🐇 April Reviews 🌷
April 1st- 30th
I had another great reading month in April. This was my best of the year so far with 19 books and 5854 pages read. I found so many new favorites, especially Words of Radiance.
Book 55: The Dragons of Winter
(The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #6)
By James A. Owen
Read April 1st-3rd
Pages: 400
Release Year: 2012
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I absolutely adore this series and cannot wait to read the final book.
Book 56: The First Dragon
(The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #7)
By James A. Owen
Read April 4th-5th
Pages: 304
Release Year: 2013
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A perfect ending to this wonderful series. I love how James A. Owen decided to conclude this story so much. This just makes me want to reread the entire series and see the pieces I missed the first time around. It has been a joy to watch these characters grow and I can only hope for further books in this world. There is an eighth book which is a collection of short stories which I will be reading next.
I highly recommend reading these books. They are great!
Book 57: Witch Week
(Chrestomanci #3)
By Diana Wynne Jones
Read April 7th
Pages: 304
Release Year: 1982
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Another brilliant book in the Chrestomanci series. Oh, how I love Diana Wynne Jones's writing style.
Book 58: The Dragon Knight
(The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #8)
By James A. Owen
Read April 6th-8th
Pages: 224
Release Year: 2021
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I like how this had a framing device to connect each of the stories to the overall story in this collection. My favorites were the ones about John, Bug, and Quixote. Also, I like how this ends in a way that makes me think that there will be more stories from this world. Here’s hoping.
Book 59: The Dam Keeper (Dam Keeper # 1)
By Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
Read April 9th
Pages: 160
Release Year: 2017
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I like this graphic novel quite a bit and am looking forward to continuing with the other two volumes. The illustrations are so beautiful. Definitely want to check out the animated short.
Book 60: The Great Gatsby
By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Read April 10th
Pages: 180
Release Year: 1925
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April 10th, 2025-
Happy 100th anniversary Old Sport! This is my fifth time rereading this book and I love it so much more now. Rereading will always be one of my favorite things and seeing how a book changes for you each time you read it. Gatsby is a beautifully heartbreaking story that I adore with all my heart.
April 10th, 2023-
I decided to reread this wonderful book on the 98th anniversary of it’s publication. It’s been ten years since, I first read the book and I love it just as much as the first time. I will forever adore the beautiful writing.
February 9th, 2019 reread-
This is the third time that I have read this book and I cannot help but adore it everytime. It's beautiful and heartbreaking. There are so many lines that I could pull out as favorites. Especially those about the green light.
I have still to this day never read another F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. I hope to this year.
Book 61: Assistant to the Villain
(Assistant to the Villain #2)
By Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Read April 9th-12th
Pages: 342
Release Year: 2023
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Another favorite from a year full them. I loved the relationship between Evie and the villain so much. It was an absolute joy seeing them interact with each other and their banter. I cannot tell you the amount of times I laughed out loud just from their inner thoughts about each other. This was everything I wanted out of the story and so much more. I’m very happy that I have the sequel after the ending. Looking forward to seeing what happens next with these characters.
Book 62: The Dam Keeper: World Without Darkness (Dam Keeper #2)
By Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
Read April 12th
Pages: 160
Release Year: 2018
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Just as beautiful as the first. This is such a sad storyline, though I do love the message about family in this with Van.
Book 63: The Dam Keeper: Return from the Shadows (Dam Keeper #3)
By Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
Read April 12th
Pages: 208
Release Year: 2019
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A beautiful finale for this series which surprised me by making me tear up at the end. I do really enjoy how they decided to end Pig, Fox, and Rhino’s story.
Book 64: Apprentice to the Villain
(Assistant to the Villain #2)
By Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Read April 13th
Pages: 368
Release Year: 2024
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Never have I wanted to bang two people's heads together as I did Evie and Trystan. Their romance is so sweet at times but also frustrating. I'm not usually a fan of such a slow burn but there is just something about them that I cannot get enough of. They play off each other very well and I adore the banter. I haven't laughed this much at a book in a long time that also tugs at my heart.
It was nice learning more about the secondary characters this time around. I like that we got more perspectives, especially Rebecca's. Also, the world building was great in this one. One of my favorite aspects of a fantasy is learning about the world, its magic, and creatures. We get so much of that here and I look forward to learning more in future books.
I cannot wait to get more from Evie, Trystan, Kingsley, Becky, Blade, Lyssa, Tati, Claire, Fluffy, Edwin... all of this gang of misfits. I love this found family so much!
Book 65: Beetle & the Chimera Carnival (The Beetle Books #2)
By Aliza Layne
Read April 15th
Pages: 368
Release Year: 2025
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I enjoy this series so much, especially the stunning illustrations throughout. This a great new adventure with Beetle and her friends. She, Penny, and Kat are dealing with injured and disappearing dragons. Also, Beetle is having problems with her magic and is starting to transform at the moon like other goblins. Kat’s parents come to town and make the girls believe they will not have a chance at a relationship because of them.
This book deals with identity and learning to be yourself even if others might not like it. I love the representation in this story. Perfect for young readers.
I will definitely be picking up a copy of this sometime to go along with the first. Cannot wait to see the finished illustrations with color.
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.*
Book 66: A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic
(Adenashire #1)
By J. Penner
Read April 15th-16th
Pages: 288
Release Year: 2023
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I have been an avid watcher of cooking and baking shows for a very long time, so I knew I had to read this book. It is a great cozy fantasy, with a dash of romance. It was interesting learning about this world throughout the story and I am looking forward to seeing more in the other books.
