Between May and June, I had a lot of orders, which left little time for mood reading! Here’s a recap of what I’ve been reading and what I’ll be reading in June, between two concerts.
May reading wrap-up
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Synopsis
Percy Jackson discovers he is a demigod, son of Poseidon and must embark on a quest across America to find Zeus’s stolen master bolt before a war erupts among the gods.
I had to read The Chalice of the Gods (book 6) first for a client, which is a fun standalone. This month, Cecy, asked me to read the first book so I’m looking forward to finally reading it.
Get your annotated book of Percy Jackson here
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Book review
Rating: 2.64/5 stars
This is a typical case where I know I would have loved this book if I’d read it when I was a kid. But since I’m 24, I guess it means I'm a hater.
The characters spend all their time info-dumping mythology to Percy, and what isn’t explained outright is painfully obvious, yet it still takes Percy dozens of pages to figure things out, such as his father’s identity, for instance.
Everything is pretty repetitive, sometimes illogical, and not very surprising, especially the monster attacks. Indeed, every adult they meet tries to kill them, yet they keep trusting strangers and interacting with them.
The reason they are attacked by monsters and have to do all these things for the gods is convoluted, and every time it was brought up, I had to reread the explanations several times until it made sense.
I also think the book loses momentum toward the end because a final “plot twist” is added, which, in my opinion, drags on for about twenty unnecessary pages.
To end on a positive note, I really liked the ending, Percy’s mother(who deserves her own prequel) and the friendship between Annabeth and Percy. It’s a funny, quick read that I wish I’d discovered sooner!
Brimstone by Callie Hart
Synopsis
This is the second book in the romantasy Fae & Alchemy series, starting with Quicksilver.
Get your annotated book of Quicksilver here!
Saeris accidentally opens a gateway to a Fae realm where she’s bound to a Fae warrior, her only hope of returning home.
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Book review
Rating: 3.39/5 stars
I didn’t remember Quicksilver at all when I was asked to read Brimstone. After watching an animated recap, I dove into this dense read, which, I have to say, didn’t really appeal to me that much.
The best part, in my opinion, is the banter. The chemistry between each character is great, and I enjoyed spending time with them. It reminded me a lot of the inner circle in ACOTAR. But the relationship that steals the show is Kingfisher and Carrion’s. Like a true caveman, Fisher can’t stand anyone who’s had a relationship with his MATE, but little by little they discover they have things in common. I liked their dynamic even more when Saeris wasn’t around, allowing them to talk about something other than her.
Indeed, all the characters have the annoying habit of gushing over everything Saeris does. Everyone is either in love with her or deeply admiring of her. It reminded me of Aelin in the Throne of Glass series. Yet she has made several questionable choices, not to say stupid ones. This adoration makes Kingfisher’s inner monologue repetitive: we’re treated to paragraphs and paragraphs of declarations of love.
Already practically invincible, Saeris now finds herself with new powers. There wasn’t much at stake to begin with, since she’s always artificially put in danger, but now it’s reached a whole new level. I also wish her transformation had been explored more deeply. I think drinking blood and gaining new physical abilities would be pretty unsettling.
What also lowered the stakes for me is the fact that Saeris is constantly sarcastic. I really like that kind of personality, but in a fantasy book, when someone cracks a joke during a battle, I find it breaks the immersion. I found several times that the lightness of her inner monologue didn’t fit with the serious, even dramatic, scenes. Also, the fact that they have time to have s*x and go on side quests while the world is rotting made it seem like it wasn’t that urgent.
As for the plot, I thought there were some nice additions in terms of worldbuilding. I also think the author did a good job showing how this world has broken all the characters in different ways. On the other hand, the rest was very messy. I got the impression that the author was throwing things at the wall to see what stuck: runes, faes, vampires, dragons, alchemy, demons… it was a little chaotic and disjointed. So much so that I wondered how they had even gotten there in the final chapter.
Just like the first book, Carrion is the one who steals the show. His character is complex and likable, and I was far more invested in his storyline than in Kingfisher and Saeris’. I’d love to read a spin-off focused only on him.
The Deal by Elle Kennedy
Synopsis
Hannah Wells makes a deal with hockey captain Garrett Graham: she'll tutor him in exchange for him pretending to be her boyfriend to make her crush jealous.
Get your annotated books of the Off-Campus series here
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Book review
Rating: 3.30/5 stars
I first read The Deal in 2023 and didn’t remember much about it other than how much I’d enjoyed their banter. Luckily, that’s still the case! Despite the many clichés (which I’ll forgive since it was one of the first books of its kind), I appreciated how their relationship developed from friends to lovers.
The rest isn’t very subtle or surprising, but it’s fun to keep up with. The only thing I really disliked was the reason for their breakup in the third act. Not only is it predictable, but it’s also ridiculous and could easily have been avoided, which makes the whole thing anticlimactic.
To briefly touch on the Amazon Prime series adaptation, Off-Campus, I felt it rushed through Hannah and Garrett’s relationship, whereas the book takes its time developing their friendship, and Hannah’s traumas had far less impact. Also, her complete personality shift feels less consistent with her backstory. On the other hand, I’m glad they changed the third act, which is the book’s weakest point.
