May Wrap-Up

Happy Pride month!

Wow, another month has just flown by! May was filled with so many birthdays and my bf’s parents also came to visit. I was super busy, but I had a week where I managed to get a TON of reading done. I don’t think I’ve read that many books in such a short time in a while! I read around 4 books in 3 days. Overall, I managed to read 12 books and listen to 2 audiobooks. I am almost done with my Netgalley tbr, so this month I think I will actually get to read most of the physical books I own…FINALLY 😂 Anyway, here’s my wrap-up!

My Library

The Ghoul of Windydown Vale by Jake Burt

Review:

Thank you @princessreadsalot for the recommendation and the book 😊 I love spooky books so much, so this was a great rec! I thought this was such an interesting story. I initially thought it was set in modern times, so I was a bit confused with the dialogue style and vocab, but when I understood the setting more, the dialogue worked perfectly and I enjoyed reading it! I thought the worldbuilding was really fascinating and I liked all the backstories behind Windydown Vale. There were a TON of plot twists in this book, so my face while reading this was basically just 😮 the entire time. I didn’t expect some of the plot twists at all. I feel like some of the villains got away too easily, but since this is a MG book, there isn’t much you can do with giving the villains a graphic end or punishment. This book also wasn’t too spooky. It was definitely a bit gruesome, especially at the part when Copper rescues someone, but not too scary. Also, poor Copper. Holy moly this kid has been through a LOT. I feel like after the book ends, he just needs a nice, long vacation to recover from everything 😂There was also a romance side plot that didn’t feel very necessary at all. It kind of came out of nowhere, even though it was pushed upon them from the beginning of the book. I thought Copper’s cousins were pretty adorable and fun though. Overall, this story was a wild ride with lots of unexpected twists and turns that keep you reading non-stop until the end.

4/5⭐

Minotaur Blooded by Naomi Lucas

Review:

Content Warning: Sexual Content, breeding, monsters.
I was in the mood for a monster romance so I checked out this minotaur story. I thought it was ok. The worldbuilding was interesting and I thought the thralls sounded so creepy! There were also a lot of elements in the story, so I found it a bit hard to follow at times. I didn't really feel much for the characters either, and found myself skimming through the story. Vedikus' personality definitely fit his bull nature because he was very aggressive and possessive. Also, I'm just wondering, what is so attractive about licking a person's teeth 😬 Is anyone into that? Anyway, I don't think I'll be continuing with the series, but it was a fun read.

3/5⭐

Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas

Review:

Content Warning: This is a dark erotica that is based on a kidnapping and Stockholm syndrome. There is sexual content and a master/slave dynamic that does not have safety words or consent. This book is definitely not for everyone and is not a romance.

Holy goodness this book was a major mind f*ck! I have to say, my favorite part of this book was the psychology and thought process behind Emily’s reaction to Master’s character. It was interesting to see her rationale with what she was willing to do to survive and how she could even see herself succumbing to Stockholm syndrome but not being able to do anything about it. I also thought Kitty’s writing style was so clever. She uses first person in general, but uses third person for the sex scenes to show how Emily dissociates in those moments. However, by the end of the book, after Emily goes through so much, the final sex scene is written in first person to show how Emily has accepted everything completely. The writing style and psychology aspect definitely got me hooked on this story. It kind of reminds me of the movie Secretary except this book is definitely darker. Overall, this is just such a fascinating story and it’s now one of my favorites. Not sure what that says about me as a person, but take from that what you will 😅

5/5⭐

Netgalley eARCs

A King and a Monster by Danielle K. Roux

Review:

Content Warning: Mentions of self harm scars, suicide, mass casualties, and the death of parents.

I’m so sad that this series is officially over. It ended perfectly though 😭 I read the first two books over two years ago, so my memory of what happened wasn’t too great. However, once I started reading this book, bits and pieces came back to me and I just got immersed in this world and story. I missed reading about Amaya and all her friends and enemies. It was great to spend more time with all of them again. They are such a heartwarming example of the found family trope, especially since some are even enemies-turned-friends. I love how non-violence is a strong theme in these books and how Amaya doesn’t like to choose revenge and violence when dealing with her enemies. I thought Calen’s redemption arc was very heartwarming as well. I loved the banter among the characters because even though they were in very serious situations, they still had feelings and desires and joys that made them more human. Like Alan’s concern about who will water his plants while he’s off saving District City 😂 I like how we get a lot more backstory in this book about District City and the Order. I thought everything was wrapped up nicely, but it ended so quickly. 90% of the book was the quest to get to Echelon and trying to find a way to save the world, and then the final 10% was defeating the evil and sorting everything out again. This was an amazing book overall, and I wish there would be a little short story about the main characters just living their best lives after everything they’ve been through. Oh, and I also really liked how the mental health of the characters wasn’t something that was portrayed as a negative thing that they needed to fix to become normal. It was mentioned fleetingly, but characters weren’t defined by that.

