August Reading Wrap Up

This August I read a total of seven books, with each book averaging about 4.5 stars. I didn't even write a wrap up for July because I only read three books with an average of 3.4 stars per book. I read a decent variety of books this month as well, which I am pretty proud of. So without any further ado, let's get this party started.

1-4. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Boys - 5 Stars

The Dream Thieves - 5 Stars

Blue Lily Lily Blue - 5 Stars

The Raven King - 5 Stars

This was the first book I read this month, and really set a high standard for the rest of my August reads. I went into this book thinking it would be decent, but nothing too mind blow or captivating. The Raven Boys completely took me by surprise. I have a review of the series as a whole if you want to find out more about the series. Basically, this is a story about teenagers, Welsh mythology, southern Virginia, love, friendship, and dreams. It is truly one of the most creative and imaginative stories I've ever come across, and I am very glad I picked it up.

5. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

3.5 Stars

This is the second book in the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo, the first book being Six of Crows. I did enjoy Crooked Kingdom more than the first book because at this point I already knew the characters, but I found a lot of the plot to be a little boring and predictable. I also did not really connect with the characters very much, actually sometimes I found them very annoying. However, I was entertained reading this story and I did like it more than Six of Crows. It's not bad by any means, I just thought the story as a whole was relatively flat.

6. Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

3 Stars

I read this book because I was suddenly come over by the need to read a contemporary novel. This is about a girl, Lina, who's mother's dying wish was that she go live in Italy. Lina has no desire to go to Italy, but is forced by her grandparents to at least spend the summer with one of her mother's college friends. Once Lina is in Italy she finds a couple cute boys, discovers delicious food, and learns about her mother's time in Florence. I thought this story was very sweet and fun, but it was by no means the best contemporary I've read. For starters, most of the story takes place in the span of one or two weeks. I think that's a bit ridiculous given what happens in that time period. There was also some instant love that I was not really a fan of, mostly because it was so predictable. It was a little emotional at times, but I think that was very much overshadowed by the absurdly boring love story. Honestly, my favorite part of the story was reading Lina's mother's diary entries and learning about her past.

7. The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

5 Stars

This book is one of the best fantasy books I have read in a while. It is written beautifully, has a very diverse cast of characters, and explores an interesting world. I don't know that there is much of a single plot in this book, it's much more a web of history and circumstance that creates a captivating story. The story follows Han Allister, former streetlord and thief, as he tries to provide for his impoverished mother and sister, and Princess Raisa ana'Marianna as she tries to discover the type of queen she will one day become. The folklore and history that is weaved through the novel creates a wonderful backdrop for the events that occur in the novel. 

My favorite read of the month was probably The Raven King. Maggie Stiefvater did a beautiful job with the entire Raven Cycle, but I really think the concluding novel was her best work. She left room at the end to expand the story, while simultaneously wrapping up loose threads. I was very impressed and had a hard time getting into another book because nothing could compare to The Raven King.