Hey everyone, hope you are doing well and enjoying the start of spring! Today’s post is going to be a look back at April – what I managed to read and watch last month, and what’s been happening on the blog!
So, I’m happy to report that this month has been a way better month compared to last! (Woohoo!) I’m really loving the start of the spring weather and it has just been putting me in a great mood, honestly. It has me feeling super motivated and just feeling generally quite happy!
As well as just being in a better headspace, I’ve also spent more time focusing on some of the hobbies I love, so let’s talk about it!
It has actually been quite a mid reading month for me honestly as I only picked up 4 books…and none were new favourites. BUT I’ve just really enjoyed reading again, and I did have one or two that I really enjoyed. Plus, I really think that a 5 star read will be coming my way soon – I can feel it!
Anyways, here are the 4 books that I picked up in April:
1) The Not-Outcast by Tijan
Goodreads Description:
Cutler Ryder was everything I wasn’t. He was the hockey star. I was an outcast. He was best friends with my stepbrother, that same stepbrother who hated me. His two parents loved him. My mom was a junkie. My dad barely knew me. Years passed. I got my life together. Cut went onto NHL stardom. Then there was a text. I was drinking. There was a party. Cut was there… I loved Cutler Ryder since the first moment I saw him. The only problem? He never knew I existed.
So, I continued my Tijan theme from March at the beginning of the month, with a reread of The Not-Outcast. This was a Tijan book that I couldn’t really remember, despite having already read it, and I was just really vibing her brand of chaos and angst to be honest.
Cheyenne is a really wholesome main character, who really grew from hardship and has lived through some really horrific experiences. She was a great main character, but at times, her narrative was a bit hard to follow as she has a condition that is never fully explained. All we know is that it was caused by her mother’s drug use when she was pregnant. Her scattered narrative was a super interesting reflection of her headspace, but it did leave me sometimes thinking… what is going on?
However, the relationship between Cutler and Cheyenne was really sweet, filled with a lot of angst that was focused outside of their relationship. I really liked that the drama wasn’t with them themselves! Plus the friendship group in this book was so funny – I genuinely loved the characters. I totally recommend this if you are looking for a quick, angsty and emotional romance!
- Read: 31st March – 2nd April
- Rating: 3.5 stars
2) Wicked Fox by Kat Cho
Goodreads Description:
A fresh and addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul.
Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret–she’s a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.
But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead–her gumiho soul–in the process.
Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl–he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He’s drawn to her anyway.
With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon’s.
Wicked Fox was genuinely one of my favourite reads for April! This YA fantasy was steeped in Korean folklore and honestly read like a super angsty K-Drama. I loved the characters in this one, especially our FMC Miyoung. She has such “black cat” energy, and I was here for it. She goes through a journey of growth and self-acceptance, which was so nice to follow. And her relationship with Jihoon? Amazing. We love a man who is an absolute simp.
This book was really a stand-out of the month for me, and I highly recommend for fans of YA fantasy. If you want to see my full thoughts on this, I will be posting a review in the next few days, so keep an eye out for that!
- Read: 7th- 9th April
- Rating: 4.5 stars
3) Keeper of Scarlet Petals by A.N. Skye
Goodreads Description:
To be a Keeper was to dedicate one’s life – and heart – to protecting another.
Jasmine wasn’t ready for it. Less than a year into her training at Sanctuary, a college for Keepers and mages alike, and with a fresh start from a brutal life of thievery in the slums, all she wanted to do was continue mastering the sword arts and avoid her other responsibilities. Those plans are ruined when she’s assigned to be the protector of a young nobleman whose family was murdered. Her new charge is cocky, smug, and drives her up a wall at every opportunity. Forced to protect a man she can’t stand with her life, Jasmine needs to find time that isn’t there to continue her training and keep assassins from killing both of them, all the while learning magic and discovering that there’s more to life than survival. And yet, Jasmine starts to find herself inexplicably drawn to him. In the slums, Jasmine never had room to care about anything other than putting food on the table. But she’s not in the slums anymore, and she can’t keep her feelings tied down forever. Unfortunately, burgeoning love is the least of Jasmine’s problems. As pieces of a malevolent plot start to unfold around them, she and her charge realize that there might be only one thing left that they can rely on. Each other.
Keeper of Scarlet Petals is the first book in a new romantasy series with a strong female lead, heartwarming romance, and cursed magic.
I received an ARC of Keeper of Scarlet Petals through NetGalley last month, and found it to be an okay read. It is an action-packed fantasy, filled with assassins, magic and a cool school setting. My main issue with this book was the characters – they all fell quite flat for me, and this left the romance feeling very surface level and underdeveloped. Plus, despite having a cool setting and premise, the world also felt underdeveloped as we knew nothing of the world outside of the school.
