April Wrap Up 2022

What I Read In April:

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green – NON FICTION – 5 STARS

I really enjoyed reading this book and finding out more about a very random bunch of things through John Green’s thoughts on them. I was surprised at how interested I was in some of the things talked about and I liked how John Green made these random topics feel more personal.

Compelled (Shadow Beast Shifters #5) by Jaymin Eve – ADULT PARANORMAL ROMANCE, FANTASY ROMANCE – 3 STARS

I enjoyed this book and liked it slightly more than Deserted. I liked reading more about the vampire world, I thought it was very interesting. I also liked Simone and Lucian’s chemistry together but again like with Deserted I wish the focus was more on them and not on Mera and Shadow.

Binti (Binti #1) by Nnedi Okorafor – YA SCI-FI, FANTASY – 3 STARS

The world and writing of this novella were very interesting and I was quickly drawn in the story. I liked Binti and reading about her but I just found the ending wrapped up too easily.

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune – ADULT FANTASY – 4 STARS

I liked the writing in this book and thought the story was just as whimsical as House on the Cerulean Sea. I liked the overall concept and idea of the story and the questions it raised about death. I didn’t like Wallace, I know he’s meant to be an unlikable character but I felt like his development wasn’t believable and even by the end of the book I still didn’t like him.

Heartstopper volume 1 by Alice Oseman – YA CONTEMPORARY – 4 STARS
Heartstopper volume 2 by Alice Oseman – YA CONTEMPORARY – 4 STARS

I heard great things about this series for years now but I didn’t actually pick it up until just before the tv series was released on netflix. I really enjoyed both these two volumes and the tv series, I think the tv series follows the book so well. I can’t believe I waited so long to read about Nick and Charlie and can’t wait to read the next two volumes that are released.

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson – YA CONTEMPORARY – 4 STARS

I really liked this book and I liked reading about Liz. I thought Liz’ friendships were interesting with how they changed and developed throughout the book, I also liked the romance between her and Mack.

Blog Posts I Did In April:

Magical Readathon: Orilium Spring Equinox Tbr 2022

Books With Flowers on the Cover

March Wrap Up

What book did you read in April?

March Wrap Up 2022

What I Read In March:

Daughters of Nri (The Return of Earth Mother #1) by Reni K. Amayo – YA FANTASY – REREAD – 4 STARS
Descendants of the First (The Return of Earth Mother #2) by Reni K. Amayo – YA FANTASY – 3 STARS

I read Daughters of Nri years ago and really enjoyed it so I decided to reread it before starting the second book in the series. I enjoyed Daughters of Nri just as much as I did the first time but I didn’t enjoy Descendants of the First as much. I still thought Descendants of the First was an okay read but the story felt more disjointed than the first. I felt like the characters didn’t know what they were doing most of the time and the plot lacked the purpose that the first book had but I still liked the writing and the world of this series.

Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries #4) by Martha Wells – ADULT SCI-FI – 3 STARS
Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (The Murderbot Diaries #4.5) by Martha Wells – ADULT SCI-FI – 2 STARS

I was a bit disappointed in Exit Strategy, I felt bored by the overall plot and I didn’t enjoy Murderbot’s internal thoughts as much as I did with previous books. It was an overall okay read but it just didn’t hold my attention as much as the other books and I feel like it’s very forgettable. I also struggled to see the point of the Home novella since I felt like it didn’t really add anything to the characters or storyline.

King of Battle and Blood (Adrian X Isolde #1) by Scarlett St. Clair – ADULT FANTASY ROMANCE – 3 STARS

This book started off well and I really enjoyed the beginning. I liked how the main characters interacted with each other but I felt like this book was similar to other books out there which isn’t bad but I just felt that other books did these tropes, characters and storylines better. This was still an enjoyable read and I’m interested in the story and will most likely read the next book in the series.

