JUNE '20 WRAP-UP

Time for another wrap up!

I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe during this global pandemic. Please wear your masks and practice social distancing. Also, if you have a minute, please take a look at this link for resources on how you can help the BLM movement and other issues around the world: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

Okay, my public service announcements are over.

I read a total of nine books in June which is pretty impressive considering I was also doing a summer college class and working.

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first book I read was The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. I have owned this book for a long time and everyone has been telling me to pick it up and I am so glad that I did because it is a new favorite.  This is about Blue Sargent who meets four strange boys who she'd never expected she'd actually like or trust. She's caught in the middle of one of the boy's treasure hunt and a mystery that cloaks their town. I loved this book a lot. It is slow paced but that gives the characters more time to be developed. I ended up rating this one 5 Crowns. 

The second book I read was Night Speed by Chris Howard. I was originally drawn to this book because of the cover and the fact that it's about a drug that teenagers can take to make them super fast which sounded really cool. This is about Alana who has been trained to use the drug known as tetra in order to take down criminals known as breaknecks who abuse its power. She goes undercover, infiltrating an elite gang of breaknecks in order to stop the supply of their drug. However, when she gets trapped on the wrong side of the law, she learns the breaknecks are not quite what they seem. I loved the plot of this book however, I thought that most of the characters fell flat for me and didn't feel as developed as they could have been. I ended up rating this one 3 Crowns. 

The third book I read was The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz. This was my least favorite book of the month as it was super disappointing. This is about Penny who is a lead dancer at a finishing school in an Italian estate. The estate is tucked deep in the woods and is overseen by the mysterious and young Master. Penny is sure that this is the only life she has ever known however when flashes of memories from a life very different to this one appear, she begins to question the school and the motivations of the Master. One of the reasons that I was so disappointed with this one is that the characters were all very one dimensional and ended up being very annoying. The plot was also slow paced until everything was shoved in, in the last fourth which I didn't like. Also, the villain was barely featured and wasn't as sinister or motivated as I was led to believe he was by the synopsis. I did love the setting which was spooky and atmospheric. I ended up rating this 2 or 2.5 Crowns. 

The fourth book I read was A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas. This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It's about Aurora who gets woken up by the kiss of a prince. Her broken kingdom has been waiting for her return and all the books she's read say that she should now be twirling off into her happily ever after. However, that is not what Aurora experiences. Her family is dead. Her supposed true love is a nice stranger and her whole life has been planned out by her political foes. Aurora struggles to come to terms with her new world and life and must make a decision on how to best save her kingdom. Marry the prince who she doesn't love or run. I didn't end up enjoying this one as much as I thought though I loved Aurora and I thought the whole premise was so interesting. I plan on finishing the duology because I'm curious to see what happens next. I rated this one 3.5 Crowns. 

The fifth book I read was The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid. This is said to be a mix of The Hunger Games and Red Queen which I can totally see but I also think it has major Star Wars vibes. This is about Nemesis who is a Diabolic aka a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator's daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side and Nemesis has always known that she is expected to give her life for Sidonia. When the Emperor learns Sidonia's father is participating in a rebellion he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court to serve as a hostage. Now, Nemesis must become Sidonia in order to protect her. Nemesis travels to the court which is a world of corrupt politicians and their children and she must keep her true identity and abilities a secret. However, as the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion is on the rise, she must accept her humanity and save herself and the empire. 

The sixth book I read was Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. This book has become a new favorite of mine and I can't believe that I waited so long to read it. Cruel Beauty is a Beauty and the Beast Retelling about Nyx who has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom since birth because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. But, she's also been in training to kill him. On her seventeenth birthday, she abandons everything she knows to marry the powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan is to seduce him, destroy his castle and break the curse he put on her people. But he isn't at all what she expected and as she starts to uncover his secrets, she finds herself running out of time and must decide which is more important, saving the kingdom and people or the man she is beginning to love. I love enemies to lovers Young Adult books and this one was so well done! I loved the characters, the settings and the plot. I rated this one 5 Crowns. 

