ARC Review: League of American Traitors by Matthew Landis

Title: League of American Traitors Written by: Matthew Landus Published: August 8, 2017 by Sky Pony (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: National Treasure meets Hamilton in a breathless history-based thriller from an outstanding new voice. Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it. . . . When seventeen year-old Jasper is approached at the funeral of his deadbeat father by a man claiming to be an associate of his deceased parents, he’s thrust into a world of secrets tied to America’s history—and he’s right at the heart of it. First, Jasper finds out he is the sole surviving descendant of Benedict Arnold, the most notorious traitor in American history. Then he learns that his father’s death was no accident. Jasper is at the center of a war that has been going on for centuries, in which the descendants of the heroes and traitors of the American Revolution still duel to the death for the sake of their honor. His only hope to escape his dangerous fate on his eighteenth birthday? Take up the research his father was pursuing at the time of his death, to clear Arnold’s name. Whisked off to a boarding school populated by other descendants of notorious American traitors, it’s a race to discover the truth. But if Jasper doesn’t find a way to uncover the evidence his father was hunting for, he may end up paying for the sins of his forefathers with his own life. Like a mash-up of National Treasure and Hamilton, Matthew Landis’s debut spins the what-ifs of American history into a heart-pounding thriller steeped in conspiracy, clue hunting, and danger.

This book combined so many things that I absolutely love and I couldn't help but be excited about reading it. I am such a fan of historical mysteries and one involving traitors and the American Revolution is so completely up my alley. And this was definitely a good read but it didn't totally blow me away.

One thing I really liked about League of American Traitors is that it is an extremely plot-driven book. It's a much more thrilling and action-packed book than I expected. There is a lot of tension and drama throughout the book with plenty of narrow escapes, thrilling heroics, and twists and turns along the way. In this way it definitely lives up to the National Treasure comparison. At times it read way more like an action movie than anything else. And honestly, I'm totally cool with that. I am a plot-driven reader. I like my books to slowly build to a thrilling conclusion and that's what this one did.

However, the extreme plot-driven nature of this book was at the detriment of the character development. There was definitely the opportunity here for some coming-of-age heroes journey type plot points but it didn't really quite hit those notes. Or if they did, it was much later in the book than I would have liked it. I think for the most part the characters just didn't jump off the page. I liked the main character of Jasper well enough. I think he was interesting and I definitely connected with him and his sarcastic demeanor. I just felt like his development could have been more pronounced. As for the rest of the characters, they honestly all blended together. I will say, Nora was super interesting. I wanted to know more about her. But all the other characters I kept getting confused by. I couldn't tell who was who and if they should matter. They all just sort of blended together. I did like the references to their historical ancestors though.

Because that was another thing that was really great about this book, the historical references. You can tell this book is written by someone who loves American History, particularly someone who loves the American Revolution. There were all kinds of great and somewhat obscure references to historical figures and even more information about people who we think we know so well. You can tell that the author did his research into the period and the figures he was using. But he also took that and made it into an interesting piece of historical fiction. That is what I love about historical fiction and that is one of the things I really enjoyed here.

I will say however that I think this book is a little bit on the simpler side. That's not a bad thing, it's just not a very complex read. I read it over the course of two days on a family camping trip where I couldn't devote more than a few hours a day to reading. I think if you wanted to, you could easily finish this 240 page read in a day. I would probably say that it's more on the younger side of YA. Middle Grade readers would probably enjoy it a lot as well. But if you are looking for a really complex and intricate YA historical mystery this may not do it for you.

On the whole, League of American Traitors was a good read. It was an action-packed plot driven read with great historical fiction elements. It was a little on the simpler side for YA and I didn't love the characterizations but it was a totally engaging read.

I give League of American Traitors by Matthew Landis 8 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow. If you are a fan of historical mysteries, historical fiction, the American Revolution, and/or plot-driven reads you can breeze trough check this book out. I think that for the most part this book will appeal to a very specific audience. I am that audience.

