Elves Vol. 1: The Crystal of the Blue Elves by Jean-Luc Istin, DUARTE (Illustrator), Saito (Illustrator) ★★★★★
The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by Jose Saramago ★★
Aries (The Zodiac Queen, #1) by Gemma James ★★★
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling ★★★★★
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3) by J.K. Rowling ★★★★★
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol. 1 by John Vornholt, Arthur Byron Cover, Alice Henderson ★★★
The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3) by Holly Black ★★★★★
Elves Vol. 2: The Honor of the Sylvan Elves by by Nicolas Jarry, Gianluca Maconi, Diogo Saito ★★★★★
The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, #2) by Laurell K. Hamilton ★★★★★
Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, #3) by Laurell K. Hamilton ★★★★
1. How many books have you read last month? Are you happy with the amount you read?
This June I have read ten books. One of them was a omnibus edition that contain three separate books so if I wanted to I could have pumped up the numbers up to twelve! I am okay with the number as it is.
2. What was the best of all the books you’ve read in June? Any scenes or characters that made a lasting impression?
More than half the books I read in June I rated with five stars. This June was a month of favorites and plenty of rereading. I loved reading the Harry Potter books. The Hufflepuff editions were extra magic for reading and enjoying. The Elves graphic novel was a pleasant surprise and I loved it. Fantastical background of the graphic novel reminds me a lot to some good and immersive RPG setting I would enjoy playing in!
3. Were there any not so good books for you last month? What made it hard or not enjoyable to read?
The least favorite book this June was The Gospel Accordingto Jesus Christ by Jose Saramago. I really liked his Blindness. It is a book I often think about and it has left a lasting impression on me. This book I had issues with. I did not enjoy the motives the author selected for his work. This was another book club selection and the discussion was at times heated. I expected more sense from the book and was let down I guess. Second least favorite book was Aries (The Zodiac Queen, #1) by Gemma James. This was a Kindle freebie first of the series. It had an interesting intro but I was not really hooked in by the astrology references.
4. How did the books you were reading last month fit in your reading plans if you had any?
This June I overextended myself by trying out two reading challenges. Most of the books I’ve read were part of the reading challenge. I managed to set up an impressive number of books to fir both of the reading challenges. Instead of being happy and pleased by my reading for the challenge I was a bit under pressure. I ended not feeling as accomplished as I wanted to because I just barely made the challenge and did not read the additional books I wanted to. It was a learning experience and I will write a bit more about it in my reading challenge review next week.
5. Any updates on the series you are reading or are you starting any new series?
I started a new graphic novel series I am very happy about and will continue it into next month. I did a lot of rereading of favorite book series. I read two books in Anita Blake Vampire Hunter book series I have been planing rereading for years now. I’ve finished book 3 in the series and hope to continue with rereading the whole series since it has been a really long time since I’ve read these book the first time. It was amazing reading the Harry Potter book series and as soon as I get the next book I will continue that as well!
6. Would you like to recommend any books or authors you’ve been reading this last month?
This has been a month of rereading and favorites for me. I guess my recommendation is to go back to your own favorites: enjoy them all over again and question why you enjoyed them in the first place. It provides a perfect opportunity for reflection. With that being said The Elves graphic novel series by Jean-Luc Istin, DUARTE (Illustrator), Saito (Illustrator) is an amazing piece of work you should definitely check out if you get the chance!
Final thoughts on June 2020 reading
My decision to try out two reading challenges in June was very optimistic. The feeling of accomplishment was not as rewarding as I expected. I was under pressure to follow the reading order of the challenge and that made a huge difference for my reading enjoyment. This June I was reading more books I already read than ever before. Three books were actual rereadings and one of them was a second time read this year alone. Harry Potter books seemed so familiar that those felt a bit like rereading too. Reading 3in1 book with Buffy theme was another thing that made this June kinda nostalgic for me as well. Only new reading I did was in the e-book form and that felt a bit weird as well. It was a different reading month for sure. I did not make any book reviews this month since I was trying to get trough the reading challenge books. I would have probably enjoyed both reading challenges more if I tried them one by one!
Last month I was busy with reading challenges and nearly forgot to include the TBR Jar Draw book into my reading. For this reason I picked out tho shortest and the easiest solution for my TBR Jar Draw in May.