J. Penner does an incredible job describing these "magical bakes" throughout the entire book. It really made me want to eat them. I love how there are also recipes included in the back. Perfect for a book all about baking.
The side characters were my other favorite part of the book, especially Arleta's neighbors, a cute orc couple who are adopted dads for Arleta. They were great. I wish there was a book just about them.
There were parts of the romance I really enjoyed and parts that I didn't. I won't spoil them here. It was cute, but not my favorite.
If you are a fan of cozy fantasy stories, I would recommend picking this up. It was a lighthearted and wholesome story with a lot of heart.
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
Book 67: Gary of a Hundred Days
(The Unwanted King #1)
By Isabel Murray
Read April 16th
Pages: 172
Release Year: 2022
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I did like the first couple of chapters but not most of the rest. There wasn’t enough plot for me. Also, the fated mate relationship is just one I did not like at all. Or how childish Gary felt in this. I was hoping for a cozy queer fantasy but this was not what I wanted.
Book 68: The Layover (The Layover #1)
By Roe Horvat
Read April 17th
Pages: 117
Release Year: 2017
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Roe Horvat has a beautiful writing style which I definitely plan to read more of in the future. I saw this heavily recommended on multiple sites for a great take on the sick/comfort trope and this definitely was what I was looking for. The relationship was one I connected to quickly. I loved watching Ondro and Jamie fall for each other. I only wish this could have been a bit longer. Roe did an incredible job making this not feel like insta-love even with the shortness.
Book 69: Swordheart
By T. Kingfisher
Read April 17th-19th
Pages: 448
Release Year: 2018
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One of my favorite tropes in fantasy is an inanimate object coming to life, especially a sword. I loved seeing how T. Kingfisher twisted this in a way I have come to love in her books. Instead of being the sword itself, Sarkis is an immortal man trapped in the sword who comes out when the sword is unsheathed. It was so interesting to learn about how this worked throughout the book.
Sarkis is meant to guard whoever is wielding the sword, with his life. When Halla tries to use the sword to end her troubles with her terrible family, Sarkis meets someone quite different than he has seen wield it before. It is his duty to protect and help her.
T. Kingfisher's humor is some of my favorite to read. I was hooked in this story from the very first line until the very end. I adore how much she can make me laugh out loud from the inner thoughts of the characters, the dialogue, and the banter. Halla is absolutely hilarious. I love how how cleverly she uses her questions to get people to think she is naive. It was great to see her get everyone out of trouble because others underestimate women like her. She's so damn clever.
The romance between Halla and Sarkis was wonderful. I loved seeing them play off each other. They are so different and it was adorable to watch them fall in love. Also, the banter was top-notch between them. Grumpy x sunshine works so well here. Their dynamic was endearing and you just want them to succeed.
Along with our couple, I enjoyed following the side characters, especially Zale and Brindle. Found families will always be one of my favorite dynamics in a story. This became a fantasy road trip of my dreams. It was interesting to learn about the different religions and cultures throughout. We got to see different people who represented many of the different gods, including Zale, who is a priest of the White Rat. This has a good amount of world-building which had me wanting to read even more from this world.
Another great book from an author who is becoming one of my all-time favorites. Definitely, looking forward to picking up the other books from this world.
Book 70: Words of Radiance
(The Stormlight Archive #2)
By Brandon Sanderson
Read April 21st-26th
Pages: 1088
Release Year: 2014
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A brilliant follow-up to The Way of Kings that surprised me by being even better than the first. I love this series.
We learn so much about Shallan in this book, especially of what happened in her past. I like how we switch back and forth between what is happening in the present to the past with what happened to her, the same as Kaladin in the first. Good lord, she is lucky to be even sane after her childhood.
There was more of Wit in this book, which was an absolute joy. I love the scene where he is telling Kaladin the story of Fleet. Brandon Sanderson does a perfect job balancing the humor along with many terribly tragic scenes. Wit’s scenes are hilarious as usual and I love the banter between Kaladin, Adolin, and Shallan. I could not stop laughing with some of their scenes together.
This is a world I look forward to learning more about in the rest of the series.
Book 71: Thinking About Thinking: Impossible Thoughts and Complicated Feelings
By Grant Snider
Read April 26th
Pages: 128
Release Year: 2025
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I love Grant Snider’s comics so very much. This is a great work.
Book 72: Darwin’s Watch
(The Science of the Discworld #3)
By Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen
Read April 27th- 29th
Pages: 346
Release Year: 205
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I really like the overarching story in each of the books in this series with the wizards of Unseen University causing different things to happen on Roundworld. These scenes are some of my favorites for the wizards.
The science in this book interested me quite a bit more than usual and I liked learning about Darwin. Not only does this have information about natural selection but it goes into the history of how he came about these ideas. Though, I do enjoy the Discworld story much more and do not like how it cuts off in the middle of the story. Oftentimes, the story elements feel so short and then it switches yet again.
Book 73: Macbeth
By William Shakespeare
Read April 29th
Pages: 249
Release Year: 1606
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April 29th reread:
This is my fourth time reading through Macbeth. It is my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays, one I love so much. I decided this time to finally watch the David Tennant version and follow along with my copy. They did an absolutely incredible job performing this play, though I will say they changed it around a bit from the original. Shakespeare is so much better when it is performed. My favorite scenes will always be the witch scenes.
