Category: All Things Books

July Wrap Up 2021

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To be honest, I didn’t think I would do as well as I did this month since 2 weeks of the month was dedicated to one book but I am super happy with how this month went! So many 5 stars!

  • I read 8 books this month.
  • I DNFed 1 book this month, that’s 3 so far for the year.
  • Genre: 3 fantasy, 2 murder mystery, 1 romance, 1 horror and 1 sci-fi.
  • Gender of authors: 3 women and 5 men.
  • Race of authors: 5 white, 2 asian and 1 latinx.
  • Race of illustrators: 2 white and 1 asian.
  • Age range: 7 adult and 1 YA
  • Format: 5 paperback, 1 ebook, 1 hardcover and 1 webcomic

The Shadow Rising – Robert Jordan (4 stars)

Another great installment in the series and with the tv show a matter of months away I am happy to have got through this chunky book. 1000+ pages! I really enjoyed the varying plot lines, I love where the series is going and I look forward to more. I did have to deduct 1 star because, while the plot is amazing, the pacing is SUPER slow!

Saga Vol. 1 – Brian K. Vaughn and (4 stars)

I had heard so much about this series so I finally caved in and got the first volume. Like with most first volumes it was mainly there to set up the main plot points and character motivations. The art was really good, the story is super interesting and I am invested in the characters. Looking forward to volume 2.

Labyrinth: Coronation Vol. 1 – Simon Spurrier (2 stars)

I picked this up due to being massive Labyrinth fan but sadly this comic, which is meant to be a prequel about how the Goblin King became the Goblin King, had so many misses for me. It was too rushed, I wasn’t as invested in the characters or really the plot. I also didn’t love the art style.

The Inugami Curse – Seishi Yokomizo (3 stars)

I was super excited to read this as I loved the first novel by this author. While I still really enjoyed it and would recommend it, it wasn’t as good as the first one for me. I think my rating would have been higher had I not figured out some of the key elements very early on. But it still was an enjoyable novel.

Miss Abbott and the Doctor – Maripaz Villar (5 stars)

This was a super cute romance set in a vague victorian town that follows two completely opposite individuals as they fall in love. The romance is great, the side characters are great, this comic has so much wit and heart and I wish I could physically own it!

The Devil and the Dark Water – Stuart Turton (5 stars)

Another amazing book this month. I am loving this author at the moment! I really loved all the characters, the atmosphere and the mystery. There were times I thought I figured it all out but boy was I wrong! This definitely up there in my Top 10!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns – Julic C. Dao (DNF)

Sadly, this didn’t work out. It had a lot of potential and I really like the premise but sadly I found the main character to be a bit boring and the writing itself didn’t grab me. I wanted to skim most of it but I just decided to put it down.

Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia (5 stars)

WOW! This book flew under my radar last week but I picked it up and was INVESTED! I don’t really read much horror but I felt there was a really strong mystery element to this story which I love. This was so far removed from what I normally read and I am so glad that I gave it a go. Great atmosphere, amazing writing, brilliant characters and a super exciting but gruesome plot!

June 2021 Wrap Up

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So, I had a pretty positive month this month considering how much I struggled in May. I read some really good books this month and started my first 1000+ page book. I won’t be finished until next month but it is quite a feat! I also have found a new author I am excited to read more from and continued reading some trusty authors I know and love.

  • I read 5 books this month.
  • Genre: 4 fantasy and 1 contemporary.
  • Gender of authors: 3 women and 2 men.
  • Race of authors: 1 white, 3 asian and 1 middle eastern.
  • Age range: 3 adult and 2 YA.
  • Format: All paperback.

Alloy of Law – Brandon Sanderson (4.5 stars)

It felt so great to jump back into the world of Mistborn. This book is set 300 years after the events of The Hero of Ages and the world has evolved and changed. I really enjoyed meeting the new characters, seeing how the magic system has adapted, how the world has changed and where this series will take us next. It was super enjoyable and I sped through this book.

We Hunt the Flame – Hafsah Faizal (5 stars)

This was a book that the entirety of Book Twitter was raving about. After I saw all the positive tweets about it I had to pick it up and this book was worth the hype for me. It was actually better than I expected. I cannot wait to read the sequel and more of Faizal’s books in general.

Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 13-15 – Hiromu Arakwa (5 stars)

Another instalment in a series I cannot praise enough. I enjoyed reading this instalment a lot as we get more backstory to certain major events in the books past and we get to learn bit more about the world as a whole. We also meet some very interesting characters as well. OOooo, the series is getting more and more intense and I love it.

Attack on Titan Vol. 1 – Hajime Isayama (3 stars)

So, I picked this up because I wanted to see how the first volume was compared to the first episode of the show. I will be honest, I was not blown away by this volume. The art style wasn’t my favourite and things felt quite rushed but I have faith that the series is going to get better with each volume I pick up.

Ouran High School Host Club Vol. 1 – Bisco Hatori (2.5 stars)

Another case of having seen the show and wanted to compare the original source material to the adaptation. This one also didn’t work out for some of the same reasons. Not a fan of the art style, things felt rushed and I just wasn’t enamoured by it.

May 2021 Wrap Up

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So, during the month of May I got awful tonsillitis which meant that I had no energy and some big changes was happening in my life which basically meant that I was battling a reading slump the entire month. I still managed to do ok but I had so many other books I wanted to read. As I write this now I am still trying to get out of the slump with the next book I’m reading but I will be honest, I have lost my rhythm.

  • I read 5 books this month.
  • I finished a re-read I started back in 2019.
  • Genre: 1 fantasy, 2 murder mystery, 1 contemporary and 1 historical fiction.
  • Gender of authors: 2 women and 3 men.
  • Race of authors: 2 white and 3 asian.
  • Age range: 3 adult, 1 YA and 1 middle grade.
  • Format: 2 paperback, 1 hardcover and 2 ebooks.

The Decagon House Murders – Yukito Ayatsuji (2 stars)

So, this was an average read for me to start off the month. I loved the plot but I felt that the writing wasn’t that engaging, I started losing interest in the novel itself and by the time the reveal rolled around I just wasn’t invested enough anymore.

Orange: The Complete Collection Vol.2 – Ichigo Takana (5 stars)

I read the first volume in April and thoroughly enjoyed it. I instantly went out and bought the second volume straight away. I really enjoyed this volume, the art was beautiful and the characters were great. I will be honest in the fact that I preferred the first volume, I felt the ending of the series was a bit too abrupt. I wish it was expanded a bit more but overall this was a beautiful and emotional story that I will re-read numerous times.

The review linked is a whole series review not just of volume 2.

The Mystery of Three Quarters – Sophie Hannah (3 stars)

This book sadly didn’t match up to my experience reading her second novel but book 3 just missed the mark on something. I thought the plot was interesting and Poirot was great as per usual but something felt missing. I felt that the other characters were quite flat and some plot points were left unresolved. It wasn’t a bad book but it didn’t match up sadly to the previous novel which was my favourite.

Delusion – Hongjacga (3 stars)

This was a web comic that I read for most of the month. The comic started off really strong but I felt it started wavering around the halfway mark and by the time it finished I was a bit confused on the story and the direction it went in. The art was beautiful and I was fully engaged in the story but I felt that the ending could have been better.

The Last Olympian – Rick Riordan (5 stars)

So, I started this re-read in August of 2019 after I decided to stop my Harry Potter re-read due to J.K Rowling’s transphobia. i was super nervous as this was one of my childhood faves well as you can tell by the rating of this book that I loved it. I felt this book was a perfect ending to a great series and I am super excited to start the Heroes of Olympus series next year!

The review linked is a look back on my re-read as a whole.