It’s that time of the month! Let’s get straight to it!
• Total Books Read: 7
• Total Books From Planned TBR: 7/11
I’m actually really proud of that considering I’m a huge mood reader. For some reason I want to be able to stick to TBR’s more consistently. I just think it makes for more organized content for myself later on lol. Other than that, I’ve been trying to read 10 books a month, but Jade War took up a lot of time so I’m still going to call this a win! ^^
∴ Books Read ∴
• In Waves by AJ Dungo ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
»my review« Bittersweet and informative but ultimately too simple for me. Fun fact, though! I couldn’t figure out why the author’s name sounded so familiar, and then I realized I used to play Lineage 2 with one of him and a few of his friends about 15 years ago. I checked his Facebook page to confirm, and sure enough it was him and he talked about publishing this graphic novel! Small freaking world. o.o
• Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele-Henry (arc) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Full review to come closer to publishing date, and I’m also still trying to process this. Orpheus Girl tells the story of two sapphic young women in conservative Texas who are caught together in a compromising position and are sent to conversion therapy camp. Major trigger warnings for homophobia, torture, depression, and suicide. Let’s just say, I am cishet, and this book physically hurt me. I gave this a 3 stars for the same reason I gave Fat Girl on a Plane 3 stars: it illustrates a cruel truth about the world yet still tells an important story.
• Stardust by Neil Gaiman ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Whenever I think of the word “whimsical” I will forever think of Stardust by Neil Gaiman. I listened to this as an audiobook because it’s narrated by Neil Gaiman and I was easily and eagerly sucked into the little town of Wall and the world beyond. The lyrical prose and Gaiman’s soft and comforting voice set the tone for a perfect fairy tale. I plan to do a mini review of this one as soon as I get to Gaiman’s Ocean at the End of the Lane.
• Jade War by Fonda Lee (arc) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Review to come because I once again deleted it with no way to get it back. -.- This was awesome!! It expanded on the world and characters of Jade City, and I don’t think I’ve ever read a book as carefully as I did this one (which is why it took forever). I have so many thoughts on this, and even though I gave it 5 stars, I don’t know if I can say it’s perfect. For now I’m settling with “clever but I’m salty” ehe…
• The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas (arc) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Review to come closer to publishing date! The Magnolia Sword is an #ownvoice Mulan retelling that is more historically accurate than Disney’s Mulan. I changed my rating from 5 stars to 4 stars because its length didn’t allow for chemistry to build between characters and information about the world was dumpy everywhere. However, for some reason I flew threw this in 2 days because I still thought it was an enjoyable read.
• Heartstopper by Alice Oseman ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
This was really cute, but I need to read the next installment to have a real feel for the story. Essentially, this is about two boys who become friends over rugby. One is out as gay and the other is questioning his sexuality. I have a feeling I’m going to love the series as a whole, but for now I’m going to stick with a safe 3 stars. Mini review to come along with Heartstoppers Vol. 2!
• Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
RTC! o.o Um…holy shit?? I heard this was steamy but woaaaaa was this steamy! Imagine reading this several feet away from your mother (obvs. like me). I had to leave the living room because I was scared to make embarrassing faces in front of my family. Needless to say, there were much more sexy times than I’m used to, but there was also a lot of plot, too! I had so much fun reading this and would also love recommendations for books like it… but I think I might also need Jesus >.>
∴ Book Reviews ∴
• The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
• Wicked Fox by Kat Cho
• In Waves by AJ Dungo
• One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
∴ Top 10 Tuesday ∴
• Auto-Buy Authors
• Set-Up’s I’d Like to See More of (Or At All)
• Books I Need to Read by My Favorite Authors
∴ Miscellaneous ∴
• July TBR
• Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag
• TBR Lows and Highs #1
∴ Blog Hop ∴
Posts I loved by you!
• This pirate captain’s review of Gods of Jade and Shadow.
• This adorable Pancake Book Tag and Mukbang from Elaine from Elaine Howlin
• This interview with Rebecca Kuang that made me wonder how someone so young could be so talented from Petrick Leo of Novel Notions.
• This review of The Rage of Dragons that got my hype for this book from Hiu Gregg of The Fantasy Inn
• This post on broken, awkward, incompetent, and mismatched heroes that made me nod in agreement over and over again from Kathy at Pages Below the Vaulted Sky
• This review of Jade City that made me remember why I love the Green Bone Saga so much by Mr. Renzol
Whew! Done! I’m hoping my allergies and migraines go away soon so I can get back into the swing of things, but overall, I had an enjoyable month! How was yours? Any new favorites or interesting discussion posts I should check out? Let me know!
Cya! ^^
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Justine Time 
Ahoy there. Thanks for linking to me post. I adored that book and hope that it finds lots of readers. I have added ye to me crew. Thanks fer tracking me down.
x The Captain
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