Neon Gods (Dark Olympus #1) by Katee Robert – ADULT FANTASY ROMANCE, MYTHOLOGY – 3 STARS

The book had some hype surrounding it and I did enjoy it. I liked how the world was described in this book but I didn’t have any strong feelings towards either of the main characters. I thought they were okay characters but not very memorable, I did find some of the side characters interesting so I’m still excited for future books.

Smoke Bitten (Mercy Thompson #12) by Patricia Briggs – ADULT URBAN FANTASY – 3 STARS

I love the Mercy Thompson world and I usually enjoy reading each new book but I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I hoped. It was an okay read but the plot felt like filler and on top of that there was some relationship drama added to the mix that I didn’t really care for.

Moon Touched (Zodiac Wolves #1) by Elizabeth Briggs – ADULT PARANORMAL ROMANCE – 3 STARS

There were parts of this book I liked and parts I didn’t. I didn’t like the first part of this book especially with how Ayla was treated at the beginning by her pack but I enjoyed the parts where Kaden and Ayla interacted and how the met. I thought they had good chemistry but as it went on I felt that fade away a bit.

Midnight Sun (The Twilight Saga #5) by Stephenie Meyer – YA PARANORMAL – 4 STARS

It’s been a lot of years since I’ve been in the Twilight world but I really enjoyed all the nostalgia this book brought back for me. I was smiling at so many things in this book and I liked reading from Edward’s pov. Obviously this book isn’t for everyone but as a fan of the Twilight series I really enjoyed it.

Blog Posts I Did In March:

Books On My Spring TBR 2022

Book With Adjectives In The Title

Message Not Found by Dante Medema Book Review

A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout Book Review

February Wrap Up 2022

What books did you read in March?

Book Review: Message Not Found by Dante Medema

Book: Message Not Found
Author: Dante Medema
Age & Genre: YA contemporary mystery

Bailey and Vanessa shared everything: laughter, secrets, and packets of Pop Rocks to ward off bad days. But that all changed the night Vanessa left Bailey’s, headed for home, and ended up swerving off a cliff nowhere near her house. Now Bailey, who thought she knew Vanessa better than anyone in the world, is left with a million unanswered questions, and the only person with answers is gone.

To help grieve her loss, Bailey creates a chat bot of Vanessa using years’ worth of their shared text messages and emails. The more data she uploads to the bot, the more it feels like she’s really talking to her best friend. That is, until the bot starts dropping hints that there was more going on with Vanessa than Bailey realized–a secret so big, it may have contributed to Vanessa’s death.

My Rating: 4 STARS

(I was sent an arc of this book by the publisher)

My Review:

I was intrigued by this book right away, I thought the writing flowed very well. I liked how it is formatted with short chapters and Bailey’s chat logs with ‘V’, it made it feel like such a quick read.

I liked the chat bot part of this book and thought it was interesting how Bailey tried to deal with her grief by setting up the chat log with Vanessa. I liked how the friendship of Bailey and Vanessa is the focus of this book and how we see Bailey go from having such a perfect version of her best friend in her head to questioning some of the things she thought she knew about her. I also enjoyed the mentions of book blogging and bookstagram.

I liked Bailey’s friendship with Esther that slowly develops throughout this book, I thought it was a nice easy friendship. I didn’t care much about the romance of the book, it was okay but felt like it was an obvious thing from the beginning.

There is a mystery aspect to the story with Vanessa and what she was doing the night she died. I did enjoy the build up of the mystery and I liked how the author kept me intrigued throughout but I did think the ending was a bit cliché.

Overall I did enjoy Message Not Found, I thought the story was intriguing and the writing was emotional. I did think the ending was cliché but I liked the themes of grief and friendship that were the main focus of the book.

Book Review: A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book: A Shadow in the Ember
Series: Flesh and Fire #1
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Age & Genre: New adult/adult fantasy romance

Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort.

However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania—she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot.

Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit—it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.

My Rating: 5 STARS

My Review:

A Shadow in the Ember is the start of a prequel series to the Blood and Ash series and I loved it. Since I’m already familiar with the world and writing of this series I found I was more quickly drawn into A Shadow in the Ember than I was with From Blood and Ash and loved it from the first few chapters.

