June Wrap-Up.

I really enjoyed and read so much while on my Honeymoon, and it's a good thing as the first two weeks of June were completely devoid of reading. As I chose six reads I'm pretty proud that I managed to get round to four!

1. 'Trans Power' by Juno Roche. I liked this book for the message it gave and the education that I received. I haven't read much around the topic of transgender issues and it's something I really wanted to address. Aspects of this book made me uncomfortable - they were meant to - but I did also wish that more of a focus had been on the diverse interviewees and less on Roche's repetitive thoughts and feelings. 3/5 Stars.
2. 'Shadow Of The Fox' by Julie Kagawa. This read like an anime, which was a slightly bizarre experience at first. But. It is an anime I would watch the s*** out of and as a result, I loved it! Samurai, demons, ronin, yokai - all of my favourite tropes were here. I totally fell in love with this. 4.5/5 Stars.
3. 'Heartstopper [Vol. 2] by Alice Oseman. Nick & Charlie are pretty much one of my favourite pairings ever and this volume, covering chapter three of their beautiful story, is the best yet. So much fluffy, adorable goodness. This is contemporary LGBTQ+ done right and I can't wait for more! 5/5 Stars.
4. 'Enchantée' by Gita Trelease. I totally fell for this book in a big way. It was my most anticipated read of the year and it lived up to my expectations - amazing historical detail, intriguing magic system, complex and likeable characters, and a truly rich, diverse, sparkling world. I forgave the plot pacing because of everything else! 5/5 Stars.

This month I read one book for the Beat The Backlist Challenge, making my yearly total seventeen.

- Shadow Of The Fox

This month I read three books for the New Release Challenge, making my yearly total six.

- Trans Power

- Heartstopper [Vol. 2]

- Enchantée

This month I read one book for the Finishing The Series Challenge, making my yearly total four.

- Heartstopper [Vol. 2]

This month I read four books for the Diversity Reading Challenge, making my yearly total sixteen.

- Trans Power *Mini Challenge: (LGBT Pride Summer)*

- Shadow Of The Fox

- Heartstopper [Vol. 2] *Mini Challenge: (LGBT Pride Summer)*

- Enchantée

Planned Reads (& Hiatus) For June.

Once again, I'll keep this post and my expectations short as I'm going to pretty much be book-free in the first couple of weeks of June thanks to all the wedding bits I need to do! Afterwards I'll be on my Honeymoon and do have plans to relax and get some reading done then, but we'll see how it goes!

I've talked many times about 'Enchantée' by Gita Trelease, and I think it's pretty clear how much I need to get cracking with this book. I am part-way through it and enjoying it so far!

Another book I've been eyeing up? 'Shadow Of The Fox' by Julie Kagawa. It was on last month's TBR and I am a bit disappointed I didn't get to it yet, it looks like a cool concept. The mixed reviews are making me pause but I look forward to immersing myself in a book set in Japan.

I wanted to read more LGBTQ+ books this month, seeing as it is the month of Pride. I've picked 'Trans Power' by Juno Roche as I'm taking the opportunity to educate myself on a subject that I really should know more about.

I have also picked a few LGBTQ+ fictional reads and the first is 'The Love Interest' by Cale Dietrich. I love the idea of spies and Government agencies mixed with a typical sweet boy falling for a bad boy scenario. I can't wait for this one!

Madeline Miller's 'The Song Of Achilles' has been recommended to me by a vast pool of people, and I love that it's historical fiction, a retelling of Greek mythology and LGBTQ+.

I don't know huge amounts about 'What If It's Us' by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera other than the fact that it's an M/M romance but I'm already digging it! This was actually gifted to me on a Secret Santa wish-list group which was pretty cool!

Hiatus...

So now that I've given you guys an idea of my reading plans for this month, I guess I'll spend a minute informing you all that I am getting married on 17th June and so will be on hiatus until then! This means no posts from me until after the wedding. I plan to take my laptop with me on my honeymoon in Croatia and it would be nice to really spend some time catching up but I won't promise anything as it will be...you know...my honeymoon. Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and invest in my blog, I'll try not to be away too long and will organise a big catch-up post when I am back in the UK on the 26th, but you can probably expect to see posts from the 18th onwards!

