April Wrap Up

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Hello Hello! How are you?

I hope you’ve all had your morning beverage and are motivated because this post is going to be a long one. I have to admit that when I wrote my April TBR last month, I thought I was going to get through all the author requests and blog tour books and then give up. Well I didn’t! I managed to read so so so so many books this month, even some that weren’t even on my TBR and I’m so proud of myself!

I think I ended up reading nearly one book (or two) a day and this month just went by so quickly, I wanted it to slow down a bit at the end because, with only 3 days to go, I still had 2 books to read to complete my O.W.L.s Magical Readathon TBR for the Librarian career. Luckily, the two books I had left were absolutely great and I sped through them, finishing the last one with 20 minutes to go until midnight, YAY! Victory or what?

 I had 28 books on my April TBR – well actually if you count the individual books in the 2 series (one box set and one bind-up) I had 33 books on my TBR, which I’ll admit, is BONKERS. But you all know me, so I’m sure it’s no surprise aha. Some of you may have followed my little tally I was keeping on Twitter, and you’ll know that A) I didn’t read ALL the books on my set TBR and B) I read some books that were not on my set TBR (oops). However, in April I managed to read a total of 31 books and I’m proper chuffed with myself.

I’m going to go through all the books I read but I’m not going to go into much detail because we will be here forever if not. It’s already long though, so buckle in!

BOOKS READ

My Favourite Book of the Month

I usually only have one book of the month, but both my first and last books of the month were such strong contenders, I loved them both so much for very different reasons, so they both deserved the spotlight!

Tapestry by Beth Duke – 5 stars

I ADORED this book so much. It is such a beautiful story about ancestry and family, with the added bonus of Native American heritage and I just have to *chef’s kiss* it. This book is going to stay with me for a long time and I need to go buy a physical copy! My full review can be found here.

The Third Sun by Victoria J. Price – 5 stars

This was my last April book and boy am I happy I waited for it! I know Victoria and she is such a sweet person, so when we started talking and she told me about her book I just had to give it a shot. It has taken me a few months but this book, WOW, you have to go read it! It’s the sort of fantasy that isn’t too bloody, it’s got a nice touch of romance and now I need book 2, please. This is my sort of binge fantasy, and I got the same feels as I did in ACOTAR, so go read it, please! I haven’t written a review yet because I still need to collect my thoughts but I’ll be posting one soon!

April Books

Fence Volume 1, Volume 2 and Volume 3 by C.S. Pascat – 3 stars

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I was expecting to love these, but I didn’t, they really just fell flat. I really wanted to love them, but the sports and fencing was just meeh and there wasn’t really any character development or relationship development and I was really disappointed. You can find my mini graphic novel review for this series here.

The Girl in the White Dress by Paul Barrell – 3.5 stars

I was really excited to start this one and although I did enjoy it, some places the story just didn’t feel very coherent. I loved the parts on the boat but the others were just a bit too mundane for my liking, just not really my type of book! You can read my full review here.

The Museum of Broken Promises by Elizabeth Buchan – 3.5 stars

Another mini let down this month. I was expecting to adore this because it’s historical fiction with the added cool plot element of a museum where people bring objects that represent grief or broken promises. The premise was good, but the book just didn’t do it for me, it was a bit too long and dragged. You can read my full review here.

A Whole New Me by Adrianna Schuh – 3.5 stars

Another little disappointment, I was expecting to love this book. I know the author from Twitter and had been following information about the release, but when I got to it, it fell flat of my expectations a little. It’s not very long, whereas I’m a long book kind of gal, and there wasn’t much development. It’s a nice quick read for romance lovers and I would recommend to people who don’t mind short books. You can read my full review here.

Red Moon (#1 Arcana of the Crimson Era) by Sein Ares – 4 stars

Loved this! I was so happy to get this author’s request and it’s a really original book. I won’t say too much other than it’s fantasy, has a lot of fighting, blood, and gore but the world-building and character development is awesome and really setting the scene for book 2 which I am really eager for! You can read my full review here.

