I think I fell into a tiny reading slump this month; I only got through nine books in May, and while that’s still a decent amount, I can normally read a lot more. I think I got a little too caught up with work and just life in general. Still no worries, I’m now successfully over the little road bump slump and I have a lot on my to-read list for June.
It’s not all doom and gloom this month though; I’m back to posting my monthly recaps on time, and not a couple of days late, and three of my most anticipated books were released, read and reviewed by me this month (all five stars as well so they more than lived up to my expectations).
The Raven Cycle Series
Number one of my most anticipated releases for this month. Ever since finished Blue Lily, Lily Blue back in January I’ve been counting down the days until the release of The Raven King. I was desperate to find out how everything ended for Gansey, Blue, Adam, Ronan, and Noah, especially with the prophecy handing like a scythe over Gansey’s and Blue’s heads. This book exceeded even my highest expectations, and was a perfect ending to the series. However I’m not ready to give up on The Raven Cycle series and am keeping my fingers crossed for more stories from The Raven Boys.
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor
I love time travel books so when I first read the blurb this was an obvious addition to my to-read list. It’s been described as Outlander for young adults and, while I haven’t read Outlander, I can say that Into the Dim is definitely an amazing story. I can’t say it’s the best time travel book I’ve read this year, it has some very stiff competition, but it was enjoyable and I am definitely going to be picking up the next book in the series when it’s released.
The Wrath and the Dawn Series
Number two of my most anticipated releases, and a lot of other people’s as well based on some of the reviews. I saved the novellas until the second book had been released so I could jump straight from one into the other and I enjoyed all three, though a little short they offered different perspectives and glimpses into the backgrounds of characters we were introduced to in the first book. The Rose and the Dagger was amazing, I had no faults, I thought it was a perfect end to the series and a brilliant finale to Shahrzad and Khalid’s story.
The Moth and the Flame by Renee Ahdieh
The Crown and the Arrow by Renee Ahdieh
The Mirror and the Maze by Renee Ahdieh
The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
This was a re-read for me. The first time I picked up this book, on a whim, I loved it and the second time I thought it was even better. This is the book which introduced me to the magical realism genre, the book that made me fall in love with modern fairytales, and the book which, no matter how many times I read it, I will probably love more and more. At the moment this is my favourite magical realism book and, though I haven’t read much in the genre, it’s going to be tough to top Bone Gap.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
And finally number three in my most anticipated releases for this month. I jumped onto the Sarah J. Maas fan bandwagon late but now I can’t get enough of her books. I really loved A Court of Thorns and Roses, possibly more than the Throne of Glass books, but A Court of Mist and Fury was so much better. The story was more action-packed, the characters deeper and more developed than before, and we saw so much more of the world Maas has created in this series.
The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye
I wouldn’t say this was a book I had high expectations for, however reading it I was left underwhelmed. I loved the concept of this story, the blurb sounded amazing and the fact that it promised it was perfect for fans of The Night Circus had me picking up The Crown’s Game eagerly. However there were inconsistencies with the world-building and the concept of the game itself that left me confused, and that’s to say nothing of the love triangle and insta love aspects present, both of which are two tropes I am not fans of.
I took part in five Top Ten Tuesday topics over the course of May.
Top Ten Characters I’d Love to Re-Visit in Ten Years
Top Ten Websites I Love That Aren’t About Books
Top Ten Books I Picked Up On A Whim
Top Ten Books I Felt Differently About After Re-Reading
Top Ten Books on my Beach TBR List
I featured four books as part of the Waiting on Wednesday tag.
Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken
Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
Kingdom of Ash and Briars by Hannah West
Next month I have more than a few books to catch up on and I will post my reviews for the Shatter Me series which I have nearly finished, only one more book to go. I’m finally going to start the Percy Jackson series and, if the weather gets nicer here in England, I’m planning to make a dent in my summer TBR list which is full of contemporary romances with travel, sun, and happy endings.
9 books is amazing! Sorry about the reading slump though – those are not fun! I’m glad it’s gone now though and I hope you get to read even more books this month.
I’m really excited to eventually read Bone Gap. It sounds so interesting!! Hopefully I can get to The Wrath & The Dawn and ACOMAF soon too.
