April 2018 Wrap Up!

I swear, for the entire month of April, I kept typing March! I think I was a little bit in denial that we are so far into the year already! It was a month of extremes. Some really great things happened: I got a lot done, spent a lot of time with my family, had a lot of laughs, and managed to read a lot of books. But this month was also full of anxiety, stress, more anxiety, and doctors appointments. As hard as all that has been, I’m working hard to understand that everything is a process. Things are going to take some time to get straightened out, but I’m working in the right direction. My mental health is important and just because I’m struggling, it does NOT mean that I’m weak! I’m just so thankful for this blog and the many wonderful people I’ve met along the way. You are all my rays of sunshine! And, as hard as it’s been to deal with my anxiety, I’ve noticed some positive changes now that I’m back on medication. I’m able to smile and laugh again. Seems simple, but it was something I didn’t really do for over a month. It feels good to laugh and smile again. I’m starting to feel whole. NOW – like I said, I’ve managed to read quite a few books this month (7 books in fact!) so let me quite talking and get into the wrap up! I normally do a weekly wrap up on Sunday’s but since they’re so close I’ve decided to combine the two 🙂

CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi <—– (full review) 5 stars!!

This was one hell of a way to start off the month! I was nervous if it would live up to the hype, and I would say that it didn’t….. it FAR surpassed it! This book was just SO amazing! The characters, the world, the magic, the atmosphere – EVERYTHING! Will most definitely end up on my favourites list for the whole year!

ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen M. McManus <—– (full review) 4 stars

This book was such a pleasant surprise!! YA Mystery has never been my thing. I’ve tried many throughout the years and they all fall flat. But this book was stunning! The mystery was interesting, the plot twists caught me off guard and went in unexpected directions, but it was the character development that stole the show!!! I loved watching these characters grow into really great people. Their journey was painful, but they were better people in the end for it. I REALLY enjoyed this and will be looking forward to more from the author.

HONOR AMONG THIEVES by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre <—– (Full review) 3.75 stars

This book was so hard for me to get into. It wasn’t one of those books that immediately sucked me into the world or made me fall for the characters. This was actually my 2nd or 3rd attempt to read this book! The beginning felt so disassociated with the rest of the book. BUT! I’m glad I kept going this time because it ended up being one of the most in depth science fiction books I’ve read! It picked up quite a bit, had a great story of friendships and connections, and made me want to know more about what was really happening. I ended up really enjoying it!

CONFESS by Colleen Hoover <—– (Full review) 3.5 stars

I finally managed to read a Colleen Hoover book! I’ve been hearing about them for so long! It was entertaining and I really liked the characters, but the amount of drama was so overwhelming! So many twists and turns to the story made it seem more complicated than it should have been. It all connected well though, and the drama did have its point as far as the character and plot development went, but I kind of wish the story was a little simpler. It was still a great read though and I plan to read more from her really soon!

BENEATH THE SUGAR SKY by Seanan McGuire <—– (full review) 5 stars

So good! This was everything that I could have wished for in this series. We followed a few familiar characters that we met in book one, and we got to see quite a few of the worlds that were always talked about. This was the perfect, magical, fantastical, and dark adventure I craved!

SKY IN THE DEEP by Adrienne Young <—– (Full review) 4.25 stars

This book was so much more than I expected. It had all the viking action and brutality that I assumed it would have, but the atmosphere and the writing were what stole the show. I absolutely loved the characters and their traditions. I also loved that we saw comparisons and parallels of those traditions. Their ceremonies and their ways of life I could read about for years!

RED RISING by Pierce Brown

I will be finishing this one tonight and I’m saving all of my thoughts for the review I will be posting tomorrow 🙂

April was a pretty good month. I read some good books and took positive steps towards my happiness. I have some pretty big reading plans for May – it’s only going to get better from here! I feel like I’m back! Finally 🙂 Hope you all had a fantastic month and I hope your May is A-MAY-Zing……… god that was cheesy!! lol

Until next time, happy reading!