July Reviews

 🎆 July Reviews 🧨

July 1st-31st

July was an incredible month for me with reading. I found another favorite of the year and reread one of my all-time favs.

Book 60: The Spellshop

By Sarah Beth Durst

Read July 2nd-4th

Pages: 384

Release Year: 2024

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An absolutely wonderful cozy fantasy novel with a beautiful audiobook. I have wanted to read this book ever since I first saw the cover and read the blurb. Kiela is definitely one of my new favorite characters of the year, along with her sentient spiderplant, Caz. He brings so much humor to the book. Kiela is a character I related to on many levels, especially as an introvert. I loved following along with her as she connected with the residents of the island. 

The small town vibes were perfect. The townspeople were so welcoming and I just could not get enough of them. Also, Kiela’s love interest, Larran made it even better. This was definitely a slow-burn romance but I enjoyed every interaction between them both. Kiela is not used to being around people and is afraid of getting too close to anyone on the island. Lorne never takes it to heart. It was beautiful watching them fall for each other. 

I am beyond glad I decided to read this novel and will definitely be adding it to my collection. Another found family story that stole my heart. I hope Sarah will return to this world again. I would love new adventures and to see even more of these characters. This was a story I would have loved to fall into and live in. 

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.*

Book 61: Talismans, Teacups, and Trysts

By K. Starling

Read July 3rd-9th

Pages: 270

Release Year: 2024

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I love how popular cozy fantasies have become. 

This book was an absolute joy. A perfect mix of fantastical creatures, magic, and mystery. The use of the Regency era with fantasy was clever and had me wanting so much more from this world. I know I will be picking up K's other books in the future. 

Also, I love how the narrator spoke directly to the reader. It's always fun when narration is played with in creative ways. The little bits of lore given before each chapter were great additions to the book along with the narrator's notes throughout the story. K made this world come alive in brilliant ways and created an enjoyable experience while doing so. 

There were so many quotes I highlighted throughout the book which had me laughing out loud. I love clever humor. Perfect for fans of Jane Austen, who also love a great fantasy world.  

*Thank you to the author for my ARC of the book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 62: The New Adventures of Encanto, Vol. 1: Time to Shine

By Amparo Ortiz

Read July 9th

Pages: 88

Release Year: 2024

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Encanto is one of my favorites of the most recent Disney movies, so I definitely wanted to check this out for the children I watch. These were cute little stories which give adventures for many of the Madrigal family. I love the art style and the messages each story gives. They are perfect for young readers. These are said to be for ages 8-12, but I personally believe younger children would find enjoyment from listening to them also. 

*Thank to the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

Book 63: Thornhedge

By T. Kingfisher

Read July 22nd

Pages: 125

Release Year: 2023

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What a clever take on the story of "Sleeping Beauty." I love how we got bits of the backstory throughout the present day events. This helped build a bit of suspense the entire time. Also, this was the perfect length for the story being told. I will always love longer books, but often times a novella is definitely all that is needed.

Book 64: The Globe: The Science of Discworld II

By Terry Pratchett

Read July 21st-22nd

Pages: 368

Release Year: 2002

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I enjoyed this just about as much as the first. The fiction chapters of the book are great but they are just a small part along with the science aspects. Some of the science/nonfiction parts of the book were quite interesting. I particularly enjoyed the discussions on storytelling, but the science parts definitely brought down the book for me. Definitely, don’t like when they cut into the plot. 

I loved the addition of Shakespeare and his importance in the story. There are also many references to other Discworld books that I enjoyed.

Book 65: The Cat Who Taught Zen: A Cat’s Journey to Find Enlightenment 

By James Norbury

Read July 24th

Pages: 176

Release Year: 2023

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Another stunning book from James Norbury. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the messages are just as powerful as the ones in his other books. I love that Big Panda and Tiny Dragon both made appearances in this book. I highly recommend picking up James’s books.

Book 66: Hera

By Jennifer Saint

Read July 23rd-25th 

Pages: 352

Release Year: 2024

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I’ve been looking forward to reading this book ever since I first heard about it. In Greek Mythology, Hera is obviously one of the biggest players in many of the myths but you never really get her perspective. We get a surprisingly large scope of the myths from the Gods taking down the Titans, to Hercales, the Trojan war, and so on; all told in Hera’s perspective. 

