Wrap-Up: July and August 2018

Hello Everyone,

After three months of dissertation, I am finally done with my MA in Romantic and Victorian Literature! In July and August I ended up reading 8 books, some of which for school. In any case, I also managed to read some fantasy books which I am really happy about. Here are the books I read these months.

• Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Letters to Mrs. David Ogilvy. This was a collection of letters that EBB sent Eliza Ogilvy, where they discuss daily and political matters alike. I read this for my dissertation, and it was a good and interesting read. I gave it 4/5 stars.
• Agnes Tremorne vol. 2, by Isa Blagden. The second installment of a very funny and interesting Victorian novel, I thoroughly enjoyed Blagden’s writing, and her portrayal of pro-Risorgimento British foreigners in Italy. Another 4 stars read.
• Networking the Nation, by Alison Chapman. This is an academic non-fiction collection on expatriated in Italy during the Risorgimento, another valuable and helpful tool for my dissertation. 4/5 stars.
• Red Sister, by Mark Lawrence. You can find a review of this books here. In any case, this is a dark and gritty fantasy novel about nuns that are trained as assassins. If this doesn’t hook you I don’t know what would. Lawrence’s writing is amazing, and the characterization of the convent, the characters, and the world well chiseled. I highly recommend it. 4/5 stars.
• A Natural History of Dragons (Memoirs of Lady Trent #1), by Marie Brennan. This first book was both a delight and a surprise. I am now reading the second book and I am loving it. It’s set in an alternate Victorian world, and it is the story of a woman who wants to become a natural historian of dragons. It is one of the most brilliant things I have read lately. 4.5/5 stars.
• The Fate of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling #3), by Erika Johansen. The conclusion to the trilogy, this book has arouse many mixed review from its readers. I personally thoroughly enjoyed it, and you can find a review of it here. Overall, I gave it 4.5/5 stars.
• Hunted, by Megan Spooner. This one was less good than the other books. I listened to the audiobook of it, however, I thought it was full of clichés and YA tropes that made it unrealistic and overtly soppy. I gave it 2/5 stars.
• Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children #2), by Seanan McGuire. This book was another huge surprise. After giving only 3 stars to its prequel, Every Heart a Doorway (you can find a review here), I loved this one so much more. I listened to it on audiobook, and I think I will listen to the rest of the series on audio. A review is to come soon. I gave it 5/5 stars.