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It’s the beginning of the month, and so unsurprisingly, it’s time to publish a new reading list! I didn’t quite get finished with last month’s list, although I did read an impressive number of books! June was my best month for the number of books read in one month, but I confess in the last few days I burned out a little. I’m hoping a new month and reading list is just the refresher I need!

Shall we take a look at what books I am reading in July?

The War Within – Stephen Donaldson

Stephen R. Donaldson, the New York Times bestselling author of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, returns to the world of his Great God’s War fantasy epic as two kingdoms– united by force–prepare to be challenged by a merciless enemy…

It has been twenty years since Prince Bifalt of Belleger discovered the Last Repository and the sorcerous knowledge hidden there. At the behest of the repository’s magisters, and in return for the restoration of sorcery to both kingdoms, the realms of Belleger and Amika ceased generations of war. Their alliance was sealed with the marriage of Bifalt to Estie, the crown princess of Amika. But the peace–and their marriage–has been uneasy.

Now the terrible war that King Bifalt and Queen Estie feared is coming. An ancient enemy has discovered the location of the Last Repository, and a mighty horde of dark forces is massing to attack the library and take the magical knowledge it guards. That horde will slaughter every man, woman, and child in its path, destroying both Belleger and Amika along the way.

With their alliance undermined by lingering hostility and conspiracies threatening, it will take all of the monarchs’ strength and will to inspire their kingdoms to become one to defend their land, or all is lost…

I’m picking up where I left off with this read. It’s the only book I didn’t finish from my June TBR. Considering there were a couple of late and impulsive additions to my list, I don’t think I fared all that badly! I’m around 100 pages in, so I’ll be looking to finish this in the next few days. I’d best get reading!

Scouse Gothic – Ian McKinney

Melville wakes with a pounding headache – there had been too many hangovers recently, but this one felt different. What had he been drinking last night? Then he remembered – it was blood.

Enter the bizarre world of Scouse Gothic where a reluctant vampire mourns a lost love and his past lives, where a retired ‘hit man’ plans one more killing and dreams of food, and a mother sets out to avenge her son’s murder, and, meanwhile, a grieving husband is visited by an angry angel.

Set in present day Liverpool, vampires and mortals co-exist, unaware of each others’ secrets and that their past and present are inextricably linked.

But as their lives converge, who will be expected to atone for past sins?

I’ve signed up to the upcoming blog tour for this book and I cannot wait to pick it up! It’s a little bit different to anything I have picked up before. I’m not really one for reading books that involve vampires, angels or such supernatural things. Saying that, I’m prepared to give it a go! The plot and modern twist sound really interesting!

Birth of the Mortokai – D G Palmer

Daniel Welsh was born different-and to Daniel, to be different means to be alone. But what if he’s wrong? Born an albino with a photographic memory, Daniel Welsh never expected to fit in. Yet, when he is approached by Trinity-a young girl who definitely isn’t human-she reveals a whole new world where he might just belong. Ariest is a place where his features aren’t a disability or the mark of a freak, but rather a trait of powerful mages born of human-faerie unions. His father is a renowned war hero and swordsman, his mother is a human doctor, and that makes him a powerful mage that’ll tip the scales. Magic is real – and so is the threat it brings. Trinity and her father, a battle mage, aren’t the only ones to have discovered Daniel and his gifts hidden in the human realm. The Shade have awakened. Enemies to the fae realm long thought dead have been lying in wait for their moment to strike. Young mages like Daniel are the perfect morsel for their starving appetites and they start their killing spree without delay with the nearest unsuspecting mage boy. Daniel cannot sit idly by while monsters take innocent lives, so he will embrace a destiny he is only just beginning to understand… even if it means losing a life that’s finally worth living. Birth of the Mortokai is a young adult coming of age fantasy adventure novel. Trigger warning: this novel contains descriptions of albinism, a real genetic disorder that affects 1/17,000 persons worldwide per year.

Birth of the Mortokai is another blog tour I have signed up for. It features a character from a minority group, a person with Albinism. From the synopsis, I get the impression that draws characters out of a judgemental and unkind society and celebrates their differences. This is a fantasy book with an element of magic, my favourite genre. For these things alone, I can’t wait to see if my first impressions are correct.

Kau d’Varza – David Noe

Even in the vastness of space, trouble finds a way.

When Elise Rivera arrived on Kau D’varza, a distant station near an anomaly known as the Void Cloud, she’d hoped to escape the troubles of her homeworld. Now, the appearance of a mysterious freighter places her new home under threat; a threat that Elise – along with station commissioner Gierre Nevos, his aide Specialist Kaska Stone, and a team led by Commander-Captain Joseph Raffa – must race against time to avert.

I am always looking to squeeze more science fiction into my reading schedule, so I was delighted to receive a request from David Noe to read his latest book. Keen-eyed readers may remember that I reviewed a book he co-authored when I first started my blog – Seeker. Since Seeker was such a hit with me, it makes sense to read Kau d’Varza, which is also set in the same Chaosnova Universe.

Thran Book 1: The Birth – Brian MacLaughlin

Set in the mythical world of Thran, a young warrior named Brutal Mixnor sets out on an adventure to uncover the truth about his father’s mysterious disappearance after a battle years earlier. Some longtime friends and new acquaintances join him in his search, each with their own reasons for braving the danger-filled wilds of the Cruel Pass. Follow the young adventurers and watch as their powers grow, along with the strength of the enemies they encounter. Discover the complex, imperfect, characters of all races, comprising the full spectrum of alignments (good, neutral, and evil) that weave their way into and out of the story, leaving their mark on the reader as the world of Thran is pushed towards cataclysmic war and suffering. For readers familiar with the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons(R), Thran Book I: The Birth will feel like a warm wave of nostalgia washing over you, and the unfamiliar will get a glimpse of what it’s like to be immersed into the heart of an adventure that transports you into a world where magic abounds and almost anything is possible, but nothing is certain. Visit https: //www.worldofthran.com/ to learn more about the world of Thran, including: character portraits, the world map, the pantheon of deities, and more!

I picked up a copy of this fantasy novel via Voracious Readers Only. I’m always interested in trying a new fantasy novel or series. I am really intrigued by the synopsis. It has all the components of epic fantasy: a quest, magic and conflict!

Can’t wait to see how it pans out!

A Dance with Dragons: Part 1 – George R. R. Martin

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance—beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever.

Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone—a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.

I am reading a lot of ARC’s this month. To balance it out, I am going to pick up A Dance with Dragons in between books. My goal is to finish it by the end of the month. I’m only aiming to read part 1 for the moment – it’s an epic in itself! If I get way ahead of myself then maybe I’ll live dangerously and strive for part 2 as well.

We’ll see.

What books are you reading this month?

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