Monthly Wrap-Up: June 2023

Who hit fast-forward on 2023, and how are we 6 months through the year already? Lol. Anyway, I read 5 books, 1 novella, and 2 graphic novels in June. That's a total of 8 books and 1847 pages (that's about 320 pages more than last month!)

• 7 were part of a series, 1 was a standalone
• I started 3 series, but finished 1!
• 5 were 4-star reads, and 3-star reads
• 2 were adult, 6 were YA
• 1 sci-fi, 3 horrors, 1 historical fantasy, and 3 mythology retellings
• 6 were from authors I've previously read, and to were new to me

Review: Camp Out (New Fear Street #2) by R.L. Stine

Title: Camp Out

Series: New Fear Street #2 (can be read as a standalone)

Previous book in this series: The Stepbrother

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, mystery thriller, horror

Publication date: April 1998

Published by: Parachute Press

Source: Purchased paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Maria was nervous about going camping from the beginning, but her two best friends manage to persuade her it will be fun. However, it soon turns out that Maria had been right to worry, and the girls' lives are in great danger.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Maria was not entirely looking forward to going on a camping trip with her friends. But things start to look up when they come across some guys that could be potentially fun to hang out with. It’s unfortunate that these guys start acting like complete psychos soon after they meet and the girls realize that their lives are in danger. I guess Maria was right to worry about this trip after all.

Review: The Saha Declination (Colonial Explorer Corps #3) by Julia Huni

Title: The Saha Declination

Series: Colonial Explorer Corps #3

Previous books in this series: The Earth Concurrence (#1) | The Grissom Contention (#2)

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi

Publication date: September 2021

Published by: IPH Media

Source: Purchased ebook

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: She survived the academy, but did it prepare her for an alien world?

Siti Kassis excelled at the Academy, earning honors and respect. She has one last cadet mission before she graduates, but it should be easy. She'll be the most junior member of an established Explorer Corps team landing on a partially explored planet. With decades of experience and the full support of the corps, what could go wrong?

Then they encounter dangerous aliens, sabotage from within, and a deadly enemy at the gates.

Siti must rely on her friends--and some of her enemies--to survive the final challenge.

My rating: ★★★★☆

Siti and the crew are headed on their senior mission, which is the last mission before they graduate from Colonial Explorer Academy. And if you think things are gonna go easy-peasy for Siti, that she's gonna go explore a planet, learn things, and come back to the academy without issue, well you’d be WRONG. Because just like in the last book, things go all sorts of wrong in this book! And I loved it! Lol.

Review: Only Good Enemies (Galactic Bonds #2) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Only Good Enemies

Series: Galactic Bonds #2

Previous book in this series: Only Bad Options

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, fantasy

Publication date: July 18th 2023

Published by: Jennifer Estep

Source: eARC for review from author

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Synopsis: A WOMAN ON A MISSION . . .

My name is Vesper Quill. I used to be a lowly lab rat, toiling away in obscurity developing brewmakers and other household appliances. But thanks to my seer magic and my own ingenuity, I’m now a Regal lady and the head of a successful corporation.

My mission? To destroy the Techwave, the dangerous group that has stolen my designs and plans to weaponize them against the Imperium. But when my mission takes an unexpected turn, I’m once again surrounded by enemies and fighting for my life.

Further complicating matters is Kyrion Caldaren, an arrogant Regal lord whose fate is bound to mine. Kyrion doesn’t realize the two of us still have an unwanted connection that puts us both in grave danger . . . or does he?

A MAN SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES . . .

My name is Kyrion Caldaren. As the leader of the Arrows, the Imperium’s elite fighting force, I’ve been tasked with tracking down and destroying the Techwave before they seize control of the Archipelago Galaxy.

My other mission? Find a way to assassinate Lord Callus Holloway, the Imperium ruler who wants to take my psion power for his own. Holloway is also a threat to Vesper Quill, who haunts my thoughts, despite the broken bond and distance between us.

When I realize Vesper is in danger, my priorities change, and I vow to use all my telepathic, telekinetic, and other abilities to help her. I will save Vesper from her enemies and mine—even if I have to burn down the whole bloody galaxy.

My rating: ★★★★★

I have been eagerly anticipating this book ever since I read Only Bad Options last year. As some of you may or may not know, I’ve been really into sci-fi lately—that is all I want to read these days, so this series came at a perfect time. Especially because it’s so good! This is Jennifer Estep’s first foray into the sci-fi genre, and she is doing it so well! Plus, she weaves fantasy elements into it and it made it that much better! It was so good! I can’t get over it!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #322: I'm Making Progress!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #356: So. Many. Books.

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Finish the Series #25: Another Fear Street Series Finished!

Look at me finishing two series in one month! Lol. They were both Fear Street series, so they were very quick reads. But still! Yay lol.

Write On Review-a-thon #5: There's a Reason Why I'm Doing This...

This monthly review-a-thon is hosted by Reading the Paranormal and it is usually held on the last Friday-Sunday of each month. The event is meant to encourage you to write those reviews, and because I am awful at keeping up with mine, I decided to participate in this in hopes that it will help keep me on top of things.

