August Wrap-Up.

Well, I did manage four reads this month so I'm glad about that. Only one was what I originally planned to read, and three of them were graphic novels, but it has been a really tough month reading-wise. I'm definitely going through a bit of a slump!

1. 'Kriss: The Gift of Wrath' by Ted Naifeh & Warren Wucinich. My first read of the month was a dark, fantastical graphic novel. I loved the art so much, and became quite invested in the plot's potential. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where this series goes. 3/5 Stars.
2. 'Fence [Vol. 1]' by C.S. Pacat, Johanna The Mad & Shanen Pae. This first instalment of the series I've seen everywhere made me so happy! So much Queer goodness, I learnt a lot about fencing, and I'm super invested in the story. 4.5/5 Stars.
3. 'Nimona' by Noelle Stevenson. This is another graphic novel that has been on the radar for a while because it is all over the blogosphere. I had so much love for the interesting characters and cool world-building concept (a unique blend of medieval fantasy and sci-fi). 4/5 Stars.
4. 'Hello Me, It's You' collated by Hannah Todd. This was a really neat idea and definitely had the potential to open up a lot of dialogue about mental health issues. Repetitive at times but very relatable for those that have experience with the subject matter. 3/5 Stars.

This month I read three books for the Beat The Backlist Challenge, making my yearly total twenty.

- Fence [Vol. 1]

- Nimona

- Hello Me, It's You

This month I read one book for the New Release Challenge, making my yearly total nine.

- Kriss: The Gift Of Wrath

This month I read zero books for the Finishing The Series Challenge, making my yearly total four.

This month I read three books for the Diversity Reading Challenge, making my yearly total twenty one.

- Fence [Vol. 1]

- Nimona 

- Hello Me, It's You 

*Mini Challenge: (Mental Health/Addiction)*

Planned Reads For August.

I'm enjoying the smaller expectations each month, especially as I'm going through a bit of a slump at the moment. I have six books, mostly pulled over from last month's selections that I didn't get to, that I can hopefully read this month!

That's right. I'm still promising to read 'Reign Of The Fallen' by Sarah Glenn Marsh. In fact, I have actually started now, but it's taken me a long time to get to that point thanks to...the slump. I'm excited for the bisexual MC, necromancy and hopefully some fun, magical, queer shenanigans.

'Hello Me, It's You', a collection of letters compiled by Hannah Todd, caught my eye a while back but I'd like to read something that focuses on mental health this month as my own has been off lately. It has good reviews, with many saying they were bawling while reading, so I have a good feeling about this book!

I'm kind of feeling the non-fiction vibe this month, and I started reading 'They/Them/Their' by Eris Young a couple of days ago in a bid to read more on non-binary, queer and transgender issues. I'm learning so much so far!

So, pulled over from last month is 'Summer Bird Blue' by Akemi Dawn Bowman. I want to read this while it can still be considered summer, and this book focuses on grief which I tend to find are reads that I enjoy.

I have to say, 'The Love Interest' by Cale Dietrich looks like a lot of fun! If spy schools don't immediately catch your attention, how about a love triangle with a twist? Will my gay-loving heart be able to cope when the two boys battling to win the girl's heart fall for each other instead?

I liked 'They Both Die At The End' by Adam Silvera, and Love, Simon, the movie based on Becky Albertalli's 'Simon Vs. The Homosapiens Agenda' was a big hit with me too, so it stands to reason that a collab beetween the two would be right up my street. Enter - 'What If It's Us'. I can't wait to read this book!

August Wrap-Up.

I am so much prouder of my reading achievements this month, even though I didn't plan to read a lot of what I managed to! I managed six whole reads this month, which is a lot better than usual considering the slump I've been in and out of this year!

