May was another great reading month and I managed to read seventeen books in total. I’m going to keep things quite short because getting through seventeen books will make this post absolutely massive, but I will link full reviews if you want to find out more – lets dive in!

1. Pine – Francine Toon
This was a leftover read from the OWLS Magical Readathon, which I ended up really enjoying. A beautifully written tale about life in the remote Scottish highlands, it was full of secrets and a brilliant sense of atmosphere (4/5 stars)

2. Dangerous Remedy – Kat Dunn
Set during the French Revolution, this story of daring heists, politics and a hint of magic was everything I wanted it to be and more. I absolutely raced through this fast paced tale and I’m so looking forward to book two. (4.5/5 stars)

3. The Book of Koli – M R Carey
This was my first time reading an M R Carey book and it was such a clever tale. A post-apocalyptic tale where even the trees are out to get you, one young boy dreams of being more than a Woodsmith. But when he manages to wake a piece of old world tech the consequences could be much higher than he anticipated. (4/5 stars)

4. Dispel Illusion – Mark Lawrence
The third and final book in Mark Lawrence’s Impossible Times trilogy, I absolutely loved this one and it was one of my favourite books of the month. I’m so sad to say goodbye to these characters, but Lawrence created a brilliant ending to the story. (5/5 stars)

5. Shade’s Children – Garth Nix
Shade’s Children was one of my favourite books growing up and I read it over and over so I thought it would be fun to revisit as an adult. It was just as dark and creepy as I remember it being and I absolutely loved it. It’s such a cleverly written tale and I can’t wait revisit more of Nix’s books in the future (5/5 stars)

6. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J K Rowling
After revisiting Shade’s Children I figured I might revisit the Harry Potter series and reread them as it’s been a few years since I read them physically, the last time was via audiobook. I really enjoyed this and was planning to continue on with the series however in light of J K Rowling’s recent comments, this has been put on hold. (5/5 stars)

7. In Plain Sight – Marion Todd
This fast paced tale set in Fife in Scotland follows DI Clare MacKay as she attempts to solve the case of a young child being kidnapped. A twisty and intriguing police procedural, I ended up really enjoying this one and will definitely be picking up more of the series (3.75/5 stars)

8. The Elite – Kiera Cass
Since the announcement that The Selection series was getting a Netflix adaptation I decided it was finally time to dig my copies out and give them a go. I read the first one and thought it was fun so went ahead with book two. In much the same vein it was light and fluffy, full of drama and the luxury of castle life. (3/5 stars)

9. All Your Twisted Secrets – Diana Urban
I must admit to being a little disappointed in this one. I thought it was going to be like One Of Us Is Lying, but found the story just a little bit too far fetched for my tastes. The story of five teenagers locked in a room with a bomb, and they must decide which one of them to kill so that the rest can live. (2.5/5 stars)

10. Burn – Patrick Ness
This was my third time reading a book by Patrick Ness and I think this is my favourite one so far. The story of an alternate 1950s America in which dragons live alongside humans, it was an intriguing story and one I found difficult to put down. (4/5 stars)

11. Aurora Burning – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
One of my most anticipated releases of the year, this was everything I was hoping for and more. Squad 312 are back, and the stakes are even higher than they were last time. The book ended on the most awful cliffhanger and I’m already desperate to find out what’s going to happen in book three. (5/5 stars)

12. The Deck of Omens – Christine Lynn Herman
The conclusion to The Devouring Gray duology, The Deck of Omens was an interesting sequel. I preferred book one in terms of the story, but it was fascinating to get answers to the questions left in book one and Herman wrapped up the duology nicely. (3.75/5 stars)

13. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne Collins
I must confess to be massively disappointed in this one. I loved The Hunger Games growing up and I was so excited by this prequel but I really disliked Snow and I struggled to slog through the second part of the book and the only bit I really enjoyed was the last fifty-eighty pages. (2.5/5 stars)

14. Highfire – Eoin Colfer
This crazy and unique tale is follows Verne the dragon – one of the last of his kind as he ends up taking on a human familiar and becomes tangled up in a drug war and sinister plot from the local police Constable. Action packed and full of humour, this was a really fun read. (3/5 stars)

15. A Conjuring of Assassins – Cate Glass
The sequel to An Illusion of Thieves, this was another most anticipated release for me. The Chimera are back at it again, and this time the heist is on an even bigger scale. I love the world Glass has created in this and I can’t wait for the next instalment. (4/5 stars)

16. Girls of Paper and Fire – Natasha Ngan
Girls of Paper and Fire had a massive amount of buzz surrounding it when it first came out and I have been excited to read it for a long time. While I still really enjoyed this it didn’t quite live up to the hype and I felt the story was a bit slow and that the Demon King was a bit one-dimensional. It was still a fascinating story though, and I’m intrigued to see where the sequel goes (3.5/5 stars)

17. The Turn of the Key – Ruth Ware
This was my first time reading a Ruth Ware and my god it was creepy. I absolutely loved this and I’m definitely planning to pick up some more of her books in the near future. Inspired by The Turn of the Screw, this story features a strange ‘smart home’, creepy children, family secrets and so many twists you’ll never see coming. (4.25/5 stars)

So those are the seventeen books I managed to read in May. I’m not sure how I can top that in June but I’m going to try. If you’ve read any of these I’d love to know what you thought, as well as what your favourite book of June was!