-A.M. Aguilar

Top 5 August Reads

High Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fantasy & Fiction

It is finally September… wow. This year is going by so fast, Christmas is right around the corner. Just kidding lol xD We still have a couple of more months left in 2021 so let’s do our best to keep going and finish this year happily. Today I am back with a monthly wrap-up and hopefully you will have new blog posts this month because August was just a mess and I couldn’t find any time 😉

Though, as you probably know, I always try to stay active in my Instagram account and answer your DM’s, comments and interactions so please don’t hesitate on talking to me there. I’m always happy to gush over our favorite reads and books! Check out @thebookssmuggler where you’ll find my reactions and fangirling moments on stories and posts. Stay tuned 🙂

During August I read a total of six books and I really can’t wait to share them with you because they were all incredible, wholesome books and many have taken place in my “favorite books” shelf. I bet you’ll be intrigued by the end of this post 😀 So let’s get started with my Top 5 Reads of August…

I read the sequels to various stories and discovered some new authors and books so keep reading for some amazing book recommendations 😀 I hope these books catch your attention and you can add them to your September TBR list. Don’t forget to drop your comment down below: tell me about your August reading month too.

Also! Reminder that if you didn’t spend the past month reading, that’s TOTALLY okay too. Reading shouldn’t be a task so never pressure yourself to read a certain amount of books but enjoy yourself and make it fun. Always make yourself a priority and dedicate time to all the things you love. <3

If you want to, you can also check out my Top 5 June & July Reads !

With nothing more to say, let’s get started…

Top 5 August Reads

1. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

New York Times Best Seller for over 4 months now, These Violent Delights has become the talk of the town and BOY! It didn’t dissapoint. This book is a masterpiece. These Violent Delights follows the story of Juliette Cai, daughter of the head of the Scarleth gang. Set in Shanghai, 1920, we learn of a monster and a madness that is spreading through the city. Juliette will have to join forces with the son of the Whiteflowers gang, Roma Montagov, if they want to save their city and businesses.

Full of traitors, killers, gangsters and lovers. This political based story and a “Romeo and Juliet” retelling, will captivate your heart. I adored every second of it and I really can’t wait any longer for its sequel. <3 I WILL NEVER STOP RECOMMENDING IT. Please read this book, I promise you it is worth it.

From the beautiful writing and the dark, mysterious way the setting is described, to the storyline with its twists and turns, deadly escapades and the best characters to follow this adventure; this book is a 10/10. PS: I am still not over that ending, Chloe 🙁

5/5

2. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

This book has become one of my favorites. A stand-alone book that follows the story of Lily, a Chinese American girl who grew up in San Francisco, California during the 1950s. All she has ever dreamt about is rocket ships and space travel; Lily hopes to be one of the first women (*Chinese American women) in STEM fields and college.

We learn about the different struggles and challenges Lily goes through while learning how to live, different to everyone around her, in spaces that didn’t allow her to exist. It depicts a painfully real and heartbreaking outcome too… but I promise it is so heartwarming and incredible to read! 😀

This book was so wholesome and perfectly written. We learn a lot about both of these cultures, night life in California, 1950s: especially for a group of young girls, and how ambitious women that wanted to become scientists and professionals were treated during this time. DEFINITELY RECOMMEND. 

5/5

3. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

I enjoyed this one so much, ANOTHER FAVORITE 😀 As you may know I’m Latina, and after reading from various genres and stories I finally stumbled upon a book with Latinx representation in a Urban Fantasy book and it made me THE happiest <3

We follow the story of Yadriel, a latinx boy who is determined to prove himself a real brujo to his traditional family and the brujx community. With the help of his cousin, Maritza, he performs the ritual himself and hopes to receive lady Death’s blessing to then find the spirit of his cousin who recently died, and set it free. If he does he will be honored as a real brujo during Dia de los Muertos’ festivities. 🙂

However, Yadirel summons the wrong spirit and when he tries to release it to the Afterlife something ties him to Earth. Together they decide to find out what happened and slowly discover that Yadriel’s cousin’s murder and Julian Diaz’s death may be connected. THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING <3 I enjoyed every single second of this one, plus all the characters and their background stories made it an incredible book; simply phenomenal. 

5/5

4. Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

The final installment in the Grishaverse series created by Leigh Bardugo. (And also my favorite fantasy world of all 😉 ) I adored every second of it; when I laughed out loud with Nikolai’s witty remarks, jumped in my seat after the wild adventures Zoya and Genya went through, hold my breath when life-or-death scenes unraveled in Fjerda and Nina’s scenes, and of course, I also cried after destruction and death arrived for some characters. RULE OF WOLVES IS A MASTERPIECE. 

Please check out these books! I will never stop recommending them. If you’re interested, start with “Shadow and Bone,” book 1 of the Grisha Trilogy (check out my review if you’d like!) This one, Rule of Wolves, is the sequel to King of Scars and finalizes the duology. We follow the story of our Demon King, Stormwitch and Queen of Mourning. King, general and spy who together must find a way to forge a future in the darkness or watch the nation of Ravka fall to their ruins.

5/5

5. The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi

Sequel to the masterpiece that was “The Gilded Wolves,” this book didn’t dissapoint. It is incredible. It follows right where book one left off and we see each character’s development and what they achieve even when battling grief. Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost, one that still haunts all of them.

Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumoured to grant its possessor the power of God. Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.

AN ASTOUNDING NOVEL. From the writing, the characters, the plot and twists, the setting! Everything about this series is epic and perfect so please give it a try and I promise you that you’ll fall in love with it. A tale of love and betrayal as a crew of misfits risks their lives for one last job.

4/5

If you’ve read any of these, PLEASE let me know in the comments down below & tell me which books you’re excited to read. Can’t wait to chat with you guys about your favorite reads and August favorites. And if you ever decide to pick up one of these, never hesitate in texting me and telling me about it <3 Every time one of you says you’ve read a book I recommended, MY PURPOSE IN THIS LIFE HAS BEEN ACHIEVED 😀

Thank you to all of you who stay up to date with my posts & have been following me through this journey, I can’t be more grateful t you all. I’m excited to keep writing for you because you’re all the kindest, loveliest and most amazing people I’ve met. Stay safe dear book lovers, take care and spread kidness & love today and always. Have a sweet week ahead 🙂

Happy reading book lovers!

Did you spend August reading? Tell me how it went down below & which was your favorite read of the month!

OTHER BOOKS I READ