It feels like 2020 has been 3 years long at this point. I was thinking about MAGFest the other day, and my mind was blown remembering that it was this year. But let’s talk about the books I read in April.
Like many folks, I have been struggling with concentration in this super weird time we live in. I only started reading again about halfway through the month. I wasn’t super excited to see the “3 books behind” in my Goodreads challenge, especially since I was 5 ahead before all of this broke bad. But books! Let’s talk about those!
One of Us is Next by Karen M McManus
I love McManus books. If you’ve checked my reading slump piece, you’ll know that this was the first book I’ve bought this year. It broke my slump, and I am so grateful. McManus has a way of writing mysteries that force you to finish them. This sequel to One of us is Lying is no different! It’s a fantastic mystery thriller, and I look forward to seeing more of McManus’s work. You can grab this and it’s predecessor here.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
I sought comfort in this book; I absolutely adored the Grishaverse Trilogy and Six of Crows Duology. While I haven’t read King of Scars, I had this and knew it would float me away from the current state of things. This is Bardugo’s first adult novel, and it’s a powerful one. It takes place at Yale, following a student who doesn’t seem like she should be there. She was brought in because of her inexplicable ability to see ghosts, and we learn about a whole secret, magical underground community at Yale. I adored every minute reading this, but there were some triggering scenes. It was difficult to get through those, but the book overall was beyond incredible. Grab a copy here, and get ready to wait because it’s first in a series!
Spark and the League of Ursus by Robert Repino
This is a middle grade novel that I wrote a full review of here. One of my favorite publishing houses, Quirk, sent me this little bad boy for review, and it was the escape I needed. Check the full review, and grab yourself a copy here.
Brightly Burning by Alexa Dunn
I bought this book ages ago (shocking, I know), and had it sitting in my pile for ages. While I had listened to the audio book of Jane Eyre last year, I abhorred it. Brightly Burning sat in my TBR for ages because I worried that my dislike of the original would make me dislike the adaptation. Turns out, I just need Jane Eyre to be set in the future and space to like it more! Grab yourself a copy here.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
If you like adventure and romance (with a bit of alchemy thrown in), you need to read this book. I genuinely wasn’t expecting much of it, but was beyond pleasantly surprised. It’s a lovely book with sexuality across the spectrum, pirates, and life after survival. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and look forward to reading the subsequent books. Grab a copy here and join me!
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
This is the sequel to The Gentleman’s Guide, and it was so much more than I anticipated. It follows Felicity, a secondary character in the first book. As much as I loved it, I’m not sure I can compare it to the first. I look forward to the third book in the series (slated for August of this year), but I’m quite happy with this book. If you’re thinking of reading the first book, grab this one as well. Its powerful and what I needed.
Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian
This is the final book in the Ash Princess trilogy, and it was incredible! If you like stories of rebellion, check out book one here, and enjoy the series.
Well, that’s what I read last month! I feel pretty good about the amount, but I’m still a bit behind on my Goodreads goal (100 books). I look forward to getting through more books next month, and hope to see you again then! Feel free to keep up with my count on Instagram, and check out my other posts here.
