Here’s a wrap-up of the books I read in July. The first part of this post is the list of all the books with the links to the complete reviews and it’s followed by quick reviews of them. Hope you’ll enjoy!
Please find below all my readings for July:
- The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Marian Keys
- The Windsor Knot by S.J Bennett
- House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
- Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Marian Keys
Themes: romance
My rating: 3.5/5
Synopsis:
Nina is the very idea you have of a bookish person: she works at her local bookstore, prefers the company of books rather than the one of humans and shares a little flat with her cat Phil. But her life begins to change the day she learns her father died (a father she never met), leaving her an extended family including a brother, sisters, nephews, nieces… A lot for someone who doesn’t like to socialise! And as if it wasn’t enough she meets Tom at a trivia competition and would like to know him more without really knowing how to do so…
Nina will have to choose between her books and putting them aside a bit to begin her life in the real world.
Quick review: A perfect summer read with an heroine to whom you will easily connect if you’re a bookish person. It’s a soft romance that also deals with more serious themes such as anxiety, but in such a way that you don’t feel burdened while reading it. And one of the character is a cat!
The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett
Themes: mystery, politics
My rating: 4/5
Synopsis:
What if Her Majesty was a fervent reader of thriller and loved to solve mysteries? That’s exactly what she’s doing with the help of her private secretary Rozie when a murder is committed after one of her dine-and-sleep at Windsor Castle. The poor man has been found hung in the closet of his room and more shockingly almost naked! When the investigators begin to follow the wrong leads the Queen has no other choice than to use her talents to discretely help them.
Quick review: A refreshing mystery taking place in Windsor Palace. I liked the fact that the investigators are actually the Queen herself along with her private secretary. A well thought mystery with multiple suspects and an answer much more complex than I originally thought.
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Themes: horror, fantasy, thriller
My rating: 5/5
Synopsis:
Vivi, Grey and Iris are three sisters who misteriously disappeared when they were childs. Since, that event (can’t tell you anything about it since the plot revolves around it) the three sisters are changed physically with a strange scar on their throats and are a bit odd. Despite all these elements, the oldest is a world-known fashion designer, the middle one is a musician and the youngest is finishing her high school. Everything seems to be fine until one day one of the sisters disappears again…
Quick review: Surprisingly, one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. A gripping plot and a beautyful writting that prevents you from putting the book down. I just wanted to discover what happened to the three sisters and I was not disappointed! Concerning the horror dimension, I was wrong to be worried about it since it remains slight.
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Themes: fantasy, revenge, assassins
My rating: 3/5
Synopsis:
When she was a child, Mia saw the fall of her family with her father being hung and her mother locked up for treason. She barely escaped this tragic fate herself and is since driven by one thing: revenge. Fortunately, an ex-killer decides to train her to help her enter the Red Church, the home of the Republic’s most feared assassins. Even with her ability to master the shadows, Mia will have to overcome the challenges of this place in order to become one of these assassins and achieve her goal.
Quick review: Not a bad book but not my favourite either. The world-building is very well made and the plot very interesting with a badass heroine. But some depictions were just too much and I don’t even mention the long, long descriptions the author gives us that cut and slow down the action (even the footnotes are long, some of them almost taking the entire page!). But still a book that is worth reading
A Book by the Fire 