This month was a pretty great reading month in turns of the quality of the books I read. It’s not my highest number this year, but I read a lot of really awesome five star books and it’s going to be pretty impossible to choose which is my monthly favourite!
Books I hauled in April:
- Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
- The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
- We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
- We Unleash the Merciless Storm by Tehlor Kay Mejia
- Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
- Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
The books I read in April:
1. Wildcard by Marie Lu
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I was really intrigued to see how this series ended. I had heard some mixed reviews so I was a little bit nervous, but in the end I quite enjoyed it. I felt like it was a decent wrap up and there was interesting story line to follow along with. I really enjoy Emika as a character. Personally, I had a lot of fun reading this story.
2. Tiny Pretty Things by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I had so much fun reading this book. I’ve been in the mood lately for books with a lot of angst and drama and this book totally hit that note. I loved exploring the different characters’ perspectives and seeing how they interacted. I wanted to see what was going to happen as they clashed. The drama was absolutely riveting. It was interesting to see how it handled some serious topics.
3. Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I love this series, and this was no different. I liked that it allowed another entry point for new readers. I also found it interesting to read about an intersex character because I haven’t ever read from that perspective before. I loved Regan’s adventures and found the story overall engaging and heartbreaking. It was well developed.
4. Harvest of Sighs by Sierra Simone
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: I will fully admit that the whole plot with the door to the other world is the reason I continued with this series. I just really needed to know how that would play out.
5. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Second read of the year. Nothing new to say.
6. A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Second read of the year. Nothing new to say.
7. Concrete Roses by Angie Thomas
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I really loved reading from Maverick’s perspective. He was such an interesting character, and it was fun to read about how he got himself into the two babies so close together situation. However, I also really felt for him when he was struggling with his loss. Angie Thomas is so freaking talented it’s impressive.
8. Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I was excited to see the continuation of Pip’s story, and I really loved the way it continued. It was really well written and the mystery was really intriguing. It kept me guessing. I also enjoyed seeing Pip develop as a character and deal with the trauma of what had happened to her. She’s a very fascinating character. I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first one.
9. Door of Bruises by Sierra Simone
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: Again, I really just wanted to see how the story with the door played out. I was satisfied with the conclusion.
10. My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I really enjoy the humour of this series. It’s well done, and I appreciate how much fun the authors clearly have when they write it. I like when they break the fourth wall, and I like how the characters interact with each other. I loved Jane and I loved Annie. Both were absolutely wonderful.
11. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I decided to check out more of Ellen Hopkins’ books this month and enjoyed this one. The three different characters were all so unique and I really liked the way that Ellen Hopkins constructed their story. It was very engaging, however, there are definitely some seriously problematic aspects and it should be taken with a grain of salt (or several).
12. Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was an absolute romp. I had so much fun reading about Min’s adventures as she tried to find out what was going on with her brother. She was smart and tricky and I loved it. The setting was well done, and overall I had a lot of fun with this story.
13. Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book was a perfect storm for me. I loved both Wren and Tamsin. I loved the world and the way it was developed. The magic system was really good. I loved how the two characters came together and honestly, it was just so great. I highly recommend it.
14. Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This book was so interesting. I loved both of our main characters and how they grew over the course of the story. It was heartbreaking in a lot of ways, for example reading about Pony contemplating suicide, but I was really engaged with the story and wanted to see how it would play out. I’m not sure the cover completely matched the vibe of the story.
15. Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was an interesting companion to Impulse. I really didn’t like most of the characters, but it was interesting to read about how their stories intersected and what ‘perfect’ was for them. Again, it handled some serious issues, and they were interesting to read about. However, the ending felt a little abrupt.
16. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I’m really glad that I re-read this series. It was really well done and still holds such a spot in my heart. I love the characters and the conclusion to the series. I just highly recommend it if you haven’t really checked it out yet. It’s got my favourite love triangle ever.
17. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I had so much fun with this book. I loved Avery as a character. She was really interesting. I also really enjoyed the puzzles she had to solve. It was such a unique premise for me and I just found myself unable to put it down. I can’t wait for the sequel.
18. Chaos on Catnet by Naomi Kritzer
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: I have a full review of this up on the blog here.
19. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really interesting story. I loved Deka as a character. The world was really interesting, and I wanted to see more of it. I liked Deka’s arc and how the world opened up to her as she grew into her character. Ixa was such an interesting addition to the story as well. I also loved how it has the found family trope, which is definitely one of my favourite tropes.
20. Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
Rating: 2 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: High school me would have been so excited about this book. Adult me was pretty curious. It was an interesting read, but it’s not the best thing I have read. I found it interesting to explore Edward’s point of view, but he’s still pretty problematic.
21. Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoyed the conclusion to this series. It had a satisfying resolution. I love Maia and Edan together. I will say that the pacing was a little strange, but I liked how action packed it was. I liked getting to know more of the side characters that we got brief glimpses of in the first one. However, I think I liked the first one better.
22. Tilt by Ellen Hopkins
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I really enjoy novels in verse. I found the different characters interesting in this one, and it was still beautifully written. However, I felt that the ending was abrupt, and I needed more. It sort of dipped into some serious issues but didn’t handle all of them as well as I wanted it to.
23. Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I really had a lot of fun listening to this audiobook. It was an adorable little romance. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Pepper and Jack and how snarky they both were. It was cute and fun, and totally worth checking out.
What did you read in April?
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