1. 'The Bone Knife' by Intisar Khanani. I adored this short story and can't believe it went unread on my Kindle for so long! Khanani is a great author, with a wonderful way of making a small tale feel like an epic. Great characters, world-building and plot, and I'm thrilled that her next series will focus more on Rae! 4.5/5 Stars.
2. 'The Crown & The Arrow' by Renée Ahdieh. Another short story, this time set in the world of Renée Ahdieh's 'The Wrath & The Dawn'. It's the wedding scene, told from Khalid's POV, and so we learn very little other than what made Khalid decide to visit his newest bride. But, we did get to see a few character cameos from his POV and it reminded me why I liked book one so much. 3/5 Stars.
3. 'Dragon's Debt' by H.L. Burke. I received this book ages ago alongside book one, and never got round to reading it. I actually really enjoyed 'Dragon's Curse' though, despite my dislike for the covers, and thought that this second in the series brought a lot to the table. It feels a little youthful for YA but the character's are memorable despite a four year reading gap and there's a good plot involved. 3.5/5 Stars.
4. 'Doing It!' by Hannah Witton. What a great non-fiction choice, the first in a long time. Sex and relationships are such a big part of life (or certainly can be) and yet education on the topic is severely lacking. Especially when there's so much to talk about! I applaud Witton for being one of the few people to really hit the nail on the head when it comes to a book on the subject. 4.5/5 Stars.
5. 'Wires & Nerve' by Marissa Meyer. It's been a little while since reading anything from Marissa Meyer, and I received this addition to her The Lunar Chronicles series as a gift. I liked the graphic novel style, getting to see my favourite characters again, and the new plot a lot. I wish I'd seen more of the personalities I'd loved from the novels though, and hopefully book two won't contain quite so much unnecessary set-up. 3.5/5 Stars.
6. 'Final Draft' by Riley Redgate. I adore Redgate's work and this third contribution to her literary career was pretty good. Great characters, diversity, a well-crafted plot, and as usual many themes were covered. I just wish I'd connected with it in the same way that I did her previous two novels! 4/5 Stars.

This month I read five books for the Beat The Backlist Challenge, making my yearly total so far twenty four.

- The Bone Knife

- The Crown & The Arrow

- Dragon's Debt

- Doing It!

- Wires & Nerve

This month I read zero books for the Finishing The Series Challenge, making my yearly total so far one.

I read one book for the New Release Challenge, making my yearly total so far nine.

- Final Draft

I read one book for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, making my yearly total so far sixteen.

- Final Draft

Here is the result for Pretty Deadly Blog's Bookish Bingo card.

LGBT+: Long Exposure; Kam Heyward
Sequel: The Dragon's Curse; H.L. Burke
Asian Author: The Moth & The Flame; Renée Ahdieh
June, July, August Release: Final Draft; Riley Redgate
Magic: The Bone Knife; Intisar Khanani
Blue Cover: Doing It!; Hannah Witton
A Book You've Been Putting Off: Warrior Witch; Danielle L. Jensen
Illustrations: The Good Guys; Rob Kemp & Paul Blow
Yellow Cover: Floored; Various
Freebie: --
Over 5 Years Old: Mrs Rosie & The Priest; Giovanni Buccaccio
Adventure: Wonder Woman: Warbringer; Leigh Bardugo
Someone Else Picks For You: Out Of The Blue; Sophie Cameron
Red Cover: The Penelopiad; Margaret Atwood
Sci-Fi: Wires & Nerve; Marissa Meyer

Planned Reads For August.

Another month, another opportunity for good reading. I'm going to try and stick with some shorter reads to get myself back into the swing of things, so I'm changing up my TBR in a big way.

I've started Dhonielle Clayton's 'The Belles' already, so I may as well finish it. I have pretty high hopes for it actually, especially as it's received such positive praise. I'm excited to see what a prominent advocate for PoC MCs will do!

The next book, 'Doing It!' by Hannah Witton, has been on my shelf for an age. I am really in the mood to read some non-fiction, and this looks like a great book to do so! I advocate for more sex-positive books, and there's a section on LGBT+ relationships too so I'm eager to see what Witton comes up with!

