Stacking the Shelves: The July Illumicrate Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

Life has been a mess lately. I mean, it's not terrible, by any means, but it seems like there's just one thing happening after another that keeps me from finishing up the tasks I really want/need to. For example, I bought some new Ikea Billy bookcases last weekend, picked them up, and spent all of Monday evening building them. Then, the one I really wanted ended up having weird gray spots on it. I didn't notice it until after I'd spent a good 45 minutes putting it together. Sigh. I'm getting a replacement, but now I have to decide what to do with the ugly bookcase (I'll probably toss it, just in case the spots are something nefarious), and it sets me back another month for shelf organization while I wait for my replacement to ship out. It's just not a good time.

As for books I got this week, I have some nice ones. Two of my FairyLoot monthly subs arrived, the Adult and the YA boxes. And yes, it's my first YA sub book since fall 2023, I believe...? It might have even been 2022. Should I have renewed my sub when I got the email saying I was off the waitlist? Nope. Did I anyway? Yep. I don't know how long I'll keep it, as I have mixed feelings on their YA picks and too many books to read as it is. But, I am excited about The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang. Do I love their edition, though? Eh. I wanted more color. That's why I returned my regular edition once I learned I got on the YA sub. But, the naked book is very pretty. I also got Arcana Academy by Elise Kova in the adult sub. I've already read and reviewed this one. I think it's one of my favorite editions in the 2025 FairyLoot boxes. It's gorgeous. This is the type of style I want for my special editions. 

 

 

Up next, I have three random books from three different places. The Ruthless Vows FairyLoot edition is from that trade I mentioned last week, and the Wrath of the Dragons by Olivia Rose Darling was a preorder from Barnes & Noble. I also stopped by my local used bookstore to take in some books for trade credit, and, while I was there, I got the trad published hardcover of Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent. I have all of the other books in the short, trad versions, so it was time to get the first book in the smaller size too. I might actually get rid of my indie copies one day, since they don't match the size of the spinoff sequels.

 

Lastly, I have the Illumicrate July box, which featured The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley. Now, this cover was actually the reason I decided to subscribe to Illumicrate. I saw a leak of this design months ago and thought it was gorgeous. I haven't read the book yet, so I have no idea if it's accurate to the story, but the artwork is awesome. Now, I am highly disappointed that Illumicrate decided to go with the ugly acetate cover. I do not like it at all. I want matte covers. Or, if it has to be glossy, let it be a regular glossy. The acetate design makes beautiful books look like cheap library copies. I hate it soooooo much. Special editions should look fancy, not cheap. Sigh. We'll see how I feel once I read the book and get used to the design.

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?

Review: Silvercloak by L.K. Steven

Silvercloak

L.K. Steven

(Silvercloak Saga #1)

Publication Date: July 29, 2025

Hardcover, 464 pages, Del Rey

Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer

Goodreads

In this addictive new fantasy series set in a world where magic is fueled by pleasure and pain, an obsessive detective infiltrates a brutal gang of dark mages—knowing that one wrong move will get her killed. . . . 

 

Two decades ago, the Bloodmoons ruthlessly murdered Saffron Killoran’s parents, destroying her idyllic childhood. Hell-bent on revenge, she lies her way into Silvercloak Academy—the training ground for her city’s elite order of detectives—with a single goal: to bring the Bloodmoons to justice.

 

But when Saff’s deception is exposed, rather than being cast out, she’s given a rare opportunity: to go undercover and tear the Bloodmoons down from the inside.

 

Descending into a world where pleasure and pain are the most powerful currencies, Saff must commit some truly heinous deeds to keep her cover—and her life. Not only are there rival gangs and sinister smuggling rings to contend with, but there’s also her growing feelings for the kingpin’s tortured son, with his vicious pet fallowwolf, his dark past, and the curious prophecy foretelling his death at Saffron’s hand.

 

With each day testing her loyalties further, Saff finds her web of lies becoming harder to spin. And when one false step could destroy everything and everyone she’s ever loved . . . the detective who’s dedicated her life to vengeance just might die for it.

