2026 Reading - May!

1.  How to Fake It in Society, KJ Charles - A new KJ Charles is always a treat, but honestly, this is probably my least favorite.  It was light and fluffy and fun, but it felt more like melodrama than anything.  The characters were great, but they were almost caricatures, and the plot was ridiculously over the top.  (Having said that, I wonder if Charles is playing with styles as her last book was Gothic, which was also new.)  Loved the ending, and loved the historic tie-in!

2.  The Ascended, Parker Lennox - This was THE book on BookTok/Bookstagram last year, but knowing it was the first in a duology with no schedule for the second book I put it off for a long while.  BUT, I was in the mood for a big, beefy book and was in the mood for a big beefy book.  Wow.  Just Wow.  It was amazing, and I loved the journey.  Definitely in the running for a top 10 book for the year!  The magic system felt unique, I loved the twin bond, the games and trials (a trope which is growing on me more and more as I find quality examples of it) were good, the politics were delicious, and the relationships were amazing!  The ending was bleak, but not without hope.  Now I need to go read their other books.  

3.  The City of Stardust, Georgia Summers (audio and print) - I don't think I did this book any favors by listening to the first half in audio.  It almost killed the book for me, and I ended up giving it a lower rating than I probably would have if I'd read the whole thing with my eyeballs.  I really enjoyed the family dynamics at the center of the book, and I love that there was no resolution with one particular relationship.  It didn't feel particularly original, but it was well done.  

4.  A Long and Speaking Silence, Nghi Vo (Singing Hills Cycle #7) - OK, this barely qualifies as a novella - both in length and in content.  The Singing Hills books have always felt like delightful gems, but this time I was left unsatisfied and wanting more.  

5.  The Bridge Kingdom, 6.  The Traitor Queen, Danielle L. Jenson - Another BookTok/Stagram recommendation!  I waited until the final book in the series was released before I considered it, and even then was kind of sceptical (I don't know why....other than that I take online recommendations with a grain of salt.)  Friends, this book had me from the first chapters, which truly shocked and delighted me.  Big bonus for feeling so fresh and new because of unique worldbuilding!  I read Jensen's Saga of the Unfated earlier this year, and while I enjoyed them and loved the FMC's arc, I felt that a lot of her characters weren't well-developed.  Happy to say, that's not the case here.  Overall, this is just a much better series.  

7.  The Inadequate Heir, Danielle L. Jensen - On to the second duology in the series!  What I really loved about this book is that it jumped back in time and told a central part of the plot from the first duology in a completely different POV, and it did it really well.  (Sometimes this trick can be a bore.)  The world felt so much richer for having done that.  Really enjoyed our new couple, and am curious about where they will go next.  

8.  As Many Souls As Stars, Natasha Siegel (audio) - Strangely, I don't remember where I got this recommendation.  So here's the thing.  It is a gorgeous book, but when it's being marketed as "for fans of Addie La Rue" and it includes a demon that makes deals with humans, a woman who's (soul is) traveling through time, and "The darkness"....yeah, it comes across as a stolen idea reimagined.  Also, it really was a slow start and I hated both of the characters.  Having said that, it is beautifully written, and in and of itself isn't a bad book.  I just have very conflicted feelings.  

9.  Platform Decay, Martha Wells (audio) (Murderbot #8) - Eh.  I listened to it and retained nothing other than it was in line with the other books.  Think I'm done with this series, through no fault of its own - the charm has just worn off for me.  

10.  The Book Witch, Meg Shaffer - It was magical!  I adore Shaffer, and this was by far my favorite of her books.  Shaffer can be relied on for a book that makes you just feel good when you finish up.  I loved the concept of jumping in and out of books to save stories, and loved the twist at the end!  Rainy was a delight, the romance was sweet, and the ending was satisfying.  Shaffer clearly loves literature, and that came through with every reference included.  Now, I need to go dig out my copy of the first Nancy Drew book.... 