I really love the idea of delving into a classic, and this one is a little creepy but intriguing all at once. I like to read books that are a bit different, and it's not every day that you get to read about paedophilia written in a way that borders on romantic. 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov is a book that promises to be both horrifying and morbidly fascinating at once.

There are a couple of books from last month's TBR that I couldn't let go. 'Retribution Rails' by Erin Bowman is one of them. I loved 'Vengeance Road' so much and, as a result, have really high hopes for this one!

Another I want to read still? 'Ash Princess' by Laura Sebastian. Gosh, I'm so excited by the prospect of this book! I love revolution, I love fantasy, I love Cinderella, and this looks to be a fresh spin on all of those things. Plus, it's had such great reviews!

A book about a writer? Written by Riley Redgate? Count me in for 'Final Draft', I loved Redgate's previous books so much and this looks to be another cracking contribution into the world of YA!

I need to revisit some old series that I never finished, and 'The Voyage Of The Basilisk' is a book I've wanted to read for a while because I loved the previous two books so much!

This is another series that I need to get through - Ben Aaronovitch's 'Peter Grant' series. These books have such a summery vibe to them and 'Whispers Underground' is probably going to make or break this series for me, as I'm a little unsure how I feel about it.

August Wrap-Up.

So, reading-wise, I didn't really do all that well. I managed four of my eight chosen reads and I'm a little disappointed. I'm actually falling massively behind on my Goodreads challenge too so I'm hoping that September will be a lot better. But I still read some really great books!

1. 'If I Was Your Girl' by Meredith Russo. So many fellow bloggers adore this book and it has been on my TBR for a little while. It's the first ever book that I've read following a member of the trans community as they struggle through love and life in their new high school. I felt Amanda was a great voice too, and I liked that Russo acknowledged that despite her struggles, she actually had it a lot easier than most trans people. Good friendships to be found here, though I wasn't so struck on the romance. 3.5/5 stars.
2. 'The Sun Is Also A Star' by Nicola Yoon. I'd been hoping to read a book by Nicola Yoon for ages and finally found time! I liked the focus on racism within minority communities, both MCs were actually POCs, Natasha being Jamaican and Daniel of Korean heritage. There were some great themes in this book. Again, the romance was a little unrealistic but I don't think it interfered too much and actually Nicola provided some nice breaks with random POV chapters from side characters. 4.5/5 Stars.
3. 'Not A Drop To Drink' by Mindy McGinnis. This is definitely my favourite read of the month, that's for sure! I haven't read dystopian fiction for ages but I liked that this one was very natural. Not too many government conspiracies, or zombies of any kind, just mother nature doing it's thing. Great characters, heartwarming relationships and interesting despite not an awful lot happening. I thought the end was a little rushed but I look forward to reading the companion novel. 5/5 Stars.
4. 'Flame In The Mist' by Renée Ahdieh. My latest read and one I was really excited about, I'm definitely on board with this series. Set in Feudal Japan, Ahdieh had clearly done a lot of research and knew the time period well. I liked the characters and the beautiful blending of history and the supernatural. I would have liked a little more backstory to explain what was really going on and felt that the cliffhanger ending should have provided some resolution at least. Still, a great read! 4/5 Stars.

Now it's time to see how I did with my challenges this month!

This month I have read one book for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to nineteen. My read was:

- Flame In The Mist

This month I have read one book for the 2017 New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to nine. My read was:

- Flame In The Mist

This month I have read one book for the LGBTQIA Challenge, bringing my yearly total to nine. My read was:

- If I Was Your Girl

This month I have read three books for the Diverse Reads Challenge, bringing my yearly total to twenty five. My reads were:

- If I Was Your Girl

- The Sun Is Also A Star

- Flame In The Mist

And here's my update on this quarter's Bookish Bingo card, courtesy of Pretty Deadly Blog!

