Monthly Wrap-Up: August 2024

I'm back! I'm finally back into reading full-length novels and I could not be more happy! I read a whole lot of different things this month. I read a total of 8 books, about 2500 pages total, which is about 1000 pages MORE than last month! Oh, that makes me so happy 😌

• 4 were full-length novels, 1 collection of short stories, and 3 were manga
• 7 were part of a series, and 1 was a standalone
• I started 2 series but finished 1!
• 4 were ARCs and 4 were finished copies
• 3 were physical books and 5 ebooks
• 5 were 5-star books, 2 were 4-star books, and 1 was a 3-star book
• 2 were indie-published, and 6 were traditionally published
• 3 were by a new-to-me author and 5 were by authors I've previously read
• 3 were adult books, 4 YA, and 1 middle grade book
• All 8 were fiction books
• 2 were sci-fi, 1 contemporary romance, 3 action, 1 mystery thriller, and 1 Greek mythology

Review: This Book Kills by Ravena Guron

Title: This Book Kills

Author: Ravena Guron

Genre: YA, mystery thriller

Publication date: September 3rd 2024

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire

Source: eARC for review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: I'll make it clear from the start: I did not kill Hugh Henry Van Boren. I didn't even help... Well, not intentionally.

All Jess Choudhary wants is to keep her head down, do her work, and make it through high school without any problems. As a scholarship student—and one of only two students of Indian heritage—her future at the elite school depends on her ability to keep a low profile and spotless record. But when one of the most popular and richest kids in the school ends up dead in the exact same way as a character in a short story she wrote, Jess unintentionally finds herself at the center of the investigation.

And then Jess receives an anonymous text thanking her for the inspiration.

As rumors run rampant about who the murderer could be, Jess knows if she doesn't solve this mystery herself, she'll finally have something in common with Hugh: she'll be dead too.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

The title of this book is the thing that immediately grabbed my attention when I first came across this book. I was like, uhh...

Review: The Last Astronaut by David Wellington

Title: The Last Astronaut

Author: David Wellington

Genre: Adult, horror, sci-fi

Publication date: July 2019

Published by: Orbit

Source: Borrowed

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Synopsis: Mission Commander Sally Jansen is Earth’s last astronaut–and last hope–in this gripping near-future thriller where a mission to make first contact becomes a terrifying struggle for survival in the depths of space.

Sally Jansen was NASA’s leading astronaut, until a mission to Mars ended in disaster. Haunted by her failure, she lives in quiet anonymity, convinced her days in space are over.

She’s wrong.

A large alien object has entered the solar system on a straight course toward Earth. It has made no attempt to communicate and is ignoring all incoming transmissions.

Out of time and out of options, NASA turns to Jansen. For all the dangers of the mission, it’s the shot at redemption she always longed for.

But as the object slowly begins to reveal its secrets, one thing becomes horribly clear: the future of humanity lies in Jansen’s hands.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I really loved this author’s other book Paradise-1 so I was really looking forward to reading more from him! Even though I didn’t love this as much as Paradise-1, I still liked it. I have been in the mood for sci-fi horror, and he really delivers!

So there’s this large object in space headed straight for Earth, an object that may or may not be a spaceship that has not attempted return communication, and an object that may or may not be alien in nature...

Review: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears (Paola Santiago #1) by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Title: Paola Santiago and the River of Tears

Series: Paola Santiago #1

Author: Tehlor Kay Mejia

Genre: Middle Grade, urban fantasy

Publication date: August 2020

Published by: Rick Riordan Presents

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. It's all they've heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago. Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that, because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths.

Hating her mother's humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water, Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila, since it's the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems like maybe her mom was right...

Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world, but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares, which includes unnatural mist, mind-bending monsters, and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

As someone who grew up in a Hispanic household, let me just say that this book sounded amazing! I was very much looking forward to it because it is so rare that the books I read ever incorporate the culture I grew up with. Especially when it’s spooky in nature! I mean, La Llorona?? Yes, please! These are the types of stories we were told as children in order to get us to behave: “Si no te portas bien, te va a llevar La Llorona.” (If you don’t behave, La Llorona is going to take you.) My childhood wasn’t traumatizing at all 🙃

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #382: Omg The Progress!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.