July has been by far the most successful reading month for me this year. I was in such a horrible reading slump earlier on this year that I even decided not to film book tbr videos this year. So, I am shocked and proud of myself for reading five books in July. To celebrate I decided to write a reading wrap up for July. These are my thoughts:
BOOKS
Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas
Sarah J. Maas is one of my favorite YA authors and I am so glad she is now writing adult fantasy. Crescent City is a multi-perspective adult fantasy. It mostly follows Bryce Quinlan who’s friends are murdered by a demon. She is determined to investigate who’s behind their murder when people start showing up dead in a similar way as her friends. This is a page turner filled with romance and suspense. Bryce is a very likable main character and that had me rooting for her throughout the entire book. I really enjoyed Crescent City , but there were a few things that I wish Maas would have done differently. I talked a lot about this book in my latest vlog on my YouTube channel so make sure you go and check that out.
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
The Deep by Rivers Solomon was unlike any book I have ever read. This is an adult fantasy about slaves that were thrown over to the ocean, and the women gave birth to mermaids. The mermaids have one historian who is responsible for holding all of their history from the beginning of time. The main character struggles with all of the pain the history of her people bring her. She struggles with the heavy weight of it all as well as trying to figure out who she is outside of her peoples history.
I mean have you ever heard of a book like that before? The Deep is a thought provoking book filled with so much history and pain. Solomon did a fantastic job describing the ocean and how it physically affected the characters in the book. It’s a fast paced book that will leave you thinking about it for days afterward.
AUDIOBOOKS
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Into the Water was the first audiobook I read in July and I enjoyed it. This is a multi-perspective adult thriller. Into the Water starts up with a women found dead in the river, and she is not the first woman to be found dead there. Her daughter is now living with and being taken care of by her mothers sister. It follows both of them as they try to figure out how to live together as well as what happened to all the dead women found in the river.
I felt like the ending was predictable as well as who “did it”. I didn’t find it as suspenseful as I thought it was going to be, but I still enjoyed it. It’s a good book to listen to if you’re looking for a new audiobook.
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
The Cuckoo’s Calling was my favorite audiobook that I listened to in July. This story starts off with a model who is found dead and police say it was a suicide. Her brother is convinced that’s not true and therefore hires a detective to investigate. The story then follows the detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant as they try and investigate what really happened. I found the narrator did a great job reading the book, and the story overall kept me interested.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Lastly, I listened to Gone Girl for the first time. This is a story about a wife who goes missing and the husband becomes the prime suspect. I had really high hopes for this book but unfortunately I was underwhelmed by it. I enjoyed listening to the first half of the book but I started to loose interest during the last half. The plot was good but the ending left me unsatisfied. I don’t think it’s a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.
That’s it for this reading wrap up. Im still in shock I was able to get through all these books. I plan on reading even more this month so keep an eye out for another reading wrap. In the meantime you can check out my previous book post here.
Thanks so much for reading!