My Review

If you're an adult who is missing the magic of the Wizarding World and wants a darker story that gives Six of Crows and A Darker Shade of Magic vibes, then L.K. Steven's Silvercloak is 100% the next book you should pick up. It has wands, a unique power system, time travel, mafia, detectives, queer-normative relationships, and fancy cloaks to immerse you in a new fantasy sensation.

I am going to be totally honest, it took me a while to really start enjoying this book. Not because the worldbuilding isn't awesome or the characters aren't entertaining. It was simply due to the narration style. It was a third-person point of view, but something about it was a bit... dry. It took me a good chunk of the book to really connect with all of the cool elements of the story just because I wasn't feeling the writing choices. However, once I did start to connect, I was hooked. I'd tell myself to take a break, but the next thing I know, I've managed to read two more chapters. It's an easy story to get absorbed in once you become familiar with that drier tone. That's definitely where the Six of Crows and A Darker Shade of Magic comparisons come in too, in addition to the mafia and magic elements, of course. Both of those titles have a third-person limited POV that feels a tad slower and heavier than popular stories like the Crescent City or Shatter Me books. I think both of those series would compare well for their magic systems and characters, however.

The main character of Silvercloak, Saffron Killoran, is a recently-promoted detective trying to avenge her parents' death by going undercover in a mafia organization called the Bloodmoons. Now, Saffron isn't particularly unique in terms of her personality, she's witty and competent like most female main characters (exceptions will be discussed soon), but she is immune to spells in a world where spells and potions are used for pretty much everything, from healing to pleasure to flying to time travel. I enjoyed Saffron as a character, but there were some instances where she made some very odd and dumb mistakes, like when she went to visit her superior officer twice while beginning her undercover work. I'm also surprised her superior was dumb enough to arrange it. And of course, there's the love interest, the mafia prince, Levan Celadon. He has a pet wolf, a crazy amount of power, and a tragic backstory. Everything you need in a good fantasy romance plotline. He gives off major Kaz Brekker, Kell Maresh, and Aaron Warner vibes.

As for the plot, Saffron's journey to get her vengeance is addicting. You want to know what happens next. You simply have to make it through the first third of the book to really get to that point, unfortunately. But, there's a lot of action, betrayal, and intrigue throughout the story. Honestly, if the narration style had been revamped, this could have easily been a five-star read, especially with the worldbuilding. I enjoyed learning about the ways the spells were used to enhance everyday life, and how pleasure/pain could be used to increase power, though I think that element could have been a bit grittier. There was also a small plot hole in that time travel spells were removed from wands, but somehow killing curses weren't. It was a head-scratcher. There is a whole history of time-traveling mages and dragons that has me ready for book two, though. But the thing I'm most looking forward to is Saffron and Levan's relationship. Things took a crazy turn at the end of book one, so the sequel is going to be insane.

All in all, I am truly happy I kept going with this book, even though it seemed like the beginning was going to make it a quick DNF. Do I think Silvercloak is for everyone? Not at all. If you're not a lover of fantasy first, then this definitely isn't for you. It's also for readers who can stick with those slower tomes, understanding that the end of the book will reveal all the good stuff. But, if you're a reader who likes the hard work to be worth it, Silvercloak should immediately be added to your TBR. I promise, it'll be a rewarding investment.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Stacking the Shelves: The Expensive Trades Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

This week has been a bit crazy. Not quite as much as last week, but there were a few things happening that aren't normal routine activities for me. One thing I've started on is pulling out all my bookshelves to dust and vacuum behind them. I'm currently doing one in my living room, and I have like three more to go. Yuck. But, two of them shouldn't be too bad. They're small.

As for books I got this week, I have the Aurora Crate versions of Stacia Stark's Dance with the Demon and Inner Demons. I bought book one a while back, so I wanted to get the matching sequels. I just finished Stacia's Kingdom of Lies series, and it was really good, so I'm glad I bought these to give her other series a try. The order came with some art prints, a signed bookplate, and a couple of bookmarks too. 

