JULY '23 WRAP-UP

 

  

Time for another wrap up!

Hello everyone! This is a late wrap up but I wanted to still post it. I read a lot of books this month and there were a few five stars as well! 

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

 

The first physical book that I read was A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin. This is a fantasy book that has such an interesting magic system in the form of tea-making. It's about Ning who has unknowingly brewed posion tea that killed her mom and the same tea threatens to take her sister as well. Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi (masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making) and she travels to the imperial city to compete in this competition. The winner will receive a favor from the princess and Ning hopes she can use this to save her sister. I found this to have a really interesting and unique plot and I'm excited to see where this plot goes in the sequel. I rated this one 4 Stars. 

The second and third physical books I read were Light Years and Supernova by Kass Morgan. This series follows four students from different planets as they join the Quatra Fleet Academy in order to learn how to fly and battle their greatest enemy. This was unfortunately a fairly stereotypical plot line for a science fiction series and I thought a lot of it was predictable but I still had a good time and rated both of them 3.5 Stars. 

The fourth physical book I read was The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes. This is a cute romance novel infused with magical realism. It's very reminiscent of Disney's Encanto if it was mixed with a Emily Henry book. Parts of this novel are set in parts of America but a lot of it is set on a farm in Mexico where Harlow Estrada's family grow magical flowers and in doing so they create bouquets and potions that have lots of different abilities such as to erase memories, and bond people together. The romance in this one was so sweet and I had such a good time reading it. I actually wrote a mini review for this one which you can find here. I rated it 4 Stars.

The fifth physical book I read was Seven Ways to Kill a King by Melissa Wright. This book had such an interesting premise and plot line, with the main character, Myrina, who is a princess turned assassin and is presumed dead as a result of seven lords taking over her mother's throne. She isn't dead and is actually hiding away plotting their deaths, not just for vengeance but also to free her sister. This was a pretty short book but I still ended up having a great time and really enjoying it. The main character of the book is the highlight of it and I loved watching her journey. I rated it 4 Stars.  

The sixth physical book I read was Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson. This is a gender switched Phantom of the Opera retelling where a girl named Isda was cast out at birth as she was one of the magical few who had the ability to manipulate memories when people sing. Fortunately, she was saved by Cyril, the owner of the opera house and all he asks in return is that she uses her powers to keep ticket sales up and stays out of sight. If she is found, she and Cyril would pay with their lives. But Isda breaks this rule when she meets Emeric, a boy with a voice unlike any she's ever heard. I have been searching for a good Phantom of the Opera retelling for so long and I really wanted this to be the one but unfortunately I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to. I rated it 3 Stars. 

 

The seventh and eighth physical books that I read were All the Stars and Teeth & All the Tides of Fate by Adalyn Grace. This is a duology about a princess named Amora who lives in the island kingdom of Visidia and has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer aka the master of souls. Her magic has never been her choice and to secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of soul magic. However, he demonstration doesn't go as planned and she is forced to flee. She makes a deal with Bastian, a pirate, who will help her prove she's fit to rule, if she'll help him reclaim his stolen magic. I loved this duology. It was such a fun quick pirate read. I rated both of them 4 Stars. 

The ninth physical book that I read was Flawless by Elsie Silver. This is a forced proximity romance with a professional bull rider who's in trouble and his sponsorships are at risk, and the daughter of his manager who has the job now to watch him and make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble before a championship in Vegas. I had such a good time reading this one and the hype is real. I've received the rest of the books from the series for my birthday so I plan on reading them soon. I rated this one 5 Stars. 

The tenth physical book that I read was These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan. This is a young adult fantasy romance about a girl named Brie who hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them even if that means being in debt forever. However, when her sister is sold to the king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she'll do whatever it takes to get her back, including making a deal with the king in order to steal three relics from the Seelie court. To gain access to the Seelie court she must pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan but also accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits led by Finn, their mysterious leader. She has no idea who to trust. This was such a good fantasy romance and I had so much fun reading it. I rated it 5 Stars. 

The eleventh physical book that I read was The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur. This is a sapphic romance about Tansy who is tired of her stepfamily's questions about her love life and so she invents Gemma, a fake girlfriend inspired by the cover model on a book in her family's bookstore that was passed down to her from her late father. She is certain that they'll never actually meet so she doesn't see the harm. However, when real life Gemma crosses Tansy's path, everything implodes. Gemma is the outcast of her wealthy family and the latest heir to Van Dalen Publishing, however she must be married in order to inherit it. When Gemma discovers Tansy has been pretending to date her, she announces their engagement. This was a fun cute romance and I ended up rating it 4 Stars. 

