Hello, reader!
It’s time once again for another monthly wrap up. Which makes no sense because didn’t April just start? I swear, I blinked and it was May! This year is already going much faster than 2020 which, hey, I appreciate it. April was a pretty stellar reading month, with most of the books I read being four stars. I even found a new favorite book! I’m excited to share with you all the books I managed to read and some thoughts, so let’s jump right in!
Books Read
Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page
Book: Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes by M.R. Noble
Rating: ★★★
Thoughts: I read this book for a blog tour and, for the most part, I had a good time! It was an intriguing and fast-paced paranormal romance that definitely kept my interest! I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance and I would have appreciated a little more world-building, but I still had a fun time reading it. You can read my full review here!
Book: What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson
Rating: ★★★★
Thoughts: What an absolutely beautiful book! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went into this novel for a blog tour and I was blown away! This is a dark and enthralling young adult thriller that will chill you to the bones. The writing was my favorite part, it was so lyrical and hit me in the feels. You can read my full review here!
Book: Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Rating: ★★★★
Thoughts: In April, I was trying to bring my Netgalley ratio back up after getting a bit behind on reviews. Which meant I need to re-read this book because I never got around to reviewing it when I read it the first time. I didn’t mind, though, because this book about two dragonriders with a lot of secrets was incredible! I adored our two main characters, Annie and Lee, and the world-building was *chef’s kiss* You can read my full review here!
Book: Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
Rating: ★★★★
Thoughts: This is the sixth installment in the Wayward Children series and I loved it as much as the other ones! Though I do love the characters we’ve already met throughout the series, I liked that this was a fresh, new story following a character we haven’t met before. Regan’s story after she falls through a door into a world populated by mythical horses and horse-people is easy to get into and such a treat. As usual with these books, I felt like it ended too soon, but I still enjoyed it.
Book: The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King
Rating: ★★★★
Thoughts: Here we have another book that I read for a blog tour. This book was the winner of BBNYA 2020 and I can see why! I was expecting a fantasy when I went in, but this is actually a super intense military thriller with some fantastical elements that come into play later. It was a fast-paced, engaging read that I ended up flying through. You can read my full review here!
Book: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Rating: ★★★★★
Thoughts: No thoughts, just READ THIS BOOK, PLEASE. Seriously, though, I absolutely loved this book! It was perfection, from the world-building, to the characters, every bit of this book was made for me to love it. It was lush and vivid and dark and I just need everyone to read it. Now. Please? You can read my full review here!
Book: White Fox by Sara Faring
Rating: ★★★★
Thoughts: This was another book I read to work on my Netgalley backlog. I read it while staying in a cabin in the woods and, honestly, it was the perfect setting. This was a dark thriller that keeps you on your toes. I loved the atmosphere of this book and how deeply I connected with the two main characters. I don’t know, there’s just something about creepy woods that makes me instantly intrigued, and the fact that our main characters are trying to solve the decade old disappearance of their mother adds to it. You can read my full review here!
Book: Kate In Waiting by Becky Albertalli
Rating: ★★★★
Thoughts: I thought this was such a cute read! We’re following two high school best friends named Kate and Anderson who are about to clash over a mutual crush. I thought this was a great look at friendships and relationships. I also loved the heavy influence of musical theater! It’s the musical nerd in me, what can I say? You can read my full review here!
Book: Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston
Rating: ★★★★
Thoughts: I read this book for our TWR book club that isn’t a book club and I had such a good time with it! This felt like a classic fairytale and it was such a fun ride. Was I left with a lot more questions than answers at the end? Yes. Did I still appreciate how much I could lose myself in this story? Also yes! If nothing else, I now want to read more of Ashley Poston’s books. And, once again, I’m left wondering if books set in creepy woods are becoming my new thing.
Book: Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch
Rating: ★★★★
Thoughts: I’m also reading the Rivers of London series with a bunch of the TWR group and this is the third installment. Though I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I loved Moon Over Soho, I still had a great time with it! This read more like a police procedural with a wee bit of magic thrown in. Don’t get me wrong, we are fully entrenched in the magical underbelly of London, but it seemed like there was less physical magic… if that makes sense? Probably not, but, either way, I still had a great time! Peter is slowly becoming one of my favorite characters and I’m excited to continue his story.
Book of the Month
Not only do I have a clear winner for Book of the Month in April, I read my favorite book of 2021 so far! I read a lot of great books last month, but there is only one that completely blew me away. The Book of the Month for April is…
Y’all, I can’t stop thinking about this book! I need fanart, I need discourse, I need more! This was such a wonderful story that completely captured my imagination. I fell in love with the characters, the setting, and the mythology that is threaded throughout. It’s hard for me to form coherent sentences about it still. Xiala is perfection, Serapio is best boi, and I cannot wait for the next book!
Reflections
A month where I read a contender for favorite book of the year is always a good reading month! I really did have a great time with most everything I read in April. It’s been a strong reading year, so far, actually! I feel like I’m learning and leaning into my tastes much more. It also helps that I’ve been trying to focus on books that are already on my TBR. Look at me, actually knowing what I like, lol. Now I really need to focus on my physical TBR and start bringing that back down.
I’m also happy with how many Netgalley reviews I got up last month! I finally got myself back up to that magical 80% ratio, as well. It was helpful that some of the folks from The Write Reads gang decided to do Netgalley April and the fact that my library had a lot of the books I needed. I’ve been enjoying reading e-books less and less these days, which is why I think I’ve fallen behind with Netgalley. I think my poor eyes are just burnt out after all the blog tours, lol. I still like e-reading, but I’ve definitely been leaning more towards physical books lately. Oh, and audiobooks now that I have new earphones that actually fit in my tiny ears! I washed my last set 😬 Still, I’m planning on sticking with trying to bring down my Netgalley backlog before I go on a requesting binge which I can definitely feel coming on. I finally got that 80% and I want to maintain it!
Can I just say that buddy reads are just the best, as well? Before last year, I had never been big on buddy reading. Mostly because I didn’t really have people in my life to buddy read with! Now, I read at least one buddy read a month and it just enhances the entire reading experience. I love discussing the books as we’re reading; it gives me so many different perspectives on a story that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. And, in the rare case that the book is kind of a flop, the hilarity that ensues makes it all worthwhile. I’ve also discovered some pretty incredible books that I probably wouldn’t have picked up if it weren’t for buddy reads. I guess what I’m saying is get yourself a group of bookish friends that make reading that much more enjoyable 💕
How was your reading in April? Did you find a new favorite? Make any progress on some challenges? Let me know in the comments!
And, as always, happy reading!
Kerri McBookNerd 
I’m really excited to read Black Sun, my copy has been stuck in post-brexit shipping for 2 months and I’m wondering if I should just accept my loss and get it on ebook. It’s one of our picks this month for the Hugo Readalong on reddit/fantasy, so I really need to get to it soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s incredible! I’m sorry your book is in the shipping ether. Hopefully you’ll get it soon!
LikeLike
I love seeing peoples’ monthly wrap-ups! You look like you read some great books too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was a pretty great reading month 😊
LikeLike
I hadn’t heard of Black Sun before but looked it up after seeing it was your BotM and now it’s on my tbr. Oops!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol, oops! I would say I’m sorry to add to your stack, but I want everyone to read Black Sun!
LikeLiked by 1 person