August Wrap Up

Hello everybody and welcome back to another edition of The CW Torch! Today, I will be wrapping up my reading, for the month of August! This wasn’t the best reading month for me, which tends to happen after having an exceptional reading month prior to this one. I read a total of three books, DNF’d one, and started reading another towards the end of the month. While I didn’t read that many books this month, and failed the BookTubeAThon ReadAThon, I did read a book that was well over 400 pages. That book took a majority of the month for me to read. Not only did I fail at the BookTubeAThon, I decided not to take part in the NEWT’s ReadAThon, because I was honestly left in a reading slump after my great July reading month. I wasn’t really in the mood for another long-term ReadAThon, and didn’t really know what I wanted to read either. These were some of the major reasons why I didn’t read a lot of books this month. But, while I did only read three books, they were still quite amazing! So, without further ado, let’s talk about the great books, I read in the month of August! Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu (Writer), Sana Takeda (artist), Rudd Wooton (Letterer, and designer)

Dates Read: August 2nd-August 2nd, 2018 Genre: Steam-Punk/Supernatural Fantasy Format: Graphic Novel (Physical) Final Rating: 5/5 Stars Synopsis: Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, Monstress tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers. Final Thoughts: It is difficult for me to critique graphic novels, since this is the first one I've ever read. However, I really enjoyed this story, mainly because of the supernatural elements of the book. The creatures in this graphic novel were very unique, and nothing I've ever seen before. I thought our main character was extremely strong and confident in herself, which I absolutely loved. She knew what she was looking for, and wasn't going to let anything get in her way. She powered through everything that got in her way, from the demon inside of her, to the people hunting her down. The art style was extremely stunning, and was what really gravitated me to actually buy this book. This was a very gruesome and graphic story, but one that I really enjoyed, and hope to continue on with the series. The Diviners by Libba Bray 

Dates Read: August 1st-August 14th, 2018 Genre: Paranormal, Historical Fantasy Format: Paperback (Physical) Final Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Synopsis: Evie O'Neil has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City-- and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It's 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. Evie worries he'll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer. As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened. Final Thoughts: What I really enjoyed about this novel, was the setting and language. The Diviners was set in 1926's New York City, and Libba Bray provided a language that perfectly matched that setting. Throughout the novel, I thought I was reading a book set in the world of The Great Gatsby, with a paranormal twist to it. I really appreciated the diversity of our characters in this novel, because many books set in this type of setting, rarely have diverse characters. But, I thought the diversity matched the era perfectly, because of the Harlem Renaissance, which really helped pave the way for diverse artists. I also really enjoyed the supernatural mystery woven into the story, because it wasn't something you'd expect to come out of this setting. However, if there was one thing I could critique on this book, was that it felt really slow. The major plot line felt dragging, and in my opinion took way too long to get to the main story arc. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed the majority of this book, and will continue on with the series. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

Dates Read: August 16th-August 27th, 2018 Genre: Historical Fiction Format: Paperback (Physical) Final Rating: 5/5 Stars Synopsis: Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why Now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn's Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave the show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn's life unfolds through the decades-- revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love--Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn's story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways. Final Thoughts: I surprisingly fell in love with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, since I wasn't sure what this story was going to be. At first I thought it was going to be Evelyn Hugo's accounts of seven different love stories, but it was so much more. It told Evelyn Hugo's story of being a Latin American immigrant turned world-famous actress. Through love, loss, sexual misconduct, questions of sexual identity, and so much more. I fell in love with Evelyn Hugo, because her story is so relatable to what is going on in the modern film industry, with female actresses. It was an extremely tragic story, but one you kept rooting for, because you wanted to know why Evelyn was telling her story now. While I loved Evelyn Hugo's story, there were some things that really bothered me about the novel. One of the main reasons why Evelyn Hugo had so many husbands, was because of her relationship with a fellow actress, Celia St. James. She couldn't really come out with Celia, because being gay or bisexual was very rare and unheard of, during that time, especially for someone who was seen in the public eye. So Evelyn had to come up with these elaborate marriages, in order to be with Celia, that I thought were extremely unrealistic. I also, didn't care too much for the change in perspectives, because I was so invested in learning more about Evelyn Hugo, that I really didn't care all that much about Monique's story. At least, not until we found out why Evelyn decided to choose Monique, to write her story. All in all, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, became one of my favorite reads of the year. DNF- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Currently Reading- City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab, To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han Favorite Book of August- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Least Favorite Book of August- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowel (DNF) There you have it folks, the the three books I read in the month of August. I'm not going to lie, I didn't have such a great reading month. But, sometimes life gets in the way, and an even better reading month, can put you in a reading slump. I'm hoping that September turns out to be a better reading month for me, even as I try to juggle two jobs. But, I won't stress out about reading, and will only read when I feel up to it. Which is the only way I know how to get out of a reading slump. With that being said, I know I've been on a hiatus from writing lately, and haven't posted anything since my last monthly wrap up. That's partly because of my reading slump, and starting a second job. I've been trying to manage my time with work, reading, and writing, but it's been difficult. So, I'll probably be posting less on my blog, until I can juggle everything without stressing myself out. With that being said, I hope to post more blogs on subjects other than books, since I haven't been reading all that much lately. I hope to post exciting content that relates to my life, for when I'm not reading. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this post, and continue to follow my blog as I switch things up a bit! See you all for the next one! TTFN and Happy Reading, Chynna Williams @TheCWTorch Social Media Platforms: Twitter- @chynnaw16 Instagram- @bigleaguephoto