August just seems to have flown by, I haven’t had much time to bake or write which explains a lot of the radio silence on here. Yet I did manage to make a little time for reading this month, especially when my mental health wasn’t at its greatest and I needed a little escape. I had high hopes reading wise for August but they fell a little short as I’ve hit a little bit of a reading slump. I want to read but just none of the books I planned on reading this month. I just want to get to my Autumn TBR now and as you’re reading this I’ll probably lost in my first book from that list. Yet I still managed to read four books and they were all books I absolutely adored.
The first book I read this month was Clockwork Princess. This is the third and final book in the Infernal Devices trilogy. And boy did I love this book, it made me feel every emotion possible and there were a couple of points where I actually cried, something a book has never managed to make me do before. The Infernal Devices series follows a young girl called Tessa Gray who arrives in London in search of her brother Nate. However things take a sinister turn when she’s accosted by a pair called The Dark Sisters and used for they’re power hungry means. That’s until the swoon worth Will Herondale and Jem Carstairs find Tessa and soon she’s lost in the world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Clockwork Princess was the perfect ending to this trilogy, it managed to wrap up all the loose ends from book two without rushing it, there was an amazing plot twist I didn’t see coming and the final battle between the Shadowhunters and Mortmain had me hooked and tense as anything. And yes this book made me cry; a lot in fact, twice whilst reading it and once I’d finished it because as a series I’d read back to back I’d become quite attached to the characters and wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to them. If you only ever read one of Cassie Clare’s series, I highly recommend reading this one. Possibly one of my favourite series of the year.
From there I finished another series I wanted to finish this year. The Queen Of Nothing is the last book in the Folk Of The Air Trilogy and it was the perfect way to end what has been an amazing series. The trilogy tells the story of Jude, a mere mortal who grew up in the land of Fae after being kidnapped from the mortal world as a child. Being a mortal means she’s looked down upon by the Fae and is essentially fair game to their taunts, teases and torture. The worst of them though is Prince Cardan who’s made it clear just how much he hates Jude. But Jude won’t just stand there and take it, no she has a plan to gain power, a place in the Fae court. Considering it had been a year since I’d read Wicked King, I found it extremely easy to get lost back in the world and the plot of this final book. It had everything and more that I wanted to say goodbye to this cast of characters, something I found surprising because upon initial release this book had mixed reviews. Sure it was shorter than the first two but it wrapped everything up nicely and whilst I’d like for Holly Black to write more in this world, I’m also quite happy with how it’s ended.
From there I read an amazing stand alone that I wish were the first in an incredible swashbuckling series. To Kill A Kingdom tells the story of siren Lira who’s known throughout the kingdoms as the Princes’ Bane for she has killed seventeen princes in her seventeen years. And as her eighteenth birthday approaches she’s already chosen her next victim. Yet before she can enact her plan she kills one of her own and is cursed to become human. The only way she can return is if she returns with the heart of the Siren Slayer. Yet when Elian saves her from drowning and welcomes her aboard his infamous ship of siren hunters, Lira starts to question everything she’s ever known. I went into this with low expectations but ended up loving it. It had enough pirate without being too cringey or cheesy and the entire cast of characters were well written and developed accordingly as the book went on. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wish that there was a chance for it to become a series as it has a lot of potential.
And finally I read the first in a series I’ve wanted to read for the longest time and now am desperate to finish. Ace Of Shades follows Enne who travels to the city of New Reynes in search of her missing mother, with nothing but a name to help her. Upon arrival she soon finds out that New Reynes is nothing like her hometown, getting herself into a spot of trouble in her first five minutes in the city. But from there she manages to find Levi Glaisyer, the man her mother claims will help her. And from the moment they meet, Enne’s life does a complete three sixty and she’s suddenly thrust into the seedy life of a New Reynes regular. This book was amazing, I couldn’t put it down. There’s a slow burn romance that’s filled with sexual tension and you’ll end up tearing your hair out wanting the pair to get together. I’ve already put King Of Fools and Queen Of Volts in my Amazon basket, ready to order/preorder.
