July-2022 wrap-up + Taking a break!

Hello, Ruminative Fam! Another month is ending and that means another end to our reading journeys… July has been a slow month for me and I was not able to read much. But, I started a new series which I loved to read and the characters have my heart ❤️. Intrigued? Let’s take a look at the books, shall we?

I just read 3 books which are not bad considering the type of books I have read. Also, finally, I read one NON-FICTION this month..although it’s true crime but still something different from what I usually read! Shall we move on to the books? Yes? Let’s go…

1. If You Tell: A true story of murder, family secrets, and the unbreakable bond of sisterhood.

Author – Gregg Olsen
Genre – True Crime, Mystery, Non-Fiction
Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

If You Tell is a story about three sisters and the high levels of abuse they suffered at the hands of their own mother. It tells the truth of the Knotek family, especially the mother, Shelly Knotek who not only abused her daughters but the few others who had the bad luck to come in contact with her...

Gregg Olsen has done an incredible job writing this book but it was not an easy read at all. The things she did to her daughters and others were beyond imaginable. He shows you how evil, sadistic and manipulative Shelly was since her childhood, and you can see how she was living in a world of her own (maybe still is). This book showed the strength of the sisters who stood strong for each other and fought hard against their abuser. Overall, this book is not for light-hearted people as it describes really gruesome, horrific and shocking events. Read only if you are into true-crime documentaries and can handle the graphic events.

2. A Court of Thorns and Roses (#1).

Author – Sarah J. Mass
Genre – Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ACOTAR follows the nineteen-year-old sole breadwinner of her family, Feyre. While hunting, she kills a wolf but little did she know, the consequences of killing that wolf would drag her to the dangerous world of faeries. Now, a captive, her growing feelings towards her captor, Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court, change her and she finds a new home. But, something's wrong in this place and she must fight to save the one she loves...

ACOTAR is an amazing start to a young adult fantasy series which has a very slow start and a little world-building but the creepy atmosphere occurring in the scenes was incredibly done and I enjoyed those moments a lot. To talk about the characters, Feyre and Tamlin both were okay with not much impact, to be honest. And, the romance was promised to be sizzling but it was just adorable. There were not so much steamy scenes but the subtle intimacy between the protagonists was worth reading. Overall, it is a great start to the series and well recommended with an exciting cliffhanger at the end.

3. A Court of Mist and Fury (#2).

Author – Sarah J. Mass
Genre – Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

Although I have tried to keep this mini-review spoiler-free still this is the second book in the series, so there will be some things that I cannot avoid talking about.. But, I’ll try to keep it spoiler-free as much as I can!

ACOMAF follows Feyre, a broken woman haunted by the traumatizing past and nightmares. As she moves toward her wedding with Tamlin, her bargain with Rhysand takes her away to the Night Court. Suddenly, Feyre finds herself at the centre of an upcoming war, and she might just be the only key to stopping it...

This was incredibly done with respect to the character development of Feyre, it showed beautiful bonds of friendship and love throughout. Apart from that it aptly tackled mental health issues and healing journeys from past trauma as well as women empowerment. I loved the little unpredictable twists and turns (Ch 54, specifically) and the romance was beautiful as the relationship grows between the protagonists. It has some drawbacks such as lack of action which made the book a bit boring. But, overall it was beautiful to read the second book in the series. So worth it.

That’s all for July’s progress. Now, as the title says, I’ll be taking a break from blogging. Why, you say? Because I have embarked on a new journey in my life that requires my attention as of now. It’s a veryy happy moment for me to get this phase on my professional front and I want to get used to my new settings first. Once I’m comfortable, I’ll start blogging again…

Hope you all understand and keep supporting me and my blog nonetheless💕

Thank you for reading, Ruminative Fam!

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