End of the Month Wrap Up - August 2025

 

Here we are again folks! On time this time at that! Unfortunately, we are on time for one of the smaller months on my reading list so far. I have been one busy bee. I have been traveling here and traveling there. I guess I'll accept the short list for this month since it wasn't due to me being morose but more so because I was busy! This month I was only able to read 6 books. They were all definitely good reads though. I don't think there was a bad one among them. Let's check em out and then get the break down!

Favorite Character : Amara (The Emperor) - I loved Amara in this book! I mean she didn't allow a traumatic experience to shape her life. She was able to fight through that and was able to embrace the love that was waiting for her with Dante. They had to wait awhile and have faith in each other but it all paid off for them in the end. Even though we find out later that there were people in her life that did not have her best interest at heart, she didn't let that stop her from being a good person.

Best Cover : The Wild Man - Now ya'll know how much I love a character cover! They are probably an obvious favorite of mine at this point. When done right, it hooks me in like nothing else. So just looking at this cover, it immediately gave me the vibes of this book. Wild, primal and hot. And this book gave all of that and more. 

Best Narrators : Fourth Wing (Graphic Audio) - Out of all the options for listening to books that there are, I absolutely adore graphic audio books. This one definitely did not disappoint. I listened to the regular audio and the graphic audio and WHEW. There really is no comparison for me. Although the graphic audio is in two pieces. That is probably the only thing that sucked. I still very much enjoyed listening to this. If all books can be graphic audio, that would be great!

Spiciest Book : Wild Man - Not gonna hold ya'll...this one was kinda hard. I actually was kinda stuck between this one and Fourth Wing. Not because Fourth Wing is just the spiciest thing out there but because I also measure how the scenes come across. Like, was this a climactic moment, was the chemistry between the characters off the charts? Like all these things play into why I rate things how I do. For me the spice between these two books was pretty on par. Now you definitely get more of it in Wild Man than Fourth Wing which is why I went ahead and gave it to that book.

Top Baddie : The Establishment - I really feel like when there is an established group that has some type of power over the characters that is either dangerous or is something that is hindering them from being together then that is considered a bad entity. So for these books, I would say there is like 2.5 of the books that this is the case for. The one that really pushed me towards making this the baddie for me this month was Fourth Wing. I mean, it feels like they are going to have to tear down the whole thing from top to bottom and that's going to be hard. There are so many factors that are stopping people from doing what they should in this world, that it's actually kinda crazy. I look forward to seeing how these crazy things get resolved.

Best Storyline  : The Emperor - I really enjoy books that allow us to enjoy multiple characters from the universe that we inhabit. When the events that happens in their separate storylines cross but are still able to be revisited is always something that I appreciate. Just like in Legacy of Gods series, we see the characters experience events that we already know about through their eyes. Seeing the take down of Dante's father and watching Tristan grow up was just a few of the things that this book did very well. Even though it had been awhile since I read the previous two Dark Verse books, revisiting those moments definitely helped to bring them back into my memory. It also helped that the characters are so memorable that their story still sticks with me. 

Author of the Month : Jeaniene Frost - I can't help but continue to love this world that this author has created. From the banter to the characters to the covers that are classics. I really love everything that the Night Huntress World has to offer and it's all thanks to Jeaniene Frost. Continuing the series with First Drop of Crimson and seeing how things have affected characters that we have come to know in love from Cat & Bones perspectives is just so rewarding. I appreciate it so much. If you haven't picked up this series, then you definitely need to so you're not missing out on this greatness.

Book of the Month : Fourth Wing - I know what you're probably thinking...but I really enjoyed this book! I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did. I liked the world, the characters and the dragons of course. Giving them such distinct personalities was such a nice touch. Then getting a FMC who is strong of mind but not of body was nice too. It's usually one or the other with some of these characters so getting to see her grow was a plus. I can't wait to continue the journey here with this series and see how things go in the next book. Which I will definitely getting the graphic audio for.