Hey friends! This June upcoming releases is a little late because I have been lazy and, of course, busy reading. I have my sights set on some brilliant books in the month of June. All of them are authors that I’ve read from before except Xixi Tian (debuting with This Place Is Still Beautiful), Joanna Ho, and Ava Reid. Ciannon Smart completed her duology with Empress Crowned in Red, Kalynn Bayron with This Wicked Fate, and Zoe Hana Mikuta with Godslayers!
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forging silver into stars
– brigid kemmerer
trilogy: forging silver into stars #1
June 7th 2022 by Bloomsbury YA
age range: young adult
genre: fantasy, romance
When ancient magic tests a newfound love, a dark fate beckons…
Magic has been banished in the land of Syhl Shallow for as long as best friends Jax and Callyn can remember. They once loved the stories of the powerful magesmiths and mythical scravers who could conjure fire or control ice, but now they’ve learned that magic only leads to danger: magic is what killed Callyn’s parents, leaving her alone to raise her younger sister. Magic never helped Jax, whose leg was crushed in an accident that his father has been punishing him for ever since. Magic won’t save either of them when the tax collector comes calling, threatening to take their homes if they can’t pay what they owe.
Meanwhile, Jax and Callyn are astonished to learn magic has returned to Syhl Shallow–in the form of a magesmith who’s now married to their queen. Now, the people of Syhl Shallow are expected to allow dangerous magic in their midst, and no one is happy about it.
When a stranger rides into town offering Jax and Callyn silver in exchange for holding secret messages for an anti-magic faction, the choice is obvious– even if it means they may be aiding in a plot to destroy their new king. It’s a risk they’re both willing to take. That is, until another visitor arrives: handsome Lord Tycho, the King’s Courier, the man who’s been tasked with discovering who’s conspiring against the throne.
Suddenly, Jax and Callyn find themselves embroiled in a world of shifting alliances, dangerous flirtations, and ancient magic… where even the deepest loyalties will be tested.
🌸 We are retuning to Emberfall and Syhl Shallow with Brigid Kemmerer’s new series, starting with Forging Silver into Stars! I don’t know what to expect from it but I’m just excited to be back. I wonder how this will differ from the Cursebreaker trilogy.
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this place is still beautiful
– xixi tian
standalone
June 7th 2022 by Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
age range: young adult
genre: contemporary, romance
Two sisters. A shocking racist incident. The summer that will change both of their lives forever.
Despite having had near-identical upbringings, sisters Annalie and Margaret agree on only one thing: that they have nothing in common. Nineteen-year-old Margaret is driven, ambitious, and keenly aware of social justice issues. She couldn’t wait to leave their oppressive small-town home and take flight in New York. Meanwhile sweet, popular, seventeen-year-old Annalie couldn’t think of anything worse–she loves their town, and feels safe coasting along in its confines.
That is, until she arrives home one day to find a gut-punching racial slur painted on their garage door.
Outraged, Margaret flies home, expecting to find her family up in arms. Instead, she’s amazed to hear they want to forget about it. Their mom is worried about what it might stir up, and Annalie just wants to have a ‘normal’ summer–which Margaret is determined to ruin, apparently.
Back under each other’s skins, things between Margaret and Annalie get steadily worse–and not even the distraction of first love (for Annalie), or lost love (for Margaret) can bring them together.
Until finally, a crushing secret threatens to tear them apart forever.
🌸 I have no clue what this is about. However, I’ve been waiting for the release of This Place Is Still Beautiful ever since its announcement on Twitter. Give me sister dynamics and relationships in a book, and I’ll binge read.
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empress crowned in red
– ciannon smart
duology: witches steeped in gold #2
June 7th 2022 by Harperteen
age range: young adult
genre: fantasy, paranormal
rep: Black
The Doyenne is dead, and the throne is empty.
Iraya, her revenge taken and magic unfettered, turns her sights on a bigger goal: freeing Aiyca for the Obeah. But first she must shed the guise of the rogue warrior and become the Lost Empress her people need.
Jazmyne has crowned herself the doyenne and is prepared to go to extreme lengths—and court ruthless danger—to prove to her people she deserves the throne.
But there is more at stake than Jazmyne or Iraya know: a new threat is awakening on the other side of the island that could destroy everything they’ve been fighting for.
