August started out as a very slow reading month for me. I didn’t get around to reading anything until the 11th because I went back to work at the start of the month. However, saying that I did have quite a good reading month in the end and I managed to finish six books.
The Cruel Prince (The Folk of The Air #1) by Holly Black
Read: 11/08/20 – 12/08/20 Rating: 4.5/5
I put off reading this for so long purely because it had been so hyped up. Oh, how I wish I had not done that. I LOVED this book if you could not tell from how quickly I read it.
Honestly, someone needs to get these dark-haired fae with sharp cheekbones away from me. I really tried to hate Cardan but I just can’t help myself.
I think I loved this book so much because it was fae themed but in the modern world. Yes I have read the Whims of Fae series, but The Cruel Prince did it better.
Goodreads synopsis: “Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.”
Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
Read: 13/08/20 – 13/08/20 Rating: 4/5
I actually wrote a full review for Eliza and Her Monsters which can be found here, so I won’t say much in this post.
I read this in pretty much one sitting, literally starting it after I finished The Cruel Prince and I just could not stop.
Goodreads synopsis: “Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.
In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.
Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.
But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.”
Queen (The Full-Blood #3) by Serena Nova
Read: 12/08/20 – 21/08/20 Rating: 2.5/5
I found this book whelming, not overwhelming or even underwhelming, just whelming. It was quite confusing from the get-go, even though it picked up exactly where the previous book left off. There was this whole section with a creature in the forest and honestly, I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
Also, a lot of characters, who were primary characters in previous books, were pushed aside and almost forgotten about. One of the four kings, Averey, became the only of Isadora’s bonded that had any meaningful dialogue and plot time. It seems to me that the plotline of this instalment was not very well thought out and not much really happened.
Goodreads synopsis: “We’re back, purple piglets!
And we’ve come to claim what’s ours.
To pick up the pieces that we’ve left behind.
I didn’t expect a welcome home party. Don’t get me wrong, it would’ve been fun, but I didn’t expect this either.
The moment we stepped out of the gate, we were thrown on another rollercoaster.
Another battle awaits us—a battle we have to win.
There’s no time to just go along for the ride.
No, I have to take it all head-on.
Because I’m Isadora.
And I protect everything that’s mine.
And you better hope you’re on that list.”
Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young
Read: 21/08/20 – 26/08/20 Rating: 4/5
I think this was the first Viking themed book I have read and honestly, I loved it. The best part of this being how brutal and fierce main character Eelyn was and also how she developed over time.
I really enjoyed learning about the culture and traditions of the two different clans and how even though the end was quite predictable it was good all the same. With a minimal romance subplot, this is a great read for anyone who is looking for an action-packed plotline.
Goodreads synopsis: “Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient, rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield―her brother, fighting with the enemy―the brother she watched die five years ago.
Faced with her brother’s betrayal, Eelyn is captured and must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbour is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.
She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.”
The Siren by Kiera Cass
Read: 26/08/20 – 28/08/20 Rating: 4/5
If you’ve been reading Young Creative Press for a while now then you’ll know that I am a sucker for books about mermaids and sirens. You will also know that I am often disappointed when they never spend any time actually under the sea. This again did not do that, but I didn’t hate it. If anything it was actually quite an enjoyable read.
The ending seemed very rushed to me and the main plotline did not come to fruition until near the end. I would have liked to hear more stories about the work the sirens carry out and what it was like for main character Kahlen during the 80 years that was skipped from the first chapter.
This was a new concept on the usual siren story and I really enjoyed it. If you are a fan of mermaid and siren books then this is a read you should definitely pick up.
Goodreads synopsis: “Throughout the ages, the Ocean has occasionally rescued young women from drowning. To repay their debt, these young women must serve for 100 years as Sirens, remaining young and beautiful and using their deadly voices to lure strangers into watery graves. To keep their true nature secret, Sirens must never speak to humans, and must be careful never to stay in the same place for too long. But once her century of service is over, each Siren gets a chance to start over – a chance to live the mortal life that was almost stolen from her.
Kahlen became a Siren after her family died in a terrible shipwreck, decades ago. And though a single word from her can kill, she can’t resist spending her days on land, watching ordinary people and longing for the day when she will be able to speak and laugh and live freely among them again.
Kahlen is resigned to finishing her sentence in solitude…until she meets Akinli. Handsome, caring, and kind, Akinli is everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. And though she can’t talk to him, they soon forge a connection neither of them can deny… and Kahlen doesn’t want to.
Falling in love with a human breaks all of the Ocean’s rules, and if the Ocean discovers Kahlen’s feelings, she’ll be forced to leave Akinli for good. But for the first time in a lifetime of following the rules, Kahlen is determined to follow her heart.”
Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Mass
Read: 25/08/20 – 31/08/20 Rating: 4/5
Although it took me a while to read Heir of Fire (I’ve pretty much only just finished it in time to include it this month), that is to no fault of the book. I am simply very busy and do not get to sit down and read much during the day.
I really enjoyed Heir of Fire even though at times it did feel a little like a filler book it definitely had its moments of purpose. It was important that we get to see Celaena working on her powers and that for once in a fantasy book the main character is not already a master at their craft.
I did find myself not too interested in the chapters with Manon however I do somewhat like her character. Maybe this will grow in the next book but we’ll have to wait and see.
Goodreads synopsis: “Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak-but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth . . . a truth about her heritage that could change her life-and her future-forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is about to be unleashed?”
That’s a good reading month overall, especially since you didn’t get to much in the beginning of August! I really want to read Eliza and Her Monsters.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net