I have read:
Shining Path: Cable Volume 1 by David Tischman, Igor Kordej ★★
This is a Croatian edition in hardcover by Bookglobe publisher. The story was good. I had some problems with following all the action. I kept feeling like I was missing something and had to catch up. I have some issues with the artwork. Kordej’s works are very recognizable with chunky characters and muscles. What bugged me the most was actually the coloring and I really did not like how it looked with illustrators firm and dark lines.
The Warden (Chronicles of Barsetshire #1) by Anthony Trollope AND Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond (The Hollows Short stories) by Kim Harrison went back into the Jar.
For June I pulled three new picks from the Jar:
1# Holidays Are Hell (Short Stories from Hell) by Various authors
This is a collection of urban fantasy short stories form some of the authors that are already known to me. I have three other compilations from Short Stories from Hell series and have already read them. There are three other which I don’t own and as time goes by it is less likely I will find them. This one has some Christmasy wibes and I would like to leave it for when I need a holiday theme book sometime in winter.
2# Shattered (The Iron Druid Chronicles #7) by Kevin Hearne
I am frustrated and annoyed for having accidentally ordered the wrong format of the last two books from the Iron Druid Chronicles book series. My mode worsens just by looking at the shelf and how out of place the book series now looks right there. This is not giving me any incentive to take and read the books in this series. If I had a paying job and money to get another editions that fit instead I would…right now I am just too annoyed to concentrate on reading these books and the more time passes the less I am motivated to give it a go…
3# Buffy the Vampire SlayerVol. 1 by John Vornholt, Arthur Byron Cover, Alice Henderson
This is my pick for June and I managed to include it in two other reading challenges for June! One is Make Your Myth-Taker reading challenge which you can check out HERE And the other one is The Olympic Games which you can check out HERE This book is almost the size of the other two together so it will be a real challenge to read it.
Lately I’ve been really stuck in trying to get through two reading challenges I have going on this month. You can check out my list for first time trying them out if you want.
I talk about my Make Your Myth-Taker reading challenge HERE
and you can see my choices for the The Olympic GamesHERE
While I was checking out some Booktube channels for inspiration and new ideas, a friend of mine suggested we go through the Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag to each other. We actually made videos to each other answering the tags and talking about books and life in general and now our significant others are thinking we are very weird because of it. We don’t plan posting the videos anywhere public and they are for personal use and enjoyment only; but it gave me something to think about in my reading time as well. This is why I decided to make a post to go through the tags and summarize what I have learned about myself and my reading in the first half of 2020.
1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2020
Incubus Caged (The Incubus, #1) by A. H. Lee
This book was a revelation for me. I did not find many good fantasy books or stories that incorporate hardcore sex well. I get really agitated by mainstream fantasy books that skirt around the actual sexual act. I made a point not to read some of the authors who do this no matter how popular their stories are. I was kinda blown away at how good this book was in that regard. The magical and fantasy aspects of the book were really well done by my opinion and the sexual theme seemed was nicely incorporated into it. The beginning of the story was a bit touch and go until the fantastical world the author build unfolded. The fact that this is a accidental Kindle find and I bought the whole trilogy says a lot since I’m a bit traditionally stingy when it comes to buying books on Kindle – I prefer physical copies.
2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020
The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2) by Holly Black
I bought first two books of The Folk of the Air book series at the Interliber book fair in Zagreb last year. I’ve only started reading them in January this year. I was reluctant to get the third book since the format was different than the first two and that really annoys me. I read both books in quick succession and was left with a dilemma: wait for half a year for the same format of the third book to come out OR get the third book in a bigger hardcover format… This book had such an influence on me that I went and ordered the hardcover third book – again, this is something I have never done before! I ended up loving the whole trilogy so much I plan on rereading the last book this month!
3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Lately I have been very glad of my book club friends. Through book club I met some wonderful people and my life is richer for the experiences we shared. When I learn that this is a book about a book club with an urban fantasy twist I was interested right away! This book reminded me of Sookie Stackhouse book series by Charlaine Harris which I started reading back when it was still called The Southern Vampire Mysteries and I got really nostalgic and reminded that I never read the last book of that series… Anyway I’m getting off topic here, but book club, vampire slaying and a quirky band of women – I’m totally getting this book soon!
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy #1) by Leigh Bardugo
The reason I put this book as the most anticipated release for the second half of 2020. is because at the start of the 2020 one of the Croatian publishers announced it will be translating it. I’m guessing it might come somewhere in autumn or whenever the TV show starts releasing on Netflix. I really can’t wait for the translated edition to come out so I can talk about it with some of my book club friends who don’t read books in English. And I really want to talk more about these books with some people in my life!