June Wrap-Up.

Honestly, I had great intentions of reading more this month but life got in the way a bit. It has been a stressful month for Mat and I, but hopefully July will be better for us (and my TBR)!

1. 'Out Of The Blue' by Sophie Cameron. I really enjoyed this book, and it was definitely my favourite read of the month. I loved the inclusion of angels and the world-building surrounding the reaction to them falling, as well as the emotions and themes covered in this story! A diverse read, a little different to any angel story I've read before. 4.5/5 Stars.
2. 'Warrior Witch' by Danielle L. Jensen. There's an element of relief that comes with finishing a series, especially when you've accidentally dragged it out over a long period of time. I have to say, that this book disappointed me though. The OTP that I fell in love with was unrecognisable and barely together, the ending was a total cop-out and I just felt it should have been far more dramatic than it was. 2.5/5 Stars.
3. 'The Good Guys' by Rob Kemp & Paul Blow. I was originally skeptical of the premise of a book about the great deeds of men, but wanted to learn something and I definitely did. This book didn't look at bloodthirsty battles or great discoveries. It looked at acts of compassion, which is rarely a trait found in the celebration of men. I liked it just for that. 3.5/5 Stars.
4. 'Floored' by Various. A great way to end the month, that's for sure. I really enjoyed this book and I'm glad because it was an anticipated read of mine. Seven authors writing seven character POVs is no small feat, and it was accomplished well, watching the interactions between characters was fun. Also, Hugo is my new guilty pleasure. 4/5 Stars.

This month I read one book for the Beat The Backlist Challenge, making my yearly total so far sixteen.

- Warrior Witch

This month I read one book for the Finishing The Series Challenge, making my yearly total so far one.

- Warrior Witch

I read three books for the New Release Challenge, making my yearly total so far eight.

- Out Of The Blue

- The Good Guys

- Floored

I read three books for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, making my yearly total so far fourteen.

- Out Of The Blue

- The Good Guys

- Floored

Here is the result for Pretty Deadly Blog's Bookish Bingo card.

A Book You've Been Putting Off: Warrior Witch; Danielle L. Jensen

Illustrations: The Good Guys; Rob Kemp & Paul Blow

Yellow Cover: Floored; Various

Freebie: --

Someone Else Picks For You: Out Of The Blue; Sophie Cameron

Planned Reads For June.

I have so many great reads planned for this month and a newfound determination to get out of the rut and start reading some more!

'Warrior Witch' by Danielle L. Jensen is a book that I seem to be putting off! Every month I plan to read it and don't! This time however, I have actually started it. So now, I have no choice but to finish it!

I'm also really looking forward to reading 'Out Of The Blue' by Sophie Cameron, alongside a couple of my friends! It's a YA urban fantasy that has been on my list for a while, and I've heard really cool things about it! It's also been a really long time since I've read a book with angels in it.

Yes, a lot of these reads are pretty much going to mirror last month because I read so few of them in May! 'Wonder Woman: Warbringer' is another book I've been accidentally putting off for months and I want to read it so badly! I loved the film a lot and can't wait to read a re-imagining of Wonder Woman's story!

I really want to read this book, and that front cover is everything. It has magic, diversity, and a really intriguing plot-line about external beauty vs. internal ugliness. 'The Belles' by Dhonielle Clayton looks REALLY good and I can't wait to get to it!

'The Astonishing Colour Of After' by Emily X.R. Pan is high on my priority list because it involves a country I've never been to - Taiwan. The cover is so beautiful and I would love to know more about the culture!

I haven't read 'A Dance With Dragons: Dreams & Dust' yet? But it's been so long since I last read from George R.R. Martin's series, and seeing as I have to wait until next year for Season 8 of A Game Of Thrones, I guess this will help to fill in the gap.

I absolutely loved Erin Bowman's 'Vengeance Road' and so I can't wait to read the next book in the series! 'Retribution Rails' will be a sequel but also a totally different story. I'm looking forward to plenty of rootin' tootin' action!

Lastly, I was recently sent a physical ARC of 'Ash Princess' by Laura Sebastian, and I'm so happy about it! It's one of my most anticipated reads this year and it's also a Cinderella retelling!

June Wrap-Up.

This month has been so much better for me and I actually managed to get through a fair number of books despite reading a long one this month! I'm very pleased! I managed five of my eight chosen reads. Not bad!

1. 'A List Of Cages' by Robin Roe. I really wanted to like this book more than I did, especially after it received such good reviews! I'd never read a book with an MC that has ADHD before and I actually thought that Roe handled that part of it really nicely. In fact, Adam's chapters were great! I was less impressed with Julian's side of things. His characterisation felt a bit one-dimensional, his story-line was much darker than I expected and I felt that the situation felt more like a plot device than anything, which sucked. Still, it kept me on my toes. 3/5 Stars.
2. 'Green Rider' by Kristen Britain. Another book that I enjoyed but found disappointing because I thought I'd like it more. 'Green Rider' had all the makings of being the opening to a great fantasy series: great world-building, intriguing plot and a feisty, likeable MC. I liked the switched POVs too and I thought that Britain didn't make nearly as much use of it as she could have done. I didn't like the excruciating info-dumping conversations when Karigan meets the Berry sisters. I also think that this book lacked a USP that sets it apart from the thousands of other fantasy series out there. 3/5 Stars.
3. 'One Of Us Is Lying' by Karen M. McManus. This was, without a doubt, my favourite read of the month. I'm not normally a fan of teen high-school dramas and shows such as 'Pretty Little Liars' have never really caught my attention, but this book managed where others have failed! I loved the characters, especially the POVs. McManus really went in-depth and made them all very unique. I also liked how well the plot moved along, this mystery really has some great twists and turns along the ride! 5/5 Stars.
4. 'Release' by Patrick Ness. It took me a long time to properly rate this one because most of this book I adored but one element really threw me off. Adam's story was heart-wrenchingly sweet and told in the beautiful style that I'm used to reading from Ness. Great characters, awesome friendship group, and an interesting situation. It was also the best portrayal of a gay relationship I have ever read. But what on earth was going on with the dead body coming back to life, the seven foot deer and the psychopathic Queen spirit-thing who could potentially destroy the world? I have no idea. 4/5 Stars.
5. 'Good Bones' by Margaret Atwood. I really wanted to read something by this highly recommended author, who has been on my radar for a while. I also really felt that a collection of short stories would be perfect, and I enjoyed this one immensely. It covered a vast array of topics that explored the bare 'bones' of humanity, society and life itself. It re-invented well-known tales, classics and folklore, and the archetypal characters found in them. I loved that! There were a few stories that didn't grab my attention in the same way that the rest of them had, but I actually didn't mind that so much. 4/5 Stars.

Now it's time to see how I did with my challenges this month!

This month I have read three books for the Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to sixteen. My reads were:

- A List Of Cages

- One Of Us Is Lying

- Release

This month I have read three books for the 2017 New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to seven. My reads were:

- A List Of Cages

- One Of Us Is Lying

- Release

This month I have read two books for the LGBTQIA Challenge, bringing my yearly total to eight. My reads were:

- One Of Us Is Lying

- Release

This month I have read three books for the Diverse Reads Challenge, bringing my yearly total to twenty. My reads were:

- A List Of Cages

- One Of Us Is Lying

- Release

And here's my start on this quarter's Bookish Bingo card, courtesy of Pretty Deadly Blog!

Over 5 Years Old: Green Rider; Kristen Britain.

Red Cover: Good Bones; Margaret Atwood.
Latinx MC: One Of Us Is Lying; Karen M. McManus.

LGBT+: Release; Patrick Ness.