Have you read League of American Traitors? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: The Rattled Bones by S.M. Parker

Title: The Rattled Bones Written by: S.M. Parker Published: August 22, 2017 by Simon Pulse (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Unearthing years of buried secrets, Rilla Brae is haunted by ghostly visions tied to the tainted history of a mysterious island in this haunting novel from the author of The Girl Who Fell.  Maine-bred, independent Rilla Brae is no stranger to the deep. She knows the rhythms of hard work and harder seas. But when she experiences the sudden death of her father, the veil between the living and the dead blurs and she begins to be haunted by a girl on a nearby, uninhabited island. The girl floats a song over the waves, and it is as beautiful as it is terrifying. Familiar and distant.  Then Rilla meets Sam, a University of Southern Maine archeology student tasked with excavating the very island where the ghostly girl has appeared. Sam sifts the earth looking for the cultural remains of an island people who were forcibly evicted by the state nearly a hundred years ago. Sam tells Rilla the island has a history no locals talk about—if they know about it at all—due to the shame the events brought to the working waterfront community. All Rilla knows for sure is that the island has always been there—an eerie presence anchored in the stormy sea. Now Sam’s work and the ghostly girl’s song lure Rilla to the island’s shores.  As Rilla helps Sam to unearth the island’s many secrets, Rilla’s visions grow—until the two discover a tragedy kept silent for years. And it’s a tragedy that has everything to do with Rilla’s past.

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher at ALA in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***
I was supper excited about this book. It's a total me book. It seemed like a totally interesting and atmospheric historical mystery. And while there were some good things about this book, it didn't quite live up to my hopes for this book.

One of the things that I did like about this book was the plot development and mystery. I was hoping for a book full of mystery, and that is really what I got. This is a book full of twists and turns as it slowly reveals what is going on and what happened in the past. I wouldn't say that it was completely surprising because the big reveal was kind of predicable but there was still a ton of drama and tension. There was also a ton of magic. It had a bit of magical realism vibe to it and I really appreciated that. It definitely captured my interest and built to an interesting conclusion.

I didn't however really enjoy the pacing of this book. It wasn't a very long book but it took me longer to read than I expected because throughout some of the book it really dragged. In the middle, it definitely dragged. I often read multpile books at once and I always know if I'm enjoying a book when I can't decide which book to read at any given point. But with this book I reached a point where I would much rather read the other book. In the end it did hook me again but it was a little hit or miss throughout the book.

I did however really liked the setting of this book. This is a book set in a small town of Maine and I really do feel that the town came alive in this book. I feel like I could hear the waves, and see the ships bobbing off the shore. It definitely made me miss New England and the ocean breezes and small town feel it can sometimes have. I don't know how accurate the fishing and lobstering stuff was but I do feel like we got the barest taste of what life is like for these fishermen and woman. It made for a unique setting and I really appreciated that.

But this was a historical mystery so I have to take a moment to talk about the history and how that affecting the setting of the book. But it's really hard to talk about that aspect because it just sort of felt like a means to an end. I like my historical fiction to be grounded in a specific time and place and I don't feel like this book did that. It explored a historical time period and how the people of that period were treated but it just felt kind of generic to me. It also felt a little heavy handed. Like it was trying a little hard to explore themes of humanity and how people are treated. And because of that I found myself more resistant to it's messages that I would be if it had been a little more subtle.

As far as the characters go, they were okay. They weren't super memorable but they weren't bad either. I liked the main character of Rilla well enough. I appreciated that she had a lot of vulnerability to her. It was easy to connect with her and her and her unsureity. Who hasn't been torn between wanting to move on from somewhere and feeling so connected to the people and place that you're scared and sad about leaving. But I feel like she was one of the only characters who had some depth to them. Most of the other characters just fell a little flat for me.

On the whole, The Rattles Bones was an okay read. It had an engaging plot despite a slightly muddled pacing, and a unique and descriptive setting. I just wish the historical setting felt more grounded, the themes were less heavy-handed, and the characters felt more complex.

I give The Rattled Bones by S.M. Parker 7.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Borrow/Bypass. If you like YA historical mysteries then maybe check this one out. It wasn't my favorite but it was pretty good.

