This month I read 12 books and a total of 5584 pages. It was a pretty good reading month in terms of amount, but it was pretty average in terms of ratings, with only a couple of stand-out books. This is partly because I focused on a lot of backlist/old TBR titles that I had gradually become less interested in, however, a couple of them really surprised me. Here are my mini reviews for July!
July Wrap-Up
1. Lifelike by Kristoff ★★★.5
I bought this book when it first came out in 2018 and it's taken me so long to finally read it. I did really love the Nevernight trilogy by the same author, but I wasn't sure how I'd feel about his sci-fi books. This book follows, Eve. When she finds the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down. With her best friend and her robotic sidekick in tow, she and Ezekiel will trek across deserts of irradiated glass, battle cyborg assassins, and scour abandoned megacities to save the ones she loves and learn the dark secrets of her past.
I did enjoy this book, but I didn't love it as much as I hoped. I think that's mostly because I guessed the twist about 30 pages in and it became more and more obvious the further along we went. The other this was that I wasn't very invested in the romance - the main love interest felt kind of boring and their relationship was a bit weird (for many reasons). However, I loved the found family aspect. As always, Kristoff is great at writing these. The characters were all really unique and it was so easy to distinguish between them. I adored Lemonfresh and Cricket - they were so witty and and Lemonfresh was just a great badass character. Also, no-one has said in ANY reviews I can find about the Anastasia retelling in this?? I loved those aspects and I really liked that you could see the parallels between them from really early on. I'm definitely intrigued by this book and where the cliff-hanger ending will go, but I probably won't continue the series unless I get them from the library.
2. Contagion by Teri Terry ★★★
This is the fifth book I've read by Teri Terry and, while I really enjoyed Mind Games and Book of Lies, I didn't enjoy her earlier Shattered trilogy which I DNF'd after book two. This book follows Kai whose sister is missing. When Kai meets Shay, a girl who saw Callie the day she disappeared, his hope is reignited. Their search leads them to the heart of a terrifying epidemic that is raging through the country. Will they both survive?
While I still find her a compelling writer, I think the pacing of this one felt a bit off towards the end of the book. The first half of this book I really enjoyed, and found very compelling and interesting, but the second half felt a bit dragged out and, after seeing a real global pandemic, this one felt oddly unrealistic. I found Shay and Kai to be interesting characters, but they sometimes made very frustrating decisions. I get it, they're teenagers, but it's still annoying. I also found it weird that Kai could just go from Newcastle to Edinburgh on any random day without his Mum knowing (or caring?). Another problem I had with the characters was that neither seemed too affected by character deaths; especially when one character finds out someone else is a ghost and they just don't seem that bothered? Callie really made me angry by the end with her decisions and I've since read some reviews that say those decisions don't get resolved in the second book which makes me not want to read on. I also guessed most of the plot twists, and the pseudo-science was kind of boring by the end. This book was just fine for me but if you're interested in YA apocalyptic sci-fi then you should pick it up and give it a try.
3. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton ★★★.5
4. Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian ★★★.5
This is a YA fantasy following Theodosia, who was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. Ten years later, Theo has learned to survive under the relentless abuse of the Kaiser and his court as the ridiculed Ash Princess. When the Kaiser forces her to execute her last hope of rescue, Theo can't ignore her feelings and memories any longer. She vows revenge, throwing herself into a plot to seduce and murder the Kaiser's warrior son with the help of a group of magically gifted and volatile rebels. But Theo doesn't expect to develop feelings for the Prinz.
This very much felt like a pretty typical YA fantasy. I love elemental magic systems so that endeared me to it, but I wish we could've seen more of the magic. I thought the characters were pretty well written. The Kaiser was a good villain in how ruthless and cruel he was, although he didn't seem to have much depth to him (I imagine that could come in later books?). However, Theo felt like she just appeared in this book - what was she doing in the years before really? It was like she suddenly woke up and decided to rebel. There was also very little worldbuilding and I struggled to picture the landscape, the city, etc., even though I was really interested in them. Not sure if this is the fault of this book, or just YA fantasies in general. I also just thought that the romances weren't that interesting. I will say that the ending had a few good twists that I didn't see coming and almost compelled me to pick up the next book. However, I think I only will if I can get the next books at a library. This was just a fine YA fantasy so if that's what you're looking for then give it a try.
