Rating: 4.5 Stars Genre: Historical/LGBT/Greek Mythology Series/Standalone: Standalone How I got this book: Bought Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear. Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart. This book was incredible, but not quite how I'd expected.
“There are no bargains between lion and men. I will kill you and eat you raw.” Like most people, I've heard this book mentioned A LOT but other than knowing it was a Trojan War re-telling, that it featured a queer romance, and that it was 'guaranteed to make me cry, I didn't really know what to expect. I'm a huge lover of Greek mythology, so much so that I'm writing my own Greek myth-inspired story, and after reading Lore by Alexandra Bracken earlier this year, I was desperate for a more adult mythology re-telling. I want to begin by saying that the prose in this book is beautiful, complex and completely immersive. I was transported to Ancient Greece the moment I started reading and found the entire world fascinating. Ultimately though, it was the characters, particularly Patroclus, that made this book incredible. He's a fantastic narrator, so well developed that I could hear his voice in my head, and my heart broke for him several times throughout the book. His relationship with Achilles seems simple at first, but it grows and changes, as the characters do, until it becomes something complex, gritty, and real, giving much more weight to the story than a simple romance. “Name one hero who was happy.” While the emotion in this story didn't bring me to tears, as I'd been promised (although the ending brought me extremely close) it was no less there. It made my heart heavy and light so many times, and while the pacing isn't particularly fast, the characters and the emotional writing kept me gripped from start to finish. So, if you think you'd enjoy losing yourself in Greek mythology, with a brilliant yet tragic queer storyline, and characters who feel real, you'll love The Song of Achilles. “We were like gods at the dawning of the world, & our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.” Rating: 5 STARS! Genre: LGBT/YA/Contemporary Series/Standalone: Standalone How I got this book: Bought Freddie has a reputation as a ‘nice guy’ – inoffensive, sweet, kind – and therefore completely un-dateable. As he starts sixth form, Freddie decides that this nice guy isn’t going to finish last any more. No more missing out on parties because he’s got to do his homework. No more saying no when he really wants to say yes. And most of all no more lusting after unobtainable straight boys who enjoy the attention but ultimately break his heart. Freddie embarks on a series of changes designed to transform his social and romantic life, and suddenly he’s a drama darling, getting invited to all the popular kids’ parties, and hot new boy Zach is showing an interest. Life couldn’t be better! But the path to love is never smooth – and Freddie’s about to learn that changing everything about yourself isn’t necessarily a foolproof way of finding the right person… It's summer, which means a new YA novel from Simon James Green!!
“Kissed a boy, nearly had a date, told lies, screwed it up, died lonely and bitter.” Simon is one of my favourite writers, his books never fail to entertain and I was so excited when I heard about his latest project that centres around Freddie, a complete wallflower with a 'nice guy' persona and a healthy appetite for cheese and doughnuts. After being mistaken for a waiter at the launch party for his mum's new tv show, and getting off on the wrong foot with the (very cute) star of the show, Freddie decides it's time to start putting himself out there and getting noticed. With the help of his hilarious (and amazing) friends, he finds himself auditioning for the school production of Grease and catching the eye of hot new guy, Zach. Yes, before you ask, I'm writing this while listening to the Grease soundtrack...why not! "It's Grease." Why does everything need a "gruesome underbelly" these days to be considered worthy? Why can't people just have a laugh and enjoy stuff - is the world not shit enough?" - Honestly, I bloody love this quote! Simon honestly writes the BEST British humour. I love how effortlessly funny his writing is, and You're the One That