June-July Reading Wrap-up and Mini-Reviews
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
1) WELCOME TO MURDER WEEK BY KAREN DUKESS (Adult Cozy Mystery) (304 pages) (5⭐️)
Prior to her death, Cath’s estranged mother purchased them tickets for a murder mystery simulation in a small British town. Cath decides to go and while there she learns more about her family’s connection to the town. This novel perfectly balances a fun murder mystery game, a sweet romance between Cath and a local bartender, and the heaviness of complex grief. It all culminates in a truly bittersweet ending.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8657575776
2) THE ESCAPE GAME BY MARISSA MEYER AND TAMARA MOSS (YA Mystery) (403 pages) (4.5⭐️)
The Escape Game is a reality TV show in which teams of teens must solve escape rooms to win a prize. In the previous season, one contestant, Alicia Angelos, was found murdered. This season her sister Sierra returns to the show and competes with Adi (the cryptographer), Beck (the wannabe game master), and Carter (the math whiz influencer). The pacing could be kind of annoying, but the well developed characters and the bonds they form, as well as the fun, creative escape rooms more than make up for it. The novel also features a very ethnically diverse cast and a trans main character.
FULL REVIEW: Coming soon to the blog!
3) RITES OF THE STARLING BY DEVNEY PERRY (Adult Romantasy) (463 pages) (3.25⭐️)
This is the sequel to Shield of Sparrows. In addition to the protagonist from the first book, Odessa, this book also follows a new secondary protagonist, foreign princess Caspia. I really liked book one, but I found this sequel to be quite inferior. Odessa’s entire journey in the novel felt pointless. The writing/storytelling also gets very messy in the later parts of the novel. Caspia’s chapters are the redeeming quality of the novel as they expand the lore and world building.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8516775200
4) THE ELSEWHERE EXPRESS BY SAMANTHA SOTTO YAMBAO (Adult Fantasy) (416 pages) (4⭐️)
This novel follows Raya and Q who are both feeling adrift in their lives. They board the magical Elsewhere Express where they are meant to find their place. Only, soon after boarding they find themselves having to save the train from a dangerous stowaway. This novel reads like a long poem or being lost in a daydream. In spite of the title, most of the train cars feel like they’re their own separate worlds rather than parts of a train. Also, the ending was kind of lackluster with the novel feeling like it’s building up to something that never actually culminates.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8332027757
5) THE TWYFORD CODE BY JANICE HALLETT (Adult Mystery) (336 pages) (4.25)⭐️)
Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of an infamous children’s novel. Then, on a class field trip, his teacher Miss Isles disappeared. In the present day, Steven is trying to solve the mystery of what happened to his teacher. This novel is told through transcribed voice notes. This was my second Hallett book and I continue to be impressed by her writing. She writes in unique, mixed media formats, but still manages to have well developed characters and intriguing mysteries.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8702328475
6) THE LIES THAT SUMMON THE NIGHT BY TESSONJA ODETTE (Adult Romantasy) (296 pages) (4.5⭐️)
This novel takes place in a world where art is forbidden as it attracts dangerous monsters known as Shades. Inana is a storyteller who becomes indebted to a Shadowbane (shade hunter) named Dominic. This is an enemies to lovers romantasy with lots of tension and plenty of pay-off. The writing and story reminded me somewhat of Tricia Levenseller’s The Shadows Between Us. The novel’s twist ending left me looking forward to the sequel and how everything will play out.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8359763822
7) MURDER ON THE GOLDEN ARROW BY MAGDA ALEXANDER (Adult Historical Mystery) (274 pages) (4⭐️)
When Kitty Worthington’s brother is blamed for the murder of his former lover, she must solve the mystery to exonerate him. I assumed based on the title that the entire mystery would take place on the train (and I love trains as a setting for murder mystery books), so I was a little letdown when the investigation portion didn’t. That being said, the mystery veered into so many unexpected directions and all the shocking reveals kept me hooked. Kitty was also a very likable protagonist.
8) MS. MEBEL GOES BACK TO THE CHOPPING BLOCK BY JESSE Q. SUTANTO (Adult Contemporary) (287 pages) (5⭐️)
At 63 years old, Mebel has formed her entire identity around being a rich trophy wife. When her husband leaves her for their private chef, she decides to enroll in culinary school to win him back. Mebel’s character in the beginning of the novel is rough – she’s pompous and materialistic. The novel, however, follows her journey as she grows as a character and rediscovers herself. The novel is full of humor and heart and is similar to Sutanto’s Vera Wong series – just without the murder.
FULL REVIEW: Coming soon to the blog!
9) THE LIBRARY OF AMORLIN BY KALYN JOSEPHSON (Adult Fantasy) (431 pages) (3.75⭐️)
Kasira, an imprisoned con artist, is offered her freedom in exchange for infiltrating the magical Library of Amorlin. She becomes assistant librarian to Allaster who is hiding a dark secret. The title is a tad misleading. While the primary setting IS a magical library, nothing that happens there makes it feel like an actual library. Instead, it functions more as a sanctuary for magical beats and a political midpoint between the surrounding kingdoms. The most interesting part of the novel is Kasira herself and her struggle with her identity and longing to belong somewhere.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8770722272
10) THE FORTY YEAR GRUDGE BY LIZA TULLY (Adult Mystery) (352 pages) (3.75⭐️)
This is the second book in the Merritt & Blunt mystery series about a famous private investigator (Merritt) and her assistant (Olivia Blunt, the protagonist). In this book, one of Merritt’s former sorority sisters is receiving threating letters. Merritt and Olivia travel to Merritt’s sorority reunion to protect her. The set up for this mystery, like with book 1, is pretty basic. I did like how in this book the mystery was actively happening as Merritt and Olivia were trying to solve it. The ending is rushed, but overall I enjoyed this book more than the previous one. Should the series continue, I will likely pick up the next book.
DNFS
1) THE TUESDAY NIGHT SURVIVORS’ CLUB BY LYNN CAHOON (Adult Mystery) (read 85 pages/48%)
This novel centers around a support group for cancer survivors. Shortly after their formation, one of the members is found murdered and the others must solve the case. I gave this book a very good try because I really wanted to like it based on the concept. At almost halfway through, though, I had to finally admit to myself that I wasn’t going to like this novel and didn’t want to continue reading it. The main issue I had was that I struggled to connect with any of the characters and their relationships. In my opinion, that was a pretty central aspect of the novel. I’m sad I didn’t end up liking this book.
TOTAL BOOKS READ (JAN-JUL): 39
TOTAL DNFS: 8
TOTAL PAGES READ (JAN-JUL): 15,118
AVG. BOOK LENGTH (JAN-JUL): 387.64 pages
AVG. RATING (JAN-JUL): 4.06⭐️