The seventh book I read was Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett.  I love the contemporary books by Jenn Bennett so I was excited to read this one. Starry Eyes is about Zorie and Lennon who used to be best friends until they became enemies at last year's homecoming dance. The two now have made it their mission to avoid each other. That is until they are both invited on a camping trip with a group. However, the group camping trip goes south and the two find themselves stranded in the wilderness alone. I really liked Zorie and Lennon and I thought their relationship was super cute. I also love how interesting the plot is because I've never read anything like it before. 

The eighth book I read was Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake. I originally bought this a couple of years ago because of the gorgeous cover and the fact that it was supposed to be all about libraries. This is about Gia who gets sucked into a book at the Boston Athenaeum when she unwittingly speaks the key. She and her friends are transported into a Paris library where she meets Arik and his Sentinels, magical knights charged with protecting humans from creatures traveling across the gateway books, and they save Gia from a demonic hound. Jumping into beautiful libraries seems like a dream come true for Gia however, she finds out that her past is not what she once thought it was and she has to help defeat an exiled wizard seeking revenge. I really loved the whole concept but I didn't like most of the characters and the romance was super insta love. However, I am excited to see where this series is going. I rated this one 3 Crowns. 

The ninth book I read was Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. I have heard so many good things about this book and I am excited that I finally picked it up. This is about a world where the kingdoms are based on the seasons and sixteen years ago, the Winter Kingdom was conquered and its citizens were enslaved. Now, the Winterians' only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape and have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter's magic and their kingdom. The main character, Meira was orphaned as an infant during Winter's defeat and has been training to be a warrior to help serve future king, Mather. So, when scouts discover the location of the locket that can restore Winter's magic, Meira decides to go after it herself but the mission doesn't go as planned and she finds out that her destiny has never been her choice. I really liked Meira and I loved the plot which was fast-paced and exciting. I ended up rating this one 4 Crowns. 

AUDIOBOOKS READ

NONE

ARC'S READ

NONE

REVIEWS IN JUNE: 

NONE

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

NONE

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

NONE

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL BAE'S: 

Gansey from The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Adam from The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Tyrus from The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

Ignifex from Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Lennon from Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett 

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES: 

Blue from The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Princess Aurora from A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas

Nemesis from The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

Nyx from Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Meira from Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch 

NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS: 

Tryus and Nemesis from The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

Ignifex and Nyx from Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Lennon and Zorie from Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett 

TV SHOWS I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

MOVIES I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

WHAT BOOKS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

There's so many more but these are the main ones! 

NEW BLOG FINDS

NONE

SONGS ON REPEAT

King - Zayde Wolf

Would You Come Home - Tyler Blackburn

Love Again - Dua Lipa

Lonely Boy - The Black Keys

Bad Memory - K.Flay 

Myself and Me - Halocene

Mamma Mia Here We Go Again Album

Bullet With Butterfly Wings - Tommee Profitt

X - Jonas Brothers ft. KAROL G.

Begging for Thread - BANKS

Take it Off - Kesha 

Alors on danse - Stromae 

Evil - Interpol

Close Your Eyes - Kim Petras

Lies - Will Jay 

 BOOKS I WANT TO READ NEXT MONTH

The graphics at the top belong to me. The background pictures for them, however do not.

A VERY LATE MAY '20 WRAP

Time for another wrap up!

I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe during this global pandemic. Please wear your masks and practice social distancing. Also, if you have a minute, please take a look at this link for resources on how you can help the BLM movement and other issues around the world: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

Okay, my public service announcements are over.

I've been working on a summer college class and have been back at work so that is why this is so late. I am going to attempt to get back into blogging more soon.

