Hey all, this is my book box sub renewal breakdown for June 2026! This month marks the start of the summer season, which is traditionally the publishing industry’s peak period where they push many of their biggest titles. While last month had a lot of decent but forgettable picks outside of the ongoing series, this month has some great standalone picks that I’m really looking forward to! Confirmed Book Picks: Surprise Book Picks: Off Month / No Renewal: Recap As expected for the summer season, June’s lineup is stacked and required me to be selective. I ended up renewing and keeping five books, selling one, and skipping four. In addition to limited bookshelf space, skipping OwlCrate and Fae Crate—which could’ve gone either way—was also preparation for July, which is looking even better (aka worse for my wallet). Spoiler: I’m renewing the trio of TBB subs plus the FairyLoot combo, which already matches the number of June books kept—and there’s even more I’m keeping. What a time to be alive.
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This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Viking Books for Young Readers. A story of grief and loss mixed with contemporary romance and mythological fantasy flavor, Find My Way Down to You by Julian Winters is a wholesome and sweet YA novel covering somber topics. By exploring the long, individual road to healing while honoring loved ones lost, the book feels like a warm and supportive hug that maintains an uplifting and hopeful outlook even when the pain feels unending. Well‑intentioned and earnest, it sometimes plays things too safe and doesn’t push its strongest narrative elements far enough, but it remains an accessible read with strong YA appeal. Marketed as a YA romance with crossover elements in fiction, social issues, and fantasy, the book blends a wide range of narrative components into a story focused on grief and loss. Its greatest strength is its relatability for YA readers. Purposely flawed and immature to a fault, the main character August and his internal logic match his age, highlighting teenage shortsightedness and tunnel vision. Winters captures teenage angst well, especially in the wake of August’s catastrophic loss of his boyfriend London, around whom he built his entire world.…
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Paranormal dark ambiance, afterlife and lore-heavy epic fantasy framework, and resilient character-driven retribution all meet in Mark Lawrence’s Daughter of Crows, the first entry in the Academy of Kindness series. Featuring multiple timelines, POV, and narrators, Daughter of Crows is an ambitious and atmospheric read that isn’t for the faint of heart or casual readers, but is one that rewards patience and determination much like its elderly main character Rue and the many trials throughout her life. Though marketed as a dark academia adult novel, Daughter of Crows is a book that is truly dark and academy-based in only the simplest terms. There’s been a recent trend of endless academy trials and survival narratives lately across the fantasy genre that often feel repetitive and stale; this book is not one of those. Split across several timelines and narrators, the Academy of Kindness and its mix of training and trials play a major role in this story but is not the only focus. For better or for worse, this book utilizes the lost in the dark approach that drops the reader right in the middle of the story with little hand-holding to find their way. Early chapters are split between the…
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Intro: “Hey all, it’s been a while since I’ve done any book blogging since I’ve been marathon reading and trying to get my physical TBR and ARC reviews under control (spoiler: he’s still fighting a losing battle). While a bit late for May, I thought I’d start a new book‑blogging series where I discuss my many book box subscription services and which subs I’m planning to renew vs. skip. Since early last year, I fell down the book box subscription rabbit hole, innocently starting with Aardvark Book Club and somehow expanding to 10+ subscriptions; I fully blame my book box and fellow reading friend Rachelle for this. With that many subscriptions and limited bookshelf space, I have to be quite selective about what I keep, so each month I’ll be walking through my internal thought process and ramblings. Note: Many of these book box subs are considered “surprise book boxes,” where the book title and customized designs (if applicable) are not revealed ahead of time. These blog entries will contain spoilers as a warning. Other subs do not, and some even reveal the full designs of their books ahead of time. I’ll be linking and including the digital mockups for…
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In the near future, there’s a nation driven by technological advances, AI controllers, advanced cyber loopholes, and augmented dream-like sensory experiences. Generative work, entertainment, and crime intersect in an unpredictable web of connections that surrounds a young hacker Julia Z in Ken Liu’s All That We See Or Seem. Part investigative procedural drama and part technological and AI-focused commentary, All That We See Or Seem is an imaginative speculative fiction book filled with insightful discussions around future tech advances and cultural shifts that is held back by pacing issues and lackluster character work, a book whose conceptual brilliance is potentially mismatched with an underwhelming reading experience. Marketed as a scifi thriller and described by some as having cyberpunk and futuristic elements, All That We See Or Seem is a bit different from other similar sounding books in the genre. Unlike many other hacker or AI-driven books, Ken Liu’s take on the concept is considerably more grounded and realistic. Although set in the future given the technological advances featured, this story is one that could take place in the very near future as many of Liu’s scifi elements are based on hardware and software ideas that are conceptually credible. Instead of…