I Want is no different. Freddie is awkward, sweet and hilarious, his friends are amazing and his story is guaranteed to make you laugh. It's a little bit High School Music meets Yes Man, but set in a British public school...if that makes any sense at all! Urging each other out of their comfort zones, Freddie and his two best-friends find new love, the wrong love, and more importantly, learn that loving who they are is the most important thing of all. Simon deserves an award, if he hasn't won one already! He hits it out of the park with every single book he writes. So, if you're looking for drama (of the theatre variety), plenty of cheese (the best kind) and a love triangle with a twist, add You're the One That I Want to your TBR, or better yet, grab a copy and read it! “Because, sure, being a spectator may be safer, and by playing you might get hurt. But you might also feel the soaring high of a massive win - and for that, you really have gotta be in it." I haven't done a blog meme in forever but I saw this one over on Becky's Book Blog and figured it'd be fun to do. WWW is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words. The Three Ws are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? What are you currently reading?I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of When Sparks Fly by Helena Hunting from St. Martin's Press. I read Shacking Up and I Flipping Love You, by Helena Hunting a couple of years ago, which I really enjoyed, and When Sparks Fly sounded like a flirty, fun read, perfect for summer. Sadly though, while the plot is interesting, I'm still waiting for the characters to show any chemistry. So far, they're a bit two-dimensional and the connection between them is only just there. However, saying that, there's definitely something about this book that's forcing me to keep turning pages, I'm just not sure what it is yet... What did you recently finish reading? I just finished reading Flash Fire by TJ Klune a few days ago and it blew me away. Nicky is just as fantastically sweet, clueless and brilliant as I remember, and he and Seth have great chemistry. This book is diverse, action-packed and a complete riot from start to finish. TJ also manages to deal with some pretty big issues, while still maintaining a fun, unique storyline. The only thing I didn't like was the ending FOR REASONS! I just have everything crossed that Klune can pull it off in the next instalment, which I don't really doubt! What do you think you’ll read next?I am SO, SO excited to read Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. I was over the moon when I received an eARC from the lovely people at Hodder & Stoughton. I love Stepahnie's magical, immersive writing style and this definitely sounds like a book that's going to sweep me away on a new adventure. And that's it for this week! What are you reading?
THE JUNE BOX FINALLY ARRIVED!!!
I'm not going to waste any time jumping into this one because I am very excited! So, let's just have a quick recap of the June theme: Have you ever felt a connection to an animal friend? Or wished for your own magic creature to accompany you on an epic quest? Whether that be a fire-spitting dragon or a talking cat, for many readers animals are the perfect companions! If you could have an animal companion, what would it be and why? 🖤 In this box you can expect items inspired by The Raven Boys, Crescent City, The Priory of the Orange Tree, Kiki's Delivery Service and Kingdom of the Wicked. We are thrilled to reveal that this box will include TWO items that we have never featured before — one of which is a Crescent City flower pot! 🖤 Our featured book of the month is a contemporary fantasy filled with sarcastic characters, dragons, action and a dash of romance. This FairyLoot exclusive edition will have an EXCLUSIVE COVER, SPRAYED EDGES, ARTWORK ON THE REVERSE OF THE DUST JACKET by @icandrawthingz, FOIL EMBOSSING ON THE CASE by @icandrawthingz and will be SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. Okay, let's jump in! As always, there will be spoilers beyond this point so look away now if you don't want to see what's inside this box. I wrote this unboxing AGES ago but completely blanked and forgot to post it. Since it's been so long, I've forgone with the usual spoiler warnings!