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first book I read was Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller. Belle Revolte is about two very different women who swap lives in order to live out their dreams. One of the women is Emilie des Marais, a noble lady who wants to serve her country as a physician however, society dictates that a noble woman can't perform that kind of gruesome work. The other woman is Annette Boucher who is poor and overworked by her family. She also wants to be trained in magic so when Emilie offers Annette the chance to go learn magic and escape her family, she takes it. However, when their nation instigates a terrible war, the two come together to help the rebellion unearth the truth before it's too late. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year however, it didn't meet all of my expectations. I loved the diverse cast of characters and the whole premise is so interesting as well as the magic system. However, I thought the plot dragged until the last fourth and I couldn't keep up with all the characters and their separate plot-lines which seemed to just be thrown at us without too much explanation. I ended up rating this 3.5 Crowns. 

The second book I read Havenfall by Sara Holland. This one is definitely going to make it onto my favorite books of 2020 list. Havenfall follows Maddie who wants to inherit her uncle's inn (where four magical worlds connect) however one of the worlds has been blocked off because it's full of monsters who murder people. The other three however, are open and the people from those worlds all come to the inn to make alliances and trade goods. The main character dreams of inheriting the job of running the inn which is why this summer she has come to talk to her uncle about it. However, everything goes wrong and this summer the door of Solaria (the world full of monsters) opens and everyone goes into lockdown because monsters are roaming and everyone wonders who's to blame for the opening of the door. This is such a good book and is a new favorite of mine. The worlds are well thought out, the characters are strongly developed and the plot is fast-paced and intriguing. I rated this one 5 Crowns. 

The third book I read was Night Spinner by Addie Thorley. This is a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling Enebish who used to be one of the best warriors in the Sky King's army as well as a Night Spinner (someone who has the power to bend night). However, one day she lost control and slaughtered a merchant caravan and her best-friend and surrogate sister, Ghoa, had to maim her in order to get her under control. Now she's known as Enebish the Destroyer and has been branded a traitor. She lives in hiding in a monastery, a moonstone placed into her chest in order to sever her connection with her magic and she leads a simple life, taking care of the King's eagles. But, one day Ghoa arrives to visit and gives her a job to take the eagles to a celebration of the King's along with her best friend, Serik, who is also a monk at the monastery. She's supposed to deliver the eagles and then immediately return to the monastery however, she finds herself in trouble and then a group of rebels interfere and Enebish gets caught up in the rebels plan to overthrow the King. This is such a fast-paced book with political intrigue, morally grey characters and a warrior girl who is tired of living in the shadows. I rated this one 4 Crowns. 

The fourth book I read was Star Wars Queen's Shadow by E.K. Johnston. This is about Padme Amidala's rise to Senator of Naboo and is set after The Phantom Menace but before Attack of the Clones. I loved seeing more of Padme and her handmaidens as well as getting to learn a lot more about the politics of Naboo and the Galaxy. Queen's Shadow is also full of girl power and female friendships which we don't get to see in the movies. I rated this one 4 Crowns. 

The fifth book I read was The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett. This has a lot of elements from Sleeping Beauty and Anastasia which I loved. It's about Ekata who is getting ready to move away from her murderous family however, one night her parents and twelve siblings all fall under a sleeping curse. Ekata inherits the title of duke, her brother's warrior bride, and a ton of challengers from her own ministry and beyond. Ekata has never wanted the crown or paid attention to politics so navigating her new title is a challenge. But, if she and her kingdom are to survive she has to seize her family's power and learn how to wield it. This book is very plot driven, has two queer main characters and has a ton of politics. I loved this one and ended up rating it 4 Crowns. 

The sixth book I read was Dangerous by Shannon Hale. I have owned this book for over three years and have never picked it up until now. This is about Maisie Danger Brown who's always wanted to be an astronaut so when she wins a contest to go to a space camp she is ecstatic. However, she gets a lot more than she bargained for and is involved in a frightening plot that goes after her and her newfound friends and is already changing life on Earth as we know it. I thought I would end up enjoying this one a lot more than I did. I didn't enjoy the romance too much which seemed to take up way too much of the plot. I also didn't really like the side characters who weren't that fleshed out. I did however, love the plot and premise which was super exciting and fast-paced and had me questioning everything. I also loved the disability representation (Maisie was born without one of her hands) and she's also half-Latina. I ended up rating it 3 Crowns. 

