July Goodreads Challenge

July Wrap Up

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I can’t believe July is over!! It flew by so quick and I enjoyed all the books for this month, they were well worth the read and I can’t wait to share them all with you! So let’s get started!

Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimde
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Am I Normal Yet? By Holly Bourne
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 5/5

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
Genre: LGBT, YA, Fantasy
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
Genre: LGBT, Sci-Fi, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Don’t Call The Wolf by Aleksandra Ross
Genre: Fantasy, Retellings, Fiction
Review: Here

Rating: 3.5/5

Fly With The Arrow by Sarah K.L. Wilson
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Review: Here

Rating: 3/5

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Genre: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Review: Here

Rating: 3/5

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore
Genre: Fiction, Romance, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Neon Gods by Katee Robert
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, New Adult
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Night Spinner by Addie Thorley
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
Genre: Romance, LGBT, Young Adult
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai
Genre: Graphic Novels, Magna
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, YA
Review: Here

Rating: 3.5/5

Sisters Of The Snake by Sasha & Sarena Nauna
Genre: Fantasy, Retellings, Romance
Review: Here

Rating: 3.5/5

The Sea Is Salt And So Am I by Cassandra Hartt
Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, Young Adult
Review: Here

Rating: 3/5

The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Genre: Horror, Fiction, Fantasy
Review: Here

Rating: 3.5/5

This Poison Heart by Kaylnn Bayron
Genre: Fantasy, LGBT, Young Adult
Review: Here

Rating:3/5

Witchshadow by Susan Dennard
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult
Review: Here

Rating: 4/5

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

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Rating: 4/5

The Darkness Outside Us tells the story of Ambrose and Kodiak, two sworn enemies having to stick their dislike and animosity towards each other aside if they want to survive. Ambrose, was sent into space to find answers of what happened to his sister, Minerva was the first human sent to colonize Saturn’s moon. The two men must put their differences aside and work together to find answers while also uncovering dark secrets behind their mission.

Wow! What a delightful, entertaining, and interesting book! There is so much that I loved about it and I didn’t even intend on reading it and I’m glad that I picked it up. The two leads, Ambrose and Kodiak stole my heart with their banter and I love their contrasting personalities and felt like they were very developed and easy to empathize with. Kodiak was closed off while Ambrose was open and warm and the more the two men are around each other, the closer they become. The romance was well done, I didn’t feel like it was rushed or lacking any development and it felt right. The story and the pacing was incredibly beautifully written and I felt invested to the end. It was a really entertaining and heartfelt story about two people realizing that they aren’t that different than they thought.

The book is actually marketed wrong in my opinion. It’s more adult sci-fi than young adult so a lot of people are missing out on this fantastic book! Even if you don’t like sci-fi, I feel like you would still enjoy the book because of the other aspects of it. Sci-Fi is my go to genre but it’s becoming more of a genre that I read more and more.

The Sea Is Salt and So Am I by Cassandra Hartt

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Rating: 3/5

“When all you know is sea and the sky, everything on land is something to look at.”

The town of West Finch is one hurricane away from falling into the sea. Determined to save her home town, Harlow Prout wants to devise a plan but there are obstacles in the way. One of those obstacles is Harlow herself as she has a habit of getting in her own way, then there is her best friend Ellis McQueen who instead of fixing his problems, runs from them and lastly, his twin brother Tommy who has hit a new low and not in the fixing mood to do anything. But, when Tommy ends up surviving a swim that he intended not to survive, it sets a change in motion that will test loyalties, sparks new romance, and uncovers painful secrets.

Well, I really wanted to like this book but sadly it fell very short and I almost didn’t finish it. First, I love when authors write about mental health and when it’s done well you can really tell and I didn’t find that in this book. Secondly, the characters weren’t developed or fleshed out enough so it was hard to relate to them even with the mental health aspect. Criticism aside, how Hartt captured the atmosphere was beautifully done and that is a definite plus of the book but considering the other stuff I mentioned, I couldn’t really invest in the book too much which was sad. It always stinks when you go into a book thinking you’ll love it and then that ends up not happening.

Don’t Call The Wolf By Aleksandra Ross

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Rating: 3.5/5

“Perhaps it is easier to believe some are born evil, rather than admit that predilection exists equally in every one of us.”

Don’t Call The Wolf tells the story of Ren, a young queen who is losing her battle fighting a hoard of monsters that descended into the forest. She feels that nothing will save them until she meets Lukasz, the last survivor of the regiment of dragon slayers and the two strike a deal. If she helps him find his brother who dissapeared in her forest, he will slay the dragon. But, we don’t always keep our promises now do we?

A lush and entertaining retelling of eastern-european myths that intertwines beautifully written dialogue, world-building, and characters with retelling that fans of Leigh Bardugo and Katherine Arden will love. I would’ve never picked up this book if I hadn’t struggled to find an underrated book for a readathon that I was in. I couldn’t pick one that I felt was underrated, I had to find one that didn’t have a lot of reviews and came upon this and it was an entertaining read with absolutely gorgeous writing and a retelling that captivated me from the beginning. The only thing I didn’t like was the ending as I felt like it was too rushed and didn’t make much sense so that was disappointing.

I would recommend this story to anyone who loves dark fantasy, fairy tales, and retellings as it was fun and entertaining so if you’re looking something like this then check it out!

Sisters Of The Snake by Sasha & Sarena Nauna

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Rating: 3.5/5

“That’s what stories do. They teach us to remember, and to overcome.”

