Lucy Undying by Kiersten White follows Lucy from Dracula where she doesn’t dye like she does in Dracula. We are told the story through Lucy’s diary, and interview she did with someone she saved, and the current events told by another character Iris’s point of view. Iris’s mother recently dies and she is trying to run away from an evil MLM her family control and comes to London to try to sell off some property/items that she has inherited for some quick cash and ends up meeting Lucy.
While I end up enjoying the story if was not what I was expecting based on the cover, title, and what little I had heard about the book. I thought we were going to get more of a Dracula retelling but from Lucy’s point of view which we do get small amounts of but that is not what most of the book is about.
Personally, I don’t feel like Kristen White likes the story of Dracula and if you love Dracula (the original novel) you might not like this. Mina is portrayed as a conniving bitch and Lucy’s suitors are trying to steel her family’s money. Once we find out how the MLM Iris’s family runs works, it’s a self-help one that allows followers to live forever by becoming vampires, I was more interested in where that story would go. I would have preferred a vampire novel focusing on the MLM concept without any connection to Dracula. However, I did like how Dracula and all the other Vampires Lucy has met show up in the end and I did enjoy how Dracula was portrayed, as to me it is fairly book accurate.
In July I read five books and watched the new season of Doctor Who. I should have posted this before now and I don’t remember everything about what I read.
Books:
The first book I read was Symbiont by Mira Grant. This is the second book in the Parasitology trilogy. We follow Sal and her companions as they try to figure out how the tape worms are taking over the host and what Sherman’s plan is. I love Mira Grant’s (Seanan McGuire) writing but this very much felt like a middle book. Sal spends far to much time fainting and being kidnapped.
The Bitter End by Alexa Donne is young adult thriller where a winter storm traps eight teens at a remote ski lodge and people start dying. A very well written thriller with multiple points of view. I have a full review posted as well and I feel like those who enjoy thrillers will enjoy this.
Next I read Saiyuki Reload volumes one and two by Kazuya Minekura. This is a continuation of the Saiyuki series following Sanzo,Goku, Gojyo, and Hakki traveling to stop the demons that are trying to resurrect the demon king. I love this series and the art and plan to continue rereading this series. I plan to write a full review when I read all of the series.
The last book I read in July was The Girl in the Tower by Katherian Arden we follow Vasillisa as she leaves her village for adventure by pretending to be a boy but when she saves some children from bandits the Grand Prince anoints her as a hero and she is reunited with her brother and sister. This had a bit a second book syndrome but I can it is setting up for the finale.
TV Show:
They only TV show I watched was the new season of Doctor Who. I liked this season but I feel like the ending was a little rushed and they tried to make Ruby’s mother important to the plot in a way that I didn’t feel was necessary but I do plan to watch the next season when it comes out.
The Bitter End by Alexa Donne is a young adult thriller where a winter storm traps eight teens at a remote ski cabin and they start dying. It becomes clear that one of them is the killer. I received a review copy from the publisher on Netgalley. This is a very well written thriller with multiple points of view. It did take me a bit to get a feel for all of the characters and I suspected different people at different times.
The story switches between the current events at the ski lodge and a party several years ago that created drama between everyone. Based on the information that we get about the party early on I was suspecting that someone died at the party and that is the problem. However, the actual reason for the conflict was not what I was expecting. I didn’t see who the killer was or what their reasoning form killing their peers. I loved the ending and I feel like this would make a good TV show or movie. It reminded me of the video game Until Dawn but without the supernatural elements.
In June I read seven books and watched two movies. Mostly fantasy and science fiction but some nonfiction as well.
Books:
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson is a historic nonfiction about what happened in the five months between Abraham Lincolns’ election and the start of the Civil War. Civil War history is generally not something I’m interested in but Erik Larson makes history very readable. I would recommend this book if you are a fan of Erik Larson or are interested in the history of the Civil War.
The next book I read was The Fifth Prophet by Lauren Lee Merewether which is the fourth novella in the Lost Pharaoh Chronicles Prequel series. This one follows Pawah as he becomes a scribe at the temple of Anum and everything he will do to become more powerful. As this follows the villain of the Last Pharaoh Chronicles I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the others in the series but I wonder if I would have liked it more if I had read the Lost Pharaoh Chronicles first as I’m reading in chronological order of events not the publication order.
A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab is the first book in the Shades of Magic series. In this world there are multiple universes and those with specific magic can travel between different London’s. We follow Kell who is being framed and Lilah a thief who is helping him. I should have liked this but while I liked the magic and Kell I hated Lilah and didn’t feel much of a connection to this story.