Over 5 Years Old: Green Rider; Kristen Britain.
Red Cover: Good Bones; Margaret Atwood.
Latinx MC: One Of Us Is Lying; Karen M. McManus.
LGBT+: Release; Patrick Ness.
Summer Release: Not A Drop To Drink; Mindy McGinnis.
White Cover: A List Of Cages; Robin Roe.
Blue Cover: Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls; Francesca Cavallo & Elena Favilli.
On My TBR Forever: The Sleeping Prince; Melinda Salisbury.
Name In Title: The One Memory Of Flora Banks; Emily Barr.
Royalty: Flame In The Mist; Renée Ahdieh.
A Book With A Map: The Final Empire; Brandon Sanderson.
Author From Another Continent: The Sun Is Also A Star; Nicola Yoon.
Flowers On The Cover: What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours; Helen Oyeyemi.
Romance: If I Was Your Girl; Meredith Russo.
Award Winner: Through The Woods; Emily Carroll.

Planned Reads For August.

August has me really excited for a number of reasons, despite the rainy weather predicted! A lot of my friends and family are getting married and I have big plans for the coming month, but also I have so many great reads lined up!

'If I Was Your Girl' by Meredith Russo: This is my current read, and one I'm really enjoying at the moment. I'd hoped to finish it last month but alas, time was not on my side. Still, so far this is a really thought-provoking book on the subject of being trans, also covering depression, bullying, mental health and friendship. I've certainly got high hopes for the rest of the book!

'The Sun Is Also A Star' by Nicola Yoon: That's right guys, my first ever Nicola Yoon read! It's a romance which would normally instantly turn me off, but I've heard some really good things about Yoon's writing, and I have to say that 2017 seems to be my year for giving Contemporary YA romance a chance. Now is as good a time as any!

'Not A Drop To Drink' by Mindy McGinnis: When I say this book has been on my TBR forever I almost mean it! It was one of my first adds when I joined Goodreads and the blogging community for the first time, and I literally only got round to buying it just recently. Anyway, I haven't read a good dystopian fiction in ages, and I like that this focuses on natural disasters and droughts as the root of the problem rather than a major Government conspiracy.

'Flame In The Mist' by Renée Ahdieh: Did I ever tell you guys that I have always wanted to visit Japan? No? It's one of my biggest bucket list items. That's why this book looks right up my street. I love the classic 'girl dresses up as boy' storyline and Mulan is one of my favourite films for that reason. I'm so very pumped to read this historical fantasy and I really hope I love it.

'The Geek Feminist Revolution' by Kameron Hurley: I saw this book while looking for good non-fiction on the subject of fandom and feminism. It looks perfect! The cover really got me, I must admit. But this looks to be a well reviewed collection of essays, and I'm looking forward to getting into more non-fiction books anyway!

'The Outliers' by Kimberly McCreight: I had this book down for last month and I was so excited about it! I think it would be a really great Summer read! So I'm going to give it another go this month. While thrillers aren't usually my scene, I have to applaud the unusual and eye-catching cover (most books of this genre look basically the same to me).

'The Satellite' by Nick Lake: I am really in the mood for some science fiction guys, and a cover involving the moon and an astronaut with the title 'Satellite' emblazoned across it looks about as spacey as it gets. It's been a while since I've read something of this genre (or something due to be released this year), and I'm particularly thankful that I received an ARC of this one! 

'Ivory & Bone' by Julie Eshbaugh: This book screams summer read to me for some reason. Maybe it's because it's set in prehistoric times which makes me think of Neanderthals roaming hot, dry deserts? Anyway, it's a retelling of the classic Pride & Prejudice story with some twists by the looks of it, but I'm more excited about reading a book set in a period of history that was so long ago. Exciting!

August Wrap-Up.

This month didn't turn out to be so great, as I only managed 4 of the 7 chosen reads. However, I very much put this down to moving into my new flat, work, and the huge amount of social events I had going on! I'm not very annoyed at myself, because I'm trying to become more relaxed about how many books I get to read in a month.

