Books of April

 

Happy Friday! It's the beginning of a new month, which means it's time for a little review of the books I read these past few weeks!! 

Admittedly, it's been a slow month. Pretty sure the hell part of the semester put me in a reading slump and I am just now crawling out of it. But I did somehow get through some books, so let's get into it!

 

RULE OF WOLVES by Leigh Bardugo. 4/5 stars. Technically I started this in March, but finished it in April, so it counts. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021, and it did NOT disappoint. I had just re-read most of the Grisha Trilogy when I started this, so reading the ultimate culmination of this whole universe after just starting it over from the beginning was a really cool experience. There was a TON going on in Rule of Wolves, but overall it was a beautiful conclusion to this series I've loved for years. I was really sad to close the last page, but I am happy with where everyone ended up.

RAVAGE THE DARK by Tara Sim. 4/5 stars. Another anticipated sequel! This book twisted and flew all over the place, and I loved following each masterful plot thread. Scavenge the Stars was one of my favorite books from --oh god was it 2019? wow --  and the sequel did not disappoint! The characters' journeys in this book were so well done, and I sure did cry at certain events that I shan't spoil. Also, reading a plague plot during a plague sure is surreal lmao. Anyway, I highly recommend this fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo to anyone who wants a quick-moving plot of intrigue and vengeance.

THE SEVENTH RAVEN by David Elliott. 5/5 stars. Okay, I picked this up on a whim (yes because the cover is pretty) and ended up LOVING it. It's a novel in verse about a girl trying to save her brothers who have been put under a curse that turned them into ravens. It's just that... one of them has always been a little different from the others, and he doesn't actually want to be human again. The book is hauntingly beautiful, with gorgeous writing and a bittersweet ending. It's so different from everything I've ever read, and now I definitely want to check out Elliott's other books.

WITCH HAT ATELIER by Kamome Shirahama. 5/5 stars to the entire series. Holy crap y'all I LOVE this manga. Once again, I grabbed the first volume from the library because the cover was pretty, only to find that ALL of the art is GORGEOUS. And I absolutely fell in love with the story and characters soon after. If you like Howl's Moving Castle (or any Ghibli movie, really), you'll be a huge fan of this. There's whimsical and spectacular magic, an endearing cast of characters, and some darker plot threads that imply something huge is brewing. I'm totally enthralled, and also devastated because the English translation of the 8th volume isn't out until SEPTEMBER. Anyway. Read this series.

THE HIDDEN WITCH and THE MIDWINTER WITCH by Molly Knox Ostertag. 4/5 stars to both. I read The Witch Boy in March and absolutely loved it, so I had to get my hands on the others in the series as soon as they were available at the library! These graphic novels are fantastic, with gorgeous art and wonderful characters. I love the magic in these books, and the subtle queer undertones. Okay, maybe it's not super subtle lol but magic as a metaphor for identity is one of my favorite things in fantasy, so I really connected to these books.

THE OKAY WITCH by Emma Steinkellner. 4/5 stars. This was another really fun and witchy graphic novel! I guess I was in a witchy mood in April. This book follows a young teen girl named Moth who (accidentally) finds out that her mom is a witch, and therefore she is a witch, and therefore her life is suddenly like a million times better. Except... her mom doesn't want either of them to be witches, and Moth soon learns there's some pretty dark reasons why her mom is so opposed to magic. The plot didn't go at all where I expected, and I loved the blend of past and present throughout the story. Also, again, the art is gorgeous. There's also a talking cat. So what's not to love?

That's it for books I read in April! Given the reading slump, it's not surprising that half of them are graphic novels lmao. But like I said, I think I'm starting to get out of the slump, and that'd better be true because I just got six new books this week that have joined the truly shameful pile of unread books on my bedroom floor. Actually, the sad thing is that the ones on the floor aren't even ALL of the books I own and haven't read. They're just the ones that won't fit on my shelves. And this pile is now two piles because it got so tall that it definitely would've tipped over if I hadn't split it in two. So. I have a problem. It's fine. 

I think I'm on a contemporary kick as far as books go rn. Sometimes it's hard to make my brain get into a new and unique fantasy world where I have to learn the history and rules and places and how the magic works and all that. Contemporary is a good refresher when I want to breeze through a story and connect to characters instead of exploring a sweeping new world. 

Currently I'm reading Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli, who is an auto-buy author for me. I'll read anything and everything she writes; her characters are always stellar and her voice on the page is unmatched. Her newest book is fantastic so far, and I think that's going to be what I spend today reading. I also just bought and started Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee, which was one of my most highly anticipated debuts of this year and I am STOKED that I finally have my hands on it. It's charming and adorable so far (wow look at me reading romance?? it makes such a difference when it's queer), and I can't wait to see how it plays out. Fake dating trope forever and always, PLEASE.

As far as writing, I'm not doing much of that currently. I got stuck :( And that means it's time to give my brain a rest so I can re-evaluate my WIPs and figure out where to go from here. One of them might have to be cut down from a novel to a novella, but we'll see. I usually get caught in a slump around the 20k mark, which is exactly where I am with The Secret WIP, so it's hard to tell whether it's the 20k slump making me second guess everything or if something huge has to change with the story. Maybe it's time to work on something totally different.

In the meantime! Exciting things about THE ORACLE STONE: The ebook is now
available through Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books (in addition to Amazon)!!!! And, surprise, the price is still reduced to $0.99 across all platforms!

As of now, the paperback is still only available through Amazon, but I'm making moves to get a hardcover version (ooooOOoooo) available via B&N sometime in the near future. Depends on how quickly they ship me my proof copy so I can make sure everything's in good shape. So that's another exciting thing to watch out for in the coming weeks!!

Last thing! I want to throw out a HUGE thank you to everyone who has grabbed a copy of my book since it came out in February. It's still so surreal to me that I have an actual book out in the wild, and it makes me indescribably thrilled that people have bought it and want to read it. So if that's you, THANK YOU!! I appreciate you so much!! 

And if you've read THE ORACLE STONE, it'd mean the world to me if you left a review on Goodreads or Amazon! Reviews help books get into readers' hands, so if you're like me and enjoy shouting about books to your friends, please do leave a review! 

Okay, that's all for today! I'm off to see if I can write any words. Till next time!

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