Beat The Backlist 2026 - May Update

Happy Thursday everyone!  Today I'm sharing my fifth update for my May progress for the year long Beat The Backlist 2026 reading challenge, hosted by Austine Decker.  You can see my original tbr here.  In April, I completed 4 books for a total of 13 read so far out of 24 total books on my tbr.  I'm getting there!  Without further ado, keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read in May:

14. I reject your reality: a speculative fiction book

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Windfall (Weather Warden #4) by Rachel Caine is an urban fantasy sequel I've been putting off for too long. It was good to be back visiting this unique supernatural story. I've missed seeing the characters and it really went by quickly. That said, I'm not sure if this installment needed to be quite as long though. I also can't say I was a fan of this British edition cover art though. Definitely prefer the American ones I'd read before. I'll have to get caught up on the rest of this series soon.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

13. I like 'em chonky: more than 542 pages

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The Summoner (Chronicles of the Necromancer #1) by Gail Z. Martin is a book I wanted to like a lot more than I did. I think I was just expecting something different based on the description on the back and the cover itself. I've read other books from the author in the past which I enjoyed so I knew this had potential to be unique and have memorable characters, world, and story, but it just didn't. I won't be back for book two.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

15. it's been a decade: been on your TBR 10+ years

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The Serpent Bride (DarkGlass Mountain #1) by Sara Douglass was a pretty great foray back into a new series by an old favorite author. Somehow, I didn't realize going into the story that this was at all connected to The Wayfarer Redemption. It was so cool to revisit that world even so many years later. Now I'm going to have to see what's next with the sequel soon.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

17. love is in the air: a book about or featuring a prominent subplot about love (in any form)

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Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega #1) by Patricia Briggs is an urban fantasy that has been on my tbr for quite some time.  I'm a fan of the Mercy Thompson books and this spinoff / prequel series opener which is set in the same world was perfectly fine. I just wasn't nearly as invested in it or the characters. I haven't yet decided if I'll stick with it or not, but I'll definitely be back for more of Mercy Thompson.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

Are you participating in this challenge?  Have you read these books?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!