Since I had such a good reading month in July I really want to try and keep up the momentum and just pick up books that I am interested in and want to read at the time. So I will again just be picking from a bunch of titles that are at the top of my TBR and if I’m in the mood for it I will read it!
My August TBR consists of:
Windwitch still maintains the very fast pace that Truthwitch set but it was just that little bit less exciting. The majority of the book is just Safi and Iseult moving further and further away from each other and though they are striving to reunite their circumstances just keep pushing them apart. There is also a good chunck of the book where they are both just travelling through areas, and though we get to see more of the world it’s not very interesting. I still don’t really trust Vaness and though Safi has decided to trust her I can’t help but think that she isn’t going to hold up her side of the bargain. The addition of Vivia’s perspective added another layer of depth to the storyline and was a way to almost challenge Merik’s very one sided view of his sister and what she is doing for their people. Aeduan is still my favourite of all of these characters and I really enjoyed how multifaceted he is. This book overall was entertaining and quick to read, I do feel like it isn’t as thrilling as the first book but it’s definitely building upon the foundation that was laid in Truthwitch and we are discovering so much more about this world and the magic.
*A Few Spoilers*
Kappa Rho Nu isn’t your average sorority. Their parties are notorious. Their fundraisers are known for being Westerly College’s most elaborate affairs. But beneath the veil of Greek life and prestige, the sisters of Kappu Rho Nu share a secret: they’re a coven of witches.
I liked the dual perspective. We have Vivi who knows nothing about magic and witches and what the sorority is all about, young and naïve and then we have Scarlett a legacy at Kappa and a shoe in to become the next president. Vivi at the start I can totally relate to wanting to have some consistency in her life and get away from her mother and start fresh. Meanwhile Scarlett is very comfortable in her role at Kappa and is wanting to build upon her life and establish herself as the best and better and stronger than her sister and live up to her mother’s expectations.
At first I was a little salty at Scarlett for being so nasty to Vivi and being so threatened by her. I know she is under a lot of pressure from her family and her own insecurities but I don’t think that excuses you from treating someone badly. She is so set in her thoughts about what her life ‘should’ be like and she really projected that onto Mason instead of really hearing him out and sympathising with his feelings. I can see why he would end the relationship but I think it was a little shady of him to move straight onto Vivi like 5 minutes later at the homecoming dance.
Vivi really just wants to fit in and find a place where she feels wanted and accepted and she really found that with the Kappa’s the other freshman. She is very loyal very quickly to her sisters and even though I find it commendable I think putting them over her mother and not sitting down and listening to her for five minutes instead of just taking the necklace was a bit much.
The mystery surrounding Gwen was interesting but when we find out what actually happened and how Harper was killed was kind of anticlimactic for me. The magic though we do learn a lot through hell week I would of liked a more in depth run down of how the system works. I definitely found it to be quite original and exciting. Overall I am intrigued and enjoyed the story but it felt kind of more YA than what I was expecting despite the quite macabre nature of the storyline, but I am still excited to pick up the next book in this duology.
⭐️3/5 stars Witchy vibes are real!!
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is books I’d want with me while stranded on a desert island. If I were in this situation I think I would want fun, trashy, fantastical reads that I could dive into and forget about my current situation and be happy to reread multiple times until I am rescued. So I’m leaning more towards series that I love that have expansive worlds and characters that I never get tired of.
The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas
Book of the Ancestors Series by Mark Lawrence
*SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS*
Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died in a tragic car accident, her sister Bea joined the elusive community called The Unity Project, leaving Lo to fend for herself. Desperate not to lose the only family she has left, Lo has spent the last six years trying to reconnect with Bea, only to be met with radio silence.
I loved the format of the book, the time jumps from the past to the present. It really established depth to the story and enabled me to form a connection to both sisters. The pace was pretty consistent and there were definitely some well places twists and turns throughout to keep me engaged and wanting to read more.
I honestly wouldn’t say that either sister is particularly likeable. Since we get more from Lo’s perspective I definitely formed more of a connection to her but I can sympathise with what Bea had to go through. Both girls fall under the spell of Lev and end up both forming a relationship with him. Bea’s I can understand more because she was in a very vulnerable state when he seen her and then thinking he saved her sister from death I can see how she would be more susceptible to him. But Lo and the way she enters the Unity Project was just strange. She has spent the last 6 years campaigning against these people and trying to find her sister and then forgets all of that and sleeps with Lev? Sure when she finds out about her niece and the fact that Bea left without her would be a reason to be angry with her sister but does she forget she’s only hearing from one side and it’s the alleged cult.
Lo really goes through a journey of self discovery and realisation throughout the course of the plot but there are just so many decisions she makes that are questionable to me. And for that reason it brought me out the story a lot and made me think why… I guess it really just reinforces how influential Lev was and how all these people are tortured and emotionally manipulated by him for all these years yet still love and revere him.
This was a rollercoaster ride for sure. I had no idea how the story was going to play out but went in a very different direction than what I was predicting in my mind. So I was constantly shocked and surprised and on the edge of my seat throughout the read. The ending was a little rushed in my opinion and I felt like this final scene at the river was being built up and then is just skipped right over and we are told what is happened instead of shown. I would of liked to know for sure how Lo survived and what happened in the water but I guess it’s just not to be.
⭐️3/5 stars A fascinating read, I was just expecting something more…
amyleighreads.com 