Tuesday 2 July 2019

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.

Shatter the Sky


Rating: 2.5 Stars
Publication: July 30th, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Format: ARC
Diversity: PoC & Bi MC, Sapphic

I had such high hopes for this book but for something pitched as sapphic it felt pretty hetero to me. The main character is separated from her girlfriend early on and her journey to steal a dragon to rescue her is spent with a boy who she seems to be developping feelings for. Maybe that will change in the sequel, but Im not counting on it. I liked the boy, but I could have done without the flirting. The story would have worked just fine if they had stayed platonic friends. The main character makes some questionable decisions. She's impulsive and would have died without the boys help. I did really enjoy her relationship with her parents, but shes not with them for very long. The world was interesting with the main characters mountain village and the haunted caves. My favorite part was definitely the dragons. For the most part the plot was alright, however I did find it predictable, especially the prophecy and the main characters dreams.

Beholder


Rating: 3 Stars
Publication: June 4th, 2019
Genre: Alternate Historical Fantasy
Format: Egalley
Diversity: PoC SC

I wish the main character was more assertive. I understand it was done to show growth as she becomes more assertive by the end, but it was just very frustrating to read. The main focus was definitely the romance and the love interests who I ended up loving. The romance is pretty much what carried the story forward. I know it wasnt perfect with how fast everything happened, but it was compelling nonetheless. Despite finding it enjoyable I didnt see the point of the first half of the book, but maybe it will come up in the sequel. For the most part, the actual plot isnt revealed until the very end. I believe the book could have been improved had some of the plot been incorporated ealier in the story. I also think a map could have really helped since the author uses old names for the countries and I never would have known that had I not googled them. I did love the little nods to different fairytales. The ending doesnt leave you very satisfied as we're just getting into the plot.

Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon


Rating: 3.5 Stars
Publication: June 11th, 2019
Genre: Fantasy Steampunk
Format: Egalley\Audiobook
Diversity: Asian MC

Anlei always wanted to be a warrior like her father so having to marry the viceroy is one of the worse fates she could ever imagine. I didnt understand why she didnt try harder to figure out how to stop the deadly shadows. The only reason she discovered their origin is because of a boys intervention which didnt really match her strong and independent personality. I thought her need for revenge was a little dramatic, but she does get some significant character growth. I thought the love interest Tai had a mysterious air to him that was very captivating. I enjoyed how his unlikely alliance with Anlei led to a slow burn, almost hate to love, romance. This vivid asian inspired world had some compelling steampunk and fantasy elements. I wish the magic was explored a bit more, but there was still some wonderful lore about the great warrioress, the lunar spirits, and the river dragon. The fact that we got two epic quests instead of just one created an engaging pace.

Wicked Fox


Rating: 4 Stars
Publication: June 25th, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Egalley/Audiobook
Diversity: Asian MC

I loved Miyoung character growth from being snappy and pushing everyone away to finally accepting friends. I did find some of her decisions and her relationship with her mother pretty frustrating. A lot of her problems could have been fixed had her mother just listened to her. I hate when miscommunication is used to advanced the plot. I found her mothers mysterious character intriguing, but there were some things about her that didnt quite add up. This is a fantasy romance so theres a lot of focus on the adorable relationship between Miyoung and the boy she saves from a goblin attack, Jihoon. Despite feeling like Miyoungs perspective was more compelling then Jihoons I still loved him as a character. I really liked how he always saw the best in her and was upfront about his feelings. His relationship with his grandmother was wonderful. Besides the romance the plot focused on fixing Miyoungs soul bead issue before the consequences kills them both. I enjoyed how the world was set in modern day Seoul and the gumiho lore.

An Illusion Of Thieves


Rating: 4 Stars
Publication: May 21st, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Egalley\Audiobook
Diversity: Not Sure

I think this is a great young adult to adult crossover that a lot of people will enjoy. It has those young adult themes about a character coming into their own, but with a slightly older main character who works and takes care of her little brother. Romy has a great deal of knowledge from her courtesan training and she has fantastic problem solving skills. I loved how the main relationship in this book was between Romy and her brother. I also enjoyed how the sword master and metalsmith come together to pull off Romy heist. The each have different magical abilities that will be essential to the missions success but they need to keep it a secret for fear of persecution. There was one big flaw in their plan that I had a very difficult time overlooking. I also really enjoyed the worlds Italian Renaissance vibe. I cant wait to read the sequel as the book ended with a possible new mission thats even riskier than the first. A mission that might just prevent a war.

Wilder Girls


Rating: 4 Stars
Publication: July 9th, 2019
Genre: Horror
Format: ARC
Diversity: Sapphic MC

All three girls were flawed in some serious way and at first I wasnt into it, but the more I read the more I came to appreciate it. Ones passive and needy, ones violent and closed off, and the other is a pathological liar who seems to care very little for animal or even human life. Despite all their issues I found myself rooting for them. They're all very compelling characters. At first I thought their friendship wasnt very strong, but I came to realize that just because they do some stupid shit to each other that doesnt mean they dont care deeply for one another. I did find a couple things that didnt add up or that werent quite believable. This book had so many of my favorite things like sapphic girls, a creepy mysterious plot as well as the whole secluded island and sinister forest setting. I just needed to know what was being hidden from them beyond the schools fences.

