June 2022 TBR

I read SO MANY books in May, and for once I actually stuck pretty closely to my TBR because it was a readathon! I’m hoping I can do the same in June and stick to my TBR to get through some of my upcoming ARCs, because I have a ton that I need to get read to get reviews out in time for their releases!

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Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid
I read and really enjoyed The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid, so I’m very curious about her second book to see what I think about it! I’ve read about 20% of it so far, and it’s interesting. It’s set in the same world as The Wolf and the Woodsman, and is a Gothic Horror retelling of The Juniper Tree and I’m curious as to how dark it will get and what will happen with the characters! This has a ton of trigger warnings, the list provided by the author includes: gore and body horror, child sexual abuse/incest, cannibalism, antisemitism/xenophobia, physical and psychological abuse/gaslighting, self harm/suicidal thoughts, bulimia, and animal death. I’ve been really enjoying the horror books I’ve read recently, so I’m very hopeful about this one, and it releases in July!

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Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy
Speaking of horror, I’ve got yet another horror on my TBR this month! The synopsis of this one says it’s a mix of Midsommar and American Psycho with a bit of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark mixed in, so I’m very curious about this one. It’s about a middle aged woman that strange things start to happen to. The things she experiences are similar to that of an infamous serial killer, and soon, killings start to happen again. I’m super curious to see what the paranormal aspects of this one will be, my bet would be on possession! This one releases in July.

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An Impossible Impostor by Deanna Raybourn
This is the 7th and currently most recent release in the Veronica Speedwell series! I’ve been reading about 2 of these a month (with the exception being last month) and I’m both excited to be caught up, but also sad that I can’t look forward to the next one right away! The synopsis of this one sounds super interesting, with Veronica and Stoker trying to investigate a man who was thought to have been killed in the eruption of Krakatoa who suddenly shows up with no memory of who he is or where he has been. I’ve been listening to these on audiobook, and the narrator is amazing so I highly recommend checking out the audiobooks.

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The Valkyrie’s Daughter by Tiana Warner
The original title for this book was The Helheim Princess and it had a completely different cover, so if you think this book sounds familiar that may be why! This releases in July, and is an LGBTQ YA fantasy that’s inspired by Norse mythology. It follows a girl who has always wanted to be a valkyrie, and when she’s shown a vision of her leading the valkyrie’s on the legendary horse Sleipnir she immediately does what she needs to in order to reach her destiny. I love Norse mythology, so I’m excited to see what this one is like!

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For the Throne by Hannah Whitten
To say I’m excited for this book is an understatement! It’s one of my most anticipated releases for the year, and I can’t believe it’s almost out! It comes out on June 9th, and I’ll most likely be dropping EVERYTHING to start this once it arrives. I could’ve gotten an e-arc to read it early, but I really wanted to read it physically so I ended up not requesting it, but that just means I need to wait for the release date! This is the second book in the Wilderwood duology, which is a Beauty and the Beast/Little Red Riding Hood retelling and it was one of my favorite books of last year, so I’m excited to finish the duology!

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I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
Like I said, I’ve been really enjoying reading horror lately and this is a pretty popular one, so I wanted to give it a shot! The synopsis doesn’t really give you anything, other than it’s a “twisted unraveling of the darkest unease” so I’m hoping that it will make me feel really creeped out! I’ve seen a lot of reviews though that have been linking to an explanation of the ending, so I’m not sure how I feel about that. Normally I don’t like books with ambiguous or unclear endings, but we’ll see where this goes. So far I’m just very confused by what I’m reading.

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The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne
This is another of my most anticipated releases, and I was lucky enough to get an arc! It’s another July release, and I’m already about 30% into this one and really enjoying it. It’s a Rapunzel retelling, but from the POV of Mother Gothel showing how she ended up there. It’s set in 12th century Germany, and so far it’s been really interesting and even though I know the story of Rapunzel, I have NO idea where this book is going. It’s getting fantastic reviews so far, and so far I can see why!