I read eight books in the month of May – it was a bit of a random selection, due to the fact that a lot of them were ARCs! We have Blood Bound and Deathbringer, both of which were released this month, and were also picks for the Fairyloot Adult and Illumicrate subscriptions and I’m super happy with my gorgeous editions. I also read a sapphic thriller that’s pitched as Thelma and Louise meets the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (if you’re intrigued by that, I guess you’ll just have to read on…). As well as ARCs, we have a touch of horror for summer, and two romance books I binged over the heatwave. Without further ado, let’s get into all the books I read in May!

• Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter

Fantasy romance

‘You duel, or you die.’

My review: Astrid has always known she was destined to die. She is a Nachstern witch and a Princess of Arturea. As is written in their law, the heirs to the queendom of Arturea and the kingdom of Vatra must duel. The winning heir will secure the Heart for their country – an infinite source to power. Astrid’s people desperately need the Heart to fight the blight that is scourging their queendom. The problem for Astrid is that her opponent is the fearsome Prince Zryan, the most renowned Vatran dragon rider in generations. 

Meanwhile, Skylar is part of a travelling troupe of performers and thieves. She harbours a deep hatred of anything Vatran, ever since the King’s guard executed her mother, but the prospective of lucrative winnings from the crowd gathered to watch the duel draws her troupe to the Vatran capital. Except, her path is destined to intertwine with the royals more than Skylar could have ever predicted. 

I do really enjoy a dual POV, especially between two FMCs – such as Twin Crowns or These Notorious Virtues. I really enjoyed both Skylar and Astrid’s POVs. The plot was incredibly fast-paced – it felt like we were getting new information and developments virtually every chapter. It’s a longish book for current fantasy standards, which I appreciated. It felt the authors took their time with the story. I also really loved that female friendship was put at the fore of this story! It’s something we rarely see in fantasy, aside from in subplots and it’s something that all of us can relate to. 

Additionally, the romance crept up on me – I didn’t go into it expecting to be giggling and kicking my feet quite as much as I was, even though it could have done with being a taaad more slow-burn for me. Still, I think Skylar’s romantic subplot might satisfy that slow-burn urge in the sequel. The witches’s familiars and the bonded dragons was a surefire way to my heart; I will always love an animal companion and this book was brimming with them.

It did read slightly more YA at times – for instance, it’s comped to Fourth Wing and Quicksilver, and I think those could be slightly misleading. I’d say the comps to the early Throne of Glass books and the Red Queen books are more accurate. For instance, some of the nicknames used lent the characters the air of being younger than they were – they were early 20s, but behaved more like 16/17 year olds. Definitely not something that put me off, as I love my YA fantasy romances, but just something to be aware of!

Overall, I will definitely be picking up the sequel whenever it releases. Was it a stand-out book in my month? Alas, probably not, but I did thoroughly enjoy my reading experience. It had a distinct Twin Crowns vibe about it, so if you enjoyed that series, I’d recommend this. 

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the digital proof. Blood Bound is out on the 7th May! 

• The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

‘Tell me again, the story of the faerie king.’

My review: The Rose Bargain is set in an alternate version of regency England, where England is ruled by the mercurial faerie Queen Mor. Around the time of the War of the Roses, Mor was cast out of her queendom and, upon finding herself in the foreign human land, she strikes a deal with the bloody battle’s victorious king. But faeries are tricky, capricious creatures and Mor double-crosses him to take the kingdom for herself.

Since then, nobles and peasants alike have been striking bargains with Queen Mor. In return for granting their wishes, Mor takes something from each of them. It could be anything from body parts and memories to years of their life. Ivy Benton’s family is in dire straits – their money is drying up, servants fleeing their sinking ship and, as Ivy’s season looms, her making an advantageous match is the only chance they have left to rectify their fortunes. So when Queen Mor announces a challenge for her son’s, Prince Bram, hand in marriage, Ivy is willing to do anything to ensure she wins.

I actually loved this one so much more than I was expecting to. These sort of historical romances blended with fantasy have historically been rather hit or miss with me – for instance, I didn’t love Half a Soul. But this? It just worked for me! It was so whimsical and truly the perfect spring read. It’s pitched as The Cruel Prince meets The Selection, which is a perfect comparison. It has that competing storyline between the six girls vying for Bram’s hand (although I thought it was handled in a really nice way, in which the girls are actually friendly) amidst Mor’s cruel court.

It features that specific brand of fickle faeries, who you can never trust. The bargain element of the story was so fun – for example, one of the girl’s bargains for a prettier face but her cost is that she can never turn left again? Some are silly things like that, but some are far more deadly.

