Queen of Books: 05/08/19

Another combined wrap-up and this time it's for March and April '19.

I can not believe that it is May and that I am almost done with my freshman year of college!

In March, I had my spring break which was a great break from college as I got to read and hang out with friends. I also got more reading done in April than I have been getting done so far this year.

Anyways...

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first book I read was Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel. Originally my mom and I checked this out from the library as a kind of joke since it is a mix between Frankenstein and Pride and Prejudice but I actually ended up reading it pretty fast. It's a cute book that explores Mary Bennett and what her life is like after her sisters get married. I rated it 3 Crowns.

The second book I read was A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber. This is the third book in this series which is about a young woman named Kiera Darby, in the early 1800s who gets caught up in mysteries and helps solve them. I love this series so much as the mysteries are so interesting and suspenseful and I find myself attempting to solve them along with Kiera Darby. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The third book I read was Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte. This was such a good book. It was one of my most anticipated books for the year and it did not disappoint. I loved how it was a mystery as well as a fantasy which are two genres that you don't often see mixing together. This was about a girl named Keralie who is a skilled thief. She steals a package from Varin who is an upstanding citizen and he tries to get the package back. In his attempts, the two find themselves tangled up in a conspiracy that leaves all four of the countries' queens dead. They both join forces in an attempt to solve the mystery of who killed the queens. This book was so interesting with so many plot twists that you never know where the story is going to end up. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The fourth book I read was The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I read this one for my English class at college. I knew that this was not a book that was up my ally when I was assigned to read it. I have always heard that this was a depressing book and how there was little hope in it. I ended up rating it 3 Crowns. I ended up liking writing about it for class but I didn't really like the story as yes, it was pretty depressing.

The fifth book I read was Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson. I loved this book and have been meaning to read it for a long time. I really love the ballet Swan Lake as well as the music so I had to buy this as soon as it came out. I finally got around to reading it and I am so glad that I loved it as much as I thought I would. This is about a Princess named Evelayn who on her 18th birthday can finally access all her magical powers. Her Kingdom is called the Light Kingdom who is at war with the Dark Kingdom. The Dark Kingdom's King is plotting to control both kingdoms and Evelayn's mother is currently at war trying to prevent this. This is such a good book however a lot of the Swan Lake parts don't come till the end. I rated this 5 Crowns.

The sixth book I read was Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. This was another book that I had to read for my English class in college and another book that I would have never picked up on my own. I ended up enjoying it. It's very interesting as there is time travel within it while still being mostly a historical fiction. It was kind of depressing as well and I ended up rating it 3 Crowns.

The seventh book I read was Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody. I listened to some of the audiobook for my reread of this because it was easier. I love this book so much! I read it last year as an ARC and I loved it then and I think I enjoyed it even more on my reread if that's possible. If you don't know already (because I've talked about it so many times), this is about Enne Salta, a proper young lady, who goes to New Reynes, also known as the City of Sin, in order to find her mother who has gone missing. Enne's only lead in this case is a name: Levi Glaisyer. She thinks Levi is going to be a proper gentleman however he turns out to be a con man and a street lord. Levi is in debt and refuses to help Enne until she offers him money as compensation and he thinks this is the solution to all his problems. However, they are both in for a lot more than they bargained more. Enne discovers secrets from her past and Levi's enemies eventually catch up to him leaving them in a high stakes game. This book reminds me of a mix between Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and Caraval by Stephanie Garber and I love this book and highly recommend it. I rated it 5 Crowns.

The eighth book I read was The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (which was another reread). I read this for my Leadership Class and while I've already read it, I enjoyed reading it for a second time. I feel like when you read a book for a class and analyze it you either learn a lot more about the book and end up enjoying it more, or you end up hating it. I ended up enjoying it so much more. I rated it 4 Crowns as I did the first time.

The ninth book I read was Ordinary Light by Tracy K. Smith. I also had to read this one for my English class and I liked it. This is a memoir which is something that I never pick up unless I have to read it for class. I liked this book because it kept me interested for the whole thing and I managed to read it super fast for class. I rated it 3 Crowns.

The tenth book I read was Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. This was the last book that I had to read for my English class and it was my favorite of the books that I had to read for the class. This book is so hard to explain but it's basically about a suburb of Cleveland called Shaker Heights where everything is planned. Mia Warren who is a single mother arrives in the town and rents a house from the Richardsons (who are a family who plays by the town's rules). She and her daughter Pearl become close to the Richardson family. However, Mia carries a mysterious past with her and Elena Richardson is determined to find out everything about her. Also, there's a custody battle when the Richardsons' friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby and it divides the town. This is such a good book that evokes every emotion. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The eleventh book I read was The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes. I didn't know much about this book except that it was about women getting revenge on men who did them wrong and I was there for it! This book is about Thea who's cousin was killed and the man who killed her was not brought to justice. She is recruited by the Black Coats who are a secretive organization that have been exacting vengeance on men who have hurt women and girls for years. Thea joins them and trains every day with other girls however, Thea discovers the Black Coats aren't all that they seem.

The twelfth book I read was An Affair of Poisons by Addie Thorley. I didn't know much about this book either but I saw it in the library and read the synopsis and really wanted to try it. I wrote a full review of this book so I'm not going to say much about the book here. I loved this book a lot and I ended up rating it 5 Crowns.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

NONE

ARC'S READ

The only ARC I read was The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton. This is the sequel to The Belles and I ended up writing a full review of this book which is linked down below. I love how it continues to expand the world of The Belles and we get to learn a lot more about our main character. I rated it 4 Crowns.

REVIEWS IN MARCH + APRIL:

The Everlasting Rose (The Belles #2) by Dhonielle Clayton Review

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

2/26 - 3/10

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

January + February '19 Wrap-Up

My Favorite Books of 2018!

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL BAE'S:

Varin from Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Tanvin from Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson

Lorcan from Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson

Levi from Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Drew from The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes

Josse from An Affair of Poisons by Addie Thorley

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES:

Keralie from Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Evelayn from Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson

Enne from Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Thea from The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes

Mira from An Affair of Poisons by Addie Thorley

NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS:

Varin and Keralie from Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Tanvin and Evelayn from Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson

Enne and Levi from Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Thea from Drew from The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes

Mira and Josse from An Affair of Poisons by Addie Thorley