Favorite Third Quarter Books

I really found books I love these past three months. It has been the best reading quarter for me this year, possibly in decades. Choosing just six books was difficult, so I chose seven. And without further ado, here are my short, informal reviews of my favorite books of July, August, and September 2022.

Into the Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Not to be punny, but this one ripped my heart out in the best possible way. It’s a two POV enemies-to-lovers type YA romantic fantasy, and the way Meyer brings the two leads together was spectacular and believable. We have young Owen, a star-gazer living on the edge of the woods with his father and little sister, and Seren, a tree-siren forced to do her cruel mother’s bidding. When Owen and his father witness a shift in the stars that sets events in motion, Owen’s tentative relationship with Seren will be tested. It’s a fight for autonomy and for family against a backdrop of ancient treachery and brutal revenge.

Owen strikes me as a sweet older brother, little older than a boy himself and carrying so many responsibilities. Seren’s story is told mostly in verse and is really about how dangerous and difficult it can be to fight for one’s autonomy when trapped in an abusive relationship (in this case, her monstrous mother). It’s impossible not to get invested in these two, both as a romantic pairing and as individuals. Also I wish I could make them tea and cookies and keep them safe from the world.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

Cecilia Bassingwaite just wants to prove to her aunt’s crime sorority that she is as worthy of the title of thief as any of them. Ned Lightbourne is the assassin hired to kill her. What else is there to do but fall in love?

Someone compared this book to The Princess Bride (and something else which I can’t remember). If you like adventure, romance, humor, and 19th-century British life, then you will love this as much as I did. Smart, hilarious, and sexy, India Holton writes her main female character as an autistic character without actually calling her that. The term wasn’t invented back then, after all. But then, we also have flying houses, lady pirates constantly trying to assassinate each other between tea parties, and a dashing hero/villain/secret agent of sorts who falls in love with our heroine.

Everything here is outrageous, funny, and smart, when it could have been melodramatic or heavy. As a side note, I’ve read a lot of stories set in Victorian England where the queen herself makes an appearance, and this was my favorite fictional account of Her Majesty. She is neither dull nor saintly. There is one open-door scene, very brief, consensual, which was a refreshing twist on the “he’s done it lots of times and she’s a virgin” trope. The whole book was one of the best feel-good novels I’ve read all year (no pun intended;).

Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater

One snowy Christmas, Merida answers a knock on the kitchen door and finds herself striking a bargain between two individuals who happen to be gods. If she can get everyone in the castle to experience growth within one year’s time, then everyone will be spared. If life remains stagnant, the god of destruction will quite literally ruin everything. Of course, Merida isn’t allowed to tell anyone.

As a fan of Disney’s film Brave, I loved the way the author added depth and layers to all of the characters in Merida’s family, including, of course, Merida herself. I love the Scottish-ness of everything. Stiefvater describes it as a historical(ish) book. Some of the family dynamics felt a little familiar, too. I won’t give away one unexpected element of the book, but I thought it was really well done and I didn’t see the ending coming at all. A reread for sure.

Austenland by Shannon Hale

Jane reluctantly accepts a visit to Austenland, an immersive Jane Austen experience where men in cravats flirt with you, the house is grand, and the food is very English. She’s obsessed with Mr. Darcy but knows how impossible it is to find a man as good as one written by the author who invented the enemies to lovers trope. Will she find real romance or a better grasp on reality?

I love steam when it comes to romance, but if you are a fan of Jane Austen’s books then you will also appreciate that a little romance can go a long way in the right book. Austenland the perfect blend of modern characters and some of the most beloved Austen tropes. It wasn’t anything profound, but it was funny and enjoyable. Enough so that I wish the author had written a million more in this series. Seriously. Why hasn’t she??

Edit: ok, so I forgot that Austenland is the title, Pembroke Park is the house. This is what I forget when I don’t review books immediately after reading them (which, let’s be honest, is never).

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Described as Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca, The Hacienda is about a young woman named Beatriz who escapes poverty, humiliation, and the shadow of her father’s treason by marrying Don Rodolfo Solórzano. But soon after arriving at his family home and plantation, she begins having terrifying experiences that make her wonder just how safe she is. When no one will believe her, she enlists the help of the young local priest, Padre Andrés, who has secrets of his own. Something terrible haunts the hacienda even as she and Andrés begin to fall in love. Will it kill Beatriz before she can make the house her own?

Deliciously creepy, beautifully written, I loved this book. The romance, the terror, the vivid 19th century Mexican setting. The ending was the perfect blend of bittersweet. This story scared me so much I had no choice but to finish it in two days before it got dark again. Oh darn.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

Set in the beginning of the 20th century, two sisters Liba and Laya live at the edge of a wood with their loving parents. Though their mother converted to Judaism, the family is a bit of an outcast among the other villagers. When Liba discovers that her parents can transform into animals, both sisters are drawn into family histories at odds with more than each other. Set in Eastern Europe, the sisters face increasing anti-semitism, while experiencing first love both sweet and dangerous. They belong to many people and they belong to themselves. Is it enough to ensure their survival and the survival of their village?

Rossner combines history with poetry in this story, drawing especially from Christina Rossetti’s The Goblin Market. I’m a sucker for sister stories, Rossetti, and anything set near the woods. I found the historical elements fascinating and grievous at times. This is not a short book, but I devoured it in two days or less.

Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi

Queen Imelda and King Ambrose are kicked out of their kingdom, since they’ve lost the one thing required to govern: true love. Now the two are given a chance to regain it. A quest, complete with the witch who instigates it, talking animals, ruffians, and the “only one bed” trope. Too bad the room’s on fire.

This book had me laughing out loud. A short fairy tale which takes place after the wedding and a very short-lived HEA-or is it? Full of nods to many familiar fairy tale tropes with Chokshi’s particularly humorous take, this book solidified her as one of my favorite authors. I also wish this were one of a never-ending series because I could read books like this every week.