Oh. My. God. April has been my best reading month in a VERY long time! I’ve read 10 books in the month of April, and audiobooks were really the main reason why I got so much reading done! I read 5 adult and 5 YA this month, and it was mainly fantasy (6) with one mystery, one thriller, and 2 contemporary. I also read/listened to a total of 3,274 pages in April!
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
I was lucky enough to get approved for an early copy of Lock Every Door which comes out on July 2nd! I don’t want to give too much away since it’s a thriller, but I loved every minute of this book and the creepy hotel vibes were awesome! This is about a girl who gets a job as an apartment sitter in a posh apartment building, but she soon realizes that underneath the glamorous exterior, things are not quite as they seem…
They Mostly Come Out At Night by Benedict Patrick
I then read one of the books on my self published fantasy list, and it was dark and creepy, which seems to be something I’ve been leaning more towards in my fantasy reads lately. It’s a little hard to describe what this book is about without going really in depth, but it follows a boy who keeps having dreams about a figure that his people believe is just a legend, but he realizes that he is real. He then needs to go on a quest to save his village from demon creatures. It also has some dark fairytales (think Grimm Brothers) in between each chapter! This book has a full review on my blog if you want more thoughts!
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Most people who read fantasy are familiar with The Witcher, and most people who play video games also know about it since there were video games based off the book series. I originally found out about The Witcher through the video games years ago, and I am only now getting around to finally reading the books! This book is a series of short stories introducing us to Geralt. It was exactly what I was expecting it to be, and I’m happy to say that video game Geralt is very true to the books! I have a full review of this here on my blog if you are interested.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
This was the first of many books that I listened to on audio. I have a full review of this one on my blog, so check that for my full thoughts. This is a book told in verse about a boy who, in the course of an elevator ride, is trying to decide if he wants to shoot the man he believes murdered his brother in a shooting. It was extremely powerful and offers a glimpse into gun violence in the black community. I highly recommend the audiobook for this one as it is read by the author himself which made it even more emotional to listen to.
Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
This was the second audiobook I listened to this month, and while I enjoyed the audiobook, I do wish that I had a physical copy to read because at times it was difficult to understand what was being said because of the accent. It was also pretty tough to figure out the characters names as well, and took some digging through reviews to figure out how to spell them all! Other than that, I really enjoyed how atmospheric this was. It reminded me a lot of The Wicked Deep, so if you liked that you may also like this!
Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien De Castell
I started De Castell’s Spellslinger series and was enjoying it so much that I knew I needed to finally get around to reading his adult series! This was everything I thought it would be and even though I have yet to continue on with the series, I’ll sometimes have thoughts about Falcio, Kest and Brasti and what they would be getting up to. There is so much to laugh at with this book, but it also has some serious moments as well that were a really nice contrast. The interactions between our three main characters were so fun to watch and they always had each others backs no matter what. Now that I’m writing this up I feel like I need to continue on with the series sooner rather than later!
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I don’t normally reach for romantic contemporaries, but when I do read them I usually enjoy them. This one was no different, and somehow Taylor Jenkins Reid has snuck up onto my favorite author list. While this was not necessarily my favorite of her books (so far), it still made me smile while I was listening to the audiobook. TJR has this way of making her characters feel like real people, whether that is a famous person you want to Google or someone that could definitely be someone in your life that you just want to call them up and ask them what’s going on. I have a full review of this book available on my blog!
Wicked Saints by Emily A Duncan
This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2019 and I am so happy that I finally got to read it! I have yet to write up a full review, but there were a few parts that confused me while reading, especially towards the end. I also wish there would’ve been a pronunciation guide/definitions for those who are not familiar with the Slavic culture and language, as I feel horrible that I don’t actually know how to pronounce any of the names! HOWEVER. I did absolutely love seeing a culture that I don’t normally see in fantasy represented, and from other reviews I’ve seen that it was done very well. I’m still trying to wrap up my full thoughts, so keep an eye out for a review!
In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
This is the fourth book in the Wayward Children series, and to be honest, it wasn’t my favorite. This is a prequel of the first book and follows Lundy who was one of the characters I was most intrigued by in the first book. I’ve listened to this entire series on audio, and I believe that it is the same narrator for each book. The rest of the books in the series felt complete, but this one felt like it was missing something and it seems like I’m in the minority with my opinion on this book. There was a character that was very close to Lundy whose name I forget, but they died and it had a big impact on Lundy as a person but we were never introduced to that character so Lundy’s reaction felt a little flat. She also goes on a major quest to save her world and we don’t get any information about that either. Maybe that is just my love of detailed worlds, but I didn’t have that issue with the rest of the series.
The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson
The final book I listened to in April was The Vanishing Stair! This is the sequel to Truly Devious which I absolutely loved and this one was no different. I do have a full review of Truly Devious if you are interested, but I connect so much with Stevie, and I love the little joke she has about moose not existing because I feel the exact same way! When it comes to the mystery, we get a few answers for the Ellingham mystery but way more questions come up as well, especially with the current day situation. I just need the next book ASAP to know what finally happens!
Melting Pages 
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