Gothic Horror, Found Family, and Robots // June Wrap-Up

Hi everyone! I hope your June was a great month! We had a lovely weather here in the UK towards the beginning of the month so I got a lot of outside reading done. I even got to go to a castle a few weeks ago which was so much fun. Did you do anything fun this month?

Reading wise I managed to read 18 months this book, which is a total of 5,999 pages! I’ve done a better job of paying attention to my stats this month which was a lot of fun. I’m one of those weird people who love keeping records and making lists. My top read genres were fantasy, horror, and sci-fi, no real surprise there. 13 of my books were either written by or featured and LGBT+ main character, which I consider to be a pride month win.

Over at the book club I run we’re reading A Memory Called Empire for our July-August book. Celestial book club is focused on diverse sci-fi and fantasy, and if you’re interested feel free to come join us!

• Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly DeVos – This one was such a fun read, I mean a zombie outbreak is a weight loss camp with a fat positive twist will always be a fantastic time. I’m not sure if the ending totally satisfied me but otherwise I loved it. Recommended for people who love zombie horror movies and want a fun fatphobic new take.
• Monstrous Design by Kat Dunn – I love this series a lot. This book was faster paced and more character focused, add in Frankenstein-esque shenanigans and I was so here for it.. Recommended for people who love books that can’t be confined to an easy genre.
• The Bone Way by Holly J. Underhill– I enjoyed this but I thought it was a little bit too straightforward of an adventure. I’ll never say no to sapphic books though. Recommended for people who want a short, sweet adventure book.
• This Town Sleeps by Dennis E. Staples – This was such an interesting book, it has some fun literary techniques in it and I loved the focus on a queer, indigenous man. Recommended for people who want to read a literary book with an underrepresented voice.
• The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling – I absolutely loved this book, it was such delightfully creepy fun. I never realised how much I love horror books about being deep and isolated underground before. Recommended for people who love claustrophobic, horror and want one with a sapphic main character.

• The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso – I enjoyed this book, it’s a fantasy that’s very personal and character based, the main character frustrated me at times but I’ll definitely be continuing. Recommended for people who love intimate fantasy.
• The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune – This book was sweet and heartwarming, I can see why people enjoy it. I wish it had more of a large scale critique of the systems that allow cruelty to take place instead of focusing wholly on individual love as a saving force. Recommended for people who want a sweet, comfort read.
• What We Devour by Linsey Miller – Although this one has a slow start once it got stuck in it was brilliant. Filled with eat the rich vibes and the consequences of power I couldn’t get enough. Recommended for people who love dark, savage fantasy.
• A Psalm For The Wild-Built by Becky Chambers – Becky Chambers books are always delightful and this one was no different. Featuring a non-binary tea monk and a robot it asks what do humans actually want, and maybe having no purpose is not a bad thing. Recommended for people who love optimistic, gentle sci-fi.
• The First Sister by Linden A Lewis – I loved this book so much. Queer space opera about autonomy and how it can be ripped from you? Yes please, the ending completely broke me.. Recommended for people who love queer space operas.

• The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi – This book was so much more brutal and heartbreaking than the first. Roshani Chokshi knows how to inflict pain, amazing book. Recommended for people who love watching a found family break apart.
• Among The Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston – I thought I’d love this book and it’s fairy-tale feel but it didn’t quite work for me. It has quite a young voice and was just a bit too straightforward, I’d definitely still recommend it though. Recommended for people who love books with a fairy-tale vibe to them.
• What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo – I loved this book with all of it’s gothic horror and Adams Family vibes! It’s definitely a strange one but if you can get behind the weirdness you’ll love it. Recommended for people who love monstrous, dysfunctional families and gothic horror.
• There’s Magic Between Us by Jillian Maria – This was such an adorable book with a fantastic sapphic relationship, treasure hunts, and tricky fairies. I especially loved the family relationships in this one. Recommended for people who want an adorable sapphic, contemporary fantasy.
• Weapon uWu Vol 1 by SJ Whitby – This book was so much fun. Featuring a team of queer superheroes fighting against various powerful mutants looking to destroy the world. I especially enjoyed how the love triangle played out. Recommended for people who love fast-paced , cinematic books with lots of queer representation.

• The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix – This was one a fun horror book that I couldn’t put down, my only critique is that I think the way social issues were incorporated was a bit clumsy. – Recommended for people who lve slasher movies.
• Surrender To Sin by Nicola Davidson – This was a fun, sexy romance! It felt a little bit fast-paced in parts but overall I really enjoyed it. Recommended for people who like spicy historical.
• Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo – I was kinda disappointed by this series. The side characters were all great but the plot was just all over the place, and I don’t think I really ever cared about Alina’s story. Recommended for people who love the 2010s young adult fantasy vibes or the adaptation and have yet to read the books.

• The Empire’s Ruin by Brian Staveley – Adult Fantasy –The Annurian Empire is disintegrating, and to see it one soldier most voyage beyond the edge of the known world.– This one is a chunky fantasy and I’m so excited to get started! I’m a big fan of epic fantasy and this one promises to deliver.
• These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan – Young Adult Fantasy –When Brie’s sister is sold to the king of the Unseelie court she’ll do whatever she needs to get her back, including stealing three magical relics from the Seelie court. – This brand of faerie fantasy romance is hit or miss with me, but I can’t help but always wanting to give it a go.
• She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan – Adult Historical Fantasy –When the Zhu family’s son is given a fate of greatness everyone is mystified. When their daughter is given the fate of nothingness it is only as expected. The two children are left orphaned, and it is the son who succumbs to grief, and the girl takes on his identity to survive.– This is one of my absolute most anticipated books of the year and I am so excited to start reading it.
• Once Stolen by D.N. Bryn – Adult Fantasy –Mer-snake Cacao longs for stones that help him feel calm, but his attempt to steal them fails. Now he’s chained to a cartel prisoner, and he’s determined to guide her through the swamps for another chance to steal her stones.– An enemies to lovers with an autistic snake man is somehow all I’ve ever wanted.
• The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould – Young Adult Horror –Something is wrong in Snakebite, Oregon. Teenagers are disappearing, strange events are occurring, and the fingers seem to point to TV’s most popular ghost hunters. When their daughter Logan, and a girl names Ashley join together they uncover secrets neither are ready for.– I love the sound of this book, I mean a paranormal mystery with a sapphic romance is so my vibes.

These are some of my favourite posts that I wrote this month!

• Fairytale Vibes and a Creepy, Sentient Forest // For The Wolf
• Sapphic Fantasy Wins Again // The Jasmine Throne
• My Most Anticipated Books For The Second Half Of 2021
• Do We Let Queer Characters Be Messy? // Pride Month Discussion
• 100+ Books By Trans and Non-Binary Authors For Pride Month // Collaboration
• July’s New Book Releases I’m Excited For

Books by other bloggers that I loved this month!

• 84 Books by South Asian Authors to Read This Year
• Queer Indie SFF Recs for Pride!
• Discussion Post: My Top 12 Favourite Young Adult Books, and What They Mean to Me
• Spotlight: Asian books releasing in second half of 2021
• In The Intersection: Indigenous LGBT Lit