So, I attempted *attempted* to participate in two separate readathons this month. Was I successful? If by that you mean did I read quite a few books, then yes. If you mean did I complete all of the prompts, then no. I’m pretty sure each readathon had only *1* required book, and I failed to read either of them. Me, a failure.
Tbh, I’m not that mad about it though, because I found a BUNCH of amazing books this month, and a lot of them were arcs or new releases that I am so so excited to recommend to you all.
As May was Asian Pacific American Heritage month, I did my *best* to read only books written by Asian authors or about Asian characters. Ideally, they would all have been ownvoices, but I ended up bending the rules to fit in some highly anticipated new releases of mine.
If you want some sick Asian books recs, please please read on below
The Wise and the Wicked by Rebecca Podos
★★★☆☆ read my review here!
- family of witches
- a touch of magic
- trans love interest
- russian folklore
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
★★★★☆
- the original hunger games
- brutal death scenes
- dystopian japan setting
- twisted characters
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
★★★★★
- this romance thoooooo
- amazing fantasy world building
- complex characters
- a wild. ride.
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
★★★★☆
- fun band of characters
- fast-paced sci-fi thriller
- need audiobook asap
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
★★★★★ read my review here!
- ragtag band of characters
- enemies to lovers *sigh*
- ancient arabia setting
- interesting magic system
One Giant Leap by Heather Kaczynski
★★★★☆
- very cool sci-fi tech
- ace main character
- creative aliens!
- war is not simple
The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
★★★★☆
- black boss lady mc
- samoan hunk softy ex-football mc
- second chance romance
I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn
★★★☆☆ read my review here!
- exploring kyoto, japan
- fashion-loving mc
- cute grandparent relationship moments
- complicated family dynamic
Fake it Till You Break It by Jenn P Nguyen
★★★★☆ read my review here!
- fake dating + hate to love (!!!!!!!!!!)
- light and fun contemporary romance
- pls read for fun times
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
★★★★★
- pls read the poppy war and then this book
- lots of war and war strategy
- cool cool magic
- trust no bitch
Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim
★★★☆☆
- San Francisco Chinatown setting
- unbelievable food descriptions
- whimsical, magical, lyrical
- close-knit community
ashley berg 