I'm so excited to open this box, especially after how much I loved last month's box, and the book, which was fantastic! Okay, so before we get to the unboxing, two things: 1. This unboxing is super late because work has been insane the past couple of weeks. 2. I am so, so grateful to Illumicrate for choosing me as one of the April photo competition winners, and I'm really excited to be receiving my June box for free! Let's just have a quick recap of the May theme: We all love those characters who see their fate and refuse to accept it. Who forge their own path through life, no matter how hard. Who never give up the pursuit of their goals and dreams. 💛 Our book this month is an epic fantasy set in an Indian-inspired world. A princess, held captive in an abandoned, ancient temple plots revenge on the brother who banished her there. When the princess witnesses the hidden powers of one of the maids sent to clean the temple, she forces her into an uneasy alliance in order to escape and overthrow her brother. Together, they will set an empire ablaze. We loved the gorgeous prose and the dynamics between our two morally grey main characters! 💛 Our Illumicrate edition will have exclusive stencilled edges and embossing on the hardback and come with a signed bookplate! Both the full box and book only option also come with the matching pin designed by @Stacey.McEvoy.Caunt 💛 Our items this month are inspired by Girls of Paper and Fire, Spinning Silver, Skyward, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and City of Brass! This month we'll be including one of our @pauhami booksleeves in the box! 💛 The book at a glance: 📚 Adult fantasy, first book in a series 💡Stencilled edges, embossing on the hardback, signed bookplate 💫 Indian-inspired characters & setting written by Indian author, F/F relationship between main characters Okay, I'm so excited. Let's get into this! As always, there will be spoilers beyond this point so look away now if you don't want to see what's inside this box. Rating: 4.5 STARS! Genre: YA/SciFi/LGBT Series/Standalone: The Extraordinaries #2 How I got this book: eARC via NetGalley and TorTeen Flash Fire is the explosive sequel to The Extraordinaries by USA Today bestselling author TJ Klune! Nick landed himself the superhero boyfriend of his dreams, but with new heroes arriving in Nova City it’s up to Nick and his friends to determine who is virtuous and who is villainous. Which is a lot to handle for a guy who just wants to finish his self-insert bakery AU fanfic. ARGHHHHH!
This book was AMAZING! The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune (book one in this series) was one of our Turn The Page book club selections last year and it was fantastic. Ever since finishing it and processing that cliffhanger of an ending, I've been desperate to get back to Nick and his friends and to find out what would happen next. If you haven't read book one yet, please note that there are spoilers for book one below. Flash Fire completely pulled me out of my recent reading slump, plunging me back into Nova City and the world of The Extraordinaries. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed these characters, but instantly fell back under TJ Klune's spell from page one as we're reunited with loveable, relatable Nick who's still coming to terms with the fact that his boyfriend is a famous superhero who can create fire, while also dealing with new revelations about his dad. TJ addresses a lot of big issues in this book, centring mainly around Nick's dad, a police officer demoted for violence, and how police brutality is affecting his perception of his dad and how he can reconcile that with the man who raised him and who he loves. It's a continuing theme and a deeply explored message throughout the entire book as Nick deals with how other people react to his dad, and what his dad has done. As always, I love the inherent queerness of this book, and all of TJ's books. Acceptance just shines throughout and makes the story more powerful. I love the action in this book, which feels a bit more intense than in book one, as the danger and tension builds around Nick and his friends. While Nick deals with things in his unique, often hilarious, way we have a fantastic, realistic portrayal of what it might be like to date someone with superpowers. We're also introduced to new characters in the book, and for those familiar with Klune's adult series', you might find a certain new character familiar. Honestly, though, as great as the plot and pacing and world-building of this story is, it'd be nothing without Nicky. He's such a refreshing, honest, sex-positive character who you can really root for and is so real he practically jumps from the pages. Prepare yourself for some epic reveals in this book, some things I saw coming, some I didn't, homages and Easter eggs to Klune's other works, edge of your seat, heart in your throat, tears in your eyes moments, and another GD cliffhanger that has me itching to read the next instalment!! A very-close to perfect read for me, so I'm going to leave you with my favourite quote: "It wasn't perfect, but then, Nick thought beautiful things didn't always have to be." I've had such a rough month! A book slump hit me HARD a couple of weeks into June and I've been sort of miserable ever since, hence the lack of posts here, Instagram, and pretty much everywhere.
My mental health isn't fantastic right now so I'm taking it slow with a June wrap up and seeing how I get on. All things considered, June was a pretty good month for me, I read 6 books, all but one of them queer and enjoyed discovering some new LGBT+ authors. As always, just click on the book title to head over to my full review, if there is one. |
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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