Welcome to my July Wrap-Up! Once again, I didn't read as much as I normally would, but I'm definitely not mad about it because I had a really fun time mood reading this month. Unfortunately, this was my worst reading month of the year which only 11 books and 4548 pages read, however, I still mostly enjoyed what I read, and now I'm super hyped for the Magical Readathon in August! (Keep an eye out for my TBR!)
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1. The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz ★★
This is an adult thriller and the premise intrigued me when I first heard about it: Five attendees are selected for a month-long writing retreat at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, the controversial high priestess of feminist horror. Alex, a struggling writer, is thrilled. Upon arrival, they discover they must complete an entire novel from scratch, and the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Alex’s long-extinguished dream now seems within reach. But then the women begin to die. Trapped, terrified yet still desperately writing, it is clear there is more than a publishing deal at stake at Blackbriar Estate. Alex must confront her own demons – and finish her novel – to save herself.
The first half of this book was incredibly interesting and it really delivered on the premise. The writing initially kept me hooked and I liked the way Bartz set everything up; I love books about writers and their process, and the idea of an isolated writing competition was right up my street. I enjoyed the beginning; seeing all these characters come together, hearing about the past between Wren and Alex, and seeing the competition turn even more fierce. It was nice to see so much representation in a thriller too.
Unfortunately, I really didn't like the way the second half of the book went; it turned almost absurdist and it wasn't what I expected at all (but not in a good thriller twist kind of way). A lot of setup from the first half of the book just fell to the wayside and became irrelevant (I understand red herrings, but this felt more like it was just pushed to one side out of ease). The characters were all so unlikeable too. I disliked Roza and Wren from the start, and then Taylor was just as bad. And the actions of the characters were so unrealistic (or if it was realistic, then they were delusional to think they could just get away with what they were trying to do). The synopsis is also quite misleading; it implies women start dying like a murder mystery, but it's not like that at all. I found the ending to be a bit lacklustre and it solidified my feelings about Alex. Overall, it was an okay thriller but sadly the twist and turning point meant the book went in a direction I didn't enjoy.
2. For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing ★★★★.5
I had low expectations because I'd heard mixed reviews, but this adult thiller was pleasantly surprising for me. It follows a host of characters, but primarily focuses on Teddy Crutcher, an esteemed teacher at a private school. But something isn't right at that school. It starts with a techer falling sick. Rumours about a former pupil going off the rails. But who could've guess it would end in murder?
This book was so twisted and tense and every character was morally grey or somewhat unlikeable, but you always had some reason to root for them in some way. In all honesty, the way the characters were portrayed felt very reminiscent of a combination of Death Note and Confessions by Kanae Minato and I loved that; the build up of suspense where you are seeing if someone will get caught, but also kind of not wanting them to get caught, even though you know they're a terrible person. Yes, it had all of that. The writing was so well done, with short chapters and switching perspectives to keep the reader hooked - and it worked. There was just so much going on throughout the book: between Crutcher, Zach, Fallon, and Frank especially. Crutcher was an awful human, but very clever and interesting to read from to see his twisted logic. I enjoyed hearing more about Zach too and I liked how different everyone's relationships were with their families and friends.
I enjoyed that there wasn't just one big twist too, it was a series of tense events that built up over time, with mini twists to keep the reader surprised. I will 100% be picking up more books from this author; it was a fantastically written thriller and exactly what I needed right now.
3. You Will Get Through This Night by Daniel Howell ★★★★
I've been watching Dan's YouTube videos since 2010 and have always been a huge fan. So when I saw he'd released a non-fiction, mental health book I thought I would pick it up. Written by Daniel Howell, in conjunction with a qualified psychologist, in an entertaining and personal way from the perspective of someone who has been through it all - this no-nonsense book gives you the tools to understand your mind so you can be in control and really live. Split into three chapters for each stage of the journey: This Night - how to get through your toughest moments and be prepared to face anything; Tomorrow - small steps to change your thoughts and actions with a big impact on your life; And the Days After - help to look after yourself in the long term and not just survive, but thrive.