Review: The Stepbrother (New Fear Street #1) by R.L. Stine

Title: The Stepbrother

Series: New Fear Street #1

Author: R.L. Stine

Genre: YA, mystery thriller, horror

Publication date: January 1998

Published by: Parachute Press

Source: Purchased paperback

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | Thrift Books

Synopsis: He's come back from the dead to get her!

Sondra started having terrifying nightmares right after her new stepbrother moved in. Nightmares about her own death. Nightmares about being murdered.

A psychic tells Sondra that she is remembering events from a past life. And the person who murdered her may be after her in this life, too. He may be someone close to her. Someone living in her very own house.

He may be... her stepbrother.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I was a little apprehensive going into this book because these sorts of books tend to be hit or miss for me, but omg it was so much better than I was expecting! Which was really nice because it has been well over a year since I last read a Fear Street book.

Review: The Grissom Contention (Colonial Explorer Corps #2) by Julia Huni

Title: The Grissom Contention

Series: Colonial Explorer Corps #2

Previous book in this series: The Earth Concurrence

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi

Publication date: April 2021

Published by: IPH Media

Source: Purchased ebook

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: Fresh from the mission to Earth, Siti Kassis, daughter of the "Hero of Darenti Four," enrolls in the Colonial Explorer Corps academy--the same academy where her father was the captain of the rev-ball team, and still holds flight records for the extreme piloting competitions. As the daughter of an honored alum, she's expected to lead the legacy students to victory in every training scenario and game.

But Siti wants to prove her own worth. Shunned by the other legacies when she refuses to play by their unfair rules, she joins a band of misfits for her class's most arduous trial: Prime Survival Week.

When Siti and her friends discover they've been dropped into a PSW with no rules and no end, will they figure out how to survive? Will they devise a plan to win?

My rating: ★★★★☆

After the very crazy mission on Earth where they discovered people still living there after the planet was supposedly evacuated 500 years ago, Siti heads to Grissom to finally attend Colonial Explorer Academy!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #321: Playing Catch-Up

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #355: Too much Social Interaction For This Introvert

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Reading Challenge Catch-Up

I have the following week off of work and my plan is to get reading done. A lot of reading done. I am terribly behind on my Goodreads reading challenge...

It's bad, you guys 😬 So this week my goal is to read at least FIVE (5) books! I was going to do a TBR, but I don't think my mood would cooperate at this time, so I'm just gonna go with the flow. I do have a couple of challenges I'm doing where I'm gonna try and grab some prompts for inspiration though, because the Goodreads challenge isn't the only one I'm behind on 😅

Review: My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2) by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Title: My Plain Jane

Series: The Lady Janies #2 (but can be read as standalone)

Previous book in this series: My Lady Jane

Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Genre: YA, historical, fantasy

Publication date: June 2018

Published by: HarperTeen

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Outlet | Thrift Books

Synopsis: You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)

Or does she?

Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.

My rating: ★★★★★

In my review of My Lady Jane, I mentioned how I just don’t really read historical-type books, but recently I was in the rare (and weird) mood where I was craving something a little historical. I honestly blame Chain of Thorns. Lol. I was in that world for a long time, and then I finished it and I was still wanting something historical... but with a paranormal element to it! Enter this book! My Plain Jane is a retelling of Jane Eyre... but with ghosts! It was great!

Review: The Earth Concurrence (Colonial Explorer Corps #1) by Julia Huni

Title: The Earth Concurrence

Series: Colonial Explorer Corps #1

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi

Publication date: November 2020

Published by: IPH Media

Source: Purchased ebook

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: Taking a gap year before attending the Explorer Corps Academy, Siti Kassis accompanies her legendary father on a trip to the prize jewel in an Explorer's crown: Earth.

Evacuated centuries before, humans now return to mankind's planet of origin to reclaim their birthright.

But when Siti and her father's team land near the site of the last known scientific outpost, they find more than they bargained for.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

More books in the Space Janitor universe! Yay! Now, this isn't a Space Janitor book, per se. While it takes place in the same world, it's a different series that follows completely different characters. Our main character in this series is Siti, daughter of the Hero of Darenti Four, who is in the Colonial Explorer Corps. They basically go around discovering and exploring new planets. But in this case, they’re going back to re-explore Earth after having evacuated it 500 years in the past. But these unsuspecting explorers find more than they bargained for when they land.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #320: Death and Sci-Fi

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #354: Demons and Devils

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Review: Supernova (Renegades #3) by Marissa Meyer

Title: Supernova

Series: Renegades #3

Previous books in this series: Renegades (#1) | Archenemies (#2)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA, sci-fi, fantasy, superheroes

Publication date: November 2019

Published by: Feiwel & Friends

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Thrift Books

Synopsis: All's fair in love and anarchy...

The epic conclusion to Marissa Meyer's thrilling Renegades Trilogy finds Nova and Adrian fighting to keep their identities secret. While the battle rages on between their alter egos and their allies, there is a darker threat shrouding Gatlon City.

