Clare's April Wrap Up and May TBR

April Wrap Up:

This month I actually read 16 and a half books! Which I think is pretty good, I had a whole portion of the month where I just didn't feel like reading at all so I'm actually kind of impressed I made it to this many! The two books I haven't mentioned here are Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher which was actually a re-read and The White Road by Sarah Lotz (the half a book) which I ended up DNF-ing not because it was bad - but because it was apparently just too terrifying for me to continue!

15. Bad Blood by Demitria Lunetta: I wasn't thrilled with how mental illness was dealt with in this book. It was quite insensitive? Or at least it felt that way to me and some of the elements ended up triggering me a little (I discussed triggers in this post if you're interested in my thoughts!). Also I got weirdly fixated on the historical inaccuracies which is something I tend to do if I can't deal with what I'm really upset by. 

14. Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves: I buddy-read this with Vera @ Regal Critiques and I believe she will have a review going up for it soon! But essentially we both found the main character incredibly frustrating and there were so, so many inaccuracies in the depictions of Europe. 

13. Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray: There was nothing really wrong with this book it just didn't click for me. I do have a review up for it but it was a hard one to write because I don't really understand why I didn't enjoy it? I just really struggled to connect with the characters and story.

12. Geekerella by Ashley Poston: This was cute. That's my main takeaway. It wasn't the most memorable book ever and I did have some issues with it, the writing style didn't fit me but I liked that it was diverse. And like I said, super cute. 

11. Wild Chamber by Christopher Fowler: This was just super entertaining. I think I'm going to pick up this series from the beginning because whilst this can be read on its own I want more backstory - the characters were so interesting I need to know more about them!

10. My Sister by Michelle Adams: This is a really good example of when unlikable characters really work! I strongly disliked many of the characters and even found myself very angry at the main character for some of the things she had done - but it was so compelling and real that I couldn't stop reading!

9. Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz: I find with Krentz's books that they're really good at getting me out of a slump (which is what I needed when I read this) and just being a quick, fun read. Which is what this was. Nothing mind-blowing or overly intricate but it took me less than a day to read which was great.

8/7/6. The Hunt for Atlantis/The Tomb of Hercules/The Secret of Excalibur by Andy McDermott: You'll probably see the rest of this series in my wrap up for May because I'm currently a little hooked. I'm really into adventure/archaelogy type series'. Like Lara Croft in book form and these are really fun. I do get frustrated with the characters frequently but they also feel like people I've known for a really long time and I am so invested in their lives. These books are fairly predictable - especially as there seems to be a formula that stays the same for each book. But I'm in a really lazy reading mood at the moment so that suits me fine.

5. Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen: Really good. I got super sucked into the main characters mind so when things started to go mad near the end it became uncomfortable and compelling. I can't wait to see what Mary Torjussen writes next.

4. The Beast of London by L.D. Goffigan: The best Dracula retelling I've ever read. And yes I've only read maybe 2 others but this was still super good. Really good atmosphere and characters.

3. He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly: God this was just such an intense book. I don't know how else to describe it. I was locked in this weird thing where I wanted to keep reading without stopping but I also had to take breaks occasionally just to breathe!

2. Proof of Lies by Diana Rodriguez Wallach: I loved this so much more than I expected to. From the blurb I expected something fairly typical but the characters and plot ended up feeling real and immersive and I was so hooked on the mystery. I liked how complete the ending was whilst also leading into the next book - so whilst I'm not frustrated by a cliff-hanger I am still excited for the next one!

1. The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier: Juliet, Anne Fortier's first book, was also the first book I ever got for review. Before even starting Dual Reads. Way back I got sent it from Waterstones and loved it and realised I also loved writing reviews. I was obviously expecting great things from this one and it definitely delivered. She does research so well. Combining accuracy with originality. I studied Classics at college so this is something I know fairly well and I loved the nods to history and mythology but also how she put her own twists on events and people so that, whilst recognisable, they were also intriguing and felt new. 

Reviews This Month:

• Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
• The Beast of London by L.D. Goffigan
• My Sister by Michelle Adams

Challenge Progress:

• 73/200 Goodreads Reading Challenge: 37%
• When Are You Reading Challenge: No progress this month unfortunately! But I only have 5 more categories to read from and 8 months to do it in so I'm feeling pretty confident! 

May TBR:

I firstly want to finish Andy McDermott's Wilde/Chase series (or catch-up, I don't think the series is complete yet) and that should take me a little while. But I am definitely wanting to read A Court of Wings and Ruin the second it arrives! I've been waiting so long for it! Other than that I'm not planning too much but these are some recent acquisitions I'd love to get to soon!

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