But, it was really fast-paced and the contrast between the action scenes and the mundane magic lessons throughout this book set up a nice vibe! If you want to see my full thoughts on this book, you can check out my review!
- Read: 18th – 24th April
- Rating: 3 stars
4) Captive of Wolves by Eva Chase
Goodreads Description:
My blood is their salvation… and my ruin.
For years, the monsters who killed my family have held me in a cage. Brutalized and half-starved. Only kept alive so they can steal my blood.
Until one evening when four eerily gorgeous men break me out of my prison.
They give me a soft bed and delicious food. They say they’ll protect me—but their generosity may come at a price.
My rescuers are monsters like my captors: fae who shift into wolves. A curse gripping the faerie realm turns them wild under the full moon. Only my blood can cure their rage.
These fearsome men need me, and not just to lift the curse. A tragedy left them outcasts, and offering me to their rulers could win them back the home and the power they lost.
No matter how kindly they treat me, no matter how their smoldering eyes and strong hands stir unfamiliar desires in both my body and my heart, their castle is just another prison. As long as I’m a prize more than a person, my life will never be my own.
I’ve survived this long without giving up. I won’t roll over now. But how can one damaged human girl hold her own against the savage fae?
I quite enjoyed Captive of Wolves! It was an intense paranormal romance book that had a lot of very dark themes. I was constantly on edge and didn’t trust any of the characters at first. But I fell in love with the MMCs of this book – they were so attentive to our FMC Talia. My favourite was August, he was so friendly and instantly fell for Talia – again, we love a simp here.
The main issue that I had with this book was that it was a bit repetitive and so it felt way too long. I think a lot of the tension that was built got diminished by the amount of time it took to get into the main drama of the book. It was enjoyable and quick, but wasn’t something very memorable for me. I don’t know if I will be picking up the next book yet, it’s still TBD.
- Read: 26th – 28th April
- Rating: 3.25 stars
Honestly, I haven’t been watching a lot of TV recently! I’ve started a lot of shows, but just…haven’t finished any? I think it has a lot to do with the fact that:
1) I’ve been playing way more games this month – I’ve specifically started a FromSoft game called Sekiro that has been taking over my life!
2) All of the shows that I have started have been with other people!
One show that I started this month was What If…? which is a Marvel TV show exploring the different outcomes for characters we know and love within the multiverse. I’m only a few episodes in as I have started watching this with my boyfriend, so I can’t binge it like I am dying to!
The episodes that I have watched have been so interesting, and have really pulled at my heartstrings (if you have watched episode 4 with Doctor Strange… yeah, that episode had me sobbing). I really love the concept of this show, and the art style is honestly beautiful to me, so cannot wait to keep watching!
The other main show that I’ve started watching is The Originals – a spin-off show from The Vampire Diaries about the original vampires. Me and my mum watched The Vampire Diaries together ages ago, and honestly? I don’t think we ever finished it! But we loved it so much. So when we were looking for something to watch, and saw that all of The Originals was on ITVx? Yeah, there was no other choice.
Again, this is another one that I am only a few episodes into as I have to plan around being able to watch it with my mum, but I am loving the vibes so far. It has the moody and angsty vibe that is essential to The Vampire Diaries, and follows some of my favourite characters from that show. I can’t wait to fully dive into this show this month!
I will admit, it was a bit of a slow start on the blog in April as I basically posted nothing in the first half of the month (woops). But, I got myself in gear, and I’m so happy with the posts I actually did put out in the end! I wrote my favourite post that I’ve ever done, which was my Mini Playlist for Binding 13 – one of my favourite contemporary romance books of all time. And I really liked the reviews that I put out too! Hopefully, I can keep up the momentum this month.
Here are my posts from April, if you want to check them out:
Mini Playlist for Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh
Hi everyone! In celebration of one of my most anticipated releases of the year, Taming 7 by Chloe Walsh, I wanted to make a fun post about the book that…
BOOK REVIEW: Bride, Ali Hazelwood
Hi everyone! Today, I’m going to be reviewing Bride by Ali Hazelwood. This was Ali Hazelwood’s first foray into paranormal romance, and was one of my most anticipated releases of…
5 YA Contemporary Reads that I gave 5 Stars!
Hi Everyone! As one of my reading resolutions for this year is to try and read some of the YA contemporaries on my physical TBR, I thought it would be…
ARC Review: Keeper of Scarlet Petals, A. N. Skye
Hi everyone! Today, I’m going to be reviewing a New-Adult fantasy book that is being released next month: Keeper of Scarlet Petals by A. N. Skye. Book Description: To be…
So, that was what I was up to last month! I’m definitely hoping for the good vibes to continue into this month and, if everything goes to plan, I’m looking forwards to staying super productive too!
How has your April been? Have you had any standout reads yourself? Any new TV obsessions?
Let Me Know in the comments!
Living Through Fiction 