 

 

Up next, I have something that cost me a lot of money, but I guess it makes sense that it did, considering these books retailed for like $35-40 each originally anyway. I traded a book for the FairyLoot editions of Rebecca Ross's Letters of Enchantment duology. The person I traded with bought one book from Mercari and is sending me the other soon. I had canceled my YA subscription right before this book was in it, and now that Wild Reverence is coming out and FairyLoot's edition matches it, plus, knowing how much I enjoyed Rebecca's Elements of Cadence duology, I just needed to get my hands on these. That being said, this was the first UK trade I did where I had to ship something overseas, and boy oh boy, I will not be doing that again. That was just painful. $78 to ship a paperback book is insane! I, unfortunately, have one more book I'm getting personally shipped to me from the UK, so it's likely this will be expensive as well, but after that, no more. Never, ever again! That was nuts.

 

  

 

I traveled to Illinois last weekend and stopped by Barnes & Noble on the way to return a book, and also to take advantage of their buy-one-get-one-50%-off romance paperback sale. I was originally looking for The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, as the movie news was released, and I thought it was time for me to read it. My half-off book was Teacher of the Year by M.A. Wardell, which I've heard great things about. I also got a free green tote bag that I forgot to take a photo of. Oh well. I'm too lazy to do it now. And Looking for Group by Alexis Hall was from a B&N online order. It looks cute.

And lastly, I have another lonely ebook. It's Destroy the Day by Brigid Kemmerer. It's actually a Libby copy. Can you believe it? I haven't read a Libby book in a very long time. I need to really get on it though, because it's already been almost a week, so I think I only have one or two weeks left. Honestly, though, I may just end up using my Kindle points/credits to buy the ebook. I don't think I'll get to it in time. It's also been a while since I read the second book, but I'm hoping I can still get into this one without too much trouble, as I don't want to do a reread of the first two books.

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?

Review: Arcana Academy by Elise Kova

Arcana Academy

Elise Kova

(Arcana Academy #1)

Publication Date: July 22, 2025

Hardcover, 576 pages, Del Rey

Genres: Adult, Fantasy

Goodreads

A woman who wields magical tarot cards lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy in this first installment of an enthralling romantasy series from the bestselling author of A Deal with the Elf King.

 

Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards-a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy.

 

Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy's enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape-for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time.

 

In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.

 

Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world-and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?

My Review

Arcana Academy is for the Gambit and tarot card girlies first and foremost. And, unfortunately, I am not one of those girlies. However, I still enjoyed this book, but I had a rough time getting through the beginning. The story starts out pretty heavy on the world- and magic-building. It's a little info-dumpy, similar to the first Crescent City book. I stuck with it, though, and the payoff was worth the confusion and head scratches that consistently popped up while I was trying to figure out what the heck each card did and who everyone was. After the first third of the story, though, things started to get fun.

Let me back up a bit. Our main character, Clara Graysword, has been imprisoned for illegal tarot card magic. She shouldn't be creating or using the cards she's been wielding, so she's locked up by the royal family. A year later, Prince Kaelis comes to get her for his own reasons. He wants her help with a secret task. Now, she has to pretend to be his fiance (fake engagement!) and successfully graduate a magical school (trials and competitions!). It's also the school where he rules as the headmaster. Clara is a strong female lead. She didn't fold easily just because a prince batted his eyes at her, which I appreciated. She was also confident in her abilities and weaknesses. It was refreshing to see for a female main character in a fantasy world. Kaelis, on the other hand, is kind of a jerk at first. But, the tension between the two was very nice. I was actually a bit disappointed when they started getting along. The two still had their moments, though.

As for the magic and world, that's where the book lost me at first. It was really hard to follow the card logistics. And maybe that was because I was reading an e-ARC, so it wasn't easy to flip back to the descriptions of various cards, houses, or characters. Maybe the finished copy will have a nice list of all the important magical terminology in the front of the book for the card types, uses, houses, and house members. I think readers would really appreciate that. For the story itself, it was fun. The academy elements are very reminiscent of the Zodiac Academy series and Fourth Wing while still managing to be its own thing. And while the ending wasn't unexpected, I am sad to have to wait a year or more for book two after that cliffhanger. Boo.