Trust is scarce, and betrayal a breath away. But Iraya and Jazmine once again find themselves turning to each other—after all, better the witch you know than the nightmare you don’t.
🌸 Finishing up the duology with Empress Crowned in Red, 768 pages filled with magic, enemies, and witches. Honestly, I’m just daunted by how big this book is, but I’ve been thinking about Iraya and Jazmyne’s story ever since the end of Witches Steeped in Gold. Probably will pick this up pretty soon.
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a mirror mended
– alix e. harrow
series: fractured fables #2
June 14th 2022 by Tordotcom
age range: adult
genre: fantasy, retelling
rep: LGBT
Zinnia Gray, professional fairy-tale fixer and lapsed Sleeping Beauty, is over rescuing snoring princesses. Once you’ve rescued a dozen damsels and burned fifty spindles, once you’ve gotten drunk with twenty good fairies and made out with one too many members of the royal family, you start to wish some of these girls would just get a grip and try solving their own narrative issues.
Just when Zinnia’s beginning to think she can’t handle one more princess, she glances into a mirror and sees another face looking back at her: the shockingly gorgeous face of evil, asking for her help. Because there’s more than one person trapped in a story they didn’t choose. Snow White’s Evil Queen has found out how her story ends, and she’s desperate for a better ending. She wants Zinnia to help her before it’s too late for everyone. Will Zinnia accept the Queen’s poisonous request and save them both from the hot-iron shoes that wait for them, or will she try another path?
🌸 I wonder how Alix E. Harrow will twist the original tale of Snow White with Zinnia working with the Evil Queen. I had a fantastic time reading A Spindle Splintered because of the changes that the author did to the classic.
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the silence that binds us
– joanna ho
standalone
June 14th 2022 by HarperTeen
age range: young adult
genre: contemporary
rep: chinese-taiwanese-american MC
Maybelline Chen isn’t the Chinese Taiwanese American daughter her mother expects her to be. May prefers hoodies over dresses and wants to become a writer. When asked, her mom can’t come up with one specific reason for why she’s proud of her only daughter. May’s beloved brother, Danny, on the other hand, has just been admitted to Princeton. But Danny secretly struggles with depression, and when he dies by suicide, May’s world is shattered.
In the aftermath, racist accusations are hurled against May’s parents for putting too much “pressure” on him. May’s father tells her to keep her head down. Instead, May challenges these ugly stereotypes through her writing. Yet the consequences of speaking out run much deeper than anyone could foresee. Who gets to tell our stories, and who gets silenced? It’s up to May to take back the narrative.
🌸 I’m not sure what to expect from The Silence that Binds Us. Based on the synopsis, it will be a tough time for May after the death of her brother and the barrage of racist remarks from outsiders.
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the last fallen moon
– graci kim
trilogy: gifted clans #2
June 14th 2022 by Rick Riordan Presents
age range: middle grade
genre: fantasy
rep: Korean
For Riley Oh, life as the Godrealm’s last fallen star is not all it’s cracked up to be. Her new divine heritage doesn’t even come with cool magical powers; half of her friends and family (including her parents) can’t remember her; and to top it all off, the entire Gom clan is mad at her for killing the Cave Bear Goddess and stripping away their healing abilities.
But when their anger boils over and a group of witches curse Riley’s home, she knows it’s up to her to restore magic back to her clan – even if it means sneaking into the Spiritrealm.
Luckily, Riley has some backup. Along with her sister, Hattie, Riley meets Dahl, a heaven-born boy with shockingly white hair and a fondness for toilets who might not be telling the whole truth about who he is. Together they’ll fight vicious monsters, discover dark underwater worlds, and race to save the land of the dead from a fate that no one could have foreseen.
And this time, Riley won’t let anything get in her way. Because she can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is coming their way – and the gifted community is going to need all the powers they can get.
🌸 The Last Fallen Star was so much fun. I loved Riley as the main character and her driven need to save her sister. At the end of book one, Riley had to make difficult choices and we will get a glimpse of the consequences in The Last Fallen Moon. I can’t wait to be back in this world!
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this wicked fate
– kalynn bayron
duology: this poison heart #2
June 21st 2022 by Bloomsbury
age range: young adult
genre: fantasy, romance, retelling
rep: Black, LGBT
How much would you risk to save the ones you love? Would you tempt even the most dangerous fate?