5. Biggest disappointment
The Witch With No Name (The Hollows, #13) by Kim Harrison
The amount of disappointment I felt because of this book does not really show in the review I did for it. I postponed reading this book since it was a last book of the series I have been reading for a long time. I went trough a lot in my life while reading these books and they kinda kept me afloat of the bad things. I had very strong emotions and fond memories connected with these books and characters. This last book fell flat for me. I could not get into it and I was annoyed while reading. I was seriously considering to get rid of all the books and this is still an option for me. From a book series that game me good vibes I was left with a lots of negative emotions that frustrate me when I think about these books. You can check my review HERE.
6. Biggest surprise
The Incubus book series by A. H. Lee
As I’ve already mentioned the best book as I count my reading experiences in 2020 was the first book of the Incubus trilogy. This whole series was the biggest positive surprise for me in 2020. I will be on the lookout for this author for some other fantasy works with adult content. This is the kind of story I’m glad I often take chances with Kindle freebies and samples.
7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)
Holly Black with her The Folk of the Air
Another already mentioned and new for me author this year is Holly Black and her The Folk of the Air book series. I have heard of her works before but since they were mostly aimed at younger audiences I mostly skipped them. The Folk of the Air was a thrill to read and I love those characters. I have acquired desktop and mobile background fan art of Jude and Cardan. The scenes and characters are very expressive and dramatic and I love the writing style. At the same time I am glad that the trilogy The Folk of the Air is complete and finished but would love to read more of the stories with these characters. I actually don’t mind rereading these books which is something I don’t do often!
8. Newest fictional crush
Tom Severin from Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6) by Lisa Kleypas
Tom Severin from Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels, #6) by Lisa Kleypas is a workaholic that never had motivation to live life for anything else but his work. He starts as cold, distant and money motivated. When a chance of a good deal in his personal life comes along he would not be the driven businessman he is not to take it. I love the jaded and the childlike logic of Tom Severin: he has amassed enough wealth that he is capable of making someone happy with it. He is hardworking and cares for those in his charge when he has the chance to prove it. It is a heartbreaking character with integrity and a it just makes me love him more for it!
9. Newest favorite character
Cardan Greenbriar from The Folk of the Air
This character is amazingly written! The amount of backstory that was given and even more that it was only hinted about was a pleasure to read. I love how flawed he comes off in the books and how his character growth flows in a constant stream whether he is in the center of the narrative or not. In the whole trilogy his character is constantly moving and growing. Every scene with him shows progress in some way and I love how the author managed that.
10. Book that made you cry
Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2) by Leigh Bardugo
I read a number of Grishaverse books in quick succession but the amount of tears from the Crooked Kingdom took me by surprise. I wept and kept reading believing that something will happen to disprove the reason for my weeping! The sadness was even greater since the character that was most hit by grief in the book was very open and lovable and the grief translated so raw to the reader.
11. Book that made you happy
King of Scars (Nikolai Duology, #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Just holding this book in my hands makes me excited. It is gorgeous and the story inside it has taken some very sharp twists and turns that make me wonder how the author is going to handle the next book of the series. Reading this book has made me equally happy and frightful but also very excited with the prospects it brings to the plot. I believe I will be riding this hype train long into the Netflix TV show and I hope it will be good enough to last more than a few seasons!
12. Favorite book to film adaptation that you’ve seen this year
October Faction / Altered Carbon-Takeshi Kovacs
While I was going trough the many book to film adaptations I loved watching so far this year I had so many options but most of them were adaptations of books I have not read. I chose two options for that reason. One is a graphic novel to a one season Netflix TV series adaptation which started kinda shaky but I ended up liking enough to want to read the graphic novels which I understand differ from the TV adaptation greatly. My second choice was the second season of Altered Carbon TV series and Takeshi Kovacs book series by Richard Morgan. I have not read those either but have a friend that was very upset by the book/adaptation differences as well. I liked the adaptations and enjoyed watching both TV series!
13. Favorite review you’ve written (booktube or written)
Book of Wayward Girls and Wicked Women edited by Angela Carter
In March I have read a collection of short stories about women from a colorful selection of authors and enjoyed them greatly. I was inspired to take pictures of quotes and post them on Instagram as well. I enjoyed reading and writing about this book and the thematic mood for March was a great fir as well. Up to this book I did not use many props while taking pictures because I don’t feel very talented in arranging them in general. This book made me feel empowered in a way and it was nice to write about my reading experience with it. You can check out my review HERE.
14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1) by Leigh Bardugo
This year was extraordinary in many ways for me and the books I’ve read and acquired. I have taken to buying more hardcover editions and how pretty a book is definitely factors into the equation more for me as of late. In a batch of books I recived early this year Ninth House is one of the prettiest. I’ve taken to love the shiny illustrations under the jacket of the hardcover editions.
15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
I have made a few lists of books I plan to read by the end of the year and among the books I have left to read there are a few I know I will need some extra motivation and concentration. I will not post these lists here now, you can check some of them on this post HERE. I would like to single out a few that I am both excited and apprehensive about starting to read. One that will be a challenge is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It is a big book and I have a great desire to read it “one day”. I will have to push myself with it and hope for the best. Also I plan on tackling the whole The Trials of Apollo book series by Rick Riordan by the end of the year. I have found it difficult to immerse myself into the main story of these books.
It is very evident that my 2020 reading was heavily influenced by few selected authors and book series. I have made good on my goals to read more of the books I already own and I am very pleased with results so far. I hope to be this pleased with my reading by the end of this year as well!
Second reading challenge I decided to participate in this June is The Olympic Games hosted by Ishi Time. You can check out her channel and the challenge announcement HERE. This reading challenge lasts for the whole month of June. What pulled me in to add this challenge as soon as I discovered it was that it is thematically tied to the world of Percy Jackson and I looove those books!
Here is the Camp Half Blood Letter for more details!
For my patron God I picked out Hades. I like my books a bit on the darker side and Hades fits nicely with the books I can choose from my bookshelves. To honor my patron deity I have a list of five prompts I need to read books for. Again I will concentrate only on my own reading journey and not explain other prompts and deities prompts. I love that the order I complete the books is up to me and that there are some advanced challenges after I finish the five mandatory ones! Here is what my patron Hades is all about!
Hades prompt 1. – book featuring the undead
The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, #2) by Laurell K. Hamilton
I’m stealing this book from the Make Your Myth-Taker challenge and it fits perfectly here as well!
Hades prompt 2. – reread a book
Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, #3) by Laurell K. Hamilton
I decided to reread this series long ago and this might be a good time to add another book of the series. also I kinda like how the theme fits to Hades a s well.
Hades prompt 3. – book with a dark cover
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3) by J.K. Rowling
I made a plan to make as many crossovers with the Make Your Myth-Taker reading challenge that I’m not even ashamed how well I am pulling it all off! I plan on fitting the other Harry Potter book with another prompt as well!
Hades prompt 4. – random TBR book
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol. 1 by John Vornholt, Arthur Byron Cover, Alice Henderson
My random book of the month just happened to be a part of three different challenges this month! Since this book is actually collection of three different books by three different authors and also almost 700 pages long I will not even try to hide how well I am pairing these books to my reading challenges in June!
Hades prompt 5. – Any Hermes prompt – snake on the cover
I choose snake on the cover prompt since it gave me the most room to plan my reading this month – I was surprised when I realized this as well! There were three books I will be reading this month that have snakes on the cover! I choose this snake:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling
My patron Hades has two available challenges: Sword and Shield and Monster Fighting. The rule of the challenge that these are not mandatory and can be only read after the five mandatory prompts have been done already. Here are all the prompts for the advanced challenges:
Advanced Challenge 1. – Sword and Shield
The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3) by Holly Black
The prompt is to read a book with characters whom I would not get along with. This prompt is a bit tricky unless you have already read the book in question so I picked out another reread. There are so many characters in this book I would not get along with. When I first read this book I was very invested in the story and on the edge constantly. There are so many conflicts between the characters and those provoked many contradictory emotions in me. It was an emotional roller coaster all the way and it did not help that it was the last book in the series I loved reading!
Advanced Challenge 2. – Monster fighting
Wayward Son (Simon Snow, #2) by Rainbow Rowell
This is a book I really wanted to include in this months reading so I picked it up for and advanced challenge here. I consider both Simon and Baz magical creatures for obvious reason – one has wings and a tail and the other is a vampire – also there is Penelope who is in a class of her own of how much magic she can wield.
My reading pile for June got a bit bigger now. But I am still looking forward to some great reading this month and hope to rise to the challenge! Both challenges actually!
So I begin a third month in a row deciding to participate in some new and exciting reading challenges! To make matters more dangerous I had to pick not one but TWO (!) amazing challenges since I was so excited to try them out and have a bit of a self destructive streak right now…also by the end of May I really thought I was going to relax with my reading in June…
But lets talk about some amazing June reading challenges I decided to try! I picked out two: Make Your Myth-Taker and Olympic Games. First is a general fantasy choose-your-adventure-and-path kind of style reading challenge which is kind of neat. Second reading challenge is Percy Jackson themed and I really could not resist it since I really love Rick Riordan’s world! That one will need its own post! After much deliberation here are the books I picked out for Make Your Myth-Taker June!
Make Your Myth-Taker
This reading challenge has been created by Charlotte and Ashley from A Frolic Through Fiction – you can check out Ashley’s announcement for the challenge HERE. Charlotte is on Twitter and you can follow here HERE. Give them some love for they deserve it!
This reading challenge is made up of four general paths and each path has four characters to choose from and I will not go into details on all of them but only concentrate on my own reading journey. This readathon lasts trough the whole month of June and has a rule I am not very fond of – reading books in the given order are mandatory. I have personal issues with mandatory reading and this prearranged list does not give me very much room to wander when picking out the next book to read within the month. All this being said, I have chosen the path of the Sorcerer and follow it to become a Goddess!
Sorceress prompt 1. – nonhuman main
Elves Vol. 1: The Crystal of the Blue Elves by Jean-Luc Istin, DUARTE (Illustrator), Saito (Illustrator)
For my first prompt – a nonhuman main character – I have decided to read a graphic novel I have only recently found out about. It is set in the fantasy world where there is magic and nonhuman races of people. The main story follows a number of Blue Elven race characters and some great world building events.
Sorceress prompt 2. – foiled cover
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling
What this picture is not showing is the glassy cover illustration and lettering. I love my Hufflepuff editions of Harry Potter and hope to collect them all in time. I have only lately started reading them. I never really read the first three books trough and I am working on that.
Sorceress prompt 3. – highest rated
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3) by J.K. Rowling
As it turned out this prompt was kinda problematic. I turned to Goodreads ratings and got some impossible results. See what I mean in the picture below. The highest rated book for me was way to pricey to buy right now since I’m currently unemployed. Next were the number of books that are not even out yet – what is that all about? The first book I could settle for as the highest rated was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban which seemed pretty incredible since I will be reading the second book of the series just before it! I decided to go with the Harry Potter book and enjoy reading my Hufflepuff editions.
This prompt is highlighted purple and it allows me to make a crossover with Royal Court category. After reviewing the royal category I decided to be a Goddess Monarch. Here is the picture of the Royal Court category.
For the crossover part I have deducted that I now have some new prompts to add to my Sorceress Goddess prompts. I was not sure am I supposed to add just one Royal Court Monarch prompt – reread a favorite; or am I supposed to add the whole line of four prompts here. Until I figure it out and just to be on the safe side I decided on the books for all the prompts! But first comes the last prompt from the Sorceress category:
Sorceress prompt 4. – random TBR
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Vol. 1 by John Vornholt, Arthur Byron Cover, Alice Henderson
This was a random pick I pulled out for my TBR Jar Draw this month and decided to use it for this challenge. It is a bit on the chubby side with nearly 700 (!) pages and collects three stand alone stories. This one might be the killing blow for my reading goals this month but here it goes anyway.
Royal Court prompt 1. – queen main character
The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3) by Holly Black
It came as a surprise to me just how difficult this prompt was to fit into my books. In the end I decided to reread a book I read earlier this year since it was the first book with a queen I could come up with in short time.
Royal Court prompt 2. – red, purple or gold on the cover
Elves Vol. 2: The Honor of the Sylvan Elves by by Nicolas Jarry, Gianluca Maconi, Diogo Saito
I choose graphic novel to give myself some respite and because I am interested in reading this series trough. The gold illustration looks archaic and the coloring is beautifully done on the cover.
Royal Court prompt 3. – highest rated
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3) by J.K. Rowling
Same as the Sorceress prompt 3. – highest rated
Royal Court prompt 4. – reread a favorite
The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, #2) by Laurell K. Hamilton
Antia Blake Vampire Hunter book series has been a favorite a long time and I have been meaning to reread these books for a while now. This was the perfect opportunity!
This makes a neat little pile of books: five in physical form and two graphic novels in digital form! Wish me luck with these and next post where I present the books for the second reading challenge I am joining in for June – the Percy Jackson themed Olympic Games!
In the month of May I originally wanted to relax a little after the O.W.L.s Magical Readathon in April. That all changed when I spotted this challenge. You can see my first post where I choose the books and decided to participate a whole week later – HERE.
My goal for this challenge was to become an Empress and in order to do that I had to read at least seven books in May. The story of a a great Empress started with an awesome outfit to fight dragons with so I can impress the people before I cant truly become their leader!
First book I’ve read for this challenge answered to the prompt –
Dragon on the cover!
The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo, #2) by Rick Riordan ★★★★
This was a friendly dragon and while its role in this book was not so big I truly enjoyed reading about it! Festus, whose name translates to “Happy” is an automaton bronze dragon originally created by the children of Hephastus. I will not make spoilers about what happens to Festus in this book but I will just say that my journey to become an Empress has been more amazing since I read about him! I had some trouble in starting to read this book and this reading challenge helped me with it! With this positive energy my quest to become an Empress began!
Second book I’ve read for this challenge helped me not to act like a snob and be more humble – the prompt for this book was
to read a book under 300 pages!
Incubus Dreaming (The Incubus, #2) by A. H. Lee ★★★★★
This was the best book I’ve read in May! It is the third book in a trilogy and the fact that I finished the book series was an added bonus of positive energy as well. While somebody else would probably use this prompt to take it easy I choose a book that just barely fits the requirement as it has 299 pages total by Kindle account! My goal in sight and my standards still set high I moved on to the next book.
The third book I read for this challenge allowed me to grab some weapon training
start or finish a duology
The Fates Divide (Carve the Mark, #2) by Veronica Roth ★★★
The first time I saw this challenge I knew I wanted these weapons! Training to fight with two weapons at once is as hard as reading a book that is part some of your not favorite genre. This book has been on my TBR plan for a very long time and the first book I read years ago. Sci Fi nature of this book as well as some rich cultural and original details made it harder to read but the reward of finishing another book series I was logging around for a long time was as rewarding as getting those two daggers and learning how to use them properly!
Next book brought me some companionship in the form of my favorite animal and by the prompt
A book that begins with a “C”
Carry On (Simon Snow, #1) by Rainbow Rowell ★★★★
I knew I was going to like this book and I wanted to like it! I was looking for an excuse to add this book to my reading and had several choices for it. Pairing it with a cat companion fit nicely. Cats are perfect companions for an Empress – they hint at luxury but are very resourceful and independent as well. Every household can find cat useful and these animals are fiercely loyal and territorial which are the atributes I hold very important.
Book I decided to read next added some royal wardrobe I could really shine in and the prompt was
A shiny book
The Testament of Loki (Loki #2) by Joanne M. Harris ★★
This shiny book was another one from my bookshelf that was weighing on me to finish a book series. As it turned out I was more of a fighter than a parading ruler or a dancer at a ball. The book did not blew me away – it was just OK. A shiny book and a shiny outfit were just OK but did not speak to me the way some other books or outfits did.
An Empress in the making that did not enjoy her shiny dresses has turned again to more unladylike ventures by acquiring her own horse to travel her kingdom and the reading prompt for this one was
A tall hardcover
Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan, John Rocco ★★★★
I was a bit miffed by the prompt so I decided to get the biggest hardcover book I had on my bookshelves other than an encyclopedia. At first I was very happy with my choice. But as it turns out with serious rulers and kingdoms some things are not as easy as they look! This book proved very hard to read since it was too heavy to hold for longer periods of time and its bulkiness proved a problem. Traveling a kingdom did not prove to be an easy picnic either.
This next book proves that friends can be found in the unlikliest of places as I befriended a goat! The prompt for this one was
A book high on my bookshelf
Death of a Darklord (Ravenloft #13) by Laurell K. Hamilton ★★★
This prompt was a bit confusing for me at first. I reached out to the top of my bookshelf and found one book on it that I did not read while all the rest I have at least partially read! The prompt was perfect and I was actually wondering if this could be maybe a scary book prompt as well. Befriending a goat was as interesting experience as reading this book – not exactly good or bad, just a little different!
With all my seven books read I have reached a status of an Empress with three different outfits: one a plate of armor for battle, one casual suit for adventuring and mingling with normal people and one shiny severe dress for formal functions! I got a perfect cat companion that compliments my personality and learned to ride a horse while trained to fight with two weapons to a satisfactory degree. And last but not least I have befriended a goat on my travels through the kingdom. With the bonus of three more books I have read in May I managed to befriend a Knight to accompany me on my journey of being a good Empress! In the last five days of the challenge I read more than 700 pages which was enough to repel any outside forces that wanted to mess with my empire!
May your own stories be as interesting as was mine and I hope to participate in this challenge next year as well!
The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo #2) by Rick Riordan ★★★★
Incubus Dreaming (The Incubus, #2) by A. H. Lee ★★★★★
Indiscretions (Scandalous Seductions #2) by Madelynne Ellis ★★★★
The Testament of Loki (Loki #2) by Joanne M. Harris ★★
The Fates Divide (Carve the Mark, #2) by Veronica Roth ★★★
Death of a Darklord (Ravenloft #13) by Laurell K. Hamilton ★★★
A Most Unsuitable Earl (Marriage By Scandal #2) by Ruth Ann Nordin ★★★★
Carry On (Simon Snow, #1) by Rainbow Rowell ★★★★
Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan, John Rocco ★★★★
Cable Volume 1: Shining Path by David Tischman, Igor Kordej ★★
1. How many books have you read last month? Are you happy with the amount you read?
This month I have read ten books altogether. Three were in digital form and the other seven can be seen on the picture above. I am happy to keep my reading in double digits!
2. What was the best of all the books you’ve read in May? Any scenes or characters that made a lasting impression?
There were a lot of good books I read in May but the best for me was Incubus Dreaming (The Incubus, #2) by A. H. Lee. This kind of blend of traditional fantasy setting and some urban elements matched very well with erotica. I wish I could find more books like this one. Anything that is mainstream fantasy is mostly PG13 and most of all who have erotic elements turn out to be nothing but smut written by fanfiction type writers who are annoyed by the lack of sex in the fantasy books in general. This book has it all I and I loved that!
3. Were there any not so good books for you last month? What made it hard or not enjoyable to read?
There were two books this May that kinda fell flat for me: The Testament of Loki (Loki #2) by Joanne M. Harris and Cable Volume 1: Shining Path by David Tischman, Igor Kordej. For The Testament of Loki I just could not seem to find a character that I could connect with. Loki seemed a bit watered down to me and the rest of the characters could have used a bit more backstory and depth for me to start caring and get myself more immersed into the story. The ending of the book seemed a bit psychedelic and kinda bland at the same time. The whole book in general seemed like an interlude to something else and not very good on it’s own. And in case of Cable Volume 1: Shining Path the story was good. I had some problems with following all the action. I kept feeling like I was missing something and had to catch up. I have some issues the artwork. Kordej’s works are very recognizable with chunky characters and muscles. What bugged me the most was actually the coloring and I really did not like how it looked with illustrators firm and dark lines.
4. How did the books you were reading last month fit in your reading plans if you had any?
For the month of May I decided to try out the Medieval-A-Thon reading challenge for the first time – you can check out my original post for it HERE. I will write a more detailed post about my experience with it soon but it is safe to say I am happy with how it all went.
5. Any updates on the series you are reading or are you starting any new series?
I am actually very pleased with the reading I have done in finishing and continuing some book series in May! I finished two book series and one of those was a long time coming. I finally made some progress with The Trials of Apollo book series and I can hope to get to the next book soonish as well. I started out one new book series I plan to continue and that would be Simon Snow by Rainbow Rowell.
6. Would you like to recommend any books or authors you’ve been reading this last month?
Instead of the books I would recommend the author Rainbow Rowell for her quirky yet relatable writing style and a reading challenge as creative as Medieval-A-Thon. I loved little updates on Instagram and opportunities for some extra rewards and story plots to further my reading!
Final thoughts on May 2020 reading
At first I thought May was going to be a slow reading month after doing the O.W.L.s Magical Readathon in April but after finding Medieval-A-Thon reading challenge I was hooked and a bit scared how will I manage it since I started a week later. I managed to exceed all my expectation and have fun reading some books that were on my TBR for a very long time. I’m glad for challenging myself this way. Only thing that is curbing my enthusiasm right now is that I made zero progress with my book club assignment which is due next week.
Looking forward to a fun a and more relaxed reading in June 🙂
anastasiaadamov 