I’m glad that Hera wasn’t made into an innocent character who does no wrong. Though, I’ll never understand why Hera is hated so much by many readers of Greek Mythology, when Zeus is so much more terrible than she would ever think of being. This book does a great job showing just how horrendous Zeus is to those around him, especially Hera. 

Naomi Fredrick’s narration of the novel was perfect for the novel. She gives a regal voice to Hera and adds even more to the story as a whole. I highly recommend Hera to Greek Mythology retelling lovers.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Book 67: Revenge of the Librarians

By Tom Gauld

Read July 25th

Pages: 180

Release Year: 2022

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Funny comics based on books, writing, and libraries. I particularly enjoyed the choose-your-own adventure comics and the ones based on books. I have read many of these online before but they had me laughing again.

Book 68: Spider-Man: Animals Assemble

A Mighty Marvel Team-Up, 1

By Mike Maihack

Read July 25th

Pages: 96

Release Year: 2023

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A really great graphic novel for younger readers. I love the humor of Spider-Man stories and this has so much of that. The whole story focuses on Spider-Man trying to watch the Avengers’ pets and helping them fight a villain. A funny adventure.

Book 69: Spider-Man: Quantum Quest

A Mighty Marvel Team-Up, 2

By Mike Maihack

Read July 25th

Pages: 96

Release Year: 2024

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Even better than the first. I love how Mike played with the layout of this graphic novel, especially in the She-Hulk parts. Definitely, fits with the Quantum realm. Mike’s illustrations are stunning throughout each of his graphic novels and they are so funny.

Book 70: Spider-Man: Cosmic Chaos!

A Mighty Marvel Team-Up, 3

By Mike Maihack

Read July 25th

Pages: 96

Release Year: 2024

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Another great graphic novel following Spidey and the Guardians of the Galaxy this time around. Hopefully, Mike will continue with this series. 

Book 71: The Marvels 

By Brian Selznick

Read July 27th

Pages: 664

Release Year: 2015

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Reread July 27th, 2024: 

Brian's stories seem to get even better each time I read them. The Marvels is an absolutely stunning piece of literature and art that I adore with all my heart. It is one of the books that has stayed with me from the first time I read it. 

Brian's illustrations are always beautiful, but they really stand out in this novel. I love the story of the Marvel family and also Joseph and Uncle Albert. It is a wonderful piece of literature. And gosh, it makes me cry so much. I've read many of Brian's books since this one and it is still the best by far. 

I highly recommend picking it up. It is one of the best books I have ever read in my life. 

Reread October 3rd, 2021: 

It's funny going into the book this time around, I remembered adoring this story so much the first time I read it but forgot some of the plot points since then. I didn't realize that it had been almost exactly four years since I read it and can honestly say it is still one of my favorite books that I have ever read in my life. I have always loved how Brian creates a story with illustrations and with words and this one is definitely his best. 

The story is absolutely beautiful and you get captivated by it almost instantly. At least I know I did. I like how we follow the Marvels at the beginning and then Jonathan Jervis and his uncle Albert in the latter part of the book. I recommend this to everyone, it's just phenomenal.  

Review from October 9th, 2017: 

This book is just so incredible. I never expected what happened in this story. It may very well be my favorite book of the year.

Book 72: Amber & Clay

By Laura Amy Schlitz

Read July 29th-31st

Pages: 527

Release Year: 2021

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An intricately woven story told through artifacts, verse, and prose. I love how Rhaskos and Melisto’s story was narrated by the gods, their mothers, Sokrates, many others in their lives, and also themselves. My favorite of the narrators was definitely Hermes. His sections were a delight to read and listen to. 

Each artifact is illustrated and precedes a section of the story. They are meant to be exhibits in a museum which we then get context for in the poetry or prose that follows. It was brilliant how Laura chose to play with format throughout the entire book. This is a story I highly recommend reading physically so you can see the illustrations/formatting and also listen to with the audiobook. Rachel Botchan and Tom Picasso do an incredible job creating voices for each of the characters. 

I’m glad Laura chose to provide more historical context with her author’s note at the end of the book. I especially enjoyed her explanation about Greek Verse and how she got the idea to use it to tell her story. Very interesting. 

Amber & Clay is a masterpiece of novel that I love very much. I cannot recommend it enough for fans of historical fiction, Greek Mythology, and Greek History.