The Month in Books: July

Hey guys! 

Soooo I did a lot better this month at reading! Last month was horrific and I was all reading slumpy and it was such a slog to read anything, even good books. This month I'm right back at it again, and I'm working my way through the backlog my reading slump gifted me. I'm making speedy progress because I have a lot of reading time on my hands, thanks to being on set! Although there was more talking going on than reading, which is unusual! 

All of these have been reviewed right here on my blog, or will be in the near future! Scheduling is a nightmare right now because I'm trying to get all of them out as fast as possible! Which is why there's none of my other usual blog posts up, but TBR Bites, and Bookshelf Tours will be coming back shortly when I've calmed down with the reviewing! :) 

The Master and Margarita 

I'm doing quite well with Classics these days and it's not taking me as long to get in to the writing style of some of the older ones as it has before! While I was a bit iffy at the beginning, I did find myself being drawn in to the story, at one point it felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland but more adult, and I'm probably the only one who thinks this but at some points it felt a bit Terry Pratchett as well! 

This Savage Song 

Boy oh boy was I glad to finally get to this and I can't believe how long I've been missing out! I read the first two thirds of this in one sitting and had zero regrets! I got completely drawn in to the world that had been created, and Schwab always manages to get me hooked! Brilliant characters, plenty of originality and some amazing scenes. The opening for instance...this book definitely starts with a bang! (This post is scheduled because I'M TOTALLY MEETING HER TODAY! LIKE POSSIBLY RIGHT NOW IF YOU'RE READING THIS AT 7ISH!)

Soldier 

The third installment in Kagawa's Talon series and boy was it a doozy. The title of the book...the added POV...I knew it was leading to something and I had a bad feeling the more and more I read this. I loved Ember's character development, her very real struggles with everything that's happened, I briefly rooted for Dante to come to his senses, the romance is resolved. Ember makes her choice. But then the end comes in to completely ruin your life. I'm basically still in denial so don't get me started on it. 

King Slayer 

One of my most anticipated reads! Witch Hunter was an instant favourite of mine and I completely loved it! I'm forever sad that this is only a duology, but hopeful that there might be books with other characters! I rated this a 5 because for all intents and purposes it was a cracking sequel and conclusion. Giant bloody battle? Check! Romance? Check! Obstacles so the romance isn't too unrealistically easy considering the fallout from the last book? Check! Elizabeth struggling now she's changed? Check! I totally loved seeing Elizabeth struggling with no longer having her stigma...no longer being able to do what she did before, feeling that her entire value was placed on that stigma by others, the conflict it caused with John. Everything wrapped up nicely? Check! Although I still need more Elizabeth and John and Fifer and Schuyler There is one issue with this. One. Malcolm. I had an extensive conversation with Naz about this and I won't get in to it too much but he ended up being quite the...hero in this book. But at the same time after what he did to Elizabeth he didn't get any punishment and I felt like we where supposed to feel sorry for him? I didn't know what to make of him, and I would have liked him quite a lot if not for his actions in Witch Hunter. 

Prudence

This was a re-read for me, because I wanted to re-fresh my memory and because I think The Custard Protocol may just be my favourite of all Carriger's series. I just love Rue and Quesnel so much and I ship them so hard, so I re-read this super fast, it actually helped to pull me out of my slump enormously! It's such a great continuation of the main series, but with new characters and their own story, with the occasional appearance from our favourite characters. This book is genuinely a lot of fun and one of the best Steampunk books I have ever read! Or I should say series with lots of mini series. 

Imprudence 

The sequel to Prudence and...as I was devastated to find out...the final book in the Custard Protocol. Turns out it's a duology *ugly sobbing* It perfectly wraps everything up not just with Rue and co but with her parents as well. There's an ongoing plot thread that hints of where mentioned in PP, and in this book you see it finally come to fruition and get dealt with. Everything feels like it's been finished well, but I'm still hoping Carriger might change her mind because I need more Rue and Quesnel! I read this book so fast it was ridiculous and the romance is adorable, and the world is captivating and it's just perfection. 

The Dragon Lords

I enjoyed this book immensely. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but I was sold on the whole "Guardians of the Galaxy meets the Hobbit" description. Now this book is huge, it's like 500 pages or something and even I struggle with that many pages sometimes, but I breezed through this thanks to the writing style, the action and how freaking hilarious it was. It's genuinely laugh out loud funny and the Dragon's POVs where just brilliant it has to be said. The characters are memorable and interesting and really bring the world of the book to life for you. 

Red's Untold Tale 

Perfect for any fans of OUAT who also happen to have Red as one of their favourite characters! It's a quick, easy, and fun read, with an adorable romance that makes the show and the scenes to do with Peter and Red all the more heartbreaking. You get to learn more about Red and her life and what she's been through before we meet her in the show and FYI there's a character who is the most vilest girl I've come across in a while! 