The Renegades' worst enemy is back among them, threatening to reclaim Gatlon City. Nova and Adrian must brave lies and betrayal to protect those they love. Their greatest fears are about to come to life, and unless they can bridge the divide between heroes and villains, they stand to lose everything. Including each other.

My rating: ★★★★★

She had to keep moving. Keep going through the motions. Lie. Steal. Betray.
Because that's how she would free Ace.
That's how she would destroy the Renegades.
That's how she would end this ongoing battle in her thoughts. The war between Nightmare and Insomnia. Hero and villain. She had already made her choice.

June 2023 Giveaway Hop: Come Out and Play

Did you know there is a National Kissing Day June? Yeah, me either. Lol. Anyway, today I'm giving away a YA duology that has kissing! It's even on the cover! Lol. It's this sort of sci-fi, time travel series, and I really enjoyed it. It was fun!

Review: Christmas Cookie Crumbs (Tales of a Former Space Janitor #3.5) by Julia Huni

Title: Christmas Cookie Crumbs

Series: Tales of a Former Space Janitor #3.5

Previous books in this series: The Rings of Grissom (#1) | Planetary Spin Cycle (#2) | Waxing the Moon of Lewei (#3)

Author: Julia Huni

Genre: Adult, sci-fi, cozy mystery

Publication date: January 2022

Published by: IPH Media

Source: Newsletter freebie

Add it on Goodreads

Get it here!

Synopsis: When Triana meets Scott Calvin again, he's lost something valuable. It's up to the former Space Janitor to help him find it—before Christmas!

My rating: ★★★★☆

In this short story, Triana and Ty find themselves up in the middle of the night with a giggly baby Freya (Kara’s new baby!) who won't go back to sleep.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #319: I Enjoyed My Stay in Fear Street

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date and Unleashing Reads.

Sunday Post #353: Blood Wars and Multiverses

Welcome to The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where I talk about what is going on in life and the blog, and show you all the bookish things I got that week!

Finish the Series #24: Visiting Fear Street Once Again

I finished another series in May! I'm so proud of myself! 😆 Can't promise the streak will last though. Lol.

Review: Chain of Thorns (The Last Hours #3) by Cassandra Clare

Title: Chain of Thorns

Series: The Last Hours #3

Previous books in this series: Chain of Gold (#1) | Chain of Iron (#2)

Prequel short stories: The Penultimate Hours

Other series in the Shadowhunter Chronicles: The Infernal Devices | The Mortal Instruments | The Dark Artifices

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: YA, urban fantasy, historical

Publication date: January 31st 2023

Published by: Margaret K. McElderry

Source: Purchased hardcover

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis: James and Cordelia must save London—and their marriage—in this conclusion to the Last Hours series from author Cassandra Clare.

Cordelia Carstairs has lost everything that matters to her. In only a few short weeks, she has seen her father murdered, her plans to become parabatai with her best friend, Lucie, destroyed, and her marriage to James Herondale crumble before her eyes. Even worse, she is now bound to an ancient demon, Lilith, stripping her of her power as a Shadowhunter.

After fleeing to Paris with Matthew Fairchild, Cordelia hopes to forget her sorrows in the city’s glittering nightlife. But reality intrudes when shocking news comes from home: Tatiana Blackthorn has escaped the Adamant Citadel, and London is under new threat by the Prince of Hell, Belial.

Cordelia returns to a London riven by chaos and dissent. The long-kept secret that Belial is James and Lucie’s grandfather has been revealed by an unexpected enemy, and the Herondales find themselves under suspicion of dealings with demons. Cordelia longs to protect James but is torn between a love for James she has long believed hopeless, and the possibility of a new life with Matthew. Nor can her friends help—ripped apart by their own secrets, they seem destined to face what is coming alone.

For time is short, and Belial’s plan is about to crash into the Shadowhunters of London like a deadly wave, one that will separate Cordelia, Lucie, and the Merry Thieves from help of any kind. Left alone in a shadowy London, they must face Belial’s deadly army. If Cordelia and her friends are going to save their city—and their families—they will have to muster their courage, swallow their pride, and trust one another again. For if they fail, they may lose everything—even their souls.

My rating: ★★★★★

We all carry a light inside ourselves. It burns with the flame of our souls. But there are other people in our lives who add their own flames to ours, creating a brighter conflagration.

Review: My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies #1) by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Title: My Lady Jane

Series: The Lady Janies #1 (but can be read as standalone)

Authors: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Genre: YA, historical, fantasy

Publication date: June 2016

Published by: HarperTeen

Source: Borrowed from library

Add it on Goodreads

Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Outlet | Thrift Books

Synopsis: This comical, fantastical, romantical, New York Times bestselling, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey is “an uproarious historical fantasy that’s not to be missed” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind YA fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.

At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England.

Like that could go wrong.

My rating: ★★★★☆

I'm not really one for historical-type books, but this one, for whatever reason, really appealed to me. And I'm glad I read it because I ended up really enjoying it! It was fun and ridiculous and I liked it more than I thought I would.