April TBR (2021)

Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my April TBR (2021)! 

If you wanted to know why I'm posting this so soon after my March Wrap Up, it's because I don't like to leave too much time after the start of the month before posting this. 

If you didn't want to know, now you do! 

Here's what I plan to read this month anyway, enjoy! 

1. Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson #4), by Rick Riordan 

2. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian (Percy Jackson #5), by Rick Riordan 

When I finished what was on my March TBR with a week left to go, I decided to continue on with my next series: the Percy Jackson series. I read the first three books within the first week (I don't know whether it was because I'd read them all before, so I was more familar with them than I thought, or actual enjoyment- I'm thinking both honestly) but I only have the last two books and I can't wait to see how this phenomal story wrapps up. I can't share too much about this series because I am currently on the fourth book, but the series follows Percy Jackson, from the time that he finds out that he's actually a demi- god, half God, half human. This series leads him on a number of exciting adventures throughout the series, searching for items that can save himself, and the world he knows and loves. (I wish I could go more in depth but I can't. Just, read the series if you haven't.) 

3. The Authenticity Project, by Claire Pooley 

I noticed this in my local Sainsburys a couple a weeks ago and although I didn't get it, my amazing boyfriend gifted it to me because of a voucher he had. 
The Authenticity Project starts off with a notebook being left at a cafe- it ends with six strangers writing down their truths. They all have one thing in common- their lives aren't always what they make them out to be. This notebook is there chance for them to write the truth. Julian Jessop is tired of hiding the deep loneliness he feels- so he begins The Authenticity Project- a small green notebook containing the truth about his life. Little did he expect for Monica to track him down with it- and also be inspired to write an entry for herself too. What they don't realise is that these small acts of honesty hold the power to impact all those who discover the notebook and change their lives completely. 

This is such a nifty, simple little concept, that I can't wait to sink my teeth into this. The font is large, the story is short, so it should take me long at all to read this. I'm certainly intrigued as for what kind of lives the characters have that pick up the notebook and I'm excited to give this a try. 

4. Dead or Alive (Skulduggery Pleasant #14), by Derek Landy 

Not only is this on my anticipated releases post that I posted last month, it's probably the book I was most likely to pick up straight away. Every time I talk about this series I mention how long I've been following it (at least 10 years) so if that doesn't say how much I love it, I have no idea what else to say. If you don't know anything about this series, it's that there's a kick-ass, very sarcastic and funny skeleton, there's an amazing magic system, fantastic adventures, and a story that will grip you to no end. Skulduggery Pleasant is the perfect series to read if you're looking to transition from children's to YA so I'll just run with that. 
The only bad thing about this book is that there's only going to be one more release after this, which I'm very nervous about (and sad). 

5. Instant Karma, by Marissa Meyer 

This book also came from an anticipated releases post, though it was an earlier one than Dead or Alive one. The reason this is here is because I decided that although I was talking about how much I wanted to read all of these, I never seemed to be getting anywhere with them. So, I've written down all the books on two of the most recent posts (listing books from January- March and the October- December before that), then asked my boyfriend to select one at random. He chose Instant Karma- which should be arriving some time today. 

Instant Karma follows chronic overachiever Prudence Barnett, who is always quick to judge the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams that everyone get their comueppence comes true seemingly overnight when, after a night out with her friends, she wakes up with the ability to grant instant karma to anyone around her. She certainly takes advantage of her new ability, and when she's assigned to work on a project with her slacker lab partner, Quint, annoyingly her plans always seem to fail. Quint is annoyingly cute and impressively noble, especially regarding his work at the rescue centre for sea animals. When Prue starts to work at the rescue centre for extra credit, she realises just how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed, love and hate... and fate. 

Most people know Marissa Meyer for her Lunar Chronicles series, which was wrapped up a few years ago. Although I love that series, I'm very excited to see how she handles writing a contemporary. I'm hoping this will be a quick, enjoyable read, but we'll see!

6. Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give #0), by Angie Thomas 

If you didn't know the story as for why I don't already have this/ haven't read this yet, I ordered this back when shops were open, and was persuaded to actually purchase this when it arrived. Obviously then the shops closed for several months, so I wasn't able to pick this up. But the shops will be opening soon this month so I can finally read this! 
If you didn't know, Concrete Rose is the prequel to The Hate U Give, the phenomenal Angie Thomas novel that kind of blew the world apart when it was released. This book actually follows her father, Maverick Carter, around the time when he's working on balancing all the aspects of his life: school, slinging dope, working too jobs to stay afloat while his Dad is in prison. Then he finds out he has a son, Seven, and everything changes, because now there's someone that relies on him for everything. Loyalty, revenge and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. So when Mav is offered the chance to go straight and try to start again, in a world, where nobody expects him to amount to anything, Mav will know the real meaning of what it is to be a man. 

I can't wait to find out more about what happened in this period in the THUG saga, it'll be interesting to see how it shaped the events in The Hate U Give. I'm fully expecting to want to re-read the second book after picking this up. 

7. Roam, by C.H. Armstrong

If you're thinking that this book just seemed to crop up randomly today, I wouldn't be surprised. This is one of the lesser known books on my want to read list on Goodreads, and even though it's been on there for a couple of years, I've never considered removing it. 

Roam is about a girl called Abby, and her family, who are living on the streets. After her Mum's disasterous mistake left them homeless, Abby and her family were forced to leave their home and journey elsewhere, for the chance for Abby to go to another school. Her stepdad promises to find them a place to live, but times can be tough and Abby is doing everything she can to keep her shameful secret from the kids at school, where it is painfully obvious who is rich and who is poor. As secrets are exposed, Abby is forced to trust in the people she has come to know as friends- will they be malicious, like her friends back home- or will they rise to the challenge to help Abby and her family find a normal life? 

This is such a simple concept, but if it's done right, I imagine it must be incredibly powerful. I've never read a book about someone homeless before, which is what drew me to this. 

Okay! That's my April TBR (2021)! I hope you enjoyed it, let me know in the comments if you've read any of these, or what you're planning on reading this month! 

I hope you have a wonderful Easter, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxx