Well, after only reading two books in May, I managed 8 in June. It wasn’t as many as I was hoping for Whateverthon but it met my goal and was a pretty standard reading month for me. I started reading slower when I hit a streak of middle-of-the-road reads and just wasn’t excited to pick them up. But I also had my best read of the year so far. So a pretty good month overall.
Reading Stats
- Books Read: 8
- Pages Read: 2,716
- Average Rating: 3.63
- 4 – 3 stars
- 3 – 4 stars
- 1 – 5 star
- Genre Breakdown:
- Science Fiction – 3
- Fantasy – 2
- Contemporary – 2
- Romance – 1
- Book Format:
- Novel – 7
- Graphic Novel – 1
- Reading Format:
- Physical Books – 6
- eBooks – 2
The Books
Happily Ever Island by Crystal Cestari
4 stars – Full Review
This was cute and I had a good time. It follows two college students who go to a Disney Island full of fairytale scenes and cosplay. That part was really well done and creative. The characters got a little annoying and read younger than I expected but I love Disney and had a good time with it.
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
5 stars – Full Review
Then I read Defy the Night and I’m still amazed by how much I loved this. It is my favorite book of the year so far which is crazy, I’ve been putting it off for months (I had the library book for over 30 weeks and had to bring it back to the library when I was part way through so they could check it back in and out because I reached too many renews). I just hadn’t been wanting to pick this up and I’m so glad I finally did. Books like this are why I still read YA fantasy and this one was really unique. It was fun and fast-paced and had a set of characters that I love. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out in the fall and Kemmerer better not do what she did in her last series which progressively got worse with each book.
Saga Vol. 7 by Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples
3 stars
Then I read the next volume of Saga. I didn’t love this one. I really like the volumes that are focused on the main family and have a cohesive story. This one jumped all around the galaxy and just tried to do too much. I really liked the parts with the family. I’ll pick up the next one soon.
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
3 stars
Then I read By the Book which is the second book in Disney’s contemporary princess retellings series Meant to Be. I loved the first one, If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy but this one just didn’t work as well. The retelling of Beauty and the Beast was really forced to the point of being ridiculous (he literally calls his assistant “Kettle”) or just heavy handed (see Tale as Old as Time Publishing). The romance was ok and there were some cute scenes but the whole thing just came off a little weird.
The Fever King by Victoria Lee
3 stars
I’ve been excited to pick up The Fever King since I heard Maddie at Book Browsing Blog on Booktube raving about it but it fell flat for me. The idea is so good. There’s an interesting world and the characters have really good foundations. But the execution just isn’t there. The writing is choppy and the story doesn’t feel like it’s fleshed out. I found myself confused and needing to go back several times only to find I hadn’t actually missed something. I was totally disconnected from this story and was able to put it down way too easily, even right at the end. It kept my interest enough to finish it and the general idea is wonderful but I won’t be finishing the duology.
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
3 stars
Have you ever read a really hyped book and felt like you read something different than everyone else? That’s how I feel about The Henna Wars. I get that the rep is great and I’m always glad to see good LGBTQ+ and other minority rep, especially in YA books. But I hated Nishat. She is terrible to her friends and never apologizes, it is written like they’re in the wrong instead of her. I just never got over how easily she got swept away by an idea and a girl and basically pushed her best friends aside and although some people get temporarily mad at her, everyone just seems to apologize and run back to her in the end. Some of her other decisions are also just terrible and I realize it’s YA but just felt way younger than YA. There’s some really good stuff in here but I couldn’t get past some of these issues to enjoy it.
Upgrade by Blake Crouch
4 stars – Full Review
Then I read my ARC of Blake Crouch’s new Book, Upgrade, which will be published in mid-July. This was the fun, well-written sci-fi thriller I expect from Crouch and I had a great time with it. It got a little in the weeds on the genetics piece and the main character (on purpose) has very little personality which kept me from getting fully invested. But I had a lot of fun reading it and I’m sure fans of Crouch are going to enjoy this one when it fits the shelves in a few weeks.
Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik
4 stars
I finished the month by reading Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik. I was initially annoyed to be reading this book; I really only picked it up because I was approved for an ARC of the sequel that I didn’t really was a sequel. But then I really enjoyed it. This sci-fi slow-burn romance was a lot of fun. The characters were a good time and the plot was decent enough to keep my attention. Luna is the telepathic companion animal I never knew I needed in space opera. I am currently reading my ARC of the second book and enjoying it as well. I will post a full review of the two books combined when I’m done reading it.
Knitting Update
In June, I finished another baby sweater that someone had ordered from me. This pattern is based on the dresses worn in competition by members of the dance studio run by the parents. It was a fun challenge to try and make this pattern out of yarn but I think it came out pretty good.
I’m out of orders and for the first time in years, in the mood to knit for fun. I started an ambitious project yesterday, I’ll share pictures when it actually looks like something.
What’s Up Next
July is my month of no readathons but I do have 3 ARCs being published in July I need to read and I think I’m going to attack the next book in the Realm of the Elderlings so it will be a busy month all the same. Hopefully I can fit in some mood reads as well.
I also celebrated Bonnie’s Gotcha Day in June! We don’t know her real Birthday but I adopted her on June 15, 2014 so we celebrate then. She got frozen green beans (her absolute favorite snack) and lots of pets. She also has been helping me break in my new deck chair that’s been one of my main reading spots lately.
Susan Lyn Knits and Reads 