Have you read The Rattled Bones? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Book Review: I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest

Title: I Am Princess X Written by: Cherie Priest Published: May 26, 2015 by Arthur A. Levine (Scholastic) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure.  Once upon a few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across the Ballard Bridge on a rainy night. When the car went over the side, Libby passed away, and Princess X died with her.  Once upon a now: May is sixteen and lonely, wandering the streets of Seattle, when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window.  Princess X?  When May looks around, she sees the Princess everywhere: Stickers. Patches. Graffiti. There's an entire underground culture, focused around a webcomic at IAmPrincessX.com. The more May explores the webcomic, the more she sees disturbing similarities between Libby's story and Princess X online. And that means that only one person could have started this phenomenon - her best friend, Libby, who lives.

I have been wanting to read this book for quite awhile now. But I only recently picked up a copy for myself and I am so glad that I did. This was a fantastic and engaging read that I couldn't put down. It was full of mystery, great characters, and cool art to break things up and add interest.

I Am Princess X is a fast read. The paperback comes in at only 230 pages and it was a breeze to get through this book. I completely devoured it. I finished it in just a few days and if I'm being entirely honest I could have finished it in a day if I had eight hours of uninterrupted reading time to spare. Sometimes I read books fast because there isn't much to them. But don't assume that it was a fast read because there isn't much depth to it because there is. It's a short but eventful read.

Because was the plot of this book ever full of action and adventure. I'm not sure I was really expecting all that plot development. Although I shouldn't have been that surprised by an author who has only ever previously written adult sci-fi and fantasy. The plot development of this book was definitely full action. There were all kinds of daring escapes and thrilling heroics that kept me on the edge of my seat. This is a book that really built to a thrilling conclusion as well. It was pretty well paced but I do think that it dragged a little bit towards the end. I didn't really want it to be over but I was ready for the reveal.

Speaking of the reveal, this was a book with a fantastic mystery. I love a good mystery. I love a big reveal that you saw coming and I love a crazy twist. This book was probably more of the former. It wasn't a huge surprise, in fact it was more of validation for what you and the character was already thinking. But honestly, that wasn't a bad thing. It still gave the book a lot of tension (the plot helped a lot with that as well). Plus it was actually a really unique mystery. I really loved the way that the mystery here unfolded. The clues were built into the comic and it made for a truly unique and engaging mystery which made this a totally engaging read.

Speaking of the comic, I really loved the portions with Princess X. I'm reading this book as a part of my superhero/superpower themed month. Princess X is a fantastic hero. She's part normal girl, part kickass heroine. She is designed by a young girl so the art isn't very complex but it is still fantastic. I loved the way that the book was broken up with the comic as well. It added a lot of interest to the book and made it so readable. I actually was kind of bummed that there wasn't more Princess X. I want this webcomic to be real. I want to find out what happens next to Princess X and her protector with the black ax. I loved her that much.

But Princess X was not the only character that I liked here. This was a book full of interesting and realistic characters. There isn't much attention placed on the characters with this book but they aren't neglected. They are just not the focus here. But they still feel realistic. In particular the main character of May felt really honest and realistic. She felt like someone I would want to know and be friends with in real life. And friendship is definitely a thing that she values. So much of this revolves around friendship. May never gave up on her childhood best friend of Libby even after she died in a car accident, and she develops a great friendship with Trick throughout the book. Speaking of Trick, I liked that he wasn't this perfect hacker. I loved that he had some vulnerability to him. It made him more realistic. I also really liked that this book didn't force them into a romance. It totally could have but it didn't. It let the friendship thrive that way and I really appreciated that.

On the whole I Am Princess X was a fantastic read. It was a fast and engaging read full of mystery, adventure, and friendship. It's a book you will want to read in one sitting because it is that engrossing. I know that I did.

I give I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest 9.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. Why did I wait so long to read this book. I really loved it and absolutely devoured it. Perfect for fans of mysteries or anyone looking for a fast palette cleanser kind of read.

