May has been a pretty good reading month. I read a bunch of different things and loved almost all of them. There were definitely a few things that I didn’t really love, but I’m still glad that I read them. I also picked up some good books that I’m definitely excited about reading. You’ll find it all below the cut.
Here are the books I’ve hauled in May. I’m pretty excited about them:
- Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
- Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
- White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Every Last Breath by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater
- The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
- All I Want is Everything by Cecily von Ziegesar
- You Know You Love Me by Cecily von Ziegesar
And now let’s dive into the books I’ve read in May:
1. 14 Ways to Die by Vincent Ralph
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There is a full review of this up on the blog. It can be found here.
2. Together, Apart by Erin A. Craig (Various Authors)
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was honestly one of my favourite anthologies that I’ve read. It was interesting to read it and look back on the early stages of the pandemic and see what people were thinking about at the time, and to read about the concerns of teens. As a high school teacher, I really do feel for the kids who had to struggle through online school and the various other concerns. I genuinely loved each story and how they were able to find a point of hope.
3. Never Saw You Coming by Erin Hahn
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There will be a full review of this up on the blog closer to it’s September release date.
4. Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was an interesting continuation of the series. I liked the new characters we met and how it kept me guessing. I also really enjoyed how much more complicated the series got as the world opened up and new elements were introduced. I felt for the protagonist as her relationship got rockier the more she learned about her love interest. It had a lot of good nuance to it.
5. Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoyed this novel. I really enjoy stories about sisterhood as I’ve never had a sister and it’s interesting to see the different sides of it. I also really liked the aspects of how the sisters each had a certain perception of the other and how they didn’t actually know their sister as well as they thought, and how despite that they still really cared for the other. I also liked the growth of the two over the course of the novel, and the twists near the end.
6. The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This graphic novel is so cute. I really loved the art style and the story. I liked how Aster persevered despite everything being against him. His friendship with Charlie was very sweet and I appreciated what it added to the story. I really enjoyed the world.
7. The Hidden Witch by Molly Ostertag
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I loved the complications that resulted in this story. It dealt with some really good themes of friendship and the different kinds of that, and how things can go wrong. I liked our new character a lot and understood why she felt the need to lash out, but I’m glad that she learned that she shouldn’t. It was a very sweet story.
8. The Midwinter Witch by Molly Ostertag
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I liked this addition to the series. It was interesting to see a greater chunk of the world, and different types of magic. The relationships between the characters were well developed and I quite enjoyed how it all played out.
9. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I don’t really have anything to add about The Outsiders this time. I still just love it a lot.
10. The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: The world of this story was really cool. I loved the art style, and the story line. Both of our main characters are so wonderful and I appreciated the way that they came together and developed a reluctant friendship. It was very sweet.
11. The Stone Heart by Faith Erin Hicks
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really good addition to the series. It was well developed and I appreciated how it brought certain threads together from the previous book. It definitely made me gasp out loud.
12. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I don’t have anything to say here.
13. Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I heard some mixed reviews of this book, so I was a bit nervous prior to going into it. However, I ended up really enjoying it. I like Lou and Reed’s dynamic. They don’t always get along but they do love each other, no matter how complicated that might be. I enjoyed seeing more of the world they lived in and getting to meet blood witches and werewolves to see what else is happening in the world. I am super excited to read the next one!
14. The Divided Earth by Faith Erin Hicks
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was my favourite in the series, and it was an excellent conclusion. I really enjoyed the tension all the way through and the way that it kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. I liked meeting Kai’s mom and seeing the dynamic between his parents. It was really well done.
15. Come On In by Adi Alsaid
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I really enjoyed these stories. Some were more interesting to me than others, as usually happens in a collection of stories. However, at least two of these stories made me cry, which is pretty impressive to me (despite me occasionally being an easy crier). I always enjoy reading from different perspectives, and this encompassed that very well.
16. Dogs of War by Sheila Keenan
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This graphic novel was really beautifully done. The art style was gorgeous. I also really enjoyed the stories told. I don’t read animal stories very often, but I am glad that I picked this one up. I think my favourite of the three stories was the last one about the Vietnam vet. It felt more deep than the other two, and I really appreciated the depiction of PTSD. The WWI story was my second favourite.
17. Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton
Rating: 2 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: To be honest, the only thing that I’ve read by S.E. Hinton (prior to this book) was The Outsiders, so I wanted to pick up more of her work. I have to admit that I didn’t like this one nearly as much. Part of my love for The Outsiders is nostalgia, but this book was just not as good. It lacked a certain depth, and I didn’t really care about the characters as much as I did for the group in The Outsiders, and the character death that happened in this one. just lacked the emotional impact.
18. Ebb and Flow by Heather Smith
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a sweet story, and as per usual I loved the fact that it was a novel in verse. They just always seem so impressive to me. This story was well done, and I appreciated the arc of our main character and how he grows to recognize that he needs to make amends for what he did.
19. The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: Though the plot of this story is pretty improbable, I still had a lot of fun reading it. I liked that we got to see the characters from the last book and the world was deeper. I enjoyed the perspectives of our two main characters as well. They were really interesting.
20. You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There will be a full review of this up on the blog closer to it’s release date.
21. A Wrinkle in Time Graphic Novel by Hope Larson
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really good graphic novel adaptation. It felt really accurate to the events of the books and it didn’t seem like it pared out any information that was essential to the understanding of the story. I also really liked the art style.
22. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I really liked how this story handled complicated issues such as the nuances of gender identity and also the complex nature of high school relationships. Felix was a really interesting character. He felt really real, and I appreciated learning about his struggles and the things he had to deal with. I really liked watching him grow and come more into who he was.
23. I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I am glad that I read this book, but it will not be on my favourites of the year list. The three characters were really interesting, and I really liked how they came together at the end. I also liked seeing the plotting of the aliens who are the motivation behind the plot of the story. However, I found myself dissatisfied with the ending despite the fact that it was probably quite an appropriate ending for the story.
24. Cum Laude by Cecily von Ziegesar
Rating: 2 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: I had a lot of hope for this book because I had a craving for Cecily von Ziegesar books, but I ended up disappointed. It kind of felt like a less good version of Gossip Girl, and I didn’t really like that. The characters were watered down versions of the Gossip Girl characters, and they really could have had more depth.
25. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I didn’t really know how I felt about the idea of Snow being the protagonist. I didn’t want it to be an apologist thing or a redemption arc. However, I really ended up enjoying it and how Snow was portrayed. He was always kind of a jerk, and that was well shown by the events of this book. You understand his plight, but you still also see that he comes from such a place of entitlement that it completely makes sense how he ended up as president. It was a really fascinating story.
26. Bleary-Eye by Ced
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There is a full review of this up on the blog. That can be found here.
27. Cheer Up by Crystal Fraser and Val Wise
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There will be a full review of this up on the blog closer to its August 10th publication date.
28. One Line by Ray Fawkes
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There will be a full review of this up on the blog closer to its July 20th release date.
29. Majesty by Katharine McGee
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I had a lot of fun with this book. I love Katharine McGee’s writing and the delicious drama that her books are always so full of. I really enjoyed the different points of view and how much the characters grew over the course of the story. Daphne continues to be the worst, but I really love Bea, Nina, and Sam a lot. They each feel really unique and I really wanted them to succeed. I also loved the way that the love interests shifted in this novel. Most of those shifts felt really natural and good for the characters.
30. Amber & Dusk by Lyra Selene
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I loved the writing in this book. It was very descriptive and really painted a vivid picture for me. The main character wasn’t exactly likeable, but that’s okay. I don’t always need a character to be likeable. I enjoyed the overall plot line of the story and the legacies the different characters had. I liked the side characters a lot, and how the story came to a head. I’m definitely interested in checking out the sequel.
31. With the Sheikh in His Harem vol 1 by Rin Miasa
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There is a full review of this up on the blog, and it can be found here.
32. Star Beasts by Stephanie Young
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There will be a full review of this up on the blog closer to the publication date.
So that’s everything I read in May. What did you read?
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