August 2016 Wrap Up

Hello my loves. I did a lot of shopping this month and not so much reading. Ooops? I bought um...~51 books (I have to count them and some aren't arriving until September). Anyway....I read 4 books this month.

Book #1: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The Adventure Begins. Narnia... where Talking Beasts walk... where a Witch waits... where a new world is about to be born. On a daring quest to save a life, two friends are hurled into another world, where an evil sorceress seeks to enslave them. But then the lion Aslan's song weaves itself into the fabric of a new land, a land that will be known as Narnia. And in Narnia, all things are possible....

This was the second-to-last book we read for the buddy read of the Chronicles of Narnia. I rated this one a 5/5 because I enjoyed the story immensely. I think it's interesting that they ended up screwing themselves when they let Jadis escape in Narnia. But then, how were they to know what she would do? The scenes during the birth of Narnia itself were absolutely amazing and I couldn't have wanted anything more from a book. I liked it. 

Book #2: The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

The last battle is the greatest battle of all. Narnia... where lies breed fear... where loyalty is tested... where all hope seems lost. During the last days of Narnia, the land faces its fiercest challenge - not an invader from without but an enemy from within. Lies and treachery have taken root, and only the king and a small band of loyal followers can prevent the destruction of all they hold dear in this, the magnificent ending to the Chronicles of Narnia.

Unfortunately (more for the book than me) this one only got 3/5 stars. I just, I didn't like it. It seemed almost unnecessary to even have it. I'm sure if it weren't for Mr. Lewis's salvation theory working it's way in, this book would not have even existed in the series. It was just him wrapping it up fully and telling the readers that he believed everybody went to heaven when the died. Yeah. Spoiler warning for anybody who didn't read it: the kids all die. Why did we need that in a children's book series? Why? I can understand why of all the books, this one would never end up as a movie. No one would bring their kids to see it. I'm pretty sure I'm never going to read this again now. 

Book #3: Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson

He called himself Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever because he dared not believe in the strange alternate world in which he suddenly found himself. Yet the Land tempted him. He had been sick; now he seemed better than ever before. Through no fault of his own, he had been outcast, unclean, a pariah. Now he was regarded as a reincarnation of the Land's greatest hero--Berek Halfhand--armed with the mystic power of White Gold. That power alone could protect the Lords of the Land from the ancient evil of Despiser, Lord Foul. Only...Covenant had no idea of how the power could be used! Thus begins one of the most remarkable epic fantasies ever written...

This is the only book I read this month that I also bought this month. Miri and I went to a bookstore and I know she loves sci-fi and fantasy so we went to that section and I gestured saying, "What do you suggest I read from this area?" and she gave me this with the note that it's like Lord of the Rings only the protagonist is a snarky leper. Well....she wasn't wrong. I rated this book 5/5 because it's funny and witty. Yes, he's snarky. He also has (what at the time) an incurable disease! He's kind of entitled to be afraid of where he is, to not want to believe it could be real. I think it's well written and I'm very excited to get to the rest of the series. I do own them, I just haven't picked them up yet!

Book #4: Fallen by Lauren Kate

What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours? 17-year-old Lucinda falls in love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy, Daniel, at her new school, the grim, foreboding Sword & Cross...only to find out that Daniel is a fallen angel, and that they have spent lifetimes finding and losing one another as good & evil forces plot to keep them apart. Get ready to fall...

I checked this book out from my local library now that they've FINALLY reopened to the public (I've been waiting for more than a year. They moved to a new building and had to do a complete overhaul to get ready!). I rated this book a 5/5 stars because though I could see the twist coming, it was still really enjoyable to watch it unfold for Luce. Only someone who was barely skimming the pages wouldn't have caught on to him being an angel. Some of the others surprised me, then I was taken back to reading the Sweep series because I think the main antagonist in that one shares his name with the one in the Fallen series. I liked how Luce was incredibly confused about all of it. I will definitely be picking up Torment next time I go up to the library.