In July, my reading started to improve. Not quite back to normal yet, but there is definitely improvement!

In July, I read a total of 11 books, good for 3571 pages. The average July book comes to 325 pages/book.

The stars fluctuated between 2 and 4, with mainly 3-star books. This brings the average July book to 3.2 stars.

In terms of target group, I alternated between 2 Young Adult books and 9 adult books.

As always, I also varied in reading method, with 1 e-book, 3 audiobooks and 7 bookshelf books.

For the genres I switched between 3 genres, namely horror (1), sci-fi (5) and fantasy (5).

As is customary by now, I only read in English.

Below is the list of the books I read in July and my star rating.
Click on the link to jump to the blurb and my review! As always, be aware that both blurb and review may contain spoilers, especially if it concerns sequels in a series! Sometimes I will also hide spoilers behind a fold-out text!

Hobb, Robin – Assassin’s Quest (The Farseer Trilogy #3) ★★★
Griffin, Rachel – The Nature of Witches 🎧 ★★★★
Jensen, Danielle L. – A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated #1) ★★★
Victoria, Emily – This Golden Flame ★★
Wells, Martha – All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) ★★★
Wells, Martha – Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2) ★★★
Wells, Martha – Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3) ★★★
Abercrombie, Joe – The Trouble With Peace (First Law World #9) 🎧 ★★★★
Wells, Martha – Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries #4) ★★★
Wells, Martha – Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (The Murderbot Diaries #4,5) ★★★
Tremblay, Paul – Horror Movie 🎧 ★★★★

Hobb, Robin – Assassin’s Quest (The Farseer Trilogy #3) ★★★

Genre: Fantasy

King Shrewd is dead at the hands of his son Regal. As is Fitz–or so his enemies and friends believe. But with the help of his allies and his beast magic, he emerges from the grave, deeply scarred in body and soul. The kingdom also teeters toward ruin: Regal has plundered and abandoned the capital, while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, is lost to his mad quest–perhaps to death. Only Verity’s return–or the heir his princess carries–can save the Six Duchies.

But Fitz will not wait. Driven by loss and bitter memories, he undertakes a quest: to kill Regal. The journey casts him into deep waters, as he discovers wild currents of magic within him–currents that will either drown him or make him something more than he was.

My review for this finale of the Farseeer Trilogy can be read here.

🎧 Griffin, Rachel – The Nature of Witches ★★★★

Genre: YA Fantasy

For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.

In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It’s wild and volatile, and the price of her magic―losing the ones she loves―is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.

In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she’s the only one who can make a difference.

In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she’s terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.

In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves… before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos.

Read thanks to Jole, who recommended it to me for the prompt “Recommended by a Friend” in the Adventure in Aeldia.

This book was an unexpected delight! I was particularly captivated by the unique magic system, where witches draw their power from the elements and seasons; and the incorporation of climate change and how it affects the witches’ live and their use of magic. This imaginative approach added a fresh layer of depth to the story, making it feel both timely and magical. The inclusion of a magical school setting was the cherry on top, giving it that extra charm.

I also appreciated the way the narrative was structured around the changing seasons. Each season had its own distinct atmosphere, and Rachel Griffin did a fantastic job of conveying the feel and mood of each one.

While the plot follows a more classic YA path—a coming-of-age tale with a “chosen one” theme—it stands out due to its novel storytelling and compelling magic system.
Overall, The Nature of Witches offers a refreshing and enjoyable twist on familiar themes.

Jensen, Danielle L. – A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated #1) ★★★

Genre: Fantasy (Romantiek)

A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.

Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.

Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.

Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.

Danielle L. Jensen’s A Fate Inked in Blood starts with an intriguing premise that promises a gripping blend of Norse mythology, adventure, and romance. However, while the novel had a strong beginning, it ultimately fell short of expectations, leaving me with mixed feelings.