White Cover: A List Of Cages; Robin Roe.

Planned Reads For June.

Gosh, are we really on the sixth month of 2017? I can't believe how quickly time has flown! I've been reading a lot better recently and fully believe I'm well on my way out of that horrible reading slump! I've got some great reads lined up this month too!

1. 'A List Of Cages' by Robin Roe. My current read and one I've been anticipating all May, I'm glad it's going to be the first thing I finish this month! I am enjoying it at the moment, though I wasn't sure to begin with, and I'm hoping for a really great middle and end to start the month off well!
2. 'Green Rider' by Kristen Britain. This book has been in my collection for ages and every time I see that awesome cover I feel my fingers itching to pick it up. I'm definitely going to get round to it this month and I'm really looking forward to it because I actually feel guilty about leaving this series for so long!

1. 'One Of Us Is Lying' by Karen M. McManus. 'Pretty Little Liars' is one of those series that has fascinated yet evaded me, and I'm hearing that this teenage high-school thriller shares some similarities. I've always been fascinated by just how deeply American students fall int stereotypes such as Geeks, Jocks etc. and I think this book will be interesting because of that. Also, who doesn't like a good mystery from time to time.
2. 'The Sleeping Prince' by Melinda Salisbury. Much of the blogosphere loved the first book in this series, 'The Sin Eater's Daughter', while I only thought it was okay. They main ship, Lief (the most arrogant, annoying love interest I've ever had the displeasure of meeting) and Twylla (a naive Mary-Sue who frankly bored me) was most of the problem. This book follows Lief's sister however, and promises to be a better read. I'm hoping Errin will be more badass than Twylla and any love interest she meets along the way won't be so awful.
3. 'Release' by Patrick Ness. AHHHHH! I can't believe I got a copy of this! I'm so excited! Seriously, Patrick Ness is a great writer and I'm so hyped about the release of this book. I can't wait to read it! The cover is gorgeous, the synopsis is promising, and I am so not ready for what is coming. I have no doubt that it will live up to my high expectations!
4. 'Good Bones' by Margaret Atwood. This collection of short stories, essays and musings also has me very intrigued. Margaret Atwood is a name that I have known for a while and has really caught my attention because she's a feminist (as am I) and I hear that her prose is very good.so I'm excited to finally read something of hers. This books comes highly recommended too!
5. 'Things I Should Have Known' by Claire LeBeznik. I'm very intrigued by this story for a number of reasons, but mostly because I hear It portrays a very accurate depiction of Autism. The synopsis is curious to say the least, and I really want to see how LeBeznik approaches the idea of romance, the spectrum, mental health generally and family conflict. I haven't read many books with Autistic characters, so it should be a good experience!
6. 'The One Memory Of Flora Banks' by Emily Barr. I'm a little nervous about this read because it has received such mixed reviews. Some people loved it, others claimed it was awful and I'm not quite sure who to believe. I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt however, though I'm hoping it turns out to be more than a cheesy romance because I really don't tend to enjoy those. 

June Wrap-Up.

I had a really bad start to this month, mostly down to the fact that I was on holiday (at least for a few days)! I've also been really busy this month so it wasn't until about halfway through that I'd even read my first reading choice. That considered, I've had a really good month, having read 6 of my 7 chosen reads!

