July Reading Wrap-Up

July Reading Wrap-Up! 

Well I did not have a super great reading month this time around. My goal was to read big books and I did end up technically getting five big books off of my tbr. I didn't finish two of them but I decided they weren't for me and I'm going to donate them. I read three books that were over 500 pages, two books for BookTube-a-thon so far, and one filler book just for funsies. My ratings were pretty average compared to what they have been in the last few months. I did complete a couple of my year-long reading challenges too! ~Em

This book is a hard one to explain. The main character, Ursula, died quickly after she was born, but then came back to life. Throughout her life, she continues to die at various points in her life and keeps getting do-overs. Certain aspects of her life change around her, but for the most part she continues living as her life was prior to her death. This story had potential and the writing was absolutely beautiful, but there was a weird hint of magical realism that was too much for me. I couldn't suspend my disbelief far enough to get on board with the book. Rating: 2/5

After reading Life After Life, I needed something light and fluffy to read so I picked up Ella Enchanted. At birth, Ella is gifted with obedience.She cannot refuse a demand. This becomes a curse to her as she grows and wants to make her own decisions. This book was just what I needed to keep me from falling into a reading slump after Life After Life. It was cute and sometimes funny and overall a nice, quick read. Rating: 3/5

 I went into Caraval with some skepticism. I've heard a lot of mixed things about this book. It follows Scarlett and her sister, Tella. They have this dream to go to Caraval, a whimsical circus type of event that travels around every few years. Scarlett and Tella are invited to attend and to her dismay, Scarlett finds that as part of the game this year, Tella is kidnapped and Scarlett has to find her before the week ends. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was unlike anything I've read before. My only hang ups were that Scarlett was very wishy-washy and everything wrapped up to nicely at the end. Rating: 4/5

 Burned is a re-read for me. I picked this up because I bought the sequel and couldn't remember most of what happened in the first book. When I first read this book, I loved it and rated it five stars, however as a more critical reader I had a lot of issues with it. The story is about Pattyn who is from a strict religious family. She begins to question her role in the world and gets into trouble. She gets sent to her aunt's house in the desert for the summer where she falls in love and learns more about herself than she has been able to before. I found Pattyn's relationship with boys to be annoying and throughout the book I found myself rolling my eyes. Rating: 2/5

This was my first read for the BookTube-a-thon, which I will talk more about at the end of this week. The book is about Mia who discovers that she has synesthesia when she is thirteen years old. She had always experienced the condition but tried to suppress it after she was made fun of when she was eight. This is a wonderful story about discovering yourself, friendship, family, and bonding with others like you. WARNING: If you are sensitive to animals/pets deaths, this book will make you cry! Rating: 4/5

Born Wicked follows Cate and her sisters who are all witches. The people in their town don't approve of witches so they have to keep their magic a secret. Cate is about to turn seventeen so she has to decide whether she will marry her childhood bestfriend, Paul, or join the sisterhood, which is like a convent. After their mother's death, the girls don't have anyone to teach them more about their magic and they are struggling. Their father, who doesn't know about magic, decides to hire a governess while he is away. Things become tense when the governess arrives and Cate's sisters take a liking to her. Rating: 3/5