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Yeah it could have been a worse month I suppose. God I hate reading slumps, I’m so glad it seems to be gone now, and hopefully it’ll stay gone for a while as well š
I would definitely recommend Bone Gap. If you like magical realism it’s one of the best in that genre I’ve read, and if you’re not a fan of magical realism then it’s the perfect book to hook you in the genre! Win win š
And I hope you enjoy The Rose and the Dagger and ACOMAF when you get around to them, I can’t wait to see your reviews for both! š
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I know what you mean though when you’re used to reading a certain amount and then can’t achieve it because of slumps! I’m glad it’s gone now š
I love Magical Realism so that makes me even more excited š There’s no ebook for Australia so as soon as I have some spare money I’ll definitely order a copy!
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Yeah it does suck; especially because you know you want to finish a certain book, or start one that’s been on your to-read list for ages, and you’re just not motivated to. Honestly there’s no worse feeling than a reading slump!
Yay for magical realism, I seriously need to start reading more books from that genre! But that sucks there’s no ebook version where you are, I practically live off ebooks!
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Oh my gosh, right!! I wasn’t able to read anything for almost a couple of years haha it was terrible.
I definitely plan on reading as much magical realism as I can. I have totally fallen in love with the genre. And haha same with ebooks. It sucks that Australia doesn’t have access to certain titles. Fortunately there’s a Bone Gap paperback, but otherwise there’s only hardcovers and they’re so expensive šŖ
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God a couple of years?! I think the longest I’ve been in a reading slump is a month. I honestly can’t imagine not reading anything new for that long, how did you survive?
I have a load of magical realism books on my to-read list as well! And yeah at least Bone Gap has been released in paperback, I waited for that edition before buying it, I don’t have the money to spend on endless hardcover editions!
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Haha, I’m not entirely sure š I did read a few books here and there and comics, but nothing like I am now. I honestly thought reading and I were done for good, but fortunately that wasn’t the case.
Right!! Hardcovers can be SO expensive. Even on Book Depository.
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God, years must have been terrible to be caught in a reading slump. And I can’t even imagine thinking you were done reading for good, like it isn’t even conceivable for me to think that! At least you managed to get through it though š
It’s the same on Amazon, you can get two paperback editions for the price of one hardcover and then it’s simple addition; two books or one?
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It was for me too which is why I couldn’t believe it was happening haha. Nothing was working though, but then some close friends really got into reading too which helped a lot.
Exactly!!!
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As long as something for you back into it that’s definitely the important thing! And from the looks of it you’re definitely making up for lost time as well! š
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Great month you had!
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Thanks, hopefully my next month is just as good! š
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Well, 9 books is already a lot, ahah, don’t pressure yourself too much š OH beth, didn’t I tell you?! I am reading Bone Gap! Well, I just started, and I am excited -and hopefully not going into this with too high expectations either, nothing worse to kill a book :/. I am SO excited to buy The Rose and The Dagger, I hope I don’t have to wait too long, ahah. Great wrap up! š
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Oh yeah, I do think it’s a lot but since I started blogging it’s the least I’ve got through in a month. I do have a lot of time during my commute to and from work to read š
Oh yay! I really hope you enjoy Bone Gap, but I know what you mean, there is nothing worse than going into a book with high expectations and being disappointed, hopefully this won’t be the case š
At least The Rose and the Dagger has already been released so you can buy it any time you like. I thought it was a really good book, if you liked TWATD I reckon you’ll enjoy TRATD as well! š
Thanks Marie ā¤ļø
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I’m about 90 pages in, and I have to say, that book is so, so strange. I am intrigued, and I want to know just WHAT is happening, ahah.
OH I’m sure I will enjoy TRATD just as well, I am way too impatient to read it š
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You can never be too sure what’s happening with magical realism books, but I think that’s part of the fun of the genre š the fact that you’re intrigued so far is a good sign, also you will probably definitely fall in love with Finn’s character by the end of the book, if not now! š
I’m impatient to find out what you think of TRATD too now š
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Oh yeah, definitely. I’m always wondering exactly what IS happening, and my mind’s going crazy at times, but it’s awesome. For now, I just feel like hugging Finn like he’s a tiny puppy, haha š
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Yeah, for me understanding the story is such a huge part of whether I enjoy a book or not. If I’m left with too many questions at the end I won’t enjoy it at all but I’ve found if a magical realism book is written well then it’s not actually as big a deal if some things are left open to interpretation.
God by the end of the book Finn really needs a hug, there’s so much he still has to go through!
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I can’t stop thinking about that book, it’s so weird. I expected it more to be about Roza’s disappearance, but really, there are so many other things happening, and this whole city is strange, haha. I can’t wait to read it ALL and know how this ends!