Deviate


Rating: 4 Stars
Publication: June 25th, 2019
Lifelike #2
Genre: Scifi
Format: ARC
Diversity: Not Sure

This mostly follows Lemon, but we do get some chapters from Eve, the lifelike Ezekiels, the Bounty Hunter, and even the adorable bot Crickets point of view. Since we see very little of Eve some of her motivations werent very clear, and I just had a difficult time buying her new outlook. I love seeing Lemon go from the sidekick to the star. She has this comedic personality and memorable voice. I loved the people and friendships Lemon makes on her journey. The plot wasnt as shocking as Lifelike since I managed to predict most of the deaths and big reveals, but the twists were still very exciting. I really enjoyed the polluted junkyard vibe and the awesome scifi elements. I think its incredible how the authors writing completely changes to suit the novels setting and the age range of the target audience.The writing also did a great job delivering some sassy banter and inner monologue. Its not often a book has me laughing out loud, but this one did. I wasnt only gigling to myself though, it also had me all kinds of emotional.

Sorcery of Thorns


Rating: 4.5 Stars
Publication: June 4th, 2019
Genre: Fantasy
Format: ARC
Diversity: Bi and Ace SC

Elisabeth was brave and selfless, but having been raised in one of the libraries, she starts off the story sheltered. This leads to some great character development. I loved her connection with the grimoires and the slow burn romance. She had a lot of chemistry with Nathaniel. After going through so much as a child hes cut himself off. His demon servant Silas is the only person who's always been there for him and I absolutely adored their friendship. Silas is such a complexe character with his century old wisdom and insatiable hunger. The way he's upfront about what he is was refreshing and heartbreaking all at once. I loved how Elisabeths best friend wasnt just there to support Elisabeth, but had her own thing going on. The world with its magical libraries and grimoires turned monster was fascinating. Theres just a few things I would have liked cleared up. The plot was a little slow at times, but it did give us time to get to know the characters. I loved how the villain actually thought they were being the hero.

Rise


Rating: 5 Stars
Publication: June 11th, 2019
Rule #2
Genre: Fantasy
Format: ARC
Diversity: Sapphic Romance

I adored the relationship that developped between the three sisters. It had a wonderful message of being able to accomplish more together than we can apart. All the three sisters have different strengths and weaknesses that complimented each other. My favorite was probably Akeylah, but they were all a amazing to be honest. I especially enjoyed Akeylahs sapphic romance. Then theres Zofis unlikely alliance and Rens complicated relationship which both had this wonderdul hate to love element to it. We get both well developped characters and a gripping mysterious plot with the threat of the sisters darkest secrets being exposed. There was a sense of danger and intensity that made the pace very engaging. The world had an interesting magic system and Traveler history

📚📚📚📚📚

Graphic Novels:

Tea Dragon Festival
Tea Dragon Society #2
Publication: September 17th, 2019


Rating: 5 Stars

This was an adorable prequel to the Tea Dragon Society. Im so happy we got to see one of the tea master Hese and his partner Eriks bounty hunting adventures. We also follow Eriks niece Rinn and the dragon she discovers sleeping in the woods while foraging for her village. I loved the sweet relationship that develops between them. The story has this wonderful message about finding ones passion and where they belongs. I really appreciated the sign language representation and how the entire village learned it when one of their girls was born without hearing. The talk about the shapeshifting dragon clan being able to change gender made me very happy. I absolutely love the art style and with the festival going on we got some mezmerizing scenes. This is probably aimed at a much younger audience as it doesnt have much writing, but I still adored it. Its just an overall super heartwarming story that anyone can enjoy. And the tea dragons are just freaking awesome.

Avant Guard
Publication: September 3rd, 2019


Rating: 4 Stars

I dont really care about sports, but I love the friendships that are formed when people are on a team together. We get plenty of diversity on the team without it being the focus. I liked that it was just a bunch of girls getting together to play basketball. Since no attention was called to it the different types of diveristy felt very normalized which I really appreciated. We get an interacial sapphic pairing that will probably develop into more of a romance in the next volumes. This volume was more about one of the girls crushing on the other and trying to gather the courage to ask her out. Their personalities seem like total opposites with one of the being bubbly and ambitous while the other was more cynical and reserved, but I think they would be really cute together. The art was pretty good, but I felt like some of the characters faces weren't as good as others. The cliff hanger ending had me turning the pages in disbelief that the comic was over.

Nimona
Publication: May 12th, 2015


Rating: 3 Stars

This felt longer than it needed to be and I didnt get all the answers I was hoping for. It took me a few tries to finish it. The art wasnt my favorite since I prefer a more bold and colorful style. I felt like the plot wasnt anything new. Nimona morally grey character was probably the most interesting thing about this graphic novel. I thought her shapeshifting abilities were pretty awesome. I enjoyed the way her supervillain boss came to really care about her. I also like her boss complicated relationship with the hero of this kingdom. I didnt expect the science element, but I thought it was fun addition.

📚📚📚📚📚

Stats:

Total Pages: 3560 (Without Comics)
Adult Books: 1
Completed Series: 1
Diverse Books: 5
Audiobooks: 3
Graphic Novels: 3
ARC: 9 + 2 Comics

Readathons:

- Witchathon
- Fantasy JourneyAThon

Genres:

Fantasy: 6
Scifi: 1
Historical: 1
Thriller/Mystery/Horror: 1
Contemporary: 0
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