I've read a lot of mental health and self-help books over the years and this is definitely one of the better ones. It's the sort of book I wish I'd had 10 years ago when I was really struggling. Dan's witty humour keeps the tone of the book upbeat, even when dealing with difficult topics. I really liked that it didn't dwell too much on the humour, or even on Dan's personal experiences, and it really delved into the psychology of our mental wellbeing and small actions we can take to help ourselves. While 80% of the content in this book included things I already knew, I still took a few things away from it, and it was helpful to read. I think if you haven't explored much of this topic before, are new to your mental health struggles, or even if you've had them a long time but have never had help, then this book will be perfect for you. It's a toolkit you can refer to at any time and the split chapters really help to know what to focus on. I highly recommend this book.
4. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid ★★★★
This is the seventh Taylor Jenkins Reid book I've read and while it wasn't my favourite, I still enjoyed it a lot. In this historical fiction, we follow the Riva family in Malibu: August, 1983. It's the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over-especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva. The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself. By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family's generations will all come bubbling to the surface.
As always with Reid's books, this was beautifully written; I loved the alternation between the past and present, the previous generation and the current generation and how they all got there. Every family member felt so real, and that is one of the skills of this author, she makes every character so realistic you can't believe they're not actual people. Seeing everything June and Nina went through was heartbreaking. There were so many trash men in this book that had no excuses for their behaviour except that society let them get away with it; it made me so angry, but it was also good to see the portrayal of strong women and make the story more about them. I loved the seeing the family rise from nothing to riches too. I always love to see the dynamic between large groups of siblings, because it reminds me of my own childhood, and the Riva siblings loyalty to one another was so well done. I will say, as the youngest myself, that I really felt for Kit throughout too. Overall, not as compelling as some of her other books, but still a beautifully crafted novel that will stay with me.
5. That Weekend by Kara Thomas ★★★
I've read a few thrillers by this author and really enjoyed them, so I thought I'd pick up her latest release. This YA thriller has a premise that intrigued me: Three best friends, a lake house, a secret trip - what could go wrong? It was supposed to be the perfect prom weekend getaway. But it's clear something terrible happened when Claire wakes up alone and bloodied on a hiking trail with no memory of the past forty-eight hours. Three went up the mountain, but only one came back.
It's not a unique blurb for a thriller, but I was still looking forward to it nonetheless. It did start strong and I'm a big fan of Kara Thomas's writing; she's got a great way of builiding suspense while also progressing the story at a good pace. However, the reason I didn't enjoy this one very much was that I found all the characters to be incredibly unlikable - even to the point where I found Claire to be too frustrating to read from. The one good thing about Claire was that she never tried to solve anything herself and always got adults/police involved, which felt realistic and I appreciated that she was an intelligent protagonist. I also did like the twists that we got and, while they didn't blow me away, I didn't see them coming at all.
However, despite the twists being good, the ending was a bit lacklustre and certain parts felt a bit rushed (like the death scene). We also still had a few unanswered questions and loose threads at the end that I really wanted to see resolved. Especially Claire and Jesse's relationship, but there were a couple of other things that I won't say because of spoilers. I found that the POV shift that we got later on was a bit strange, but I do think it worked well overall. If you're a fan of YA thrillers or this author, then pick it up and give it a try. It wasn't the best thriller I've read by the author, but it was still an enjoyable and quick read.
6. Hide by Kiersten White ★.5
This is my fourth Kiersten White book and, although I'd heard very mixed reviews, I did have high hopes for this adult horror novel. However, it really missed the mark for me. The premise: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught. The prize: enough money to change everything. Even though everyone is desperate to win - to seize their dream futures or escape their haunting pasts - Mack feels sure that she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she's an expert at that. It's the reason she's alive, and her family isn't. But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes this competition is more sinister than even she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive. Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide, but nowhere to run. Come out, come out, wherever you are.
The premise itself drew me in and I was so intrigued by the Prologue, but so many things didn't work for me. Firstly, this reads far more like a YA than it does an adult novel (the only thing that made this 'adult' was the amount of swear words). Secondly, this was barely a horror; nothing scary ever really happened, everything was very 'fade to black', and the most horrifying things in the book were barely alluded to. That meant that the book wasn't a horror, barely a thriller, and also far more paranormal than I was led to expect from the synopsis (which was disappointing to me). The scariest thing about this book was Mack's past and that was it.
