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July Review Round-up

A month gone again, time for another Review Round-up!

July has seen some great releases from many different publishers, I am doing my utmost best in catching up with existing ongoing series and reading the new releases on time, but it just comes down to a shortage of time. I got a full time job and reading is more on the side but it is taking over! As much as I enjoy it, I also got to train for the marathon, and do other stuff. That being said I still managed to put out quite a few reviews this month.

I have also decided to make the Review Round-ups more interactive I initially only typed text but found that putting book covers in them will make it much more appealing, also below each recommendation you can find the links to the reviews about them.

Without further ado here is my selection of 5 must read books:

1.       The Thousand Names by Django Wexler (Del Rey UK)
The Thousand Names has been a book that has been high on my reading list. When I read the synopsis of it it just stuck and got nestled in. And this book really is a stunning piece of work. I was aiming at a desert themed, war campaigning military themed story, but I was proven wrong. Django Wexler involves a lot more in The Thousand Names. The whole aspect of magic, the naat¸ and how Django worked this is a cool aspect of the book and even more so when you learn what the Thousand Names are really about. Keep a close eye on this series!

See the full review here

2.       Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan(Atlantic Books)
I solely wanted to read this book because it featured a 24-hour bookstore now who doesn’t want to have that around the corner? I was pleasantly surprised by what Robin Sloan had written down. It starts of quite different from where it ended. Because Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore is just a front for a much larger deal. Think secret organizations and the key to something. This neatly transformed the initial storyline to w wild chase involving amongst others Google HQ and other high tech stuff. Robin Sloan managed to turn a cool concept in a terrific story

See the full review here

3.        Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (Harper Voyager UK)
Another book that has been on my to read list for over a year now but hadn’t found the time to get around reading it by now that I have. I have been convinced. The Broken Empire is the next big hit in Epic Fantasy. Prince of Thorns isn’t your average Epic Fantasy though. From the start the setting is dark and gritty and the main protagonist, Jorg, is kind of a “psychopath”. Mark Lawrence start of this first book perfectly with showing how Jorg became the Jorg you see in the story and it is maybe justified… Prince of Thorns has some great characters, fighting scenes and the world is just as interesting I feel a bit of a sci fi influence and the first encounter with it felt like Stephen King’s Mid-World. High hopes here for King and Emperor!

See the full review here

4.       Demon’s Watch by Conrad Mason (David Fickling)
Besides reading adult fantasy I really enjoy reading children’s and young adult books because they have a great of playing right into your imagination and Demon’s Watch isn’t an exception here. Conrad mason really know to what audience he writes and creates for children and rich story filled with pirates, magic and other fantasy creatures. But where this story for a lot of children will be filled with action and other cool stuff, for me this book really shines with two characters. The half goblin Joseph and Tabitha, they make up most of the story and Conrad Mason has created two very strong protagonists in them, they boys will opt for Joseph and the girls for Tabitha. Demon’s Watch is an energetic and lively story.

See the full review here

5.        Stray Souls by Kate Griffin (Orbit)
Urban Fantasy has been on the rise since the last few years and is a genre that appeals to a broad audience. I only just starting reading this genre two years back and actually started with Kate Griffin’s first series, Matthew Swift and was quite shocked (in a good way) by how Kate Griffin wrote this series and how rich and imaginative it was. Stray Souls is the first book in her new series and focuses on a completely new character, the urban shaman Sharon Li. Again Kate Griffin proves that she is right on top of her game in writing this urban fantasy! The overall tone of Stray Souls goes more towards the humorous side, where the Matthew Swift was more focused on horror, that aside, Kate Griffin’s books should be made compulsory.

See the full review here

These were my picks of July but there are a lot more superb books that I have written and can recommend as well like Swords of Good Men, River of Stars, Angel City, Seven Forges and Reviver! Check out those reviews as well.

July author interviews:
-          David Wingrove here
-          James A. Moore here

And lastly a bit of a general update about my blog.
Some people might say that I give only positive reviews and that is mostly because I only read the books that I can get “into”, if a book just proves to be a struggle to get through I will likely abandon it, I will give it a second attempt but if it still isn’t working ill put it aside, sorry if this might happen (it hasn’t happened that much though), but there is just so much to read and time is proving to be the limiting factor!

Also there might be some spelling errors in my reviews, I try to get them as clean as possible but with English being my second language (I’m Dutch born), some might still slip in. sorry about that.

The Book Plank now has been running on its own feet for about two months and want to give a huge shout-out to all the people who have been giving me positive feedback, saying that I write thoughtful reviews and such. I have to give the bigger thanks to you for taking the time reading my reviews and for everyone who has been involved in sending books, either the authors or publishers! It wouldn’t be possible without you. With the reviews now going live every few days or so, I have been investing time in doing more with my blog like: author interviews (they have been a hit), guest posts and blog tours (first will be up soon). Maybe expanding it more when it is all going according to plan! Hoping to do giveaways in the near future.

Keep a close eye on the blog, as August will see more amazing books!

Bests,
Jasper

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