5. From a Buick 8 by Stephen King ★★★★
I honestly had very low expectations around this book because it's one of the Stephen King books I had where I wasn't that interested in the premise. However, I ended up finding this book both intriguing and very compelling. There is a secret hidden in Shed B in the state police barracks in Statler, Pennsylvania. A secret that has drawn troopers for twenty years - terrified yet irresistibly tempted to look at its chrome fenders, silver grille and exotic exhaust system. Young Ned Wilcox has started coming by the barracks: mowing the lawn, washing the windows, shovelling snow; it's a boy's way of holding on to his father - recently killed in a strange road accident by another Buick. And one day Ned peers through the windows of Shed B and discovers the family secret. Like his father, Ned wants answers. He deserves answers. And the secret begins to stir.
My favourite thing about this was the back and forth between the past and present. This made it addictive and intriguing to read. The atmosphere was on point for me; it had the same sort of spook-factor as The Shining did. Because of the jumps into the past, the characters weren't very fleshed out; I think this is because it felt more like someone telling a story rather than having it from someone's perspective. Hpwever, that didn't detract from the story for me. Ned is very 'angry young man' that you often typically see in Stephen King books. I did really like Shirley though. I will say that I prefer it when King's books are set further in the past, so the fact that most of this was set in the 70s and 80s made me enjoy it more. There were also some Easter eggs to The Dark Tower series in this book, which I enjoyed.
I will say that it had a slightly lacklustre ending. If you're waiting for any kind of twist, you'll be waiting a long time. You do get some closure though and I think the ending was probably what it should be for the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this and I ended up finishing it within 2 days. Any fan of Stephen King should pick this up.
6. Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb ★★★★★
I read The Assassin's Apprentice and Liveship Traders series last year, so I thought it was finally time to pick up the next trilogy in the Elderings. I wasn't actually looking forward to this book because I only gave the original trilogy following Fitz 3-4 stars, while the Liveship Traders was 4-5 stars, and because this series followed Fitz again, I wasn't sure I'd like it. However, I ended up loving this book. I can't really say what the story is about since it's the third trilogy in a larger series, but I can easily say I flew through it. I'm glad Starling wasn't in it much because I don't like her at all. I adored the relationship between Fitz and the Fool in this book - it was just so good and heart-warming (especially 'my beloved'). Nighteyes was, once again, one of the best characters. I really enjoyed where the story and politics of the world is going with this trilogy so far, especially with all the Piebalds. I also loved the small hints we got towards the Liveship Trader's trilogy - Malta and the beach. Overall, a fantastic addition to this series. If you didn't enjoy the initial Fitz trilogy, I would still 100% recommend carrying on, because they only get better.
7. A Shiver of Snow and Sky by Lisa Lueddecke ★★★.5
I decided to pick this up after seeing this recommended by Jade from Jadeyraereads - so, naturally it's a polar fantasy. The premise of this book felt pretty unique when combined with atmosphere that Lueddecke created. On the frozen island of Skane, the sky speaks. Beautiful lights appear on clear nights, and their colours have meaning: Green means all is well, and the Goddess is happy. Blue means a snow storm is on the way. And then there’s red. Red is rare. A warning. Seventeen years ago, the sky turned red just as Ósa was born, unleashing a plague that claimed the lives of hundreds of villagers, including her own mother. This time, when the night sky once again bleeds crimson, she must discover how to stop the onslaught before so many lives are lost again. Overall, this was a perfectly enjoyable YA fantasy. The main thing that really bothered me about this book was Osa's relationship with her sister and father. Their hatred was literally based on nothing real, and I really disliked the forgiveness that happened when there was literally no evidence they had changed. Maybe it gets resolved in the second book, but I much prefer seeing supportive relationships than these ones. (EDIT: The second book is a companion prequel, so it definitely doesn't get resolved). If you enjoy polar fantasy books then I definitely recommend this book because the snowy atmosphere and unique creatures were so perfectly written.
8. A Storm of Ice and Stars by Lisa Lueddecke ★★★
This is the second book in the Skane duology, which is actually a companion novel to A Shiver of Snow and Sky. It took me a while to place this one, but it's definitely set previous to the first book and there are quite a few hints towards the characters in the first book. This book follows Janna, who adores the wilderness surrounding her village. But when the plague comes and the village decides to isolate itself from the outside world, Janna feels trapped. Fear and rumours run wild and when Janna and her friend are accused of witchcraft, they must flee to find both safety and a way to stop the plague. I actually liked this book less than the previous book. Partly because the story felt somewhat predictable after reading the first book, and partly because I disliked the decisions made by the main character. She was deliberately abrasive, even when she knew it would get her into trouble - like the life or death kind of trouble. Also, no-one ever seems to care about their parents in Lueddecke's books; Janna doesn't even really think about them after leaving the village, even though these parents were nicer than the parents in the previous book. I did find the romance heart-breaking and this one was a lot more brutal than the first book with the character deaths. The ending was pretty solid, but overall this got a 3 from me. I think people new to fantasy would probably really enjoy this, especially if you enjoy reading polar fantast settings.
9. Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman ★★★.5
I've enjoyed previous Neal Shusterman books and I was on the look out for another good dystopian / apocalyptic book so I decided to finally pick this up. This book follows Alyssa and Kelton, two teenagers in California when the drought - or the tap-out, as everyone calls it - has just begun. Life becomes an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t take long showers, don't panic. But now there is no water left at all. Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation and violence. When her parents go missing, she and her younger brother must team up with an unlikely group in search of water. Each of them will need to make impossible choices to survive. The characters in this book were very believable and well-written; I felt so much frustration for the decisions the kids made at times, but it also felt very realistic. Each character had a unique voice which made it easy to distinguish them. I also loved the intervals we got where we got to see what was happening elsewhere in the area (news reporters, other kids, etc.). They really added an extra layer to the story. The overall story, however, was a little slow for me - I felt like it took a bit of time to get started, but once it did it was a fun read. Overall, this was a pretty good read, but the slower start pulled it down a little for me.
10. Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen ★★★★
This is YA Fantasy retelling of The Little Mermaid with West African mythology. The book follows Simi who prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata, a mermaid, collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home. But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against an ancient decree and does the unthinkable - she saves his life. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy the gods. To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. I loved the West African mythology in this book and the exploration of African culture that wasn't involved in the slave trade. These things made it such a unique Little Mermaid retelling, and I didn't see a lot of what was coming because of that. The depiction of slavery in this book was incredibly well done, making certain scenes difficult to read because of its realism. However, I'm so glad the author went as far as they did showing this, because it's so important to show what happened to African people. One thing I disliked was the way the main character acted at times - her anger/decisions occasionally felt weirdly out of character even for her for the sake of conflict, however, this may be due to her past trauma. I am really looking forward to the sequel of this book later this year - for such a short book, it really packs a punch.
11. Renegades by Marissa Meyer ★★★★.5
I hadn't heard great things about this book so I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much I enjoyed it. I've loved all of Marissa Meyer's books so far, but especially her Lunar Chronicles series. This is YA sci-fi following superheroes. The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies - humans with extraordinary abilities - who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone... except the villains they once overthrew. Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice - and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both. My favourite thing about this book was that everyone's motivations felt very realistic and I loved how morally grey all the characters are. You see so much of the world from Nova (the villain's) perspective, and it feels really good to see her discovering that the world isn't necessarily what she thought it was. The found family on both the 'villain' and 'hero' sides were great and I loved Nova's relationships with them. Max was also a fantastic character - I just want to look after him! The twists in this book were really interesting and you can tell that more are coming in the next books. If you've watched/read a lot of superhero media, then you'll probably be able to see a lot of things coming, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of it. Overall, a great superhero sci-fi book and I'll definitely continue the series.
12. Insomnia by Stephen King ★★★★
This was the oldest book on my TBR so it was about time I read it. I've read around 20 other Stephen King books so far and I am trying to get through his back-catalogue as I've enjoyed the majority his books so far. I wasn't sure about the premise of this one when I started, but I ended up really enjoying it. This book follows Ralph, who starts waking up earlier. And earlier. Then the hallucinations start - the colours, shapes and strange auras. Not to mention the bald doctors who always turn up at the scene of a death. That's when Ralph begins to lose a lot more than sleep. When he begins to understand why his hitherto mild-mannered friend, Ed, is getting out of control - dangerously so. And why his home town is about to become the new Armageddon.
I love how intertwined Steph King's novels are. At first, I thought of them as 'just easter eggs' to look out for, but this book actually sets up so much of The Dark Tower series, it's incredible. It's really good, because you don't have to read his other books to enjoy his standalones, but it just adds an extra layer to the enjoyment. I really like Ralph and Lois, although I wish Lois had been more involved in the plot earlier on. The villains were done well and very sinister and creepy - did they remind anyone else of The Gentlemen from Buffy? I also loved the descriptions of the auras - I felt like I could picture everything happening so vividly.
I think there were two big things that stopped this being a 5 star. One is that it could've been a lot shorter and achieved the same amount. The first 400 pages did set things up well, but we probably could've had less and still had the same impact. The second (which is true of most Stephen King books), is that certain views/phrases are used but are not often contradicted by the main character, so it's hard to see if the author actually agrees with what the characters are saying - which is mostly worrying when it's racist/homophobic/sexist. I think if the things that were said were challenged then it would feel easier to read, but some things were said that left a very bitter taste in my mouth. It's also worth saying, a huge trigger warning for abortions in this book, as the legality/morality of abortions is a pivotal plot point throughout.
So that's my Wrap-Up for July 2022! Let me know what you read this month and, if you've read any of these books, what your ratings were.
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