april reads.

The Shadows Between Us, by Tricia Levenseller
This story was just fine!  The premise was intriguing and the first half was really great, and I was thinking a solid four-star rating was waiting at the end.  But I started losing steam in the second half and at the finish it ended up being a three-star.  Truthfully, I cannot even remember what it was that made me lose interest??

Chain of Gold, by Cassandra Clare
I finished this and was like COMPLETELY blindsided by how much I liked it.  I couldn't stop thinking about these characters for several days, and a part of me was FUMING that I liked this book so much to be devastated at having to wait for future installments.  It was totally unexpected, but not exactly disappointing, and now I have to consider buying this book because I liked it that much.
I have to be honest: after reading 5 books in this universe, I'm not sure I know what a Shadowhunter even is.  😬😬😬  Is that bad???  But I get these books now: it's about the characters.  And hell if I didn't love the cast of characters in this book.

Imagine Me, by Tahereh Mafi
I devoured books 1-5 in this series in March of last year, and have been low-key looking forward to the conclusion for a year.  And it was... underwhelming and disappointing.  In the first fifty pages... literally just one thing happens, but it is described in metaphors and excessive language for f.i.f.t.y. freaking pages.  And the rest of the book kind of ends up being the same.  Just a handful (if that) of events happen, and I just wasn't as riveted as I was by the other books in the series.  Whomp whomp.

If I Never Met You, by Mhairi McFarlane
This was a delightful read that was devastating and funny and sweet and everything that a good romance needs (though it could have been a little more sexy, TBH).

Wintersong, by S. Jae-Jones
This was a perfectly adequate read that had a fantastic setting and wonderful atmosphere, but I didn't really care about the characters enough to read the sequel.

Undercover Bromance, by Lyssa Kay Adams
Loved being back with some of these characters!  This was fun and funny and sexy, and the revenge-fantasy aspect was much appreciated, too.  This freaking book club is always a delight to read about.

Bone Crier's Moon, by Kathryn Purdie
I don't know why, but early on in this book, I compared it to Serpent & Dove.  I kept thinking is this the book that I wanted Serpent & Dove to be?  And I think it was!!  I really loved this book and the world and the characters.  Really looking forward to the next one.

Truly Devious,
The Vanishing Stair, and
The Hand on the Wall, by Maureen Johnson
Okay, I've never really read mystery/thrillers like, at all, so maybe that affects my opinion of this series, but I absolutely LOVED this trilogy.  I think I would have loved it even more if I read it during the fall/early winter to match the setting.  (The setting was a spectacular aspect of this book, it was established so well.)  Stevie was such a great MC and I loved following her while she solved the mystery of the school she attends.  My only gripe was that I did not like David and will forever ship Stevie and Nate, but even that wasn't enough for me to not give this series five stars.

Red Rising,
Golden Son, and
Morning Star, by Pierce Brown
A great science fiction series!  I really loved book one, book two lost my interest a little, and then book three got it right back.  The high level of violence was exactly what I didn't know I needed (😳), and I was here for all of the horrifyingly gruesome moments.  My advice to anyone reading this is to not get too attached to anyone.  Lots of character deaths, some of which stopped my heart in my chest.
About halfway through book two, I discovered that this series continues past book three and kind of wanted to die.  But this first trilogy wraps up nicely and it's definitely possible to stop after Morning Star.
Also, I mostly listened to these on audiobook, and really loved it!  The narrator was A+ and I think I found the story more immersive this way.

Beach Read, by Emily Henry
Okay.  So I started this book at 9:30 pm, thinking that I would just read a couple of chapters before bed.  And then I was IN IT, saw the time at 11:30, and was like, we're doing this.  At 2:30 am, I laid in my bed thinking, did I just read my favorite book of all time???
I loved this book so damn much, I don't even have proper words.  I loved reading about January so much and found her so relatable, even though I have never experienced the relationship-heartbreak she has. Her struggles to write were a manifestation of my own, and when she finally started to write it was about a family in a traveling circus and I WROTE ABOUT A CAST IN A TRAVELING CIRCUS IN COLLEGE.
And Gus.  Freaking Gus, my precious Depressive Demon Nightmare Boy.  He was perfect in his flaws and strengths, and even though he's the complete opposite of Jon, I would have married him in a heartbeat.  (sorry, babe.)
I will say, at the 90% mark, I had legitimate fears about how the book was going to end.  Like, in my mind it could have reasonably gone one way and I was like OH NOOOO PLEASE DON'T, and I was thinking what am I going to rate this if it goes that way, and I decided it STILL would have been a five-star read even if it didn't end the way I wanted.  I like my contemporary romances with depth, and boy did this have it.
In the end, I got to Goodreads and wondered, is it possible to give a book six stars?  Which I've never ever thought before.  So, yeah.  Favorite book of all time.

The Kingdom of Back, by Marie Lu
A really special story about the Mozart siblings that was wonderfully immersive and both heartbreaking and heartwarming.  Marie Lu's writing is so great, and even though I haven't loved everything she has written *coughYoungElitescough* I will always read something she publishes, no question.

Saga, Volumes 1-9, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
This graphic novel series broke my soul.  I'm an idiot who didn't know that the series is only halfway complete, so while I was making my way through the volumes I was like how did early readers of this series wait so freaking long in between installments?  WELL JOKE'S ON ME, and now I'm in it for like, the next damn decade.
I immediately fell for the main characters and was invested in their story right away.  (And boy, I could NOT have predicted where exactly that story would have taken me.)  Some of the art panels are beautifully stunning, even while some of the images are life-alteringly disturbing.
I read all of the published volumes in about 6 or so hours, and then Jon stayed up until 5AM also finishing it.  So it goes without saying, it's totally bingeable.
It also puts the "graphic" in graphic novel.  Sex, violence, swearing... it's got it all, and then some.  If that doesn't bother you, proceed on this soul-shattering journey!