One of the main issues I had with the book was the lack of depth in the characters. Even our central protagonists, Freya and Bjorn, felt underdeveloped. Freya, in particular, was frustrating to follow. Her tendency to act impulsively, often jumping to conclusions without fully thinking things through, was a recurring issue. I understand that this is partly to highlight her dual nature—torn between human emotions and the pull of her destiny—but it became more of an annoyance than a compelling character flaw. It was difficult to empathize with her or root for her as she consistently made rash decisions that could have easily been avoided with a bit more thought.

The romance, which is supposed to be a central element of the story, didn’t quite hit the mark for me either. While there were moments of tension and chemistry between Freya and Bjorn, I never truly felt their connection. It seemed more like a plot necessity than a naturally developing relationship, leaving the romantic elements feeling hollow and unconvincing.

Overall, A Fate Inked in Blood was just okay. It wasn’t a bad read, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression either. However, despite my reservations, the direction of the ending did pique my curiosity enough to consider picking up the sequel. I’m hoping the next installment will provide more character development and a stronger narrative to match the potential that this book started with.

Victoria, Emily – This Golden Flame ★★

Genre: YA Fantasy

Flee across the sun-and-shadow islands of Eratia, where runes have the power to unleash monsters…

Seven years ago, Karis was forced to become an acolyte for the Scriptorium, the rune scholars who rule Eratia. For centuries, these Scriptmasters have sought the key to reanimating the country’s fearsome automaton army, and anyone they deem unable to help them achieve their goal is sent away…including Karis’s brother, Matthias.

Then Karis discovers a unique human-sized automaton and unintentionally wakes him up. Intelligent, with a conscience of his own, Alix has no idea why he was created. Or why his father—Eratia’s greatest traitor—once tried to destroy the automatons.

Upon learning Matthias is being held by the Scriptorium’s sinister leader, Alix and Karis set out to rescue him and uncover the truth about Alix’s past. But when Karis is faced with an unthinkable choice, betraying everyone she cares about may be her only desperate chance to save their world.

This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria had been sitting on my shelf for years since I first received it in a Fairyloot box. Finally picking it up, I found it to be a straightforward YA fantasy mystery with an intriguing premise and commendable worldbuilding.

One of the standout aspects of the book is how the author crafted such a detailed and immersive world within a single novel—no small feat in the genre. However, despite the complexity of the setting, the plot itself felt a bit too simple for my taste. While the story is easy to follow, I found it lacked the depth and challenge needed to truly captivate me or leave a lasting impact. In the end, though enjoyable, it didn’t quite meet the mark in terms of narrative complexity.

Wells, Martha – All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) ★★★

Genre: Sci-Fi

“As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure.”

In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid–a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.

While I was listening to the next book in the FirstLaw World, I still wanted to read something with my eyes, but something more airy. I could have gone with a romance or mystery, but I felt more like reading sci-fi and since I keep meaning to pick Murderbot back up, I decided to reread the first two novella’s starting with this one.

I was surprised to discover that I still remembered most of the details of this one. My reason for rereading was because I could not really recall the story, but while reading it all came back to my head and surprisingly also quite vividly.

I feel like I enjoyed this novella more upon reread, but I’m still not as over the moon about it as so many seem to be. I really love the ideas and the character of Murderbot, but I’m mostly not a fan of the writing style.

Wells, Martha – Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2) ★★★

Genre: Sci-Fi

It has a dark past–one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot.” But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more. Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue. What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks.

Continuing with my reread of Murderbot and I again enjoyed this one more now than when I first read it, especially ART.
I still find the writing style quite jarring, but I managed to appreciate it more by keeping in mind that this is supposed to be Murderbot’s diary. This helped me to immerse myself more into the long-winded writing, although it does not explain all the details given if it was truly someone’s diary…

Wells, Martha – Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3) ★★★

Genre: Sci-Fi

“Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?”

Sci-fi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is back on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah’s SecUnit is.

And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.

Another instalment of Murderbot collecting weak humans to protect, despite it no longer being their job and their vehement insistence that they DO NOT care.
Loved reading the interactions between Miki and Murderbot, and how the later failed to name what they were feeling (jealous, Murderbot was jealous).

