June 2024 Reading Wrap Up

We made it to July, fellow readers!

We are officially halfway through the year. I can't believe how quickly time is flying. The past month I have been on vacation and have been able to spend much more time reading than I normally would. On top of this, it has been too hot to go outside and do much, which means more time inside my nice and cool house cuddled up with a blanket, tea, and a candle with a good book! This month I read 6 books, 4 of which were occult books for my other blog and 2 that were fun reads.

What I Read

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright
Published by Harper Teen on March 12, 2024
Genres: YA Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

Content Warnings: Death

Rating:

Magic is fading from Wales—choked off by King Offa’s Dyke, the enemy earthworks that spans the entire border. Even the dragons have disappeared. And now an attack is imminent. Prince Taliesin would love to watch magic die. Prince Dafydd fears it, and the throne. But when their father promises the crown to whichever son can destroy the dyke and restore magic to Wales, the brothers are forced into an uneasy rivalry. Ffion works hedgewitch magic for poor folk, not princes. Unlike the power-hungry Foxhall coven, she uses only what nature can spare. But when the coven’s greed costs Ffion everything, she will need power beyond her wildest dreams to get back what she’s lost. So when Prince Taliesin arrives, begrudgingly seeking a witch’s aid, Ffion agrees to help him—even if it means walking from one end of Wales to the other with the most use-less peacock she’s ever clapped eyes on. Even if it means striking a bargain with Dafydd behind Tal’s back. The fate of Wales depends on their quest . . . and so might the fate of Ffion’s heart.

Read my full review here.

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Published by Flatiron Books on April 9, 2024
Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

Content Warnings: Torture, Antisemitism, Death, Murder, Sexual Assault, Gore

Rating:

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position. What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen—and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor. Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.

Read my full review here.

Occult Books I Read and Reviewed

• The Herbalist's Guide by Mary Colvin, RH
• Alive With Spirits by Althaea Sebastiani
• Be Your Own Shaman by Jane Barlow Christensen
• Botanical Cocktails by Tenae Stewart

Reading Stats

I am super excited to see what books I read in the month of July. Until next time!