1. 'Salt To The Sea' by Ruta Sepetys. This read took me an absolute age to get through at the beginning of the month because I had so much to do! I managed it though and for the most part it was an enjoyable read. Sepetys really knew her stuff and world-building is absolutely key in Historical Fiction, so that was a huge plus point for me. The characters were also pretty likeable too, though the first third of the book is a little confusing and the ending didn't offer as much closure as I'd hoped. 3.5/5 Stars.
2. 'Crow Moon' by Anna McKerrow. I finally got round to this series that is highly advocated, particularly by Lucy Powrie at Queen Of Contemporary. I enjoyed it a lot and felt that the plot was both original and had great direction. McKerrow's writing style was okay too, though I'd prefer if she showed me important plot points and character traits rather than telling me about them because it resulted in a lack of continuity. Once again, great world-building and I'm eager for book two! 3.5/5 Stars.
3. 'The Girl On The Train' by Paula Hawkins. I've said before that psychological thrillers and most things that involve crime are not really my kind of read. I do dip into them now and again though, and occasionally stumble across a really great one such as this. Hawkins is a very talented writer who chose three very different, unique female POVs. They aren't there to be liked, just listened to and that finale was fantastic. Bravo to Hawkins for keeping me on the edge of my seat from start to finish! 4/5 Stars.
4. 'Notes On Being Teenage' by Rosalind Jana. This is my second non-fiction read for this blog and I'm pretty impressed with Jana's creativity. The opinions expressed in this book are mostly in accordance with my own so it was nice to see a book that is accessible to young people talking freely about issues such as mental health, sexuality, feminism and fitting in. I also adored the handy resources that Jana included for more information/inspiration. That being said, I would definitely have appreciated reading this book in my teens more than I did reading it now. 4/5 Stars.
5. 'Thin Air' by Michelle Paver. Changing things up a bit with a ghost story, I found this to be my favourite read of the month. A mountain setting is an unusual idea for a haunted location (there's only so many spooky old houses or abandoned hospitals that avid horror fans can sit through) and I thought the characters were well-written, the time period well-portrayed and the balance between atmosphere and supernatural events was a real winner. 4.5/5 Stars.
6. 'All The Bright Places' by Jennifer Niven. I managed to squeeze this one in right at the end of the month and I'm so glad because it was amazing. It took me a while to get into the story, but once I had I was impressed by Niven's handling of some really sensitive subjects (mental health, suicide, bereavement, abuse etc.) and the complex characters that she wrote. Some people are angry at the adults in this book and I can't blame them because they are pretty frustrating. But what this book does also provide is a heart-breakingly beautiful story that will probably make most of it's readers bawl their eyes out. 4/5 Stars.

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

- 'Crow Moon' by Anna McKerrow

- 'The Girl On The Train' by Paula Hawkins

- 'All The Bright Places' by Jennifer Niven

This month I have read three books for Falling For YA's Netgalley & Edelweiss Challenge bringing my yearly total so far to eleven. This month's reads were:

- 'Salt To The Sea' by Ruta Sepetys

- 'Notes On Being Teenage' by Rosalind Jana

- 'Thin Air' by Michelle Paver 

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

This month I have read three books for [un]Conventional Reviews' New Releases Challenge, bringing my yearly total so far to nine. This month's reads were:

- 'Salt To The Sea' by Ruta Sepetys

- 'Notes On Being Teenage' by Rosalind Jana

- 'Thin Air' by Michelle Paver

This month I have read zero books for Daily Prophecy's Retelling Challenge, bringing my yearly total to five. 

And here is my updated Bookish Bingo card and completed Story Sprites board!

Magic: Crow Moon; Anna McKerrow.

Historical Setting 1900s - 1950s: Salt To The Sea; Ruta Sepetys.

June, July or August Release: Notes On Being Teenage; Rosalind Jana.

Freebie: The Girl On The Train; Paula Hawkins.

Mental Health: All The Bright Places; Jennifer Niven.

Outdoors: Thin Air; Michelle Paver.

Alternative History: The Passenger; Alexandra Bracken.

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

Mental Illness/Disorder: The Girl On The Train; Paula Hawkins.

Book With Virtual Reality: Allegiant; Veronica Roth.

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

Setting During WWII: Salt To The Sea; Ruta Sepetys.

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.

Non-Fiction - Based On A True Story: Notes On Being Teenage; Rosalind Jana.

Setting - Dystopian: World After; Susan Ee.

Climate - Winter/Snowy: Thin Air; Michelle Paver.

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

Book With Diversity: All The Bright Places; Jennifer Niven.

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

Book With Pop Culture References: Crow Moon; Anna McKerrow.

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