It worked well for July, so we will continue this format for the foreseeable future. There was some slight modification to the way we present the information, but nothing too drastic. Until something comes up that throws a wrench in the situation~
Book Haul: 1
1)
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy - It looked really interesting when I was browsing the selections from Book of the Month club. It follows a young woman on her journey through Scotland to reintroduce wolves to the ecosystem. We follow her through various struggles in her life. I've already put this book on my August potential TBR.
Wrap Up: 9
1)
S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett - This was so good! I loved the way it was told and how it actually took them a while to figure it out. I'm generally good at seeing what isn't supposed to be there, and it almost took me by surprise. I loved the subterfuge that happened and how we are told everything after the fact. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series,
D.O.G.S. which looks like it will be just as good as the others.
2)
Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron - I have to say, this book was well written and unexpectedly good. I can understand why Jaya would have hidden Teacake from her father. If my own had been that obsessed that he all but forgot about his family and everything going on around him, I'd have kept it secret as well. Teacake's intelligence level strikes me as about that of a parrot. while she does have her own language, she is incapable of doing more than repeating back what she hears. Interesting idea and clever writing.
3)
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan - I think two books in a row with a passed mother and absent father was not the best of plans. I did enjoy this book, but I wasn't quite expecting to go in and see almost the same plot. Though there is a huge difference here in this one. There were
several times where I thought that Leigh had actually lost her mind. She was missing the obvious and then was like losing her noodle trying to do the impossible. Overall this was an excellent read though. I'm glad that they managed to find their way and come together again as a family.
4)
The Speaker by Traci Chee - Definitely more interesting than I thought it would be. It's been a while since I read the first book in this series, but it didn't matter. There was just enough flashback throughout the book that I was still pleasantly aware of what I was getting into. I loved how Sefia grew and evolved into a better person through the course of the book.
5)
The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington - I get that it says "fans of the Wheel of Time" series, but I'm going about it all backwards and reading this first. It was epic and I loved it. Easily a 4.5/5 stars. I felt bad for Davian for having no idea what had happened that ended him where he was. I never would have guessed the reveal about Wirr, but in retrospect, it does make a lot of sense. I did guess Caeden's thing. I'm looking forward to reading
An Echo of Things to Come to find out (1) What happened with King Kelvar or whatever his name was, (2) What's up with the boundary, (2) How does Torin fare as Northwarden, (4) Caeden's memory regaining process and what that means for everyone in Andarra.
