Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: July 2022

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It was a great reading month around here!

Favorite Books: Air Awakens reread, Would You Rather, Songs of the Wicked, These Hollow Vows, These Wicked Bonds, Kulti, Master of Iron, Catherine Cowles books!

  • The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall
  • Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
  • A Crown of the Gods (Shadows and Crowns #4) by S.M. Gaither
  • A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrissey
  • [ARC] Hearts of Briarwall by Krista Jensen
  • [Reread] Earth’s End (Air Awakens #3) by Elise Kova
  • Mischief, Mayhem, and Marriage (Supposed Scandal #2) by Rebecca Connolly
  • Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho
  • Naked in Death (In Death #1) by J.D. Robb
  • The Last of the Talons (Talons #1) by Sophie Kim
  • Fake it Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley
  • [Reread] Water’s Wrath (Air Awakens #4) by Elise Kova
  • [ARC] Would You Rather by Allison Ashley
  • [Reread] Crystal Crowned (Air Awakens #5) by Elise Kova
  • Blood and Moonlight by Erin Beaty
  • [Novella] Finding Perfect (Hopeless #2.6) by Colleen Hoover
  • The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
  • The Sin of Saints (Benevolence & Blood #1) by Lauren M. Leasure
  • Dream On by Angie Hockman
  • A Cowboy for Keeps (Colorado Cowboys #1) by Jody Hedlund
  • When He Was Wicked (The Bridgertons #6) by Julia Quinn
  • Songs of the Wicked (A Dreamer’s Misfortune #1) by C.A. Farran
  • [Reread] These Hollow Vows (These Hollow Vows #1) by Lexi Ryan
  • [ARC] Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus
  • [ARC] The Make-Up Test by Jenny L. Howe
  • These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows #2) by Lexi Ryan
  • [Reread] Kulti by Mariana Zapata
  • [Novella] Commit (The Sweet Rom”Coms” #2.5) by Kortney Keisel
  • [ARC] Master of Iron (Bladesmith #2) by Tricia Levenseller
  • Tattered Stars (Tattered & Torn #1) by Catherine Cowles
  • Mother of Death and Dawn (The War of Lost Hearts #3) by Carissa Broadbent
  • Falling Embers (Tattered & Torn #2) by Catherine Cowles
  • [ARC] The Ballad of Never After (Once Upon a Broken Heart #2) by Stephanie Garber
  • The Heart of a Cowboy (Colorado Cowboys #2) by Jody Hedlund
  • Doing Time (Wayfair Witches #12) by A.A. Albright
  • Tokyo Dreaming (Tokyo Ever After #2) by Emiko Jean
  • The Enemy and Miss Innes (Tales from the Highlands #2) by Martha Keyes
  • City of Gods and Monsters (House of Devils #1) by Kayla Edwards
  • The Beach Trap by Ali Brady
  • Class Act (The Thornback Society #1) by Aspen Hadley

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Book Review: The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4) by Rick Riordan

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 597 pages
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: October 8th, 2013
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Hazel stands at a crossroads. She and the remaining crew of the Argo II could return home with the Athena Parthenos statue and try to stop Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter from going to war. Or they could continue their quest to find the House of Hades, where they might be able to open the Doors of Death, rescue their friends Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus, and prevent monsters from being reincarnated in the mortal world. Whichever road they decide to take, they have to hurry, because time is running out. Gaea, the bloodthirsty Earth Mother, has set the date of August 1 for her rise to power.

Annabeth and Percy are overwhelmed. How will the two of them make it through Tartarus? Starving, thirsty, and in pain, they are barely able to stumble on in the dark and poisonous landscape that holds new horrors at every turn. They have no way of locating the Doors of Death. Even if they did, a legion of Gaea’s strongest monsters guards the Doors on the Tartarus side. Annabeth and Percy can’t exactly launch a frontal assault.

Despite the terrible odds, Hazel, Annabeth, Percy, and the other demigods of the prophecy know that there is only one choice: to attempt the impossible. Not just for themselves, but for everyone they love. Even though love can be the riskiest choice of all.

Join the demigods as they face their biggest challenges yet in The House of Hades, the hair-raising penultimate book in the best-selling Heroes of Olympus series.

BOB SAY HI.

Yeah that hurt.

Anyways, another solid read for this series. I love it on audio and definitely recommend that avenue. The narrator does a great job and I can usually listen at a pretty fast pace too (and not miss anything).

I adore all of these characters yet again and love the expansion of getting to see Tartarus and all the dealings and monsters that happen down there. I was anxious the entire time for Percy and Annabeth because I will RIOT if I don’t get the kind of ending I want for them. It happens right?!

Many characters go through get arcs and I am impressed at how well each dynamic is kept up. I never feel like one aspect of the story is lacking or that a character isn’t getting enough page time. The rotation between everyone has created such well defined personalities and people. I love getting to know everyone more each time through their struggles and triumphs.

