Melting Pages
Book Reviews and Recommendations
July 2020 TBR
Hi Everyone! I can’t believe that we’re going into July already! Who else is just ready for 2020 to be over? I have a ridiculous amount of books I want to read in July and while I know that I can’t get to them all, I at least want to make a TBR to share the books that I would like to finish this month. Normally, I read anywhere from 6-8 books a month (although I’m nowhere near that for June, but that wrap up will be coming soon). I’m also going to be linking each of these books to their page on The StoryGraph because quite honestly it’s a better version of Goodreads that I think everyone should be using!
ARCS
The Peasant’s Dream by Melanie Dickerson – I didn’t realize until I went to pull the photo of the cover for this book, but it’s shelved as Christian fiction and some of the reviews say that it includes bible verses between chapters. I’m not religious in anyway, so I’m not sure how I’ll end up feeling about this one because of that, but who knows? It’s a gender-swapped retelling of Cinderella and I’m always a sucker for retellings. This book releases on July 7th 2020.
Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler – I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while, and when Orbit gave me the chance to read and review this early I jumped at it! I haven’t tried any of Django Wexler’s other books, but this one so far sounds like it will be the most up my alley. It’s about two siblings fighting on opposite sides of an war. I’m so intrigued by plots like that, so I really hope that this one lives up to the hype I’ve made in my head. This book releases on July 21st 2020.
Shielded by Kaylynn Flanders – This is another release for the 21st, so I’m really pushing myself to get all these new books read before their release date. Everyone knows that I love a strong female character, and this book seems like it will have that plus so much more! This follows Jenna, a magic-less second child who wants to help on the battlefield bit instead is married off to a neighboring country in a political alliance. On her way to her new home, she is ambushed and she learns that the war her kingdom is in is worse than anyone imagined.
The Hollow Gods by A.J. Vrana – This one is a little different than what I usually read, it’s shelved as fantasy and horror on goodreads. This one is set in the real world, and is about the Dreamwalker from the folklore of the town who ends up being more real than anyone thought. There are multiple perspectives including an oncologist, so I’m curious to see how that plays into this story. This one releases on July 28th.
Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha – This one is a post apocalyptic, fantastical romance which is also something that is a little new for me. I have started this one, and it’s about a girl named Nina who collects sensitive data and sells it in order to help her community with infrastructure. She then runs into a supersoldier Knox who just wants to save their hacker, but the problem is that the ransom for him to get her back is Nina. That’s really all you get with the synopsis, so I’m really curious to see where this goes and what happens as these characters develop feelings for each other. This one also releases on July 28th.
Non-ARC books
Forest of Souls by Lori M Lee – This is one of the books that I had on my radar since it was first announced and now that it’s finally been released, I’m very excited to have a copy to read! This follows Sirscha who has been training to become the next royal spy, but then after an attack, she finds that she is the first soulguide and is summoned to the Spider King to help keep the peace between the two kingdoms. I love the idea of the magic in this series since it seems like it will be along the lines of necromancy but different, if that makes sense.
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles – This is another one that was on my radar for a while, and I was really excited when I figured out that it would be the June Owcrate pick! Then when my box came in I was BLOWN AWAY with how stunning this book was in person. Looks aside, this is about a group of magicians who face off against each other to become the next star of the Conquering Circus, and has been compared to The Night Circus, Moulin Rouge, and Phantom of the Opera which to be honest sounds really interesting to me. I’m also so happy this came in the Owlcrate box because this doesn’t actually come out until August!
Velocity Weapon by Megan E O’Keefe – Orbit offered me the chance to review both this book as well as the sequel Chaos Vector which is releasing in July, so I obviously want to read the first book so that I can continue on to the newest installment! It’s been a while since I’ve read a science fiction and this one sounds like it will be exactly the kind of science fiction that I like – space battles, intergalactic politics, and rogue AI! There may also be a time travel element to this, but I’m not quite sure yet about that part.
Witchmark by C.L. Polk– This book is one that I’m reading for a very specific reason that I don’t want to reveal because it’s going to be an entire blog post (eventually). This is a fantasy/historical fiction novel set in a world that is similar to Edwardian England where families use their magic to “control the fates of nations” and a man who doesn’t want to be a part of it anymore. He fakes his death and runs away, but of course events happen that threaten to reveal him.
Melting Pages 
Ashes of the Sun & Deal with the Devil are two I’m curious about, but resist the allure of the ARC. Velocity Weapon is another I’ve had my eye on (that cover is awesome).
My July reads include Every Sky a Grave by Jay Posey, The Sin in the Steel by Ryan Van Loan, and Forbidden Desire by Robin Lovett.
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I flew through 30% of Ashes of the Sun yesterday! It’s been surprisingly funny and I’ve been snort laughing the entire time. Deal with the Devil is also really fun, it’s the first post-apocalyptic book that I’ve read in a while.
I haven’t heard of the three that you mentioned, I’ll need to check them out to see what they are all about!
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That’s a mood, I have so many books on my July TBR and I am not gonna get to all of them.
I am very very VERY excited to read Peace Talks by Jim Butcher, book 16 of The Dresden Files series, it is finally here and I am gonna cry when I get that book, I am not ready but I am dying to read it.
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That’s so exciting! I still need to read book 2 (don’t hate me, lol) but I can only imaging how excited you are!
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I won’t, I am just glad that you started the series
I am above cloud 9! It’s gonna be here in 14 days, I’m dying
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I’m currently reading The peasant’s dream, and there are no bible verses?! (Or at least not in my copy haha). It is quite a fun romance story, I hope you will enjoy it as well!
I really want to read Forest of souls and Where dreams descend as well!
I hope you have a great reading month!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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That’s a relief! I don’t know what version had those, but someone on Goodreads mentioned it in their review. I did take a look at the version I have and it looks like there are some formatting issues, but I hope they don’t make it too hard to read!
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Oh that can be very annoying..
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Definitely. I’ve DNF’d books before because of formatting if they’re hard to read.
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Love your tbr! Shielded and Where Dreams Descend are both on my tbr next month. Hope I can squeeze in Forest of Souls too!
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Thank you! It’s going to be tough fitting these all in, but I hope I can do it!
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I haven’t heard of any of these books but now I’m curious about them. I will have to look some of them up and see which ones I should add to my TBR. I hope you enjoy them.
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Thank you! Hope you find some that you enjoy!
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Great TBR, I hope you love all of these 💜
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Thank you! I hope I love them too!
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You’re welcome 💜
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