Have you read I am Princess X? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

League of American Traitors Blog Tour: Guest Post with Author Matthew Landis

ABOUT THE BOOK:

League of American Traitors

by Matthew Landis

Publisher: Sky Pony

Release Date: August 8, 2017

Genre: Young Adult, Historical

Links:

Goodreads - Amazon - B&N - Book Depository 

Synopsis:

Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it. . . . 

 When seventeen year-old Jasper is approached at the funeral of his deadbeat father by a man claiming to be an associate of his deceased parents, he’s thrust into a world of secrets tied to America’s history—and he’s right at the heart of it.

First, Jasper finds out he is the sole surviving descendant of Benedict Arnold, the most notorious traitor in American history. Then he learns that his father’s death was no accident. Jasper is at the center of a war that has been going on for centuries, in which the descendants of the heroes and traitors of the American Revolution still duel to the death for the sake of their honor.

His only hope to escape his dangerous fate on his eighteenth birthday? Take up the research his father was pursuing at the time of his death, to clear Arnold’s name.

Whisked off to a boarding school populated by other descendants of notorious American traitors, it’s a race to discover the truth. But if Jasper doesn’t find a way to uncover the evidence his father was hunting for, he may end up paying for the sins of his forefathers with his own life.

Like a mash-up of National Treasure and Hamilton, Matthew Landis’s debut spins the what-ifs of American history into a heart-pounding thriller steeped in conspiracy, clue hunting, and danger.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

     

I love history, but not in the old, awful, kill-me-now-please kind of way. My passion is convincing my students that the past is actually hilarious, shocking, tragic, disturbing, and altogether UN-boring. While getting my graduate degree in History at Villanova, I realized that there was yet one more way to do this: write contemporary young adult books laced with history to convince my students that past isn't as awful as they think. That’s a huge reason why I wrote The Judas Society.

Some other stuff: I love poetry but don’t understand it; I want Gordon Ramsay to give me a fatherly hug at some point; I tend toward the unapologetically dramatic; and (to my great shame) I didn’t read the Harry Potter series until last year. I’m also really good at covering up patent insecurities with self-deprecating humor (like this joke).

Links:

Website- http://www.matthew-landis.com

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7576140.Matthew_Landis

Twitter- https://twitter.com/AuthorLandis

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/matthewlandisauthor/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/matthew_landis/

I asked Matthew Landis to do a post about Benedict Arnold. I wanted to give him the Hamilton treatment where we learn more about him and who he was beyond the fact that he was a traitor. His post is truly amazing and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

We Should All Be More Like Teenage Benedict Arnold 

The English poet Christina Rossetti once said, “Life is not sweet.” A teenage Benedict Arnold would agree.

Born into a legit, New England elite family with strong Puritan traditions, Arnold was expected to be awesome—a leader in business, community, and church. For the first decade of his life, things were looking pretty good: He was at a solid school, his dad was making money, and the Arnold name meant something in Norwich, Connecticut.

But his world started falling apart.

Between the ages of ten and twenty, Arnold experienced catastrophe: His father lost the family business, became an alcoholic, and got excommunicated from the church—all giant, horrible embarrassments in a New England society of rigid class structure. And then Arnold’s mom died. Then his dad. Actually all of his immediate family passed away, except for one sister.

Told you so, Christina Rossetti would write eighty years later.

But Colonial-era-guts and good old Puritan dogma don’t allow a person to collapse under the weight of life not being a joy ride. Instead of pouting, Arnold moved to another New England town—New Haven, Connecticut—and started a new mission to regain all his father lost. Within three years, he was running a crazy-successful bookstore and spending tons of time on the trading ships of his business partner and local merchant, Adam Babcock. Arnold’s most baller move during Mission: Bring Back the Arnold Name was rebuying his family’s foreclosed home in Norwich—and then reselling it for a profit. That could have been a purely financial move, but historian Jim Murphy hints that this was of an in-your-face, old-community-that treated-us-like-crap move. I tend to agree.

So the question is: Does knowing Arnold’s hardships as a teen help us understand his decision to betray America as an adult? That’s a dangerous query that opens historians to arm-chairing this whole thing; human motivations are complex and hard to nail down. But if you asked me directly, and my grad school professors weren’t around, I’d say “yes, most definitely” because the two key markers of whether a person is prone to commit treason (according to the CIA) are psychology and circumstance. As the Revolution unfolded, and Arnold saw his reputation and personal finances crumble due to perceived and actual sleights, it could be argued that he again felt his family’s honor slipping away. When push came to shove, he was going to side with whomever would grant him what he had fought so hard to get: the mad respect he was due.

Teenage Benedict had true grit. While sources are scant on how exactly he felt during those tumultuous years, it’s easy to imagine the sorrow and helplessness. But what’s harder to consider is someone today being able to summon the effort to get up when the perils of a not-sweet-life kept running them over. I’d like to be more like teenage Benedict Arnold, but pray I’m spared the circumstances that forge such endurance.

So here’s to reclaiming familial honor by forging your own way—just be careful that way doesn’t inadvertently lead you to infamous treachery. RIP, teenage Benedict.

Sources:
Details of Arnold’s life can be found in a million places, but I rely on Jim Murphy’s super-readable The Real Benedict Arnold (New York: Clarion Books, 2007). The CIA’s recently declassified study in treason I referenced can be found here - https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/document/0006183135, and the Rossetti work I quote is called “Life and Death.”

ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY:

•    2 copies of LEAGUE OF AMERICAN TRAITORS by Matthew Landis

•    US & Canada Only

•    No Giveaway accounts

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Rafflecopter Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86254/?

FOLLOW THE TOUR HERE

Thanks to the ladies of Fantastic Flying Book Tours for having me on the tour for this book. I am so excited to read it as it sounds totally up my alley. Check back this month I will have a review of the book up.

And thank you so much Matthew Landis for being on the blog today. And for that awesome info about Benedict Arnold. I really want to do some more research about him and learn more. You have piqued my interest for sure. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

July Wrap Up and August TBR

Read in July: Mystery

Well, I had a pretty goos month. June wasn't great for me but July was a return to form and I am really happy with my reading this month. In July I read a total of 13 books. Granted, three of them were comics, but still. I had a good reading month. I really enjoyed a lot of them but for the most part they were just kind of middle of the road, pretty good, books. None of them really made a strong impression. They were good, but didn't blow me away.

For challenges, I am doing okay but not as well as I would hope. I decided to go for a Goodreads goal of 100 books for the year and that was a really good decision because I am totally on track for that. In fact I may even finish that in a few month. I'm definitely feeling like 120 is totally doable for the year. But I like being ahead of that challenge and I feel much better about meeting my goals. I am also on track for the Debut Author Challenge of 25 debuts. despite only having read 1 this month. But I read 14 for the year so I should be good for that if I have a really good month. For the Netgalley/Edelweiss Challenge, I read 5 books this months which makes my total 23 for the year. I'm thinking the 36 target as all I'll have to do is read 3 a month until the end of the year. For the Rock My TBR Challenge I read 1 book for that this month towards my goal of 25 for the year bringing my totally up to 9 for the year. I'm definitely behind on this one but I might be able to meet the actual challenge goal of 15. And finally, I did 1 post for the Discussion Challenge, making my total 8 for the year.

The Books

1.) Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica Rating: 8.5 out of 10 [My Review]

2.) Ash and Quill by Rachel CaineRating: 9.5 out of 10 [My Review]
 3.) Sunburn by R.L. Stine Rating 8.5 out of 10 [Podcast Site]
4.) Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter 
Rating: 8.5 out of 10 [My Review]

5.) Final Girls by Riley Sager Rating: 9 out of 10 [My Review]