We're also introduced to 14 characters in quick succession, meaning that we don't get enough time or backstory from any of them to ever care enough when they died. Having two Ava's was needlessly confusing, and the actual days in the park itself were just plain boring. Half of the book was dialogue, and the other half was just sitting around waiting. Then the discovery of what happens is so convenient and ended up being a lot of exposition. Ava and Mack's 'relationship' was interesting, but I didn't feel like we ever got enough of anything to really be invested. The ending was lacklustre and abrupt with so many unanswered questions. It felt like the author just forgot to end it. I don't feel like you can have something that weird happen in the book and never really explain the how or why? Overall, this book wasn't enjoyable, didn't fulfil its promise to be an adult horror, and the best thing I can say about it was that it was a quick read.
7. The Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons ★★★★★
This is the sequel to The Ruin of Kings and second book in The Chorus of Dragons series. I gave the first book 5 stars and I'm happy to say I've given this book the same rating. It took me a long time to finish this one, not because I wasn't enjoying it, but because I've had a very stressful month in my personal life, but I'm so glad I've finally finished it because it was amazing. I love that it's told in a similar way to the first book: alternating perspectives of the past with conversation in between. Even though we're primarily following different characters, I really loved them all (especially Dorna and Qown). Even some of the more 'evil' characters are explored and we get such a different side of them. I especially loved seeing Janel's time with Duke Kaen and a certain someone with a polar bear cub (I did not see that twist coming - or any of them actually).
We still have a lot of Kihrin even though he's not the main focus, but most importantly, we get to see how the storyline in this book connects to the story in the previous book and it's so fascinating. I can only imagine that this continues in the sequels and I'm already so excited to continue the series to find out how everything is connected and why certain things are happening. One thing I especially loved in this one was that it felt far less confusing than the first book (maybe I'm just getting to grips with it more, or maybe there was less confusion in the sequel). Overall, this series is incredibly well-written and thought out - I'm very excited to continue even though it might take me a while.
8. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan ★★★★
In this LGBTQA+, YA fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most oppressed class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time it's Lei they're after - the girl whose golden eyes have piqued the king's interest. Over weeks of training in the opulent but stifling palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit being a king's consort. But Lei isn't content to watch her fate consume her. Instead, she does the unthinkable - she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens the very foundation of Ikhara, and Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide just how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.
This book was a lot better than I thought it would be. The setting and culture is captivating to read about; I especially loved reading about the lore and magic in this world. Ngan's descriptions were beautifully vivid and I felt like I could picture every part of the palace. Also, the food descriptions made my mouth water. The cast of characters were all very unique and I especially loved the supportive female characters that we saw. Lei is a somewhat typical YA main character in the sense that she is forced into a position she never wanted and we see her constantly fighting back against it. However, I like that her decisions never felt stupid. They were usually a result of careful planning or pure instinct. Aoki's character was sweet and her story really was heartbreaking with her only being 16. Wren was interesting, but I still feel like we didn't quite get to know her enough for my liking. And Blue... Blue was so unbelievably insufferable. There were moments where I was thinking 'oh good, here's the moment she becomes a better person', but nope. She was always terrible. Oh, also, nobody warned me about the horrific thing that happens right at the start of the book - it's something that I hate seeing in books so for anyone else, here's a warning: there is a pretty awful animal death in this book. Also, huge trigger warning for rape and sexual assault.
