who is an orphan raised in the Great library of Summershall where she learned the arts of tending to books and guarding them against the world as well as guarding the world against them. One night, Elisabeth wakes up to find the library's Director slain and a Malefic free to loosen its wrath on her city. She takes the monster out but before she can even process everything she is branded as a murderer and a traitor. And when the Great libraries start falling under attack, Elisabeth has to seek help from Nathaniel Thorn, a sorcerer whose family is rumored to use necromancy. I loved this book. The characters were all so enjoyable and fully fleshed out. I rated it 5 Crowns.

The eleventh book I read was Tears of Frost by Bree Barton. This was probably my biggest disappointment of the month. I didn't really enjoy the first book but I was invested in the story so I read the sequel. However, the characters all fell flat and the development that they did have wasn't done well. I also didn't really like how the plot progressed. I rated it 2.5 Crowns.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

The first and only audiobook I listened to this month was Caraval by Stephanie Garber. Caraval is about Scarlett Dragna who lives on a tiny island along with her sister, Tella, and a powerful/cruel father. Scarlett's father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval which is a magical performance where the audience can participate in the show. But this year, Scarlett's invitation that she's dreamt of for years arrives and with the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show but as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval's mastermind, Legend. It turns out that this game revolves around Tella and whoever finds her first is the winner. Scarlett has been told that Caraval is just a very elaborate performance however it seems like it is a lot more than that. This was my third time listening to this audiobook and I love it more with each listen. I rated it 5 Stars.

ARC'S READ

The first and only ARC I read was The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning. This is a retelling of The Princess Bride but with the Princess saving her farm boy. It's about Princess Amarande who when her father dies, is given the choice to either marry a stranger or lose control of her family's crown/kingdom. But Amarande was raised to be a warrior and she refuses to marry a stranger. In an attempt to force her choice, a neighboring kingdom kidnaps her true love, stable boy Luca and she can't trust anyone so she goes after him herself. I thought this was a super cute book and I loved how it was a sort of gender-swapped retelling. I rated it 4 Crowns.

REVIEWS IN JUNE:

NONE

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

NONE

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

May '20 Wrap-Up

June '20 Wrap-Up

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH: