summer reading updates │SMALL THOUGHTS #4

Summer is over and I am READY to delve into my autumn TBR. But before I do, let's discuss some of the books I managed to read over summer. I got through quite a few of them, so I've narrowed it down to four for the sake of our collective sanity. If you're interested in what else I've been reading, then you can always check out my StoryGraph!

Vesuvius by Cass Biehn 

The clock is ticking. The gods are watching. This thrilling historical fantasy set in the days before Mount Vesuvius destroys Pompeii is a meet cute with an explosive fallout. 

Clever thief Felix slips from city to city to survive the present and escape a past he can’t remember. When Felix steals a mythical artifact—Mercury's helmet—from a temple in Pompeii, pieces of his forgotten past begin to surface. 

Loren, an ambitious temple attendant, has seen Felix in his apocalyptic nightmares for years. The last thing Loren expects is for his dream to stumble headfirst through his temple doors, moments after an earthquake rocks the city. 

When Felix shows Loren the helmet, Loren sees the world coming to an end. He knows they have mere days to uncover Felix’s ties to the relic and to Loren’s visions if they have any hope of saving the city. But Ancient Rome is ruled by bloody politics and unstoppable destinies, and now that Loren and Felix are intertwined, their lives aren’t all they risk losing. When all has turned to ash and rubble, the boys will have to piece together their fates to make it out of a burning city alive. 

An exploration of ambition and class, autonomy and religion, survival and love.

I knew I was going to pick this up as soon as I heard about it. There’s nothing more me than a queer historical disaster retelling, and I adored it as much as I predicted I would. It was such an interesting take on Pompeii, focusing on a smaller cast of characters rather than the tragedy as a whole. Felix and Loren are adorable and I loved how their story wrapped up. Buuuuuut I still had questions at the end that I’m dying for answers to!

Royal Rating:

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project studying the inner workings of a faerie realm-as its queen. 

Along with her former academic rival-now fiancé-the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell's long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare, filled with scholarly treasures. 

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world-how could an unassuming scholar like herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in-Wendell's murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell's magic-and Emily's knowledge of stories-to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the conclusion to Emily and Wendell’s story, and I finally got to read it over the summer! I was super satisfied with the ending that was given to the pair of them – they make my heart extremely happy. As much as I enjoyed it, I found it a tiny bit slower than the previous two books, which is why I couldn’t give it five stars. I still think that the second book is my favourite from the trilogy. 

Royal Rating:

What Would Boudicca Do? by E. Foley & B. Coates

Tired of being talked over? Of social media making you feel crap? Of the pressure to 'have it all' and a hot bod too? 

Boudicca stuck up for herself and now she can help you do the same. It is time to start channelling the spiky superwomen of history to conquer today. It is time to turn to women like Frida Kahlo and Josephine Baker, Hypatia and Cleopatra, Coco Chanel and Empress Cixi. In this irreverent guide they will help you figure out how to dispatch a loverat, back yourself, kill it at work and trounce FoMo. 

With original illustrations by Bijou Karman, What Would Boudicca Do? will make you fired-up and ready for anything.

There’s nothing I love more than learning about woman throughout history. I was originally pulled into this one because of the title – I’ve always adored Boudicca since my dad taught me about her as a child. It was a fairly quick and fun read, relating the struggles of historical woman to our everyday issues. I would have preferred a bit more of a deep-dive into their lives, but I understand there wasn’t really space to do that here. I did note down some of my favourites so I could learn more about them on my own though!

Royal Rating:

Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian

It's 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing. 

Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He's terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he's gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media's images of men dying of AIDS. 

Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance...until she falls for Reza and they start dating. 

Art is Judy's best friend, their school's only out and proud teen. He'll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs. 

As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won't break Judy's heart--and destroy the most meaningful friendship he's ever known.

It’s the way I knew this book would probably make me cry before going into it, yet I still had the audacity to be surprised when I started sobbing like a baby. This was such a brutally gorgeous story, set in a period of time that still gets desperately overlooked. The ending was also a punch in the gut because it reminds us that no matter how far we feel like we’ve come in the fight for equal rights, there is still an uphill battle, and we need to keep going.  

Royal Rating:

So there we have it, that was just some of the books I've buried my nose into this summer. I also got a new kindle for my birthday in back in June, so I'm back to using NetGalley and can't wait to request some of my most anticipated reads. 

