This was supposed to go up last week but I somehow got either food poisoning or a stomach bug so it took me a while but I have risen from the dead. I'm still a bit surprised at the total number, but I read 8 books in July - E I G H T. That's absolutely insane and the even crazier part is that I read most of them in one week during the Reading Rush. This is the first time I truly went all in and actually felt accomplished during a readathon. I guess you can say it's been a good month

    

the young elites by marie lu - (★★★☆) - book junkie trials // book with royalty
power is addicting and people cannot be trusted
m y   r e v i e w 
For the first novel in a trilogy, The Young Elites sets up the origins for our morally ambiguous anti-hero Adelina. The courts of Estenzia are incredibly lush and exciting - throw in a heist to overthrow the incompetent king and Adelina's struggle between choosing the "evident" good and her growing addiction to her dark powers - and you have a great introduction to a fantastic new world.

the smoke thieves by sally green - (★★★★) - reading rush // purple cover
kings are inconveniently incompetent and the kingdoms are falling apart
There are so many perspectives that coming up with a summary is difficult - regardless, the story introduces a wonderful and diverse cast of characters who each are inevitably drawn into the mess of fantasy politics involving a highly forbidden drug and war is about to happen.

wicked fox by kat cho - (★★★☆) - reading rush // non-human character + debut
k-drama in book form teach why you should not hold grudges
Reading this was so weird and fulfilling at the same time. I was experiencing all the k-drama feels but I was physically holding a book instead of my laptop (so strange). As with any k-drama, you have all the cliched tropes: rebellious bad boy everyone loves, an aloof girl with a secret, cheesy lines, and heart-wrenching feels - what more can you want?

    

stardust by neil gaiman - (★★★☆) - reading rush + book junkie // book to movie
your classic fairytale story of self-discovery, love, and heart-eating witches
I loved the movie as a kid so being able to finally read the source material and rewatch the movie was a dream. This truly is a textbook fairytale story but with a special spoonful of snarky and fun - I genuinely love these characters.

making faces by amy harmon - (★★★★★) - book junkie // tear-jerker + favorite
each face is beautiful because they represent an individual story to tell
This was a favorite of mine and after a tearful re-read it remains as a favorite. I forgot how touching and meaningful Amy Harmon's words are and was reminded by the wave of emotions I experienced. Ambrose, Fern, Bailey - every one of those characters feel so incredibly real and my heart can't handle it all.

nimona by noelle stevenson - (★★★☆) - book junkie // steal a book from another person's tbr
a good-at-heart villain and his orange shapeshifting sidekick kick butt
A light read I picked up on a whim after watching Chandler's Reading Rush vlog that I fell in love with. It's the right combination of whimsical fairytale tropes and gorgeous artwork with down-to-earth banter that just hits all the right places.

  

the poppy war by r.f. kuang - (★★★?) - reading rush // book you meant to read last year
opium is the gateway to talk to your gods but self-combustion is an unforunate side effect 
FINALLY FINISHED - it only took me three months. This book was a lot harder to get through because it was full of war, tragedy, and bloodshed. Just serves a small reminder of how brutal high fantasies can be - story-wise I'm very conflicted on how I feel but writing-wise, this was so solid.

the bird and the blade by megan bannen - (★★★★) - reading rush // 5 word title
unrequited love and turandot's terrifying marriage proposal 
I skimmed this last year when it first came out and was once again immediately struck by how easily this story grabs and drowns you in feels. My heart stopped beating multiple times throughout because of events and all the relationships especially our main two are just precious and I wish I could protect them all.



I definitely had way too much fun with those summaries but I hope they convince someone to pick the book if they haven't heard of it before. August is here and I am dreading the start of school but I am on a reading kick so here's to staying motivated and moving forward.