June Recap

June really was a month of two halves for me. The first half was great; I went to Krakow for the weekend and started my new job, and although I was really busy I was really enjoying life. Then we got to the halfway point and I hit a brick wall. I lost my motivation for pretty much everything and I’ll admit my blogging suffered a little as well. I know in last month’s recap I promised a new feature, it’s still in the works but it’s now a July reveal rather than a June one.

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Books I Reviewed

Morgan Matson

After finishing Since You’ve Been Gone I added the rest of Morgan Matson’s books to my to-read list. It took me a year but I finally got around to two more of her releases and of course I loved them, and wondered why I didn’t read them sooner.

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

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A Million Junes by Emily Henry

Emily Henry has become one of my favourite magical realism authors. I can’t pick between A Million Junes and The Love That Split the World for my favourite release of hers but it’s safe to say they’re two books I’d recommend to everyone.

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The Archived Series

The Archived was the very first book by Victoria Schwab I read, and while not my favourite of her releases this series is wonderful. I am hoping there is a third book in the works because after re-reading The Unbound I need more.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

The Unbound by Victoria Schwab

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ARC Review: Now I Rise by Kiersten White

And I Darken was a great start to The Conqueror’s Saga, but Now I Rise completely blew it out the water. It takes everything that was set up in the first book and runs with it, creating a thrilling story as we follow Lada in Wallachia and Radu in Constantinople.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

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Our Dark Duet by V.E. Schwab

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and the last book in the Monsters of Verity duology. Our Dark Duet was everything I hoped for; it was a dark book that broke my heart but it was the perfect ending for August and Kate’s story.

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Roar by Cora Carmack

Roar had a lot of potential, and I loved the world-building, but unfortunately the plot was too slow and other than Aurora I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. Still after the way it ended my hopes are for a promising sequel.

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ARC Review: Nemesis by Brendan Reichs

It was the blurb that drew me to this novel, and Nemesis really was a book of two halves. Unfortunately for me it felt like those two halves were two separate stories rather than one singular one. Still, like Roar, I’m excited for the sequel.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

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Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Books I Added to my TBR List Last Year; Five I Will be Reading and Five I Won’t be Reading

Top Ten Father/Child Relationships in YA Books

Top Ten Series I’ve Been Meaning to Start but Haven’t

Top Ten of the Best Books I’ve Read So Far in 2017

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Waiting on Wednesday

A Darker Shade of Magic: Collector’s Edition by V.E. Schwab

Ringer by Lauren Oliver

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Standalone Sunday

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

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I did say in my May recap that my book hauls for the next couple of months were going to be big, but even so I’m surprised by how many books I actually ended up with this month. In my defence though I didn’t pay for all of these; a good few of them were given to me as part of what I’m calling my ‘Birthday Haul’.

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Birthday Haul

• Spellslinger by Sebastien De Castell
• The Archived by Victoria Schwab
  Check out my review here.
• The Unbound by Victoria Schwab
  Check out my review here.
• Legend by Marie Lu
• Prodigy by Marie Lu
• Champion by Marie Lu
• The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
• The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

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Waterstones

• Summer Days and Summer Nights by Stephanie Perkins
• The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
• The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
• The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan

Amazon

• A Million Junes by Emily Henry
  Check out my review here.
• The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: 20th Anniversary Edition by J.K. Rowling
• Our Dark Duet by V.E. Schwab
  Check out my review here.
• A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

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Fairy Loot

• Roar by Cora Carmack
  Check out my review here.

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Normally anthologies aren’t my thing. The ones I have read – My True Love Gave to Me, and Slasher Girls & Monster Boys – I really enjoyed but I’m still reluctant to pick them up. However this is an anthology with stories by so so many of my favourite authors in and I am powerless to resist its lure.

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Because You Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy by Ameriie

Leave it to the heroes to save the world—villains just want to rule the world.

In this unique YA anthology, thirteen acclaimed, bestselling authors team up with thirteen influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains’ points of view.

These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like “Medusa,” Sherlock Holmes, and “Jack and the Beanstalk” provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains’ acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage—and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!

Featuring writing from…

Authors: Renée Ahdieh, Ameriie, Soman Chainani, Susan Dennard, Sarah Enni, Marissa Meyer, Cindy Pon, Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Adam Silvera, Andrew Smith, April Genevieve Tucholke, and Nicola Yoon

BookTubers: Benjamin Alderson (Benjaminoftomes), Sasha Alsberg (abookutopia), Whitney Atkinson (WhittyNovels), Tina Burke (ChristinaReadsYA blog and TheLushables), Catriona Feeney (LittleBookOwl), Jesse George (JessetheReader), Zoë Herdt (readbyzoe), Samantha Lane (Thoughts on Tomes), Sophia Lee (thebookbasement), Raeleen Lemay (padfootandprongs07), Regan Perusse (PeruseProject), Christine Riccio (polandbananasBOOKS), and Steph Sinclair & Kat Kennedy (Cuddlebuggery blog and channel).

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July is the month I start getting things back on track again. I will be revealing two new features; the one that was originally planned in June and another to make up for the fact that I didn’t post the first one when I planned to. Also I am going to YALC at the end of the month, something I am very excited about. It was great fun last year and I know it will be just as much fun this year.