1. 'City Of Bones'; Cassandra Clare. This book has been a pretty big source of contention for a lot of readers, with accusations of plagiarism and bad writing flying all around the Goodreads review list, as well as sentiments of love and devotion for the series too. Casting all of that out of my mind, I found I enjoyed this book and see great potential, though couldn't really get into Clare's character work (Magnus Bane aside). 3.5/5 Stars.
2. 'The Book Of Lost Things'; John Connolly. I had high hopes for this book, especially as it came so highly recommended by a lot of bloggers. It turned out to be a hugely enjoyable read too, with clever, dark twists on classic Fairy Tales. I love symbolism and hidden meanings, so enjoyed deciphering what everything meant. I wish that MC David had been a bit more likeable so that I could truly root for him but all in all, a great read. 4/5 Stars.
3. 'The Girl With All The Gifts'; M.R. Carey. This is my favourite read of the month without a doubt, and a strong contender for the 2016 top spot! Wow! Carey wrote well and crafted not only an engrossing, heart-pounding story but some interesting characters, each with their own sense of morality and what is right. I loved the multiple POVs and look forward to reading more work from Carey in the future! 5/5 Stars.
4. 'Burial Rites'; Hannah Kent. This was the perfect end to a pretty hectic reading month, and as the first Historical Standalone I've read in a while, I loved it! Well-researched, a hauntingly beautiful story, and multiple characters that are both well-crafted and multi-faceted, the only complaint I had were the similar names that left me wondering who was who at a couple of points in the book. 4.5/5 Stars.

This month I have read four books for Pretty Deadly Review's Backlist Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to thirty two. This month's reads were:

- 'City Of Bones' by Cassandra Clare

- 'The Book Of Lost Things' by John Connolly

- 'The Girl With All The Gifts' by M.R. Carey

- 'Burial Rites' by Hannah Kent.

This month I have read zero books for Falling For YA's Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge bringing my yearly total so far to twelve. 

This month I have gained zero points for Novel Heartbeat and Writer Grrl Reads' Prequel & Sequel Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to forty four. 

This month I have read zero books for [un]Conventional Reviews' New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to ten.

This month I have read one book for Daily Prophecy's Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to seven. The book I read was:

- 'The Book Of Lost Things' by John Connolly.

I've also finished my Bookish Bingo card and updated my Story Sprites board!

Name In Title: The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes; Arthur Conan Doyle.

Aussie Author: Burial Rites; Hannah Kent.

Magic: Crow Moon; Anna McKerrow.

Historical Setting 1900s - 1950s: Salt To The Sea; Ruta Sepetys.

June, July or August Release: Notes On Being Teenage; Rosalind Jana.

Red Cover: Sisters Red; Jackson Pearce.

Part Of A 4+ Book Series: City Of Bones; Cassandra Clare.

Freebie: The Girl On The Train; Paula Hawkins.

POC MC: The Jungle Books; Rudyard Kipling.

A Book About Books: The Book Of Lost Things; John Connolly.

Over 500 Pages: Angels & Demons; Dan Brown.

Mental Health: All The Bright Places; Jennifer Niven.

Yellow Cover: The Girl With All The Gifts; M.R. Carey.

Outdoors: Thin Air; Michelle Paver.

Food In Title Or Cover: The Rosie Effect; Graeme Simsion.

Monsters: The Girl Of Ink & Stars; Kiran Millwood Hargrave

2016 Fantasy: The Girl Of Ink & Stars; Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Fairytale Retelling: The Book Of Lost Things; John Connolly.

Historical Standalone: Burial Rites; Hannah Kent.

Setting - 19th Century: The Jungle Books; Rudyard Kipling.

Villain Turned Good: The Girl With All The Gifts; M.R. Carey.

Book By Deceased Author: The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes; Arthur Conan Doyle.

Character With Physical Deformity: Sisters Red; Jackson Pearce.

Book With Vampires: City Of Bones; Cassandra Clare.