Let's go ahead and pretend I didn't entirely miss the month of May and instead celebrate the fact that I now have a whole bunch of reviews for you? IDK, all I can say is that I finally finished this thing and here it is.
Enjoy.
This post contains affiliate links.
May Releases I've Already Read:
Disclosure: I received copies of these books from the publisher for review.
The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley - I was lucky enough to interview the author several months ago for Shelf Awareness. This book is a mashup of sci-fi, time slip, romance and comedy with a meaningful growth arc for the MC who starts off buying into the model minority/government cog mindset. The book is weird and delightful and has a sort of creeping suspense element that keeps the reader invested. I look forward to whatever Bradley has in store for us next.
The Return of Ellie Black, by Emiko Jean - This excellent thriller is Emiko Jean's first novel for adults. Absolutely not a romance and definitely worthy of a slew of content warnings. If you like dual POV suspense (detective and victim) I recommend checking this out. I couldn't put it down.
Five Broken Blades, by Mai Corland - Since I'm in my giant awards council reading mess (what former LiP reviewer Amy lovingly refers to as The Big Book Mistake) and can't spend time on books I don't absolutely love, I didn't finish this book. There are six POVs, three separate love stories and one plot to kill the emperor/god king. It's like a heist novel if the heist was an assassination. At 30% in, the characters and romances weren't being developed enough for me to want to keep going. I suspect that if the author had prioritized one of the couples or one POV in particular, this would be a stronger story.
The Brides of High Hill (Singing Hills #5), by Nghi Vo - I covered this for Shelf Awareness. This whole series is excellent and absolutely bingeable.
Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice: A Thai Comic Book Cookbook, by Christina de Witte and Mallika Kauppinen - I don't love the art as much as in Let's Make Dumplings!, but this is another fun graphic cookbook. I love the stories and the approach to cooking (did you know it should be fun?!). The opening pages are especially great and include instructions on how to shop your local Asian markets for the ingredients you'll need and more.
Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis - This is a fantasy comedy about an evil sorcerer who loses his memories and wakes up wanting to be... not so evil. Rozakis plays with themes of toxic masculinity, classic/overused fantasy tropes and dudes who wear black robes with flames embroidery.
The Honey Witch, by Sydney J. Shields - A slow moving sapphic fantasy with a subdued enemies-to-lovers plot. It's more of a "we should be enemies" to lovers plot and I wasn't invested in the central romance. I would have preferred to stay with the sensory descriptions of the bees, magic and natural world that are this cozy book's strength.
Savor It, by Tarah Dewitt - A beautiful, sensual contemporary romance with a chef and a school teacher/aspiring florist. Perfect for anyone looking to capture that slow summer day feeling.
***
And the Longlist:
All titles in red are links to Amazon.
May 7 - You Should Be So Lucky, by Cat Sebastian
May 7 - Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie, by Jackie Lau
May 7 - Disturbing the Dead (A Rip Through Time #3), by Kelley Armstrong
May 7 - Five Broken Blades, by Mai Corland
May 7 - The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley
May 7 - The Return of Ellie Black, by Emiko Jean
May 7 - Lore Olympus Vol. 6, by Rachel Smythe
May 7 - The Brides of High Hill (Singing Hills #5), by Nghi Vo
May 7 - Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice: A Thai Comic Book Cookbook, by Christina de Witte and Mallika Kauppinen
May 14 - The Dangerous Ones, by Lauren Blackwood
May 14 - A Crane Among Wolves, by Jane Hur
May 14 - The Honey Witch, by Sydney J. Shields
May 14 - Covenant, Vol. 1, by LySandra Vuong (graphic novel)
May 14 - When Among Crows, by Veronica Roth
May 21 - The Worst Ronin, by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Faith Schaffer (graphic novel)
May 21 - Savor It, by Tarah Dewitt
May 21 - Heavenbreaker, by Sara Wolf
May 21 - Second Night Stand, by Karelia & Fay Stetz-Waters
May 28 - Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis
May 28 - The 7-10 Split, by Karmen Lee
May 28 - The Fireborne Blade, by Charlotte Bond
***
Happy reading!
***
If you appreciate our content and wish to support the site, please consider using the affiliate links in this post and below for your shopping needs. As always, you are welcome to leave us a tip on Ko-Fi!
