Monthly Wrap Up | May 2020 – Worlds Unlike Our Own

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May has been quite the productive month for me! Admittedly, I spent more of my reading time on comics this month than I intended to, but I did still manage to get some pretty good novels in there too. Another month of mostly staying home has gone by and it looks like I’m going to be working from home for a while yet, but in good news, the bookstores are finally open again! I’ve also been trying to find better ways to track my TBR and especially my ARCs this month and hopefully it’ll to be a lot more efficient going forward. And of course, I hit my first reading goal for the Goodreads Reading Challenge, which was 100 books and have now moved it up to the next goal of 150! Happy reading and stay safe!

Books I Read in May 2020
(links lead to reviews)

New Releases
Daughter of the Reich – Louise Fein – ARC (🌟🌟🌟🌟)
The Archer at Dawn (The Tiger at Midnight #2) – Swati Teerdhala – ARC (🌟🌟🌟🌟)
The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly – Jamie Pacton (🌟🌟🌟 1/2)
The Jewel Thief – Jeannie Mobley – ARC (🌟🌟🌟🌟)
The Paper Girl of Paris – Jordyn Taylor – ARC (🌟🌟🌟 1/2)
The Arbella Stuart Conspiracy (The Marquess House Trilogy #3)
– Alexandra Walsh – ARC (🌟🌟🌟🌟 1/2)

Re-Reads
The Red Sea Sharks (Tintin #19) – Hergé (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
The Calculus Affair (Tintin #18) – Hergé (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
The Black Island (Tintin #7) – Hergé (🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Flight 714 (Tintin #22) – Hergé (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Tintin in Tibet (Tintin #20) – Hergé (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix the Gaul (Asterix #1) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Golden Sickle (Asterix #2) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Goths (Asterix #3) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix the Gladiator (Asterix #4) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Banquet (Asterix #5) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and Cleopatra (Asterix #6) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Big Fight (Asterix #7) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix in Britain (Asterix #8) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Normans (Asterix #9) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix the Legionary (Asterix #10) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Chieftain’s Shield (Asterix #11) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix at the Olympic Games(Asterix #12) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Cauldron (Asterix #13) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix in Spain (Asterix #14) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Roman Agent (Asterix #15) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix in Switzerland (Asterix #16) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
The Mansions of the Gods (Asterix #17) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Laurel Wreath (Asterix #18) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Soothsayer (Asterix #19) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix in Corsica (Asterix #20) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and Caesar’s Gift (Asterix #21) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Great Crossing (Asterix #22) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Obelix and Co. (Asterix #23) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix in Belgium (Asterix #24) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Great Divide (Asterix #25) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Black Gold (Asterix #26) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and Son (Asterix #27) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Magic Carpet (Asterix #28) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Secret Weapon (Asterix #29) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) – Leigh Bardugo (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and Obelix All at Sea (Asterix #30) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Actress (Asterix #31) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Class Act (Asterix #32) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Astérix and the Falling Sky (Asterix #33) – René Goscinny (🌟🌟🌟🌟)

Other posts & reviews this month

Monthly Wrap Up | April 2020
The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire #1) – C. J. Redwine (🌟🌟🌟 1/2)
The Wish Granter (Ravenspire #2) – C. J. Redwine (🌟🌟🌟🌟)
WWW Wednesday | May 06, 2020
The Traitor Prince (Ravenspire #3) – C. J. Redwine (🌟🌟🌟🌟)
Reader Problems Book Tag
WWW Wednesday | May 13, 2020
WWW Wednesday | May 20, 2020
Mini Reviews #12 (The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly, Girls With Razor Hearts, Heartstopper: Volume One)
WWW Wednesday | May 27, 2020
Bookish Prediction Tag

Reading Challenge Updates

1. Epic Reads Reading Challenge: THE DARK SIDE OF MAGIC
Chosen Book: Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) – Leigh Bardugo
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price – and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…
A convict with a thirst for revenge
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy known as the Wraith
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes
Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
Six of Crows is one of my all time favourites and while there isn’t much focus on magic in it, what is there fits this prompt perfectly! Check out my review here!

2. Fictional Hangover Book Club Challenge
SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED: Read a new take on an old story (reinterpretation/reimagining)
Chosen book: The Traitor Prince (Ravenspire #3) – C. J. Redwine
Javan Najafai, crown prince of Akram, has spent the last ten years at an elite boarding school, far away from his kingdom. But his eagerly awaited return home is cut short when a mysterious imposter takes his place—and no one believes Javan is the true prince.
After barely escaping the imposter’s assassins, Javan is thrown into Maqbara, the kingdom’s most dangerous prison. The only way to gain an audience with the king — and reveal Javan’s identity — is to fight in Maqbara’s yearly tournament. But winning is much harder than acing competitions at school, and soon Javan finds himself beset not just by the terrifying creatures in the arena, but also a band of prisoners allied against him, and even the warden herself.
The only person who can help him is Sajda, who has been enslaved by Maqbara’s warden since she was a child, and whose guarded demeanor and powerful right hook keep the prisoners in check. Working with Sajda might be the only way Javan can escape alive — but she has dangerous secrets.
Together, Javan and Sajda have to outwit the vicious warden, outfight the deadly creatures, and outlast the murderous prisoners intent on killing Javan. If they fail, they’ll be trapped in Maqbara for good—and the secret Sajda’s been hiding will bury them both.
The Traitor Prince was quite the thrilling read and I really enjoyed this twist on a fairytale that for once I actually like. Based on The Prince and the Pauper along with an Arabic folktale, the serious tone of this book was certainly a departure from the previous novels in this series. Check out my review here!