July Wrap Up

I did pretty good with my reading this month.  I didn't do so well with my reviews, but I got the ones done I needed to.  I'll add and update links to reviews if and when I get additional ones posted.  I read some really great ARCs, I checked off a few reading challenge prompts, and listened to several good audio books.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• I was going to use this for a book about mental health for my reading challenge but I ended up using it for my book about a real person prompt.  This was a pretty interesting read.  Sylvia Plath wrote much of this about her own mental health and her recovery.  I understand she didn't want this published in the US as she didn't want to offend the people in the novel that were part of this time in her life.  I can see why so many people recommend this and why it is an important mental health read.
• The Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
• Review
• This was a fairly original retelling.  It isn't at all what I expected, but in a good way.  I loved the writing.  Its a bit slow paced, but stick with it, the ending is worth it.  I loved the mythology and history that is woven into this beloved tale.  This is out July 31st.
• Nyxia Unleased by Scott Reintgen
• Review
• This was awesome!  The story continues on the planet of Eden, with the teenagers who fought in a Hunger Games like tournament of sorts to make it to the planet.  The winners get to mine nyxia for the corporation they are working for and build ties with the planet's inhabitants.  This story is full of politics, action, adventure, friendship and so much more.  
• Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
• Review
• This  is another ARC releasing at the end of July.  This follows 2 sisters on a brutal planet suffering from female oppression.  One sister is being groomed to be the heir's subjugate while the other one is rebellious.  The Heir picks the handmaiden not lady in waiting, and the story kind of takes off from their.  Both sisters end up in the opposite place of where they intended and they both have to fight for what they believe is right.  I couldn't put this down.
• Sadie by Courtney Summers
• Review
• I received a paperback ARC of this from Wednesday Books.  It is so captivating.  It is told in mixed media format in the form of traditional novel style and in podcast format.  I picked it up and couldn't put it down.  There are going to be actual podcasts to go with it and I highly recommend it.  This is another one I was drawn in and couldn't put it down.  I really loved this.  This comes out September 4th and you should definitely pick it up.
• Beard in Mind and Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid
• DSB Review
• BIM Review
• It is no secret that I love Penny's books and the Winston Brother's series is no exception.  Beard in Mind follows Beau, one of the twins, while Dr. Strange Beard follows the youngest Winston Roscoe.  I've had Beard in Mind on my TBR forever so it was fitting I read it prior to Dr. Strange Beard.  I used BIM as my mental health prompt book for my reading challenge as the female main character suffers from OCD and it is discussed at length in the book.  Highly recommend Beau and Shelly's story.  I received an ARC of Dr. Strange Beard for review and I love Roscoe and Simone.  This is out as of today and so many unexpected things happened in this installment.  We learn some things about some of the side characters, and as always the Winston family is there to provide comic relief and lots of love and support. 

Audiobooks

• A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
• Review
• I think this is the best book in the series by far.  I loved where this one ended and how the story progressed.  I can't wait for the next book.  This picks up where the last book left off and we follow 3 perspectives, Laia, Helene, and Elias.  We also get a cameo of the Nightbringer.  I loved how the story moved along.  Helene is one of my favorite characters.
• The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
• This was a little slow for me.  It was a good detective story, but I found the pacing slow and found myself losing interest frequently.  I just wasn't interested in the story or the characters.  I figured out who did it early on, and the build up to the reveal just wasn't exciting enough to keep my attention.  This completes a reading challenge for a book written by a woman using a male pseudonym.
• Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
• This took me forever to get through.  It was pretty long.  I think I need to go back to reading Clare's books vs listening to them.  I read them much faster than I listen to them.  The narrator was great, but there is so much going on in this with the different plot lines it was hard for me to follow on audio and the timing I had for listening to this wasn't good.  I just didn't have the time to give this good attention.  It is a good followup to Lady Midnight and the plot is progressing nicely.  
• 39 Clues by Rick Riordan
• I was going on a long drive with my kids in the car so I needed something elementary/middle grade appropriate to listen to on our trip.  It isn't very long, but I enjoyed it.  It has good humor, and is perfect for young readers.  While I don't think I'll carry on with the series, my 8 year old has picked it up and I'll hopefully get updates from him.

Review: Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart

Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  I had no idea what this was about, but it looked interesting and I took a chance on it.  I'm so glad I did.   This comes out on July 31st.

I really enjoyed this, I found myself unable to put this down. I read it in just under 24 hours. I really enjoyed the writing, so much so we'll forgive the cliffhanger ending :) I really loved this and highly recommend it!

Grace and Fury follows two sister, one is trained to be a Grace, poised and submissive and selected to be a consort of the Heir of the realm. The other is her handmaiden, she is stubborn, outspoken, and everything a woman of this time is not supposed to be. Women in this kingdom suffer from severe oppression. They cannon learn to read or write, they hold only the most basic jobs deemed appropriate for women, and their only real goal in life is to marry a man, be subservient to him, and have children. Serina, has trained to be selected as a Grace her entire life. She has had etiquette and dance lessons, play the harp, wears beatiful dresses, and is the picture of poise and perfection. Nomi, is none of those things, she hates that women have no rights and cannot make t heir own choices. Upon their arrival at the palace, Nomi runs into the Heir and cannot says something outlandish. She is chosen as a Grace in place of her sister which causes them both pain and turmoil.

