Back to Fiction: What I'm Reading This Summer

Summer is like Christmas, minus the Christmas tree and the chill. I have a bunch of books in my TBR list and can't wait to check each of them off one by one! In this post I'm going to share with you some titles you probably haven't heard of but is worth the read! Who knows.. maybe you'll find a few good books to add to your summer reading list? (Not that it isnt long already haha)

I'm trying to keep this blog accessible for all ages, so I'm am not going to include a few books that have extreme content (Yes, I mean YA rom-coms and Physchological thrillers.) no matter how much hype its given, but that doesnt mean its not on my TBR list ;)

I'll list the books at the end of the post anyway but I will not be leaving a synopsis or review on it...

This summer reading list consists of all types of books; Fantasy, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Romance and Thriller. These books are from which I've read the past year and would definitely be worth to put on your summer TBR list!

All synopsis' taken from goodreads.com

Furyborn - Claire Legrand

The stunningly original, must-read fantasy of 2018 follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world...or doom it.

When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven elemental magic trials. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first.

One thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to Eliana Ferracora. A bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, Eliana believes herself untouchable--until her mother vanishes. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain and discovers that the evil at the empire's heart is more terrible than she ever imagined.

As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world--and of each other.

I bought this book last month and I'm on the third book already! Definitely worth placing on any fantasy bookworms bookshelf! I usually dislike dual POV's but this book made me completely change my perspective! The POV's are thousands of years apart and it's so exciting to be shifting from one world to another! The first book on my recommendation list! 10/10

Caraval - Stephanie Garber

A legendary competition.

A mesmerizing romance.

An unbreakable bond

between two sisters.

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.

This book was tied with The Night Circus (Below) before I decided that The Night Circus would simply have to come as a close second. Caraval is filled with adventures, mysteries and heart-swooning romances, making it impossible to put down! I personally felt that Caraval had a lot more going on than The Night Circus, which is why I've placed it on the top of the list, even though The Night Circus had a full story arc (unlike Caraval) a lot more Hype was given to Caraval than The Night Circus, so I've placed it as so.

Its funny how some elements of the plot of both books are strikingly similar, mostly because I read The Night Circus first and then Caraval. I'm thinking of making a comparison guide for these two books soon after I finish re-reading them. 9.5/10

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

The writing style of this author compelled me to buy another one of her books (The Starless Sea, whcih I am currently reading) And yet again, I am immersed and spell-bound by how unique her flow of writing is. Her complex writing contradicts the simple reading of the story! The ending of this book had me Heart-Broken, but left be satisfied at the same time! 9.5/10

Hazel Wood - Melissa Albert

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away-by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

A darkly twisted re-telling of Alice in wonderland, this book definitely hit the right spots for any reader! Fairy-tale re-tellings are a personal favorite of mine, and this book fulfilled it promise! The author takes you through a different lens of the children's story you've grown up with, incorporating darker themes and elements that arent usually associated with any fairytale re-telling. 9/10

Two can Keep a Secret - Karen McManus

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows. The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone's declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing. Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous--and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself.

New town, New people, New murders. The perfect Summer read! You'll be able to finish this book in a single sitting, best for when you're idle in a long plane ride or just chilling in the beach! Her debut novel 'One Of Us Is Lying' is also an amazing flight read as well! 9/10

Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

When I first started with the book, I was sure it was going to be a straight 10/10, the fantasy word Bardugo created was enough for me to simply put this book on my 'Bes Books' pile. But unfortunately, I read The Six of Crows straight after (By the same author) and realized how lacking it truly is. For experienced and specific readers, this wont be the book for you (If you're looking for a really good book, I recommend The Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by the same author) I suppose Bardugo was intending to write a middle-grade fantasy book (contradictory to what she usually writes) which I was slightly disappointed by, since the synopsis was so exciting. Nevertheless, it was a fully immersing novel (which also became a Netflix featured TV show) and is best for readers just starting out with Fantasy. 9/10

The Bone Clocks - Claire Legrand

Following a scalding row with her mother, fifteen-year-old Holly Sykes slams the door on her old life. But Holly is no typical teenage runaway: a sensitive child once contacted by voices she knew only as “the radio people,” Holly is a lightning rod for psychic phenomena. Now, as she wanders deeper into the English countryside, visions and coincidences reorder her reality until they assume the aura of a nightmare brought to life.