Living among the Dead: My Grandmother’s Holocaust Survival Story of Love and Strength by Adena Bernstein Astrowsky – 4 stars

One of the two memoirs I read this month and I feel so honoured to have read Mania’s story. It is a beautiful story of resilience and family and it needs to be heard. The story in itself was really good and I enjoyed it, I would have liked more and sometimes the structure was just a bit off, but I really recommend. You can read my full review here.

You Will Be Safe Here by Damian Barr – 4 stars

I really loved this book and I keep thinking about it so much, so I think I’ll need to buy a physical copy and reread it soon. Another beautiful historical fiction laced with a story of horrors and the truth about concentration camps, it was beautifully written and the diary entries at the start of the book were my favourite part. I would recommend this book to anyone, I loved it. You can read my full review here.

The Seeing Stone (#2 TSC), Lucinda’s Secret (#3), The Ironwood Tree (#4) and The Wrath of Mulgarath (#5) by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi – 4 stars

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We managed to finish The Spiderwick Chronicles for #AprilCatchUp thanks to our reading sessions, so we finally caught up on some backlist books. I only just posted my review of these books a few days ago, which you can find here, but I really loved this Middle Grade fantasy series and I would definitely urge anyone of any age to read these books!

For the Lost Time by Heather Blair – 4 stars

I hadn’t realised how much I missed historical fiction/ time travel romance until I picked this book up. I read it so fast and it was so whimsical, the setting was absolutely great and I loved it so much! The ending was so cute, just ARGH, go read this book, it’s so cute. You can read my full review here.

A Study in Charlotte (#1 Charlotte Holmes) by Brittany Cavallaro – 4 stars

I also managed to read one of the books for the Coffee Break Book Club on Goodreads. I tried to finish Blood Heir too but I was just too busy and the audiobook was a bit meeh, so I need to buy the physical copy because I did enjoy what I read of the story, the narrator was just getting on my nerves. I really enjoyed this take on the Sherlock Holmes story, I fell in love with the characters and I’m in a total whodunnit mood now. I can’t wait to pick up book 2. You can find my Goodreads review here, the full review will be up on the blog in the near future (hopefully).

Red Hail by Jamie Killen – 4 stars

Ohhh, this was such a fascinating, unique book! I probably wouldn’t recommend it at the moment because it is about a Plague from the 1960s in a small town which comes back 60 years after the first time and the story of how each generation deals with it, but I absolutely loved it and I highly recommend reading it when the whole world situation calms down. You can find my full review here.

Every Heart a Doorway (#1 Wayward Children) by Seanan McGuire – 4 stars

My first O.W.L.s Magical Readathon book and also my first Seanan McGuire. I really enjoyed reading this book, it was the first book I picked up in April (writing this it feels like 3 years ago already), it is a very unique storyline and I did find it a bit strange in the beginning, but I was quickly immersed and I really want to read the next one in the series soon. You can find my full review here.

Circe by Madeline Miller – 4 stars

For #AprilCatchUp we also managed to read Circe, it took us a very long time because this book is dense, complex, emotional, it has so many characters, so many events spanning centuries and it’s a lot to take in, but we both loved it. it was a bit much at times, but I think this is one of the best endings I’ve ever read in a book. You can find my Goodreads review here, the full review will be up on the blog soon!

Ranger’s Oath (#1 Fall of Radiance) by Blake Arthur Peel – 4 stars

Another great fantasy book and another great series I started. This one gave me Robin Hood vibes and I’m really looking forward to book 2 because I think it’s going to be great after the events of book 1. Beautiful written and fast-paced too! You can find my full review here.

The Forest of Fallen Stars by Elfie Riverdell – 4 stars

I was a tad disappointed by this one because I had predicted a 5-star rating for this one. It was extremely fast-paced, I haven’t ever read a book that goes so fast and it was a bit much at times because I needed it to slow down, it’s a very quick read and not much happens, but it is a really cute little story about friendship, so I definitely recommend. You can find my full review here.