Sing

Sing is the perfect summer read. Genuinely, it's got a cute romance, a relatable character and a beautiful setting that's described vividly so you feel like you're there. It also has its surprises, especially the ending, I wasn't expecting that ending I have to admit! But it did make a nice change to the usual. 

New Pompeii

New Pompeii had some serious Jurassic Park vibes but with Romans instead of dinosaurs, like personally I'd take the dinosaurs because they aren't gonna toy with you first and make you fight people. They'll just eat you straight out. Probably. Maybe. New Pompeii starts out slow but soon reels you in with an intriguing narrative told from two different people, I was nerding out a little bit it has to be said! 

Who's Afraid? 

I took part in the blog tour for this book and it completely blew me away. I read it in one sitting and was surprised at every single turn. Even the bad guys weren't who I was expecting! The ending though...that was the biggest shock of all! I loved our MC, I loved our supporting cast and it was an original take on werewolves that had you glued to the page to see what would happen next! 

How did you guys do for reading this month? 

Review: New Pompeii

New Pompeii
Rating: 4/5 
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

In the near future, energy giant Novus Particles develops the technology to transport objects and people from the deep past to the present. Their biggest secret: New Pompeii. A replica of the city hidden deep in central Asia, filled with Romans pulled through time a split second before the volcano erupted.

Historian Nick Houghton doesn't know why he's been chosen to be the company's historical advisor. He's just excited to be there. Until he starts to wonder what happened to his predecessor. Until he realizes that NovusPart have more secrets than even the conspiracy theorists suspect.

Until he realizes that NovusPart have underestimated their captives...

I'm not going to lie to you guys, I mostly jumped to review this because I'm a huge history nerd and Pompeii has always intrigued me, so I was like...ooohh..New Pompeii.....OOOHHH MICHAEL CRICHTON and basically lost all cool and was like GIMME GIMME. 

This book quickly sucks you in, the opening is chilling and sad, the narrative is intriguing and compelling. We have a dual POV. Nick who's failing to get anywhere with all his applications for research being turned down who's hired by NovusPart to work on the project. Living in the fake Pompeii...walking among its people he realises something isn't quite right. The Romans aren't as oblivious and accepting as the company thinks. We then have the narrative of Kirsten alongside that, she disappeared from Cambridge University thirty years ago and is taking a bit of a trip through time. Kirsten offers us an intriguing narrative at the beginning of the book and she keeps you reading while Nick faffs about before gets to New Pompeii. I was so entranced by Kirstens narrative...was she dead? What happened to her? and so on, and she provides us with more information on the corporation and the people who run it. The narratives appear to be separate from each other but there's an event. I'm not going to go in to more detail because spoilers but there's a part in the book when your entire view point changes, and you realise how everything has come together and you want to read more about both characters desperately and I'm like 99% sure there is a sequel so I'll be all over that! 

This organisation is so freaking shadowy you don't even understand. You're reading about it and you know there's something off with the whole thing, there's a triumvirate in charge of the corporation but one is missing, there's an anti NovusPart organisation trying to bring them down, then there's the Roman's and their leader who are by no means as stupid and oblivious as the NovusPart people think they are. Although it could be said that one of the McMahon was having way too much fun pretending to be Roman to probably take notice. Like dude....a toga? Really? Calm down. This book is so well written, it's so complex. There's tangled timelines, what could have happened, what did happen, there's information missing and plenty of intrigue. It was pretty difficult to put this book down once it really got going. There are surprises and plot twists all over the place that you don't see coming and it really makes you think. There are some really thought provoking ideas in the book to do with history and changing things and what could have happened and so on and the morals of it all. 

I completely and utterly loved how the author explored the 'What if' of Pompeii meeting the modern world. Those scenes where utterly thrilling to read. The author has clearly done his research as the book has a very authentic feel to it when you're walking the streets of New Pompeii with Nick. I know it says on the book that it's reminiscent of Michael Crichton, now I haven't read Jurassic Park, and the film is probably totally different from the books BUT I did get that Jurassic Park vibe....a scholar being brought in....arriving and seeing New Pompeii....being in this little bubble of land filled with history to explore and examine. Definite Jurassic Park vibes, but like....if the raptors wanted to beat you up a bit and make you fight for your life before they tore you limb from limb. 

New Pompeii is perfect for history nerds, sci-fi nerds...hell even fantasy nerds, I kinda think the book is a little of all three! You guys know I don't really read SF, it's not what I go for, but I can't resist anything to do with Pompeii and I completely loved this book. It's fascinating and addicting, thought provoking and full of action. I'm so intrigued to see what happens in the next book! I'm also refusing to believe there isn't another book because after that ending there HAS to be another book...right!?