[BOOK REVIEW] This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.00 stars

Genres: Science Fiction, LGBT

Trigger warnings: war, violence

“Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.”

August 2020 Wrap-Up and September 2020 TBR

Hello! After finishing summer school in July, I finally had the time to sit down and read a ton of books. This month, I read a total of 17 books! While a portion of them were graphic novels, I read way more than what I usually read. I hope I can keep up this pace in September before school resumes again. This month’s reads consisted of mainly rereads: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, and Saga. I reread PJO and HoO for ~nostalgia~ while I reread Saga because, well, I really missed it. I also read three new books this month, two of which I really enjoyed. 

Here are the books I read in the month of August!

Books mentioned:

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan (Books 1-5)

The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan (Books 1-5)

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Vol. 1-4)

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El Mohtar and Max Gladstone

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

[SERIES REREAD] The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.00 stars

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mythology

Trigger warnings: violence, death

“Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,

To storm or fire the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.”

Hello! In addition to reading PJO, I also reread the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan! It has been about 5 years since I read the last book, but I did manage to remember most of the important plot points in this series! As with PJO, I focused more on the plot and character development rather than the writing style this time (since this series is also middle grade). 

[SERIES REREAD] Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

 

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.5 stars

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mythology

Trigger warnings: violence, death

“Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction — Zeus’ master bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. Most of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.” (Summary of the first book, The Lightning Thief)

In response to the announcement for a Disney+ series, and also for nostalgia’s sake, I decided to reread Percy Jackson and the Olympians! It’s been a while since I’ve read any of Rick Riordan’s books and I plan to also reread The Heroes of Olympus and start The Trials of Apollo. I don’t read any middle grade books anymore but this series has such a big place in my heart because it’s the series that got me into reading in the first place! I absolutely adore all the characters and the themes throughout this series (and those after it as well). I decided that I wouldn’t focus much on Riordan’s writing style (since it’s written for middle grade readers) and rather focus on the characters, their development and interactions with one another, and themes present. 

[ARC] The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

 

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.25 stars

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, LGBT

Trigger warnings: violence 

“The emperor's reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands.

Lin is the emperor's daughter and spends her days trapped in a palace of locked doors and dark secrets. When her father refuses to recognise her as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering the forbidden art of bone shard magic.

Yet such power carries a great cost, and when the revolution reaches the gates of the palace, Lin must decide how far she is willing to go to claim her birthright - and save her people.” 

*Thank you Goodreads for this ARC!

[BOOK REVIEW] The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Rating: ★★★★★ 5 stars

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology

Trigger warnings: war themes, slavery, rape, character death, human sacrificing

“Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.”

[BOOK REVIEW] On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.25 Stars

Genre: Fiction, LGBT

Trigger warnings: bullying, abuse, drug addiction, mental illness, homophobia

“A letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation.”