11.  The Tapestry of Fate, Shannon Chakraborty (audio and print) - I love Amina with all of my heart.  Thanks to The Novel Neighbor, I had the great delight of seeing Shannon Chakraborty the day before this book was released, and it may have been my favorite author event so far!  I LOVE the amount of research that Chakraborty puts into her work - including the fact that she learned how to spin so that she could write about fiber arts in this book.  (Found that out in the signing line because as a spinner myself I was super excited about the magical item in the book!)  Chakraborty was gracious with her time, and so much fun to listen to!  The Odyssey was clearly an inspiration, which my classics minor appreciated.  The book was a tad darker than the first, but that just means that it had a lot more to say about real life.  So much of this book was really about relationships, and I treasured that.  Such an amazing read!  (I guessed the very end based on some hints at the event, which is good because it was both not as bad as expected and also might have annoyed me if I hadn’t guessed.)

12.  Blood of Hercules, 13.  Bonds of Hercules, Jasmine Mas (audio and print) (Villains of Lore) - This duology was another BookTok darling, and I really didn't plan on reading it because it is marketed as a dark romance.  But it was on sale - both print and audio - and I decided I wanted to try something a little unhinged.  Wow.  I was not expecting to have so much fun, nor was I expecting to laugh so much.  Again, my classics minor appreciated how Mas turned classical mythology on its head in such a fun way! 

14.  She Knows All The Names, Michelle Jabes Corpora (audio) (Throne of Khetara, book 2) - The first book was a Skylark Bookshop recommendation last year, and I fell in love with both the beautiful writing and the ancient Egyptian world which brought back my childhood fascination with all things ancient Egypt.  Even with that, though, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue on with the series....but the pretty book drew me in.  Such a good read.  This is the rare YA that I enjoy nowdays.  I was on the edge of my seat through the entire last half!

15.  The Maid and the Crocodile, Jordan Ifeuko (audio) - I read Ifeuko’s Raybearer duology quite some time ago, and remember loving it.  It’s such a treat to read really well-written fantasy based in cultures that aren’t my own.  Although I don’t read that much YA anymore, I’ve felt  pulled to this book for some time - seeing it show up again and again in online book spaces and remembering how well-written the other books were.  It was such a treat.  I have a real soft spot for main characters who aren’t perfect or deal with some form of disability because life isn’t full of ‘perfect’ people.  I also very much enjoyed seeing the world built by the previous books from the other side - the regular person v. the royal.  

16. The Ballad of Falling Dragons, Sarah A. Parker - I had the great pleasure of seeing Parker on release day in St. Louis, thanks to The Novel Neighbor.  Bless her, she was really emotional…and having read the book, I completely understand.  Parker has put a lot of her own heart in this book.  (She also has an absolutely fascinating writing style…so much so that I was texting my writer husband about it during the talk.)  Book 1 was all about poetic writing and amazing world building, and book two was more plot focused, while still hanging on to the quality of writing.  Given my Empire Strikes Back theory, I was very nervous for the second half of the book.  Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as I expected  - and it makes sense given that Parker said she originally imagined the first two books as one giant tome.  The door is still wide open for plenty of great stuff in the third and final book, but I’m at peace until it’s available.  I will go back and do a full reread before the final book comes out.  (I’ve been relying on online synopsis to catch me up in ongoing series.)  This is the sort of book that left me ruined for all other books.  (Fortunately, I’ve been there before and I recover!)

17.  The Shadow of the Gods, John Gwynne (audio and print) - As suspected, my previous attempt was a right book, wrong time situation.  I’m glad I came back to it, and I do recognize the high quality of the writing.  So thoughts:  1.  I did it a disservice by relying on audio so much the first time around.  The plus side is you get the correct pronunciations, on the other hand with so many characters and so many names that were similar I ended up losing track of a lot of the plot.  Picking it back up again, I did have to go back and reread big chunks because I had not absorbed the plot the first time around.  (Thank goodness for the easy search in a digital copy!). 2.  I’m just not into Viking based fantasy - which is a problem in a plot based Viking fantasy with little character development.  3.  This is the first true epic fantasy that I’ve read in a while, and it did take some work to adjust.  This tells me I need to read more epic fantasy.  4. Gwynne is part of my challenge to my bias against male writers…and, well, I’m conflicted.  Yes, it’s true that there are amazing female characters in this book.  It’s also true that there’s an emotional distance from the story, which I really missed.  Verdict is still out on this one, but I will continue.