I have lost all concept of time, so I feel surprised that April is over, but at the same time part of me has thought it has been May already for a couple of weeks. Ah well! This month I’ve read nine books, and am half-way through two others that I will only finish in May, so I won’t mention them yet.
The Betrayals by Bridget Collins
Collins’ brilliant second novel, which I sunk into and was wrapped up in. There is something about her writing that really pulls you in, even when you aren’t entirely sure what’s going on, as is the case at the start of The Betrayals. If you want to know more, I did review it.
Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
This is my latest review, but I did finish it early on in the month. It’s a really interesting new fantasy, and it holds a lot of promise as a series but this first book let me down a little, which I talk about a bit more in my post dedicated to it.
The Blue Salt Road by Joanne M. Harris
This novella is lovely. It’s the story of a selkie that takes off his skin every night to walk upon the shores of the sea as a human, despite the warnings of his people, and what happens to him when a young woman learns how to hold a selkie in human form. It’s sad and beautiful and wonderfully written.
The Thunder Heist by Jed Herne
A really cool new fantasy by Australian author Jed Herne, set in a world in which humans live on the seas, in great cities made up of ships. It’s a heist, as suggested by the title, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it, because who doesn’t love a heist? The characters had depth, and the main character Kef is a snarky kick-ass woman with interesting powers. It was a fun read that gripped me from page one, and if you want to know more I wrote a review.
The Last Smile in Sunder City by Luke Arnold
I’d had this on my TBR for a while before reading it, and my fellow blogger Max over at The Book Pyramid convinced me to read it after posting his review. I definitely enjoyed it, though there were parts that I felt dragged, and I did lose interest in the middle for a while, but the world is such a fascinating one, and I liked the investigation aspect of the story, which I hope will pick back up in book two now that he isn’t as slowed down with world-building and exposition.
The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
I will shout about this book forever! It was an instant favourite of mine, and I never wanted it to end. My review for this will be posted on Sunday 2nd May, so keep an eye out for my full review. For now, I will say that this stunning retelling of Norse mythology from the perspective of Angrboda, wife of Loki, stole my heart and it now belongs to the Iron Witch and her children.
Twitch by M.G. Leonard
The only children’s book I’ve read this month, which is a little sad… but I’m very glad it was this one! Twitch is such a good story, full of birds, quirky characters, a mystery to unravel, and a whole lot of love and friendship. I’ve reviewed this one too, and it’s officially out in June.
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
The first in the Farseer Trilogy, I’m glad I’ve finally decided to pick this up. I didn’t expect this one to involve a coming-of-age story, but I really enjoyed the fact that it did, and as soon as I had finished it I picked up book two, Royal Assassin and am almost finished with it. Though I will say that so far this series does stress me out a bit, because poor Fitz really cannot catch a break with the politics of the court and the constant threats to his life.
Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I am still very new to the world of science fiction, and Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books have been a big part of me opening up to the genre, so I am glad that I enjoyed his latest book -officially out in May- from a new trilogy called The Final Architects. This is an intriguing mystery of cosmic scale, with a crew of misfits just trying to get by, and some very interesting aliens. You can read my full review here.
So there you are. I’d say that given the fact that I started work again this month, nine books is a pretty good achievement, and the fact the majority of them were ones I really loved is also a good feeling. Looking ahead to May, and the Wyrd & Wonder challenge, I’ll be reading a lot of fantasy (which isn’t much of a change from the usual) and posting a lot more frequently to fit a few of the daily challenges and because I have quite a few ARCs of books coming out in June, so I’ll be reviewing those as fast as I can read them. Stay tuned for my TBR tomorrow!
The Book Nook 