Sisters Of The Snake is a retelling of The Prince and The Pauper but instead this time, it tells the story of Princess Rani who longs to escape her gilded cage and prove herself and Ria, a street urchin stealing to keep herself alive. When the two collide, they decide to take a gamble and decide to switch places as the they are unmistakably identical. But, danger lurks in the darkness and the two girls must adapt to a world that is unlike their own while trying to stay alive at the same time.

I’ve been getting into retellings as of late and this was a fun filled enjoyed ride from the start. While it had it’s downsides which I’ll get to in a bit, it was enjoyable for the most part. The dual narriative being told from Ria and Rani’s perspectives was a plus as it helped give readers a better understanding of the girl’s motives and what they truly wanted in order to feel like their own person. This is a story of familial sacrifice, fate, opposites attract with a magical aspect to add to the cultural aspects throughout the book that make it very real.

However, there are some drawbacks that made me fall in love with it completely. I would’ve liked to seen more world-building and contextualization as there were times where I was confused with the magic system. There were some part that were very predictable and I didn’t feel very invested in the romance. With the romance, I feel there was much too much focus on that and not enough on the characters and the world around them. The notion of Ria’s and Rani’s fate being intertwined is very interesting and I would’ve liked more development then the romance.

Even with it’s faults, Sisters Of The Snake is a fun retelling of an old tale and it’s rich diversity and cultural aspects make it even more interesting than the original. A fun read so check it out if you want!

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

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Rating: 3/5

“After all, everyone’s entitled to be the hero of their own story. So I must be permitted to be the hero of mine. Even though I’m not. I’m the villain.”

Mariana Andros is a troubled but brilliant therapist trying to heal herself from the death of her husband while living living in London. She becomes fixated on The Maidens, an all female secret society and the man they adore Edward Fosca. The professor is adored by the students and staff alike but Mariana is convinced that he’s no good and her suspicions are heightened when a member of The Maidens, is murdered. Not only was she a member of the group but also a friend of her niece, Zoe. Mariana is determined to find out the truth but soon she finds herself in more trouble than she bargained for.

I will admit that I did not enjoy this book as much as I wanted to and it’s a shame. I was first introduced to Michaelides when a friend recommended The Silent Paitent and I loved it so I started following him. When I first heard about this book, I was excited and intrigued cause it sounded like it was right up my alley. First, the plot was super interesting and intriguing and I liked how it was setting up but then it took a dive that I didn’t see coming in later chapters that didn’t make a lot of sense. I lost interest but was able to finish the book but did enjoy the plot twist but wish the other stuff was executed better. But that’s sometimes how it goes!

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

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Rating: 4/5

“You have to believe you’re worthy of the life you want. If you don’t believe that, who else will?” 

For centuries witches have maintained who have maintained their climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now, their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season. But, Clare wants nothing to do with her power, as the price for her magic means losing the ones she loves the most. In autumn, it’s wild and volitale, in winter fires burn and storms rage, in spring she finds herself falling for the witch, Sang who training here and with summer, she must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves.

This was a fun read! The story is a coming of age as Clara is struggling to figure out who she is and what she wants out of her life. In addition to that, she doesn’t have a lot of support around her as she doesn’t have any family and isolated from her peers. She carries the burden of being the one who will save everyone yet no one can tell her why she’s the one who has to carry it. I could understand her resistance to her powers and what was involved in that because that can place a lot of stress on someone so young. Plus, it can feel like not having your own agency if people are telling you who are you, what you’re meant to do or be, and not asking what you want do. So I understood her frustration with that aspect because that can be very overwhelming.

I absolutely LOVED the magical elements, I thought it was really well done and probably my favorite part of the book. The way that Griffin wrote made it feel so real and made me think about the first I read Harry Potter and fell in love with magic in books. Each season had a magical element and it was.so cool how the witches controlled the environment and it added so much mystery and intrigue to the book. I highly recommend this book! It was really great!

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

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Rating: 4/5

“Kindness is something that seems small, Daunis, but it’s like tossing a pebble into a pond and the ripples reach further than you thought.” 

Firekeeper’s Daughter tells the story Darius Fontaine, a young woman who has felt like she’s never fit in not only with her tribe but in her hometown. The young woman dreams of studying medicine but those plans are put on hold when tragedy strikes and Darius must put her dreams on hold in order to care for her mother. As she struggles with her own insecurities and being an outsider, she does start to find one bright spot through it all, Jaime a handsome and charming new recruit on her brother’s hockey team. But, while she battles with her feelings for Jaime, she stars to wonder if he’s hiding something as things aren’t adding up and she begins to question does she really know at him at all? Before she can get to the bottom of it, she witnesses a shocking murder putting her at the center a of a murder investigation. Reluctantly, she finds herself going undercover in order to find out what happened and hopefully solve the investigation but the more she digs, the more that people keep dying and she has more questions than answers.

I can’t believe this was a debut! I really enjoyed this book as it wasn’t what I expected it to be and I couldn’t put it down. It was a beautifully well written thriller from start to end with interesting characters, both main and side. I thought Darius was a relatable character especially with figuring out what she wants out of her life while also accepting her flaws and all. It is really a story of a young woman who wants to feel as she belongs to not only her tribe but to others around her. I thought Boulley did a great job at intertwining the two so that the reader has a better understanding of Darius’s struggle.

The only drawback of the book is the slower pacing which can deter some readers as pacing of a book can make a reader not finish it. But, I do feel like in the case of this book that he pacing does help seeing as it is a thriller but if you’re into fast paced mysteries/thrillers, this may not be your cup of tea. Being a thriller/mystery, I thought Boulley did a nice job with the build up and keeping it suspenseful throughout the book as it helped keep me interested, surprised, and engaged not only with the character but the plot.

All in all, this is a beautifully written suspenseful debut while also intertwining Native American culture which was great to see. So check it out if you want!