Every year in July, I look back at the last twelve months of reading I’ve done. Well, it’s July. Time to look back!
Today I’ll be listing the ten best books I read!
The Return of the Whale Fleet
By Benedict Patrick
The Melodious Narwhal fell through a rift and landed in the Darkstar Dimension, a place between dimensions that no one can survive long. First Officer Min has helped her crew survive for months, though. But then a new threat enters, something that devours the miraculous whales that fly far overhead. And this threat has turned its attention to Min’s ship…
This is the direct sequel to Flight of the Darkstar Dragon, a book I very much enjoyed, and Patrick’s work in general feels dark, but never too much for me, personally. This book fits right in with the wonder, imagination, and darkness of the first volume. It builds to a climax I did not see coming and threw me for a loop. Patrick used amazing skill in climbing tension. I’m really, really hoping he’s writing another book in this series!
Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm
By J. A. Hunter
The world is ending. An asteroid is going to impact earth, and no one will survive. But in the near future, a company that had been set to release a VR World of Warcraft type game has figured out how people could upload their consciouses to their servers, buried so deep in the ground they should survive the asteroid’s impact. When Jack takes advantage of the offer, he discovers that the virtual world is a lot of fun… but also dangerous. The ultra rich have already figured out how to set up this new world to greatly advantage them at the cost of so many other lives. Now Jack must find a way to stand against this old evil in a new world.
I had the pleasure of meeting the author at a con. He’s not just an incredibly generous man, but was a delight to talk to. And his book? Yeah. I have book two. I devoured this thing. I loved every aspect of it. The world Hunter created invites questions, and he doles out answers at a perfect pace. I highly, highly recommend this one!
Curse of the Cosmic Horror
By Tom Leveen
Mike was forced to move to Hastur, Arizona. Mom and Dad decided to move there for… reasons. Because of a bizarre mineral under the town, there’s no wifi. And that first night in their new home, something dark invades. Now the town is creeping toward insanity, and only Mike and his new friends have a chance of making sure they escape alive.
This book was perfect middle school horror. I felt the danger to the kids, and yet there was never any gore. The stakes are huge, and yet still perfectly appropriate. I highly, highly recommend this one!
Lonely Castle in the Mirror
By Mizuki Tsujimura
Translated by Philip Gabriel
Kokoro hides in her bedroom. After traumatic bullying at school, she can’t leave. Her parents try everything to help her, but her anxiety is too high. And then, her mirror calls her. She steps through to another world, a castle hidden… somewhere else. She’s not alone, either. Other kids, just as trapped by their mental illnesses, have been brought there. But the castle has rules, and the children dare not break them.
I picked this book up on a whim, and I have to say, I was blown away. The descriptions of anxiety and panic attacks hit real close to home. Yet, the book really is healing as well. It doesn’t just describe the problems, but also ways to deal with them in real ways. I loved the characters in this novel. Read this book.
Drawn by Light
By John W. Otte
King Narius is dead, and his wife, Queen Everys, a refugee. The entire world has turned against them. Everys will not go quietly, though. She gathers with forces loyal to her, and she will take back the throne. She does not know that Narius actually survived, though, and is now captured by enemy forces. They manipulate him for their own ends. Will the king and queen ever be united?
At last the trilogy ends! Look, Otte has crafted a wonderful world of technology and magic. He introduces heroes you want to cheer for, villains that feel real, and a plot that does not sit still long enough to get old. Read the entire thing. It’s worth your time.
Ensaadi
Dune Drifter
By Elisabeth Wheatley
Talitha defends her city-state with everything in her. She is honor personified. She is a warrior, leading their military in service to the ensaak. But when a peace mission to a neighboring city-state goes horribly wrong, she must flee. She finds safety for her people among the dune drifters, and she might even find love there. But honor and love often conflict, and a plot is brewing that may destroy her beloved city.
If you’ve never seen Elisabeth Wheatley’s short content on Youtube or TikTok, you need to look her up. She’s delightful. I decided to support this author I’d come to know through her videos, and I was not disappointed. These first two books in her Warriors of the Sandsea series grabbed me and did not let me go. I’m eager to read more!
Letters from Hadley
By Cassidy Bryant
Hadley is dead. Parker, her ex, had already moved on before she died. It’s his last year of high school, and he wants it to be a good one. Hadley’s parents call him, though. They found a box of letters to him. Would he please take them and read them? He doesn’t want to. They’d been broken up for a while. Why should he? But he can’t escape the box. And as he begins to read the letters, he has to ask some uncomfortable questions. Was her car accident actually a suicide? Did he cause her to kill herself? What kind of person is he, really?
Look! Another Kickstarter find! I backed this project because it felt… familiar. And Hadley’s letters are ones I could have written in high school. Bryant nails the feeling of despair and anxiety that young broken love can create. She keeps in a number of amazing twists and turns, though. The story does not go where I expected it to! Overall, the book was quiet and emotional, and I greatly appreciated it.
Dead Reckoning
Enemy Colours
By R. M. Olson
Captain Hollis Ives will capture the pirate Mad Dog and return her to the Level. The pirate seems to know how to jump her ship from planet to planet so well, though. And Mad Dog? She’ll do anything to destroy the Level, but she’s got a sense of honor to her. She’s loyal to her crew, and they’d die for her. But there are enemy forces conspiring, and these two bloodthirsty enemies may need to ally if they’re to have any chance to survive.
I backed this trilogy on Kickstarter a few years back, and now I’ve completed reading it with these, books two and three. And they are fun! It’s Treasure Island and Horatio Hornblower in space. Thrilling characters in tense situations kept me glued to the page. And then I got to the end of book three and was disappointed it didn’t keep going. Ah, but I was wrong! Since I backed the original project, three additional books have been released! I’m gonna have to get those…
The Island of Dreams
By Jaye Viner
Everyone knows the stories of the Pan. He flits into windows to steal children away so they never go to heaven nor hell. He kidnaps them to the Neverland, to have the childhood they never had on earth, to never grow up. He is a capricious god. He needs a mother, though, and Justine is just the person. She’s a servant in late 1800’s London, and she longs to get away. But when she’s taken to the Neverland, she discovers that her afterlife will be even more complicated. The Pan’s brother, a dark pirate, longs to bring Time to the island. And she may be falling in love with him…
Another Kickstarter find! This book holds that dreamlike quality that Peter Pan stories should have. It’s at the same time both innocent and incredibly subversive. I really like the reimagining of Neverland. Justine is a great protagonist, both independent and longing to be loved. I’m looking forward to the final book of the duology.
A Duel Among Friends
By Filip Wiltgren
The warded gunslinger continues his flight through the stars, now trying to protect an entire colony of people as they make their way to a new colony. Supplies are running low, though, for everybody. Space si empty and cold. Can he find what they need to survive?
This is the fourth (and so far final) book of The Warded Gunslinger, and I desperately want more. This series is such a great mix of Firefly and gritty urban fantasy. Please go read it so Wiltgren knows he’s got an audience to write more.
Jonathon Mast: Author 