Before we start, I know this is really late, and I apologise, but I just did not get round to doing this when I wanted to!
I read ten books in May and I loved so many of them! I feel like I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things and soon it will be summer and I will have so much time to just relax and, most importantly, read. Hopefully next month will be filled with even more reading. But that said, I am really happy with what I read this month. And I managed to read quite a lot of my own books that have be lying on my shelves for a while, rather than purging the library for new books, so I am overjoyed to have finally got to those!
As for what I read genre-wise, I read 1 thriller, 3 magical historical fiction, 3 fantasy, 1 magical realism, 1 sci-fi and 1 contemporary (fantasy is my forever favourite). My average rating was 3.9/5, which is pretty solid, and I had three five star reads this month! So anyway, this is what I read:
The Last Thing She Remembers by J S Monroe
This book is a sort of psychological thriller, beginning with a woman who cannot remember anything about herself, except from where she lives. But when she turns up at her address, there is already someone else living there, who have never met her. This had an interesting premise and was definitely a page turner, but I will say I didn’t think it was the best writing, and the plot could have been handled a little better (I felt that some things were revealed too quickly and others too late). Also, I guessed the main twist.
Sisters of The Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
I really didn’t like this one very much, and I’m sad because it has such an interesting premise. It follows two girls growing up in a Jewish family, and there are shapeshifters and forests and its historical fiction. I think when I was younger I would have liked this more, not because it was juvenile, but because I would have overlooked the flaws and been obsessed with the concept. Unfortunately, I found the writing style to be very melodramatic and over the top, and I thought both characters were really irritating, Liba in particular, as a lot of her choices made very little sense regarding her character.
The Girl King by Mimi Yu
This book was a really solid, well written book. The story was very well crafted, and I liked it a lot. It didn’t blow me away, exactly, but there was nothing that I could find wrong with it. It follows two sisters who are fighting for the throne, and I thought both their characters were interesting, but Min especially. I’m a sucker for the morally grey, descent-into-villainy character arcs, and this book delivered. I have a full review for this book here.
Grave Mercy by Robin Lafevers
This book has been on my tbr for almost as long as I have been reviewing, and I finally got the chance to read it. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I wasn’t expecting it to be historical fiction until I started reading, which threw me, as I tend to find YA historical fiction very hit or miss. I liked the writing, but I found the book as a whole very rushed at the beginning and then very slow forever more. The book was fine, but I did try to read the sequel a bit later and I couldn’t finish it, so this series is over for me here.
The Cold is In Her Bones by Peternelle Van Arsdale
I loved this book SO much more than I was expecting to and I don’t understand why the reviews for this are so mixed. This book is about quietly feminist, following women who are not enough or who are too little for their society, and the way in which this breaks people. The writing was gorgeous, it was so atmospheric, and I just adored it. I recommend that you all go and check out this dark, claustrophobic retelling of Medusa very soon.
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
I ADORED this. It is one of the most relatable books that I have ever read. It isn’t often that I find favourite contemporary books but this one is going to stick with me for a long time. I loved following Frances’ journey – her struggles and insecurities felt very familiar, and Alice Oseman is truly talented – she captures the secondary school experience utterly perfectly. I cannot wait to read more by her.
The Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta
I really loved this one too! It had beautiful lyrical writing, the most aesthetic setting, queer witches – what more do you need? I really want to read more by this author because I really loved the writing style. It won’t be for everyone – there was lots of imagery – but it was very suited to me. The only thing that kept me from whole heartedly loving it was that I thought that the story was a bit disjointed sometimes, and didn’t flow perfectly.
Finale by Stephanie Garber
I don’t know whether this is an unpopular opinion but this is my favourite book in the Caraval series and I thought it was a really good ending. (And my favourite sister is hands down Scarlett – I find Tella so irritating!) I love Stephanie Garber’s writing style, and the description of beautiful things are so lush and beautiful. This isn’t a favourite series of mine, but definitely one full of enjoyment and magic.
The Crimes of Grindelwald by J K Rowling
What can I say? I am always going to be trash for the Harry Potter universe, and I liked this one a lot more than the first movie/screenplay, actually – it was a lot more exciting. I will always love the original Harry Potter books the best, but I do really like this series as well, it just isn’t a favourite in the way that Harry Potter is. But hey, at least it isn’t the fiasco that the Cursed Child was!
Vengeful by V E Schwab
I loved this book! The best book that I read this month for sure! V E Schwab has such a talent for making you care for a character in only a few sentences. Her writing is spectacular, her plotting is superb – I just love this series. Definitely the best of her books, and I think that Vengeful is even better than Vicious. I hope there will be another book one day.
I had a great reading month and read so many amazing books! I hope you read some new favourites as well. Have you read any of these books?
The Bookish Courtier 