The Book Junkie Trials Wrap Up

This readathon took place during the entire month of July. Theres four teams with different paths/challenges as well as strength and weaknesses for each. We also have to stick to our original TBR and have to read them in order of our path. This wasnt easy, but I managed it. While I was slowly making my way through my path I ended up reading some other things to completed the other challenges. You can find all the information on the readathons Twitter Account You should also check out the lovely creator Rachael Marie on her Booktube Channel.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Review

Buddy Read With Vale

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Publication: September 10th, 2019

Genre: Adult SFF

Format: Egalley

Goodreads

Summary:

In a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers, the Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire needs a swordswoman. Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit. Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. But her childhood nemesis Harrow won't set her free without a service because without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail the trials and lose any chance of becoming an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection. The Ninth House will die, but of course, some things are better left dead.

Reading Rush Wrap Up

This readathon took place from the 22nd of July to the 28th. Once I checked all the badges I realized there were a lot more challenges than I was expecting. On top of the main 7 challenges I did end up also getting the 7 books badge, the 5 star badge, the 1000 pages badge and the different social media ones. The only one I didnt get was the join a read in badge since there wasnt any near me. Now lets get into what I read for the original 7 badges.

Guilty Reader Book Tag

I seriously thought Id done this book tag when I first started posting on Books Amino, but I guess I never actually posted it. I do remember answering the questions, but I did lose all my prewritten posts a couple times so that might be the reason. I was tagged by the wonderful Alys (you should go check out her blog) and now I have the perfect excuse to finally post my answers.

NEWTs Magical Readathon 2019 TBR

This yearly readathon takes place during the entire month of August. You can find the Announcement Video Here. I completed all the OWLs exams in April so I could technically go for any career, but since I was concentrating on Metal Charmer during my OWLs I decided to stick with that career for my TBR. Im sure the books will change as the month progresses, but no matter what Im determined to get all exams done and become a Metal Charmer.

July 2019 Book Haul

I have a bunch of exciting review copies to haul this month. Ive had instant access to Harper Collins egalleys for close to a year now and was beyond thankful for the opportunity to review their titles. Then in July I got access to all Macmillan egalleys out of nowhere and I was so freaking happy I didnt want to believe it at first. I didnt want to get my hopes up, but it seems like I wasnt dreaming and will now be able to review books from some of my favorite authors. I think Ill be going on a little download spree when they get their winter catalogue up. To make this haul more manageable Ive added some books to next months haul.

Anticipated Releases For August 2019

I have just over 10 books coming out in August that Im excited about. Most of them are sequels to series Im hoping to continue. I have some review copies for a couple of them that I plan on reading very soon. As usual to avoid spoilers I added the summary of the first book for any sequels on this list.

Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson Review

Buddy Read With Alys

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Publication: July 9th, 2019

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Format: Egalley

Goodreads

Summary:

In the tropical kingdom of Rhodaire, magical, elemental Crows are part of every aspect of life...until the Illucian empire invades, destroying everything. That terrible night has thrown Princess Anthia into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom after their mother's death, but all Thia can do is think of all she has lost. But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the crown prince of Illucia, Thia is finally spurred into action. And after stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rubble of a rookery, she and her sister devise a dangerous plan to hatch the egg in secret and get back whats taken from them.

The Reading Rush TBR

Heres my last minute reading rush TBR. The readathon starts tomorrow on the 22nd and ends on the 28th of July. Im @chelsiecrazy4books if anyone wants to be friends on the awesome new site. Ill probably be gone camping for the first half of the readathon, but Im hoping I still get plenty of time to read.

Mid Year 2019 Goal Check In

Ive been doing these mid year check ins since I started blogging on Books Amino 3 years ago and I think they're a great way to see what I need to work on or what goal isnt as important to me anymore.

Female Villain Theme Songs

For this post Ill be highlighting some of my favorite female villains/morally grey female characters and pairing it with a theme song. I almost decided to do couples instead of villains because I know way more love songs, but villains were just speaking to me today so maybe next time. Beware there might be some slight spoilers for the books mentionned.

Book Cover Battles: Seasons Edition

For this post I wanted to do something a little different then my normal posts. I might even make it into a series if you guys all like it. I have a bunch more themes Id like to try out. The way this works is I pick book covers following a theme, in this case a seasonal theme, pair them off and then compare them in a battle for the best cover. Ill pick my favorite of the pair and explain why I think it did it better. Now let the battles begin!

Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart Review

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Publication: July 2nd, 2019

Grace and Fury #2

Genre: Dystopian

Format: Egalley/Audiobook

Diversity: Sapphic SC

Goodreads

Summary:

In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison. Betrayal, grief, and violence have changed both sisters, and the women of Mount Ruin have set their sights on revenge beyond the confines of their island prison. They plan to sweep across the entire kingdom, issuing in a new age of freedom for all. But first they'll have to get rid of the Superior, and only Nomi knows how. Separated once again, this time by choice, Nomi and Serina must forge their own paths as they aim to tear down the SpiritTheme know, and build something better in its place. A fierce sequel full of sisterhood, heart pounding action, betrayal, and court intrigue, this duology breathes new life into the feminist story of oppression and resistance.

Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen Review

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Publication: July 30th, 2019

Genre: Fantasy

Format: ARC/Egalley

Diversity: LGBT+ SC

Goodreads

Summary:

Future chieftain Fie abides by one rule: look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime. When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses, and perhaps his throat. But he offers a deal that she can’t refuse: protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns. Hawk warrior Tavin has always put Jas’s life before his, magically assuming the prince’s appearance and shadowing his every step. But what happens when Tavin begins to want something to call his own?

Top 15 Mid Year Favorites

I was going to only pick my top 10, but I have a feeling the second half of the year will be filled with a ton of new favorites so I might not get the chance to talk about some of these books in my favorites of the year post and I wanted a chance to gush over them one last time. After putting this list together I realized many of the books featured queer characters. Thats probably because Ive been reading a lot of queer books so far this year. I didnt include any book I read after the end of June since I wanted this list to only represent the first six months of the year. As usual to avoid spoilers I shared the summary of the first book for any sequels mentionned.

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells Review

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Publication: July 30th, 2019

Genre: Fantasy

Format: ARC

Diversity: POC & Bi MC, Sapphic SC

Goodreads

Summary:

Raised among the ruins of a conquered mountain nation, Maren dreams only of sharing a quiet life with her girlfriend Kaia until the day Kaia is abducted by the Aurati, prophetic agents of the emperor, and forced to join their ranks. Desperate to save her, Maren hatches a plan to steal one of the emperor’s coveted dragons and storm the Aurati stronghold. If Maren is to have any hope of succeeding, she must become an apprentice to the emperor’s mysterious dragon trainer. What she wasnt prepared for was rumors of a lost prince, a brewing rebellion, and a prophecy that could shatter the empire. With time running out, can Maren survive long enough to rescue Kaia from impending death, or could she be destined for something greater than she could have ever imagined?

Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag

I love doing this tag every year and seeing everyones answers. Its such a great way to recap the first half of the year. Since I wasnt able to mention all the books I wanted to I have a mid year favorites post coming very soon. It will have some more indepth thoughts for most of the books mentionned in this tag. To cover as many books as possible I did only use a book once, but a couple of them could have answered multiple questions.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power Review

Rating: 4 Stars

Publication: July 9th, 2019

Genre: Horror Fantasy

Format: ARC

Diversity: LGBT+ MC

Goodreads

Summary:

It's been 18 months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty's life out from under her. It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don't dare wander outside the school's fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised. Then Byatt goes missing, and Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there's more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true.

Fantasy JourneyAthon Wrap Up

This readathon took place from June 21st to 30th. I had a feeling I might have a hard time fitting it into my schedule but I wanted to try it anyways. The first few days were spent finishing a book from a previous readathon and since I didnt technically start the books for this readathon until the 24th I decided to extend it another 3 days to even it out. Its all just for fun so why not.

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho Review

Rating: 4 Stars

Publication: June 25th, 2019

Genre: Fantasy

Format: ARC /Audiobook

Diversity: Asian MC

Goodreads

Summary:

No one in modern-day Seoul believes in the old fables anymore, which makes it the perfect place for Gu Miyoung and her mother to hide in plain sight while still feeding every full moon. Miyoung is a Gumiho, an immortal nine-tailed fox, who must eat the souls of men to survive. With the help of her friend Naras shamanic abilities to talk to spirits she finds men who have evaded justice for horrendous crimes and feeds on their soul. Her life is upended when she kills a dokkaebi, a murderous goblin, in the forest just to save the life of a human boy. After Miyoung saves Jihoon's life and starts attenting his school where they end up in the same class the two develop a tenuous friendship that blooms into romance forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon's.

July 2019 TBR

Im so happy I was able to make the books on this TBR work for both the Book Junkie Trials and MedievalAThon. These are all the review copies Im hoping to read, but Im sure Ill end up picking up some audiobooks as well. Im currently finishing up the last couple books I had on my June TBR which Im also really happy about. I didn't think Id be able to get to them all. My wrap up for June was posted yesterday.  As usual for the sequels on this list Ive added the summary of the first book to avoid any spoilers. Ill also be writing full reviews for all the book on this TBR so keep an eye out for that if you want to know my full thoughts. Id love to buddy read any of these so feel free to message me if you want to plan something. Now lets get into my July TBR.

June 2019 Reading Wrap Up

I read some awesome books this month. I have a lot of high ratings which is always great. I didnt read as many queer books as I was hoping but I do read them every month of the year so I dont feel too bad about it. I already have some planned for my July TBR. As usual Im ranking these from my least favorite to my top favorite of the month. I also share a mini reviews for each of them and most of these have or will have full reviews up.