What books have you loved recently? 

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some new fave books?│SMALL THOUGHTS #2

Hello, my fellow book inhalers! Welcome to another instalment in my series of mini-reviews. I've been keeping on top of my reading goal so far this year, and all of these books have made a big impression on me. So, let's delve right in. 

The Big Ask by Simon James Green 

Alfie Parker has bagged the hottest date to prom … hasn’t he? Bestselling LGBTQ+ writer Simon James Green makes his Barrington Stoke debut with a life-affirming teen romance.

Harvey is popular, cool, plays football and has been in a relationship with his girlfriend Summer for as long as anyone can remember. Alfie is not popular, not cool, has a sick note so he doesn’t have to play any sport, and has been in a relationship with his Xbox since forever. So when Summer dramatically dumps Harvey just a few days before the school prom, no one is expecting Alfie to ask Harvey to be his date. Least of all Alfie. But sometimes amazing things can happen when you take a chance… 

A short and perfectly sweet novel from one of my all-time favourite authors. There’s nothing more exciting for teenagers than the run up to prom (most teenagers – my prom was the dullest thing to ever happen), and you could just feel the enthusiasm for it in the pages of this novel! The characters in this were adorable and I was completely rooting for them. It put a much-needed smile on my face this summer. 

Royal Rating:

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series. 

Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world’s first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival Wendell Bambleby. 

Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother and in search of a door back to his realm. And despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and dangers. 

She also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by his mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby’s realm and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.

But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors and of her own heart.

I picked the first book up after one of my best friends recommended it to me, and she’s never been wrong in pointing me to a book before. I enjoyed the first book plenty, but I fell completely in love with the sequel. It has such a cosy feeling to it whilst still bringing an exciting plot. The characters are ADORABLE and it was thrilling to watch them open up to each other throughout the story. It’s going to be a painstaking wait for the next book! 

Royal Rating:

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black

An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame. 

Prince Oak is paying for his betrayal. Imprisoned in the icy north and bound to the will of a monstrous new queen, he must rely on charm and calculation to survive. With High King Cardan and High Queen Jude willing to use any means necessary to retrieve their stolen heir, Oak will have to decide whether to attempt regaining the trust of the girl he’s always loved or to remain loyal to Elfhame and hand over the means to end her reign—even if it means ending Wren, too.

With a new war looming on the horizon and treachery lurking in every corner, neither Oak’s guile nor his wit will be enough to keep everyone he loves alive. It’s just a question of whom he will doom

Ah, how much I enjoyed being back in Elfhame. After loving The Stolen Heir, I was majorly excited to see how the story ended in this instalment as I was NOT disappointed. It was also a pleasant surprise to read this one from Oak’s perspective instead of Wren because I was definitely eager to learn more about him as his own character, rather than through the eyes of others. What I loved most about this book was getting to catch up with the characters from The Folk of the Air series. I love Jude and Cardan so damn much. I was looking forward to every scene they appeared in. The only downside is that this duology just made me want more spinoffs. 

Royal Rating:

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, the richest of nobles and the most debauched of criminals have one thing in common: the constant search for wealth, power, and the next hedonistic thrill. 

Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword Catcher—the body double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are as close as brothers, but Kel knows that his destiny is to die for Conor. No other future is possible. 

Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community whose members still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls within the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend without access to forbidden knowledge. 

After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces. 

As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will their discoveries plunge their nation into war—and the world into chaos?

There was no doubt that I was going to pick up Cassandra Clare’s first adult novel – I’d read her shopping list if she published it. I was super excited for this, with it being her first solo novel set outside of the Shadowhunter world. Predictably, I loved it. It was a slow start, but not in a bad way. It took the time to introduce us to the characters and the world without leaving us feeling overwhelmed. I’m hooked on the plot and I love the characters, so I can’t wait to see what the future of this series holds for them. The only thing I’m not 100% sold on yet is the romantic pairings. I think one worked better than the other, but I’m not going to say which, for those who haven’t yet read it. If that’s where the romance is heading, at least! Maybe the love interests will be shaken up, who knows.

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I'm so happy I picked up these books because there's definitely some new faves amongst them! If you want to keep tabs on what I'm reading, then be sure to drop by my Goodreads or StoryGraph pages. Until next time, readers!

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