July 2021 | What I’ve been reading
Thanks to a book club, renewing my Kindle Unlimited Subscription, and trying out Scribd for audiobooks, it’s been a very bookish month. Oh and I’m also doing a readalong this month that was due finish up in August, but actually ended up with us all binge reading the entire series in July. I completed reading two entire book series, well as far as they have been published so far, which was satisfying but also dissatisfying as I really want to know what is going to happen next for both worlds.
I’m now at 43 books for the year and very much closer to my 60 book target considering a couple of much slower reading months recently.
1 | Spellmaker | Charlie Holmberg
4.5/5 stars | I really enjoyed the second part of this duology. The magic system is clever and quite unique and continues on from Spellbreaker pretty seamlessly.
This story is more character driven, revolving around the ‘will they, won’t they’ and do they actually like each other, between Elsie and Bacchus which I feel could have been resolved quite a bit earlier.
It’s a charming book with good elements of magic and investigating mystery that gives it a magical Enola Holmes vibe which I really enjoyed.
2 | A Touch of Darkness | Scarlet St. Clair
5/5 stars | I thoroughly enjoyed this Hades and Persephone retelling. This story retells the Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses as if they still ruled the modern world.
Persephone is a secret Goddess, daughter of Demeter, who has been warned away from the Gods, but meets Hades and enters into a bargain with him. The development of her character as she learns about the Underworld and some of the Gods closest to Hades is riveting, and I really enjoyed how Hades is made into less of a evil character, but one seeking redemption for his past.
The ending is reasonably predictable but in all the right ways, especially if you know the original myth of Hades and Persephone. This series has truly helped fully reignite my love for the Greek Myths.
3 | From Blood and Ash | Jennifer L. Armentrout
5/5 stars | One of the best books I’ve read in a while. It’s up there with basically every book by Sarah J Maas. I’m going to try to be as spoiler free as physically possible for this series as it’s so so good but complex.
There is a whole lot of world building in this book which can be a tad confusing, but persevere, it does get easier and clearer. That said there is also vast amounts of character development, and the story leaps straight into action from page 1. I loved the fast paced plot, the character interactions and just everything about this pacey romantic fantasy. I love Poppy’s violent streak too as well as Hawke’s teasing.
Some elements are perhaps a tad predictable but in all the right ways and I didn’t want to put this book down.
4 | A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire | Jennifer L. Armentrout
5/5 stars | Again I couldn’t put this sequel book down. In fact I read 600+ pages in two days because I just wanted to live and breathe this book.
Again there is even further world building in this book, but far more of the development is in the characters and how they feel, as well as Poppy discovering her own magic and abilities.
There is an awful lot of angst and trauma to muddle through but helps to create perfect well rounded characters. And I adore the introduction of Casteel and Kieran, who have the most wicked sass and banter. I think the character interaction is what makes this book so very good and eases out the plot difficulties which can sometimes be a little confusing.
The intense cliffhanger ending is insane and honestly I could not wait to start book 3.
5 | A Touch of Ruin | Scarlett St. Clair
4/5 stars | This book is a bit darker than the previous dealing with more serious topics such as death, loss, grief and suicide. It uses these topics to further the story and to develop the characters well and is done carefully and respectfully. That said, Persephone is often difficult to like, doing a few quite stupid things that ultimately lead to bigger troubles, but thankfully she does learn from her mistakes with time.
I liked the introduction of Apollo more in this book, as the arsehole type character that you love to hate.
I did find Persephone a tad whiney and irritating, as before with her decision making, and her lack of confidence in her abilities combined with her tendency to compare herself to others that have had much longer to learn their magic.
6 | Last Night | Mhari McFarlane
3/5 stars | I listened to this on Scribd as part of the @thatmamaclub book club. It’s not a book I would have picked for myself but I did quite enjoy the different genre to my usual. It’s marketed as a rom-com and it definitely starts and finishes within the stereotypical constraints of this genre, but I have to admit the middle was really unexpected and different.
The book deals with friendships over time, and grief, with powerful descriptions of the pain of losing a loved one and I thought it was excellently put together if a little hard to digest because of the topic.
I liked the ending, although i did expect it due to the genre type, but it didn’t put me off.
The audiobook is also a really nice listen, narrated really well and I found it pleasant to listen to whilst doing other things without the need to be carefully paying attention. A good holiday, easy read with thought provoking elements throughout, and some real laugh out loud anecdotes and real, modern day references that balanced out the serious topics well.
7 | A Game of Fate | Scarlett St. Clair
4/5 stars | This is the alternative perspective of ATOD told from Hades point of view. Although it follows the same timeline, it introduces more of the Underworld, and the darker side of Hades character and his past, explaining why he is such a dark and slightly tortured individual.
I enjoyed this take on the series, and although I read it in slightly the wrong order, it still made sense within the world.
8 | The Crown of Gilded Bones | Jennifer L. Armentrout
5/5 stars | Loved the third part in this series. This book starts out super intense with so much plot driven action. I don’t think I could put the book down for the first 1/4. The plot does slow down in the middle, instead loading a lot of world building and character development, which at times was a tad confusing. With Poppy learning her new powers and what they mean for her and the world around her, it was at times just a bit much to take in all at once. The last 1/4 goes back to being quite intense again, and without revealing too much plays off some common fantasy tropes with some clever twists.
I am still very much in love with the main three characters, and I think their interactions and the sarcasm from Kieran balances out the information overload to keep this book ranked as a 5 star.
I’m very intrigued on where this is going to go next, especially as I know the next book is a dual perspective between Poppy and Casteel which intrigues but also makes me a little hesitant due to what happens in this book which has obviously influenced this decision. There’s also a lot of plot holes to be explained in due course, particularly around Poppy’s origins.
9 | A Touch of Malice | Scarlett St. Clair
4/5 stars | I liked the development of Persephone’s character in this book as she becomes stronger and begins to understand her magic better. I enjoyed the introduction of more of the Olympian’s, and the development of Apollo.
I would have liked more of Hades, but suspect because of his own perspective stories, he will feature more heavily there. SSC deals with trauma and PTSD in this story too after the ending of the previous Persephone book.
The ending of this book is probably the clincher for this book getting 4 stars as it is really good, very action packed and an excellent cliff hanger, setting up for a new Hades book.