6.) When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandyha Menon 
Rating: 8 out of 10 [My Review]
7.) Little Monsters by Kara Thomas Rating: 8 out of 10 stars [My Review]
8.) Runaways Vol. 2: Teenage Wasteland by Brian K. Vaughn 
Rating: 8 out of 10 [No Review]
9.) Gotham Academy: Second Semester, Vol. 1: Welcome Back by Brenden 
Fletcher, Becky Cloonan, and Karl Kerschl Rating: 8 out of 10 [Review to Come]
10.) Buried Heart by Kate Elliott Rating: 8.5 out of 10 [My Review]
11.) The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones 
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars [My Review]
12.) Mockingbird Vol. 1: I Can Explain by Chelsea Caine 
Rating: 9 out of 10 [Review to Come]
13.) Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle
Rating: 8 out of 10 [My Review]

Other Posts

Discussion Post: How Do You Decide Which Books to Buy?
Crossing Over: Mysteries with Missing Persons
Waiting on Wednesday: Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray, The Knowing by Sharon Cameron, That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston, All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Steivfater
Stacking the Shelves: July Haul

To Be Read in June: Superheroes

I am so excited for this month's theme. I have been waiting to do this theme and this is the absolute perfect time with some of the review books I have planned for this month. If you didn't know, I am a huge fan of books about superheroes. I love comics, I love novels about superheroes, doesn't matter. They are usually really action-packed plot driven reads and have this fun characterization and themes that explore the idea of good and evil. Basically all things I love. So needless to say, I am very excited about this theme. 

Books for Review

The Rattled Bones by  S.M. Parker- Add to Goodreads
I'm reading this right now. It's not about superheroes and actually fits last month's theme more than this month's but I started it in that month and am finishing it in this month because sometimes that's how it goes.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee - Add to Goodreads

This is a supehero book and it sounds fantastic. Because not only is it about a person who develops powers but it is about a diverse, unlikely person to develop powers.

Heroine Worship by Sarah Kuhn - Add to Goodreads
I really liked the first book in this series and so I am really excited for the next installment. More killer cupcakes? Yes, please. Also more of Evie and Annie aka Aveda. I'm excited.

Sleeper by Mackenzie Cadenhead - Add to Goodreads
This sounds like a really fantastic book. It seems like an interesting kind of sci-fi read. It's not quite about superheroes but it's giving me superpowers vibes.

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff - Add to Goodreads

I was planning on reading this last month but I didn't get a chance. But I think Mia is kind of like a superhero. She does have a pretty kickass power.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo  - Add to Goodreads
This is the book that inspired this whole thing. Because the first book in the DC Icons series comes out this month and I am super excited because it's Wonder Woman. And is written by Leigh Bardugo!

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller  - Add to Goodreads
You had me at fight to become the queen's assassin. Who am I kidding, this book had me before that because it's about a thief. This is seriously my kind of YA fantasy.

Shadowhouse Fall by Daniel Jose Older - Add to Goodreads
I've been wanting to read this series for awhile and after picking up this book at ALA (and the first one too) I think it is time to read it.

Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Oneybuchi - Add to Goodreads
I recieved a finish copy of this from the publisher via First to Read. I like never get accepted for those so I was really excited to get one now. Especially because this books sounds amazing!

The Dire King by William Ritter- Add to Goodreads
Maybe one day I will stop raving about how much I love this series. This is not that day. Because I lost my ability to even when I unboxed this book. I cannot wait to read it.

Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert - Add to Goodreads
Not sure if I will get to this book but it comes out next week and sounds really interesting. It might be a nice change of pace for me as it is not my usual kind of read.

Sasquatch, Love, and Other Imaginary Things by Betsy Aldridge and Carrie DuBois-Shaw - Add to Goodreads
This is also not like my usual read but it looks like a fun contemporary that I might read if I need something a little different. 

Backlist Books

I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest - Add to Goodreads
I have been wanting to read this book for a very long time. I finally bought myself a copy a few months ago as birthday present to myself and as it fits this theme I am totally reading it.

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older - Add to Goodreads
I finally have a copy of this book as well so I am finally going to read it. I've heard good things and it sounds like a book I would love.

There you have it. Some of the books I hope to read in July. As always, these are subject to change. I may read all of these or I may only read a few and then read a bunch of different ones. But honestly I think this list I can stick to. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!