I did feel like this book ran a little long. But that was my only issue with it. Some action scenes dragged on a bit and I really noticed the pattern that was occurring so I was ready to move on to something else by the end. I am excited to finish this series!!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Urban Fantasy / Mythology
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: intense physical altercations also involving magic, near death experiences

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Book Review: Illusionary (Hollow Crown #2) by Zoraida Córdova

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 368 pages
Author: Zoraida Córdova
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 11th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In Zoraida Córdova’s thrilling sequel to Incendiary, Renata embarks on a dangerous journey to bring justice to the kingdom — perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Sarah J. Maas.
Reeling from betrayal at the hands of the Whispers, Renata Convida is a girl on the run. With few options and fewer allies, she’s reluctantly joined forces with none other than Prince Castian, her most infuriating and intriguing enemy. They’re united by lofty goals: find the fabled Knife of Memory, kill the ruthless King Fernando, and bring peace to the nation. Together, Ren and Castian have a chance to save everything, if only they can set aside their complex and intense feelings for each other.
With the king’s forces on their heels at every turn, their quest across Puerto Leones and beyond leaves little room for mistakes. But the greatest danger is within Ren. The Gray, her fortress of stolen memories, has begun to crumble, threatening her grip on reality. She’ll have to control her magics–and her mind–to unlock her power and protect the Moria people once and for all.
For years, she was wielded as weapon. Now it’s her time to fight back. 

A GOOD DUO.

Ah yes, the illusive duology that didn’t make me want to throw the second book across the room. Would recommend purely based off of the previous sentence alone.

If you’re looking for a bit more information though, here we go!

I enjoyed all of the action and political intrigue that was involved. Things went a lot more in depth with the villain and their true motives. Instead of seeming like a wicked dude with no layers, you start to understand where the hatred comes from. He got the ending necessary for the story so I’m glad that bow was tied up nicely.

Realllllly loved where the romance went to here. This became a tad bit of a love triangle, but not in your face and not full of eye rolls. it was a nice, natural progression and I am team CASTIAN all the way. It was the definition of swooning and I love a broody prince y’all. I will say I didn’t think there was enough closure between Ren and Dez? She kind of jumped ship when he literally jumped ship and I thought there was more unresolved between them. Oh well.

This duo is gritty and complex. It’s steeped in a deep history built into the world and the lore of a magic knife and those with magic wanting to feel safe and belong somewhere. The chosen one trope plays beautifully strong here with Ren knowing her worth.

Plus, an extended epilogue that gives you all the feels and the full endings I was looking for!!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses to closed door
  • Violence: murder, physical altercations, magical weaponry, loss of loved ones

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Book Review: Incendiary (Hollow Crown #1) by Zoraida Córdova

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 450 pages
Author: Zoraida Cordova
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: April 28th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

I am Renata Convida.
I have lived a hundred stolen lives.
Now I live my own.

Renata Convida was only a child when she was kidnapped by the King’s Justice and brought to the luxurious palace of Andalucia. As a Robari, the rarest and most feared of the magical Moria, Renata’s ability to steal memories from royal enemies enabled the King’s Wrath, a siege that resulted in the deaths of thousands of her own people.

Now Renata is one of the Whispers, rebel spies working against the crown and helping the remaining Moria escape the kingdom bent on their destruction. The Whispers may have rescued Renata from the palace years ago, but she cannot escape their mistrust and hatred–or the overpowering memories of the hundreds of souls she turned “hollow” during her time in the palace.

When Dez, the commander of her unit, is taken captive by the notorious Sangrado Prince, Renata will do anything to save the boy whose love makes her place among the Whispers bearable. But a disastrous rescue attempt means Renata must return to the palace under cover and complete Dez’s top secret mission. Can Renata convince her former captors that she remains loyal, even as she burns for vengeance against the brutal, enigmatic prince? Her life and the fate of the Moria depend on it.

But returning to the palace stirs childhood memories long locked away. As Renata grows more deeply embedded in the politics of the royal court, she uncovers a secret in her past that could change the entire fate of the kingdom–and end the war that has cost her everything.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED.

How have more people not been discussing this book?? I willfully agree it had some flaws in the middle, but overall that beginning and ending kept me like a fish dangling on a hook.

I haven’t been flat out shook by a surprise twist in the first half of a book in awhile. This one took the cake. While I hated it, I also loved it because this was a strong start for a duology. The magic system is pretty cool (though I do think it needs more explanation/rules). The world building is mostly there and there’s a cruel prince…that might not be that cruel?! SIGN ME UPPPPPPP.

The middle did drag a bit because Ren’s magic involves her being able to look/take people’s memories. A lot of the story were just flashbacks from different characters who Ren enacted her magic abilities on. I could have done without so many of them as they felt like filler and didn’t necessarily push the plot forward.

Just like the beginning, the ending was WOW too. I couldn’t stop listening (audio is amazing if you love that format like me!!). Maybe didn’t loooove one small aspect, but for the most part, I was speechless. It was fantastic and I can’t wait to read the second book. Really a hidden gem for YA fantasy.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses to closed door
  • Violence: physical altercation, magical attacks
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, massive fires, some gore, suicide, graphic injuries, torture, poisoning, kidnapping

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