Books I Read • June 2025

June was a month of extremes. I discovered some absolute gems that reminded me why I love reading, and I also stubbornly pushed through series I should have DNF'd from the get-go. The lesson I keep refusing to learn? Just because you bought the whole series doesn't mean you have to finish it. Just because everyone on BookTok loves something doesn't mean it's good.

I hit some incredible highs. I'm going to read everything T. Kingfisher and Rachel Gillig write going forward. Then I crashed hard with Jennifer L. Armentrout Blood and Ash series, which started strong and then cratered by book three. Sometimes the best part of a bad book is finally closing it and moving on to something better. Here's what survived my nightstand in June:

1. “The Princess Bride” by William Goldman ★★★
   Reread. Loved as a child, so I read it to my kids. Kind of rough. Skipped meta-narrative, still felt dated and slow-paced. Dialogue tracked closely to movie, and I'd stick with that.

   
   

2. “The Knight and the Moth” by Rachel Gillig (The Stonewater Kingdom #1) ★★★★★
   Sybil, a diviner, drowns to receive visions. Her sheltered life is upended when her friends start to vanish. This gothic fantasy respects your intelligence. Masterclass in simple storytelling and world-building. Charming banter. Made me forget I was reading.

   
   

3. “Swordheart” by T. Kingfisher ★★★★★
   Same cynical humor and character-driven plot as Clockwork Boys, more squarely romantasy. Loved the older, widowed, normal-sized protagonist. Guilt-ridden warrior trapped in sword was weird but worked.

   
   

4. “Once Upon a Broken Heart” (Once Upon A Broken Heart #1) by Stephanie Garber ★★★
   This book is beloved, just not by me. Evangeline Fox makes a deal with an immortal prince to sabotage her sister's wedding. Premise and fairytale world were intriguing, but YA simplification made it flat. Might have enjoyed it more as a standalone.

   
   

5. “The Ballad of Never After” (Once Upon A Broken Heart #2) by Stephanie Garber ★★
   Book 1 problems get worse. Characters, still flat. Plot, still messy. Evangeline is obnoxious and overly trusting. There are vampires too, I guess? Short chapters kept me reading, but repetitive writing and zero character development kept me complaining. Should have stopped after book 1.

   
   

6. “A Curse for True Love” (Once Upon A Broken Heart #3) by Stephanie Garber ★★
   It gets worse. Now Evangeline has amnesia. Jacks, the one redeeming character, gets boring. Apollo is maybe the flattest villain ever. Other characters just disappear (didn't she have a sister?). Whole plot arcs resolve magically. Loose ends everywhere. Bummer, I wanted to like this series.

   
   

7. “Blood of Hercules” (Villains of Lore #1) by Jasmine Mas ★★★★
   Dystopian "why choose?" with all the content warnings. Alexis is an abused orphan in a dystopian world. She gets whisked off to the brutal Spartan War Academy with two hot gay mentors and plenty of temptation. Brutal trials, political intrigue, tart inner monologue. Standard Jasmine Mas fare, you either like her or don't. Solid junk food read for the subgenre.

   
   

8. “The Serpent and the Wings of Night” (Crowns of Nyaxia #1) by Carissa Broadbent ★★★★
   Loved this until the end. Colorful, authentic characters. Dark vampire world where stakes felt real - Oraya constantly on verge of death. Romance was hot and believable. Darker than Daughter of No Worlds but same character talent. Enjoyed games and trials. Hated the ending though. Can't believe Oraya would forgive Raihn after that betrayal.

   
   

9. “From Blood and Ash” (Blood and Ash #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout ★★★★
   Poppy is The Maiden, forced to live a life of duty and isolation. She is sheltered but rebellious, and we get to discover the truth of the world as she pushes boundaries. Solid romantasy with interesting narrative devices. Let's pretend this was a standalone, it'd be fine.

   
   

10. “A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire” (Blood and Ash #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout ★★★
    637 pages, no plot. It's a short road trip full of Casteel and Poppy fake-hating then kissing. Forced marriage under threat of death. Gross. Poppy's magic has no limits. Need saving? New power appears.

    
    

11. “The Crown of Gilded Bones” (Blood and Ash #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout ★
    Rare 1-star without DNF. Why did I suffer through this?? Repetitive phrases. Constant info-dumping of backstory and motivations. Plot twists pulled from thin air with no foreshadow. Characters repeat the same lines over and over. 600+ pages where nothing happens. So painful.