August Reading Wrap Up!

This month has been absolutely jam-packed with good reads! I feel like I picked up one good book after another and read a combination of books that have sat on my shelf for ages as well as new ARCs/review copies. I even listened to an AudioBook this month!

In this post I have summarised the books I read with short reviews, as well as my affiliate link to each book on Book Depository. By purchasing the book through this link, I received a small commission from Book Depository, money that I put towards new books to review for you guys! I would greatly appreciate any support through such purchases :)

July Statistics

Books Read : 10

Pages Read: 3153

Average Rating: 4.4 stars

Favourite Book: The Traitor Queen

Before Crown and Kingdom by Melissa Wright (gifted)

Between Ink and Shadows left me gasping at the end so I had high hopes for book two! Luckily, Before Crown and Kingdom jumps straight back into the action from book one 💜

This book really focused on the relationship between our protagonists, something I was excited to see! Warrick is such a well-developed character with a lot of depth! He’s loyal and fiercely protective but I also love that his softer side is portrayed very well!

After the plot twists in the first book, I didn’t think much else could shock me but turns out I underestimated Melissa Wright’s ability to make my jaw drop! Book three cannot come quickly enough! 🤞🏼

My only criticism is that I wish the books were longer and I’d love to see more of Maris!!!!

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A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova (gifted ARC)

I feel like I've gone on and on about this book but there's just something about Elise Kova's slow-burn fantasy writing that I can't get enough of! I loved A Deal with the Elf King so A Dance with the Fae Prince was one of my most anticipated releases and I still cannot believe that I got an ARC copy to review. I will say, however that I think I preferred A Deal with the Elf King, but maybe that's because it was my first experience of Elise Kova! I can say with confidence that I am eagerly awaiting A Duel with the Vampire Lord! My short review can be read here or my full review is available to read by clicking here!

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The Secret of Dartwood Manor by N. A. Triptow (gifted)

The Secret of Dartwood Manor by N. A. Triptow is a retelling of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Now I will admit that I’ve never read a Jane Austen book but I think this book has made me consider reading the original book 😮

This book felt like an Agatha Christie murder-mystery mixed in with a more modern fantasy! And it really worked well! 😍 I loved that it was set in the modern-day but still in old manor houses! The early days of witchcraft were also referenced, making the book feel completely thought out ⭐️

The plot flowed very quickly and characters were developed just enough to keep the story flowing whilst connecting with characters. The sisters contrasted each other really well which felt authentic and dynamic! There were really lovely relationships between the characters as well as shocking betrayals! 😱 The book ended in a way that sets up really nicely for book two and I will definitely be reading the second installment! 💜 Thank you Nicole for sen

ding me a copy to read and review! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkin

Now, this book is one I've had on my bookshelf for a very long time since I bought it from a charity shop after seeing it all over Instagram. I decided that my Readathon was the perfect opportunity to read it and I actually read it with my mum (well she listened to it ahaha). I enjoyed it and thought that it was entertaining, however I just don't ever seem to be fully satisfied with contemporary books! I just don't think the depth of them is enough and although I'm not saying fantasy is hard to read, but it does require more brain power and imagination, which is a key thing I enjoy about reading. I will continue trying to branch out by I'm definitely a fantasy nerd through and through! In my mum's words this book was 'meh'.

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Shadow of the Wicked by Douglas Smith (gifted)

After Evelyn Hugo, I needed some high fantasy to escape back to the world of books so I picked up Shadow of the Wicked! This book is only 110 pages long (it's a novella) and I read it in two hours! Characters were also developed well considering the space in which it was done! Jaromir and Talmage really contrasted well and together made a full well-rounded character! 🗡I really appreciated the grit of the book in terms of the torture and cruelty of characters. This made for a dark, yet heartwarming story all packed into a short story. Whilst I enjoyed aspects of the book, for me there wasn’t enough actual magic considering that magic was the premise of the book! And at times I was a little lost on what was happening! 🤦🏻‍♀️ I will be writing a longer review soon so keep an eye out on my Goodreads!

