April has been one of my worst reading months of the year so far, but it wasn’t all bad; the quality of books was pretty high and no DNFs. I’d call that a win!
Celestial Magic by Iris Beaglehole
Read: 31/3/24 – 2/4/24
We finally have romance in this series! This was my favourite instalment so far and even though I’m taking a break from the series, I’m excited for the next one.
Book Review: Celestial Magic by Iris Beaglehole
Synopsis: As the Summer Solstice approaches, celestial magic is afoot in Myrtlewood…
Rosemary and Athena’s lives are thrown as the big Summer Solstice festival brings a series of mysterious events. Rosemary’s chocolate shop plans are being waylaid by strange disappearances and uninvited visitors. Meanwhile, Athena is sure the astrological lessons at Myrtlewood Academy hold the key to unlocking the town’s latest mystery, even if her mother doesn’t want to hear about it.
Can Rosemary and Athena manage to work together and cast aside their stubbornness, before thousands of festival-goers succumb to a magical catastrophe?
Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Volume I by Matthew Mercer & Matthew Colville
Read: 2/4/24
This graphic novel was a super fun insight into how Vox Machina first met and it captures the chaos of the group so well. You could definitely check this out if you’ve never watched Critical Role or the Legend of Vox Machina.
Graphic Novel Review: Vox Machina Origins Volume I by Matthew Mercer & Matthew Colville
Synopsis: The band of adventurers known as Vox Machina will save the world. Eventually. But even they have to start somewhere.
Six would-be heroes on seemingly different jobs find their paths intertwined as they investigate shady business in the swamp town of Stilben. They’ll need to put their heads– and weapons–together to figure out what’s going on…and keep from being killed in the process. Even then, whether or not they can overcome what truly lurks at the bottom of the town’s travails remains to be seen!
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Read: 2/4/24 – 8/4/24
I struggled so badly with this book. It felt like I was reading it for weeks when in reality it was less than a week. The concept was very interesting and I did like how it was written but the pace was way too slow for my liking.
Book Review: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Synopsis: Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?
Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Read: 8/4/24 – 10/4/24
I really enjoyed this book and thought it was pretty sweet, but I definitely preferred the film. I’d told myself I’d wait a while after reading before watching the film, but I only waited a few days (oops). Both were enjoyable but the film had a sense of magic to it.
Book Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Synopsis: Today should be one of the worst days of Hadley’s life. Her father is getting married in London to a woman she’s never even met, and she’s just missed her flight.
Hadley has never believed in destiny or fate before. But, stuck at the airport in New York, today is also the day she meets Oliver. He’s British. He’s cute. And he’s on her new flight.
Set over twenty-four hours, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it.
Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee
Read: 11/4/24 – 14/4/24
I love fake dating books. I love romance books about food. This book had both so double points.
It’s by no means my favourite fake dating book but it was enjoyable. I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a fairly quick read.
Book Review: Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee
Synopsis: Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs—in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn.
Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons.
In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend . . . but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo’s relatives reveal their true colors—but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems.
Can Dylan save his family’s business and follow his heart—or will he fail to do both?
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Read: 14/4/24 – 19/4/24
The re-read that was years in the waiting has finally happened! I still love this book and think it’s so magical.
Re-Read Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Synopsis: The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.
True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.
Foxglove by Adalyn Grace
Read: 20/4/24 – 28/4/24
It was great to be back in the world of Belladonna. I enjoyed the romance a lot more in this instalment, but I thought the stakes felt much lower this time. Which if you’ve read this, you know that’s a silly statement because there’s a lot at stake.
Synopsis: A duke has been murdered. The lord of Thorn Grove has been framed. And Fate, the elusive brother of Death, has taken up residence in a sumptuous estate nearby. He’s hellbent on revenge after Death took the life of the woman he loved many years ago…and now he’s determined to have Signa for himself, no matter the cost.
Signa and her cousin Blythe are certain that Fate can save Elijah Hawthorne from prison if they will entertain his presence. But the more time the girls spend with Fate, the more frightening their reality becomes as Signa exhibits dramatic new powers that link her to Fate’s past. With mysteries and danger around every corner, the cousins must decide if they can trust one another as they navigate their futures in high society, unravel the murders that haunt their family, and play Fate’s unexpected games-all with their destinies hanging in the balance.
Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson
Read: 28/4/24 – 30/4/24
I’d forgotten just how much I loved Nathaniel and I’m so happy this novella reminded me. I also love the world these books are set in. Magical books are so fun.
Synopsis: Elisabeth Scrivener is finally settling into her new life with sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn. Now that their demon companion Silas has returned, so has scrutiny from nosy reporters hungry for gossip about the city’s most powerful sorcerer and the librarian who stole his heart. But something strange is afoot at Thorn Manor: the estate’s wards, which are meant to keep their home safe, are acting up and forcibly trapping the Manor’s occupants inside. Surely it must be a coincidence that this happened just as Nathaniel and Elisabeth started getting closer to one another…
With no access to the outside world, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas – along with their new maid Mercy – will have to work together to discover the source of the magic behind the malfunctioning wards before they’re due to host the city’s Midwinter Ball. Not an easy task when the house is filled with unexpected secrets, and all Elisabeth can think about is kissing Nathaniel in peace. But when it becomes clear that the house, influenced by the magic of Nathaniel’s ancestors, requires a price for its obedience, Elisabeth and Nathaniel will have to lean on their connection like never before to set things right.
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