Briseis has one chance to save her mother, but she’ll need to do the impossible: find the last fragment of the deadly Absyrtus Heart. If she is to locate the missing piece, she must turn to the blood relatives she’s never known, learn about their secret powers, and take her place in their ancient lineage. Briseis is not the only one who wants the Heart, and her enemies will stop at nothing to fulfill their own ruthless plans. The fates tell of a truly dangerous journey, one that could end in more heartache, more death. Bolstered by the sisterhood of ancient magic, can Briseis harness her power to save the people she loves most?
🌸 Another duology that is wrapping up this June is This Poison Heart with This Wicked Fate. The ending of This Poison Heart shocked me, and I’m totally invested in finding out what will happen for Bri and her moms. What else will she discover about her biological heritage?
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juniper & thorn
– ava reid
standalone
June 21st 2022 by Harper Voyager
age range: adult
genre: horror, retelling, paranormal
A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.
Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart.
As Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.
🌸 Been meaning to read The Wolf and the Woodsman last year but never did. Hopefully I will soon for Ava Reid’s debut and her newest release, Juniper & Thorn. Definitely picking it up when I’m in the mood for a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree. Maybe during Halloween?
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the dead romantics
– ashley poston
standalone
June 28th 2022 by Berkley
age range: adult
genre: contemporary, romance, paranormal
Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.
When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.
For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.
Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.
Romance is most certainly dead… but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.
🌸 Florence is back at her hometown, worrying about her ghostwriting career, burying her father, and finding out that love might not be dead with a dead editor. I liked Ashley Poston’s contemporary romances in the Once Upon a Con series, so I’m looking forward to The Dead Romantics.
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godslayers
– zoe hana mikuta
duology: gearbreakers #2
June 28th 2022 by Feiwel Friends
age range: young adult
genre: science fiction, romance
rep: LGBT
The only way to kill a god is from the inside…
The Gearbreakers struck a devastating blow against Godolia on Heavensday, but the cost of victory has been steep. Months later, the few rebels who’ve managed to escape the tyrannical empire’s bloody retribution have fled to the mountains, hunted by the last Zenith–Godolia’s only surviving leader.
Eris has been held prisoner since the attack on the capital city, which almost killed her. And she begins to wish it had when she discovers Sona–the girl she loves, the girl she would tear down cities for–also survived, only to be captured and Corrupted by the Zenith. The cybernetic brainwashing that Sona has forcibly undergone now has her believing herself a loyal soldier for Godolia, and Eris’ mortal enemy.
With the rebellion shattered and Godolia moving forward with an insidious plan to begin inducting Badlands children into a new Windup Pilot program, the odds have never been more stacked against the Gearbreakers. Their last hope for victory will depend on whether Eris and Sona can somehow find their way back to each other from opposite sides of a war…
🌸 I don’t know what will happen in Godslayers. Regardless, I’m here for the chaos and fighting. Zoe Hana Mikuta’s mecha story will be pretty interesting after the end of Gearbreakers.
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the dream runners
– shveta thakrar
standalone
June 28th 2022 by Harperteen
age range: young adult
genre: fantasy, romance
rep: South Asian
Seven years ago, Tanvi was spirited away to the subterranean realm of Nagalok, where she joined the ranks of the dream runners: human children freed of all memory and emotion, who collect mortal dreams for the entertainment of the serpentine, immortal naga court.
But when one of Tanvi’s dream harvests goes awry, she begins to remember her life on earth. Panicked and confused, she turns to the one mortal in Nagalok who might be able to help: Venkat, the dreamsmith responsible for collecting the dream runners’ wares and shaping them into the kingdom’s most tantalizing commodity. And as they search for answers, a terrifying truth begins to take shape–one that could turn the nagas’ realm of dreams into a land of waking nightmare.
🌸 Shveta Thakrar’s Star Daughter left an impression in me. I loved the magic within her writing and the South Asian elements. I believe I’ll find those in The Dream Runners as well.
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that’s it for june!
thisbellereadstoo.wordpress.com 
Juniper & Thorn would be a GREAT Halloween read. I read an ARC last month. Here’s my review if you’re interested: https://birdjayreads.wordpress.com/2022/04/07/juniper-thorn-by-ava-reid/
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