There’s a hint of romance between Ivy and Prince Emmett, Bram’s half-brother – who unites with Ivy to try to help her win – while Ivy is becoming increasingly conflicted about her growing feelings for Bram. It definitely had its more heartfelt moments too – Ivy’s complicated relationship with her sister and connection with the other girls in the competition.

Overall, I just really loved every aspect of this. SO whimsical and quirky, down to its jaw-dropping twisty ending (I am so glad I waited for the second book to release before reading this!) If you’re a fan of the whimsy of Once Upon a Broken Heart or the love triangle in Powerless, I’d recommend this to you.

• The Thorn Queen by Sasha Peyton Smith

‘Maybe that’s all love is. Something you endure.’

My review: I hate to say it but I enjoyed this significantly less than The Rose Bargain. I don’t want to give a super detailed synopsis for fear of spoiling if you haven’t read the first book, but The Thorn Queen picks up exactly where the Rose Bargain left off. Ivy and Emmett have been separated, with Emmett stranded in the faerie realm, along with her sister Lydia. After winning the competition for his hand, Ivy is wedded to Bram, but the marriage is certainly not all she expected.

The romance, which had been such a pivotal part of the first book, teetered off for me. That’s not to say it wasn’t a focal point because it definitely was. Maybe that’s my issue with it – it felt like a lot of the plot centred around manufacturing these moments between Emmett and Ivy, rather than letting them come together organically (this is a complaint I have a lot of books at the minute). I just didn’t feel as invested in their happy ending as I did in the first book.

The plot seemed to devolve from the very neat, not-a-word-wasted vibe of the first book, to something that was messy and a little meandering, with the exception of the ending, which I thought wrapped up too quickly. I do think pacing was this book’s major issue. I also really missed the camaraderie and friendship between the six girls, who do kind of disappear in this book.

I enjoyed the extra time we spent with Lydia, Ivy’s sister, in this book. She was very much present in the first book, but here she was given the chance a central character in her own right. Additionally, a lot of this book is set in the faerie realm, which I really loved. It made me think of Emily Wilde’s adventures in the faerie realm, so I think if you enjoyed that series, you’d also love this. We get to learn a lot more about faerie lore and folklore that was only hinted at in the first book.

I did think everything wrapped up nicely, albeit a bit rushed. It was definitely a solid sequel, with no loose ends, but I think I just feel slightly disappointed because of how much I loved The Rose Bargain. I’d still recommend this series, especially if you’re a fan of any of the series I’ve mentioned and of YA fantasy romance in general.

• Better Than Revenge by Bea Fitzgerald

Thriller / Sapphic romance

‘”Harper Moore and Nadine Heywood? It was always going to end like this: with a body buried six feet under.”‘

My review: ‘Thelma and Louise meets the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a book about two actresses whose infamous rivalry has a body count.’ That’s Bea Fitzgerald’s own pitch for this book, and if that didn’t immediately intrigue you as it did me… we clearly don’t have the same taste in thrillers. Because that sounds EXPLOSIVE.

I love a thriller (or any book really) that centres around an elite sport or industry – for instance, I devoured the Favourites last year and it even made it onto my favourite books of the year. If, like me, you loved the Favourites, then I think you’d also love Better Than Revenge. Instead of the world of ice dance, we’re focusing on the equally cutthroat Hollywood. Nadine Heywood and Harper Moore’s rivalry first began when they met as teenagers at a London drama school. What started as vying for the same parts and envy coupled with insecurity has since snowballed into a decades-long feud that has kept the tabloids on their toes. From slandering each other in the press to bar brawls, it seems there is nothing Nadine or Harper won’t do to one-up the other.

The writing is so fast-paced and addictive – I felt like I would blink and I’d read 100 pages – with Nadine’s perspective interwoven with interview transcripts. It’s also deeply rooted in 90s pop culture from style and the dawn of the digital age to what the characters are listening to (Britney Spears, of course) and who’s dominating the headlines that week, which is an aspect of the book that I loved!

I did think the book leaned into some of its more hyperbolic moments, resulting in it feeling almost a bit melodramatic at times. It takes a while for the thriller aspect to kick in, but the ride there is so enjoyable that I had no complaints. Watching Nadine’s stratospheric rise to the top and Harper’s gritty ascension to fame, watching their rivalry play out on screens and behind closed doors was so fun.

If you’re someone who has been begging for the return of true enemies-to-lovers – I’m talking they can’t stand each other at first (and for a long time), look no further. Nadine and Harper’s relationship walks the line between love and hate very tenuously at times, and is so incredibly toxic! I also can’t help but think that this book would be the perfect remedy for a reading slump, as I could not put it down.