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A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St Clair

Here's another book that's been on my tbr for a very long time and I see it over and over again on Bookstagram. My boyfriend bought it for me a while ago when I needed a little pick-me-up (Master's degree-related stress hahah) but it got lost in the abyss of my bookshelves. Another person in my Readathon picked it up for the 'a retelling of a classic tale prompt' and I decided that I would too! The book was a little spicyyyy, something I've not come across in reading for a while, but not outrageous! It also was a bit cringey but I kind of liked this about it. It definitely felt like a build up book, in the sense that a lot of questions remained unanswered by the end and the romance was very slow burn. I really think that I'm going to enjoy the rest of this series and hope to buy the next book soon!!

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A Threat to Remain by France Ellen (gifted)

Book one and two of this series were brilliant so I had very high expectations for this book 😍 and let me tell you it did not disappoint 💜 after leaving A World to Lose on a massive cliff hanger, A Threat to Remain dove straight into the action! I love Frances’ writing as she touches on important topics with such delicacy! Such topics include mental health issues and it is clear that Frances does her research to make sure issues are correctly represented without using stigmatising phrases! Again, I loved the relationship between the Asters and in this book we got to see a slightly more emotional connection between them. I loved seeing the five Asters support each other through fear, grief and success! The book is written in third person, however multiple POVs are given by the way of telling us about different characters in different places! This makes the book so dynamic and complex (in a good way)! 💜 it also made the book tense!

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Daughter of Fire by Stacey Willis (gifted)

In typical me fashion, I’d completely forgotten that this book was based on Greek Gods and myths so when I started reading I was over the moon 😂 The book includes all the well-known Gods, whilst adding new characters and twists to the traditional mythology🏺 it was also a little like Scythe meets Percy Jackson!!! The story is written from multiple points of view bringing various dimensions to the story from the main characters as well as smaller side characters. This made the story fast-paced from the very beginning and the main story had commenced a few chapters in 🏛 The characters were likable on the whole however I actually didn’t like Savannah too much. I found her a little selfish and moany at times but she did make up for it towards the end. I really liked Søren’s character! He had more than one strong personality trait and was the key character who really showed growth! My longer review can be read here!

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The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

I’m going to dive straight into this review and state that I may have a new favourite read of the year 😱 I loved absolutely every minute of reading it 💙 The book starts with an absolute jaw dropper and we immediately think we know what kind of character Lara is….however we are proved completely wrong in our judgement as we get to know her 💙 she developed so well throughout and became such an admirable character! Aren reminded me a little of Rhysand (so clearly he’s perfect) 😂 and although he’s cautious, he was very pure and loveable. The evil character were made so hate-able that I really hated them and felt the other characters pain and disgust! My absolute favourite aspect to the book was how clever and detailed the war tactics are! 😍 Too many romantasy-type books aren’t complex and don’t have strong plot lines but this book was so so well planned. The intricate tactics are present throughout the story and actually required concentration to follow which I think is brilliant 💛 As for the romance aspect, it’s one of the least cringey portrayals of romance I’ve read where there was passion as well as spats! There was a good level of spice without being vulgar and I just loved reading the all the good and all the bad interactions 💜

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The Traitor Queen by Danielle L. Jensen

This book took everything that I enjoyed in the first book and made it even better. I mentioned enjoying the war/defence tactics previously and they only got cleverer and more complex in this book. I was so impressed by how well the plots are set up and the intricate details that contribute to important parts of the story!🗡

I fell even more in love with Aren and how forgiving, understanding and loyal he is. 😍We also grow to love Lara even more and she is one bad-ass woman. Honestly I can’t fault her as a protagonist and her story really represents important themes in abuse and grooming, although this is kept light and not intended in a preachy way. I loved reading her redemption arc and fixing her relationships!💙

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Not only am I excited that I had such a great reading month, but the end of August also signifies the start of the new book publication season, with so many great books releasing from September - December 2021! Such books include: Kingdom of the Cursed (by Kerri Maniscalco), Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer) and Gilded (by Marissa Meyer). How exciting! I may or may not have a long line of pre-ordered books awaiting delivery- including a few beautiful special editions! I can't wait to share them with you!