Saiyuki Resurrected Edition volume 4 by Kazuya Minekura is the last volume of these editions of Saiyuki and I have a full review posted for the series. Overall I still love this series.
World War Z by Max Brooks is a zombie story told as an oral history through interviews with different characters explaining what they did and how the world survived the zombies. This is a different take on zombies and how the world would cope in this situation then most stories and is very different than the movie adaptation. I would hope that humanity would ban together if something like this were to happen but after Covid I’m less optimistic.
Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik is a collection of short stories including a look at the world her next novel is set in and one of the first stories that became Spinning Silver. I received a review copy of this from Netgalley and have a full review going through each of the stories. Overall I would recommend this if you are a fan of Novik’s work.
Queen’s Hope by E.K. Johnston is the last book in the Star Wars Padme trilogy. We follow Padme Amidala as a senator at the beginning of the Clone Wars. This focuses on what Padme’s role is now after her marriage to Anakin and the start of the war. We also see how her relationships with the handmaidens has changed over the years specifically with Sabe and what she is doing on Tatooine.
Movies:
I also watched two movies this month both Japanese. The first was One Cut of the Dead which is a zombie comedy movie similar to Shaun of the Dead in the humor. At first it seem like we are seeing a zombie outbreak on the set of a movie shoot but its much more than that.
The next movie I watched was Godzilla Minus One which is a Godzilla movie set after World War II following a Kamikaze pilot who survived the war and saw Godzilla at the end of the war. He now feels like he needs to be part of the group that kills Godzilla. I’m not the biggest Godzilla fan but this movie was very good.
In May I read seven books including several manga and a picture book. I’m currently catching up on some post that I had planned to go up before now.
Books:
The first book I read this month was The Free Trader of Warren Deep by Craig Martelle which is a science fiction story about Free Trader Brandon and his mind linked hillcat traveling the trade routes of Warren Deep. He decides to traverse the Great Desert to find old tech to make his riches. I liked the concept overall but found some parts confusing and it ended abruptly.
In the Houses of their Dead: The Lincolns, The Booths, and the Spirits by Terry Alford is a nonfiction book about the connections between Abraham Lincoln and John Wilks Booth even before the assassination. There is also a focus on the Lincoln’s interest in spiritualism. I liked this book while I was reading it but I feel like I didn’t retain much of the information.
Knight owl by Christopher Denise is a picture book about a little owl who wants to become a knight. I love owls and collect owl things and this was too cure to pass up.
Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson is a fantasy novel where people can have powers based on different metals. I have read and reviews this book before and reread it for book club. I still really like this story and need to continue on with the series.
Saiyuki Resurrected Editions volumes one through three by Kazuya Minekura is a manga fantasy series that is very loosely based on Journey to the West. We follow Sanzo, Gojyo, Goku, and Hakkai as they are tasked with traveling west to find out why the yokai are attacking humans and stop the resurrection of the demon king Gumaho. These editions are new hardback editions with an updated translations. I’ve loved this series for years and still do but I don’t believe that the full story will ever be completed.
Saiyuki is a manga series by Kazuya Minekura which very loosely on the Chinese novel Journey to the West. The Resurrected Editions are the new hardback editions from Kodansha that also have an updated translation.
The story follows Sanzo, Gojyo, Goku, and Hakkai as they travel to the west to stop the resurrection the evil god/demon Gyumao. These four volumes follows the group as they attempt to travel west but are side tracked my many other enemies and we also find out about each characters back story. I feel if you like the premise you should try the series out. However, this series while does have a complete story is not the end of the journey and the other parts of the series haven’t been finished due to the authors health issues.
Personally, I love this series but I’ve been a fan for years and I’m not sure if my love of the series comes more from that then the story itself. There have also been several different anime adaptations which are a fun time but also include some anime only stories.
In April I only read two books but I was playing and finishing different video games including Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Books:
The first book I read this month was Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age by Kathleen Sheppard which I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Netgalley. Women in the Valley of the Kings is a nonfiction book about the history of Egyptology and the impact that women have had on the field. I’ve been interested in Ancient Egypt and Egyptology for years but most of the people you hear about are the famous men and their findings. I didn’t realize how many women were involved in the field and how their finds and research impacted others. I would recommend this to those studying Egyptology and those who have an interest in the field.
