First and foremost, I would like to say thank you to Pages and Pugs for nominating me for the Mystery Blogger Award! This means so much to me and I really appreciate it! As I predicted, I ended up reading a majority of ARCs this month, since most of them were being released soon. But that also meant a lot of new releases I had been planning to read in April, I didn’t get to and my TBR is piling up. Ah, the life of a bibliophile. I’m excited tomorrow is May not only because of my birthday in a few weeks, but also because BookCon is one month away! This is my first time attending and I’m so excited!

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BOOK REVIEWS

A STORM OF SWORDS: This book was filled with character deaths. I’m so glad I watch the show or I would have been completely taken aback. Catelyn’s chapters were the hardest to read, only because I knew what was going to happen. There was also a ton of foreshadowing for future events and they really added to my theory of what is going to happen in the end. That epilogue gave me life. I’m so excited for A Feast for Crows. ★★★★★

FROM THE EARTH TO THE SHADOWS: I was really hoping I would like From the Earth to the Shadows better since I was already prepared for the setting and world, but unfortunately, some of the issues from the first book were not improved upon and the story continued to fall flat for me. There was also no character growth; the characters continued to be flat and one-dimensional. A lot of the tension and obstacles Malin faced were resolved too conveniently to be believable, and the ending was very anti-climatic. ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.  [review]  ★★½

MOONRISE:  I typically stay away from books written in verse as they are not really my style. Fortunately, I decided to go ahead and read this anyway, and I’m so glad I did. The verse format didn’t negatively impact my reading experience at all, and it actually moved the plot along faster. I’m impressed by the author’s ability to evoke a myriad of emotions without even saying that much. This is a profound story with a lasting impact; it’s impossible not to feel moved by that heart-wrenching ending. ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.  [review]  ★★★½

THE SMOKE THIEVES: I was almost at the half-way mark when I realized I was actively looking for something wrong as I was reading. The Smoke Thieves was better than I had been expecting and a great start to a new fantasy series. It’s told through the points of views of the five characters. Each POV felt like it had a unique voice, which made it easy to distinguish between each of them. The pacing of the story was perfect; not too fast, and not too slow. The writing was engaging and I quickly made my way through the pages. There was plenty of action, and the romances (even the one I wasn’t keen on) stayed firmly in the background. I look forward to reading the next book!  ARC provided by Penguin First to Read.  [review]  ★★★★

LIFEL1K3: Oh, boy does this book take you for a wild ride. Set in a post-apocalyptic America, the blurb’s description of “Romeo and Juliet meets Bladerunner meets Mad Max” is absolutely accurate. This is an action-packed story featuring amazing characters, secrets and lies, betrayals, romance, and a whole bunch of plot twists. Jay Kristoff forewarns a doomed romance, and yet I couldn’t stop myself from becoming emotionally involved. I’m still upset about that ending and I think it’s pretty rude of him to pull that kind of stunt with no regard for my emotional wellbeing. I went through all five stages of grief with that last twist and the cliffhanger. ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.  [review]  ★★★★★

THIS ADVENTURE ENDS: This had been on my backlist TBR for a while so I’m proud of myself for finally getting around to reading it! I really enjoyed this; the characters, the plot, the setting. It was such a well-crafted story and I think this is what started me on my YA Contemporary binge I went on this month! This was my first Emma Mills book and I can see why her work is so highly praised!  ★★★★

FIRST & THEN: I had such a great time reading This Adventure Ends that picked this up almost immediately after. There’s just something about Emma Mills writing that makes it impossible to not want to read her books in one sitting, even if it means staying up well into the middle of the night. Her stories and characters are so compelling and intriguing!  ★★★½

 

ONYX AND IVORY: This book contains many of the same traits and tropes as other books in the genre, however, the characters, setting, and writing were excellent and made it an enjoyable read. The characters were all dynamic and compelling. The book alternates between the POVs of Kate and Corwin, and I found both their characters to be well-developed. The romance was wonderfully written. The romance plot is light and the characters have a past, which makes their feelings reasonable instead of unbelievable.  ARC provided by the author through a giveaway.  [review]  ★★★★

LOVE AND OTHER WORDS: This is a beautiful book about first loves, mistakes, heartaches, and second chances. The story is told through alternating chapters of the past and the present. We witness Macy meeting Elliot for the first time as children fourteen years ago, and then we see them meet again as adults after eleven years of silence. I flew through these pages, not just because of the engaging writing and compelling story, but also by the need to know what happened to have caused such a rift between Elliot and Macy. I absolutely adored this book.  [review]  ★★★★★

STATE OF SORROW: I hadn’t heard of this until I got my March FairyLoot box and I’m so glad it was included! This was magical, marvelous book; the storytelling and worldbuilding were absolutely stunning. This is my first book by Melinda Salisbury, but it will not be my last. Sorrow was a wonderful protagonist and I love that she doesn’t fall into the typical ‘strong, female heroine’ trope of other Young Adult Fantasies. She’s certainly not flawless, but she is clever and possesses a quieter type of strength. I’m really looking forward to the sequel!  [review]  ★★★★½

STARRY EYES: Everyone seemed so blown away by this and all the reviews I read were super positive, so I was really excited for it. Former best friends-turned-enemies trapped together in the woods? Sign me up for a good time! Unfortunately, the story was just meh for me. There was nothing that really stood out about it – other than the compelling writing – and while I enjoyed reading it, you won’t find me going around singing its praises. ★★★

THE ODDLING PRINCE: I absolutely love book with medieval Irish (or in this case Scottish) settings and Celtic mythology so I was really looking forward to this. It was a light read with a fascinating plot, but sadly there was just something missing for me to truly enjoy it. The book’s strongest element is the fairytale-esque writing. The gorgeous descriptions and peaceful atmosphere draws the reader into the story. Also, the relationship between Aric and Albaric was so pure and heartwarming! ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.  [review]  ★★★

ALEX, APPROXIMATELY: Oh my gosh, this book was so cute! I loved watching the relationship unfold between Bailey and Alex. Jenn Bennett’s writing is so fun and engaging that I didn’t want to put the book down. I was on my YA Contemporary kick this month for whatever reason, and this was exactly what I was looking for! ★★★★½

 

ASH PRINCESS: I really enjoyed this! It was by no means, a light read. The story and writing are fantastic, and though there are some heavy themes and topics, they’re so important to the development of the characters and the plot. Also, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t mind a love triangle as long as it’s done the right way. And Laura Sebastian definitely pulled it off. I actually enjoyed both romances – surprise! – but this is me, so we all know that I’ll be rooting for the enemies-to-lovers side. Another fabulous Young Adult fantasy debut!  ★★★★

OTHER

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