I will say that while I loved the setting and magic, I did find the demons very difficult to imagine. They're more animal that human, but some of them were still described in human ways so I felt like I could never quite grasp what they looked like. Probably a me issue, but it was jarring to me every time. Overall, this was a really enjoyable book. I'll probably try to pick up the sequels from the library at some point, but I'm not in a huge rush to continue right now. I'd highly recommend this if you're looking for a queer fantasy that is a little bit different
9. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead ★★★★★
This is an adult, thriller novel with hints of dark academia that I'd heard a lot of good things about and I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed. A college reunion turns dark and deadly: six friends, one unsolved murder, and the dark secrets they’ve been hiding from each other for a decade. Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has planned her triumphant return to southern, elite Duquette University, down to the envious whispers that are sure to follow in her wake. Everyone is going to see the girl she wants them to see - confident, beautiful, indifferent - not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather’s murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she’d been closest to since freshman year. But not everyone is ready to move on. Not everyone left Duquette ten years ago, and not everyone can let Heather’s murder go unsolved. When the six friends are reunited, they will be forced to confront what happened that night - and the years’ worth of secrets each of them would do anything to keep hidden.
Although I'd heard good things, I was still very surprised by how much I enjoyed it, especially when the main character was so unlikable. All the characters have a lot of baggage and their own issues and Jessica is no exception. We see early on how self-centred she is to the point where I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy the book initially. However, seeing all these characters' secrets unravel and their personalities evolve over the course of the book was fascinating. The setting was peak dark academia: the cozy college, the ambition to succeed, and the tight-knit friendship group that is actually spectacularly fragile when you start looking at their secrets. I loved every second of it. The friendship group was interesting to delve into: I particuarly liked Jack and Coop. I also liked that we got a few different perspectives and seeing how they all viewed each other versus how they thought everyone looked at them. Cora was especially interesting in that way.
The writing itself was compelling and once I'd started, I couldn't put the book down and ended up reading it in a day. Winstead has great skill in revealing a lot, but managing to hold back enough to tempt you without leaving the reader feeling frustrated. And the twists were amazing. I only managed to see them coming a few lines before they were actually revealed. Overall, an incredibly thriller with brilliant pacing. I will definitely be picking up more of this author's works.
10. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik ★★
I think this is my fourth Naomi Novik book and it will probably be my last. I love the concepts of her stories - this book included, but the execution just doesn't work for me sadly. A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) - until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate or die. The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.
This was a mixed bag for me. I loved the main character, El - her sarcastic humour and jaded view of the world was actually pretty refreshing; she had a lot of great lines throughout. I also liked the developing relationship between her and Orion; the line towards the end where he grabs her hand had me laughing because I'd fully believed El's point of view up to that point. The school setting was interesting, and I loved the magic aspects of the library and the work involved. However, I would say this is where the good things end for me. The worldbuilding wasn't great. It was equal parts info-dumping, yet weirdly I never felt like I got a good enough grip on the world as a whole to understand why things were happening. Also, I love a bit of exposition in a fantasy, but this was insane. It was pages upon pages of exposition in a stream-of-conciousness to the point where I'd forget what the character had initially been doing to get to this thought. I felt so detached from the story at times. It also meant that really not a whole lot happened in this book - if you took out the exposition, it's pretty minimal plotwise.
I can definitely see why people love this book and I think if you're looking towards a more romance-based fantasy and aren't too bothered by less plot, then you'd probably get on with it well. Overall, not for me and I won't be picking up the sequel.
11. The Memory of Souls by Jenn Lyons ★★★★★
And here we have the third book in The Chorus of Dragons series. This was probably my favourite book of the series so far because so much starts coming together. In this one we follow a combination of the characters from the first two books and it pretty much directly follows the previous book timeline-wise. I won't say much about the plot because of spoilers, but I loved the way this one went. We see so many plotlines come together and finally pay off - especially with all the parents. But I think my favourite part was the way the 'evil' characters turned out and how a lot of things got flipped on their head in a way I didn't expect.
The humour was on point throughout. Between the parents, the 'children', and even with Senera and Xivan, there were so many times I was laughing aloud. I adored the relationship between Kihrin, Taereth, and Janel too and I wish we'd seen more of it. Also that plot twist towards the end with Suless - I did not see that coming - I was gobsmacked. And that battle at the end was epic; I could picture it so clearly and it was equal parts amazing and heartbreaking. It was great seeing Talon back in this book too. Overall, a fantastic addition to the series and I'm so excited to continue.
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And those are all the books I read in July! Definitely not my best reading month, but I had a lot of fun with the books I read. What did you read in July? Or what did you think about any of the books I've talked about, if you've read them?
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