The other book I read this month was Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Mass. This is the last book in The Throne of Glass series which I loved. I feel at this point that this series is so popular you will know if you want to read it and if you would like it. It took me a while to finish this series mostly because I have been very bad at finishing series in the last several years. However, some of the books are a bit of a slog but the payoff is worth it.
Video Games:
This month I finished Final Fantasy VII Rebirth which I also have a full review posted for. I absolutely loved this game and I can’t wait to see where they take the story in the next game. Two things if you are interested in playing the developers are expecting you to know the story of the original games including Crisis Core for all the emotional payoffs and you should play Remake before trying this one. This is a game for fans but other would enjoy it as well.
The other game I’ve been playing has been The Oregon Trail for Nintendo Switch. I’ve been having a lot of fun playing it but as I only pick it up here and there it will take me a while to complete everything in the game. If you have fond memories of play Oregon Trail as a kid I would recommend it.
In March I read five books, most of them for the local book club that I’m apart of. I’m currently catching up on posts for this blog so expect more posts soon.
Books:
This month the first book I read was Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan Mcguire. I reread this for book club and its still one of my favorite books and series overall. I’m glad that I was able to introduce more people to the Wayward Children series.
The next book was Titanic: The Tragic Story of the Ill-Fated Ocean Liner by Rupert Mathews. This is a nonfiction book about the sinking of the Titanic. I read this because I was in the mood for nonfiction but it doesn’t have anything new for Titanic enthusiasts. However it is well written and a fairly easy read.
Tomes, Scones and Crones by Colleen Gleason is a cozy fantasy mystery where Jacqueline inheritsthe Three Tomes Bookshop after her life falls apart. The bookstore often has character from books show up and there is a witch who wants the store. I liked the concept but I didn’t enjoy how Jacquline got to where she is as some choices are taken away from her. This was a book club read and I enjoy being introduced to books and authors that I’ve never heard of.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers is a science fiction book that follows the crew of the Wayfarer ship. This was another reread for book club. I loved the found family and how everyone interacts with each other. The plot is not the focus the characters are and the relationship they have. I love Rosemary’s and Sixis relationship and this is still one of my favorite books.
The last book I read in March was Paaten’s War which is one of the Last Pharoah Chronicles prequels. We follow soldier Paaten who is capatured by the enemy and then sold as a slave. He eventually escapes and meets a Hittite Woman who he falls in love with but is still loyal to Egypt and the Pharoah. This is well written but from a male perspective which is not my favorite for historical fiction.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood is one of her newest romance books and her first paranormal romance. In this world Vampyre’s, Human’s and Werewolf’s live in a very tens peace. Misery, the only daughter of a powerful Vampyre councilman and Lowe, the new alpha of the Werewolf’s agree to marry to try and keep the peace. However, Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage including tying to find her best friend who has gone missing.
This is a slow burn romance that also happens to be an Omegaverse story. I would recomend looking up what that means to decide if this is your cup of tea or not but its not a large part of the story mostly just some of the main tropes are included.
I loved how Misery’s and Lowe’s realationship changes of the story and how Misery becomes her own person. There is one part of the story that I hated Lowe but I understood why he did what he did. I would recomend this to fans of Ali Hazelwood and those intresed in paranoraml romance.
At the start of the year I replayed Final Fantsy VII Remake to prepare for Rebirth and decided to read the Final Fantsy VII books that I hadn’t yet. These where The Kids Are Alright and Traces of Two Pasts.
Final Fantasy VII The Kids Are Alright A Turks Side Story is set two years after the original Final Fantasy VII and is a prequle to Advent Children. This is mostly focused on new characters Evan and Kyire and them trying to find out what is going on in the world and with Geostigma. The other characters that appear are mainly the Turks who are very sarcastic and Elena is ready to throw down/kill anyone. I loved the connections with the cast of the game and finding out what the Turks were doing at the start of Advent Children. Some of the characters mention also appear in Remake. Though I feel like this is a book for fans that need to have interacted with everything.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Traces of Two Pasts focuses on the backstories of Tifa and Aerith with hints on what is coming in Rebirth. The first half of the book is Tifa’s story and the second half Aerith’s, and then there is a small section about a character that Aerith knows but we have never met that show how ruthless Shinra can be. With Tifa’s story I enjoyed seeing her past and how she met up with everyone but I would have liked to see more of the Nibelhime incident from her perspective. Aerith’s stor first focuses on her and her mother, Iflana’s escape from Shinra and then her relationship with Elmrya. The only thing that I’m supprized with Aerith’s story is there is nothing about Zack in it. As I’ve been playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth its cool seeing the easter eggs that mention the events of this book.
