July Wrapup

Hey readers…

After a dreadful start to the month and not much reading going on. I managed to finish 5 books, I am behind my goodreads challenge by 9 books but I am positive I can pull it back and manage to get 75 books this year. I am unsure what I will be doing in the month of August, as I might be moving house. I am going to go through the books I read in no particular order.

Malice by John Gwynne

I have had this one on my shelf for a while. I picked this up because of an online book club I found from Jessie Mae on youtube. I am so happy I finally got to read this book. This book got me out of my reading slump. I gave this 4.5 stars and my review is here.

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

This is the first time I have read this book and I enjoyed it. I could only get through it on audio book, I think this was due to being in a semi reading slump and the book being extremely intimidating. I liked the audio book and I am hoping to get through these books before the 4th book is out in November. I have this given this book a 4 star, I did find there were sections which were slow. I will have my review up for this on Monday. I gave it 4 stars overall.

Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson

This book was the 2nd Brandon Sanderson book I picked up in July. Brandon Sanderson is one of my favourite authors. I think I have read one of this books every month recently. Like all the Sanderson books I read I did enjoy this one. I have to admit I can’t stop comparing the characters to the first set of characters from the “original” Mistborn series. I gave this book a 4 stars and you can find my review here.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

This book grabbed my attention because it’s about a wizard who is a detective. I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to continue in the series. I have immediately downloaded the 2nd book in the series and I am hoping I can get to it in the next few months. I gave this book a 4 star and will have the review up in the next week.

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

This was an impulse read for me. I saw it on Amazon, it’s been on list for a while so I took the plunge and bought the entire series. I really enjoyed this and I was so interested and invested in the plot and the characters. I really want to carry on the series as soon as I can. I gave this book a 5 star and on the 10th of August.

what books did you read this month? Let me know in the comments below.

August TBR

Hey Readers…

This is my TBR for the month of August. Two of these will be read via audiobook and one will be an ebook. All the main headings for each book will link to the Goodreads page for the synopsis

The Queen of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton

I will be reading this through audiobook on Scribd. I have had this on my tbr for a little while. I picked this one out my TBR jar so it is a must read for this month

The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse

This book I bought because I read The Taxidermist’s Daughter and really enjoyed it. I hope I enjoy this one just as much.

The City We Became by N K Jemisin

This one I am reading for an online book club. I hope I like this, I have tried to read The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin before and I didn’t quite gel with it.

If It Bleeds by Stephen King

I can’t wait to jump into this one and see how I get on with these stories. Stephen King is always hit and miss for me. I recently read The Stand and I really enjoyed it.

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

This is a re-read for me. I want to carry on with the rest of the series and would like to re-read this before I do. I will be reading this on audiobook from Audible. I gave this 4 stars on my first read. Here is my review.

Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien De Castell

This is the book I am reading as an ebook. I am reading this for an online read along. I have heard lots about this author and his book so I am looking forward to starting this series.

Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments below.

-Happy reading
xoxo

Review: Malice by John Gwynne

Author: John Gwynne
Pages: 628
Star Rating: ✪✪✪✪.5

Synopsis

Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king’s realm. But that day will come all too soon. Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage.

The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Although the giant-clans were broken in ages past, their ruined fortresses still scar the land. But now giants stir anew, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of giant wyrms. Those who can still read the signs see a threat far greater than the ancient wars. Sorrow will darken the world, as angels and demons make it their battlefield. Then there will be a war to end all wars.

High King Aquilus summons his fellow kings to council, seeking an alliance in this time of need. Prophesy indicates darkness and light will demand two champions, the Black Sun and the Bright Star. They would be wise to seek out both, for if the Black Sun gains ascendancy, mankind’s hopes and dreams will fall to dust.

My thoughts

I really enjoyed this first book in The Faithful and The Fallen series. The author is writes really well and caught my attention from the beginning. I enjoyed watching the characters grow. I really enjoyed reading the relationship between the main character Corban and his sister Cywen. I thought the pacing of the book was done really well. Gwynne made me hate characters with a passion and love characters equally as much but my gosh does John Gwynne know how to flip characters and to write emotion inducing endings.

I have immediately bought the next in the series and plan to try and add this to my TBR for either August or September.

Have you read this book? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

-Happy reading
xoxo

Review: Shadows of Self

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Pages: 383
Star Rating: ✪✪✪✪

Synopsis for book one

Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history—or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice.

One such is Waxillium Ladrian, a rare Twinborn who can Push on metals with his Allomancy and use Feruchemy to become lighter or heavier at will.

After twenty years in the Roughs, Wax has been forced by family tragedy to return to the metropolis of Elendel. Now he must reluctantly put away his guns and assume the duties and dignity incumbent upon the head of a noble house. Or so he thinks, until he learns the hard way that the mansions and elegant tree-lined streets of the city can be even more dangerous than the dusty plains of the Roughs.

My thoughts

I felt like I enjoyed this book a little more than the first book now I know what the characters are like and how different they are against the first trilogy. I found a few of the characters were starting to develop a little more and I started to understand them better.

One of the things I really liked were the fact we get more of the back stories of Wax and Wayne. I love Wayne as a character, he is extremely funny and this helps when the tensions are getting to high.

The plot in this book picked up a lot more compared to the first book in the series, and you see more of how the first series is linked with this trilogy. The middle was a little slow, in my opinion but the last part of the book picked up and grabbed my attention. I will be picking up the last book soon to complete the series and I am looking forward to it.

have you read this book? what did you think, let me know in the comments below

-Happy reading
xoxo

Midweek update

Hey readers…

I am finally back on track with my reading and I am so happy after a few months of barely finishing one book, I am now enjoying everything I am reading. I have finished Malice by John Gwynne, you can see my review for this here.

I think I could possible finish The way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson this week also if I push myself to get through the final pages. I am more into The way of Kings now and I am enjoying it more now I have switched to Audiobook as well as reading along.

I am 69% into The way of Kings and 64% into Shadows of Self.

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I am also trying to use my kindle a lot more for reading starting this month and I have started a new eBook. I have started Storm Front by Jim Butcher. I am enjoying this a lot, it isn’t something I have read before. This book is about a wizard investigator that is working along side the police to solve a crime.

How is your week going? have you finished any books this week, let me know in the comments below.

-Happy reading
xoxo