Perfect for fans of:
- The Chase by Elle Kennedy
- Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
- Collide by Bal Khabra
Releasing 10 by Chloe Walsh
Synopsis
This is the sixth book in the Boys of Tommen series starting with Binding 13.
Lizzie has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she finds love with a kind boy, Hugh until a devastating truth threatens to destroy everything they've built together.
Get your annotated books of the Boys of Tommen series here
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Book Review
Rating: 2.58/5 stars
Chloe Walsh sticks to her typical formula, featuring a man who acts as the sole savior of a young girl. The girl has serious issues, but we’re led to believe that the man’s love is enough to fix everything. I really struggle with this codependent view of relationships, as well as the predictability it brings to the series.
Like all the books in the series, it’s too long, repetitive, and pretty uneventful, though it’s probably the best of the bunch in that regard. The most repetitive part is the dialogue, especially between Hugh and Lizzie, who spend their time repeating over and over again that they love each other and will never give up on each other. They start saying this very early on after they meet, and when Katie appeared in the book, it reminded me that they didn’t have any chemistry at first. They were attracted to each other and instantly said they liked each other. Hugh has way more chemistry with Katie than he ever had with Lizzie, in my opinion. But of course, she’s there to represent the rational option, while Lizzie embodies the passionate love that must be preserved. This isn’t a criticism of this book in particular, but I’m a bit tired of being made to believe that people are meant to stay together. Even more so when it comes to a first love, as in this case.
What bothered me the most was reading about kids falling in love and having sex. It made me feel uncomfortable. They also didn’t act their age, which makes me think the author just thought it would be a more epic love story if they’d known each other since they were 6.
The depiction of Lizzie’s disorder was great, even though the author focused most of the symptoms on hypersexuality to serve the story, which made Lizzie unbearable. I said in my updates that this was the young adult version of A Little Life, and I still think so. It’s a descent into hell to which they add every possible misfortune one could experience, as if her disorder weren’t enough to complicate her life. This over-the-top approach wasn’t necessary and, above all, had little impact since there are several details that are never addressed later on, it’s like it's just there for shock value.
Hugh, on the other hand, is portrayed as a sort of half-superhero, half-saint who’s talented at everything. He’s Liz’s sidekick, living only to save her at every turn, yet still finding time to be valedictorian. The author wants us to believe he’s never once thought about leaving Liz and that she’s the only girl he’ll ever need. As if he weren’t a teenage boy.
The ending, unfortunately, isn’t very satisfying, despite Liz’s much-appreciated self-reflection. We read about a lot of awful things that don’t get resolved and when I closed the book, I just wanted justice and fewer plot holes.
Perfect for fans of:
- Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh
- Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
- Waking Olivia by Elizabeth O’Roark
Origins of an Academy Bully by Caroline Peckham
Synopsis
A prequel to Zodiac Academy: The Awakening narrated by Darius and Orion.
Get your annotated books of the Zodiac Academy series here
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Book Review
Rating: 2.95/5 stars
A good introduction to a world that doesn’t necessarily need one.
The friendship between Darius and Lance is cute, and getting their POVs was interesting.
However, like The Awakening, it’s so cliché that it’s easy to see things coming, and all the characters, such as Darius’s family are just stereotypes.
The omnipresent misogyny, the pointless body-shaming, and the juvenile writing made it difficult to take the book seriously, as did the world-building, which remains far-fetched and underwhelming.
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
Synopsis
Anastasia Allen is a driven figure skater at Maple Hills University until a rink-sharing mishap forces her to cross paths with Nate Hawkins, the hockey team captain. When her skating partner's future becomes uncertain, she may have to turn to the one person she least expected.
Get your annotated book of Icebreaker here!
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Book Review
Rating: 3.53/5 stars
I didn’t realize just how similar Icebreaker was to Elle Kennedy’s The Deal the first time I read it. Despite very identical settings and backstories, Icebreaker manages to stand out thanks to its humor and a female main character who’s less prudish than the ones we usually see. Anastasia is funny, provocative, but also a hard worker. The toxic relationship she has with her figure skating partner is also quite unique, as is the one with her s*x friend Ryan.
As for the relationship between Anastasia and Nate, it starts with a forced animosity that didn’t necessarily interest me, but their banter and chemistry eventually won me over.
Where it falls short is in the pacing. There are 100 pages too many, or even more in my opinion. It’s as if the book kept going after finishing the three-act structure, adding several unnecessary or just low-impact plot points. Fortunately, they’re enjoyable to follow, but it was still way too long.
Perfect for fans of:
June TBR
The Zodiac Academy Series by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
I have to read the entire series for a client who ordered annotated books. I’ve only read the first short story and The Awakening, and I didn’t necessarily find them amazing. Apparently, it gets better after the first book, so I’m hopeful! The length of each book, however, is highly discouraging.
Get your annotated books of the Zodiac Academy series here
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On my list of books to annotate are also Lights Out by Navessa Allen, From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and The Mistake by Elle Kennedy. Maybe I’ll read one of them when I get tired of Zodiac Academy, although that series remains my priority.
Related posts
- April Reading Wrap-up & May TBR
- March Reading Wrap-up & April TBR
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February Reading Wrap-up & March TBR
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