Just as both of the sisters begin to adjust to their new roles in the palace, Serina is caught with a book and sent to Mount Ruin, a horrible prison island where women are sent for breaking the rules. Serina has known nothing but softness, but on Mount Ruin she must put her Grace training to use in order to survive the brutality that awaits her on the island. Meanwhile back at the palace, Nomi must learn to hold her tongue and play the part of a Grace or else she too will find herself punished. Both of the sisters vow to rescue one another and find unsuspecting allies along the way.

I loved the twists and turns this book throws at you. The author takes her time setting things up and developing the characters. Both of the sisters do alot of soul searching and they both have to find their inner strength to fight mentally and physically. I do like that there is no magical or paranormal element to this story. None of the characters have special powers to help them fight, they will fight because it is the right thing to do. There are some great quotes in here about women being smart and powerful and men being scared of smart and powerful women. I think this is a great book for young girls to read. Women need to stand by other women and be supportive of each other instead of tearing each other down when we have success. The society in this book is built around a history of oppression because a strong woman was in charge and when she was defeated, the men made sure nothing like that would ever happen again. While this book leaves off with a major cliffhanger, I'm ready for the next one to see where the rebellion takes us and how the sisters overthrow the awful government and horrible oppression that is all they've ever known.

View all my reviews

July TBR

I've got a bunch of ARCs that I've had for a while that come out in July that I need to read.  I'm actually really exited to read all of them.  I've either just been busy with other review copies or just reading other things for my challenge prompts or overwhelmed by life.  Once I get through my July  ARCs I have some challenge books I want to read but I don't want stress out about it. 

What are you planning to read in July?  Any recommendations for me?  I've been reading thrillers and retellings as of late. 

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
• I'm reading this for a book challenge about mental illness.  I picked it up at my library sale and it isn't terribly long.  I hope to get through it fairly quickly.  I've heard nothing but good things about this book.  I started it this past weekend and so far so good.   
• The Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
• This is the 3rd Little Mermaid retelling I've got on my docket.  I've had the ARC for a while and the book comes out in July.   I think this is the 3rd month it has been on my TBR.  I actually it today and the first chapter looks really promising.  This one tells the origins story of the Sea Witch so it is a little different than the others I've read.  I'm really excited to get to it. 
• Nyxia Unleased by Scott Reintgen
• I really loved the first book and I'm excited to see how the story plays out.  There is kind of a Hunger Games/Avatar kind of storyline where a bunch of teens compete for spots to go to a new planet to interact with the native lifeforms because they won't hurt children. The "crew" is supposed to mine Nyxia a new and awesome compound with endless possibilities.  At the end of book 1 they were headed to the planet.  This releases in July as well.
• Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
• This  is another ARC releasing at the end of July.  This follows 2 sisters on a brutal planet suffering from female oppression.  One sister is being groomed to be the heirs subjugate while the other one is rebellious.  Sounds really interesting.

Audiobooks

I have a couple of things on hold but who knows what will come in when.  I have a fairly long wishlist on Hoopla and there is always something interesting available to listen to in the available now section at the library if none of these work out.  The waiting list is pretty long for a couple of these since they are new releases and popular books.

• War Storm by Victoria Aveyard
• I'm using this to fill a challenge prompt with a weather element in the title.  The last 2 books kind of dragged on for me so I'm hoping audio will help with the pace.  I really like this series and I'm anxious to see how it plays out.  This should be a pretty epic conclusion and I really have no idea how its going to end.
• A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
• This is another new release, and I've only listened to the books.  I love the narrator and I can't imagine reading it any other way.  I really like this series and how it has progressed.  I'm excited to see where the characters go from where they left off in the last book.
• The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
• I listened to The Thief in June and really liked it.  I loved the mythology, the characters, and the politics.  Hopefully the rest of the series is just as good.
• Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
• I recently picked up Lady Midnight and having read all of the previous Shadowhunter books, I'm looking forward to continuing in that world.  It seems to have a very similar story line from the original series with a few new twists.  I've started this one already and it picks up pretty much where Lady Midnight leaves off.  It is fairly long so it will keep me occupied for a while.
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• I love Greek mythology.  I've heard a couple of reviews that this book is a bit slow and I find that audio helps with slower paced books sometimes.  I've also heard really great reviews about this so I'm excited to get to it.  
• Warcross by Marie Lu
• I've read most of Lu's other books, and I've been meaning to get to this one for a while.  I need a cyberpunk book for my reading challenge and this one should fit nicely.  I've heard mixed reviews, but I'm hopeful.