All in all, Arcana Academy was a good read. It had action, intrigue, unique magical powers, romance, and a few twists to keep people reading. I do, however, think readers need to be prepared to go into it with that heavy worldbuilding in mind. If you're not mentally ready to be in a story with descriptive magic, come back to Arcana Academy later, when you can digest all the things. It's a long book, and it takes some brain power to get through. It's very similar to an epic fantasy in that way, just without the larger-scaled setting (the academy is pretty much the primary setting) and multiple points of view (Clara is the only POV throughout the story).

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Stacking the Shelves: The Second Owlcrate Romantasy Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

This week has been more hectic than usual. My sister came to visit my parents, so I've been seeing her throughout the week. I also did a couple of trades that I wasn't expecting. Trades are super chaotic. I don't love doing them because they take up so much mental effort. I've also been selling some books to make up for the many expensive purchases I've made. This is pretty funny considering I'm headed to a Barnes & Noble today. Hee hee. I'm actually planning to return a book, but with the paperback romance sale going on, I'm sure I'll buy a book or two while I'm in-store. But anyway, let's talk about books I received this week.

First up in this week's haul, I have the second Owlcrate Romantasy quarterly subscription book, A Forbidden Alchemy by Stacey McEwan. I'm kind of meh about this book. I didn't have plans to buy the regular edition, and I wasn't thrilled to hear it was in this sub, since there are no skips. However, it's not something I'm opposed to reading. I just don't think I'll get to it any time in the near future, and this sub is very expensive, especially since I haven't liked a book pick/design they've done so far. However, I think that will change with the fall book. I hope they're doing the one I've heard rumblings about. It's my favorite read of 2025 so far. I also received my Blackwell's preorder of The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem. I just finished reading an ARC of this one as well, and loved it! And of course, I had to get a UK hardcover to match the hardcover I bought of the first book. 

 

 

Up next, I have another sub box book, A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena. This was the Adult sub pick. It's very... plain. There's no redesigned cover, and the naked book is kind of meh too. (It's all very meh this week. Ha ha.) This is another book I wouldn't have picked up myself, so I'm not super excited about it. I just have limited skips, so I thought I'd save my skips for something that I really don't want. I also purchased a decently cheap copy of The Will of the Many deluxe limited edition by James Islington via Amazon. I didn't plan to purchase anything during the Prime sales, but I checked the price of this book, and it was $10 cheaper than normal, so I got it. I also bought three books in one of their deal sales, but I think I'm only going to keep one of them, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire paperback (not pictured) for my new dust jacket I got last week. I've already returned one of the books, and I might return the other one in the next week or so, so there's no point in sharing what it is just yet. Oh, also not pictured, my FairyLoot replacements for two books in the Beasts of the Briar series came in. I already shared those a while back, so I didn't think there was much point in taking pics for books that are the same, just better quality. XD.

And lastly, I have the lone ebook for the week. It's Smoke and Scar by Gretchen Powell Fox. I downloaded it from Kindle Unlimited. I'm currently reading this one, and it seems good so far. I don't know if it'll be a favorite, but it's a decent read at the moment. The author kept sharing some amazing fan art for it, so I had to push it up my TBR list so I could know who the pretty characters were.

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?

Review: The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem

The Jasad Crown

Sara Hashem

(The Scorched Throne #2)

Publication Date: July 15, 2025

Paperback, 688 pages, Orbit

Genres: Adult, Fantasy

Goodreads

In the thrilling conclusion to the Egyptian-inspired Scorched Throne duology, a fugitive queen may be the key to restoring her lost kingdom of Jasad, but it could cost her everything and everyone she loves.

 

Held deep in a mountain refuge, Sylvia has been captured by the Urabi, who believe she can return their homeland to its former power. But after years of denying her legacy and a forbidden alliance with Jasad's greatest enemy, Sylvia must win the group's trust while struggling to keep control of both her magic and her mind.

 

In the rival kingdom, Arin is caught between his father's desire to put down the brewing rebellion and the sacred edicts he's sworn to uphold. Arin must find Sylvia before his father's army, but his search will call into question the very core of Arin's beliefs about his family and the destruction of Jasad.

 

War is inevitable and Sylvia cannot abandon her people again. The Urabi plan to raise the Jasadi fortress, and it will either kill Sylvia or destroy the humanity she's fought so hard to protect. For the first time in her life Sylvia doesn't just want to survive. She wants to win. The fugitive queen is ready to come home.

My Review

Wow. That's all I can think to say about Sara Hashem's The Jasad Crown. I think I sobbed through the final two hundred pages of this book. If you want an emotional gut punch of a fantasy story with vibes similar to S.A. Chakraborty's Daevabad and Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series, combined with a tension-filled romance reminiscent of series like Serpent & Dove and The Crimson Moth, then you should definitely pick up The Scorched Throne duology.

Book two starts about where book one left off, with Sylvia's magic and lineage having just been revealed and Arin struggling to deal with the fallout of Sylvia being on the loose and all the political upheaval that creates. Book one stayed in Syliva's POV, but in this installment, we get three additional POVs: Arin's, Sefa's, and Marek's. And honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed each character's chapters. There wasn't a POV that dragged the plot down.

There was also plenty of action. There were badass sword and magic scenes with battles and monsters throughout. There was also pining. I love some pining. Especially when it's paired with actual enemies to lovers. Sylvia and Arin kick the crap out of each other, and I giggle and kick my feet every time. Now, the book did have a slight flaw in that some tasks did seem a bit too conveniently resolved, but I easily rolled with it. I wasn't going to question it too hard when I was having such a good time. The ending was also lovely, though it was abrupt. I wanted more! I guess I'll just have to see what Sara Hashem releases next. Sigh. I hope there's something new soon!

I honestly adored this duology, and I think I forgot how much I loved it because there was a big gap between release dates. In fact, that's probably my only real criticism. I didn't do a reread, so I couldn't remember the world or side character details, like the lands' histories and the monsters. I wish there had been more "refresher" language to subtly remind the reader what happened in book one.

Overall, The Jasad Crown is a fantastic sequel and series finale. If you need a book to destroy you, this is it. Add it to your TBR. But obviously read book one first and book two immediately after. You'll enjoy the journey. I'm actually very excited to reread these books one day and hurt my soul all over again, and that's something I don't say very often after just finishing a book.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Stacking the Shelves: The Lazy Photos Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

It has been a relatively quiet week. I've pretty much been doing the same things I'm always doing. Lots of work, working out, and sleeping. And of course, never enough cleaning/organizing. I'm so behind on that, it's not funny. I doubt I'll be done until winter, at this rate. Yikes. I just need like a month off to go through everything. Or, if someone could just give me their motivation and energy, that'd be swell.

First up in this week's haul, I have something I debated not showing because it's just a replacement for something I already own. It's the Legend trilogy box set. Like I've mentioned in some hauls a while back, I'm taking the time to replace some of my older books that were left at my parents' house, since those weren't stored in the best conditions and older titles in general look aged sometimes. So, Barnes & Noble had this box set in stock, and I had $17 of store credit. I bought this and three other books you'll see in the next photo. And speaking of photos, I was too lazy to actually move things around and display them properly, so you get whatever the heck these photos are. 

 

 

Up next, I have a conglomeration of titles. All but one are from B&N. The lonely one is my Bookish Box replacement copy of Between Fear & Favor by Jess Wisecup. I don't think I even shared the original copy I got because it was dented and Bookish Box makes you send the damaged copies back to them, so here it is for the first time. The books I ordered with the Legend trilogy box set include Eclipse and Avalon High, along with Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh. Someone said the Nalini Singh mass market Guild Hunter books were going out of print for new editions, but I haven't seen that talked about anywhere else. Just to be safe, I'm slowly going to order the set, even though I've only read book one. I do own like six of them already, so it's fine. Just ten more to go now. Yikes. Good thing mass markets are cheap. Also, I'm not sure I'll keep the Avalon High copy. Now that it's hot and humid out, books are being delivered in icky shape, so I might just keep my original copy that's in about the same condition as this replacement. Lol. The other books I got include The Baby Dragon Cafe by Aamna Qureshi, The Curse That Binds by Laura Thalassa, The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley, The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang, and Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I'm going to return The Nightblood Prince, as BOOK BOX SPOILERS INCOMING, I just got the YA FairyLoot subscription again, and I think that's the pick for July. I don't need two copies of it. I may also return Opal. I'm not loving these new hardcover editions the publisher is releasing. I'm just not sure if I want to keep buying them when better sets will probably come along at some point. 