4.5/5⭐

Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe by Lindsay S. Zrull

Review:

Literally speechless right now because of how amazing this book was. Like I can’t recommend it enough! The story just felt so honest and raw. I’ve been interested in fostering and even had a foster sister when I was a kid, so when I saw the synopsis of this book, I had to request it. I’m so glad I did. In my opinion, Zrull does a spectacular job discussing topics like mental illness, the foster system, and controversy in the cosplay community. This book specifically looks at mental illnesses like schizophrenia and anxiety, but it also mentions bipolar disorder. I definitely learned a lot from this book and got many great quotes from it. I really loved the characters in this book and thought the found family trope was extremely well written. Jess was such an emotional character to read about and I found myself rooting for her to succeed with cosplaying and having my heart ache from the struggles she goes through regarding her bio mom. She had an amazing support system though, and I loved how accepting Barbra was too. Jess’ friend group was so sweet and I especially loved Emily’s passionate and driven personality. The part just before the end was so heartbreaking, but I like how Barbra never says anything bad about Jess’ bio mom. Overall, this is just such a beautiful story and I highly recommend it! It’s definitely one of my new fav books ever.

6/5⭐

Penguin & House Volume 1 by Akiho Ieda

Review:

This manga was so freaking cute! I thought the concept was hilarious, although I felt really bad for Pen for the entire volume. He works so hard cooking and cleaning for Hayakawa and he does an amazing job, but Hayakawa always unintentionally ruins his efforts. There’s so many different scenarios where things go wrong for Pen. It’s such a fun read! Hayakawa’s friends are a great addition to the manga and they added lots of fun to the storyline. I can totally relate to Hayakawa’s friend who is obsessed with Pen because he thinks he’s positively adorable. Honestly, I would probably react the same way aside from stalking Pen to his house 😅 I highly recommend this manga for anyone who wants to have a laugh. I couldn’t stop smiling while reading this.

5/5⭐

A Galaxy Next Door Volume 1 by Gido Amagakure

Review:

I found this manga to be a little boring in the beginning, but once Kuga gets stung by Goshiki, things start getting interesting. After that part, it was nice to see his relationship with Goshiki progress and also how their friendship slowly started growing into something more. The story ends with a cliffhanger and there’s some feelings that get revealed, so I want to read the next volume to see how that gets resolved. I thought the characters were sweet, especially Kuga’s younger siblings Machi and Fumio. Those three had such a heartwarming and supportive family dynamic. Overall, it’s a fun manga with a neat side storyline about making manga.

3.5/5⭐

The Gingerbread Witch by Alexandra Overy

Review:

I loved this book! There were so many twists and turns and I thought it was awesome how the story wasn’t from the perspective of Hansel and Gretel. The gingerbread witch’s cottage sounded so magical. I thought the worldbuilding was really well done and very imaginative and whimsical. I felt like there were lots of layers to this story and you got to learn something new at each chapter. There’s queer rep as well which is great! Mother Agatha was such a loving character, surprisingly since she’s the witch😂 This book had such a heartwarming ending as well. The one thing I wished for with this book was that there was more of a conclusion for the Wolves’ group. Other than that, this was a great book that puts an interesting spin on the tale of Hansel and Gretel, and I think kids will really enjoy it! There are also lots of great messages woven throughout the story about how not all people in a group are bad and to not judge people by those groups.

4.5/5⭐

First Born: The Ogre Gods - Book Four by Hubert and Bertrand Gatignol

Review:

Content Warning: Sexual assault and violence.

I didn’t realize this was the fourth book in the series, but I thought it could work well as a standalone. I also thought this was a graphic novel, but there were mini stories throughout the book which were told entirely in text. But the stories were interesting to read regardless of the format. The artwork was stunning and I might have to check out the first three books in the series so I can get more of it. Although I loved the art, the story was a very emotional read for me because it mirrors what’s happening to women today, especially regarding women’s rights, and that made this book a bit difficult to read.