Demons of the Ocean (#1 Vampirates) by Justin Somper – 4 stars

LOVED IT! Thank you again to Danni for recommending this book to me for the Defence Against the Dark Arts prompt for my Librarian career. This gave me Peter Pan, The Pirates of the Caribbean, and A Series of Unfortunate Events vibes. I’m really looking forward to the little novella set between book 1 and book 2 and to continue the series as soon as I can. You can read my full review here, be warned, this book is really cool.

The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni – 4 stars

My first ever gothic horror novel and although it did not scare me (at all), it was really atmospheric. Another fascinating tale about family secrets and ancestry, I’d definitely recommend this one, it’s really good! You can find my full review here.

Separation Anxiety by Laura Zigman – 4 stars

Aww, this one was such a cute, quick and meaningful read about a woman who is lost in her life, sad and lonely and decides to start wearing her dog in a baby sling. This made me laugh and sniffle, it was just lovely. You can read my full review here.

The Princess of Felling by Elaine Cusack – 5 stars

My second memoir of the month was absolutely incredible. I loved this book and I’m so grateful to Anne and Elaine for letting me take part in the tour. It was such a different type of memoir and it gave me all the feels, reminding me of my own family and childhood even though I didn’t grow up in Felling. If you are looking for something different, funny, emotional and heart-warming, you should definitely pick this up. You can read my full review here.

The Lost Child by Emily Gunnis – 5 stars

I’m slowly making my way back into thrillers and mysteries and I have to say that this book has a big part in that. It was sort of a historical fiction mystery/thriller and so engrossing. I loved every minute of it and will definitely be looking out for more books by this author. You can read my full review here.

Shadow of Night (#2 All Souls Trilogy) by Deborah Harkness – 5 stars

I would have had 3 books of the month if I hadn’t reigned myself in because this book just got me, I have no words other than I loved it and you have to check this series out because it’s incredible and I love it. I really need to get to book 3 when I get home to France. I haven’t written a review yet because my thoughts are all over the place and I need to probably reread the last chapters to take it all in, but I will soon be posting my thoughts on Goodreads and later on the blog.

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller – 5 stars

This was my buddy read with Candyce from The Book Dutchesses, I had such a great time, so thank you Candyce for agreeing to buddy read this for me. This book was great and I just can’t find anything wrong with it, it’s a really short but very well written fantasy (sadly standalone, I know, I already wept) and I would definitely recommend. You can find my Goodreads review here, stay tuned for a full review soon.

Hold Your Tongue (#1 DI Eve Hunter) by Deborah Masson – 5 stars

Thank you to Danni once again for recommending an amazing book for my O.W.L.s prompts. You really need to ask her for book recs if you don’t know what to pick up next. I loved this one, it put me right back in my murder mystery mood and now I’m craving all the Agatha Christies and might do a rewatch of Criminal Minds. You can find my Goodreads review here and the full review is going to be going up soon (can you tell I ran out of days to post?).

Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman – 5 stars

This was not part of my April TBR, but one of my lovely blogger friends sent it over and I was just totally in the mood for reconnecting with Nick and Charlie, such a cute, quick read, I highly recommend. You can find my mini graphic novel review for this book here.

April Reading Stats

Number of books: 31

Number of pages: 8,588 pages

Star ratings:

            3 stars: 3 books

            3.5 stars: 3 books

            4 stars: 17 books

            5 stars: 8 books

Average rating:  4.11 ⭐

Genres: 4 YA fantasy, 2 contemporary, 3 historical fiction, 1 paranormal fantasy, 4 graphic novels, 4 middle grade fantasy, 1 gothic horror, 2 mysteries, 1 science fiction, 2 romances (1 being historical fiction romance), 2 memoirs, 4 fantasies (not YA), and 1 YA mystery.

I do think that I’m going to start counting 4.5-star books now because looking at this wrap-up, there were definitely some books that were closer to 5 stars than 4 stars, so I’ll bear that in mind for my next reads!

That’s all for now, that was so long and took me forever to compile, but I’m so proud of myself this month because I’ve been under a lot of stress with my last university assignment, my French university stressing me out about coming home, etc, etc, etc, ahah! I hope you enjoyed this post, tell me all about the books you read in April and what you thought of them!

See you soon, stay safe,

Ellie xx