AUDIOBOOKS READ

NONE

ARC'S READ

 

The first ARC I read was Dark Skies by Danielle L. Jensen. This is the second book in the Dark Shores series and I received a complimentary eARC for the blog tour. Dark Skies is about Lydia who was first introduced in book one as Teriana's best friend and we follow her as she escapes from an arranged marriage and meets our other main character, Killian, a new bodyguard to a princess. I did a full review of this one so I won't say too much about it but I really enjoyed it and loved learning more about the world and the new characters. I ended up rating this 4.5 Crowns. 

The second ARC I read was Kitra by Gideon Marcus. This was a very short eARC that's set in the distant future about a group of friends fixing an old ship and having an adventure in space. This mainly focuses on the relationships between the friends and it is super wholesome and a fun quick read. I rated this one 3 Crowns. 

The third ARC I read was Star Wars Queen's Peril by E.K. Johnston. Padme Amidala is one of my all time favorite Star Wars characters and I never felt like she got enough backstory or attention in the prequels so I was super excited to read this one. Part of this is set before the first prequel movie, The Phantom Menace, and part of it runs parallel to that movie. I loved how much girl power was in this book and how much more we learned about Padme's past as the Queen of Naboo. I rated this one 4 Crowns. 

The fourth ARC I read was The Redpoint Crux by Morgan Shamy. This is a Phantom of the Opera retelling and I was so excited for it, because I've never read a Phantom retelling before. This is about Red who is the Christine Daae character. After she is kicked off the USA Climbing Team, she is determined to find her focus and makes a risky decision that almost gets her killed. After an accident, she is saved by her "Angel of Music".  She returns home and finds out that her coach and boyfriend is quitting and so she is forced to head back to Nova Scotia. When she arrives, unwanted memories begin to surface of a botched ballet career, the horrific death of her father and the mental break of her brother. The theater and her past are too much for her even though it also reunited her with her brother. She is determined to get enough money to head back to the States until the man who killed her father begins another killing spree and she gets the aid of her mysterious masked savior. This is a wonderfully mysterious and atmospheric retelling and I ended up rating it 3.5 Crowns. 

REVIEWS IN MAY: 

Dark Skies by Danielle L. Jensen Book Review + Blog Tour

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

NONE

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

April '20 Wrap-Up

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL BAE'S: 

Killian from Dark Skies by Danielle L. Jensen

Temujin from Night Spinner by Addie Thorley

Serik from Night Spinner by Addie Thorley

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES: 

Lydia from Dark Skies by Danielle L. Jensen

Annette from Belle Revolte by Lindsay Miller

Emilie from Belle Revolte by Lindsay Miller

Maddie from Havenfall by Sara Holland

Enebish from Night Spinner by Addie Thorley

Padme Amidala from Queen's Shadow by E.K. Johnston

Sabe from Queen's Shadow by E.K. Johnston

Ekata from The Winter's Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett

Inkar from from The Winter's Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett

NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS: 

Lydia and Killian from Dark Skies by Danielle L. Jensen

Inkar and Ekata from from The Winter's Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett

TV SHOWS I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

 

MOVIES I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

NONE

WHAT BOOKS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

 

There's so many more but these are the main ones! 

NEW BLOG FINDS

NONE

SONGS ON REPEAT

King - Zayde Wolf

Would You Come Home - Tyler Blackburn

Love Again - Dua Lipa

Lonely Boy - The Black Keys

Bad Memory - K.Flay 

Myself and Me - Halocene

Mamma Mia Here We Go Again Album

Bullet With Butterfly Wings - Tommee Profitt

X - Jonas Brothers ft. KAROL G.

Begging for Thread - BANKS

Take it Off - Kesha 

Alors on danse - Stromae 

Close Your Eyes - Kim Petras

 BOOKS I WANT TO READ NEXT MONTH

The graphics at the top belong to me. The background pictures for them, however do not.