July Wrap Up (2022)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I didn't post. For a whole month. 

Drawing a line over that, and moving on. 

Although I didn't post, I did get to some awesome books in July. 

One step at a time right? I'm honestly relieved I read more than three books. 

Here's what I read last month, I hope you enjoy it. 

1. Life is Strange: Waves, by Emma Vieceli

After the cliffhanger that I was left on after the first volume, I was eager to jump into the second. There was a time when I was reading this, that I wished I could continue with volumes 3-6 straight after 2, but alas, it's currently not possible. 

I won't disclose what happens in this volume because 1) you might not have read this series yet or 2) played the game, but events occur which could not possibly happen, and I was there for it. It's always difficult to continue a series after a film or videogame, but the second volume does as just a fantastic job as the first one does. It's familiar enough that there is a likeness to the games, but it goes in a different direction, as a new series should do (though it's not so inaccessible that it seems too different to the original videogame). 

I very much enjoyed this volume, and I have absolutely no predictions (which I'm really excited about). 

2. Gallant, by V.E. Schwab 

A bit of a let down if I'm being honest. I loved the premise, but the story just fell a bit flat for me. I enjoyed the creepy feeling you got with the writing, but when very little is happening throughout the book, that feeling can only go so far. 

I'm a fan of V.E. Schwab's books. I wasn't one of the first to read her other books, like The Darker Shade of Magic trilogy, (but that doesn't mean I love it any less than those that have been fans since the beginning). I consider her an auto-buy author at this point, and I always wonder how she comes up with such out there premises, and manage to execute them so phenomenally. Which is why I was so lost when I finished this. 

I gave this 3 stars. I think I'll try and forget about this now, and go and re-read The Darker Shade of Magic trilogy. 

3. I Am Not Okay With This, by Charles Forsman 

Saw this in a Waterstones in Middlesborough and just had to get it. If you didn't know, this is the graphic novel that inspired the Netflix tv show with the same name and although I haven't watched the show yet, I was intrigued enough to get this when I spotted it. 

Really really liked this. You feel something when you're reading this. It's quite a sad graphic novel with some trigger warnings (mental health, depression, assualt, abuse, death of a parent, drug use) so be aware of that before trying this. 

Aside from that, Syd, the protagonist, has telekinesis powers, which just adds to the problems of an anxious teenager coming to terms with her sexuality. 

But still, quick, if sad read, and I will definitely be watching the tv show soon. 

4. The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett 

A childhood favourite, but I haven't laid eyes on it in years. I saw this gorgeous cover in a bookshop that books and cake in Whitby and I knew I just needed to add it to my collection. Large font, a fast read, it was wonderful to get to return to Mary and all the goings on in The Secret Garden. 

5. Resurrection (Skulduggery Pleasant #10), by Derek Landy 

6. Midnight (Skulduggery Pleasant #11), by Derek Landy 

I finally got back to this series! After putting it to one side to prevent the reading slump I was surely headed for, (for about a month I think), I'm ready to get back into this series, so I can get to the last book! The first time I read through these, I didn't really gel to them as much as I did the first part of the story, and I think it was because the pacing was a lot slower than what I was used to. But re-reading them now, I can see that actually they needed to be, because the other books wouldn't have been half as great anyway. I loved re-emerging back into the second part of this series and I can't wait to get to the rest of the series! 

Okay! Those are the books that I read in the month of July! I hope you enjoyed it, and don't worry, I've already comprised a list of books for my August TBR, so you know I'll be back soon! 

As always, comments below what you guys read in July! 

I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon! #

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxx