Queen of Books: 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: