April Book Haul
At the beginning of April, I told myself I wouldn't buy any books this month. That rule didn't last long... I ended up getting a total of seventeen books which I know! It sounds like a lot because it is a lot!
Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerris Maniscalco
There's been so much hype around the Stalking Jack the Ripper series and just the title alone sounds so cool! I can't wait to read this series!
Goodreads Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege, stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.
Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her sheltered world.
Between Burning Worlds by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendall
Between Burning Worlds is the second book in the System Divine trilogy and I can't wait to read book 3. Gabriel is definitely my favorite character in this series. I love him and I hope that he's included more in Suns Will Rise.
Synopsis:
After refusing to give up the location of the Vanargade hideout, Chatine is sent to Bastille. Marcellus is a traitor to Laterre and Alouette is a fugitive on the run. The three are all enemies to a country on the brink of war. When Marcellus uncovers his grandfather's plans to take over the country, it could mean absolute destruction for Chatine and so many others.
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
Lost in the Never Woods was so freaking good! If you loved Aiden Thomas's first book, Cemetery Boys, your sure to love this one just as much. This dark and twisted Peter Pan retelling was everything I hoped it would be.
Synopsis:
Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
I'm currently reading Realm Breaker. So far it's great! I finished the Red Queen series this month just in time to start my ARC of Victoria Aveyards next book before it came out.
Goodreads Synopsis:
A strange darkness grows in Allward.
Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel I, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.
She soon discovers the truth: She is the last of an ancient lineage- and the last hope to save the world from destruction. But she won't be alone. Even as darkness falls, she is joined by a band of unlikely companions:
A squire, forced to chose between home and honor.
An immortal, avenging a broken promise.
An assassin, exiled and bloodthirsty.
An ancient sorceress, whose riddles hide and eerie foresight.
A forger with a secret past.
A bounty hunter with a score to settle.
Together they stand against a vicious opponent, invincible and determined to burn all kingdoms to ash, and an army, unlike anything the realm has ever witnessed.
Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson
I love musicals, but one I've never really gotten into was The Phantom of the Oprea. I started watching the movie a few years ago, but never ended up finishing it. But a gender-bent Phantom? That's something even I can't pass up.
Goodreads synopsis:
Isda does not exist. At least not beyond the opulent walls of the opera house.
Cast into a well at birth for being one of the magic few who can manipulate memories when people sing, she was saved by Cyril, the opera house's owner. Since that day, he has given her sanctuary from the murderous world outside. All he asks in return is that she uses her power to keep ticket sales high- and that she stays out of sight. For if anyone discovers she survived, Isda and Cyril would pay with their lives.
But Isda breaks Cyril's cardinal rule when she meets Emeric Rodin, a charming boy who throws her quiet solitary life out of balance. His voice is unlike any she's ever heard, but the real shock comes when she finds in his memories hints of a way to finally break free of her gilded prison.
Haunted by this possibility, Isda spends more and more time with Emeric, searching for answers in his music and his past. But the price of freedom is steeper than Isda could ever know. For even as she struggles with her growing feels for Emeric, she learns that in order to take charge of her own destiny, she must become the monster the world tried to take down in the first place.
Go the Distance by Jen Calonita
The Twisted Tales series finally takes on Hercules! Hades is one of my favorite Disney characters. I've enjoyed all the books in this series so far so I'm intrested to see Jen Calonita's take on Hercules.
Goodreads synopsis:
What if Meg had to become a god?
After Hercules proves he's a true hero and regains his godship, all seems right in the world. That is, until Zeus tells Meg that she can't be with Hercules because she's, well, mortal. Luckily, Hera has a solution, offering Meg a chance to prove herself worthy of a spot on Mt. Olympus- as a god. All Meg has to do is complete a mysterious quest.
The mission? Oh just to rescue her ex's current wife from the Underworld. The ex-boyfriend she saved by selling her soul to Hades. The ex-boyfriend who immediately moved on to someone else while she was stuck in the Underworld. Can Meg put her past behind her and use her quick-wit to defeat monsters and gods alike, including the nefarious Hades? Will she finally figure out her place and contribution to the world? Or will her fear of commitment have her running away from an eternity of godhood with Herc?
The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch
I've seen a lot about The Sky Blues and it looks like a great book. I love the cover. I have no doubt that I'll love Sky.
Goodreads synopsis:
Sky Baker may be openly gay, but in his small, insular town, making sure he was invisible has always been easier than being himself. Determined not to let anything ruin his senior year, Sky decides to make a splash at his high school's annual beach bum part by asking his crush, Ali, to prom- and he has thirty days to do it.
What better way to start living Lloyd and proud than by pulling off the gayest promposal Rock Ledge, Michigan has ever seen?
Then, Sky's plans are leaked by an anonymous hacker in a deeply homophobic e-blast that quickly goes viral. He's fully prepared to drop out and skip town altogether- until his classmates give him a reason to fight back by turning his thirty-day proposal countdown into a school-wide hunt to expose the e-blast perpetrator.
But what happens at the end of the thirty days? Will Sky get to keep his hard-won visibility. Or will his small-town blues stop him from being his true self?
Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray
One of the many ARCs I got this month was Orphans of the Tide which comes out in December. I've never received an ARC book this early but I'm so excited to read this book.
Goodreads synopsis:
The City was built on a sharp mountain that jutted improbably from the sea, and the sea kept trying to claim it back. That grey morning, once the tide had retreated, a whale was found on a rooftop. When a mysterious boy washes in with the tide, the citizens believe he's the Enemy- the god who drowned the world- come again to cause untold chaos.
Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he's innocent. To save the boy, Ellie must prove who he really is- even if that means revealing her own dangerous secret...
Toyko Ever After by Emiko Jean
One of my favorite movies as a kid was The Princess Diaries. The plot of Toyko Ever After sounds like the movie's so I'm so excited to read it! Also, this cover is simply stunning!
Goodreads synopsis:
Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in- it isn't easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it's always been Izumi- or Izzy because "It's easier this way" -and her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father's identity... and he's none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. This means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess.
In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discovered the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn't all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a customs to learn practically overnight.
Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself- back home, she was never "American" enough, and in Japan, she must prove she's "Japanese" enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairytale happily ever after?
The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg
This cover is so cool! I think that the synopsis of this book is so intriguing and I definitely haven't read anything like it before.
Synopsis:
Welcome to the Kingdom where happily ever after isn't just a promise but a rule. Glimmering like a jewel behind its gateway, the Kingdom is an immersive fantasy theme part where guests soar on virtual dragons, castles loom like giants, and bioengineered species- formerly extinct- roam free.
Ana is one of the seven Fantasists, beautiful "princesses" engineered to make dreams come true. When she meets park employee Owen, Ana begins to experience emotions beyond her programming including, for the first time... love.
But the fairytale becomes a nightmare when Ana is accused of murdering Owen, igniting the trial of the century. Through courtroom testimony, interviews, and Ana's memories of Own, emerges a tale of love, lies, and cruelty- and what it truly means to be human.
Love & Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura
One tripe that I haven't read about yet in a queer book is the fake dating trope. Love & Other Natural Disatsers looks adorable! I have no doubt that I will right away fall in love with Nozomi and Willow.
Goodreads synopsis:
When Nozomi Nagai pictured the ideal summer romance, a fake one wasn't what she had in mind.
That was before she met the perfect girl. Willow is gorgeous, glamorous, and... heartbroken? And when she enlists Nozomi to pose as her new girlfriend to make her ex jealous, Nozomi is a willing volunteer.
Because Nozomi has a master plan of her own: one to show Willow she's better than a stand-in, and turn their fauxmance into something real. But as the lies pile up, it's not long before Nozomi's schemes take a turn toward disaster... and maybe a chance at love she didn't plan for.
XOXO by Axie Oh
As soon as I saw the cover of XOXO, I was in love!
Goodreads synopsis:
Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle's Los Angeles karaoke bar, it's clear he's the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure... before he disappears without a word.
Three months later, when Jenny in her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she's shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she's enrolled for the semester. And he's not just any student. He's a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world- and he's strictly forbidden from dating.
When a relationship means throwing Jenny's life off the path she's spent years mappung out, she'll have to decide once and for all what she's willing to risk for love.
The Prom by Saundra Mitchell
The Prom is one of my favorite musicals. The cast of the movie was amazing! I'm huge fans of Nichole Kidman, Maryl Streep, and Andrew Rannells. I'm sure that after reading this book, "Love Thy Neighbor" and all the other songs will be stuck in my head for weeks to come.
Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Emma Nolan wants only one thing before she graduates: to dance with her girlfriend at the senior prom. But in her small town of Edgewater, Indiana, that's like asking for the moon.
Alyassa Greene is her high school's "it" girl: popular, head of the student council, and daughter of the PTA president. She also has a secret. She's been dating Emma for the last year and a half.
When word gets out that Emma plans to bring a girl as her date, it stirs a community-wide uproar that spirals out of control. Now, the PTA, led by Alyssa's mother, is threatening to cancel the prom altogether.
Eneter Barry Glickman and Dee Dee Allen, two Broadway has-beens who see Emma's story as the perfect opportunity to restor their place in the limelight. But when they arrive in Indiana to fight one Emma's behalf, their good intentions go quickly south.
Between Emma facing the fray head on, Alyssa wavering about coming out, and Barry and Dee Dee basking in all the attention, it's the perfect prom storm. Only when this unlikely group comes together do they realize that love is always worth fighting for.
Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson
Out of all the books I've read this month, Take Me Home Tonight was my favorite. This was such a great book. Theatre nerds getting lost in New York? What could be better? And to top it all off, there's an amazing Adventures in Babysitting plotline.
Synopsis:
After her dad cancels on her birthday dinner, Stevie and her friend Kat chose to go to New York for the evening to see a show and have dinner at Josephine's. The only problem is that the two have no phones, family drama sets them on a journey across the city, and somehow they ended up with a pomeranian.
Comments