• Deathbringer by Sonia Taglianreni

Gothic fantasy / Dark academia

‘The last words of the dead are sacred.’

My review: Standing over her Nan’s casket, the dead speaks to Viola for the first time. Immediately, she knows her fate may as well be a death sentence – after all, this magic was responsible for her father’s demise. But when Viola’s sister Olivia leaps at the chance to take Viola’s place at the magical academy, Gorhail, Viola feels a grim sense of relief. When, twelve years later, Olivia is brutally murdered, it’s up to Viola to finally venture into the walls of the place she’s spent her life avoiding.

The plan is simple – find Olivia’s killer and get out. Things are complicated somewhat by a poison mage named Sylas, whose brother was murdered on the same night as Olivia. Despite Dylan’s deep-rooted hatred of death magic, he must ally with Viola to discover the real truth of what happened to their siblings.

Something I really loved about this was the really unique magic system. There are three classes of mage: Arkani, Aspieri and Mortemagi. Sylas is an aspieri, which means his magic comes from the snakes he’s bonded to. It’s definitely a complex magic system, which the author had evidently put a lot of thought into.

Unfortunately, I did think it lost its way slightly, toward the middle section. I really enjoyed the explosive beginning and the ending, but something about the middle’s pacing seemed lacklustre and the scenes were meandering and a bit aimless. Additionally, it was heavily on the plot and light on the romance, which is something to be aware of given it’s been marketed as a romantasy.

Alongside all the necromancy, Deathbringer deals quite heavily with themes of grief, in a way that I thought was really well-done. I also thought the overall arc of the book was well-plotted, with offhanded mentions coming back to haunt the narrative and a LOT of twists and turns toward the end that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I’m also not convinced on the need to make this a series (it’s intended to be a trilogy, I think!) I think it would have worked really well as a standalone. Overall, this was a very solid debut and I’d be interested in reading what the author releases next. However, I’m still undecided whether I will continue this series, just because I actually felt like most of the story was wrapped-up well and probably didn’t call for sequels.

• The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

‘What I am is the Indian who can’t die. I’m the worst dream America ever had.’

My review: Full disclosure – I actually left writing this review until last, because I still don’t know how to talk about it. It’s been a few weeks since I finished it and I haven’t stopped thinking on it since.

In 2012, academic Etsy Beaucarne gets a call, informing her that a diary of one of her ancestors has been discovered in the walls of a church. She begins to read the journal and unearths a horrifying tale of revenge, massacres and centuries of injustice. Written by Arthur Beaucarne in 1912, it details the confessional visits an Indian man named Good Stab made to Arthur’s Lutheran chapel. A story within a story within a story, we have Arthur’s inner monologue alongside Good Stab’s recounting of the tale that has brought him to Arthur’s confessional booth.

It’s definitely not your typical horror books. It’s not jump scares and final girls. Instead, it draws upon the true horror of what the Blackfeet nation experienced. While the vampires, Good Stab and Arthur Beaucarne were not real, everything else in the story could very much have happened and is indeed grounded in real history, something I was hyperaware of while reading.

In terms of narrative, I loved how each of the storylines – from 1870 to 1912 to 2012 connected so seamlessly. I thought SGJ did such an excellent job of making each POV so distinctive and unique. A lot of research had evidently gone into the writing and it felt so immersive (additionally, I listened to the audiobook because I had seen people recommend it on account of the immersive experience, especially with regards to the pronunciation of some of the Blackfoot words, and I definitely second this! The audio production was excellent).

It’s the sort of book I could imagine poring over in English class, dissecting and rereading hundreds of times and finding something new every time. It’s not an easy, or even an enjoyable read, but an important and impactful one. As I said, one that I suspect will stay with me for a long time.

• Bride by Ali Hazelwood

‘Her presence soothes him more than a full-moon run.’

My review: In a complete tonal shift, we pivot to Bride. For context, I read this in a sunstroke induced delirium during a heatwave this month. There is truly no better feeling than a romance novel in the sun. After having enjoyed her STEMinist novels, I had been meaning to catch up on Ali’s backlist and this is her venture into paranormal romance.

Relations between the Vampyres and the Werewolves have been taut for decades, ever since the last arranged political marriage went catastrophically wrong. But when a new Alpha comes into power, the opportunity for reconciliation emerges. But the gamble is worth the risk for the losing Vampyres’. In return for their truce, the Vampyre councilman offers up his own daughter, to go live with the Weres for one year, under the guise of a marriage.

