Here's the wrapup of books I finished this month. Most of these reviews are written within 48 hours of when I finished the book.
A PRINCESS IN THEORY - Alyssa Cole
OH MY GOD THIS WAS SO GOOD. I finished this right at the start of the month - actually, technically, on July 31. It was published in 2018, pre-pandemic. I only mention that because there's a plot thread of a potential epidemic in the prince's home country, so the "potential epidemic prevented by authorities acting on expert advice" element at the end felt a little too close to wish fulfillment. But, hey, it's an escapist romance novel where everything is supposed to work out. That's the only real gripe I have with this, so I definitely recommend.
There's apparently a few other books in this series, featuring characters which have already been mentioned while still following isolated plot threads. I definitely want to read more.
A TOUCH OF DARKNESS - Stephanie St. Clair
HOLY HELL THIS WAS A GOOD BOOK.
I say that as a lover of dark romance and Greek mythology. I bought this on impulse when looking for podcast material at Barnes and Noble (in my defense, I did walk out with another book of Poe's works that I will be putting in the podcast).
This is the first book in recent memory which I've finished in under 24 hours.
I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN.
A Touch of Darkness is a retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, in the not-too-distant future. In this universe, there's an allusion to a war amongst the gods (and possibly mortals?), and now the gods spend a lot more time engaging with the mortal universe - from meddling in their fates to running nightclubs. Persephone is one of the youngest gods (possibly born after the conflict resolved?); in the wake of the changed sentiments towards gods, Demeter is over-protective of Persephone. Demeter will only allow her daughter attend university if she's wearing a human glamour (to hide the fact she's a literal deity).
This is clearly rooted in a fondness and familiarity of Greek Myth, while also being really hot.
Like. Damn.
Anyway, I'm getting the next few books as soon as I get paid. It's a trilogy. It's done. I love it. Hot Damn.
A TOUCH OF RUIN - Stephanie St. Clair
I listened to the audiobook of this one. It was worth it - I tend to prefer audiobooks, and the narrator is well-suited to this book in particular (side note - have you ever heard an audiobook where the narrator is absolutely not suited, and kind of ruins the book? I have. This narrator is great, though). There's way more sex in this one than the first - which I enjoyed the first few times, but it did start to feel a little excessive.
While I enjoyed this one, it started to feel as though it had a touch of second-book-syndrome - a stepping stone for character development and themes for Book 3. There were a lot of moments where I kept thinking (and sometimes saying aloud), "PERSEPHONE, YOU DUMBASS!! STOP!!" But I think those moments were well-paced, and the narrative had the Greek tragic element of inevitability - Persephone was trying to fix things, and her attempts were the elements that made the situation worse.
As I write this, I'm in the middle of book 3 (A Touch of Malice), and it seems like the main thematic events that ripple through Malice happened at the end of Ruin. (So far, anyway). That said, it was definitely an enjoyable book, it just might not hold up on its own.
STARDUST - Neil Gaiman
Stardust is the tale of Tristran Thorn. A girl promised him anything he wanted if he brought back a fallen star. Tristran, being a dumbass 17-year-old half-fae, goes after the star.
This was my second time reading Stardust, though the first time was in the 9th Grade. I can appreciate the themes a lot more now that my reading comprehension and general attention span have improved considerably. I loved the fairy tale tone of the book. There's a sense that every character and most objects mentioned each have their own narrative, but that narrative is not the one being focused on. My favorite instance of this is at the end of Chapter 3:
"It was night in the glade by the pool and the sky was bespattered with stars beyond counting.
"... A fieldmouse found a fallen hazelnut and began to bite into the hard shell of the nut with its sharp, ever-growing teeth, not because it was hungry, but it was a prince under an enchantment who could not regain his outer form until he chewed the nut of wisdom. But its excitement made it careless, and only the shadow that blotted out the moonlight warned it of the descent of a huge grey owl, who caught the mouse in its sharp talons and rose again into the night.
... the owl swallowed the mouse in just a couple of gulps... something snuffled and grunted as it pushed through the thicket - a badger, thought the owl (herself under a curse, and only able to resume her rightful shape if she consumed a mouse who had eaten the Nut of Wisdom), or perhaps a small bear."
That's all you hear about the owl and the mouse. That's also the longest example of the "everything has a narrative" element, but I still very much enjoyed it.
A TOUCH OF MALICE - Stephanie St. Clair
I got this as an audiobook from the library; I finished this thinking this was the third and final book in the Hades x Persephone series, and... well, I was surprised initially. WHY WOULD YOU END A SERIES LIKE THAT????
That's not the end of the series, obviously - there's at least one other book coming out this winter (entitled A Touch of Chaos); given the summary, it looks like that'll be the last book.
It was really good. It's at the point in the series where a lot of the character development and threads are starting to pay off. That said, this ended in a place I was not expecting. I don't want to spoil too much, but I will say: it deviates from the Hades x Persephone myth, since one of the main parties in the myth is now indisposed. iykyk.
BOOKS I DIDN'T GET TO:
I have been slowly working on reading Fellowship of the Ring, and I've made very slow progress. I've passed Tom Bomadil and met Aragorn, so the plot should be picking up soon.
What did you read this month?
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