For Holly has caught the attention of a cabal of dangerous mystics—and their enemies. But her lost weekend is merely the prelude to a shocking disappearance that leaves her family irrevocably scarred. This unsolved mystery will echo through every decade of Holly’s life, affecting all the people Holly loves—even the ones who are not yet born.

A Cambridge scholarship boy grooming himself for wealth and influence, a conflicted father who feels alive only while reporting from occupied Iraq, a middle-aged writer mourning his exile from the bestseller list—all have a part to play in this surreal, invisible war on the margins of our world. From the medieval Swiss Alps to the nineteenth-century Australian bush, from a hotel in Shanghai to a Manhattan townhouse in the near future, their stories come together in moments of everyday grace and extraordinary wonder.

The book follows a girl, Holly, and six stories from different periods of her life. The blurb was enough to persuade me to buy the book, the New cover is gorgeous and I must say that the book was, all in all, a great read. It took me a while to finish it (624 pages) The only reason I gave this book a 8.5/10 is because I felt it was more of a Sci-Fi and Historical Fiction book rather than fantasy (which was the genre it was sold under).

The Muse - Jessie Burton

A picture hides a thousand words . . .

On a hot July day in 1967, Odelle Bastien climbs the stone steps of the Skelton gallery in London, knowing that her life is about to change forever. Having struggled to find her place in the city since she arrived from Trinidad five years ago, she has been offered a job as a typist under the tutelage of the glamorous and enigmatic Marjorie Quick. But though Quick takes Odelle into her confidence, and unlocks a potential she didn't know she had, she remains a mystery - no more so than when a lost masterpiece with a secret history is delivered to the gallery.

The truth about the painting lies in 1936 and a large house in rural Spain, where Olive Schloss, the daughter of a renowned art dealer, is harbouring ambitions of her own. Into this fragile paradise come artist and revolutionary Isaac Robles and his half-sister Teresa, who immediately insinuate themselves into the Schloss family, with explosive and devastating consequences . . .

A picture hides a thousands words, and a thousand more mysteries. This book takes you on a whirlwind of an adventure, following the history of a mysterious painting and unravelling hidden secrets all with a bandwagon of amazingly etched characters!

This book is a special mention, as it doesnt really feel like a suitable summer read (more like a cozy autumn one) and is amazing for readers who love a good mystery and amazing characters.

Other book mentioned in this post:

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern:

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth.

What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction.

Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.

One of us is Lying by Karen McManus:

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

The Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Welcome to the world of the Grisha.

Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties.

A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets - a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Books to add to your summer reading list:

• The Selection Series by Keira Cass

• The Book Share by Phaedra Patrick

• Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

• Book Lovers by Emily Henry

• It happened one summer by Tessa Bailey

• Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

• The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

• Love and Other words by Christina Lauren (first name twins lol)

• The Summer I turned pretty by Jenny Han

• The Spring Girls by Anna Todd

• Verity by Colleen Hoover

• It Ends with us by Colleen Hoover

• Confess by Colleen Hoover

• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Get Inspired

Keep following #summerreads on Instagram or tiktok to stay updated on new summer books (Yes, the most number of books are published in the summer) You may also find some good reads in your nearby/virtual bookstore (Barnes and Nobles have an amazing collection) Follow famous author pages or their Good Reads account to get notifications every time a book releases. I find it beneficial to simply stay up to date with bookworm friends to find books of your personal taste.

But the best tip of all is to join our Virtual Book-club! You'll get book reviews every month, recommendation bi-weekly and book release announcements/updates!

I hope you give these books a try, let me know your reviews in the comments and more recommendationtoo. Or feel free to publish them in the Virtual book-club if you're already a part of it!