Hi guys, I hope you are all well. It’s the end of the month, which means its time for another monthly wrap up post. I lowered my Goodreads reading goal this month to 80 books as I don’t think I’ll be able to read 100 this year. It was nice to go from being behind my goal to being ahead of it. Anyway I’ve read 6 books this month, none of which is rated under 3 stars. I’m also starting to get back into the flow of blogging after my holiday :). Let’s get started.

Redemption’s Blade / Adrian Tchaikovsky / ★★★

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

What first drew me to this book is that it is set in the aftermath of the big event. So often we see the build up and the resolution right after but we never see what happens after. In this book we see the aftermath of such an event. I really liked this aspect of the book. The characters are quite well written, if a little flat, and I loved the diversity of the world. Throughout the 500 pages, we get to see a wide variety of races as well as reading about different areas of the world. Plot-wise this book is quite light and for me it lacked cohesion at times, but for the most part I found it to be an enjoyable read. Overall I enjoyed this book but I didn’t love it. I would recommend checking it out though, as it is an enjoyable read with an interesting premise.

The Clan of the Cave Bear / book 1 of the Children’s Earth series / Jean M. Auel / ★★★

This is a historical fiction book set during the Ice Age. I really liked this setting, as I’ve never read anything like this before. One of my main issues with this book was repetition. There is a lot of it throughout the 500 pages and it gets a little frustrating. At times there was also terms used that I doubt would have been used, or even known, in that time. For example at one point Auel talks about dehydration and hypothermia, but these are clearly medical terms from the modern day and wouldn’t have been used back then. I also got a frustrated at the main villains hatred of the main character – there seemed to be very little reason behind it. One last thing that bugged me a little was Ayla (the main character) and her ability to do just about anything. It’s one of those main characters who is seemingly perfect, if that makes sense. Despite all of these things, I did still enjoy this book. The plot is good, if a little slow at times and generally the characters were well written. If you enjoy historical fiction and/or are interested in this time period, then I would recommend checking this book out.

Crazy Rich Asians / Kevin Kwan / ★★★.5

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’ll probably realise that this book isn’t the type of book I’d normally read and you’d be right. I picked this up on a bit of a whim, after seeing the trailer for the film, and I actually ended really enjoying it. It’s a little silly and over the top, but it was just the light, fun read that I needed at the time.

Soul of the World / book 1 of the Ascension Cycle / David Mealing / ★★★★

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was such a good book. I had it on my radar, and then on my kindle, for quite a while before actually reading. I have a full review of this coming soon, so I’m not going into detail right now. Overall I loved this book and would recommend checking it out, especially if you enjoy epic fantasy.

Assassin’s Fate / book 3 of the Fitz and the Fool trilogy / Robin Hobb / ★★★★★

I’ve now completed the Realm of the Elderlings series. I thought this was a fantastic conclusion to this series. I mean it’s Robin Hobb, so you know it’s going to be good. My only minor issue was that it was a little repetitive at times but overall this book was fantastic. If you’ve enjoyed her other books, then you enjoy this too and if you haven’t pick up Hobb’s books yet then I highly recommend you do.

The Hyena and the Hawk / book 3 of the Echoes of the Fall trilogy / Adrian Tchaikovsky / ★★★★★

This was one of my most anticipated books of this year and it didn’t disappoint. I loved the direction of the plot and thought this was a fantastic conclusion to this trilogy. Once again the writing is great and I don’t want to put the book down once I’ve started it.  I loved being back with these characters and their development in this final book was so well done. Basically I really enjoyed this book. I’m planning on writing a full review so this is all I’ll say about this book for now.

I’m currently reading Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore. I’m about 100 pages in and I’m liking it so far. In terms of my August TBR, there are a few books I’d like to get to including Iron Gold by Pierce Brown, The Queen of Sorrow by Sarah Beth Durst, The Ice by Laline Paull and Lamentation by C. J. Sansom. I may get distracted by other books though :). There are few book releases in August too. What was your favourite book in July? Have you read any of these books? I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

Pippa