June has been a whirlwind month for me. I haven’t gotten to read as many books I wanted to because I’ve been busy preparing for my upcoming return to medical school for my final year. My slightly busy schedule was also coupled with starting the month off with less than stellar books, which aggravated my reading slump. But I’m happy that out of the eight books I read this June, there was a stand-out title, namely Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.
I also have a couple of books I’m currently reading that didn’t made the cut, so they’ll be my carry-over titles for next month. These books are namely Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie, A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, and The Space Between Us by Micaiah Johnson.
- Cure Bound by M.L Philpitt – 2/5
- White Sand Volume 1 by Brandon Sanderson – 2/5
- White Sand Volume 2 by Brandon Sanderson – 2/5
- See Me After Class by Meghan Quinn – 3.5/5
- Birds of Paradise by Oliver J. Langmead – 3/5
- Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse – 4.5/5
- The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren – 4/5
- Golden Son by Pierce Brown – 4/5
The Mid Year Book Freakout Tag
June marks the end of the first half of the year, and I decided to do the Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag – which is a very popular overview book tag in the community – instead of my own quarterly wrap-ups because I’m too lazy lol. I saw a lot of my favorite local and international booktubers do this tag in their respective channels, so why not join the bandwagon?
Best book you’ve read so far this year.
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
I’ve read a lot of amazing books so far this year, and I’ve already had a small list of books in mind that would make it to my top 10 favorites of 2021. However, The Sword of Kaigen is undoubtedly the best book I’ve read so far. I’m still torn in pieces just thinking about this book even after months have already passed, and I’m just patiently waiting for my physical copy to arrive now. I’ve also been in a TSoK campaign since then wherein I always recommend it to my friends and fellow book lovers who are asking for fantasy recommendations.
Check out my full review here.
Best sequel you’ve read so far this year.
Jade War by Fonda Lee
I read and loved Jade City last year, but I wanted to read the second installment somewhere closer to the release date of Jade Legacy. And oh boy, do I regret that decision, and I’m also in pain that I still have to wait a few more months for the third book to come out. If you still haven’t read the Green Bone Saga, I highly suggest that you do.
My reviews for Jade City and Jade War are available.
New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.
I’m awful at keeping track of new releases, so I tend to just know about them during the month they will be released. I currently have a huge backlist of 2021 releases that I still haven’t gotten to read, but I really want to get to soon (hopefully). Below are just some of the titles I’ve been looking forward to this year but haven’t gotten to yet.
Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
As I mentioned above, I’m bad at keeping track of new releases, however, I make an exception for books in a series that I’m currently in. So it’s going to be Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson which is the third book in the series, and of course, Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee, the final book in the Green Bone Saga. I’m also looking forward to reading She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, since I’ve been looking forward for it since the start of the year.
Biggest disappointment.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
I’ve read some number of pretty disappointing books that I gave low ratings to, but Kingdom of the Wicked was my most disappointing read so far this year – even though I gave it a 3/5 stars. I loved the author’s Stalking Jack the Ripper series so much, so I super excited to know that she has a dark fantasy novel in the works. Unfortunately, the hype didn’t match to my massive expectations. There were some things in it that I liked, but over-all, it was just one big meh.
Read my full review here.
Biggest surprise.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
YA contemporary fiction is a genre I almost always steer away from. I actually only picked this book up as a suggestion for a readathon I was a part of last April, and it blew my mind. It actually helped that I also listened to the audiobook of this book, because it was an even more intense and amazing reading experience. It left me speechless for a good two hours.
Read my full review here
Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)
The Brown Sisters by Talia Hibbert
I only read Talia Hibbert’s popular rom-com series The Brown Sisters this year, and I regretted that I haven’t read it sooner. It had everything promised in what I expected romantic comedy novels would be, and even delivered more. It also introduced me to one of my most favorite characters that I could highly relate to. After this amazing experience, I’m looking forward to read the author’s other books.
Read my reviews here: Get a Life, Chloe Brown | Take a Hint, Dani Brown | Act your Age, Eve Brown
Newest Favourite Character & Newest Fictional Crush
Logen Ninefingers from The First Law trilogy
I have encountered many amazing characters in the books I’ve read so far this year, but one of the notable names that stood out for me was Logen Ninefingers. I had developed a sudden fondness for perpetually tired and fed up characters this year, and Logen is one of them. His antics are hilarious, yet his tired giant personality can either make you want to keep him close and safe or run away fast out of sheer terror. And while everyone in the First Law trilogy is made to be assholes, he’s actually one of the really likeable ones.
I don’t really have a new fictional crush this year, so I’m leaving it blank for now. But I am keeping my fingers crossed that I may meet them some time soon.
Book that made you cry.
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
I don’t easily cry over books, so when it happens, it’s a really well-executed novel. Without a doubt, I’m giving this honor yet again to The Sword of Kaigen. My entire soul still hurts in pain and anguish just even thinking about this book and all the events that transpired.
This is me basically pushing all my readers to read this gorgeous book already.
Book that made you happy.
Mistborn Era 2 by Brandon Sanderson
There have been a quite few books that made happy for giving me a good laugh and a fuzzy, light feeling. One of those is the released books so far within the Mistborn Era 2 by Brandon Sanderson. While story-wise, it wasn’t as strong as Era 1, it actually had an advantage of having amazing character work and dynamics, hence I loved every bit of it. Everyone was just absolutely a gem, and I will protect them at all costs.
2022 can’t come fast enough because I need the final book already!
Check out my series review here.
Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
The Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
I actually placed myself in an imposed book buying ban at the start of the year, and I’ve been successful at sticking into it so far. Rule of Wolves is actually a birthday gift to me from a friend, and it is so beautiful in person! It matches the entire shiny, regal aesthetic of King of Scars, which is just fitting for moi tsaterevich, Nikolai Lantsov.
What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
Like every other bookworm, my tbr- namely my physical, Kindle, and Goodreads – list a mile long. With so many books being released that appeal to my heart, it’s so hard to make time for backlist titles that I really wanted to read for the longest time. The titles showcased below just just a few that I want to prioritize this latter half of 2021.
What’s your most favorite book so far this 2021?
angele reads books 
I am so excited to read Sword of Kaigen and so happy to hear about how much you enjoyed it but it making you cry and be in pain – yep, I’m scared! I really want to read The Unbroken too, and omg yes Jade legacy and She Who Became The Sun! I can not wait!
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the cover of rule of wolves is STUNNING
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Libre sa Tor yung short niyang Djinn.
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