 

I keep forgetting to include this in my haul for the week. I received the WarlockCoUA dust jacket for A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by JLA. It's gorgeous, but it did get smashed in the mail. The box it was in was too flimsy for international travel, unfortunately. There are small dents all around it, since it was rolled up tube-like during shipment. My AKOFAF paperback copy is on its way, so I'll see if it looks okay once it's on the book. If not, I may end up ordering another one when/if book three's dust jacket is released. Or I'll see if the Etsy shop will replace it. I feel bad asking since it's all the way in the Ukraine. That's a lot of shipping money. I think it'll be okay if I just keep this one. I'll just beg the shop to use a sturdier box for any future jackets.

And lastly, I have the ebooks for the week. I downloaded The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer on Kindle Unlimited. I didn't realize it was on there or I would have downloaded it a long time ago. I've been wanting to read this book since it released. I've just always had other things going on, and, with sci-fi books, I tend to want to read an ebook version before purchasing a physical copy. I think it's because sci-fi books tend not to have pretty covers like fantasy books. And... right when I was thinking I was done with this post, I got approved for a NetGalley ARC of To Cage a Wild Bird by Brooke Fast. Thanks Avon/Harper Voyager! This book might be in a FairyLoot sub box, so I want to read it before it releases next year. Thankfully, I have until March, as I am really behind on things I want to read in general. There are too many good books and not enough hours in the day. I need to quit my job. Ha ha.

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?

Stacking the Shelves: The Single Book Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

July 4th weekend is officially almost over. I hate this holiday with a fiery passion. Pun intended. Fireworks are the worst. I don't mind the big, pretty ones that parks put on. It's the dumb neighbors setting off poppers at random times during the day and then setting fireworks off in the cul-de-sac area at night that I absolutely loathe. I do not like loud noises, especially ones that are often accompanied by sparks that could set fire. It's awful. I wish they were outlawed. But anyway, rant over. Let's talk about books.

I only have one book to share this week. It's Phantasma by Kaylie Smith. I took some books to my new local used bookstore for trade credit, and I felt weird not getting something when I was dropping off like 20 books, so I got this one. I've wanted to read it ever since someone described it as being for fans of Danny Phantom. So, it goes on the TBR shelves to live with all of the other books I haven't read yet. But, the good thing about this one, is that it was kind of free, since I used store credit. #girlmath. 

Well, that's all for me. What books have you bought/received lately?

June Wrap-Up & July TBR

We're officially over halfway through 2025. Wow. I thought June would be a quiet month, but like March and April, it decided that quiet was overrated. I had to get unexpected dental surgery, so I've been recovering from that, which pretty much just means taking pain pills and relaxing more than usual. I still have to go to work, though. Lame. Hopefully July is an easier month, but I expect not, given some family activities we have planned.

In this wrap-up, I’ll list the books I read, the books I reviewed, the books I bought/received, and my TBR for next month. Now, let’s get this bookish party started!