Misery Lark has been living in the Human world for a decade. Forced to return and acquiesce to an arranged marriage with the most powerful Were in the Southwest? Not ideal. The only reason she reluctantly agrees to the scheme is to find her recently-disappeared best friend, and she suspects Lowe Moreland, her new husband, might have something to do with it…

This actually had a lot more plot than I was expecting it to – a lot of political intrigue between the Vampyres, the Weres and the Humans. We also had Misery’s quest to find out what happened to her best friend. Towards the end, it had much higher stakes and a more realistic third-act breakup which I appreciated.

I had a lot of fun with this and it delivered exactly what I needed it to on a streak of sunny days. A likeable, feisty (and typically quirky) female protagonist and a swoonworthy love interest, with a lovable cast of side characters. It was similar to Ali’s backlist, except with the addition of supernatural beings – but you know what, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Another solid serve from Queen Ali in my book 🫡

• Mate by Ali Hazelwood

‘Her laughter adjusts the spin of his atoms.’

My review: It seems there’s a bit of a theme happening this month on sequels, because I also didn’t enjoy this one nearly as much as Bride. Mate follows Misery’s best friend, Serena, who, after being kidnapped in Bride and held hostage for months, is very much due some R&R. Unfortunately for her, that’s the last thing she’d going to get. Just months after finding out her true heritage and discovering she is one of the only Were-Human Hybrids, Serena is diagnosed with a rare Were illness – one that, because of her unusual biology, is incurable. The fact that she only has months to live is further complicated by the continual presence of Koen in her life. The fearsome Alpha of the Northwest pack, who also just happens to be Serena’s mate.

I think the main reason I didn’t vibe with this as much as I did with Bride is because of the simple reason that I did not like Koen. He acted weirdly aloof towards Serena, until all of a sudden he was super intense and protective. I do tend to hate overly protective male love interests, and this was no different. I didn’t like him from the off – he’s introduced to us in a really weird way and I did consider DNFing right there and then. I’m glad I persevered but I’m still not convinced that Bride really needed a sequel.

I could see the real reason behind Serena’s mysterious illness coming from a mile away, and I didn’t love the twist when it came. I also felt like perhaps the romance depended too heavily on the mating bond between Koen and Serena. I didn’t connect with the side characters in the Northwest pack as much as I did for those in Bride. The humour just didn’t land the same – also, looking through Goodreads reviews and seeing other people take issue with some of Koen’s vocabulary choices makes me feel so justified. That will make no sense if you haven’t read the book but just take my word for it… it was bad.

It was also a lot spicier than Bride was (or maybe it just felt that way because the spice was crammed together) and their relationship did seem very sexual. I’m a slow-burn gal, so it didn’t super work for me. Again, it kept me entertained in a sun lounger but my favourite of the series was definitely Bride.

• Havisham by Elle Machray

‘Jilted bride. Vengeful heart. Hopeless romantic.’

My review: Havisham, as the title implies, is a feminist retelling of the infamous character from Dickens’ Great Expectations. We follow Charlotte Havisham (Machray has given her a name, something we never saw in GE) two years after she has been jilted at the altar. When she is drawn into her ex-fiance Compeyson’s orbit once again, Charlotte is determined not to let him ruin her life again. This time, she will regain the rights to her family’s ancestral brewery, and she will dismiss the rumours of madness that he has spread. With the help of some familiar faces, Molly, Jaggers and her reformed brother Arthur Havisham, Charlotte must stop Compeyson from preying on another of their social circle.

First of all, let me acknowledge what a hard retelling this is to do. A character as well-known as Miss Havisham will always be challenging but then add to that what we know of her tragic story. I think this provokes two questions – how to do Miss Havisham justice in a prequel reimagining and how to provide a satisfying ending given what we already know of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations?

I do think I enjoyed this more when I removed it from the original text and read it as a completely separate gothic tale. It worked really well as an original story, but I do think that when compared to Dickens’ magnum opus, it fell apart slightly – again, I credit this to how hard of a reimagining it is to pull off. Otherwise, it was well-structured and I actually really enjoyed the alternate ending Machray went with. I thought it was well-executed and a very fun, girl-power read.

If you’re a fan of literary fiction grounded in historical fiction, I think you’ll really love this. I also heard Elle Machray speak at a book event recently, and the insights she provided, from her research into the era and brewing to the the misconceptions that women didn’t own businesses in the late Victorian era, along with her writing journey and her own experiences with Great Expectations… I just love hearing author’s talking about their work. It adds so much more colour to the black-and-white words on the page. I will always be an advocate of attending bookish events as often as you can!