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I can’t stop thinking about it either š
I think the story kind of surrounds Roza’s disappearance. It’s obviously touched upon but the book itself is more about the character development and the people and the situation she’s both left behind and found herself in.
I loved the ending, the last third/quarter of this book was just amazing! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts when you’ve finished it! š
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I’m almost done and I am completely AMAZED by the world. I really love magical realism, it’s such an incredible genre full of possibilities and craziness, I just LOVE IT. I can’t wait to finish it š
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Yay! I am so glad you are enjoying Bone Gap! I know what you mean too, I haven’t read much magical realism books but whenever I do I know I’m going to enjoy the story because there are always so many places it can take you, and in the end the story never goes where I think it’s going to š
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I finished reading it this morning, and damn, that was quite some book!! I really loved it, it was so, so unique ā¤
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YES!!! š I am so so glad you loved this book, I can’t wait to see your review for it! ā¤
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Great wrap-up, Beth! Looks like a really productive month for you, hope June is even better. š
And can’t wait to see what you think about Shatter Me! I haven’t read that one yet and I’m not sure I will, but maybe your reviews will convince me either way.
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Thanks Reg! And yeah at the moment, the way I’m planning, June is definitely going to be more productive š
Shatter Me was on my to-read list for ages as well! It’s a good series, but I do think the books get better as the trilogy goes on (I really loved the third but, although I enjoyed it, I wasn’t too impressed with the first!) I’ll have my review for the first book posted tomorrow, hopefully!
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I’m excited for you! Nine is already quite a lot for me, but I hope you kick that tiny reading slump away. š
Oooh, that’s good to know. I’m not sure about the writing – I’ve heard mixed things about that and if the writing is too flowery for me I just can’t enjoy the story. I’ll look forward to your review. š
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Same here! And yep, I didn’t let the slump get me down for long! Hopefully it isn’t the sign of a longer one coming along
OK so I pushed back my Shatter Me review because I read Vicious and had to post that first (it’s an amazing book BTW!)
It did take me a little while to get used to the writing but I felt it worked well with Juliette’s character (because of her situation and how we were told the story through her POV) so it didn’t bother me that much but I dunno I can understand for others it may be a deal breaker with this book.
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BETH. Beth. I actually finished Vicious two days ago as well AND OH MY GOD. I think I’m in love with Schwab. My review is coming out for that pretty soon as well, so excited to read yours.
Yeah, Juliette’s condition is definitely one I’m curious about – I’d like to see how Mafi manages it. š
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I thought the exact same thing when I finished it! V.E. Schwab has moved to the top of my favourite authors list, I think anything she writes is going to have to go to the top of my to-read and to-buy lists. Ohh, I’m really excited to see your review now too! š
It’s one of the things I was curious about, I mean, it’s not something you see in many other YA characters, the inability to touch other people for fear of killing them!
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9 books is still a lot! It looks like you read some great books this month š
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Thanks, and yeah nine is a lot but I can normally get through more in an average month (I have a really long commute to work where I get most of my reading done)
But hey, quality over quantity, I can’t deny some of the books I picked up this month are now favourites of mine š
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Well I’m glad you enjoyed the books you read!
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Yeah, that is the most important thing about reading isn’t it?! š
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Definitely! š
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I’m lucky if I read 9 books in two months at this rate!
Maybe we should invent an 8th day, just so I can have more time to read.
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I’m a fast reader š and I have a lot of time during my commute to work to read so for me nine books is less than I normally would read.
God an 8th day would be brilliant; an extra weekend, more time for reading, more time for blogging! š
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I think we should start a petition!
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I wouldn’t say no š and I think a lot of people would agree with us as well! š
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9 books is still more than I got through, so this looks like a great reading month to me! I’m not sure if the weather will get any better, but here’s hoping it will š
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I can normally get through a lot more than nine, I just personally feel like I didn’t read as much this month as I normally do (probably because of my mini reading slump)
Well it’s June now, hopefully we’re gonna see some summer weather sooner rather than later. I’m keeping my fingers crossed anyways! š
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You got through 9 books in a mini reading slump?? That’s AMAZING. Honestly.
Haha I’m really hoping we will. š
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Well, three of them were very short novellas so I’m not too sure if they even count! But yeah I’m trying to power through slumps now, so far it seems to be working š
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You have read some great books xxx
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Thanks. Yeah I didn’t get through as many this month as I normally do but I think the books I did read were good ones, I certainly loved them! š
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