The twelfth physical book that I read was River of Shadows by Karina Halle. This is a fantasy romance book based on Finnish mythology where the hero is literally Death. The main character, Hanna goes to Finland for her father's funeral but things get weird when her father's body goes missing and she discovers that he's a shaman and not actually dead. Instead he's been taken to the underworld and held captive by the god of death. Hanna, with help from her father's apprentice goes to the underworld and offers to take her father's place as Death's captive. This was so good which I was really not expecting. I ended up rating it 4 Stars. 

The thirteenth physical book that I read was Fortuna Sworn by K.J. Sutton. I've owned this for a bit but I finally read it after seeing a favorite booktuber of mine read it and love it. This follows Fortuna, the last of her kind who is on a mission to save her brother in a world of bargains and mistrust. Her brother went missing a couple of years ago and no one has seen him since so she doesn't believe he's dead. Then one day a mysterious stranger arrives at her place of work and offers her a bargain. In exchange for her hand in marriage, he will take her to her brother. This was so good and I immediately fell into the story. It is definitely a darker fantasy than I am used to but I ended up having a great time and rating it 4 Stars. 

The last three physical books that I read was the Cursebreakers trilogy by Brigid Kemmerer. This was such a good young adult fantasy series that I had a great time reading. This is about Prince Rhen who was cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year. He thought he could be saved if a girl fell for him however, that was before he turned into a vicious beast who destroyed his castle, his family and his hope. The other main character is Harper who doesn't have it easy. Her mother is dying and her brother constantly underestimates her because of her cerebral palsy and Harper has learned to be tough in order to survive. When she attempts to save a stranger on the streets of Washington DC, she's pulled into a magical world where she is expected to break Prince Rhen's curse and save his kingdom. I had such a good time reading this series and I read them all super fast. Harper was such an interesting main character and it was so nice to read about a character with a disability in a fantasy series. 

AUDIOBOOKS READ

The only audiobook that I listened to this month was It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han. This is the second book in Jenny Han's summer series which also has a tv show adaptation. This was a reread for me as I wanted to refresh my memory before season two of the show released. I rated it 4 stars. 

ARC'S READ

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REVIEWS IN JUNE: 

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WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

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DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

Summer '23 Anticipated Releases

May '23 Wrap-Up

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL MEN: 

Finn from These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan 

Bastian from All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Rhett from Flawless by Elsie Silver 

Rhen from A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 

Grey from A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES: 

Brie from These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

Amora from All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Summer from Flawless by Elsie Silver 

Harper from A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 

Hanna from River of Shadows by Karina Halle

NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS: 

Brie and Finn from These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

Amora and Bastian from All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Summer and Rhett from Flawless by Elsie Silver 

Harper and Rhen from A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer 

TV SHOWS I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

MOVIES I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

WHAT BOOKS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

 

There's so many more but these are the main ones! 

NEW BLOG FINDS

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SONGS ON REPEAT

Haunted - Taylor Swift 

Vampire - Olivia Rodrigo

I Can See You - Taylor Swift 

What's Up Danger - Blackway and Black Caviar

When Emma Falls in Love - Taylor Swift 

The Little Mermaid Live Action Soundtrack - Disney 

Dance the Night by Dua Lipa

The Last Time - Taylor Swift and Gary Lightbody 

I Miss You, I'm Sorry - Gracie Abrams 

Spiderman Across the Spiderverse Soundtrack 

BOOKS I RECENTLY PURCHASED OR ADDED TO MY COLLECTION

BOOKS I WANT TO READ NEXT MONTH

The graphics at the top belong to me. The background pictures for them, however do not. 

MINI REVIEWS #1 - THE ENCHANTED HACIENDA, THE LOVE WAGER AND EVERY SUMMER AFTER

 

I haven't done many reviews on here lately and I am trying to change that so I will be starting off with some mini reviews of a few books that I've read recently. Only one of these was a five star read but I have quite a bit to say on all of them. 

