Hello!!
July wasn’t great for me, not in terms of reading speed nor in terms of health. However overall, it was an okay-ish month? I feel like I didn’t really live in July, you know? Just skated through the month and that’s it? Does that sound right? Like I just floated through the month by sheer strength of meds and nothing much?
That sounds sadder than the month probably was. However anxiety made a comeback in this month and so did viral flu. So, you can imagine the wild days I had during the month, right? It was just a meh month for me and I am just relieved it’s over.
I also posted a lot less than normal this month too. Mostly because of anxiety and my general health but also because I simply didn’t feel like I had much to say about things. I did post reviews of the books I read and liked so there’s that one good thing about the month. Then I also talked about the best books I had read so far in 2019. And wonders of wonders, I did another tag! Can you believe?!!!!
So, now let’s get into the books I read in July. There weren’t a lot of them and I am totally fine with it simply because I am just grateful that there were any at all.
The Heart of the Fae by Emma Hamm
★★★★
A sort of retelling of Beauty and the Beast but with fae and I am just so happy to have read it. It’s so steeped in atmosphere and sure there were some places I wished there was a bit more to the story but overall, I really enjoyed it.
Veins of Magic by Emma Hamm
★★★★
This is the sequel to The Heart of the Fae. The sequel was also pretty good in its own right but if I were to compare to it to the first book, unfortunately, it might not stand taller. Certainly not better but if we are take the politics into consideration, maybe it is safe from being a flop in my eyes.
Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal
★★★★
A modern take on Pride and Prejudice but set in Pakistan. Nothing could have made me more nervous than this but thankfully, I genuinely enjoyed it. It was so well written and the blend of the plot of the original and the setting in Pakistan really worked well. I could feel the familiarity of the Desiness in each chapter to my happiness and dismay.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
★★★★★
I read this in a single night if I remember it correctly. I think this book came to me at the right time because boy, did I devour it whole as fast as I could. This was so good and sure, at times some of the characters really made me frustrated but overall, this book deserves the stars it got. All that praise and amazing reviews are worth it.
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
★★★★
Okay, this one was a delight. Mayan folklore and amazing writing, plus 1920s Yucatan! The characters were solid and there was growth and I just loved it, okay? If you like mythology and folklore, if you truly appreciate solid characters with depth and growth and amazing writing in general.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
★★★★★
Umm…yeah, I was not prepared for the sadness that this book brought forth. God, I couldn’t put it down and there was no way I wasn’t going to cry over this one. It’s about one of the biggest maritime disasters and trust me, the short chapters, the writing and the characters will make you tear up at least once.
So, that was July for me. In terms of quality, pretty good and surprisingly consistent but in terms of numbers, deeply underwhelming. Oh well.
Each book was magical and transported me to some other world and at the end of the day, that’s what matters, doesn’t it? That a book transports you to its world and makes you feel things very, very strongly? So if we count that then it was a good month.
What about you guys? What was your best read or the worst one? Or, let’s not call it the worst, let’s call it most disappointing read. Tell me all about it in the comments.
For now, arrivederci!
bookwormmuse 