Melting Pages
Book Reviews and Recommendations
June 2020 TBR
I wish I could put more books on my TBR this month, but I know for a fact that I probably won’t even be able to read the 7 books that I already have on this TBR! Since June is pride month, I wanted to read at least a few books with some LGBT+ rep in it. I also want to make sure that I read at least one book a month from here on out by black authors, and I of course need to make sure that I’m keeping up with the ARCs I need to review.
The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison – This is an ARC that I received through Netgalley, and seems to be a fantasy retelling of Sherlock Holmes. I’ve personally never read Sherlock Holmes and I’ve only watched a few episodes of some adaptations, so I’m slightly familiar with how those stories go but I’m by no means an expert so it took me a while until I even realized this was a retelling! Before I started to read this I checked out a few of the early reviews and people say that this is like Sherlock fanfic set in a fantasy world with Jack the Ripper and a steampunk vibe, so it definitely sounds like it will be fun to read! This book will be published on June 23rd, so I want to make sure I read it before then.
The Crow Rider by Kalyn Josephson – This is another ARC that I have to read that comes out on July 1st so I want to get this read and reviewed before it’s released! I absolutely loved The Storm Crow which was the first book in this series, so I’m very excited to see how this world expands and how the characters develop. The idea of magical crows that are large enough for you to ride on is so interesting and I love that twist on the animal companion trope.
The Tethered Mage by Melissa Caruso – I read The Obsidian Tower last month and loved it so much that I wanted to immediately read Melissa Caruso’s other series set in the same world starting with The Tethered Mage! I honestly don’t know too much about this series other than it’s set in the Raverran Empire where mages are conscripted and their magic tethered to another person who controls them.
Hounded by Kevin Hearne– I’ve heard good things about this book and the goodreads rating is pretty high (right now it’s a 4.11, and I consider anything over 4 stars high). I’ve been really wanting to read a book with shape shifting, and after reading the synopsis of this one it sounds like it will be hilarious and one hell of a ride. It also seems like it’ll have quite a few different mythologies mixed into it which I’m also really excited about.
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor – I also want to do a better job at reading books from BIPOC (black, indiginous, people of color), and especially black authors. This has been described as the Nigerian Harry Potter and with all the JK Rowling stuff going on, it’s the perfect time to not only replace Harry Potter, but also support a black author! I’m not going to lie, I’ve already started this one and I’m really enjoying it so far! I also have a few non-fiction books centering around Black Lives Matter that I have lined up to read in June but I want to take my time with those and really take them in so I may not finish those all in June.
Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling – Again, this book is on my TBR for pride month. If you’ve been here before you know I love books with assassins, and this one is about a reluctant assassin! It has good ratings and quite a few of the people whose reviews I follow have enjoyed it. I know from other reviews that this book has on page gay and bisexual characters which is where the LGBT+ element comes in. I’m really curious about this book because it seems to be popping up a lot lately on my social feed. Also, how old school is that cover??
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A Brown – This is a debut fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore where a princess and a refugee have to murder each other even though they are developing feelings for each other. I’ve had my eye on this one for a while and it JUST came out on June 2nd and I’m so happy to finally have my copy! Also, this cover is absolutely stunning in person.
Melting Pages 
Some of these books have been on my radar for a little while, I need to get to them soon
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Is the Crow Rider/Storm Crow series fantasy? “Animal companion” themes are interesting, so I’m curious what the other distinctives for that series might be.
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Was it from your site that I found out about the Priory of the Orange Tree?
I’m interested, currently, in that and in An Echo of the Fae. It remains to be seen whether they will arrive before June has passed, however.
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It is! It’s a YA fantasy. It also has incredible depression rep as well.
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Is it all right if I reveal my shameful ignorance and ask what ‘depression rep’ is?
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It just means that there is representation of someone having depression. The main character suffers from depression throughout the story and I found it to be an accurate representation of what its like to have depression.
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Thanks for explaining!
It sounds like it might be quite interesting. I will probably take a closer look at it sometime, then decide whether to add to my “To be Bought and Read” list.
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I hope you end up loving all of them!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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Thank you!
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