🎧 Abercrombie, Joe – The Trouble With Peace (First Law World #9) ★★★★

Genre: (Grimdark) Fantasy

Peace is just another kind of battlefield . . .

Savine dan Glokta, once Adua’s most powerful investor, finds her judgement, fortune and reputation in tatters. But she still has all her ambitions, and no scruple will be permitted to stand in her way.

For heroes like Leo dan Brock and Stour Nightfall, only happy with swords drawn, peace is an ordeal to end as soon as possible. But grievances must be nursed, power seized, and allies gathered first, while Rikke must master the power of the Long Eye . . . before it kills her. Unrest worms into every layer of society.

The Breakers still lurk in the shadows, plotting to free the common man from his shackles, while noblemen bicker for their own advantage. Orso struggles to find a safe path through the maze of knives that is politics, only for his enemies, and his debts, to multiply.

The old ways are swept aside, and the old leaders with them, but those who would seize the reins of power will find no alliance, no friendship, and no peace lasts forever.

My review can be read here.

Wells, Martha – Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries #4) ★★★

Genre: Sci-Fi

Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?

Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?

And what will become of it when it’s caught?

This is the last of the four overarching Murderbot novella’s, resolving the story set up in the first one. Now that I have read these four novella’s back-to-back, I enjoyed the storyline and characterization more, than before.
My opinion on the writing style has not really changed though, but it did grow on me, especially because I starting to like the character of Murderbot more and more, especially their grim sense of humour.
However, reading them back to back does highlight that plotwise these novellas are pretty similar to one another: Murderbot wants to watch series, but gets distracted by needing to save stupid humans and pretending he definitely has no fuzzy feelings towards said humans (or any of the artificial “staff” he comes across along the way).
So they’re basically nothing all that special, but they read relatively quick and are fun. I am curious about the full-length novel, so will probably read in the near future.

Wells, Martha – Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (The Murderbot Diaries #4,5) ★★★

Genre: Sci-Fi

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory was originally given free to readers who pre-ordered Martha’s Murderbot novel, Network Effect, the fifth entry in the series. The events occur just after the fourth novella, Exit Strategy.
The short story is now available for free at https://www.tor.com/2021/04/19/home-habitat-range-niche-territory-martha-wells/

A short little bonus story, for once not in the perspective of Murderbot, but from one of his humans. Nice to read, but not super essential.

🎧 Tremblay, Paul – Horror Movie ★★★★

Genre: Horror

A chilling twist on the “cursed film” genre.

In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick.

The weird part? Only three of the film’s scenes were ever released to the public, but Horror Movie has nevertheless grown a rabid fanbase. Three decades later, Hollywood is pushing for a big budget reboot.

The man who played “The Thin Kid” is the only surviving cast member. He remembers all too well the secrets buried within the original screenplay, the bizarre events of the filming, and the dangerous crossed lines on set that resulted in tragedy. As memories flood back in, the boundaries between reality and film, past and present start to blur. But he’s going to help remake the film, even if it means navigating a world of cynical producers, egomaniacal directors, and surreal fan conventions—demons of the past be damned.

But at what cost?

Horror Movie is an obsessive, psychologically chilling, and suspenseful twist on the “cursed film” that breathlessly builds to an unforgettable, mind-bending conclusion.

I read this book as a full-cast audiobook, available on Storytel, and before I start on actually reviewing the content of the story, I want to say a quick word about this production. I don’t know if Storytel got a wrong file or something, but this had so many errors. Multiple times mistakes and several retakes remained in the file, there even was a section where there was a full on discussion between one of the voice actors and the technician on how to pronounce a word/phrase. There were also sound effects, but due to the errors, I’m left to wonder if these were intentional or not.

Despite these errors often taking me out of the story, I found it very hard to put down. Extremely compelling, but also very unsettling. I’m still unsure how I feel about the ending though, but fact remains that I can still vividly conjure the imagery and emotions evoked by the excellent writing style.