4/5⭐

Other (e)ARCs

Serenade by Morgan Shamy

Review:

Content Warning: Mental health conditions, murder, and some gory descriptions.

Thank you Morgan for the eARC! The concept of this story was so fascinating and I loved all the musical elements. I’m all for any story that happens at an academy. I also admire all the discussions around mental health in this book. It was really inspiring with how conscious November was about her feelings. In regards to the characters, there were some relationships that seemed written a bit like a soap opera, and I didn’t feel like there was much depth to those relationships, mainly with the side character relationships. November’s character was also a tad dense because everyone kept warning her about Cam and she would refuse to listen to them. The part with Vincent and his feelings toward November was also a bit disturbing once you read the big reveal near the end of the book. Some of the plot points also seemed a bit questionable like when Claire doesn’t seem to get punished after the stunt she pulls when she opens the veil. Aside from these things, it was a pretty good read and the ending was definitely interesting and didn’t happen how I expected it to.

3/5⭐

From HCC Frenzy

Crumbs by Danie Stirling

Review:

Omg this is such a lovely story. I’m hooked. I loved the main character. The worldbuilding is so fascinating with how their magic system is set up. I loved Marigold and the concept of her bakery. She is such a badass character for going after her dreams and leaving behind that high-power position. Ray and Laurie were just so cute together. I like how honest Sian was about her and Laurie because there was the potential for lots of drama, but the author kept the story nice and sweet. This book also does a great job talking about how it’s ok not to be ok all the time and how you don’t have to try “fixing” people when they are sad or have problems. I thought the way this graphic novel ended was beautiful and realistic. Also, the phone spirits were the cutest! The part at the very end of the book with the phones was just so precious and such a nice detail to add. This book is just so heartwarming overall. Loved it!

4.5/5⭐

From Parliament House Press

Of Beast and Burden by Kelsey Kicklighter

Review:

Content Warning: Implied incest

This was a pretty great story! Initially I thought Delia was the one who was going to be taken, but that wasn’t the case. The story had some great plot twists and I like how there’s a bunch of secrets to untangle. Gage and Kellan are fun characters to read about and they have really well-written personalities. OMG WTF though. That ending! I can’t even. That was a plot twist I was NOT expecting at all, but it made so much sense and was so sad to read. I loved the ending plot twist with the group’s new quest to find Faye’s true name. I need the next book now please. Also yay for bisexual rep! Although, I felt like Faye’s relationship with Gage was more fleshed out than her feelings for Isla. I also thought the trials would last longer than they did. They took up only around like 30 pages, but even though they were a short section of the book, they were still surprisingly fleshed out and didn’t feel too rushed. Overall, this is a great story and it’s got me in the mood for reading more fae stories.

4.5/5⭐

Audiobooks

Well Played by Jen Deluca

Review:

Why is this series just so good?! I loved this book! I wasn’t very interested in Stacy’s character in the previous book, but this book just made me fall in love with her character and her love story. I knew from the very beginning who Stacy was communicating with, but it was so nice to see how she learns who it is and what happens after. I thought her relationship with the email person was so sweet and I love how proactive she was with communicating with the person about their deceit, instead of waiting for them to come around and come clean to her. I could totally relate to her feelings about being stuck while all of her friends were moving on in life. It was nice to see how she handled that and how she ended up going for change too. It was also so nice to see characters from the previous book have a decent amount of page-time in this book. I can’t wait to listen to the next book in the series! I highly doubt I’ll ever be disappointed with any book in this series.

4.5/5⭐

Well Matched by Jen Deluca

Review:

I was super excited to finally read April’s story with Mitch. However, it wasn’t as great as I thought it was going to be. I guess I spoke too soon at the end of my review for the previous book 😅 I really loved the first half, but there was just way too much miscommunication and lack of communication from the middle point onward, that I found it a bit annoying to read. So much of the conflict could have been avoided if April and Mitch just had a clear conversation about their relationship status and April’s worries about their relationship. I could totally understand where she was coming from about being a private person though, especially when their relationship status was so uncertain and how people tend to gossip and be judgmental. I loved how supportive Stacy and Emily were, and her friend from the book club. I think the ending kind of redeemed the story and it was very satisfying.

3/5⭐

That’s a wrap! Which book do you think you’ll add to your tbr? Let me know in the comments below 😄

Happy reading!