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The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes

★★★★ 

When Harlow Estrada is abruptly fired from her dream job and her boyfriend proves to be a jerk, her world turns upside down. She flees New York City to the one place she can always call home-the enchanted Hacienda Estrada. The Estrada family farm in Mexico houses an abundance of charmed flowers cultivated by Harlow's mother, sisters, aunt and cousins. By harnessing the magic in these flowers, they can heal hearts, erase memories, interpret dreams-but not Harlow. So when her mother and aunt give her a special task involving the family's magic, she panics. How can she rise to the occasion when she is magicless? But maybe it's not magic she's missing, but belief in herself. When she finally embraces her unique gifts and opens her heart to a handsome stranger, she discovers she's far more powerful than she imagined. (Summary from Goodreads)

This was such a cute romance novel that I choose to describe as Emily Henry meets Disney's Encanto. The Enchanted Hacienda was a book that was not on my radar until I saw a book creator talk about it online and it seemed like such a fun and cozy romance book that also had family and magic at the forefront. Parts of this novel are set in parts of America but a lot of it is set on a farm in Mexico where Harlow Estrada's family grow magical flowers and in doing so they create bouquets and potions that have lots of different abilities such as to erase memories, and bond people together. 

I had such a good time reading this book from the beginning to the main character, Harlow, and her love interest, Ben's meet cute in a coffee shop. The bond between Ben and Harlow was so strong and all their moments were so cute and memorable. The book also has a strong family theme where each of the Estrada women, have magic, except for Harlow who never manifested any magic. Harlow has often felt like the odd one out in her family but after she leaves NYC because of a breakup, everything changes. I honestly am so happy I was able to read this as it was such a comforting read. I hope the author writes more from this world in the future!

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The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

★★★★★

Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it's time to become a full-on adult. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs into the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she'd snuck out of. Through the app, and after the joint agreement that they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie become partners in their respective searches for The One. They text each other about their dates, often scheduling them at the same restaurant so that if things don't go well, the two of them can get tacos afterward. Spoiler: They get a lot of tacos together. Discouraged by the lack of prospects, Jack and Hallie make a wager to see who can find true love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off. As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they each struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with. (Summary from Goodreads)

Lynn Painter has cemented herself as a favorite author with this book, although I've only read one other book by her. Hallie has become one of my favorite romance protagonists because she just felt so relatable. After a one night stand she decides that she has to turn her life around and does exactly that. In addition to moving out to her own apartment, getting a new haircut and wardrobe, she also signs up for a dating app determined to find love. However one of the first people she sees on the app is Jack, the guy who she had a one night stand with. They decide to work together to each find The One. 

This has such a good friends to lovers plot with both Jack and Hallie having great personalities and having a lot of chemistry. They bickered a lot but it was very clear that they had a lot of respect for each other. There's also fake dating at a wedding and what more could you want? I had such a fun time reading this one and I will continue to read from Lynn Painter in the future. 

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Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

★★

They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart. Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry's Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek, the man she never thought she'd have to live without. For six summer, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family's restaurant and curling up together with books-medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her-Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart. When Percy returns to the lake for Sam's mother's funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she's spent punishing herself for them, they'll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past. (Summary from Goodreads)

Every Summer After is such a beloved romance book by the online book community which is why I was extremely nervous to read it and form my own opinions. Unfortunately for me, I was right to be nervous. The concept is such a good one and second chance romance books are usually a huge hit with me but this one was so messy and not in a good way. This book is told in two timelines: one when Persephone is thirteen and her parents buy a lake house which is where she meets brothers Sam and Charlie and they become friends. This timeline follows Persephone through the summers of her childhood and teen years as she and Sam develop a very close friendship which eventually turns into a romance. However, there is something that ruins their relationship and now they haven't spoken for twelve years. In the second timeline, it's twelve years later where Charlie calls Percy with the news that their mother has died and Percy returns to the lake town for the funeral and to see Sam again. 

Some of my issues with this novel are that it just reads a lot younger than your average romance novel and so many of the characters felt very immature and two-dimensional (which is okay for the young timeline but not so much for the current one). A lot of it is also focused on sex rather than actual talking through feelings which felt very unrealistic and messy. The main character, Percy also was an extremely unlikeable main character and I found myself rushing to finish the book and not in a good way. Also, the big twist was a trope that I hate (which is on me and not the book's fault) and everything seemed to wrap up in a tight little bow within a very short amount of pages. Overall, I was expecting a lot more from this book and I am very disappointed that I didn't like it.