July was a big month for reading. While half-marathon training, the audiobooks have been an easy binge. So let’s get started with the recap...
The ACOTAR train has continued. Within a couple of weeks, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight and A Court of Silver Flames were all completed. ACOWAR was brilliant, the climax of this was amazing for a third book. But I couldn’t cope with the cheesiness of ACOFAS, that was just too much for me. I listened to it on Graphic Audio, which I think hampered the experience, I’ve never done a Graphic Audio before, and it was just a bizarre experience. But that brings us to ACOSF. I loved the different POV with Nesta and Cassian. The arc was brilliant, and the drawn-out teasing romance was perfectly done. But there’s nothing you can do to convince me to like Nesta. Don’t hate me. I love a ballsy brute of a female character, but she’s just plain abusive, and I find it hard to overlook, despite the hero she became. Maybe by the next book I can forgive her, but for now, I’m just an ACOTAR fan without being a Nesta fan.
I wish I could read more classics, but my TBR pile is already extensive, so this is the first one I’ve fit in this year. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was a beautiful poetic read, and I didn’t realise how much of an awful human Frankenstein was. The entire story was much darker than I expected, but it’s a great classic to have ticked off.
Last year I read RF Kuang’s Yellowface and enjoyed it. Since then, Babel has been on my TBR. It took me a while to read through this one, in fact, I began it in June. I really had no expectations of this book other than having heard great things. The world building and magic system were lovely and inventive, but it was incredibly heavy. The linguistic aspect slowed me down, but I loved the characters. Robin was a delight, and it was actually quite torturous going on this journey without him. I kept waiting for a happy ending for him, really hoping each twist and turn would present a better reality, but it just got darker and darker for him. It broke my heart. Any change in the ending would have done the story a disservice, but I enjoyed it. Robin, Victoire & Remy to the end <3
With my running, I was running low on audio material. It needs to be a certain type of book to listen to. Something lighthearted, or I’ve learnt a re-listen can be just as good. So I gave Quicksilver a re-listen and the Kingfisher POV a go. It was only a few chapters, but the prequel aspect gave new details to the plotline. It wasn’t make or break to the storyline. You could never read it and be fine, but I love this world and characters so much, it just had to be done. I pre-ordered the Waterstones Limited Edition hardback of Brimstone as soon as I was done.
I read one of the worst books of my life for book club. I honestly wanted to end it as soon as I started it. It wasn’t so bad that I could flash through the dialogue and get the gist, but I felt like I deserved a medal for getting through it. I will not name it, but if I see anyone with it in their hand, I slap it from their grip and expect a thank you for my service. It reads like bad fan-fiction of a teenage girl, and it honestly winds me up that it’s been released into the world. Rant over.
The second book I read for book club was The Murders of Fleat House by Lucinda Riley. Now, it’s no secret that I have zero love for thrillers. This was a brilliant book. The pacing, the plot and the characters were great, but that’s as much as I can say. I 100% understand why people love these books, but there’s nothing drawing me to the genre. I’ll continue to read them for book club only, but they are yet to convert me.
I have never read Jojo Moyes before. She’s one of those authors I’ve seen and heard about, but when Me Before You was on my audiobook catalogue list for free, I thought I’d give it a try. It was a beautiful story, truly. Louisa Clark is possibly the most delightful character I’ve read in a while. She was witty and cute, but the story broke me. How can people read such sadness for fun? It’s weird because I knew how it ended, but I hate that it still happened.
Book of the month goes to Ashley Poston! While on my mini trip to Belfast, I consumed this book like a crazed addict. A woman stuck in the fictional town of her favourite romantic book series is a plot I can always get on board with. But a grumpy, handsome bookstore owner as the male protagonist is the icing on the cake. I loved this romance. It worked from front to back. Another five-star read. I just wish I could see her books made into screen adaptations. There’s nowhere near enough fan art out there for me to binge on after a read.
