April 2022 TBR

Hello hello and welcome or welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet. Today I’m sharing my April TBR, with just some of the titles I’m hoping to make my way through in the next month.

March hasn’t been much easier than February. I’m still bouncing back from Covid (STILL – eugh), and along with that have also had an endometriosis flare up which has wiped me out for a good couple of weeks. Between my health and our homelessness, I’m struggling to motivate when it comes to reading, no matter how much I actually want to. I’m sleeping a lot and resting up, hoping to bounce back fully over the next few weeks. It’s kind of knackering.

That said, I’m finding some joy and comfort in reading some MG and YA books. I tweeted the other day about how often this is an area of reading that is overlooked for adults, and it’s true; even speaking for myself, I underestimated how much enjoyment I could take from MG books until I started reading them as frequently as I do these days. I feel very lucky that I get sent MG and YA from publishers quite a lot, and they always brighten things up.

So let’s get started with what I’m planning on reading in April.

The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash #4)
Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to reading this one in March, as much as I wanted to. I need to finish reading A Shadow in the Ember first, which I am enjoying, but haven’t been able to find as much time to dedicate to reading as I would have liked. I have got plans to finish it ASAP however, so I can get on to Two Queens. I’ve managed to avoid spoilers so far, but not sure my luck will hold out much longer…. Here’s my reviews for the first three books:
– From Blood and Ash #1
– A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire #2
– The Crown of Gilded Bones #3

Sofi and the Bone Song
Music runs in Sofi’s blood.
Her father is a Musik, one of only five musicians in the country licensed to compose and perform original songs. In the kingdom of Aell, where winter is endless and magic is accessible to all, there are strict anti-magic laws ensuring music remains the last untouched art.

Sofi has spent her entire life training to inherit her father’s title. But on the day of the auditions, she is presented with unexpected competition in the form of Lara, a girl who has never before played the lute. Yet somehow, to Sofi’s horror, Lara puts on a performance that thoroughly enchants the judges.

Almost like magic.

The same day Lara wins the title of Musik, Sofi’s father dies, and a grieving Sofi sets out to prove Lara is using illegal magic in her performances. But the more time she spends with Lara, the more Sofi begins to doubt everything she knows about her family, her music, and the girl she thought was her enemy.

As Sofi works to reclaim her rightful place as a Musik, she is forced to face the dark secrets of her past and the magic she was trained to avoid—all while trying not to fall for the girl who stole her future.

A Question of Holmes (Charlotte Holmes #4)
Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are the kinds of characters that wedge themselves into your brain. They bounce off one another at an alarming rate, are easy to both love and judge in moments, and yet still feel so very real. I’m really looking forward to getting back to them, this time in England, where they should be safe…. Right? Reviews below:
– A Study In Charlotte #1
– The Last of August #2
– The Case For Jamie #3 (upcoming!)

An Arrow To The Moon
“Hunter Yee has perfect aim with a bow and arrow, but all else in his life veers wrong. He’s sick of being haunted by his family’s past mistakes. The only things keeping him from running away are his little brother, a supernatural wind, and the bewitching girl at his new high school.

Luna Chang dreads the future. Graduation looms ahead, and her parents’ expectations are stifling. When she begins to break the rules, she finds her life upended by the strange new boy in her class, the arrival of unearthly fireflies, and an ominous crack spreading across the town of Fairbridge.

As Hunter and Luna navigate their families’ enmity and secrets, everything around them begins to fall apart. All they can depend on is their love…but time is running out, and fate will have its way.“

Sister To A Star
I was kindly sent an ARC of this middle grade mystery from Chicken House books just this week, and I’m keen to dive in already. Full of the difficulties of fitting in around fame while growing up, and with a cast of characters who have already captured my attention, this is going to be a perfect book to get lost in from gold medal winning fencer, Eloise Smith.

Wild and Wicked Things
On Crow Island, people whisper, real magic lurks just below the surface. 

Neither real magic nor faux magic interests Annie Mason. Not after it stole her future. She’s only on the island to settle her late father’s estate and, hopefully, reconnect with her long-absent best friend, Beatrice, who fled their dreary lives for a more glamorous one. 

Yet Crow Island is brimming with temptation, and the biggest one may be her enigmatic new neighbor. 

Mysterious and alluring, Emmeline Delacroix is a figure shadowed by rumors of witchcraft. And when Annie witnesses a confrontation between Bea and Emmeline at one of the island’s extravagant parties, she is drawn into a glittering, haunted world. A world where the boundaries of wickedness are tested, and the cost of illicit magic might be death.

So there we are, a few of the books that I’m planning on making my way through in April. I’ve got all my fingers and toes crossed that it’s a more successful month!