Books Read in June

The Scarlet Veil: 3.5 stars

Nectar of the Wicked: 3 stars

Heart of Defiance: 2.5 stars

Arcane Academy: 3.5 stars (review to come)

The Shadow Bride: 3 stars

The Night Ends With Fire: 3 stars

Prince of the Arena: 4 stars 

Wrath of the Damned: 2.5 stars

Maneater: 3 stars 

I read nine books in June, which is the same as last month. That's surprising since I lost two days of reading time during my lazy recovery. However, I did manage to sneak two novellas in towards the end of the month, so I counted those as two "books." Overall, though, I read six physical books and three ebooks this month. The physical books include The Scarlet Veil and The Shadow Bride by Shelby Mahurin, Nectar of the Wicked by Ella Fields, Heart of Defiance by Eva Chase, The Night Ends With Fire by K.X. Song, and Prince of the Arena by Elizabeth Helen. The ebooks included a NetGalley ARC of Arcana Academy by Elise Kova and two Kindle Unlimited reads: Wrath of the Damned by Ella Fields and Maneater by Emily Antoinette. I read Nectar of the Wicked and its sequel, along with The Night Ends With Fire to decide if I liked them enough to purchase the special edition sequels going on sale soon. I think I'm going to pass. They were decent reads, but they weren't favorites, and I have to save my shelf space for things I love.

Books Bought/Received in June

I thought June would have fewer books than May. Ha! I should know better by now. I have a problem. I'm now like 20 books behind on my goal to read as many books as I bring in. Sigh. I need to read some short books to catch up, but, unfortunately, I requested a bunch of large tomes to read and review. Silly me. Overall, though, I bought 26 books in June, and I received 22 books.

The 22 books I received in June that I didn't pay for in the month consisted primarily of preorders that arrived. I did have one Orbit ARC arrive, though. It was Voidwalker by Sara MacLean. I got a NetGalley e-ARC too, Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport. The preorders included Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent, the Green Creek Eternal Embers set 1-4 by TJ Klune, the Covenant Books for Days Crate 1-5 set by JLA, The Devils by Joel Abercrombine (FairyLoot's May Epic sub book), Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas LitHaven edition, books 2-4 of the FairyLoot editions of the Beasts of the Briar series by Elizabeth Helen, and the Acrylipics set of the Flesh & Fire series by JLA. My sister also gave me a copy of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

Now, for what I bought. I only received 16 of the 25 books I purchased. Those included The Rivers of Zadaa by D.J. MacHale (eBay), The Butcher and the Blackbird by Brynne Weaver (local used bookstore), Phantasma by Kaylie Smith (local used bookstore, purchased with trade credit, not pictured), Cursed and The Dead List by JLA (JLA Shop), What Fury Brings ARC (I just paid for shipping my trade book), Prince of the Arena by Elizabeth Helen, Echo Fort and Fated Throne by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti (B&N), The Summer Palace by C.S. Pacat (Amazon), Psycho Shifters by Jasmine Mas, and the Hunger Games five-book boxset (B&N).

 As for the remaining seven books, some of them should be on their way soon and others will be a little bit from now. The ones on their way include Rose in Chains by Julie Soto, the June FairyLoot Romantasy book. Others that might take a bit longer include my order of The Chaos Wielder by A.E. Cosby omnibus from Yo Leo Sola, Arcane Society's Penn Cole set, the FairyLoot edition of Between These Broken Hearts by Lexi Ryan, and Feathers from the Sky and Thorns from the Fall by Jess Wisecup.

Currently Obsessed With

There isn't too many new things to talk about. The biggest things I watched this month include Wicked, which I watched at my parents' house with my mom, and Karate Kid: Legends, which my dad randomly decided to watch in theaters one day. Other than those, I've just been re-watching Home Improvement episodes.

July TBR

I'm making progress on my TBR, but I keep adding review copies to it. That needs to stop. I have too much to read, and it's stressing me out. I just want to read fun KU books at this point. Lol. The biggest thing I need to get to is The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem. It's releasing soon, so I need to get my review ready ASAP. I also need to read and review Voidwalker by S.A. MacLean and Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport. I also need to read and review Megan E. O'Keefe's new book, The Two Lies of Faven Sythe. I don't know if I'll get to it this month. I'm going to try, but no promises. Now, some things I would like to get to for my own enjoyment include What Fury Brings, The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten, and the last book in Kingdom of Lies series. Oh, and my sister wants me to read Project Hail Mary.

***

Okay, well, that's the month of June, plus some July sneak peeks, all wrapped up into one post. Do you have a wrap-up post for last month? If so, share in the comments!