May Wrap-Up.

This reading month didn't end up being as successful as previous ones this year, but it's easy to see why! I've been so busy what with my birthday, and preparing to go on holiday etc. I've achieved five of my seven planned reads, and I haven't enjoyed them all as much as I'd hoped though there have been a couple of great ones. I'm glad I got through them!

1. 'A Court Of Thorns & Roses'; Sarah J. Maas. This was such a great read that I really enjoyed. Good characters, interesting world-building and such potential! I felt like Maas held back a little with the details, and I'm not sure how I feel about Tamlin, Feyre's love interest. Characters such as Lucien & Rhysand however I loved, and I can't wait to get to 'A Court Of Mist & Fury'. 3.5/5 Stars.
2. 'Thief With No Shadow'; Emily Gee. This was a charming, strangely sweet little story despite some of the weirder sexual connotations it had throughout. I did enjoy it, particularly the glimpses of a nicely thought out world that Gee has built. The problem is, that Gee didn't really delve deep. Most of the plot was in a house, waiting for someone to wake up and watching Melke do the washing or Bastian go to the market. I would have liked a little more exploration if I'm honest. 3/5 Stars.
3. 'Allegiant'; Veronica Roth. This was the big one for this month, purely because I've been so apprehensive about reading it. My sister warned me that it would disappoint, and she was right. It felt so different from book one, which I adored: Tris & Four quickly became my least favourite characters, the others whizzing out of my memory completely and remaining neutral. The ending had no emotional impact on me whatsoever and only served to highlight that really, nothing had been resolved and there were still a ton of problems. 2.5/5 Stars.
4. 'Pantomime'; Laura Lam. This was definitely my favourite read of the month, and it completely blew away my uncertainty about how much I'd enjoy it. The world-building was magical and enchanting, Lam's writing has a completely bewitching quality that I adored, and her characters were complex and had real personality. The Intersex MC was a real draw for me too, as it explored the androgynous character of Gene/Micah well and despite a slightly weak ending, I am very excited about this series! 5/5 Stars.
5. 'World After'; Susan Ee. I've been wanting to read the second book of this series for ages, I loved 'Angelfall' so much! There were some great moments in this one, mostly in the form of development. I got to see more of Penryn's family dynamic as well as some world-building. The pacing was just as good as book one too but in terms of plot development, there wasn't an awful lot. The lack of Raffe really marred my experience too, so I had to mark it down. 3/5 Stars.

This month I have read five books for Pretty Deadly Review's Backlist Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to twenty. This month's reads were:

- 'A Court Of Thorns & Roses' by Sarah J. Maas

- 'Thief With No Shadow' by Emily Gee

- 'Allegiant' by Veronica Roth
- 'Pantomime' by Laura Lam
- 'World After' by Susan Ee

This month I have read zero books for Falling For YA's Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge bringing my yearly total so far to eight. 

This month I have gained fourteen points for Novel Heartbeat and Writer Grrl Reads' Prequel & Sequel Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to thirty eight. This month's points were as thus:

- +10 for 'Allegiant' by Veronica Roth

- +2 for 'Allegiant' by Veronica Roth
- +2 for 'World After' by Susan Ee

This month I have read zero books for [un]Conventional Reviews' New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to six.

This month I have read one book for Daily Prophecy's Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to five. This month's reads were:

- 'A Court Of Thorns & Roses' by Sarah J. Maas

And here is my completed Bookish Bingo Card plus Story Sprites board update!

Second Chance: The Invasion Of The Tearling; Erika Johansen.

Non-Binary MC: Pantomime; Laura Lam.

March, April, May Release: The Selection; Kiera Cass.

Criminals: Thief With No Shadow; Emily Gee.

Metallic Lettering: Truthwitch; Susan Dennard.

Book Towards Another Challenge: Golden Son; Pierce Brown.

Green Cover: Thorn; Intisar Khanani.

Freebie: Siege & Storm; Leigh Bardugo.

Retelling: Beauty's Beast; Amanda Ashley.

Set In More Than One Country: The Passenger; Alexandra Bracken.

Characters Are Not Human: World After; Susan Ee.

Rec'd By More Than One Friend: Allegiant; Veronica Roth.

Flowers On Cover: A Court Of Thorns & Roses; Sarah J. Maas.

MC Shares Your 1st Initial: Seven Ways We Lie; Riley Redgate.

Written Under A Pen Name: The Tropic Of Serpents; Marie Brennan.

Number In The Title: The Sign Of The Four; Arthur Conan Doyle.

Non-Fiction: Reasons To Stay Alive; Matt Haig.

Stand-Alone: Read Me Like A Book; Liz Kessler.

Alternative History: The Passenger; Alexandra Bracken.

Non-Fiction Biography: Reasons To Stay Alive; Matt Haig.

Book With Virtual Reality: Allegiant; Veronica Roth.

Book With A Sarcastic Character: The Sign Of The Four; Arthur Conan Doyle.

Female Role Model: Thorn; Intisar Khanani.

Epic Battle Scene In Book: Truthwitch; Susan Dennard.

Story With A Strong Family Bond: Thief With No Shadow; Emily Gee.

Competition Among Characters: The Selection; Kiera Cass.

Setting - Dystopian: World After; Susan Ee.

Theme - Revenge: Beauty's Beast; Amanda Ashley.

Character With Undecided/Unknown Sexuality: Pantomime; Laura Lam.

Tight Male/Male Friendship: A Court Of Thorns & Roses; Sarah J. Maas.