A Shadow in the Ember has a lot of similarities to the Blood and Ash series, it feels like this series seems to foreshadow what’s to come in that series and I enjoyed theorising on how the two series connect.

I liked Seraphena from the beginning, I liked her edge and how she wasn’t afraid to say what she’s thinking. Nyktos is also an interesting character and I loved how he and Seraphena engaged with each other. Their meetings with each other were always intriguing and fun to read and I liked how they got to know each other through these small interactions before the story progressed.

The story was captivating and made me not want to put the book down. Like with the books in the Blood and Ash series there are a lot of twists and turns in the story that always keeps you hooked and we also find out more about the world.

Overall I loved A Shadow in the Ember, I was captivated by the world and the characters in this book. I was quickly drawn into this story and I can’t wait for the release of the next book, I’m excited to read about Seraphena and Nyktos again.

February Wrap Up 2022

What I Read In February:

A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout – NEW ADULT/ADULT FANTASY ROMANCE – 5 STARS

A Shadow in the Ember is a prequel to the Blood and Ash series and I loved it. I was instantly captivated by the story and characters and loved reading about them. I enjoyed reading and theorising about the connections between the two series and how they foreshadow each other.

Message Not Found by Dante Medema – YA COMTEMPORARY, MYSTERY – 4 STARS – (I was sent an arc of this book by the publisher)

I enjoyed Message Not Found and thought it was intriguing. The writing in this book was emotional as it focuses on friendship and grief. I liked the chat bot aspect of the book and thought it really added something to the story.

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas – REREAD – NEW ADULT/ADULT FANTASY – 5 STARS
House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2) by Sarah J. Maas – NEW ADULT/ADULT FANTASY – 5 STARS

I reread HOEAB to remind myself of the details of this series before going into HOSAB. I loved HOEAB just as much as I did when I first read it. I also loved House of Sky and Breath, I love the characters and finding out more about the world of Crescent City was so interesting. Sarah J Maas really knows how to keep readers hooked in the story and I can’t wait for the next one in the series to be released.

Blog Posts I Did In February:

The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout Book Review

Redemptor (Raybearer #1) by Jordan Ifueko Book Review

January Wrap Up 2022

What did you read in February?

Book Review: The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book: The Crown of Gilded Bones
Series: Blood and Ash #3
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Age & Genre: Adult fantasy romance

She’s been the victim and the survivor…

Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.

The enemy and the warrior…

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms’ dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.

A lover and heartmate…

But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen…

My Rating: 5 STARS

My Review:

The Crown of Gilded Bones takes place directly where A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire leaves off with the shock twist of Poppy and who she really is. It starts off with this twist and the book continues to shock throughout with different revelations, each more powerful than the last.

I loved The Crown of Gilded Bones and didn’t want it to end. Like I said before there were so many different twists to the story and you find out so much new information. You find out so much more about the world and the different creatures and beings of it that it can feel a bit overwhelming at first. And even though it is overwhelming at first I still enjoyed each new reveal because it really kept me intrigued and wanting to know more.

We find out more about Poppy which changes some of her interactions with the other characters like Kieran and the Wolven. And I liked this change in their dynamic and how protective Kieran and the other Wolven now are with her. The conversations between Poppy and Kieran were interesting and I liked Casteel’s reaction to the whole thing.

I enjoyed Poppy and Casteel’s relationship in this book more because they are a much more solid couple and they both know how much they mean to each other now and how far they’re willing to go for the other. What I also enjoyed about this book is we see Ian and have scenes with him and Poppy which I feel we’ve been waiting to happen for a while.

Overall I loved The Crown of Gilded Bones and thought it was very interesting and it gives you a lot of information as to how the overall world works and the history of it but at the same time I feel like there is still so much more to learn. The ending was action packed with so many different things happening and I can’t wait for the next book to be released.