July hasn’t been the best reading month. We went to Pennsylvania at the first of the month, which was a ton of fun. Then, when we got home, I discovered that my garden was full of tomatoes. As of yesterday, my mother and I have canned over 41 quarts of tomatoes, which is super exciting. I love the process of preserving your own food. Plus, they are so much better than store bought. But, to make a long story short, I’ve been busy. And I haven’t read much at all. So let’s get into my short July 2021 wrap up.
The Heir
Synopsis:
In a village all but forgotten by the country’s rulers, Finn leads two lives. One of a simple country doctor, and the other of a smuggler with cargo of a rare variety: Wielders, a nearly extinct race of people born with the ability to control Magic. With their rights being threatened by the very people in power meant to protect them, Finn is their last chance. But when Finn is abducted and blackmailed into the service of a vengeful royal, his loyalty, and his heart, will be put to the ultimate test.
On a throne miles away, Andromeda, selected at birth to inherit the role of Mother Queen and continue her family’s royal line, has waited years for her chance to exact revenge on those who stole her freedom and tore her family apart. But she can’t do it alone. With the help of a handsome and intriguing young doctor, she will right the wrongs committed against her, and forge a path of a most gloriously scarlet retribution.
With the fate of their kingdom hanging in the balance, these two unlikely allies must navigate an intricate web of political rivalries and long-buried secrets in order to achieve their goals. But as hidden plots unfold and the true rot at the heart of the country is revealed, what starts as a quest for justice spirals into a desperate game of survival.
My Rating: 3/5
My Full Review: The Heir by Benèt Stoen Review – Wildwood Reads
The Well of Ascension
Synopsis:
The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler — the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years — has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young prot g , Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.
As Kelsier’s protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.
Stopping assassins may keep Vin’s Mistborn skills sharp, but it’s the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn’t run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier’s crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won’t get easier with three armies – one of them composed of ferocious giants – now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler’s hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.
As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.
My Rating: 4/5
My Full Review: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson Review – Wildwood Reads
Tomie
Synopsis:
Murdered again and again, one girl always comes back for more…
Tomie Kawakami is a femme fatale with long black hair and a beauty mark just under her left eye. She can seduce nearly any man, and drive them to murder as well, even though the victim is often Tomie herself. While one lover seeks to keep her for himself, another grows terrified of the immortal succubus. But soon they realize that no matter how many times they kill her, the world will never be free of Tomie.
My Rating: 4/5
My Full Review: It took me forever to finish Tomie. It just didn’t grab me as quickly as Gyo and Uzumaki, but I still really enjoyed it. Junji Ito is perfect at horror. But Tomie’s plot wasn’t as strong as the others and I think that’s why it took me so long to finish it.
So that is my July 2021 wrap up. What did you read this month? Any new favorites?
