This may have been my best reading month in 2021 so far…
Life
Life was good this month. I had my spring break which was very restful, but school is back in full swing which means AP season. Ugh. But I have officially committed to a college! I cannot tell you for security reasons (Pro tip: don’t put where you will be living for the next 4 years on the internet for anyone to see), but I am so excited!!! If you are in college please comment some of your best tips for anything because I will need them.
Reading
I read ten books this month. Ten. I haven’t read that many in one month since June of 2020.
- Iron Heart
My rating: 5/5 stars
I loved this book so much!! You can read my review of the first book, Crier’s War, here. I loved this duology so much. I gave both books 5 stars and read them within a week. I ordered Iron Heart before I even finished Crier’s War. This may be the best sapphic fantasy I have ever read. Omg, it’s so good. It’s got enemies to lovers, royalty, and revolution. The romance has so much tension and it’s AMAZING. I don’t really know what else to say other than that this is the best duology ever please read it.
2. House of Hollow
My rating: 5/5 stars
Read my full review here.
This book was wayyyy out of my usual genre but I absolutely loved it! This was a thriller/horror with some amazing fairytale-esque fantasy elements. It was super creepy and quite gory at times so if that is not your thing I would steer clear of this but if you can handle it this was SO AMAZING. I read it in just three sittings and I loved every second of it I just could not put it down. I absolutely loved this one.
3. The Henna Wars
My rating: 5/5 stars
I read this one by audiobook and loved it! The narrator was so good. This one is a super cute contemporary, queer romance. It covers some really important topics like racism, cultural appropriation, and homophobia, but it is also just super cute. The romance was absolutely adorable and I was rooting for them with every step. The relationship between the main character and her sister was so amazing and so realistic, which I absolutely loved. It reminded me of me and my own sister. I loved this book so much omg.
4. The Rise of Kyoshi
My rating: 10/5 stars
I read a lot of books I absolutely loved this month, but this one was by far my favorite. This is absolutely perfect for fans of Avatar the Last Airbender who are looking for a novelization of the world. This follows Kyoshi (the avatar before Roku, two before Aang) in her journey after she discovers she is the Avatar through her rise as one of the most iconic, and longest living Avatars ever. This one also features a sapphic romance that is SO CUTE and has so much tension and chemistry. Kyoshi’s story is quite tragic, and there are several deaths along the way so do be aware of that but this is absolutely worth a read. Also, I would recommend watching at least some of Avatar the Last Airbender before reading this because the book does not do a great job of setting up the world.
5. Some Girls Do
My rating: 5/5 stars
Read my full review here.
Another five star read! I read this one in just one sitting because it was so amazing and such a fast read. This is a comtemporary, sapphic romance and it’s so great. It follows Morgan, who is out and proud and even got kicked out of her private catholic school for being so, and Ruby, pageant beauty queen who is more than meets the eye. As Morgan struggles to find her own space in her new school, Ruby comes to terms with who she really is, and their worlds collide. I loved this book so so much.
6. The Falling In Love Montage
My rating: 5/5 stars
That’s right, another 5 star book. I’m telling you, I had THE BEST month. This is yet another contemporary queer romance and omg it was so good. It deals with a lot of really real things like dementia, but the romance is so cute. The ending ruined me, but I still loved it. Saoirse and Ruby (yes, another Ruby) agree to have a no-strings-attached summer fling, inspired by the iconic falling in love montages in all of Ruby’s favorite rom-coms. The only problem? At the end of the falling in love montage the rom-com characters tend to…. well, fall in love. I loved this book so much, and I related to Saoirse more and more with every page.
7. Her Royal Highness
My rating: 5/5 stars
This was a reread for me, but I decided to try out the audiobook this time and I loved it! Her Royal Highness follows Millie as she begins her senior year at an elite boarding school in Scotland. Her roommate is the literal worst, but she’s also the literal princess of Scotland. I’m sure you can see where that is going. The imagery of Scotland paired with the cutest enemies-to-lovers romance and including two of my favorite tropes royalty and boarding school? This is like my perfect book. This is absolutely one of my comfort books!
8. Crooked Kingdom
My rating: 2.5/5 stars
Read my full review here.
Since writing my full review, I have decided to change my rating from 3 to 2.5 stars. This is the only book that disappointed me this month. This one took me over a month to read because it was soooo boring. It was worse than Six of Crows. After reading Six of Crows, I was so hopeful that this one would be better, because I thought for sure this is where all the hype came from. But nope. I straight up do not understand it. I really really wish I loved these books, but to me, Shadow and Bone is five million times better. I do love the character, but the plot is so lackluster it ruins the whole thing.
9. Love, Creekwood
My rating: 4/5 stars
This was a super cute little bind up of stories told in email format from our Creekwood high gang. I love this universe so much. I wish we had seen a little more from them (the Ferris wheel scene) but I was so glad to even get this little update. If you are not aware, Simon vs the Homo sapiens Agenda and Leah on the Offbeat are two of my favorite books EVER. I just love them so much. Anyway this one was super cute and a good little extra for people who love the world.
10. Prince Charming
My rating: 4/5 stars
This is technically the first book in the Royals series, before Her Royal Highness, but they are so independent you can read them whenever you want. This was also a reread for me, and I tried the audiobook this time. I have discovered I love the audiobooks of these because they do the Scottish accents in an authentic and not cheesy way, which is super hard for me when I’m reading because I suck at accents. Anyway, this one is super cute as well. This follows Daisy as she is sucked into the royal world of Scotland after her sister announces her engagement to their crown prince. After a scandal with the paparazzi, she is swept into a fake dating scheme with the best friend of her soon-to-be brother in law. Complicated? Yup.
So those were the ten books I read this month! Don’t ask me how I read so much because I honestly could not tell you.
Writing
Lolol. This was another slow month for my writing. I did update somewhat regularly, but not really. You can read both my stories on my Wattpad here, but don’t expect regular chapters. I’m sorry but life has really been kicking my butt lately.
Blog
I posted… a bit on my blog this month. It was really all reviews, but expect some more lists and discussion posts coming soon. Here is what I posted in April:
- My review of House of Hollow
- My March Wrap Up
- My review of Some Girls Do
- Does Crooked Kingdom deserve the hype?
Make sure to check those out if you missed them!
My Goals from Last Month
- nothing
Pleased to say I achieved this goal! But in all seriousness, I think I am going to leave off the goal section of my wrap ups for a while, just to take a bit of the pressure off.
So that’s my April wrap up! Thank you so much for reading!
What did you read in April? Any new favorites?
Want some more? Check out my recent posts:
Jules Reads 